It's almost time for our June meeting and that means we'll be asking members to sign up to staff the NCBA booth at the Nevada County Fair. In past years we've had some trouble getting enough volunteers to fill all the times but it was different last year. The membership stepped up at the June meeting and filled all the time slots.

I hope to see the same this year, don't be shy or expect someone else to volunteer we need everyone to participate. We have a lot of new members this year and if you're one of them you may think you don't know enough about beekeeping to be in the booth. Don't let that stop you, a big part of what you do is give honey tastings, point out the queens, smile and be pleasant. If you just read the posters on the walls of the booth you'll have answers to most questions, you will probably be surprised at how much you do know. I was so impressed at the number of people who wished to volunteer last year, we even had to turn some away, so if you missed out last year now's your chance.

The real purpose of the NCBA is to educate ourselves and others, what better way to accomplish that than our booth at the fair. We have a very small group of people who put in a lot of time each year to give everyone not only a place to share your experiences in beekeeping, but also a place to have all your questions answered. All we ask of you is four hours a year.

Jerry Van Heeringen