JARS v42n1 - Azalea Society Of America 10th Anniversary Convention

Azalea Society Of America 10th Anniversary Convention

The Azalea Society of America invites members of the American Rhododendron Society and their friends to its Tenth Anniversary Convention to be held May 6-8, 1988 in Washington, D.C. ASA's Brookside Gardens Chapter will host all activities and has planned an exciting program which includes azalea lectures, public and private garden tours, a competitive standard azalea flower show, a special visit to the U.S. National Arboretum with behind the scene tours of the greenhouse and other collection areas, exhibits and convention plant sales at the headquarters hotel and a gala Tenth Anniversary Banquet Celebration featuring azalea introductions and awards, and a special closing Sunday luncheon garden tour.

Registration will open on Thursday afternoon at the Bethesda Hyatt Regency, the headquarters hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The Bethesda Hyatt is located 6 miles north of our Nation's capital at One Metro Center in the heart of downtown Bethesda. The hotel is conveniently located 11 miles from Interstate 95 and within 45 minutes by car or by hotel limousine of Washington, D.C.'s three national/international airports and directly above the Bethesda metro stop on the new Washington area subway system. Using the Metro system you will be able to travel to the National Zoo, the Capitol, the Air and Space and other Smithsonian Museums, the National Gallery of Art and many more sites in our nation's capital. Washington, D.C. is one of the premier azalea areas in the United States and the ASA Convention will be held at the height of the azalea blooming season.

The schedule of convention activities is:

THURSDAY, May 5 - Registration opens at 3 p.m. at the Bethesda-Hyatt Regency with the hospitality area open until 10 p.m. Flower show entries (the show is open to all who wish to exhibit) will be received at the Landon Azalea Festival location during the late afternoon and early evening (details will be sent to all registrants in March/April).

FRIDAY, May 6, — Tour of Hillwood in Washington, D.C, the home of the late Mrs. Marjorie Merriweather Post and one of the most spectacular azalea gardens in the Washington, D.C. area, Ninth Brookside Gardens Chapter Azalea Flower Show and a visit to the Perkins Azalea Gardens at the Landon Azalea Festival. Convention plant Sale. Opening convention lecture on deciduous azaleas by Fred Galle, past curator at Callaway Gardens, well known azalea horticulturist, author and member of the Board of Governors of the Azalea Society of America.

SATURDAY, May 7 — Breakfast at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, Maryland followed by a special visit to the U.S. National Arboretum where we will visit the azalea, bonsai, and other collections and in addition the greenhouse and other behind-the-scene areas. The evening program at the Bethesda Hyatt Regency will feature plant sales, the President's Reception and the Tenth Anniversary Banquet and Society Meeting with awards and special presentations. The convention address will be given by Dr. John L. Creech, past director of the U.S. National Arboretum and eminent azalea explorer.

SUNDAY, May 8 — Tour of Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland followed by a luncheon visit to the azalea garden of Denise and Bob Stelloh in Darnestown, Maryland. The convention will officially close when the buses return to the Bethesda Hyatt Regency after the visit to the Stelloh's garden. Other local society member and public gardens will, however, be open Sunday afternoon, Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10.

Registration materials and additional information may be obtained by writing: Dr. Charles H. Evans, Chairman; 1988 Azalea Society of America Convention.