December 2018
December Holiday Social rescheduled for 12/16/18
Well everyone, as I write this month's newsletter to you with great anticipation of this looming winter snowstorm, all I can say is I am sorry. This is our 2nd year in a row whereas we've had to cancel and postpone/reschedule our annual holiday social. We had planned and hoped to see everyone this coming Sunday, however we are now officially rescheduling. It appears as if WNC is going to hammered by this storm, and I don't think any of us will be interested or able to get out of the house come Sunday afternoon. Therefore, we are pushing the big event back one full week and will gather at Axel and Catherine's home on Sunday, 12/16/18, around 1pm.
Everyone is welcome to attend, members and those of you who are new to the society and feeling us out. Please feel free to bring your spouse or a special guest, along with a side dish or a dessert as this is a huge pot-luck style event. Axel and the society will be providing a ham and a couple of side dishes. There will also be some wine on hand, but please feel free to bring more and/or a drink of your choice. We always have an impressive spread, nobody shall leave hungry. Again, even if you've only been to one recent meeting and you enjoyed yourself, we want to see you at the holiday social. Please make an effort to come by, have some great food and get to know your friendly, local orchid lovers.
Additionally, we've got holiday gifts for members in attendance. We have just flown in some incredible plants (large, unbloomed seedlings) from long time WNCOS friend, Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids in California. Fred took care of all our holiday shopping needs this year and we've got future AOS award winners from his breeding program. So, please be sure to swing by to receive one of these wonderful plants. We hope to eventually see these plants in flower at future meetings and shows, think of it as our own internal way of paving the way for future awards and ribbons!
Sunday, 12/16/18, 1:00pm. We'll be partying for a couple hours, so drop in as you're able from 1-3pm. Their address in Biltmore Lake is 817 Quill Gordon Ct., Biltmore Lake, NC 28715. The home has green exterior with beige trim. They've got plenty of parking along the street in the cul-de-sac, so please park courteously. If you're disabled, or need to park immediately close to the home you may park in their driveway. Please only use this option if needed. Their lovely home is very easy to find and all GPS programs locate the home without trouble. Should you need to call Axel, you may do so at (828)337-0035.
Moving forward in to 2019, we've got another incredible year of activities shaping up. I will unfortunately not be in attendance at the January 13th meeting as I will be surfing in Maui. I know, I know....However, Linda Wilhelm of Woodland Orchids in Charlotte will be visiting the WNCOS and will be giving a program on Oncidiums and their culture. In February, our very own Graham Ramsey will be providing us with his new repotting clinic/program. This will be a hands on event, and is likely to be fun and messy. What better way to start the new year with 2 exciting new programs around culture and repotting our orchids, from two of our local experts.
It's been another wonderful year and I appreciate such a tremendous community of plant and orchid lovers that we have here in the Asheville area. Keep this perspective this year when deciding whether or not to attend our meetings and events. It takes a lot of work to accomplish all that we have, and all that we have lined up this year. Your attendance and support is crucial to our continued success, and your new board of officers absolutely loves seeing all of you and knowing our efforts are appreciated and enjoyed. If you wish to become more active and helpful, please let any one of us know as there's always things to be done. Thank you in advance, enjoy our December snowfall, and I will look forward to seeing everyone on December 16th!
Happy Holidays!
Mike Mims, WNCOS President