May 23, 2025 • 11 mins
A new festival will take place in Shelby on May 31st and the Black Fork Commons Plaza. Shelby mayor, Steve Schag, along with Aaron Billheimer and Connie Roub from the Shelby Downtown Business Team, stopped into the studio to share details about the Shel-Bee Festival.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Three guests with us in studio this morning. We're going
to talk about an event coming up at the end
of May in Shelby, and to talk about that. The
mayor has brought a couple of guests with him. This
morning we'll begin to our right, they have a brand
new festival getting underway. Shelby Mayor Steve Shagg, Good morning.
I look over the monitor to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Good morning, Good morning, Eron, So good to be with you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
A lot of times you and I we'll talk on
the telephone. So I'm glad you guys were able to
make the drive over this morning. So Shelby is having
a festival. It's called the shell Be Festival. This is
I love the name because you told me what several
years back, Shelby became a B city USA. Right, Yes, sir,
(00:45):
so tell us a little bit about the festival, and
we're gonna introduce your guests that you brought along. But
maybe we should start with Shelby being a B city.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah, I'd like to go back to the beginning. In
my office on the monitor, I get dozens of emails
every day, and way back in early twenty twenty one,
I received this email about b City USA affiliates, and
it peaked my interest because I as a young man
growing up here in Mansfield and across from a farm,
(01:15):
bees were always something that fascinated me and I had
a keen interest in them. Neighbor across the street had
five bee hives, and I worked with him and for him,
and I have seen the decline of the honeybee, in
particular the one that we know. I was really interested
in this and I thought, well, this would be something
you'd liket to pursue as a city. So we began
(01:36):
to correspond back and forth. So the B City USA
actually became an existence in twenty twelve in North Carolina Asheville,
North Carolina, and it has grown now there are b
campuses across the country as well. But in twenty twenty
one we brought legislation to council and they passed the
legislation authorizing us to become a B City USA affiliate.
(02:00):
And with that comes the educational piece. We try to
monitor how we use our mosquito spray, we use a
more pollinator friendly mosquito spray, more strategic in our spraying.
We have educational pieces which this will be a beautiful
part of that this B City, USA having a B festival,
(02:20):
and so just so please that has rolled out this way.
Our twenty twenty two is our first full year as
a B city. Few statistics some people may not know,
is there actually there are three thy six hundred native
species of pollinators and bees in the United States. So
it's more than just our friendly little honeybee, but we
love him. The value of crop pollination has been estimated
(02:42):
between eighteen and twenty seven billion dollars annually in the USA.
Our pollinators are very important. Approximately seventy five percent of
all of our crops are pollinator reliant. So people need
to realize the importance of having our pollinators. So we're
just so please. And when I've heard about the bee festival,
(03:02):
I said, this is right up our alley and it
really coincides with our mission, the initiative to we create
pollinator habitat. We try to bring education and Aaron of course,
has been really good at this. We have bee hives
on city property. We have probably fifteen to twenty hours
out there near our wastewater treatment plant. We're doing all
(03:24):
we can do to help our pollinator friends.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So you're hearing the voice this morning of Shelby may
Or Steve Shagg. We're talking about the Shelby Festival that's
coming up, the Shelby Festival, it'll be going on May thirty. First,
where you heard him say, Aaron. He is one of
a couple againsts that he brought along, Aaron Billheimer and
Connie Robber with us. They are on the board for
the Shelby Downtown Business Team. Aerin, let's begin with you
(03:47):
first of all, good morning, thank you for coming in today.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Good morning, how are you today?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
I'm doing well, doing well. And he told me you
for Richland County are the bee keeper for the whole county.
How does all this work?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yes, recently the county has been without a inspector.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
And it's apierist. Do I have that right?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's the name.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Deputy apiarist is the title. The Deputy apiarist is a
position that allows for the inspections of beehives in the
county so that we can keep pests and that kind
of stuff under control or educate a little bit as needed.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Now, Aaron, and we're going to talk to Countie in
a moment too. But for you in the mayor mentioned this,
how important bees are?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You know?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Pollinating on all those kind of things. I don't know that,
you know, just in general people think about all the
great things that bees do.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So one of the things that's very important for this
position is this year. You have losses every year due
to pests and pesticides and all those kind of things,
and this year they had unprecedented losses across the country.
