Holiday Party of the South Florida Palm Society

[Leonard Goldstein]

December 2nd is the date of the South Florida Palm Society's big Holiday Party. The Society provides a whole roasted pig, as well as sodas, wine and beer*, and attendees are encouraged to bring a covered dish food creation to help make the dining experience complete. The evening features a popular silent auction and a fast-paced auction of plant material, followed by the election of board members.

Our auctions serve as the primary source of annual funding for the Society. Accordingly, we hope you will donate a nice plant or two to the live auction.

Admission to the party is free for all levels of membership: Life, Family, and Annual. Spouses of Life and Family members, along with their children under 12, are also admitted free. There is a $10 charge for spouses of annual members, as well as any other guests; however, that charge can be applied to a membership taken out at the time of the party.

We look forward to seeing you at 7:00 pm in the Garden House at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables, Florida.

*At the door attendees will receive two tickets that will entitle them to wine and/or beer.

[Jeff Searle]

It sounds like a lot of fun and I know Ryan and I will be attending this. There's plans/changes for the auction that sounds really great. Better ideas for achieving more money, better palms brought in and the importance in running it smoother to get higher bids. Out with the old, in with the new......

[Moose]

  On 11/24/2013 at 12:58 PM, Jeff Searle said:

It sounds like a lot of fun and I know Ryan and I will be attending this. There's plans/changes for the auction that sounds really great. Better ideas for achieving more money, better palms brought in and the importance in running it smoother to get higher bids. Out with the old, in with the new......

Life members can bring their spouses without paying this year!

[Palmarum]

In an earlier post, that was posted later in the topic and later deleted (can't describe it any better) an auction situation was brought up. It involved the presentation of a plant up for bid during the auction where the name could not be heard, leading to the name being shouted/repeated across the room. I had a post which mentioned a few old and new ideas to remedy this situation (also a casualty deletion). They included the use of white boards, different hand-written displays and a projector to show the name large enough so people around the room could see it. Before I continue development of a workable idea, is it going to be even feasible or needed? Has the situation already been addressed?

I will not bring anything unless I think it would work. I have also considered the logistics of using such an idea to the point where it could possibly be too much extra work or too intensive; to be done from plant to plant during a fast-paced auction. Also the consideration since it would be my idea in the first place, to being the one who would operate the process, leaving no time to do anything else... bid, eat, drink, take photos, etc. I have been leaning towards the use of a standard projector connected to a laptop, with the image showing large lines of text shining off a screen or a blank wall. Plant comes up, name is typed on the laptop as it shows on the screen/wall, backspace a lot, repeat. I got this idea originally during the days of the Rare Event auction at Fairchild, where not only the name would be displayed but also a photo of a mature plant as well.

If anyone on the board or anyone involved with the party sees this before Monday, let me know if you already have a solution or not to bother with it.

Ryan

[Mandrew968]

The white board is a good Idea I think--maybe two of them so that when the next palm comes up, you have more time to write on the board. Also you can do a quick note of shade or sun... Let's also not forget, to get there a bit early, and view all of the material so you can ask questions and get a feel of what you may want to bid on, then when it comes up for bid, step closer to the auctioneer!

It was also mentioned, to save time, to maybe place a buy-it-now price on all or a select ammount of palms so that things ultimately run smoother--this option might be available so get there early, rather than later!

[Ken Johnson]

  On 11/28/2013 at 8:16 AM, Palmarum said:

In an earlier post, that was posted later in the topic and later deleted (can't describe it any better) an auction situation was brought up. It involved the presentation of a plant up for bid during the auction where the name could not be heard, leading to the name being shouted/repeated across the room. I had a post which mentioned a few old and new ideas to remedy this situation (also a casualty deletion). They included the use of white boards, different hand-written displays and a projector to show the name large enough so people around the room could see it. Before I continue development of a workable idea, is it going to be even feasible or needed? Has the situation already been addressed?

