Thanks Stephen -
Good luck with your guy's show!! I wish I could go, it's just a bit far....
We are very lucky in having extremely dedicated, enthusiastic, and creative people in our membership and support in our efforts by the people at Roger Williams Park. Although Roger Williams Park is not as big, it would be like you guys meeting regularly at greenhouses in Golden Gate Park, or Griffith Park in LA. There is a Zoo, boat rides, a carousel, rose garden, etc. Sometimes we get some of the general public - people who'll peek in at a meeting and the kids just love it.
The suggestion of having a non-member's CP display came last month from a new member.
At last year's NECPS show we created displays where the plants were displayed randomly, pitcher plant next to VFT, next to Neps, etc. It looked great but some folks thought it looked overwhelming. This year we are going to display things by group - pitcher plants all in one area, etc. It should make things a bit easier to judge too.
Last year, the night before our first show, most of our members were like kids the night before Christmas - no one got much sleep from all the anticipation. One of the best things I remember from last year's show was seeing all the wide eyed smiling kids - young and old alike - and most visitors leaving happily and excited clutching new CPs.
WildBill