Two of my friends wanted to keep bees in an urban environment. After a lot of brainstorming the idea of an educational beehive was born. With the Plexiglas enclosure it is safely possible to come up really close to the hives.
There were many volunteers, and I was part of the 6 core people who built the structure. This was 10 years ago, and I have learned a lot about bees and even given tours to the garden and hives for elementary school groups. We just had the 10th annual bee fest. It is so rewarding to see a project have this kind of longevity and positive impact in the community. I've met a lot of people through this effort, some have turned into really good friends.
I'll stop rambling now, but happy to answer questions below :)
The bee fest is a ton of fun and a very giving topic, especially for kids and art activities :)
The education aspect is also very important to me... how many people don't know the importance of bees or can't tell a bee from a wasp....
Because it gets dark pretty quickly, when you know that every 3rd bite of food is pollinated by bees and Colony Collapse Disorder has been rampant. Big majority of hives of the beekeepers I know don't make it through the winter :(
Do you do talks on native pollinators as well or are honey bees local to your area? Yeah bees are crucial. Even the imported ones since most the foods we eat are imported as well.