So I feel that it's really important, you know, to
play my part to help with that and make sure
(04:57):
that things are under control.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
And what can weather play a factor and all that too.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, weather can play a factor, you know in our climate.
You know with winter, how the you know, the population
of the actual hive going into the winter. And there's
a lot of other factors too that go along with
it for losses or not as many losses. But you've
got you know, different pesticides used, you got different pests.
And when I started as a beekeeper six years ago,
(05:25):
I was just blown away with everything that went into
beekeeping itself. There's a lot more than just putting a
box on and then collecting the honey. You got to understand,
you know, your your life cycles, and you've got to
understand and pay attention to the things going around the beehive. Everybody,
every animal, every insect wants what those bees are putting
(05:46):
in that box at some point or another. And so
with all of that and the knowledge that you have
to build up to in order to be a successful beekeeper,
there's a tremendous lot to it.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
And we're talking in this morning with a three guests.
We're talking about this shell b Festival as we talk
about Shelby being a B city USA. The Mayor Steve
Shag with us. You just heard from Aaron Billheimer. Connie
rob is going to step to the microphone now. She is,
along with Aaron, a part of the board for the
Shelby Downtown Business Team. Good morning, Connie, thank you for
(06:19):
coming in today.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I'm glad to be here, all right, So tell me
a little bit about the festival. I know Aaron's going
to talk about it as well. It's on the thirty
first of May. That is a Saturday. Tell us about it,
where it's at and what people should know.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Alrighty, it is at the black Fort Commons at Downtown
Shelby beautiful Area that the CIC and the City of
Shelby have put together. We will have lots of kids activities.
Eleven o'clock will be family yoga, bring a matt and chairs,
bringing chairs for live music all day. We have scavenger hunts,
craft and vendor shows. There's going to be a honey
(06:55):
judging baking competition. Stop in and show what you can
make with honey and cash prizes for that. Food trucks.
Everybody loves food trucks.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Now, this is all free for people. Let them know
it's eleven to five that.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
These activities are free. We'll also have big inflatables. I
think the only thing that you would have to pay
for is if you purchase something from the craft and
vendors and the food trucks.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
All right, so free admission, all of that going on.
Things free and that'll be from eleven until five. So
I don't know who would like to tell me about
who's judging the honey here? How does this work?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Aaron?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
And who would like to share with us? They say
there's going to be judging that. This sounds interesting.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Explain So the Ritual Area Beekeeper Association here local has
a few members on the committee with us, and amongst that,
we're blessed with a gal who's actually a professional honey judger,
so she's going to be there to judge the honey
and then for the food with the taste testing and stuff.
The Mayor has.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Graciously, as he smiles, said.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
That he would be able to help with that. And
then we also were able to through the gal that's
going to be helping us with the judging. She has
a cousin over and Wooster who does stuff with the
bee lab over there. We also are going to have
Queen Wright, which is one of the biggest be supply
stores here in Ohio. They're up from around the rain.
They're going to be down so they'll have a bunch
(08:17):
of their stuff with them and they're bringing up some
really nice displays and that kind of thing too. So
you know, with the originally area bee keepers and the
downtown business team, I think that we're going to have
a pretty good first year festival.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Well, I want to have a few more questions before
we let them go again. You were hearing three voices
joining us today about the shell be Festival Shelby being
a B city USA. It's coming up on May thirty,
first over at the black Fork Commons Plaza over in Shelby,
eleven until five, all free. They mentioned if you want
to purchase some things, they'll have some craft vendors and
food trucks and things like that, but everything with the kids, activities,
(08:53):
music all free. Mayor Steve Shank from Shelby US with us.
You just heard there from Aaron Billheimer, also a moment
ago from Connie rob who are on the board of
the Shelby Downtown Business Team. Aaron, back to you education.
I'm assuming there'll be people there, explained just a little bit.
People can get more information. Maybe they're thinking, hey, I
would like to get involved and be keeping something like that.
