BETHEL — The Mahoosuc Arts Council is hosting the first Bethel Bee Week, with the help of local schools, community organizations and a grant awarded to the Local Food Connection.

Bethel Bee Week, which began Sunday and lasts until Friday, will feature a wide array of programs, including lectures from beekeeping experts, screenings of documentaries about bees and a “Bee-Expo” with informational exhibits.

According to executive director Aranka Matolcsy, the idea for Bethel Bee Week was a result of the Mahoosuc Arts Council discussing the importance of beekeeping with other organizations in the region.

“Originally, we were just going to do a musical on March 29 about bees, but the more we talked with others, we realized we could really do something big for the community,” Matolcsy said. “The art teacher from Telstar Middle School, Melissa Prescott, said she could help us integrate K-5 students, local farms, the Local Food Connection and other organizations into a bigger presentation.”

Matolcsy said that the Mahoosuc Arts Council began receiving calls from different organizations and teamed up with the Local Food Connection for a screening of the documentary “Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Gould Academy.

“We realized that beekeeping is one of the simplest ways to have a direct impact on the environment,” Matolcsy said. “My brother has bees, my friends have bees, and there’s a growing interest in it here in the community.”

The Bethel Bee Week got a big boost after The Local Food Connection received a $900 grant from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, which will be used to help fund different Bee Week programs, including the construction of a perimeter of perennials chosen to encourage honeybees and other pollinators around the G.O.T. Farms and Crescent Park food gardens, and to help bring beekeeping experts to speak to the community.

Among the lectures being offered as part of Bethel Bee Week include a talk from Maine Beekeeping Association President Carol Cottrill, who will discuss how to build bee perimeters using perennials, increase the number of pollinators in your garden and how to harvest honey. The lecture will be free for all students and the general public, though a $5 donation is suggested.

There will also be a “Bee-Expo” from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Crescent Park that will put on informational exhibits and displays of bee products by local farms.

Matolcsy said that by collaborating with different organizations and working together, a “line of communication between community organizations has opened up.”

“Bethel Bee Week is a cool way to learn about each other and what we have to offer,” Matolcsy said. “I think the feedback we’ve been getting so far from the community proves that this thing won’t be a flash in the pan. We’re already making plans to start later next year, after the snow is gone, so we can do more programs outside.”

mdaigle@sunjournal.com