On 22 Aug 2005 04:29:31 -0700, "Ted" wrote:


wrote:
On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 08:27:10 +0200, Reka
wrote:


Central Ontario Orchid Society Show and Sale

Date: September 24th, 2005 at 11 am, through the 25th

Location: Hespeler Arena, 640 Ellis Road, Cambridge, ON

[snip]
Although I hate to point out that Guelph is not Cambridge, thank you
very much. g

OK, I stand corrected. I thought COOS had its show at the University of
Guelph. That is where I attended one a few years ago.

I take it Cambridge is a wee village just outside Guelph? :-)

Guelph is a sad cousin to the much grander g Cambridge (population
106,000 vs. over 120,000). Cambridge is part of Waterloo Country,
Guelph is part of Wellington County.

Cambridge (before Free Trade and the American take-over) was once a
leading industrial base specializing in textiles and manufacturing. It
took a major hit when all the jobs were exported south of the border,
but things have bounced back pretty well.

The city still has three distinct downtowns since the city was an
amalgamation of the City of Galt, the Town of Preston and the Village
of Hespeler (and a few other surrounding communities such as Blair and
Beaverdale).

Guelph made its name as the home of Moo-U (The University became a
leading agricultural and agrarian learning institution and the best
vet school around.) Oh, and everybody knows Guelph has the worst water
in 100 square miles. g

I'm sure somebody from Guelph could find something nice to say about
the place, but the trick is finding anybody who is willing to admit to
being from Guelph. g

I guess this is the same show I attended last year. So that's a "big"
show? Somehow I would have thought it was a small, local show --
basically one medium sized room (and I'm not talking convention
hall-sized rooms) with displays and one with plants for sale. While
I've never been to any other orchid show, somehow it just didn't seem
that big to me.
I'd attended several in southern Ontario, and the only one I've
attended that was larger was the one a while ago put on by SOOS jointly
with another orchid society, whose name I've forgotten. maybe I need
to get out more. ;-)

Cheers,

Ted

I doubt that's the case Ted. As I said I've been to one show, and that
was the Cambridge show. I had nothing to use as a yardstick, so I had
to make blind observations. I'm just so used to the big, huge (read
full convention centre) trade show environment, I just automatically
assume that anything held in Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo,
etc. is rinky dink and small town. g

As I've posted here before, I wasn't left with an overwhelming
positive impression from the show. If I hadn't already purchased my
orchid I don't know that I would have bought one there. I know I
certainly didn't walk away with a companion for the plant I had at
home (even though I really wanted another one and was tempted by a
few).

Actually I doubt I would have even gone to the show in the first place
if I didn't already own my Home Depot special. The advertising and
marketing was pretty much non-existent, and there were certainly
nothing done to draw in complete newbies or to open up the hobby to
people who had never thought about orchids. I just knew that I needed
some fertilizer and some advice, so I figured I'd take my chances and
attend. I got lots of brush-offs ("I don't raise phals," said with
very snooty tones of voice) and tons of contradictory advice. Even
buying the fertilizer was a complete leap of faith because every
vendor told me a completely different story.
--Vic