Time Schedule - Portland Chapter Show
Edgar H. Olsen and Melvin M. Reeves, Portland, Oregon
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FIG.68. Peter Cox stands near
display table in Crystal Springs Island Coolhouse after winning trusses have been arranged. Photo by Claud Farrow |
This article itemizes the duties of the Show Chairman for the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society in hopes it will prove of value to other chapters. This procedure, unique in parts, has gradually evolved through the efforts of dedicated members and in keeping with the "individualism of the show chairman" is highly flexible.
To place this work schedule in its proper perspective, a brief summary of the background of the garden is in order. The "Rhododendron Garden", 7½ acres in size, is a park within a park. It is located on an island in Crystal Springs Lake as well as on an adjacent peninsula - all of which are within the City of Portland's Eastmoreland Golf Course. Through a special City Ordinance passed in 1950 the garden was established as a joint venture between the Portland Park Bureau and the American Rhododendron Society. The city provides a full-time gardener to do the watering, keeping up the lawn area and general garden maintenance. The Chapter is responsible for all improvements, construction of the cool house, plantings, paths and layout of the garden. With the passage of time and the growth of the A.R.S. from the original Portland Chapter to the many chapters now located throughout our continent, national interest in the garden waned through the development of many other chapter gardens; thus resulting in the Portland Chapter eventually taking full responsibility for the garden, in name as well as in fact.
The traditional Mothers' Day weekend show is held in the Chapter-owned cool house which is designed not only for growing tender rhododendrons but also for show display purposes. The cool house, being located on "The Island", poses a security problem due to its remoteness from the parking area and the fact that the garden is open at all times. The 1974 Portland Show had more than 700 entries and an attendance of 4800.
With this brief introduction let's get the show chairman on with his work. In order not to overwhelm him let's ease him into his schedule month by month all of which leads him into a busy Mothers' Day weekend in which he starts fresh at 9:00 AM on Friday and concludes tired but proud of a job well done early the following Sunday evening.
| September |
| 1. Show "Rules and Regulations". |
| A. Select committee to review the rules and regulations |
| a. Update classification key |
| b. Review general rules |
| c. Review trophy list and trophy donors |
| d. Make plans for publicity |
| October |
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1. Cool House Physical Plant |
| A. Inventory Cool House and check condition of: |
| a. Show display containers (cans, bottles and vases) |
| b. Trophy display table |
| c. Ticket booth |
| d. Information booth |
| e. Work tables |
| f. Display area |
| g. Kraft paper for display area |
| h. Plastic wind screens |
| i. Portable shade house |
| j. Miscellaneous |
| B. Make plans for (1) repairs of any of the above and (2) renewal of inventory of expendable items. |
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2. Show Chairman Office Supplies |
| A. Inventory the following: |
| a. Show entry cards |
| b. Ribbons (first, second and third places) |
| c. First, second and third place stickers for entry cards |
| d. Containers for stickers (used by novice judges) |
| e. Trophy display holders (wire rack used in book stores for individual book display) |
| f. Trophy identification cards |
| g. Complimentary tickets |
| h. Class and group identification cards to go on display benches |
| i. Show posters |
| j. Miscellaneous items |
| B. Make plans for renewal of all expendable items |
| November & December |
| 1. Relax and enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. |
| January |
|
1. Arrange for advertising by committee (of one?) appointment to cover Radio, TV, newspaper, and other |
| Chapters at proper time. |
| 2. Arrange for judges |
| A. Appoint Chairman who shall select four judging teams consisting of two judges each: Hybrids, |
| two teams; Species, one; and Azaleas, one. At least one judge from other Chapters to serve |
| on each team is most desirable. Chairman to make travel arrangement as required for each judge. |
| B. Appoint Classification Chairman who shall select four or five persons to assist him in helping |
| show entrants to properly identify and place entries. |
| C. Select four novice judges and four recording secretaries one each of which shall work with |
| one set of judges. |
| 3. Arrange for one or more persons to encourage entries from other Chapters. |
| February |
| 1. Send letter to Portland Bureau of Parks for ordinance to permit holding of show at the Rhododendron |
| Garden and for charging of an entrance fee for the two days of the show. The garden being a city park |
| is normally open free of charge, but by special ordinance, an entrance fee of $1.00 for persons over |
| 12 years of age is charged with all funds so received to be used exclusively for the garden. |
| 2. Double-check on liability insurance for the show. This insurance is required by the Portland Bureau of |
| Parks. Failure to comply will result in cancellation of ordinance. |
| 3. Send letter to Reed College for use of its parking lot during the show. This lot is located immediately |
| across the street from the garden parking lot. |
| 4. Contact all trophy donors and check on availability of trophy. A total of 25 trophies, not including |
| special awards (if any), are now given. While none of the trophies are perpetual, each donor is |
| encouraged to provide one each year for as long as possible |
| Also: |
| A. Will donor purchase trophy and engrave? |
| B. Does donor desire chapter to purchase and engrave for his convenience? |
| a. Is last year's price range still satisfactory? |
