The Hilo Orchid Society threw open the doors of its recent show at the Civic Auditorium to students and their families.
The Hilo Orchid Society threw open the doors of its recent show at the Civic Auditorium to students and their families.
More than 960 people visited the annual show for free, using the special student tickets distributed to the schools in Hilo and Puna, and the coupons printed in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
HOS member Dorothea Fendentz, a former schoolteacher, organized this new outreach initiative to introduce young families to the beauty of the annual orchid show.
“We were overjoyed to see so many keiki at the show this year,” Fendentz said. “The show is all about sharing the wonder of orchids with the community, and the large family turnout pushed our attendance to the highest ever.”
As a thank-you gesture, each month of the academic year the Hilo Orchid Society will give a beautiful blooming orchid to the two schools with the highest percent usage of the free tickets.
Volcano School of Arts and Sciences won first place and coming in at a very close second was Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences in Pahoa.