Newsletter dated January 8, 2010
Overview of the Convention Program

Daffodil Friends,

Here's a program draft describing the major activities at the Convention.

The National Daffodil Show will open at 1pm on Friday and close at 3pm on Sunday. We hope for a substantial number of weekend visitors to the Show since it is being extensively publicized in the media.

Murphys Historic Walking Tour Meet Friday morning just before 10am at the Old Miners Museum across from the Murphys Hotel in downtown Murphys. With a docent as guide, you'll step back into the era of gold-laden creek beds and rowdy saloons. Return to the time of bustling trading posts and quiet, shady porches. The Mother Lode legend comes alive as your guide takes you on a one-hour tour of Murphys, featuring:

• An up-close look at one of the Gold Country's most charming, best-preserved mining towns.
• A history of the area and its people, from the MiWok Indians to the pioneers.
• Gold Rush landmarks, including hotels, saloons, storefronts, even the Murphys "pokey".
• 19th Century homes of the Gold Country pioneers.

Enjoy Gold Rush history as you walk in the footsteps of the legends that made Murphys the "Queen of the Sierra."

Tour of Ironstone's Gardens - Meet Friday afternoon at 3:30pm at the old vintage truck on the Ironstone walkway for a guided tour of the extensive Ironstone gardens. The immaculately kept gardens include a vast variety of plants, ensuring color in the gardens almost year-around. As well, enjoy an early-Spring vista of the surrounding hillsides, vineyards and Ironstone's outdoor amphitheater which is the location for a series of Summer concerts and theater.

Pipe Organ Music the floor-to-ceiling pipe organ in the Music Room was removed from the defunct Alhambra Theater in Sacramento, completely refurbished, and installed at Ironstone. It is fully functional, as you'll realize while listening to the beautiful music played there from 3:30 to 4:30pm on Saturday. Convention attendee Miriam Miller from New Zealand and local organist Kim Plowman will play. Please come, relax, listen and enjoy.

Sunday Afternoon Bus Tour: Sunday afternoon, immediately after lunch at Ironstone, buses will take attendees to one of two nearby State Parks.

Columbia State Historic Park - Gold was discovered here in 1850. Within 3 years, Columbia had 30,000 inhabitants and was the third-largest city in California - one of hundreds of settlements that sprang up when the cry of "Gold! " brought Argonauts from all over the world to seek their fortunes in California.

Columbia is located in the heart of the Mother Lode, a mile-wide network of gold-bearing quartz that extends 120 miles along the western edge of the Sierra Nevada. Mining near Columbia yielded $87 million in gold at 1860's prices.

Unlike many of these settlements, which have long since succumbed to fire, vandalism, and the elements, Columbia has retained much the same appearance as when miners thronged its streets. It has been used a shooting location for many films and television scenes. High Noon includes scenes filmed in 1952 in and around the Wilson House, on Main Street, and in front of Engine House #2.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park - Sierra redwood trees (giant sequoias) are the largest trees in the world. Many sierra redwoods are between 250 and 300 feet tall, the tallest being about 325 feet high. While their height is impressive, the real wonder of a sierra redwood lies in its bulk. Many of these giants have diameters in excess of 30 feet near the ground, with a corresponding circumference of over 94 feet! It is difficult to imagine the size of a sierra redwood. You often read or hear that a sierra redwood may contain enough wood to build 40 five-room homes; a tree may weigh 4,000 tons; they are as tall as the Statue of Liberty. You just have to see for yourself.

The visit to Big Trees will be conditional on Spring weather permitting (rain or snow cancels)! As well, at 4700' elevation, the road to Big Trees Park might still be snowbound. Warm jackets are a requirement (scarves and hats advised) and water-proof walking boots will be essential in order walk the forest trail among the trees. Because of the limited facilities at the Park, the number of visitors will be limited to one busful (30 persons).

