Dixon May Fair 'Buzzing with Excitement'

Forget about the birds and the bees.

Just think about the bees.

The 141st annual Dixon May Fair, California's oldest fair, is "Buzzing with Excitement," and that's the theme of the fair, which opens Thursday, May 5 for a four-day run.

Fairgoers will make a beeline for Madden Hall, the main thematic attraction. A glass bee observation hive from the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis will entice visitors to find the queen, worker bees and drones.  In addition, Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and her fellow Laidlaw facility apiarists are providing beekeeping equipment, informative posters, decorated bee boxes made by the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, and interactive displays, including a pollination poster ("Can you guess if I'm a pollinator?"). The El Niño Bee Lab will answer questions from fairgoers on Thursday and Friday.

Garry Haddon, beekeeping project leader of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, will showcase his honey as well as decorated bee boxes crafted by his 4-H'ers.

Chief administrative officer Patricia Conklin expects fairgoers to learn a lot about the importance of bees. Meanwhile, the final touches are underway.

On Monday morning, May 2, Madden Hall buzzed with activity as Chris Conklin hammered, sawed and nailed.   Enlarged photos of bees pollinating almonds (images donated by yours truly) lined the walls. On the floor, a mannikin in a beekeeping suit appeared almost ready for duty. Images of plants from "a" to "z" ("Plant These to Attract Bees") graced one wall. In between the "a" for alyssum and the "z" for zinnia, fairgoers will see everything from lavender, goldenrod and verbena to sage, alyssum, rosemary, borage, hollyhocks and thyme.

In the Youth Building, superintendent Stephanie Hill is totally focused on bees, from the displays to the decorations. Those bee-themed cakes and bee-themed table settings (Hello, Winnie the Pooh!) would make a beekeeper proud, not to mention the bees! A colorful "hive" of paper bees decorates one wall. Honey, too, has its place. Winnie the Pooh's menu boasts three items; just three items: (1) Honey (small) (2) Honey (large) and (3) Honey (extra large).

In the Interior Living building, superintendent Debee LaMont is surrounded by a display of tasty desserts made with honey, and the proverbial bear ready to partake. Or just take.

Indeed, there's much to see and do at the fair, located at 655 S. First St.  It's meant to inform, educate and entertain. Hours are neither "bankers' hours" nor "bee time." It's "people time":

• Thursday, May 5 from 4 to 11 p.m.
• Friday, May 6 from noon to 11 p.m.
• Saturday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday, May 8 from noon to 11 p.m.

The biggest bargain is Thrifty Thursday Day with everyone five years and older admitted for $5. (Children under five receive free admission.)  Check out the website at http://dixonmayfair.com for more information on prices and activities.

Meanwhile, it's good to see the focus on bees!