Welcome to the Orchid Society of the Ozarks on the Web!

UPCOMING EVENTS....

**Nov 17, 2024**, Our November meeting will be IN-PERSON this coming Sunday, November 17th , in the NTI Student Center (where we have met for so many years), at our usual time of 1:30 pm. There will be monthly judging, so bring those blooming plants. For hospitality we are continuing the current plan of finger foods like cookies or other snacks. Each person is responsible for any beverages they want to bring (within limits!). We do have some “Tom’s Mix” in 2 gallon bags available. We already have a lot to bring to the meeting, so if you want some, let us know and we’ll bring however much you want, otherwise we won’t bring any of it. We have several items of year-end business this month, as well as planning for the Christmas Party which will be December 8th. We’ll also have an update on our 2025 show which will be at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center on the University of Arkansas campus February 28 – March 2, 2025.

**December 8, 2024**–Christmas Party - It’s (almost) that time of year! Please note that our Christmas Party will be the 2nd Sunday in December, the 8th, rather than on our usual meeting date, at at 1:00 pm rather than our usual starting time. As usual there will be a game of Dirty Santa. There’s no pressure to play if you’d rather not – you still get to laugh at everyone who does. But if you’d like to play, bring a gift, wrapped, boxed, or bagged so that it’s not obvious what it is. It should be at least slightly orchid-related, though that’s a guideline and not a rule, and if you buy it, please don’t spend more than $15-20.

All of our memebers are encouraged to like the OSO Facebook page and to post your orchid pictures and comments there. It’s not the same as a normal meeting, but we can still share our love of orchids and show off our blooming plants. We will miss those members who aren’t able to use those facilities, but … it’s really about all we have right now!

OSO Facebook Group
We’ve added an OSO Group on Facebook along with the OSO page we already had. If you liked the page, we encourage you to join the group – it will be easier for you to post pictures of your plant, questions, etc. there. Search Groups for “Orchid Society of the Ozarks”, or use this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2640406932837737

2023 - 2024
President – Tim Kral
Vice-president – Vacant
Treasurer – Lois Geren
Secretary – Suzanne Miller
Board members: Laura Wilkins and Tina Powel

For people interested in becoming members of the OSO, please feel free to contact Trudy Pickett, our Membership Committee Chair. You can reach her at: email butchandtrudy@cox.net

See you all at the meeting! Come early and if you have the chance, bring a guest! See you there!

SOCIETY INTRODUCTION:

The Orchid Society of the Ozarks is an active group of orchid enthusiasts in Northwest Arkansas. We meet monthly, usually the third Sunday afternoon, to share information and blooming orchids with each other. Most months we have around 30 orchids which members enter into an informal judging. A “Plant of the Month” winner is chosen. Winners accrue points and prizes are awarded at the end of the year.

Our society is an affiliate member of the Mid-America Orchid Congress, the Southwest Regional Orchid Growers Association and the American Orchid Society. We are also a sponsor of the North American Conservation Center (NAOCC), and are a sponsor of one of the orchid-gami orchids, the Large Whorled Pogonia, Isotria verticillata. We were happy to sponsor this orchid as it is a native orchid found in Arkansas.

We have speakers for most meetings with a selection of those coming from a group of nationally known orchid experts. Speaking topics range from orchid culture and best practices to current breeding trends. Most speakers bring plants to sell and many offer discounts for members that pre-order. Some speakers in the last couple of years are: Glen Decker of Piping Rocks Orchids; Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids; Nathan Bell of College of the Ozarks; Blanche Wagner of Missouri Botanical Garden, Fred Clark of Sunset Valley Orchids.

We have a monthly plant raffle at meetings where members can acquire plants. One of our main fundraisers is our auction in September with lively bidding on orchids donated from members and vendors. Our second fundraiser is our show and sale Orchids in the Garden held the first weekend in March at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.