N.A.L.S. 2007

NALS 2007 Diamond Jubilee Show and Conference Highlights
(Edited for web viewing from original report provided by Lil McLean, ARLS 2007 Show Chairman. Please see the autumn edition of The Bulblet for Lil’s original NALS Show Report in it’s entirety).

604 stems and 104 artistic designs judged, with 51 exhibitors. Of note, from the 604 stems, 208 were martagon lilies.

The People’s Choice Photo Contest received 32 entries in the “Competition” class and 28 entries in the “Exhibition” class.

Memorial tables were on display with photos and information about Eugene Fox, Marvin Joslin and Russell Bennett, our beloved members who left us during this past couple of years. The NALS Diamond Jubilee Show was dedicated in their memory.

Conference Highlights
The presentations on the Lily Leaf beetle (Crystal Ernst); Lilies from Down Under (William Doreen); Floral Design (Ardith Beverage); and Alberta Lily Hybridizers (Terry Willoughby) were enjoyed by many of the delegates.

Bus Tours included the Devonian Botanic Gardens; Ieuan Evan’s gardens; Wilf Maul’s gardens; Estate Perennials; and Shauna and Terry Willoughby’s gardens, provided an excellent variety and diversity for all tour participants. The tours were enjoyed by all, and the sun was shining warmly on the days of the tours. The self-guided tours on the Monday after the show of Jodi Horne’s garden, Valley K Greenhouses and Shauna and Terry Willoughby’s were also well attended.

NALS Research Trust Auction and Banquet
The NALS Research Trust Fund silent and live auctions raised a substantial amount for NALS this year – over $8000! Dr. Ieuan Evans was the winning bidder on the ARLS sponsored martagon quilt, and he has generously donated the quilt back to the ARLS to display at different ARLS sanctioned functions in an effort to promote martagons hybridized by Alberta hybridizers. The live auction bidding went up quite high for some of the bulbs donated by local hybridizers as well.

Awards and Awards Banquet
Out of the 26 major awards presented by Dolores Nelson, President of NALS, for lilies judged in the Horticulture Division, ARLS members did extremely well taking all of the major awards, including the Isabella Preston Award for the Best Stem of the Show! In the Artistic Design Division, all of the major awards went to ARLS members. Congratulations to the winners! A detailed list of all the winners will be available on NALS site or in the NALS QB. The Cheremosh dance group provided the entertainment for the evening, and was thoroughly enjoyed.

The Alberta Regional Lily Society wishes to thank all the volunteers who helped make the North American Lily Society’s Diamond Jubilee Show as successful as it was. Although it was a tremendous amount of work for a small group of people, the ARLS Executive is proud of how it turned out, and are especially grateful to all of the volunteers and the exhibitors that contributed to the show’s success.