February 2017

Dues are DUE!

A friendly reminder everyone, that we provide a tremendous amount of value and opportunities to all members throughout the course of each year. We have 3 options for folks, a student rate, an individual rate, and a family rate. $15, $25, $35. We work really hard to ensure we remain in outstanding financial standing. This allows us to do just about anything,  whether it be to put on a first class orchid festival, bring in world renown speakers, have plant giveaways, keep the raffle table looking strong throughout the year, etc. Having been heavily involved with the WNCOS for many years now, we have been able to accomplish all sorts of incredible things. We do it all for you, and to promote orchid education and conservation. So please, mail in your dues or bring them to our next meeting. Cash or checks please folks! Check the website, www.wncos.org for membership details and information.

February Field Trip! February 12th, 2:00 p.m. everyone needs to get in the car and head down to Looking Glass Orchids in Pisgah Forest. The address is 20 Orchid Heights Dr., Pisgah Forest, NC 28768, located right off highway 64 in Transylvania County. Your GPS should serve you well, it is easily found and Looking Glass Orchids has great signage pointing you in the right direction. Only a short 25 minute drive from the Asheville Airport. Russ Bolt, long-time friend and supporter of the WNCOS is giving us an amazing opportunity to see his greenhouse and everything he’s got growing in it. This is an amazing opportunity, something the WNCOS has never done before. Valentine’s Day falls 2 days after our visit, and Russ is generously offering us a 25% discount on all orchids purchased during our trip. Folks, whatever you do, DO NOT MISS THIS!!! Another friendly reminder that Russ does not have a bathroom available on site, so you may want to stop on your way at one of several local businesses that are located a couple short miles before you get to the greenhouse. Do not let this deter you, the greenhouse is right down the road from a few restaurants, gas stations, etc.

2017 Asheville Orchid Festival update! Our show chair, Graham Ramsey continues to work through all the details with our team as we approach the huge event. We have secured all 10 vendors for the festival, and have some exciting news for you! It has been a strong desire of mine to encourage and attract more affiliated orchid societies in the Carolinas to come up to Asheville and exhibit in the festival. It appears now that we will have more exhibits than ever before, showing off more blooming orchids than we’ve had on display in the big event. Hoping to see more ribbons, and more plants awarded by the American Orchid Society.  But, most of all we are bringing back our huge and amazing exhibit! Our exhibit will be the focal point of the festival, and it is sure to be incredible. BUT, WE NEED YOU AND YOUR BLOOMING PLANTS! So, if you have not contacted Graham Ramsey to commit to serving as volunteer somewhere in our show, please do that now. Remember, we are all volunteers and with the size and scope of our festival being what it is today, we need all the help we can get. I personally thank you in advance and expect everyone to step up now and contribute.

As we look toward March, we will have another amazing and significant plant giveaway on 3/12/17, a week prior to the show. Unfortunately we’ve had to shift back over to UNC-Asheville for our meeting location for this month only. More details to follow, but plan on it guys as this is when all the nuts and bolts get tightened up just before the show. As we are off to a sluggish start with regard to committed volunteers, we need you all here.

All my best,
Mike

A message from your 2017 Asheville Orchid Festival Show Chair:

As I have not been able to pass the volunteer signup list around much recently, I am passing it out again now. Just scroll down and find the list with a description for each section you might consider signing up for. Remember, our show is completely member driven (that’s you) so signup today. When you decide what you want to volunteer for, send me an email at G_Ram@yahoo.com and I will put you on the list. If you have any questions about the show or what you can do to help, just give me a call (828-691-1121) or an email. Thank you for your help in making our international festival one of the best in the country.

2017 WNCOS Show Volunteer List
Wednesday March 22nd    Display construction   Committee Chairs  Leslie, Clarke, and Sandra
    We need a few able bodies to help with the construction of the WNCOS display.  Starting at 9:00am thru 1:00pm

Thursday March 23rd      Plant registration     Committee Chair  Bob Hydzik
Thursday is a big day. All the member’s show plants arrive and need to be registered for ribbon judging. All plants will need to be registered, labeled, and prepped for the display. We need about 4 or 5 members from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

Thursday March 23rd      Vendor support
     Our reputation for hospitality is second to none. Thursday morning, all vendors and our sister societies will arrive with their car, truck, trailer loads of orchids and orchid stuff. We always have a team of volunteers to assist with transporting all this stuff into the building. This will take place throughout the day but the busiest times are between 10:00am and 2:00pm. We need at least 6 members for this important activity!

Thursday March 23rd    WNCOS display installation    Committee Chairs  Leslie, Clarke, and Sandra
Once all the members orchids are registered and prepped for display, we need a few members to help Clarke, Sandra and Leslie install the plants in our huge exhibit. This usually starts about 12:00pm and must be finished by 5:00pm.

Friday March 24th      Ribbon judging and clerking
This is not a task, it is a priveledge. One of the best educational opportunities ever is to assist the AOS judges with ribbon judging on Friday morning. This requires no experience with judging orchids. This is my favorite part of the entire show. Anyone that signs up for this must be at the Arboretum by 8:30am Friday.

March 25th and 26th    Admission and Ticket Sales   Committee Chair    Cristie Suprina
Once again, we will be charging a $5.00 admission fee at the door. This worked very well last year to raise money for the society in the absence of our normal raffle table. But like the raffle table, the admission and ticket sales table must be staffed all day Saturday and Sunday. Cristie will need a team of dedicated members to help with this. You don’t have to volunteer for the whole day. Just let me know what you can offer.

Friday March 24th     Arboretum Members Preview Night 4:00pm – 7:00pm
     All WNCOS members are invited to attend the Arboretum Member Preview Party. We would like to have as much WNCOS representation as possible.

Sunday March 26th    Display take out/clean up and vendor support
      The show will shut down Sunday at 5:00pm. All the help we offered Thursday to vendors and sister societies will be needed again on Sunday at 5:00pm. We will also need as much help as possible with removal and cleanup of our display and area. We have to be done by 7:00pm. 

March 24th thru 26th     Hospitality support  Committee Chair- JoAnne Danielson and Paul Johnson
See separate signup sheet

March 24th thru 26th  WNCOS/ AOS Information and Membership Table
       The Membership Information table will be connected to the admission and ticket sales table. This will be a golden opportunity to recruit new members to the WNCOS and the AOS. Also to be available to assist visitors any way we can. Those who signup for Admission and Ticket Sales can also double as Information and Membership table. 

Graham