September 2026 Meeting

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Hello OSWP Members and Friends,

 

Below is the information regarding our upcoming meeting on Sunday, September 20th, at Spartan Event Center: 134 E. Elizabeth Street, 15207. (Off Second Avenue in Hazelwood)

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Parking in the lot at the door, street parking, or in the overflow lot across the street.

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12:30 Spartan Center opens

 

12:45

Jim France of Oakwood Orchids will have orchids for sale. Members may not sell their orchids at this meeting. Come and shop!

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PLEASE NOTE: Our agreement with the Spartan Center requires us to cover the tables. Please wait until the tables get covered before putting anything on them.

 

1PM Mini-Class in upstairs classroom

Topic: Growing Mexipedium Orchids

Speaker: Simon Schutzman

 

1:45 Break

 

2:00 OSWP Business Meeting, Show and Tell, Raffle

Lots of information about the OSWP to be discussed, see our members beautiful orchids in bloom and learn about them and buy a ticket and win something from our raffle table.

 

2:45 Break

 

3:00 Speaker: 

Jim France of Oakwood Orchids. He will be speaking on Lycastes, Zygopetalums and related genera. Plus selling his orchids, so no member sales this month. 

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Jim France of Oakwood Orchids

Jim France purchased his first orchid, a cymbidium, in 1993 after viewing a customer's collection. As he tells many a beginner, everyone kills at least one…and so it was promptly drowned. As it happened an orchid show was the following week, and the passion commenced. Jim became a member of an orchid society, and learned from the experts in the group, as well as the many wonderful growers he befriended.

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Fueled by his interest, Jim began selling and established Oakwood Orchids. He dabbled in hybridization and enjoyed the things that were different from the “normal” orchids found easily. Jim has grown under lights for 23+ years, and finally with the collection and business growing, established two medium greenhouses. Jim is a former treasurer and president of the Miami Valley Orchid Society; former board member of MAOC shows, and is an AOS judge. The first orchid awarded was Catasetum Hilltop’s Dingbat ‘Junior’, a catasetum named after his grandson. One of his favorite orchids, catasetums, are a part of his collection and he has received two additional awards: Catasetum pileatum ‘Leeann’ and Catasetum osculatu ‘The Boys’. Enjoying a variety of orchids, another early award was for Phragmepedium Sergeant Eric ‘Hans’, which spurred another part of the collection.

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Jim has received a total of 25 AOS awards, including the 2019 annual AOS Roy T. Fukumura Vandaceous Award for Robiquetia cerina ‘Donna’s Treasures’ AM/AOS. Currently, Oakwood Orchids specializes in species and harder to find orchids.

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Jim and his wife, Yvonne, are orchid growers in Dayton, Ohio.

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https://www.facebook.com/OakwoodOrchids

 

4:00 Meeting Over and Clean-up

 

4:30 Spartan Center closes