High Street a swarm of activity at Oxford Bee Festival

Cyndy Jividen’s love of bees has been lifelong.

“Bees are the life of the earth,” Jividen said. “I’ve been going through chemo treatment, and the bees just give me that inspiration to keep going.”

Jividen started chemotherapy last November. She’s also been using medicinal manuka honey since then, and says it feels like the bees are saving her. This May, she’s setting up a hive in her own yard, and she’s taking online classes to prepare for how to care for them.

So when the Springfield, Ohio resident heard about the Oxford Bee Festival April 12, there was no question that she’d make her way out. It was just a matter of getting her grandkids to drive her the hour and a half.

“It’s incredible — incredible,” Jividen said. “They’ve done an excellent job. I can’t wait until next year. Hopefully I’m still around.”

Jividen was among plenty of attendees at the Bee Festival from Oxford and beyond. The event shut down High Street and featured dozens of vendors, many of whom were associated with the Butler County Beekeepers Association (BCBA). Oxford has played a key role in the history of American beekeeping as the location where Lorenzo Langstroth perfected the Langstroth hive, a design which is still popular today.

More recently, Oxford has generated buzz for its beekeeping legacy with the completion of the Oxford Hive Mural, a massive two-wall mural Uptown designed by local artist Joe Prescher. During the festival, which ran from 1-8 p.m., Prescher stuck around the mural, taking pictures for attendees and offering more information about the mural’s design process.

“It’s just more of the community outreach,” Prescher said. “Everybody’s having a great time.”

During the festival, Shademakers extended the mural alley with a floral display featuring rain barrels designed by local artists, which were raffled off during the event.

Elizabeth Bartels, a beekeeper from Middletown, Ohio, said this is the third year her business, Sweet Creek Honey Bees, has been involved with BCBA. The organization helps beekeepers across the county come together and learn from each other, she said, and was also how she heard about the Bee Festival.

“Even the most seasoned beekeepers, they’re still learning,” Bartels said. “Basically, we’re learning together.”

Before the festival Uptown, nearly 180 runners took part in two races along the Oxford Area Trail System (OATS), dubbed the OATS and Honey races. The event featured both a 5K and a 10K option, and runners from Oxford’s local pub run group came decked out in bee-themed attire. Members of the pub run group also helped with promotion and marketing for the event.

One of those pub run members, Jasper Ralinovsky, said the OATS and Honey race was his first time running a 5K in a onesie, but it may not be his last. He left the possibility open for Halloween.

“It definitely slowed me down more than I thought it would,” Ralinovsky said, “but it was still fun, a cold day, so the bee suit helps.”

Alex French, a member of Oxford City Council, spent months organizing the race, which she hopes will become an annual tradition along with the festival. Last April, the city held a solar eclipse-themed race along the OATS.

“I really like doing this stuff because it’s really working a lot, hands-on with city staff, which is a great part of being a city council member,” French said. “Oxford always shines when we have festivals. It feels like a CW show in a really nice and positive way.”