Cordelia Head
Speaker at the next Meeting
November 15, 2pm
Cordelia Head
of J & L Orchids
One of our frequent show vendors, Cordelia will speak on
“Growing Orchids in the Home (and Greenhouse)”
This talk will cover the needs and problems of growing orchids in the home or greenhouse.
Cordelia will speak from her many years of experience, sharing tips and tricks of the trade. Both experienced and new growers will find it informative and helpful.
Cordelia Head is one of three previous owners of J&L Orchids and is now a consultant to the new owners, the Carreno family. She has been growing orchids for more than 45 years. Cordelia is on many international committees involving orchid conservation and orchid judging. She is an American Orchid Society accredited judge of more than 40 years and served on the Awards Committee for several years
Cordelia has been fortunate to travel extensively throughout Central and South America in search of orchids. She has discovered many new species and has three named for her. She has lectured both nationally and internationally, including the World Orchid Conference in Miami, France, Malaysia, Vancouver, Glasgow and many others.
Members can pre-order plants to get a 10% discount. See our newsletter for more information. You can also email them if you are looking for a plant that shows Unavailable, or have a Wish-list to:
Cordelia will likely bring a selection of plants to sell as well, so:
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We will not have a raffle at the meeting.
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We will have a Show Table.
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Come at 1:30 to socialize.
November 15, 2026, 2pm
Johnson City Senior Center
30 Brocton St
Johnson City, NY
Please come at 1:30 to socialize before the meeting.
We will start the meeting at 2pm sharp.
Please bring refreshments if you can.
Officers and Committee Members
Here’s Your Chance to Suggest Someone —
Including Yourself
During our October meeting, we will officially open the floor to accept nominations and comments for all club officer positions and support positions.
All officer positions are for one year, current officers must be re-elected if they are running. If the current officer is not running for re-election, we absolutely need someone to step up. Past officers will be happy to help you get started.
Committee members are appointed, and we are always happy to have many members in each committee, so not everyone has to cover every event. Note many positions can be shared. Ask a friend to partner with you. To see a list of positions, see our October 2026 newsletter.
The best way to learn about orchids is to get to know other club members. And the best way to do that is to get involved!
Submitting your name or the name of someone (who has given permission) involves no commitment—it’s just a great, low-pressure way to jump in, share a skill, or highlight a fellow member who can help our club to blossom. If you're interested, sign up at the link below:
Meetings are on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
Meeting time is 2-4 pm or longer with 'social time' 1:30-2:00.
Refreshments, Raffle and Show and Tell at most meetings.
Meeting location: Johnson City Senior Center, 30 Brocton St. Johnson City, NY 13790
Contact us at STOSorchids@gmail.com
Jan 18 General Meeting, Orchid Bingo
Feb 15 General Meeting, Speaker Jason Fisher
Mar 15 General Meeting Spring Auction
April 16 GROS show setup
April 17-19 GROS Orchid Show
Apr 19 Speaker Jeff Hackett on Potting Media and Pots in our Culture
May 1 STOS Orchid Show
Setup 2 pm–7 pm
May 2 STOS Orchid Show
Judging 8 am–12 am, Public 11 am–5 pm
May 3 STOS Orchid Show
Public 11 am–5 pm, Takedown 5 pm–6 pm
May 17 General Meeting, Repotting Workshop
May 23 10am Field Trip to see blooming Lady Slippers in Hammond Hill State Forest
May 31 Zoom with Nicole Deanna (details to come)
Summer Picnic Aug16 at Tioga Gardens
Sept 20 Fall Auction
Oct 18 Speaker Dennis Steinbeck from Flask and Flora
“Learning about your orchids with internet resources”
Nov 15 Cordelia Head from J&L Orchids "Growing Orchids in the Home"
Dec 20 Holiday Party
Calendar 2026
Executive Board
President
Linda Mittel
Vice President
LuAnn Myers
Treasurer
Mari Stover-Ling
Secretary
Melissa Bennett
AOS Representative
Polly Dillon
Members-At-Large
Jeff Hackett
Gail Gunsalus
Jean Mint
Committee Chairs
Auction Committee
Jeff Hackett, Jean Mint, Jane Trey
IT Specialist Melissa Bennett
Librarian Laurel Shaefer
Marketing TBD
Membership Melissa Bennett, Anitra Murphy
Newsletter Editor Carol Bayles
Program Coordinator Jean Mint
Social Event Ruth Allen, Jane Trey
Social Media Renee DePrato,
Jean Mint
Show Chair Sam Hance, Jeff Hackett
Web Master Carol Bayles
Email addresses:
STOSorchids@gmail.com
STOSorchids.auction@gmail.com
STOSorchids.marketing@gmail.com
STOSorchids.membership@gmail.com
STOSorchids.newsletter@gmail.com
STOSorchids.shows@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SouthernTierOrchidSocietyNY
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/SouthernTierOrchidSociety/
Summer Picnic
at Tioga Gardens
The picnic provided a delightful opportunity to catch up with members of the Southern Tier Orchid Society, share summer stories, summer blooms, and delicious food together. Tioga Gardens hosted us with the perfect spot, and despite the summer shower we stayed dry and warm. My young daughter enjoyed meeting new friends, playing corn hole, and looking for frogs around the pond. We especially enjoyed the scrumptious dishes to pass, and all the beautiful blooms brought for Show and Tell. It was the perfect way to gear up for the upcoming fall auction!
Julia McCabe
40th Anniversary Show
May 2-3, 2026
Results
Here are all the results. Note there are several pages to the spreadsheet.
Activities for children were popular with teens ands adults as well
Julia MacCabe won Best in Show with Phrag. Mt. Fallu. Julia has been growing orchids for less than 5 years and this is the first time she entered a plant into a show.
Celebrating Our
40th Anniversary
and Our Annual Show
The Southern Tier Orchid Show and Our 40th Anniversary is a true milestone! We are officially celebrating 40 years since the Southern Tier Orchid Society was reactivated in 1986.
Our society has a wonderful history. While our original charter dates back 63 years to 1963, it was in 1986 that three dedicated orchid lovers brought the club back to life. Since that "re-birthday" 40 years ago, we have been active every single year, growing, sharing, and enjoying all things orchid.
Laurel Shaefer's new business won best 4-ft Exhibit, with help from designer Laila Nashir
Jean Mint, Sam Hance, Jeff Hackett pooled their blooming orchids.
GROS Exhibit won 1st Place
Other Area Orchid Shows 2026
Here are the dates of shows offered by other Orchid Societies in our area. More info will be provided near the dates. If you would like your show listed, please contact us.
DCOS -- Deep Cut Orchid Society (Holmdel, NJ)
Show Feb. 20-22 www.deepcutorchidscioety.org/show
NFOS – Niagara Frontier OS (Buffalo)
Spring Orchid Fest March 6-8 www.buffalogardens.com/events/orchid-est/#events
CPOS – Central PA OS (State College, PA)
Show Mar 21-22 www.aos.org/community-events/calendar/543
SEPOS – Southern PA Orchid Society (Oaks, PA)
Show March 27-29 www.sepos.org/show
GROS – Genesee Region OS (Rochester)
Show April 16-19 www.geneseeorchid.org/annual-orchid-show/
STOS – Show May 2-3
CNYOS – Central NY Orchid Society (Syracuse)
Albany Orchid Society (Albany, NY)
Lots of shows this winter to chase away the blues!
In the past STOS has organized trips to Deep Cut and SEPOS, each is easily a one-day trip.
