November 2019
Greetings WNCOS members and guests who have opted to receive our newsletter! I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and are settling in nicely to the busy holiday season. This December newsletter comes to you with much information, including a couple major announcements, so I encourage you to read it thoroughly and pay careful attention to details.
The WNCOS has had yet another incredible year overall. The 2019 Asheville Orchid Festival was once again tremendously successful. Amazing attendance, which allows us to expose, educate and celebrate our love of orchids with our attendees and the region. Lots of rightfully earned ribbons, awards, publicity and buzz were created by the collaborative effort of our board, our festival committee and our membership. Our orchid society here is on very strong footing, we are financially strong and our reputation is one that is well respected and admired. This has been accomplished through years of strong leadership, active members, successful events and festivals, and many other positive things. Through many years of continued success and strong leadership, we’ve been comfortably able to do whatever it is we want. From throwing one of the best orchid festivals in the country, to flying in all the best speakers in the world, and hosting incredible year end parties, we’ve been afforded the ability to do all these exciting things. The WNCOS remains strong and successful, and we want to make sure everyone understands how grateful we are for all of you. We hope and expect to see a fabulous 2020, and we welcome, appreciate, and encourage more participation and new members. It has been an honor to continue to serve as WNCOS President and be in such great company.
With all that being said, we would like to announce that our 2019 holiday party will take place on Sunday, December 8th from 1-3pm. Please note the minor time change here. We will be gathering together at WNCOS’ favorite restaurant and bar, Post 25 in south Asheville/Arden. We’ve reserved one of their meeting spaces for a couple of hours and will be putting out a nice food spread of appetizers and drinks. Tea, water, coffee, soft drinks and food is all on us. If you wish to have a beer or a glass of wine, you’re on your own there and can walk up to the bar yourself. Alcohol is on your tab, but the food spread and non-alcoholic drinks are covered by the WNCOS. This is not a formal, plated meal but rather a spread of tasty snacks and light fare. Post 25 has catered some events for us and hosted our holiday party in 2017, many of you should recall where they’re located and how great their food is. I’ll add the address at the end of this newsletter. If you’re a new member, or have been considering joining, you are all absolutely welcomed and encouraged to attend. Let me also mention our holiday gifts we’ve flown in from the Hawaiian Islands this year. WNCOS friend, Graham Wood of Lehua Orchids in Hilo, HI, has sent us some incredible orchids. Graham is a legend in the industry and has specifically sent us 50 wonderful plants. These are paphiopedilum first bloom seedlings, in spike or in bud, from his breeding program. Exceptional breeding stock, I can guarantee you we will see some future AOS awards out of this shipment. However, we only have 50 plants and you’ve got to be present to be a recipient. Each current member takes priority, and they’ll go out on a first come, first served basis. Please, only one plant per membership as we’d like to ensure everyone who attends can take home a plant.
Looking toward 2020, we’ll be kicking off the year on a tour bus! The WNCOS is taking a field trip to Carter and Holmes Orchid nursery in Newberry, SC. It’ll be a super fun day, but will consume the entirety of the day. We’ve chartered a bus by our friends at Young Transportation here in Asheville, and they’ll be scooping us up at 9am and plan to have us back in Asheville by 5pm. It’s about a 2 hour drive down to C&H, where we will get a tour of their facilities. They will provide us with a lunch (probably local barbecue) and I suspect will offer us a society discount on plant purchases. You’ll have a couple of hours to shop and enjoy everything there is that they have growing. Go to their website, www.carterandholmes.com to become better acquainted with their plants and facilities. They’ll accept cash, checks, & credit cards I believe. We figured January would be a great month to get out of town, head south a bit in efforts of trying to warm up in their cozy greenhouses. January is also an excellent time to find new plants in spike too. So, perhaps you’ll find some new treasures that should be blooming right about the time of our 2020 Asheville Orchid Festival ‘The Orchid Express’. You know we will soon be calling on you for your blooming orchids in preparation for our exhibit.
Here’s what we need you to know, and the action we need. Know that this field trip is free to current members, another perk of joining and being a member of the WNCOS. We will have a sign-up sheet at the holiday party on 12/8. Be sure to sign up on this list when you come to Post 25. Preference will be given to current WNCOS members. The chartered bus will be really nice and comfortable, however it can only take 36 people. As it is always hard to predict attendance for any event, we’re going to maintain a roster of those members who sign up. If we exceed 36 quickly, we will attempt to upgrade to their larger bus which I think can carry 55. I have already heard from a couple members who will be going on the field trip, but wish to drive their own vehicle for one reason or another. We will do our best to get everyone there, even if it means a few of us drive our personal vehicles and carpool down highway 26. So, for right now, please attend the holiday party and sign yourself up on our list. If by chance you know that you’re unable to attend the holiday party, but want to sign up now for the January field trip, please send me an email to michaelmims@gmail.com.
More details to come later regarding the field trip pick up and drop off location. We believe we will be using the parking lot at the Asheville Visitor Center where we meet for our regular meetings, however this is not yet finalized. We will be planning on departing at 9am, and returning at 5pm.
As we look toward February, 2020, we will be holding a program on 2/9/20 entitled “What’s Wrong With My Orchid”. This is something we do every couple years and gives everyone an opportunity to discuss what’s going wrong with your orchids. We’ll put together a panel of experts and growers from the society who have been growing for many years and who have a ton of good experience. Our March meeting will be our festival preparation event, one meeting you simply cannot miss as we prepare for the 2020 Asheville Orchid Festival. Graham Ramsey will be leading this incredibly important meeting as I will be speaking at and participating in the 2020 World Orchid Conference in Taichung, Taiwan. Sorry folks, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that just presented itself and I have accepted. I’ll be sure to take lots of photos of and document my trip to both the Taiwan International Orchid Show, and the 23rd World Orchid Conference. Maybe put together a new program I can share with the society later next year!
Happy Thanksgiving, and I look forward to seeing you all at Post 25 on Sunday, December 8th, 1-3pm.
Post 25 Kitchen and Lounge
2155 Hendersonville Rd.
Arden, NC 28704