News & Events
* UPCOMING *
BEEKEEPING CLASSES!
Boston Area Beekeeping Association's (BABA's) intensive beekeeping class begins in February.
Bee school is the best place to begin your adventure. The five indoor classes, and several 'hands-on' trips to an apiary in early spring, are comprehensive and fun. For more info, click here. You can also click here to go to the Jamaica Plain registration page, or here to register for the Somerville class.
BEEKEEPING 101
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019,
from 9:30am to 12:30pm
This is a basic, single, intensive class taught at MassAudubon's Boston Nature Center, and co-sponsored with BNC & the Boston Area Beekeepers Association. If you plan to start beekeeping this year, the 5-session class (above) is best. If you're considering beekeeping sometime in the future, this intro is a great place to start. Click here to be taken to MassAudubon's info & registration page.
UNDERSTANDING BEES' MICRONUTRIENT NEEDS -- Learn what nutrients bees need, and what time of year they need them. Feb. 26, 6:30 - 8:30
Dr. Rachael Bonoan will present findings from her graduate thesis. This is another Boston Area Beekeepers Association Meet & Greet. Location and time to be announced. Click here to check BABA's website for updates.
NATIVE BEE WORKSHOP,
March 5, 6:30 - 8:30
This lecture and workshop will be held this year at the Arnold Arboretum. As in years past, graduate student Nick Dorian will first talk about native bees in our neighborhoods, then we will build attractive nests just in time for spring. my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277
MAPLE SUGARING --
The year's first harvest!
Once again, MassAudubon's Boston Nature Center will fire-up Agricultural Hall's portable evaporator to boil off enough water to turn sugar maple sap into sweet syrup. February 23, from 1-2:30 will be geared more toward adults, and 3/9 will be a more family-friendly event. See https://tinyurl.com/y96h7q7p for registration info.
BEE PACKAGES, 2019
Orders are now being taken for 2019 packages of Italian, varroa sensitive hygienic (VSH), and Carniolan bees! Buzz over to the 'Ordering Bees' page. for additional info and ordering details.
For other workshops and happenings, check the Workshops calendar here.
Agricultural Hall?
In 1818, the Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agriculture built the original Agricultural Hall on Dighton Street in Brighton. It served as the hub of the Brighton Fair and Cattle Show, one of the earliest and largest such fairs in the country. In 1829, "a 17-pound turnip, a 19-pound radish, and a bough on which pears hung like a cluster of grapes were among the outstanding exhibits of that year." In 1844 the building was moved to its present location at the corner of Chestnut Hill Avenue and Washington Street.
Dr. William P. Marchione &
The Bostonian Society
Agricultural Hall
245 Amory Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-388-7378 / e-mail Ag Hall
Sat.&Sun., 10:00am-2:30pm & by appt.
The 2016 Fair took a new turn. Agricultural Hall, The Trustees, & Haley House presented the 'Agricultural Exposition,' on October 16th, next to Hailey House in Dudley Square.
Much of the format was similar to Ag Hall's last three Urban Agriculture Fairs. The judging table didn't reach critical mass (pretty late in the season for most gardeners), but there were still plenty of games, demonstrations, contests, including a cucumber derby and a pie-eating contest. (If you've never seen a pie-eating contest, don't miss the chance if it comes up again.) Additional guests included goats and other farm animals.
We learned a lot and are already planning for 2017. Call if you want to get involved. It's nothing but fun! Check the Fair 2017 page for updates.