It was a very dear gesture that the entire gang enjoyed . We also extend special thanks to all contributors to the fund raising auction . Without the generous spirit from our attendees , Region 13 would not have been able to contribute a total of $ 1500.00 to the IPA Color Fund for 2012 .
Regions 17 & 18 : NY , Eastern Canada , New England - Marilyn Shapiro and Carri Raven-Riemann . Some things old , some things new and some things universal : on September 8th and 9th , 2012 , IPA Regions 18 and 17 joined forces , once again , to Focus on Phals and to share our speakers at two different venues . The New Hampshire Orchid Society ( NHOS ) co-hosted Region 18 at the historic Bedford Town Hall in Bedford , NH . Our gratitude to Mike Mattozzi , NHOS president , Chuck Crisler , NHOS Treasurer , Laurie Savoy ( great food , thanks !) and everyone from NHOS who lent a giant hand in making this another great meeting . Major kudos to Adrienne Giovino for her assistance in informing all the orchid societies within Regions 17 & 18 ( New York , Eastern Canada and New England ) of both events , and a very special thanks for her assistance with the New Hampshire IPA meeting and fundraising auction . The North Eastern New York Orchid Society ( NENYOS ) co-hosted the IPA Region 17 Focus-on-Phals event at a new , larger venue ( part of the Cornell Agricultural Extension ) located in Ballston Spa , NY , which was better able to accommodate our increased attendance . Our very special thanks go to all the NENYOS members Tom Hoodack , Vice President , Stanley Lee , President , Janet Vinyard , Sandy Buxton and Glen Decker and other NENYOS members , too numerous to mention , for helping us with the many details of organization and the fabulous new venue for the meeting . We were most pleased that Mitch Paroly , IPA Region 16 Director , was able to join us and together with his wife , Karol , provided us with photos taken during the September 9th meeting . Ron McHatton , PhD , American Orchid Society Director of Education & Chief Operating Officer , served as the keynote speaker , giving his amazingly informative presentation on “ New Approaches to Pest & Disease Control ”, a presentation that applies to every orchid grower and , something that would be of benefit to every orchid grower . His presentation was so successful at both meetings that all the attendees kept him an extra hour , after his talk , to answer questions and expand on the topic !
Our next speaker underlined that the second time “ proved to be a charm .” Fair tropical winds allowed Carlos Fighetti , current IPA President and Past President of the AOS , to travel north to examine Phalaenopsis species and their variants , focusing on the work of selectively breeding species , with their intrinsic quality showing amazing improvements . The final presenter , Carri Raven-Riemann , past IPA President and current IPA Region 18 Director , brought us up to speed on the newest and most unique directions in Phal . hybridizing as seen at the Taiwan International Orchid Show in March 2012 and some of the smaller Taiwan nurseries . Her talk focused on the most exciting new directions in breeding with multi-floral miniatures and novelties . Our vendors included : Crozer and Crozer ( NH only ), the orchidPhile , Kelley ’ s Korner and Piping Rock Orchids ( NY only ). We are very grateful to all of our vendors and their generous contributions to each of our auctions ; to Mitch and Karol Paroly for their ‘ orchid-themed ’ items ; to the American Orchid Society which donated subscriptions to AQ Plus ; and to the members of both societies for their donations which helped make both auctions a resounding success ! These contributions support both current and future regional events . And a very special thanks to all of our very generous bidders . Once again , everyone attending these events remarked about how much they enjoyed the meeting and wanted to know if we were going to do it again next year . Yes , we will ! In addition , we already have our speakers committed for both meetings . Stay tuned …
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4 . Region 13 : A group of Piedmont Region Phal . fans eager to learn . Photo : Linda Thorne Fourth Quarter , Vol . 22 ( 3 & 4 ) 2012 - Phalaenopsis