(09:14):
It'll be people to talk to with education.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Then, yes, So we'll have members of the rich Andary
bee keepers down there. We'll be able to talk to
them about bees. And then we also got the garden
clubs involved, so we're going to have volunteers from the
garden clubs. And so the mayor will be down there
and he'll be talking a little bit more about b
city designation. And then we'll also have another person down
(09:36):
there that'll be either talking about pollinators themselves or about
you know, the plants and what kind of pollinator plants
and you know, our best for the pollinators and whatnot.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Yeah, terrific information this morning. Aaron Billheim or there, Connie,
Rob Connie, do we miss something with you? I see
you scribbling down or note we forget something.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
We do have a Facebook page, it's the shell Be Festival,
and people can go on there and keep up on
what we're adding and what we already have going on
in the times for the different activities.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Okay, make sure everything runs from eleven to five, but
the exact times and all of that they can find
on social media. Again, the shell b Festival coming up
on May thirty. First, we're going to end with Mayor
Steve Shaggs. So you are a connoisseur than of honey
then correct? Yes, oh yeah, right up, my alley, did
(10:28):
we miss it? We miss anything? You want to leave it.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
I just want to thank the Downtown Business Group for
this initiative. This is the first time, and this is
I did not ask them to do this. This was
a wonderful I think outcome of being a B city
that we are embracing that status. We are a tree
city as well, but I think this does bring again,
it brings attention to the pollinators and we're trying to
(10:51):
do all we can as a city to increase their numbers,
to increase a favorable habitat, and to keep their mission there.
I think God give mission of pollinating all across the
United States.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
All right, Well, it's good information to share so people
can get out and about that day on May thirty first. Now,
the long range forecast, granted we're talking it's a ways,
but it's showing temperatures maybe in the mid seventies. You'll
take that compared to the roller coaster we've been on
here as of now. But we appreciate the time this morning.
Put it on your calendar. May thirty first, again Shelby
with a brand new festival. First one shall be Festival
(11:25):
being a B City USA. It's at the black Fork
Commons Plaza on Main Street eleven till five. Lots of activities,
a lot of great information going on education with Shelby
again being a B City USA. The Mayor with us
this morning, Steve Shag his guests he brought are on
the board of the Shelby Downtown Business Team, Aaron bill
(11:45):
Heimer and Connie rob Thank you all so much for
coming in and good luck with your festival.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Thank you for having us appreciate it
Three guests with us in studio this morning. We're going
to talk about an event coming up at the end
of May in Shelby, and to talk about that. The
mayor has brought a couple of guests with him. This
morning we'll begin to our right, they have a brand
new festival getting underway. Shelby Mayor Steve Shagg, Good morning.
I look over the monitor to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Good morning, Good morning, Eron, So good to be with you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
A lot of times you and I we'll talk on
the telephone. So I'm glad you guys were able to
make the drive over this morning. So Shelby is having
a festival. It's called the shell Be Festival. This is
I love the name because you told me what several
years back, Shelby became a B city USA. Right, Yes, sir,
(00:45):
so tell us a little bit about the festival, and
we're gonna introduce your guests that you brought along. But
maybe we should start with Shelby being a B city.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah, I'd like to go back to the beginning. In
my office on the monitor, I get dozens of emails
every day, and way back in early twenty twenty one,
I received this email about b City USA affiliates, and
it peaked my interest because I as a young man
growing up here in Mansfield and across from a farm,
(01:15):
bees were always something that fascinated me and I had
a keen interest in them. Neighbor across the street had
five bee hives, and I worked with him and for him,
and I have seen the decline of the honeybee, in
particular the one that we know. I was really interested
in this and I thought, well, this would be something
you'd liket to pursue as a city. So we began
(01:36):
to correspond back and forth. So the B City USA
actually became an existence in twenty twelve in North Carolina Asheville,
North Carolina, and it has grown now there are b
campuses across the country as well. But in twenty twenty
one we brought legislation to council and they passed the
legislation authorizing us to become a B City USA affiliate.
(02:00):
And with that comes the educational piece. We try to
monitor how we use our mosquito spray, we use a
more pollinator friendly mosquito spray, more strategic in our spraying.
We have educational pieces which this will be a beautiful
part of that this B City, USA having a B festival,
(02:20):
and so just so please that has rolled out this way.
