Aiea Orchid Club Annual Show

Probably my favorite Orchid Show out of all of them. Convenient for me and lot’s of parking. It’s easy to find, in Aiea Elementary School’s cafeteria. A lot of work goes into this show, setting up the displays, vendor booths, growers, etc. The show is usually held around the first weekend in June and coincides with school being on hiatus for the summer. Please support the Aiea Orchid Society by purchasing baked goods or bread as you enter or by making a small donation.
If you are a fan of orchids-​or just are curious and want to see some nice plants, I highly recommend you attend this show. This year, I attended three days, just because I am so in awe of the many beautiful types of orchids and also, being a novice orchid enthusiast, there are some very knowledgeable folks there who can answer many of your questions! I feel sorry for some of them because I take the opportunity to «pick their brain» regarding the care and growing of orchids! Attending an orchid show is akin to an auto enthusiast going to a car show! There are so many things that one must know about the correct way to raise each kind of orchid.
My all time favorite orchid has to be the Honohono. With it’s long flowing canes of fragrant flowers, teeming with beautiful colors makes for an awesome sight. Although by the time the Aiea show is on, the honohono are already pretty much ending their flowering cycle and there’s not much on display. But through all of the earlier shows around the island, it’s usually a very popular orchid when in season. But during the non-​flowering part of it’s life, there is much to be known about this popular orchid. It has always been a mystery to me, when and how to cut the canes, when to plant, when to fertilize and when to stop… It’s all «Greek» to a novice like myself. After much frustrations and scheduling conflicts in previous shows, I finally was able to attend a class on Honohono Culture. This was the highlight of the show for me, being able to finally interact with the pros who cultivate and grow these beauties almost second naturedly! A lot is yet to be learned, but a lot of my questions were answered and we even got to plant a keiki for ourselves to take home. Thank you to the members who put on the class, they were so patient with all of us who were really curious about this plant! I look forward to next year’s show and hopefully, to my personal collection of honohono blooming next season!

If you are an orchid fan (atic), it’s worth your time to check out the Aiea Orchid Club’s 32^nd annual orchid show held at AIea Elementary School this weekend (June 7, 8 & 9 2013).
Parking: Free, get there early for parking in the lot, or later, for parking in the grass lot (right side of the parking lot as you enter).
Admission: Free. Donation at the door if you want to throw a few bucks into the shoebox.
Selection: several vendors sold orchids, as well as a «Country Store» which sold non-​orchid plants and materials (hinahina, orchid bark, fertilizer, papaya plants, cactus, air plants, peppers, lemon grass, etc). One vendor sold orchid pots and trays, which seemed pretty popular. I purchased a variegated Vanilla Planifolia, which I have not seen at other orchid shows, which was plus. No Succulent vendors at this show.
Displays: A nice assortment of prize-​winning orchids as well as unusual species/​genus of orchids. All orchid displays at this show were inclusive of orchids (as compared to other orchid shows with other themes like Japanese Bonsai, Ikebana, Vanilla information station). Great for «budding» photographers.
PROS:
— free parking
— free admission
— scheduled free classes (check the program paper)
— very friend staff, all around!
— friendly vendors who allow you to put your (tons) of purchases behind their booth
for safe-​keeping, even if it’s not all their stuff (just make sure you buy from them, obviously).
I am not going to make the Cons in caps, as this is a smaller venture than say, the Kunia Orchid Show, but if you are used to a larger venture like the Kunia Orchid Show, know that you will have to lug your purchases around, or rely on the kind vendors to store your purchases while you shop. Just be sure to take your purchase tags with you, and maybe mark the bags with something like a ribbon or bright crochet pom pom as all the plastic bags look alike and someone could be walking off with your belongings.
The public women’s bathroom is TINY (one stall, one room) and the door swings in, so make sure you suck in your stomach while you try to latch the door shut. This bathroom is not WC accessible, so ask staff for guidance if need be.
I was fortunate enough to have the help of one of the members, Scott, who was really friendly. He helped me lug the contents of my purchase back to my car. It was really fun talking to him, if only for a short time, from the purchase check-​out area to my car.
If you want to experience the local flair of a smaller scale, all-​out friendly orchid show, then check out the Aiea Orchid Club show.
PS. please also check out Dave F’s review on Aiea Elementary School.