Show problems

On Tue, 5 Nov 1996 Arnold Koekkoek wrote:

> We should have avoided that by making it crystal clear at a club meeting
> just what entering things in a show involved, what had to be done ahead
> of time, the importance of accurate identification, etc.  I learned by
> the whole experience, but it should have been avoided.  This year it
> will, because as the club president this year, I'm going to make sure we
> have no ignorance, either born of indifference or newness, before we go
> into the show. 
 
And Kathyguest wrote:

> We actually publish this in our club's Show newsletter <snip> We also
> hold a workshop a week before the show on grooming and filling out
> tags... anyone who comes to the show unprepared does not get a lot of
> sympathy.  We also publish a list of judges who will actually go to a
> person's garden for one-on-one for anyone who can't get to the workshop. 

This is all great for club members, but what about non-club members who
have seen the show advertised and show up with a stalk misnamed, unnamed,
incorrectly groomed, etc.?  It's a situation that needs to be handled
delicately, even in the rush and chaos of trying to get the show staged,
because these are potential new members.  You don't want to embarrass or
discourage them to the point that they don't join up to learn how to do it
right, but neither can you accept their misnamed stalks.  I remember one
show where this situation resulted in a large "beautiful but unnamed"
section where the irises were given non-AIS awards, and some of the
entrants did join the club to find out how to do it the next year. 

Lois Rose, in central Virginia
25 mi. SW of Fredericksburg in southern Spotsylvania County
where a hard frost Sun. night may have finished off the rebloom
Zone 7; peak TB bloom May 15
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