Bee-themed games were part of the fun at Honey Fest 2014. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

Bee-themed games were part of the fun at Honey Fest 2014. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

CEDAR RAPIDS – The Indian Creek Nature Center’s Honey Fest is changing to a Saturday this year and has additional  features for this annual event.

Check out photos from last year’s Honey Fest here, and read on for more from the Indian Creek Nature Center about this year’s event, coming Saturday, Sept. 19:

Indian Creek Nature Center is scaling up its annual Honey Fest event with several new features, including Campus Explore tours, a food truck by Woolf’s Lunch Box, live music by Deep Dish Divas, and an array of kids’ crafts including tie dyeing. This festival is a celebration of the honey bee and the honey harvest from the Nature Center’s onsite apiary, which produces 100% raw and local honey. The festival, taking place on Saturday, September 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., coincides with the last Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers’ Market of the season so families and individuals can easily attend both events while out and about.

The Nature Center’s apiary gives Honey Fest attendees the opportunity to explore how honey goes from prairie blossom to breakfast table and see the process of harvesting honey, while also learning why honey bees are so important and how to help the honey bee population. The festival includes educational stations, kids’ games, vendors, and the Nature Center’s own honey for sale. Students of the Nature Center’s popular beekeeping class are on hand for demonstrations and to answer questions.

Honey Fest also features the Sweet Trail Run, a 1.8 mile run/walk winding through hilly woodlands, open prairie and along Indian Creek on the Nature Center’s trails. The Sweet Trail Run is open to all ages, and all paid registrants receive a t-shirt, goody bag, and free admission to Honey Fest with their runner’s bib. The trail run begins at 11 a.m. during Honey Fest. Tickets and more information for both Honey Fest and the Sweet Trail Run are available at www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org/honey-fest. All event proceeds support the mission of Indian Creek Nature Center.

About Indian Creek Nature Center:

Located in Cedar Rapids, Indian Creek Nature Center is Iowa’s first and only privately owned and operated non-profit nature center. With 290 acres of land under its management, the Nature Center hosts thousands of visitors each year for nature-based programs and activities. The mission of the Indian Creek Nature Center is to promote a sustainable future by nurturing individuals through environmental education, providing leadership in land protection and restoration, and encouraging responsible interaction with nature.