Judith Marvin (Murphys, CA): Saturday lunch "Murphys and the Gold Rush"

Keith Kridler (Mt Pleasant TX): Saturday after dinner: "Tall Texas Tales of Daffodils"

Dr. Peter Ramsay (Hamilton, New Zealand): Sunday after dinner: "Convention Farewell"

Welcoming Buffet on Thursday from 6:30 to 8pm, Ironstone Vineyards CEO John Kautz and wife Gail will welcome attendees to the 2010 ADS Convention. Start the Convention with a good time among daffodil friends. Ironstone will pour its wine for your enjoyment. Meal serving ceases at 7:30pm. The Buffet is an optional item and will require your sign-up on the Registration Form.

Ironstone and Its Daffodils on Friday at 2:45pm in the Music Room, Larry Ringland of Ironstone will tell and show the history of Ironstone and its daffodils. A fascinating view of change.

Creating an Artistic Design with Daffodils: a demonstration. In the Music Room on Friday at 3:45pm, acclaimed floral artist Beverly Switzer of the Calaveras County Garden Club will demonstrate her skills in creating floral designs. Be sure to visit the Artistic Designs Division of the Daffodil Show, which will be open on Saturday and Sunday.

Green Daffodils Really? - At the Saturday morning breakfast, Bob Spotts, Harold Koopowitz and John Reed will show and discuss some of the results of their own and others' breeding for green daffodils. Look for some of Bob's green-toned cultivars in the National Show. (The breakfast is an optional event and will require your sign-up on the Registration Form.)

Break-throughs in Miniatures! - On Saturday at 9:30am in the Music Room, Harold Koopowitz & Marilynn Howe, Graham & Helen Fleming (aka, Keira Bulbs) and Steve Vinisky will present some of their new cultivars that are the leading edge in hybridizing Miniatures. Delia Bankhead was to be the fourth participant, and Mary Lou Gripshover has graciously agreed to present the latest in Delia's work with Miniatures.

Historic Daffodils Where and How Have They Spread? - On Saturday at 9:30am in the Placer Room, Sara Van Beck will moderate an international panel of daffodil enthusiasts in tracing Historic daffodils found growing around the world back to their origins. Panelists are Juan Andres Varas Braun (Chile), Keith Kridler (Texas), Ian Tyler (England), and George Ryan (Daffodil Hill, California).

Advances in Standards: the Elusive White-Orange/Red Trumpets. - At 2pm on Saturday in the Music Room, Mike Temple-Smith of Tasmania will moderate a prestigious panel of daffodil hybridizers in relating their experiences - successes and failures while seeking to attain the one of the ultimate goals: a white/red bicolor trumpet. You'll get insights into the thinking and methods of hybridists whose achievements are legendary: Brian Duncan, Elise Havens, Jamie Radcliff, John Reed and Mike Temple-Smith.

What's in Our Daffodil Future? - At breakfast on Sunday morning, Richard Ezell will lead an international panel of esteemed daffodil enthusiasts - David Jackson, Becky Fox Matthews, David Adams, Nial Watson, and Jan Pennings in a discussion important to all of us. Previous Convention sessions will have provided a glimpse into some of what awaits us: new daffodil forms and colors; new Miniatures enabling those with limited space to grow daffodils from nearly all Divisions; preservation of Historic daffodil varieties from generations past. The panel could explore such issues as: Will new introductions continue to be available from hybridizers in the USA, UK, NZ, and Australia?; What should we individuals and the ADS - do to encourage the continuing hybridizing of show cultivars?; and How might the Dutch bulb industry adapt its role in marketing daffodils?. Questions and interaction from the audience are greatly encouraged. (This breakfast is an optional event and will require your sign-up on the Registration Form.)

A Game: Daffodil Jeopardy! - After Sunday breakfast, you'll be joined by those who chose to sleep in. At 9:15am, you'll be entertained by a debut of Daffodil Jeopardy, a quiz game created especially for this Convention by Nancy Tackett and Mary Lou Gripshover. Jaydee Ager will be the Game Host. There will be teams from each of the world daffodil communities (Australia, New Zealand, UK, and USA) competing to win the prize (which is yet to determined). This should produce fun galore!

Outgoing ADS Board business meeting is at 2:30pm Friday in the Placer Room.

ADS Historics Committee meeting is at 4pm Friday in the Placer Room.

Annual ADS Membership Meeting follows dinner on Friday evening.

Incoming ADS Board meets at 3:45pm Sunday in the Placer Room.

---