OHIO — Over the weekend, hundreds of people in northeast Ohio enjoyed the outdoors for the Nature Arts Festival.

What You Need To Know

  • The 30th annual Nature Arts Festival was held over the weekend
  • Dozens of artists from across the state had the chance to show off their goods

  • This was the event's first year back after being canceled due to the pandemic

This annual event has been a tradition in Chardon for 30 years, but it was put on hold last year due to the pandemic.  

Dozens of vendors were at the event, but Gene McCune stood out for being extra sweet. 

He is the founder of McCune Family Apiaries and he got into beekeeping more than three decades ago.  

"About 33 years ago, my wife told me to get a hobby," McCune laughed. 

Now, his hobby has turned into a full-blown business.

"Two hives turned into 10 hives, 10 turned into 50, 50 turned into 100," he said. "And here I am today.” 

Nowadays, McCune sees more bees than humans. 

“I would say I’m spending anywhere from eight to 10 hours a day with my bees,” he said.

He enjoys the days he gets to interact with his customers at events like the Nature Arts Festival. 

"This is true Americana," he said. "When you come to something like this, this is the ground roots of where people start, this is where you find out if people like what you have or don’t like what you have."

It’s safe to say after 33 years and a nearly sold-out booth at Sunday's craft show, people like what he has to offer. 

You can find McCune Family Apiaries on Facebook.