| 5. Order trophies as soon as the donors have been contacted and details of ordering settled. |
| A. Klein's Jeweler has record of engraving desired. However, double-check on the accuracy of |
| their records. |
| B. Engraving to be by hand (not machine engraved). |
| C. A minimum of 30 days is required for the jeweler to prepare the trophies; more time is required |
| if the trophies ordered are not in stock. |
| 6. Reserve banquet room at "The Anchorage" for noon luncheon for first day of show for the judges |
| (consider the novice judges, recording secretaries and major show officers). |
| 7. Order the following, if needed: |
| A. Show ribbons (Klein's Jewelers, Portland) |
| a. Ribbons can generally be made available in two weeks. |
| B. Show stickers (Regalia Manufacturing Co., Rockford Island, Illinois 61202) |
| C. Entry cards (Benedictine Press, St. Benedict, Oregon 97373) |
| D. Complimentary tickets (to be given to the trophy donors and special guests) |
| 8. Arrange to have show rules and regulations printed and collated in time for April meeting. |
| Approximately 200 sets will be required. |
| 9. Order posters and have at April meeting. |
| A. The posters are printed by Sweeney Krist and Dimm, Portland |
| a. 1000 posters are required to be ordered for a quantity discount |
| b. The posters are prepared with space for future imprinting of date and time of show. |
| c. Approximately 200 posters are imprinted per year. |
| d. The excess posters are stored at Sweeney Krist and Dimm. |
| March |
| 1. Arrange for Pinkerton guards to be on duty Friday and Saturday nights. See general rules and have |
| guard on duty (usually 12 hours per night) when show officials are not present. |
| 2. Arrange for a show photographer. |
| April |
| 1. Purchase theatre rolls of tickets (Gills Book Co.) |
| A. Minimum of 5000 tickets should be available. |
| 2. The following needs to be at the April meeting: |
| A. Trophies, to be displayed. |
| B. Posters, for distribution to members for placement. |
| C. Show rules and regulations, significant changes to be stressed to the group. |
| D. Volunteer work sheets to be passed for sign-up during meeting. |
| a. Ticket booth, requires two persons in two hour shifts during show hours on Saturday and |
| Sunday. |
| b. Information booth, same as "a" above. The information booth in addition to providing general |
| assistance to the public, and information about the society, including membership, provides our |
| energetic Book Sales Chairman an opportunity to sell books and publications on rhododendrons (at |
| a profit to the chapter, of course). |
| c. Show set-up on Friday, a minimum of six, preferably eight persons will be needed to: |
| 1. Clean up show area |
| 2. Set up work tables |
| 3. Set up information booth |
| 4. Set up ticket booth |
| 5. Set up portable shade house |
| 6. Set up trophy display table |
| 7. Prepare display area for specimen plants |
| 8. Prepare vases and/or containers for easy access to entrants. |
| 9. Locate class and group entry cards in display area |
| d. Entry & Classification: |
| 1. Guard who is to be at entrance to cool house on Friday during placement of entries and on |
| Saturday morning to keep out unauthorized people. |
| 2. Minimum of four people to assist show entrants in filling vases etc., prior to presenting entries |
| to classification committee. |
| 3. Minimum of one assistant for each of five-member classification committee to assist in placing |
| entries in proper section of display area. |
| May |
| 1. Monday preceding weekend of show |
| A. Arrange for coffee and rolls for workers setting up show Saturday morning. |
| 2. Friday preceding show |
| A. Set up show starting at 9:00 AM |
| B. Accept entries in accordance with show schedule regulations. |
| C. Have all of classification committee and related workers on hand to accept entries during |
| scheduled time. Friday 2:00 PM to midnight; Saturday 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM. |
| D. See that Pinkerton guard is on hand as requested and informed of his duties for Friday and |
| Saturday nights. |
| E. Set up metal stanchions and rope dividers to create one-way traffic control in display area. |
| Stanchions are rented from Color & Design Inc., a custom display and exhibit company. |
| 3. Saturday of show |
| A. Show chairman to relieve guard for the day. |
| B. Show chairman to bring trophies to show. |
| C. Have classification committee and related workers on hand during the time entries are being |
| accepted, see Item 2C above for time. |
| D. Brief judges prior to scheduled judging time which starts at 10:30 A.M. |
| E. Brief recording secretaries and the novice judges and supply them with required forms |
| for recording winning entries. |
| F. Arrange to have winning entries and trophies put on display concurrently with the judging. |
| G. Arrange to have one or more show officials on hand at all times even during lunch period |
| at "The Anchorage" restaurant. |
| H. Tabulate winners immediately after judging is over and transmit results to the local news media. |
| The presence of a news photographer is most to be desired. |
| I. Arrange to remove trophies for presentation to winners at banquet (trophies not to be retained |
| by the winners at this time.) |
| J. Prepare trophies for return to show at conclusion of banquet. |
| 4. Sunday of show |
| A. Relieve Pinkerton guard who goes off for good at this time. |
| B. Set up trophy display anew. |
| C. Arrange for one or more show officials to be on hand during show. |
| D. Tear down show and return all permanent staging to storage. |
| NOTE: All entries except those which are to be returned to the exhibitor shall be destroyed to protect the |
| interest of the exhibitor. |
| E. GO HOME AND SACK OUT! |
| 5. After show is over (say within a week or two) |
| A. Deliver trophies to winners. (The chapter does not engrave the winner's name. The winner |
| may do so later if he wishes). |
| B. Mail ribbons to winners with their name and name of winning rhododendron shown. |
| C. Resolve to acquaint succeeding show chairman with your pit falls. |