With no local show for a two week period here, we have acquiesced to public demand and have arranged for an ADS accredited show to be held in Winchester, KY the first weekend in April. With relatively short notice, we were able to secure the George Rogers Clark High School for the show (the kids are on Spring Break that week), and have decided to hold the show in the cafeteria. While a high school cafeteria may not seem like a natural place for a show, the building is only one year old, and the cafeteria has dramatic, large high windows allowing plenty of natural light, so with unlimited amounts of tables and chairs and immediate access to water, we think the venue will work well.
Staging will be on Friday from 2 to 5 PM (and later if need be) and Saturday from 7:30 AM to noon. (I decided to have a late entry close to accommodate potential exhibitors from the Central time zone who lose an hour in transit.) Judging will be from noon to 2 PM on Saturday, and the show will be open to the public from 2 to 5 on Saturday and 12 to 5 PM on Sunday.
We have several new wrinkles planned for the show. First, following the lead of the Mid-South Daffodil Society, we are going to have a fun show designed to encourage first-time exhibitors, and/or garden folks who would not otherwise enter a show. Names will be optional, and potentially getting a name for an otherwise unnamed bloom might be an added enticement to enter. The show schedule will have simplified classes and entry rules. Second, we will have two new local awards. The first will be the Helen Trueblood Ribbon, which will be awarded to the best daffodil in section A, the single stems. I think in many shows the single stem entries are overlooked, and providing a significant award to the best in the section will provide recognition to those growers with limits on varieties or space, or for newer exhibitors who have left the small growers’ category but who do not grow enough varieties to compete in the large collections. The second award will be the Bill Pannill Award, and it will be awarded to the best collection of 12 American bred daffodils from 4 different divisions. I am hopeful that experienced exhibitors will place entries here, potentially opening up the competition for the 5 stem Red-White-Blue Ribbon. A julep cup will be awarded to the winner of each of these two special classes.
And one more innovation. There will be a special challenge class for the best stem of Ice Follies. This is no joke – the prize for winning this class is a print of Ice Follies by a prominent Louisville water color artist, Cathy Hillegas. Here is a link to the print:
http://cathyhillegas.com/works/836601/spring-song
We look forward to seeing all of our daffodil friends on April 3.
Big congrats on this major endeavor! One tip regarding show site. If you can, visit the cafeteria on a sunny day during what will be show hours. You’ll want to know where the sun hits, to avoid burning any blooms who may be prone to sun damage. Since it is being held in April, you may luck out with an overcast day :)