Alexa Noel

Program director:

Larry Sanford

Vice-president :

Ron Miller

Show Chair:

Pat June

Secretary:

Jeanne Rhinehart

Members-at-large:

Mark Paul,  Dana White

Treasurer:

Margaret Cullen

Linda Knab

The next meeting of the Greater Cincinnati Orchid Society will be on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.  Note that this is the first Tuesday of the month.  The meeting will be held at the Civic Garden Center on Reading Road across from Bethesda Hospital. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.  There will be time to socialize from 7:00 to 7:30.
 September's Program
September’s program is by Ecugenera Orchids.  Russ will have plants for sale.    Refreshments are from Toni Doty and Margaret Cullen. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 tickets for $5.  Plants are cymbidiums from Hatfield Orchids.

Orchidfest - Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 5, 6 and 7
"Orchidfest" is this week!!  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 5, 6 and 7, the big ballrooms at Kings Island Resort and Conference Center will be filled with blooming orchids and vendors from all over the country selling desirable species and hybrids.  Our society and our friends at the Miami Valley Orchid Society are proud to host the fall 2008 Mid America Orchid Congress.  What makes an MAOC show different than a typical orchid show is the greater number of exhibits, vendors and speakers' programs of a high caliber usually not available to a single orchid society.

    The show is open to the public on Saturday , September 6, beginning at 10 a.m.  and Sunday, September 7, beginning at 9 a.m. But the weekend starts with setting up the exhibits on Friday, September 5th.   Stan Better has designed our society exhibit and we will need lots of plants to make it lush with blooms.   (If you have an orchid that is particularly fragrant, we may place it in a special fragrance exhibit.)  If you have blooming orchids - please bring them to Kings Island on Friday or contact Larry Sanford to make arrangements to get them to the show.   This is also an invitation to register for the programs -- an $80 registration fee covers the entire weekend's activities and includes a 'goody' bag which includes a seedling plant and other orchid-related items.   (We're waiving the surcharge for late registrations.)

    The Mid-America Orchid Congresses are well-known for the quality of the speakers available to those who register.   On Friday evening, you can hear Dennis D'Alessandro of Gypsy Glen Orchids talk about new phragmipedium hybrids and from there, attend the Preview Party to see the exhibits (without the weekend crowds), take pictures as you wish and buy from the vendors before the show opens to the public.

    On Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. the trio of speakers includes Fred Clarke, of Sunset Valley Orchids,who will speak on new hybrids with catasetum, cycnoches and mormodes.  You may know these unusual plants through Fred's  hybridizing program, creating Fredclarkaras, with blooms that are midnight black, very unusual and desirable.  Following Fred is Dr. Ron McHatton, the American Orchid Society's Director of Education, who will talk about the birds and bees, in this case, hummingbirds, tropical bees and other orchid pollinators.  Finally, Dr. Henry Oakeley, who is President of the Orchid Society of Great Britain, will talk about hunting orchids in the headwaters of the Amazon.  Dr. Oakeley, who is orchidom's foremost expert on lycastes, has just published a new book on lycastes and ida's (what we used to think of as the green lycaste species) and it will be available for sale at the show.

    As a member of the Greater Cincinnati Orchid Society, you are part of the Mid America Orchid Congress - think of it as an umbrella organization composed of nearly 50 orchid societies in the Midwest, Plains states and eastern Canada.   The MAOC created the show schedule we use to organize our plants for ribbon judging at our fall and spring shows and twice a year, it assists a member society in putting on a show like this, including partially funding the speakers' expenses.  The finest orchids in categories like oncidiums, paphiopedilums, angraecums, and so forth are awarded special MAOC endowed trophies, named in honor or memory of individuals like Ray McCullough or Henry Holmes or Christine Chowning, for whom orchids has been a lifelong love affair.  The MAOC produces educational CD's, including one on orchid pronunciation, and supports conservation of native orchids and propagation of endangered orchid species.  On Sunday morning, there is an MAOC business meeting which details all of its many activities.  So, come to the show, register for all the extras on the attached form and have a great weekend.    
  

Nearby Shows/Events

September 5 - 7

MidAmerica Orchid Congress

Kings Island Convention Center, Mason, OH

September 21

Potting Bee 1 – 4 p. m.

Krohn Conservatory

September 27-28

Kentucky Orchid Society

Louisville, KY

October 10-12

Three Rivers Orchid Society show

Shoaff Park, Ft. Wayne, IN

March 14-15 2009

GCOS Spring Show

Krohn Conservatory

Next Meetings

* Speaker brings plants for sale. No silent auction plant

September 2, 2008

Ecugenera Orchids

October 14, 2008

Alexa  Noel “ History of Orchid Culture and Classification

Plant Judging

AOS Judging of plants is done at the shows listed under Nearby Shows as well as at the regularly scheduled judging sessions listed immediately at right.  These sessions begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Civic Garden Center.  You are welcome to bring a plant to be judged or just to observe the judging.  Be a little early; plant registration is from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

September 14, 2008
October 12, 2008

Internet   The GCOS web site is http://www.gardenersutopia.com/GCOS/. 
The MidAmerica Orchid Congress Website:   http://www.midamericanorchids.org/

Newsletter Circulation Policy

The newsletter is sent to all members whose membership is current and to other orchid societies by reciprocal agreement.  Non-members who request a newsletter will receive a maximum of three issues.  Questions about the newsletter may be directed to Jeanne Rhinehart, 513-232-6097 (evening). Email: jsanders1@fuse.net