August 2022

AOS Judging is coming to us here in Asheville this month! Very exciting opportunity, so please read all the details carefully below. We’d like to say thank you one more time to our close friend, Bill Thoms, for his wonderful program last month. If you missed the meeting, you’ll have another opportunity soon to meet Bill in person. Bill and his wife have moved to the upstate of SC and will be getting involved we think with the society. But boy did we have a good time, and it was apparent that every person who attended went home a better orchid grower. Just like that! For those of you who purchased some of his fertilizer, keep us posted at our meetings with the details and how your plants are responding.

Another reminder that the WNCOS needs your help! Officers and elections are up in November. The 2023 Asheville Orchid Festival returns the first of April, 2023. We’re putting together a team and seeking volunteers to soon become more involved with us as we put together an incredibly exciting orchid festival this next spring. At monthly meetings we are looking for more members and guests to contribute more with refreshments. You are always welcome and encouraged to bring a food contribution to a meeting. Any active member is always welcome to sit in on any board meetings, a great way to become a bit more aware and involved of the behind the scenes work that’s ongoing for the greater good of the WNCOS. Lots of ways for more involvement, so please let either me or any other of the board members know of your interest.

This month we’re in person again for the 3rd month in a row. Super exciting! Our friends at the Carolina’s Judging Center, representing the American Orchid Society, will be traveling to Asheville for a supplemental orchid judging. This is an awesome and unique educational opportunity for everyone. Please consider attending if you want to learn more and see how award quality orchids obtain their credentials. If you’ve got a healthy, flowering orchid with its correct name, and without having any bugs/pests, bring it to judging on Sunday, August 14th.  Many members will show up with their blooming orchids for judging. Don’t be left out, don’t be shy, and be sure to ask lots of questions. Due to the nature of this event, our schedule is quite different. This will not be an ordinary meeting. No show and tell, no raffle. However, tons of information and education there to be had, and it is quite fun to observe. You’re certain to see this summer’s finest orchids in our area, flowering at a time when most of us don’t see many orchids. Meet our American Orchid Society judges in our region, here in person. Many of these fine folks will be traveling great distances to be here sharing their time and expertise with us. Please give them a big Asheville hello and thank them! This is a long-standing tradition we’ve done with the Carolina’s Judging Center, and it is important that we support them. Please do so by being with us and a part of the excitement on Sunday, August 14th. Asheville Visitor’s Center is the location folks. Same meeting place as usual. However, if you’re bringing plants in for judging we need them to begin coming in between 11:30-12:30. Any later than that, it may create issues and your plants might not be able to be judged. If you’re going to be bringing plants, remember to present them well, and clean and free of bugs. If you’ve got a unique situation and cannot attend but have something spectacular that you need to get taken to the event, call or email me privately. Let’s discuss how we might be able to make arrangements. Once judging begins, we may all observe quietly. If you’ve got a plant on the judging table, you may observe however do not become involved. Speak when spoken to, basically. It really is best to watch and listen. This kind of event we strive to be quiet and respectful while they are working. There may be times when a judge or their judging chair speaks up with some information or makes an announcement about a plant or an award they’ve given out. Toward the end of the event, and at other times during judging they will provide information and a rationale to the audience as to what they’ve done with any specific plant they have judged. This will go on for a couple or a few hours. If needed, it is appropriate to bring in and enter an orchid, drop it off after registering it for judging, and return later to pick it up. But please communicate with us if you have any unique circumstances that day of judging.

We’ve got a responsibility to have a great time, and to feed these folks some lunch. The society has a plan to bring in some deli sandwiches, beverages, etc. However, we’d like to ask the membership to please consider bringing in a finger friendly type dessert. Something awesome and delicious, but hopefully not too messy. Cookies, brownies, specialty items like that are a huge hit at these types of events. This way we can keep them fed and happy while they’re point scoring our beloved orchids! It’s the least can do. The more, the merrier so come on members! I want y’all to show off this month!

Stay tuned for any final announcements about our August 14th AOS judging. But go ahead and plan on attending with your flowering orchids.

Best,

Mike Mims

President