January II 2017
Greetings Members,
Even with all the snow and freezing weather, I’m thinking spring. Spring as in the Asheville Orchid Festival’s Paradise of Orchids. Unfortunately we missed our January meeting due to snow, so I was not able to give you the latest show update and your first chance to sign up for volunteer opportunities for our annual show. Last year’s show will be a hard act to follow, but I think we can do it with your help. So first ,the update. We plan on having 10 vendors selling and displaying at the show. Nine of the 10 are confirmed and ready to go. Here is a rundown on the list. Marble Branch Farms, Ironwood Estates, Steve Arthur Orchids, Marriott Orchids, Looking Glass Orchids, Krull-Smith Orchids, Appalachian Tropicals, BB Barns, and Equagenera from Ecuador. Our tenth vendor has not been finalized yet. Clarke, Sandra, and Leslie are hard at work already with the creation of the WNCOS exhibit. And a grand exhibit it will be.! Like the old days, they are going all out this year. Because the $5.00 admission went so well last year, we will be charging at the door again this year. Therefore, we will not have a raffle table. Now, do you want to be more involved with your orchid society? Here is your chance. Since I was not able to pass the volunteer signup list around at this month’s meeting, I am passing it out 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 1:00pmThursday 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 privledge. One of the best educational opportunities ever is to assist the AOS judges with ribbon judging on Friday morning. This requires no experiance with judging orchids. This is my favorite part of the wntire 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