DSD Mid-Winter Meeting Set for January 2014
Roses from the Mountains to the Oceans
By Chris Woods, Consulting Rosarian
770-309-6302, cewoods1268@yahoo.com
The Deep South District and the Rose Societies of the Atlanta metropolitan area cordially invite you to the 32nd annual Mid-Winter Meeting to be held January 17-20, 2014, at the Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville, Florida. This location (one minute NW off Exit 390 of I-75) is the same one we used last year, and is as close as it gets to the center of our district. In addition to the venues of our meeting, the hotel provides breakfast, free Wi-Fi, a computer room, and a large outdoor pool area right off the main lobby, all for a discounted rate.
There will be plenty of rose vendors in attendance. Place your orders for rose bushes directly with your favorite vendors and have them delivered at the meeting. Jim and Daisy Mills of K & M Roses, Geoff and Debbie Coolidge of Cool Roses, Wendy Tilley of The Rose Gardener, Jim Young of H.L. Shealy Co. (Purely Organic), Clayton Beaty of Beaty Fertilizer (Mills Magic products), and Pam Greenewald of Angel Gardens will all be coming.
Our hospitality suite this year will again be incarnated each evening in the breakfast area. This provides us with plenty of room, tables, and chairs for a lot of rose fellowship. There will be plenty of goodies and beverages, but everyone is encouraged to bring their own special appetizer or dessert. We are planning a special "Golden Fork" contest to see which rose society has the best cooks.
Judges, there’s a change in our usual schedules this year. In lieu of the usual May classes, there will be a Horticultural Judging refresher class on Friday morning (8am to 12pm) and an Arrangements Judging refresher from 1-5pm on Friday, January 17. These classes will fulfill the continuing education requirement for accreditation. These classes will fill up quickly so register early; priority will be given to those judges who are most in need of the education credits. But if you’re interested in learning more about what judges are looking for, sign up! We’ll try to find a place for you.
Friday evening we will enjoy a delicious welcome barbecue buffet spiced with Team Trivia, followed by an evening of renewing old friendships and making new rose friends in the hospitality area.
Programs for Saturday include:
- Malcolm Manners of Florida Southern College will speak on "Old Garden Roses for Warm/Hot Climates."
- Barry McCasland, M.D., will be presenting a special program on “The Medicinal Uses of Roses”.
- Jim Mills of K&M roses will lead a discussion on the directions our roses are going and what is new. Think of roses as part of general trends in gardening as much as what varieties to expect next year!
- Chris Van Cleve, the Redneck Rosarian and past president of the Birmingham Rose Society, will talk to us about “Roses and Social Media”. Where is it taking us? How do we need to adapt to this new world of communication? Who knows, he may broadcast his weekly internet show from the room.
Of course the DSD will have its annual business meeting (remember, we changed the bylaws) chaired by our District Director, Karen Prevatt. And don’t forget the wonderful raffle items – this could be your chance to win big!
Saturday night we will have a wonderful dinner and DSD awards will be presented, including the results of the 2013 DSD Photo Contest. Our special guest is Jolene Adams, President of the ARS. She will have just returned from New Zealand, and I am sure will have some stories for us from that trip as well as insights about the future of the ARS.
The hospitality area will then be open until…. Well, some things cannot really be planned.
The Sunday morning Consulting Rosarian School will wrap up the weekend events. If you plan to take the test to become a CR, you will need to promptly contact Ralph Stream (streamj@gmail.com) to initiate the necessary paperwork. You may also audit the course for CR credit, or sit in just to learn more about growing roses in the Deep South. There is no charge for the class unless you are taking the test.
If you have any questions about the Mid-Winter Meeting, please call or e-mail:
Chris Woods, 770-309-6302, cewoods1268@yahoo.com
Sara Coleman, 678-432-4792, alsara.coleman@att.net
Linda Bohne, 404-274-1492, linda.bohne@mindspring.com
Diane Snyder, 770-985-8861, RobertHSnyder@msn.com
Nan Frost, 678-358-7855, nan@nanfrost.com
Our hotel is again the Best Western Gateway Grand, 4200 NW 97th Blvd, Gainesville, FL 32025, 352-331-3336, www.gatewaygrand.com. Make your reservations early, as the DSD discounted rooms will only be guaranteed until mid-December. Be sure to mention the Deep South District or “roses” to secure the conference discount. After December 16 these rooms will be based on availability at the hotel. A dinner count of all attending will be needed several days before the conference, so the hotel can prepare the appropriate number of meals to serve. If you wait and do not register until after January 8, you may not get to eat with the group, so please register early.
We would like to extend a special invitation to all rosarians who have never been to a Mid-Winter Meeting. We would especially like to see all the members of the host societies, Greater Atlanta, Greater Gwinnett, and South Metro Rose Societies, in Gainesville to enjoy the weekend as well as extend our hospitality to our guests. It is a wonderful way to make new rose friends while attending some very informative programs. We hope you can make it, as we know you will find it to be a fun-filled, informative, and action-packed, rosy good time.