Our twenty twenty two is our first full year as
a B city. Few statistics some people may not know,
is there actually there are three thy six hundred native
species of pollinators and bees in the United States. So
it's more than just our friendly little honeybee, but we
love him. The value of crop pollination has been estimated
(02:42):
between eighteen and twenty seven billion dollars annually in the USA.
Our pollinators are very important. Approximately seventy five percent of
all of our crops are pollinator reliant. So people need
to realize the importance of having our pollinators. So we're
just so please. And when I've heard about the bee festival,
(03:02):
I said, this is right up our alley and it
really coincides with our mission, the initiative to we create
pollinator habitat. We try to bring education and Aaron of course,
has been really good at this. We have bee hives
on city property. We have probably fifteen to twenty hours
out there near our wastewater treatment plant. We're doing all
(03:24):
we can do to help our pollinator friends.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So you're hearing the voice this morning of Shelby may
Or Steve Shagg. We're talking about the Shelby Festival that's
coming up, the Shelby Festival, it'll be going on May thirty. First,
where you heard him say, Aaron. He is one of
a couple againsts that he brought along, Aaron Billheimer and
Connie Robber with us. They are on the board for
the Shelby Downtown Business Team. Aerin, let's begin with you
(03:47):
first of all, good morning, thank you for coming in today.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Good morning, how are you today?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
I'm doing well, doing well. And he told me you
for Richland County are the bee keeper for the whole county.
How does all this work?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yes, recently the county has been without a inspector.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
And it's apierist. Do I have that right?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's the name.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Deputy apiarist is the title. The Deputy apiarist is a
position that allows for the inspections of beehives in the
county so that we can keep pests and that kind
of stuff under control or educate a little bit as needed.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Now, Aaron, and we're going to talk to Countie in
a moment too. But for you in the mayor mentioned this,
how important bees are?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You know?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Pollinating on all those kind of things. I don't know that,
you know, just in general people think about all the
great things that bees do.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So one of the things that's very important for this
position is this year. You have losses every year due
to pests and pesticides and all those kind of things,
and this year they had unprecedented losses across the country.
So I feel that it's really important, you know, to
play my part to help with that and make sure
(04:57):
that things are under control.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
And what can weather play a factor and all that too.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, weather can play a factor, you know in our climate.
You know with winter, how the you know, the population
of the actual hive going into the winter. And there's
a lot of other factors too that go along with
it for losses or not as many losses. But you've
got you know, different pesticides used, you got different pests.
And when I started as a beekeeper six years ago,
(05:25):
I was just blown away with everything that went into
beekeeping itself. There's a lot more than just putting a
box on and then collecting the honey. You got to understand,
you know, your your life cycles, and you've got to
understand and pay attention to the things going around the beehive. Everybody,
every animal, every insect wants what those bees are putting
(05:46):
in that box at some point or another. And so
with all of that and the knowledge that you have
to build up to in order to be a successful beekeeper,
there's a tremendous lot to it.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
And we're talking in this morning with a three guests.
We're talking about this shell b Festival as we talk
about Shelby being a B city USA. The Mayor Steve
Shag with us. You just heard from Aaron Billheimer. Connie
rob is going to step to the microphone now. She is,
along with Aaron, a part of the board for the
Shelby Downtown Business Team. Good morning, Connie, thank you for
(06:19):
coming in today.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I'm glad to be here, all right, So tell me
a little bit about the festival. I know Aaron's going
to talk about it as well. It's on the thirty
first of May. That is a Saturday. Tell us about it,
where it's at and what people should know.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Alrighty, it is at the black Fort Commons at Downtown
Shelby beautiful Area that the CIC and the City of
Shelby have put together. We will have lots of kids activities.
Eleven o'clock will be family yoga, bring a matt and chairs,
bringing chairs for live music all day. We have scavenger hunts,
craft and vendor shows. There's going to be a honey
(06:55):
judging baking competition. Stop in and show what you can
make with honey and cash prizes for that. Food trucks.
Everybody loves food trucks.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Now, this is all free for people. Let them know
it's eleven to five that.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
These activities are free. We'll also have big inflatables. I
think the only thing that you would have to pay
for is if you purchase something from the craft and
vendors and the food trucks.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
All right, so free admission, all of that going on.
