Finally got home from our show this afternoon, around 4:45 pm. We had an amazing show, with some of the most incredible blooms we have had here in North Central Washington. Our team of 10 judges included dahlia breeders who are known throughout the state of Washington, as well as nationally. Their flowers have won awards over and over again over the past decades, and these people know their stuff! There is so much for us to learn as a club, and as individual growers. We got a lot of ideas, and pointers that we will be able to incorporate into our monthly meeting agendas, things that will teach us what to look for in our flowers as they grow, and as we choose them to show. I can hardly wait to get started!
Having our show at the Wenatchee Valley Mall is difficult in some respects, in that the space we have for staging is very limited. We plugged up the sink in the maintenance room where we were working, in spite of our best efforts to prevent that happening. We also infringe on the work and lounge space that the maintenance and security folks use throughout the day, and often the room would be locked up when we needed to get in. Last year we had large storefront with a couple sinks, and it was very nice. However, this year all the spaces in the mall have been leased, so I guess that is a "good news-bad news" situation - it's good when the mall is completely leased - that says good things about the local economy. One of the best things about having the show at the mall is that we are able to bring the joy of dahlias to hundreds of people who otherwise would be completely unaware that we grow flowers like this in the valley. We had many people interested in growing dahlias, and getting tubers at our sale in the spring. We may even pick up a couple new members! When the show closed, the judges left their flowers for us to offer to the mall customers for a donation of .50 a stem. We sold hundreds of flowers to many happy buyers, spreading the good news of this stunning and diverse flower!
One of the best things about a show like this is that it brings people together, people of all ages and from different walks of life. The amount of work that goes into something like this is hard to measure, but everyone in the club helped out in one way or another. We had a tireless group that shared the nasty jobs without complaining, and after that they asked if there was anything else that they could do. It was very inspiring, especially to see our youngest members Ellie and Fiona pitching in alongside all the veterans. What great kids!
I need a few days to recharge, and then, I'm ready for the next one - bring it on!
Really awesome time this weekend! Rode hard, put away wet on Saturday, but I learned so much. Lots of ideas for next year, but no time to talk today, so we'll have to catch up another time.
ReplyDeleteStaging - Beth & I are going to try to take a page out of Bill, Ida, & Richard's book - make our own containers, stage them at home and bring them to the show ready to set on a table. Less rush & more time to help organize tables and help others. I'm thinking Mark might even need one of those garden wagons he's always wanted for a birthday or Christmas, which would also come in handy for the show!
We also wondered about setting up a staging area outside on the sidewalk in the back for those who still need to stage their flowers? More space & light in the great outdoors, weather permitting. The kids really loved filling the cans and adding water, so could help man that space, especially if we don't use those thin bulb like vases next year. That would help ease some of the space issues in the maintenance room.
Those risers on the tables were great! Do you think we can add one to the 'Best of show' table next year? I never did have time to set up the educational display for dahia varieties and faults, but there's always next year! Seems like we might have room in the section 11 & up area. Better get some rest now! Thanks for a great time :)
Debbie, As usual, you have great ideas! I love the sidewalk idea, and also, having our own containers. As long as we can agree that we can do that, and whether there is one color or another that they need to be painted, I don't see why we can't do this...So much easier for setting up, staging AND clean up! I also LOVE the idea of having a riser on the Head table - for sure!!!!
ReplyDeleteEveryone I've talked to was totally jazzed, even though fatigued, about the quality of this year's show. My mom, who has been to hundreds of dahlia shows, couldn't stop talking about how beautiful the flowers were, and what a wonderful show this was. She said this is the best show we have ever had in Wenatchee, and I have to agree with her!
I went over and looked at Beth's garden yesterday, and got some very good ideas for mine next year. You guys have done a fabulous job, and the flowers look terrific!