President’s Message—June 2022
Hello again, fellow orchid lovers! I’m still excited by the fact that this group carried out a successful orchid show at the Memorial City Mall on Mother’s Day weekend. Houston Orchid Society and regional orchid enthusiasts’ teamwork paid off with a lovely set of exhibits and favorable outcomes for the vendors as well. I know several other articles on this site share “thank yous” to the various helpers, so I will add a general note of appreciation to everyone who participated, especially Holly Miller and Jay Balchan, the chairs of the show.
As usual, the growers in our group pulled out all the stops, and there were nearly 100 plants in the HOS exhibit. Rick Hepler and Brad Miller constructed the setup, and then the orchids provided a show-stopper as arranged by the team on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Then Fr. Ted led the AOS judges who worked late in the night Friday to give recognition to the products of everyone’s labor. When the show opened on Saturday and Sunday the exhibit tables drew crowds to appreciate the displays and judges’ awards.
Shoppers enjoyed the chance to buy plants from the vendors. The information table for HOS and the American Orchid Society was busy sharing growing tips and inviting interested orchid buyers to join our clubs. Then, inevitably, it was time to close the show and fold the tents—another piece of teamwork. What a great learning experience for every member, especially the new ones who helped with every step of the show—setup, clerking for the judges, helping at the information table, and then shut-down on Sunday. Thank you all again.
It is refreshing to think that the year’s normal cycle of events is leading to the next meeting, June 2, as described in Stephen Gallagher’s article. Watch for an email with the zoom invitation if you are unable to come in person. I regret that due to the current Covid surge, I feel we still need to be watchful and have individual servings for refreshments.
In May the Culture Club enjoyed a trip to view native orchids in East Texas, thanks to Joe Liggio and the crew. There are more plans afoot for further Culture Club events, and everyone will be notified by email when the plans are finalized.
Still keeping the momentum, the next big event for HOS will be the annual August workshop. The location will be First Christian Church, all day on Saturday, August 6. Randy Johnson is the chairperson of this greatly anticipated event. Be sure to register early, and encourage anyone who is interested to attend. Always a lot to learn!
After that, the annual picnic will be held in October, and then the holiday party will cap off the year at our December meeting. Thank you all for participating and helping share the love of orchids!
—Sarah Bentley, President