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By Karen L. Willoughby
Capital Press Staff Writer
July 30, 2002
PORTLAND, Ore. – Like a well-oiled engine, the 30th
annual Farwest Show and Northwest Ornamentals Seminars chugged seemingly
effortlessly through its four-day run here
last week.
Show officials applauded the work of more than three
dozen volunteers who gave hundreds of hours throughout the year for the
Oregon Association of Nurserymen's showcase event.
Exhibitors commended show officials who, with no exhibitor complaints,
juggled inside and outside space headaches related to the construction
work under way on the Oregon Convention Center.
Attendees praised exhibitors for the wealth of information
they exchanged, the opportunities for networking and business they were able to accomplish.
"This is the beat place to get everyone together,"
said Jack Hays, of Hays Landscape Design in Portland. "It's a great
show. It's like a big Fred Meyer's – one-stop shopping. Instead of doing
every
thing on the phone by trial and error, you find the beat prices and the
new varieties, all right here."
Unofficial registered attendance was 13,282, up about
200 from last year but down somewhat from the record 15,206 in 1999. Sixteen
first-timers were among the 625 exhibitors, down from last year's 641
because of square footage lost on the convention center floor because
of the construction, said trade show manager Geoff Homing.
The Farwest Show each year is a sold-out event for exhibitor
space, Horning said. "Last year was our first full year here,"
said Sid Wardinger of Wurdinger Manufacturing in Woodburn, Ore., and Running
Horse Implements of Scotts Mill, Ore.
"This is the number one place to get exposure to
the nursery industry," said Wardinger, who started manufacturing
equipment specifically for the nursery industry about 10 years ago because
he saw growers trying to adapt equipment designed for other uses.
"We're very happy to be here," Wurdinger added,
"We're making contacts and meeting people in the industry. It's great!"
The new, the unusual, the tried-and-true all were on
display.
Biochemist John Thomson received the science medal at
the1940 World's Fair for his invention of Superthrive vitamin-hormone mixture for plants. Thomson's 90 now,
still promoting what
some say is a product too good to be true, and what others say can be
proven with just one use. Thomson, a longtime Farwest Show exhibitor,
distributed free samples and took orders and reorders for gallons and
barrels of the mixture.
Cascadian Nurseries of Portland brought in something
brand new. They say they might be the
only nursery in the United States to offer the European artistry of espaliered
shade trees - trees
trellised flat on two sides to fit neatly against a blank wall or in narrow
parking lots.
Mixed with visually stunning displays were the memorable
ones, including Beaver Bark Inc. of Scappoose, Ore., which distributes
Oregon-grown wood byproducts.
"Mom came up with the name," explained part-owner
Brett Chauncey. "It's a very diverse industry," Homing said.
Mat's why we have a very diverse show."
The Farwest Show this year occupied more than 175,000
square feet on two floors of the convention center. Next year, when the
renovation will be complete, the Farwest Show is expected to spread over
250,000 square feet.
The Thursday-through-Saturday format, with Northwest
Ornamentals Seminars coming each
morning before the noon opening of the six-hour-a-day show, was a welcome
change to exhibitors, many said. In previous years it was a Friday-Sunday
event.
'I thought the show when extremely well," Horning
said. "The idea was to have a more of a week-day thing rather than a weekend one, and that seemed to go over well with the exhibitors and attendees alike.
"I think the attendees were as high a quality
as we've ever had," the trade show manager added.
"The exhibitors seemed to be extremely pleased with the leads they got
from this year's show."
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