A Heartfelt Event: Telling the Bees Fest Fosters Conversations on End-of-Life Care

The state’s longest-established charity has joined forces with a newer organization to host an event aimed at fostering meaningful conversations about end-of-life care, grief, and mortality. Telling the Bees Fest: a Chicagoland Deathcare Education & Resource Festival is being organized by Wally’s Hearth and Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care. Caledonia is backed by the Chicago Scots, which traces its roots to the Illinois St. Andrew Society established in 1845, and Wally’s Hearth became a 501(c)(3) approximately two years ago.

The festival’s name is inspired by a Celtic and British Isles tradition of informing household bees about important family events. Tiffany Johnson, co-founder and executive director of Wally’s Hearth, explained that the name reflects a deep connection to nature and folklore. Lydia Manning, the other co-founder of Wally’s Hearth, has Southern heritage linked to Scottish immigrants who brought beehives during their migrations.

Gus Noble, president of Caledonia Senior Living and the Chicago Scots, emphasized the symbolic meaning of this tradition, noting that the bees represent the people and nature that connect us. He mentioned that the care facility, operational in North Riverside since 1910, historically had livestock and bee hives, sparking interest in their return.

The festival is scheduled for September 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Caledonia Senior Living, 2800 Des Plaines Avenue, North Riverside. It’s an open event, and interested parties can register at [email protected].

Chicago Scots supports Scottish culture and influences the style of care at Caledonia. Wally’s Heart, located in Chicago’s western suburbs, offers a unique social model of hospice care, described as a nonmedical last-care facility.

Plans to establish a home at Caledonia Senior Living faced architectural and licensing challenges, leading to the idea of the festival. The primary goal is to spark conversations about end-of-life planning, which are often neglected due to a lack of awareness and options.

The festival connects community members with providers offering end-of-life and post-life services. It includes networking opportunities with home care providers, medical and nonmedical experts, and funeral service planners. Options like body donation, water cremation, and green burial will be discussed.

In addition to these practical sessions, the festival features short presentations, food, and music. An international choir, the Threshold Choir, will perform songs meant for those with terminal illnesses. A flautist will play Native American funeral tunes, and a bagpiper will highlight Scottish traditions. Tents will provide spaces for retreat and reflection.

The event is free, but welcomes donations to support both organizations or future festivals. Noble stressed the importance of planning, sharing his experience of his father’s well-prepared funeral arrangements giving his family peace.

Tiffany Johnson hopes attendees leave with a sense of peace and actionable plans for discussing and addressing end-of-life matters. The festival aims to create a safe space for these discussions, following the tradition of ‘telling the bees’.