PRESIDENT'S PATCH

Well we survived August! A big thank you to all members who helped prepare for and participate in the Iris Sale at MOBOT! Whether you accumulated $200 (100 volunteer hours!) in Iris Bucks (Gary Keller, Nyla Hughes, Jean & Jim Morris) or only $10 or $20, your support is appreciated and contributed to the success of the sale.

GSLIS/MOBOT sales totaled $11,827.00. MOBOT's portion was $6,356 less expenses of $924.91 (another $31.00 is outstanding for LA iris purchases for the garden) netting $5,431.09 while GSLIS's portion was $5,471. GSLIS's Executive Committee voted to add $2,568.91 to the MOBOT payout, making our annual donation total $8,000. Our membership will be asked at our next meeting to approve the $8,000.

The GSLIS volunteers to MOBOT met recently with MOBOT vice president Jim Cocos, Jon Sweeney and Jason Delaney and all agreed that we will try to set the MOBOT dig and sale back to July in the future so that we don't conflict with other club and Region activities that sorely tested our ability to get the irises cleaned and labeled this year. None of our valuable Region 9 Illinois members were able to help at all because of these conflicts. (We love you and need you, Illinois!)

Our next meeting and Beardless Iris Auction will be held Sunday, September 27 at 2:00 p.m. at MOBOT. Our vice president Robin Gosnell will preside, as Jean and I will be in New York. Treasurer Judy Watters will also be out of town so Robin will ask for your approval on the MOBOT donation. She will also ask for a couple of volunteers for the Nominating Committee as our election of officers and one director will be delayed until the October 25 meeting.

Please note that Sunday date as our yellow Calendar of Events booklet lists the wrong date. The September 27 meeting program "Irises in your Landscape" will be conducted by our member and past RVP of Region 9, Ernie Henson.

Then Bob Skaggs will conduct the Beardless Iris Auction of irises ordered from Iris City Gardens and Don Delmez. Your 2009 Iris Bucks will be good at this auction. Use Them or Lose Them! Previous year's iris bucks are invalid.

If you did not get your door prize(s) for the past year at the bearded auction, you may

pick them up in person at this meeting, or by proxy by sending an email/phone message to Nyla Hughes.

The October 25 meeting will feature "What's New in Irises" with slides of the 2009 AIS Convention in Kansas City and the Siberian/Species Convention in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Please come and support your club. A volunteer or two for the nominating committee or to be an officer or director for 2010 would really be appreciated. Jean really, really wants someone else to be Secretary!

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Beardless Iris Auction
Sunday Sept. 27, 2:00 pm

Plan to attend your beardless iris auction this coming weekend. We'll have plants that fit into landscaping for the places where your bearded irises aren't happy-a little damper (Siberians, Japanese, Louisians) or a little dryer (Spurias).

Ernie Henson will tell us where and how to use them and extend your iris bloom season. It should also be a chance to welcome some of our new members!

If you haven't brought refreshments yet this year, feel free to bring your favorite snack. (Drinks furnished by GSLIS.) See you there for a fun afternoon!