We are delighted to announce the availability of the ILGS Competition Rules and Requirements for 2011.  These are now accessible  on the web.
     The competition dates are September 17-18, 2011, at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Regenstein Center. This year’s theme is “Gourds on Safari".  We look forward to welcoming imaginative entries for the many competition classes, including those for growers and artists.  A small fee of $1/entry applies and helps defray competition costs.
     Gourd artists know how important a gourd grower is, so we especially encourage growers to enter the 2011 competition.  We noticed last year that many visitors from the public were curious and asked many questions, starting with, “What is a gourd?”, “How do you grow it?”, and, “Are these their real colors?”.  (Does anyone want to take a stab at punctuating the previous sentence correctly?) Anyone who grows gourds may enter either current season or dried gourds according to the entry class descriptions.  Grower representation offers us a terrific platform for educating show visitors.  Bonnie Adams’ wonderful collection of dried gourds also inspired much interest last year.
     Artists, a few classes are new this year.  Some descriptions have been clarified.  Anyone may enter, regardless of age, experience, or domicile, and we encourage all who have interest to participate.  We especially encourage young gourders to enter.  The 2011 competition rules provide a Juniors category for those aged 14 and under.  Families or school/church/scout groups may find opportunities here.  There is no entry fee for the Juniors Category.
     We need plenty of volunteers to pull this off (you!).  In particular, we need judges and clerks.  We also need help checking in entries on Friday, September 16th, and monitoring the competition.  Not all judges need to be American Gourd Society certified, but we need a few who are.  Others can be ILGS members who understand the judging requirements (available via the AGS webpage).  Judging takes place Saturday morning, September 17th. Anyone who is interested in helping judge, please contact Sally Arnold or Tom Bloore.  A few judges will need to remain available after the initial judging session to assist with tie-breaking and awards.
     So, everybody think of what you might like to grow, create, or do for the September show and competition.  Thank you all for your terrific interest, ideas, and participation.  We are looking forward to a great event!

Sincerely,
Sally Arnold
sassyii@sbcglobal.net
Tom Bloore
tbloore@sbcglobal.net
ILGS 2011 Festival Competition Co-Chairs