Fundraiser Set to Help with Fire Recovery
Chris and Becky Werner started Indian Summer Honey Farm back in the 1980s, and over the years, it has grown into a multi-generational family business. What began with just a few hundred hives has expanded to several thousand, thanks to decades of hard work and a deep commitment to the community. Their Webster Florida farm raises over 10,000 queen bees, essential for sustaining other beekeepers across the U.S. Their farm also plays a vital role in supporting local agriculture by providing pollination services to neighboring farms. This work helps our entire region thrive, and they are grateful to be part of such a supportive community.
Early Sunday morning, June 7th, Chris received a call that Webster farm was on fire. The blaze was so large that several fire departments responded, but by the time the first responders arrived, the fire had already spread. Everything was destroyed overnight—the entire building structure, trucks, skid-steers, freshly extracted honey, bee boxes, thousands of buckets, all of the bee supplies, extractor, honey tanks, staple guns, air compressors, drills, and so many other essential tools that make their farm function. The loss was total and devastating.
The Sumter County Beekeepers Club has organized a fundraiser to help them recover from their loss which is in the Hundreds of Thousands. Our event will be on August 15th, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. It will be held at the new location for Rustic Ruby Décor & More, 1770 West County Road 48 in Bushnell, Florida. We will be serving chicken and rice lunch or dinners for $10 per plate with green beans, a roll and cookie. To go plates will be available and we will also have a 50/50 raffle. No need to be present to win.
Chris and Becky, along with their family have been staunch community supporters when it comes to beekeepers in Sumter County, as well as
surrounding counties. They are always willing to help and teach beekeepers, speak at bee meetings in Central Florida, and they are members of the Sumter County Beekeeping Club. We hope you will come out and support our event and Indian Summer Honey Farm!
The Sumter County Beekeepers Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization registered with the Florida Division or Corporations and the IRS. Please visit: SUMTERCOUNTYBEEKEEPERS.COM to learn more about us or donate to the Indian Summer GoFundMe page.