I will not bring anything unless I think it would work. I have also considered the logistics of using such an idea to the point where it could possibly be too much extra work or too intensive; to be done from plant to plant during a fast-paced auction. Also the consideration since it would be my idea in the first place, to being the one who would operate the process, leaving no time to do anything else... bid, eat, drink, take photos, etc. I have been leaning towards the use of a standard projector connected to a laptop, with the image showing large lines of text shining off a screen or a blank wall. Plant comes up, name is typed on the laptop as it shows on the screen/wall, backspace a lot, repeat. I got this idea originally during the days of the Rare Event auction at Fairchild, where not only the name would be displayed but also a photo of a mature plant as well.

If anyone on the board or anyone involved with the party sees this before Monday, let me know if you already have a solution or not to bother with it.

Ryan

Wow, you should do all the above! There is a spot open on the Board too!

[Jeff Searle]

Yea Ryan, they could use all the help they can get.

[waykoolplantz]

It might be simple to do in Power Point

[Moose]

  On 11/29/2013 at 10:28 PM, Jeff Searle said:

Yea Ryan, they could use all the help they can get.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/user/5491-mandrew968/

[George Sparkman]

Sounds like a great party.

[Jeff Searle]

Tonight is the night. A fun night to enjoy fellow palm interest, food and more importantly, go home with some new found treasures! And maybe a surprise or two of different plants could show up, who knows.

[Mandrew968]

  On 11/29/2013 at 10:28 PM, Jeff Searle said:

Yea Ryan, they could use all the help they can get.

We certainly could!

[EllisB]

Hats off to all the volunteers who made last nights holiday party and auction a roaring success. Plenty of good food, wonderful plants and a very positive attitude made for an excellent evening. Congrats to the South Florida Palm Society for starting off the holiday seasons on a good note.

[Palmarum]

The SFPS Holiday Party was last night and I have some photos of the event. They are in order, but with no particular emphasis on time or details.

- 5:38PM - With Jeff driving, we were on the way down south to Fairchild for the palm show and tell. The sunset was putting on a show of its own.

- We were swinging by Mooseland to pick up Ron on the way down. The traffic on I-75 was not too bad, prior to getting on the dreaded Palmetto Expressway.

- Holiday greetings, as you drive. Jeff put the window down as we passed a work van with a scrolling sign. Had to wait for a holiday related image to come up for the photo.

- After stopping to get Ron with a slight delay (not my fault) we made it to Fairchild TB Gardens. We unloaded the plants and carried them in to the recently refurbished auditorium where we added them to the pile.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- It took me a few minutes to look through the offerings for the auction with not many surprises. It had been a few years since my last visit to the holiday party and I was expecting a big showing of plant material. I didn't see anything for me to bid on.

- Talipot on the table. For a brief moment, a partially shade-grown Talipot Palm, Corypha umbraculifera was on one of the Silent Auction tables. It was taken off and added to the regular auction a minute later.

- As the sign says, a Mystery palm was part of the silent auction. Someone changed the sign from "Columbia" to "Colombia" so I figured that is where the seed was collected.

- To me it looked like a Sabal mauritiiformis that was missing its boot. If the seed was collected along the coast then it could be a strong possibility. I was discussing it with others and a question of whether or not there was a known Carludovica sp. with a silver underside, came up. I wanted to take it out of the pot and examine the base of the plant under the dirt, but I figured doing so might be too messy.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Rusty Brown donated one of her exquisitely crafted bamboo plant holders, complete with two orchids. No bids at the moment, but they came shortly there after.

- A prepared Palm Bonsai including a trio of Buccaneer Palms, Pseudophoenix sargentii was part of the silent auction.

- It was already to go. It just needs a lift home and a spot in full sun.

- As expected, palm talk was a key part of the evening. Forum members Dr. Peter Balasky (madman) and SoCal visitor George Sparkman (George Sparkman) listen to FM. Jeff Searle describe something.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The Moose is on the loose, and this time with no minuses. FM. Ron Kiefert (Moose) holds up his bidding paddle (paper plate) with the lucky number "13". I forgot to ask if you could choose your number or were you stuck with what they handed to you.

