Event Calendar

South Central District Gathering
hosted by the Southeast Texas Unit
October 28 & 29, 2016

Accommodations:
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Beaumont Plaza, 3950 I-10 South (I-10 & Walden) Beaumont, TX 77705.
A limited number of rooms are blocked. Reservations must be made by 5:00 pm local time September 28. Please call 409-842-7808 and tell the person you are making a reservation under The Herb Society of America block. HSA price is $89.00 a night. This fee is also applicable two days prior and two days after our meeting dates should you want to come early or stay later. It would wise to book your room at least a week before the cut-off date because Beaumont is a very busy city with lots of conventions. Book your room early. Free Wi-Fi, indoor swimming and parking.

Friday, October 28
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM - Registration in the middle of the lobby atrium of the hotel.

4:00 PM – 7:00 PM - Meet and Greet Reception hosted by the Southeast Texas Unit in the Beaumont Botanical Gardens and Warren Loose Conservatory located in Tyrrell Park. Our host unit will serve heavy hors d’oeuvres with beer and wine in the beautiful conservatory. Come early to view all of the plants in the Warren Loose Conservatory and walk the themed gardens throughout Tyrrell Park.

4:10 PM – 4:15 PM - Official Welcome from The Beaumont CVB –Rebecca Woodland

4:15 PM – 4:40 PM - The Mystery of Cattail Marsh, Elizabeth Eddings

Saturday, October 29
Breakfast on your own.

8:00 AM – 9:00 PM - Ways & Means table, Raffle table, Silent Auction table. Units and all members are welcome to bring items for these tables. This is a money making project for the district. Silent Auction closes at 5:30 PM

“Idea Sharing” Table – each unit shares a project that has been successful for them. Provide a “how to do it” sheet for each unit chair (7.)

7:30 AM – 8:00 AM - Registration in the middle of the lobby atrium of the hotel.

8:15 AM – 9:00 AM - District Meeting in the Dallas Room of the hotel. Rae McKimm President, The Herb Society of America; Melody Weaver, Chair, Southeast Texas Unit; Mary Doebbeling, Membership Delegate, South Central District

9:15 AM – 10:00 AM - What I Have Learned About Our Current IHA Herb of the Year™ – the Chile Pepper – Henry Flowers

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM - Break – Check out Ways & Means, Drawing, Silent Auction

10:15 AM – 11:00 AM - How to Grow a Witches’ Garden – Micah Leigh. Micah will talk about how the herbal wise woman morphed into the myth of the wicked witch, the history of “witches,” wicca today and then into the herbs found in a witch’s garden.

11:15 AM – 12:00 Noon - Car Pool to Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, Orange, Texas
Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center: The Botanical Garden Tour is a walking tour of the formal landscape gardens led by a knowledgeable guide who provides information and interpretation about Shangri La. The walk is a little over one mile and takes approximately two hours. All paths are wheelchair accessible. You may bring any tools you need for walking comfortably; i.e., canes, walkers wheelchairs, etc.
The Outpost Tour is a guided journey along the waterways of Adams Bayou on one of Shangri La’s specially outfitted pontoon watercraft. More importantly, the Outpost Tour is an opportunity for visitors to become immersed in the natural world for a short time and to gain a better understanding of the forces that shape the environment of the Gulf Coast region of Southeast Texas. The Outpost Tour involves a short walk to the Nature Discovery Center where visitors gather to be escorted to Shangri La’s boathouse and board one of our pontoon boats. Once on the watercraft, the Outpost Tour takes participants on a journey through the natural ecosystems of Adams Bayou and, ultimately, to one of the Outpost Pavilions in the Cypress-Tupelo swamp. A knowledgeable guide leads the Outpost Tour and provides interpretation of Adams Bayou, associated habitats, wildlife, and a brief historical overview of portions of Shangri La and the local community. This tour is wheelchair accessible. You are encouraged to bring water, mosquito spray and if needed an umbrella and sunscreen.

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM - Lunch at Shangri La
All box lunches include your choice of sandwich or salad, chips, cookie, fruit and bottled water. Lunch is included in your registration fee.

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM - Drive back to the hotel.

5:30 PM – Silent Auction closes

6:00 PM – Cash bar – beer and wine

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM - Cajun Dinner Buffet

7:30 PM – Unit Chairs to introduce their units and speak about the “Idea Sharing” item from the unit