The Flower Hall

Dahlias on display at the 2015 SJC Fair Flower Hall – Tim Dustrude photo

Fiona Norris invites you to join the San Juan Island Garden Club at the San Juan County Fair Flower Hall…

The Flower Hall is organized by the San Juan Island Garden Club and Horticultural Society with able assistance from WSU Master Gardener volunteers particularly on intake day.

In 2015 we were assigned a new location in the Main Building and Colin Jenkins designed and created an arbor that frames the entrance to our displays. We will return in 2016 to this commanding position in the main hall.

Entries are received on Tuesday before the Fair (this year 16th August) and displayed in four Sections including a special section for Youth (16 and under). There is room for everyone to enter – be it a cut flower, shrub, succulent, hanging basket or flower arrangement. Roses and Dahlias are very popular entries and, as in 2015, the Best Rose in Show will receive a special award. Funds from the Garden Tours will be used to pay premiums for the Best in Class and Best in Show, while the Garden Club awards a $25 prize to the best in Show by a Young Exhibitor.

Intake day is always busy, particularly towards closing time of 6 p.m. Members of the three gardening groups are on duty to ensure that the entry tickets are completed properly and recorded for the collators. They are also available to assist and answer questions and a group of young volunteers place the exhibits according to their classification.

Specialists judge the classes and choose the best in their Class. Then all the judges convene to decide the Best in Show. Only then are the tickets opened to reveal the exhibitor’s name. A final tidy-up and the weary team leaves until 10:00 the next morning to share in the excitement of opening day. During the four days of the show, one or both Co-Superintendents and members of the Garden Club are available to greet visitors and answer questions. Exhibits remain on show until Sunday morning and all should be removed by noon.

Not all the exhibits are claimed and though some of the flowers are beyond saving by Sunday morning, a large bouquet is usually delivered to the Life Care Center so residents can enjoy the lingering aromas that characterize the Flower Hall.

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