Please join us for the Bay State African Violet Society's annual Dinner and Business Meeting to be held on Saturday, October 14th, at St. Michael's Church Hall in Bedford, MA.
We are thrilled to announce this year's speaker - Karyn Cichocki. Here is a little bio about Karyn and her expertise:
"I've been growing African Violets since I joined my first club in 1982 when I lived on Long Island. I became an AVSA judge in 1983 and am currently a senior judge, and am also a master gesneriad judge. My husband and I moved to Lafayette, NJ in 1994. I joined both The African Violet Club of Morris County and The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Gesneriad Society. I’m also a member of AVSA, AVSC, The Gesneriad Society, New York State African Violet Society, Mid-Atlantic African Violet Society, The New Jersey Council of African Violet Judges and The Ohio State African Violet Society. Besides participating in my local society shows, I have also exhibited in state conventions as well as AVSA, AVSC & GS conventions and have been fortunate to receive awards in horticulture as well as design. I have a light stand in my dining room where I grow my violets, but my main growing area is in my basement where I have five light stands on which I grow other gesneriads, begonia and orchids.
Besides serving on the Gesneriad Society board as a director, I’m also on the society seed fund and conservation committees. Most of the gesneriads that I grow are species so that I can supply the seed fund with their seed.
I also enjoy outdoor gardening as well as bird watching and I’m a member of the Sussex County Bird Club."
Tickets must be purchased on advance and are not sold at the door. A catered luncheon, with vegetarian options, will be served, followed by a brief business meeting and then a guest speaker who will speak on some aspect of growing/showing African violets or their gesneriad cousins.
African violet plants and leaves will be available for sale. Tickets will also be sold for a raffle of plant-related items to benefit BSAVS.