- Up on stage, I looked through the filler palms to see what they were.

- On one side was a nice, large Carpoxylon macrospermum.

- On the opposite side of the auditorium, almost in the opposite position from the Carpoxylon, was this robust Old Man Palm, Coccothrinax crinita. It was the largest palm of the auction that I remember.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The line at the door. Members got in for free, non-members had to pay. After the process you got a green nightclub-entry style bracelet that I guess distinguished those that could eat.

- One of a dozen Livistona australis that filled the stage.

- Other filler palms included date palms, Spindle Palms, and some others.

- Palm art for silent bid.

Ryan

[Mandrew968]

I had a blast. It was great to see everyone--Ellis, Jeff, Ryan, George Sparkman and Mike Harris to name a few palmtalkers. Ellis looked rested and ended up with some rare Madagascar finds. I got a few palms as well. At several times during the auction, I found myself talking too loudly with fellow palm people . Jeff Searle and Tim McKernan did a great job with the auction and Jeff brought some killer material too--Jeff, was that you that brought the Cycas my dad ended up with? There were some great deals too; A 6' plus Cyrtostachys sold for $150. The SFPS did well also. Thanks very much, all who were involved--Ryan, great photos and narrative, as usual.

[Jeff Searle]

Andrew,

No, I didn't. I can't believe some of the prices during the night. Most people got great bargains, and some practically stole stuff out there! Lol. One of the highest prices paid was for a 4" pot of a perfectly grown Licuala mapu showing it's full potential of markings. Actually the young girl that bought it ( $160 ) bought an overgrown Sealing Wax for $150 as well. She was extreamly excited the entire night, I know, as she came out to the nursery yesterday and most of our conversation was based on that evening. It was her first palm event and was there with her husband and her parents. Sounds like we might of "hooked" a new future palm lover.

The auction raised lots of money, the food was great as usual, and it was nice to see so many palm peeps.

[Mandrew968]

Jeff, that's always a good thing--and that she's a lady, even better! The SFPS could use more women for sure!

[Palmarum]

  Quote

Mandrew968

Posted Today, 09:36 AM

... and that she's a lady, even better! The SFPS could use more women for sure!

That is a scary statement. Women beware...

- Stone Crabs! Donations were not limited to being members of the plant world. This box of stone crabs saw bids immediately and continued to do so throughout the evening.

- One of the gift baskets in the auction. Not sure if there was a theme involved or if it was a random sampling of stuff.

- Artists and contributors to the auction, Rusty Brown and FM. Linda Talbott (Linda Apriletti) work on arranging the desserts.

- The selection continued to grow one plant at a time leading up to the start of the auction. The plant closest to the camera is a Stemmadenia litoralis, an unusual flowering tree donated by Richard Lyons.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The indoor meeting was almost a non-event. The auditorium is in the process of undergoing a renovation and was almost not ready in time for the party/auction. I was half expecting it to be held outside in a tent. Sitting by the center table, Ziggy Mayotte was ready for the auction to start.

- It was still incomplete as the main room still lacks an audio system. The need for one became real apparent later during the auction.

- Party goers began to hit the sauce and previewed the auction plants in either order.

- Some decided to bring their own coolers full of booze, e.g. the blue one sitting in the chair next to the 'noisy table'.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Grower Claude Roatta donated a lot of plants. He brought them in a hurry and forgot to tag some of them, including this Neoveitchia storckii.

- To help Claude out, Jeff grabbed one of Claude's yellow tags and a marker and quickly wrote out the name and placed it on the palm.

- One of the shinning lights of the auction had to be the pot filled with interesting small palms brought and donated by Dr. Peter Balasky. The plants included an unique Dypsis that is still a mystery. The larger plant in the center of the frame is Carpoxylon macrospermum.

- A Bailey Palm, Copernicia baileyana that was missing a tag. It was so heavy, the potting soil was replaced by concrete.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- One of the donated Orchids hanging off the podium. It came with care instructions via the yellow notebook paper.

