A sweet breeze swept across the historic grounds of the Hofmann Apiary on Saturday, August 1, as community members, local vendors, and bee enthusiasts swarmed the fourth annual Bee Bash.
Beneath sunny skies, attendees explored historic timber buildings, sampled unique local treats—including limited-edition Bee Bash Blended Honey infused with bourbon—and celebrated a legacy that has anchored Southern Minnesota’s agricultural history for over a century.
Preserving a Honeycombed Jewel
Established in 1907 when Emil Hofmann began constructing specialized beekeeping facilities on his family farm, Hofmann Apiaries flourished for 82 years, becoming nationally renowned for pioneering beekeeping techniques. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, the site features 10 contributing properties, including an 1884 farmhouse and nine historic beekeeping structures built between 1907 and 1933. Today, it remains the only historic apiary listed on the National Register in Minnesota and one of only two in the entire United States.
However, the landmark came dangerously close to fading into history. When the property faced an estate sale in 2010, Joan Mooney, former Executive Director of the Waseca County Historical Society (WCHS), recognized its irreplaceable value. Seeing the historical Honey House and Wax Shed, Mooney voiced a strong passion to rescue the buildings. Thanks to her vision and the tireless restoration work of WCHS, the site was saved.
“I wanted to preserve the history here,” Mooney noted, reflecting on the efforts that also established the thriving community garden now flourishing alongside the apiary’s restored Honey House and Wax Shed.
What began as a quiet restoration open house evolved into a “Pollinator Party,” eventually becoming the beloved annual “Bee Bash.” Co-hosted by family stewards Jan, Larry, and Laura Hofmann in partnership with WCHS, the event continues to grow year after year. Police Explorers on hand to tally attendance noted that crowd numbers have steadily climbed by about 25 guests with each annual event.
A Timeline of Innovation and Family Legacy
Inside the Honey House, visitors were treated to “Hofmann Apiaries Phase One,” an interactive timeline presentation created by WCHS. The exhibit traces the site’s rich history starting with Valentine Hofmann’s arrival in America in 1871, through Emil Hofmann’s construction of the apiary’s first beehives, to the economic trials of the Great Depression.
Following Emil’s passing in 1934, his son Charles Hofmann took the reins and propelled the business to regional and national fame. Local lore remembers Charles for his daring promotion during the 1956 Janesville Centennial Parade, where he proudly marched wearing a “beard” composed of thousands of live, buzzing bees.
“The core group of supporters are so dedicated to this mission,” said Jan Hofmann. “We are just blown away with everything accomplished in restoring these buildings. None of this would be possible without the Historical Society and the community’s support.”
Music, Costumes, and Local Flavor
The atmosphere was vibrant throughout the Bee Bash. Visitors meandered along stations spanning the Wax Shed, Bee Cellar, Honey House, and Prairie Walk. Live music resonated across the grounds as a trio of musicians with City Mouse–Dave Pengra, Ron Arsnault, and Billy Steiner –returned for their third consecutive year performing at the bash. Larry Hofmann even filled in during an unexpected snack break by Pengra, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind, and Larry could strum a bassline with the best of them.
Vendors offered handmade goods ranging from popcorn and hand-sewn aprons to flavored honey sticks. A popular silent auction featuring Hofmann Apiary honey products helped raise funds to keep the event free for future generations.
Among the day’s standout figures was Terry McDaniel of TMCD Honey. An 18-year beekeeping veteran, owner of TMCD Honey, and and a former President of the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Assocation, McDaniel fully embraced the Bee Bash’s theme, donning colorful wings, a garden skirt, and a beehive helmet. Her custom “art car”—a once blue but now bright green Honda Fit complete with “POLLEN” license plates, painted sunflowers, and a bumblebee-patterned interior blanket—served as a mobile education unit.
Even the local school district got into the spirit: Ava Place, the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) spelling bee and social studies bee champion and Scripps National Spelling Bee contestant, was on site. Guests were invited to put her vocabulary to the test using a pre-selected list of challenging “bee-themed” words.
Addressing the Hivemind: Education Amid a Bee Crisis
While the festival offered lighthearted entertainment, it also served a critical educational purpose: shedding light on the steep declines facing honeybees and wild pollinators over the past quarter-century.
At informational stations hosted by the University of Minnesota Extension, Dr. Katie Lee—Extension Educator with the UMN “Bee Team”—guided attendees through interactive exhibits highlighting native pollinators like cellophane, mining, leafcutter, digger, honey, and bumblebees. Signs inviting guests to try on a “bee beard” offered humorous photo ops while opening serious conversations about queen bee selection, hive dynamics, and ongoing conservation efforts.
“Honeybees and their keepers have seen declining numbers for the last 25 years,” explained regional beekeepers, pointing to factors such as Varroa mites, loss of foraging habitat, and toxic exposures in dandelion pollen—topics recently addressed at a tri-state beekeepers meeting in Fargo, North Dakota.
Local experts were out in full force to share their expertise:
- Dan Strand, a third-generation beekeeper who has been keeping bees since 1993, serves as a “Bee Broker.” Strand arranges cross-country transport of hives to pollinate major agricultural crops like avocado and various fruits, keeping the nation’s food supply moving. His son is now looking into expanding the family’s retail operation, Strand & Strand.
- Jason Casey of Sun Honey LLC shared insights into honey harvesting and announced an upcoming “Basics of Beekeeping” class, which will be held at Hofmann Apiary on August 15, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
A Mission Worth Buzzing About
As the sun began to dip over the prairie walk, tiny cellophane bees—the smallest of their species—could be seen fluttering among the flowers surrounding the historic hives and even the arms of passerbys.
Though small, their presence served as a poignant reminder of the Bee Bash’s broader goal. As organizers look ahead to future educational workshops and school tours, the Hofmann Apiary stands as a testament to what community dedication, history, and a shared passion for nature can accomplish.
For more information about upcoming workshops, volunteering, or to donate to the Hofmann Apiary restoration project, contact the Waseca County Historical Society.
