Strawbery Banke Museum Announces Sweet Addition to Baby Animals Event: Honey Extraction Demonstrations

PORTSMOUTH — Strawbery Banke announced an exciting program component to its annual Baby Animals: Heritage Breeds at the Banke event. Visitors can witness live honey extraction demonstrations on Sundays, April 28, and May 5, courtesy of Dan Smith, Restoration Assistant and Museum Beekeeper. Demonstrations occur in the lecture hall in the Lawrence J. Yerdon Visitor Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are included with Baby Animal event tickets, which are available in person or online via StrawberyBanke.org/baby-animals.

During the demonstrations, attendees will have the chance to witness the process of honey extraction firsthand. Dan Smith, an experienced beekeeper, will guide visitors through the steps of harvesting honey from Strawbery Banke's two hives. Attendees can sample both honey and the comb, directly sourced from the Museum's thriving bee colonies. Additionally, Strawbery Banke honey will be available for purchase in 8 oz., 16 oz., and 32 oz. containers, allowing visitors to take home a taste of history.

“This honey is the essence of Strawbery Banke,” said Smith. “The Museum engages the senses every day in terms of sight, sound, and smell, but this is one of the few ways we engage the sense of taste.”

"We are delighted to offer our visitors the opportunity to learn about the fascinating world of beekeeping and honey production while enjoying the Baby Animals event,” said Linnea Grim, President, and CEO, Thomas W. Haas Endowed Chair.  “It's a wonderful way of highlighting the vital role these bees play in pollinating the flowers in our heirloom gardens and historic landscapes."

The Baby Animals: Heritage Breeds at the Banke, which occurs April 27 through May 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., features more than a dozen heritage-breed animals that would have been typical on coastal northern New England farms from the 17th century to the present day. During this educational event, Peter Cook, Guest Curator, and expert breeders from NH, ME, MA, and NY farms, share stories and answer visitors’ questions about rare breeds, their unique characteristics, special care, and their importance in today’s world. 

New for 2024, Strawbery Banke Museum’s historic houses are open for touring during the event. A combination ticket is available to experience the Baby Animals event and explore the Museum’s houses, exhibits, and heirloom gardens.

Combo tickets are priced at $34 for Adults; $32 for Seniors/Students; $22 for Children (ages 5-17); $12 for Children (ages 1-4); Free for Children (under 1); and $80 for Families (2 Adults and Children). 

Baby Animals Event tickets are priced at $12; Children (under 1) are free. 

Strawbery Banke members receive free or discounted admission to Baby Animals: Heritage Breeds at the Banke and free museum admission. 

For more information about the Baby Animals: Heritage Breeds at the Banke event and to purchase tickets, please visit www.strawberybanke.org.

About Strawbery Banke Museum:

Strawbery Banke Museum, in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, NH, is a 10-acre history museum interpreting over 300 years of history, from Indigenous history to the present day, through historical houses on their original foundations, heirloom gardens, traditional crafts, and costumed roleplayers who share the stories of the families who lived in the authentic waterfront neighborhood of Puddle Dock. The Museum welcomes visitors, members, schoolchildren, and volunteers for daily programs, exhibits, skating, and signature special events throughout the year. Strawbery Banke Museum is funded in part by grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts & National Endowment for the Arts; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom; the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. For more information and a complete calendar of events, please visit StrawberyBanke.org.