Friday, November 13, 2009

Summary of the Summer...

2009 was full of amazing daylily experiences for me, and it was also my first full year serving as the president for the largest region in AHS - Region 2!

I am proud to serve in this capacity and look forward to the next year.

If you are curious about what a "regional president" does, here are some of my responsibilities:
- approving display gardens in this region
- presiding over the yearly business meeting
- approving garden judge applications in this region
- representing Region 2 at AHS functions
- contributing to the award-winning Region 2 newsletter
- leading a yearly Region 2 board meeting
- communicating to new members and
- facilitating and resolving member issues.

I have visited several local clubs in this past year, providing presentations on my travels and just generally being an enthusiastic daylily ambassador.  On the left is a picture of me in the Orlando airport following the stellar (but very wet) American Hemerocallis Society National Convention.  TSA agents always ask, "What's in the bag?"  I am already looking forward to the 2010 National in Valdosta, Georgia.


As president, I am also interested in increasing the number of exhibition judges and garden judges in our region.  Exhibition shows are my biggest passion in the daylily world and I would encourage all of you to exhibit, attend or host a daylily show of some kind to support our national mission of education.

Im not sure how I did it all, but in the first part of 2009 I had the opportunity to take part in:
• the Mid-Winter Symposium
(highlight: Julie Covington's presentation on photography),
• the Region 2 Winter Symposium
(highlight: Brenda Macy's tour through theme gardens),
• the AHS National Convention
(highlight: the all encompassing rain and explaining to the TSA agent what and why the green plants were sticking out of my carry-on),
• the Central Illinois Daylily Society Exhibition Show
(highlight: winning Best Small with H. 'Brookwood Mamasan'),
• Northern Mecca
(highlight: finally visiting Faulkner, Polston, Blanton, Bachman and seeing the transformation occurring with the Holmes' at Riverbend),
• the Region 2 Summer Meeting
(highlight: teaching Exhibition Clinic II, hanging out with our region 2 youth and finally visiting Leo Sharp at Brookwood Gardens)
• the Southern Michigan Daylily Society Exhibition Show
(highlight: winning Best Miniature with H. 'Brookwood Black Kitten').

I am already planning on making repeat appearances at every one of these events and more in 2010.  I hope I see you somewhere along the way.

Please contact me if you have any thoughts, comments, concerns, or questions about daylilies, Region 2 or the AHS.  I can be reached at schmiths@sbcglobal.net


Until next time, happy daylilying!


H. 'Eloquent Cay'