Apr 22, 2022 3 min read

Expect more buzzing in Downtown Washington this year.  

Firefly Gardens, in conjunction with BeeVille Labs, Inc. has been awarded the Noble Green Gift of $10,000 for a Pollination Pathway to promote bee health and sustainability in the Downtown Community Green Space.  

Applicants for the gift were required to provide a program that promotes elements of sustainability in various areas of the community. 

Firefly Gardens is designed to educate the community on the importance of green living and environmentally friendly options in everyday life. 

Pam Kilgore, the director of Firefly Gardens, has grown Firefly from the ground up, making great strides in the Community Green Space in the short time since she’s managed the project.

“The Green Gift from Noble Environmental will allow the vision for Firefly Gardens to grow, just a year after breaking ground,” Kilgore said. “So many exciting features will be added to the space, helping to foster the next generation of conservationists.”  

Firefly’s partnership with BeeVille Labs will create a pollination path throughout the gardens with the installation of bee friendly plants complete with explanatory signs and education opportunities for the community.

“When finished, this Downtown Washington educational venue will feature some of our favorite nectar and pollen producing trees, shrubs, and perennials along with explanatory signage highlighting what makes them uniquely beneficial,” said Kevin Chester, creator of BeeVille Labs. “We look forward to helping the community learn about helping pollinator populations and thank the Washington Business District Authority for their role in connecting everyone who made this project possible.”

Chester is a United States Marine Corps veteran and the recent recipient of the Ideas 2 Enterprise planning competition sponsored by EQT through Ignite by Washington & Jefferson College.

The company focuses on the maintenance and importance of healthy bee populations. Chester’s passion and enthusiasm for bees led him to make it his business, 

“As we transition from our start-up phase, we are honored to have been chosen for our role in the upcoming Firefly Gardens Pollinator Pathway project funded by the Noble Environmental Green Gift,” Chester said.

Shana Brown, the Main Street Manager for Downtown Washington, coordinated with Firefly and BeeVille to design the project and is exited to see it happen. 

“As we continue our work to attract residents and visitors to Downtown, these types of projects help to diversity our offerings and provide an additional reason to come Downtown,” she said. “This is an example of the results we can achieve when the community is connected and working together. We are so grateful to Noble Environment for this generous gift and also to our community partners for their support.”  

Firefly Gardens will celebrate its grand opening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 8 from at their Downtown location in conjunction with the Downtown WashPaw event.  

For more information, please visit Firefly Gardens or Downtown Washington on their Facebook pages.