Things free and that'll be from eleven until five. So
I don't know who would like to tell me about
who's judging the honey here? How does this work?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Aaron?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
And who would like to share with us? They say
there's going to be judging that. This sounds interesting.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Explain So the Ritual Area Beekeeper Association here local has
a few members on the committee with us, and amongst that,
we're blessed with a gal who's actually a professional honey judger,
so she's going to be there to judge the honey
and then for the food with the taste testing and stuff.
The Mayor has.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Graciously, as he smiles, said.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
That he would be able to help with that. And
then we also were able to through the gal that's
going to be helping us with the judging. She has
a cousin over and Wooster who does stuff with the
bee lab over there. We also are going to have
Queen Wright, which is one of the biggest be supply
stores here in Ohio. They're up from around the rain.
They're going to be down so they'll have a bunch
(08:17):
of their stuff with them and they're bringing up some
really nice displays and that kind of thing too. So
you know, with the originally area bee keepers and the
downtown business team, I think that we're going to have
a pretty good first year festival.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Well, I want to have a few more questions before
we let them go again. You were hearing three voices
joining us today about the shell be Festival Shelby being
a B city USA. It's coming up on May thirty,
first over at the black Fork Commons Plaza over in Shelby,
eleven until five, all free. They mentioned if you want
to purchase some things, they'll have some craft vendors and
food trucks and things like that, but everything with the kids, activities,
(08:53):
music all free. Mayor Steve Shank from Shelby US with us.
You just heard there from Aaron Billheimer, also a moment
ago from Connie rob who are on the board of
the Shelby Downtown Business Team. Aaron, back to you education.
I'm assuming there'll be people there, explained just a little bit.
People can get more information. Maybe they're thinking, hey, I
would like to get involved and be keeping something like that.
(09:14):
It'll be people to talk to with education.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Then, yes, So we'll have members of the rich Andary
bee keepers down there. We'll be able to talk to
them about bees. And then we also got the garden
clubs involved, so we're going to have volunteers from the
garden clubs. And so the mayor will be down there
and he'll be talking a little bit more about b
city designation. And then we'll also have another person down
(09:36):
there that'll be either talking about pollinators themselves or about
you know, the plants and what kind of pollinator plants
and you know, our best for the pollinators and whatnot.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Yeah, terrific information this morning. Aaron Billheim or there, Connie,
Rob Connie, do we miss something with you? I see
you scribbling down or note we forget something.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
We do have a Facebook page, it's the shell Be Festival,
and people can go on there and keep up on
what we're adding and what we already have going on
in the times for the different activities.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Okay, make sure everything runs from eleven to five, but
the exact times and all of that they can find
on social media. Again, the shell b Festival coming up
on May thirty. First, we're going to end with Mayor
Steve Shaggs. So you are a connoisseur than of honey
then correct? Yes, oh yeah, right up, my alley, did
(10:28):
we miss it? We miss anything? You want to leave it.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
I just want to thank the Downtown Business Group for
this initiative. This is the first time, and this is
I did not ask them to do this. This was
a wonderful I think outcome of being a B city
that we are embracing that status. We are a tree
city as well, but I think this does bring again,
it brings attention to the pollinators and we're trying to
(10:51):
do all we can as a city to increase their numbers,
to increase a favorable habitat, and to keep their mission there.
I think God give mission of pollinating all across the
United States.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
All right, Well, it's good information to share so people
can get out and about that day on May thirty first. Now,
the long range forecast, granted we're talking it's a ways,
but it's showing temperatures maybe in the mid seventies. You'll
take that compared to the roller coaster we've been on
here as of now. But we appreciate the time this morning.
Put it on your calendar. May thirty first, again Shelby
with a brand new festival. First one shall be Festival
(11:25):
being a B City USA. It's at the black Fork
Commons Plaza on Main Street eleven till five. Lots of activities,
a lot of great information going on education with Shelby
again being a B City USA. The Mayor with us
this morning, Steve Shag his guests he brought are on
the board of the Shelby Downtown Business Team, Aaron bill
(11:45):
Heimer and Connie rob Thank you all so much for
coming in and good luck with your festival.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Thank you for having us appreciate it
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