Category: Shows

The 76th Santa Barbara International Orchid Show “Orchids – Floral Gems of Nature” will be held at Earl Warren Showgrounds Friday-Sunday, March 8, 9 and 10, 2024, 9:00 am-5:00 pm. Complete information on the show is on their website SBIOS.

Note:  The March 6, 2024 OSSB monthly meeting and AOS judging are Cancelled.

Want to see the orchids at their freshest before the doors open?  Here’s how.

OSSB Display Setup:  Wed, March 6, 9:00 am-1:00 pm.  Bring your orchids in for the Society Display. Assist Display Designer Phil Watt with installing the display. From lights to theme props, and of course orchids of all descriptions, you get to experience setting up an orchid display and insider’s access to the exhibit hall.

Phil has asked members to bring plants and lights.  We need plants!!  Do you have something in bloom?  Clean it up and bring it in.  He will be at the show starting at 9:00 am to receive plants.  The earlier the better so he has an idea of where to place them in the display.  The cutoff time is 1:00 pm, to allow time to write the labels and place them.

Ribbon Judging:  Thurs, March 7, arrive before 8:00 am. Be an Orchid Judge during the Ribbon Judging session. A team effort, ribbon judging lets you get to know the details of exhibits and the orchids on display as you hunt down the judging entries for your expert evaluation. Your team will be led by an experienced judge who will explain what to look for in the best orchids.

OSSB Sales Booth:  Fri, Sat and Sun, March 8, 9 and 10, 9:00 am-5:00 pm, JOIN US to staff the Society sales booth in the Sales hall.  We really need everyone in the Society to help cover all 3 days for a couple of hours minimum.  For some, shows are nice, but Shopping is the real thrill. We will have plants donated by members and by the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. Bring your divisions and spare plants to the sales booth before 9:00 am on Friday for this once-a-year fund-raising opportunity!

Register Plants:  Got something fantastic to display? Orchids need to sign up too. Register your plants for judging via online until 7:00 pm on Tues, March 5 or in person at the show before 6:00 pm on Wed, March 6. See the Exhibitor Guide on the show website to fill in the plant registration forms.

Volunteer:  Be sure to check out the Volunteers page and sign up to donate a few hours to make this show one of the best in the world.

Visit our local nurseries on the California Orchid Trail!  On the main page of the Show website scroll down for a map and list of orchid nurseries that will be open during show weekend including Cal-Orchid, Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, Gallup & Stribling Orchids, Westerlay Orchids, Ambriz Kingdom of Plants and Orchids Royale (by appointment).

Get excited, it’s nearly time for the show!

The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is looking for volunteers to help during the Show. Signups are online here:  https://sborchidshow.com/volunteer-application-form-2024/

Ribbon Judging is at 9 am on March 7, 2024.  No experience is necessary. Novices are placed on teams with experienced judges. It’s a great way to learn more about orchids and about orchid judging, while participating in the Show.  Signups are online here:  https://sborchidshow.com/register-to-judge/

OSSB Display

In case you missed it, our Society display at the show was spectacular, packed with gorgeous orchids from our members and perfectly arranged by our designer Phil Watt!  Thank you to everyone who contributed their plants and helped with the setup and removal of the display.

The sales booth was great fun again this year and kept us hopping for three days straight!  Show attendance was high and our booth location perfectly situated to let us engage with the show visitors.  We nearly ran out of plants to sell, which is great news.  Thanks to our sales staff, member contributors, and our sponsor Santa Barbara Orchid Estate for a very successful show.  Special thanks to Angela Watt our booth manager and treasurer!

Awards

The Santa Barbara International show has historically focused on awarding cymbidium orchids due to the bloom season and large number of local growers, so there are more flower trophy awards for cymbidiums than any other category.  These days, other genera are recognized at the SBIOS with a few trophies and by American Orchid Society awards and show ribbons.  Here is a sampling of the show Trophy winners.

Best Orchid in Show:  Paphiopedilum Leonard’s Pride ‘Petrus’ FCC/AOS, S/CSA, CCE/AOS exhibited by Paph Paradise (Dave Sorokowsky).

Grand Champion Cymbidium:  Cymbidium (Regal Princess x Flaming Vulcan) exhibited by Hatfield Orchids (George Hatfield)

Sweepstakes Best Display and American Orchid Society Trophy:  Cal-Orchid (James and Lauris Rose)

The complete list of award winners is available on the show website:  SBIOS Awards

The 75th Santa Barbara International Orchid Show “Orchids – The Adventure Returns” at Earl Warren Showgrounds Friday-Sunday, March 10-12, 2023, 9am-5pm. Complete information on the show is on their website SBIOS.

Want to see the orchids at their freshest before the doors open?  Here’s how.

Volunteer:  Be sure to check out the Volunteers page and sign up to donate a few hours to make this show one of the best in the world.

OSSB Display Setup:  Wed, March 8, 9am-1pm – bring your orchids in for the Society Display. Assist display designer Phil Watt with installing the display. From lights to theme props, and of course orchids of all descriptions, you get to experience setting up an orchid display and get an inside view of the exhibit hall during setup.   

Ribbon Judging:  Thurs, March 9, arrive around 8:30 for 9am start. Be an Orchid Judge during the Ribbon Judging session. It looks like signups on the website have closed for this so hopefully you are on the list. A team effort, ribbon judging lets you get to know the details of exhibits, plants on display, all while hunting down the judging entries for your expert evaluation. Your team will be led by an experienced judge who will explain what to look for in the best orchids.

Sales Booth:  Fri, Sat and Sun, March 10, 11 and 12, 9am-5pm, JOIN US to staff the Society sales booth in the Sales hall. For some, shows are nice but Shopping is the real thrill. We will have plants donated by members and by the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. Bring your divisions and spare plants before 9am on Friday to this once-a-year fund raising opportunity!

Register Plants:  Got something fantastic to display? Orchids need to sign up too. Register your plants for judging via online until 7pm on Tues, March 7 or in person at the show on Tues, March 7 through 6 pm on Wed, March 8. See the Exhibitor Guide on the show website to fill in the plant registration forms.

Visit our local nurseries on the California Orchid Trail!  Click that little down arrow on the main page of the Show website and scroll down for a map and list of orchid nurseries that will be open during show weekend including Cal-Orchid, Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, Gallup & Stribling Orchids, Westerlay Orchids, Ambriz Kingdom of Plants and Orchids Royale (by appointment).

Our local Spring orchid show is back!

The excitement is building as we look forward to the first orchid show to be held in Santa Barbara since March 2020. Volunteers from our society will be setting up a display, ribbon judging flowers and hosting a sales booth just like the good old days. More details later but mark your calendar and plan participate in all the activities starting on Wednesday, March 8th.