- The always popular Licuala mapu, donated by Ellis Brown. It went on to raise $160.00 during its auction.

- Pork explosion. They were getting ready to start serving food, starting the final preparation by slicing up the roasted pig.

- I forgot to mention it was freezing! For some reason the temperature inside was very cold and it made some people shiver including me. The thermostat dial was misleading as it felt even colder. I was worried some of the sensitive palms would start showing cold damage. Brrr...

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- A familiar sight throughout South Florida, the always important Key Lime Pie.

- Something. I think it was cranberry sauce as there was a nearby spread of Thanksgiving style food, it just looked so ominous. More so since I thought it was moving the fork around.

- A tricky to photograph Bactris mexicana. I did not want to move things around too much, but I wanted to get close enough to show the nice spines.

- A Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda waits on stage for its time in the spotlight. It went to sell for $150.00 I believe.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The stilt roots and bottom trunk of a donated Verschaffeltia splendida.

- The entire palm.

- A palm themed basket donated by Tiffany Street.

- One of Linda's original oil paintings featuring Crandon Park.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Another one of Linda's original oil paintings, this one featured the Cape Florida Lighthouse.

- There were plenty of different items in the silent auction. This was a gift basket with a holiday theme donated by Kim Martin.

- Food is on. I turned around from taking the photo above to find the line already formed and dinner in progress. At this point I took a rough count of 62 people in attendance, easy to count since many were in a line.

- It is better to photograph people getting food than it is to photograph them eating food. There are exceptions of course.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- It all comes down to the desserts.

- Linda piles her plate high fearing there will be nothing left for a second trip.

- Jeff cuts a slice from the Apple Cake. No, the entire space was not his slice.

- As Jeff was trying to get his food he was bombarded with questions delaying the movement of the line. Ziggy was waiting patiently to get at the desserts. At the age of 96, Ziggy knows exactly how to handle a plant society party.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- I got back up onto the stage for a second to take some more photos. I had plenty of time to kill before attempting to get any food. I got this view of the crowd as the first in line began to take their seats.

- Palmness.

- A well grown and very presentable specimen of Chamaedorea tepejilote. I was looking down into the crowns from the edge of the stage.

- From below, it was a mature multiple or a colonial grouping, either way it was very showy.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- Guests had their first plates of food and were seated.

- This is the highpoint of dinner.

- Dinner was still underway as the auction began to get in order. The palm right in front of the camera is Pinanga coronata var. 'blunt, narrow leaf form'.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- SFPS Board Member, topic author and FM. Lenny Goldstein (Leonard Goldstein) [striped shirt] started the auction with getting everyone's attention and giving a few announcements.

- The auctioneer for the evening was going to be SFPS Board Member and FM. Tim McKernan (Tim McKernan). He held the first plant for auction, a 1 gallon Hydriastele pinangoides.

- The rest of the Board were getting everything situated and organized to start recording winning bids.

- The auction went quickly, mostly, interrupted only by the occasional outburst. Next palm was a 1 gallon Heterospathe barfodii.

Ryan

[Jeff Searle]

Ryan,

A great group of pictures. I'm just worried that 99% of the forum members will never see/read this topic. I'm curious, I wonder if other chapters in Hawaii, California, maybe Australia hold a similar type holiday party in their areas.

[EllisB]

Ryan, thanks for all you do.

[Palmarum]

  On 12/5/2013 at 3:36 AM, Jeff Searle said:

Ryan,

A great group of pictures. I'm just worried that 99% of the forum members will never see/read this topic. ...

At the time, I did not think it didn't need its own topic since this one was already started. If it would be featured anywhere else, it would be under Travel Logs - Chapter Meetings and that sub-forum sees only a little more traffic. If Forum viewers browse by using the 'View New Content' feature they will find the topic.

  Quote

...I am grateful for all who contributed/donated/attended and hope to make next year's party even better!

The only reason I attended the party is cause I was paid to. I am posting the photos due in part to that reason and also for having pity for the society, since I'm sure no one else would have posted photos.

