Speaker – Dr. David Berry, Ringling College
Topic – “Orchidmania – How it All Began’
Meeting starts 7:00 – Doors open at 6:30.
Venice Community Center

David Berry is the Associate Director of Academic Affairs and Special Projects at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. David teaches courses on museum studies at Florida State University and the history of museums and art of natural history at New College of Florida. He has worked as a consultant at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens since 2014 and is the guest curator of The Orchid Show in Selby Gardens’ Museum of Botany and the Arts.

VAOS Octoberfest Party

Thursday, October 10th
5-9pm

Venice Community Center

Catered by Geier’s
Menu: German appetizer, bratwurst, sauerkraut
german potato salad, and dessert,
beer, wine and soft drinks

Polka music! Wear your dancing shoes! Wear your lederhosen!
Blooming orchid plant raffle

$5 pp includes dinner, two drink tickets and one raffle ticket.

Party Theme: Dankeschon! Thanks to all our members and volunteers for making VAOS great

Speaker – Phillip Hamilton                                                

Topic – Phalaenopsis species/hybrids

Meeting starts 7:00 – Doors open at 6:30.
Venice Community Center

Phillip was born and raised in Jamaica where he inherited his dad’s passion for orchids and grew up working in his parents’ orchid nursery, Hamlyn Orchids. Although his dad’s true orchid passion is with the Jamaican native Broughtonia’s and their hybrids, Phillip’s passion leaned heavily toward Phalaenopsis, which he has been growing and hybridizing since the age of eight.

He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and is an American Orchid Society (AOS) Accredited Judge.

Professionally, Phillip has worked for two major orchid production nurseries in Central Florida as a grower and grower/manager. In 2013 he formed his own business (part-time), Bredren Orchids, to facilitate the small-scale sale of some of the more unique Phalaenopsis and Broughtonia species and hybrids he grows and breeds. He now manages Bredren Orchids full-time since 2017, with the generous help of his wife, Liz. They are currently working on developing this business into more than just the mail-order only entity it now is.
Phillip will be bringing a variety of plants for sale, including: novelty Phalaenopsis species/hybrids and Broughtonia/Cattleya related species and hybrids.