After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Long Beach Amateur Orchid Club is bringing back its annual orchid auction on March 13.
The Long Beach Amateur Orchid Club has attracted orchid lovers since its inception in 1953.
“They see the beauty in the flowers,” said Norm Nakanishi, president of the Long Beach Amateur Orchid Club. “They’ve gone somewhere, whether it’d be a Trader Joe’s or Home Depot, that might have some phalaenopsis or butterfly orchids. And orchids are getting more popular and they’re more commonplace, I guess they get attracted that way.”
During the pandemic, the club kept going using Zoom, but still lost many members that haven’t yet returned.
The funds raised from the auction will be used to pay for the club’s meeting space, to pay speakers to give talks to the club and to fund scholarships for local horticulture students.
According to Nakanishi, those who attend the fundraiser will be able to bid on a wide range of orchids, cultivated by either club hobbyists or commercial growers.
The Long Beach Amateur Orchid Club’s auction will take place on March 13 at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church (6201 E Willow St.). Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the auction will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.