- The auction continued and the pace picked up as the rhythm settled in among participants. As Tim was auctioning the plants, Jeff would take a moment to describe them in further detail, as he is doing here with a 3 gal. Licuala fordiana. A Fairchild employee came over on the right and offered a portable amp with a microphone. It worked for a little while until the microphone gave out.

- Jeff and Tim got the teamwork down and they moved through the plants quickly. Next up was a showy Cryosophila stauracantha with real bright silvery-white leaf undersides. It was donated by Montgomery Botanical Center.

- It sold quickly and for a good price. It is being carried to the winning bidder via an auction volunteer. Those numbers above the name are the accession number assigned to the collection group at the Center.

- Jeff holds up a 2 gal. Metroxylon vitiense as Tim points out the bids. It was popular during the auction preview due its large scaly seed still in the pot.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- I was bouncing the flash from across the room making for some strange shadows, but I wanted to stay out of the middle tables and out of people's view as much as possible. Next up, a Pinanga dicksonii.

- A fixer-upper special. I am not sure what it was but maybe the donor was worried about losing it and figured it could get turned-around in another collection.

- Jeff digs out the community pot donated by Dr. Peter Balasky and sorts the palms by species as Tim auctions off a 1 gal. Calyptrocalyx albertisianus.

- The auction continued...

Ryan

[Mike Evans]

  On 12/5/2013 at 3:36 AM, Jeff Searle said:

Ryan,

A great group of pictures. I'm just worried that 99% of the forum members will never see/read this topic. I'm curious, I wonder if other chapters in Hawaii, California, maybe Australia hold a similar type holiday party in their areas.

Jeff, we have a holiday party every year in Central Florida too. Everyone is invited on Dec 7th in Sarasota. I will have to make it down there sometime for your Holiday smash. Looks like fun. Thanks for posting pics.

[Palmarum]

- No the lights didn't go out. Depending on where I was standing the flash would bounce off one of the old-fashioned, ceiling A/C ducts and would get dispersed; instead of going where I wanted it to go. The crowd got quiet when they saw Tim walking forward with the Licuala mapu in his hand. It saw the first heavy bidding of the night, going back and forth between two bidders, before selling for $160.00.

- They went into the back and got one of the filler species that turned out to be popular as a distribution plant. They auctioned one of the Spindle Palms, Hyophorbe verschaffeltii, for a few dollars and used that price to sell the rest.

- They asked who else wanted one at that price and they pulled them from the stage. Jeff was spotting bidder numbers and relaying them to the table on the left.

- They went through about a dozen of them in short order. After the bidder number was recorded, each plant got a sticker with the bidders number and then was ferried to the bidders location in the room.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

  On 12/5/2013 at 10:31 PM, Mike Evans said:

  On 12/5/2013 at 3:36 AM, Jeff Searle said:

Ryan,

A great group of pictures. I'm just worried that 99% of the forum members will never see/read this topic. I'm curious, I wonder if other chapters in Hawaii, California, maybe Australia hold a similar type holiday party in their areas.

Jeff, we have a holiday party every year in Central Florida too. Everyone is invited on Dec 7th in Sarasota. I will have to make it down there sometime for your Holiday smash. Looks like fun. Thanks for posting pics.

Attending the Central Florida party was a strong possibility as I know they have great events, but it falls on the same date as Jeff Searle's big party. I will be there taking photos, lighting candles, fire pits and tiki torches, helping with the fireworks, etc. I think this is the case each year, as both I believe are on the first Saturday of the month. I looked over the schedules, timing and the distances involved and if the CF tour/party locales were closer, I might have stretched it into a fun, long day. I hope someone gets photos of the CF party and tour.

Ryan

[Palmarum]

- The society had their usual spread of free seed for anyone who wanted to try them.

- Jeff describes one of his donated palms, a 1 gal. Licuala cabalionii.

- The microphone and amp did help for the time it worked.

- I moved over to the other side of the room. You can see some of those A/C ducts I was trying to avoid from aiming the flash upon.

Ryan