March 9, 2009 - Vol.20, No. 23
News That Concerns Kiwanians
and Their Families
Attendance:
19
Invocation:
Rev. Gary Kosmowski from St. Joseph's
Church of Laconia
Déjà vu:e
A
return engagement to
Lou's greenhouse.
Photo
by W.
Stephen Loughlin
Senior
Member:
Ed Merski
Guests:
Pam Landry, wife of Roger
Friends of Lou: Gary and Stephanie
Drake, Diane Simoneau, Steve and Marie Dalcell, and
Rev. Gary Kosmoski
 Gary Drake |
 Stephanie Drake |
 Diane Simoneau |
 PPam Landry |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steve Dalcell |
 Marie Dalcell |
 Rev. Gary Kosmoski |
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Kiwanis KARES:
Below are some of the pictures of the readings that took place on March 5th at Pleasant Street School. Pictures courtesy of Chet Cilley.
50/50:
No
50/50 this week.
Happy
Dollars:
None
Guest
Host:
Our
guest host was Honorary Kiwanian Lou Ricciardiello who welcomed the
Kiwanis Club to back to his greenhouse in Gilford. Many Kiwanis members
will recall, in August 2006, Lou Ricciardiello was successful with
the blooming of “Tilly,” a rare flower, the amorphophallus
titanium also known as the “corpse flower.” When it is
in full bloom, the “corpse flower” smells like rotting
flesh.
Thanks to the generosity of Lou Ricciardiello, the Kiwanis Club and employees of Lakes Region General Hospital teamed up and organized a public viewing event that resulted in a major fundraiser for both organizations. A pictorial review of that fundraiser was highlighted in the Kiwanis Kronicle, dated 8/14/06, and can be viewed by “clicking” here.
In 2006, “Tilly” was the sixth corpse flower to bloom in the world and the fifth in the United States. Up to that time, some 110 blooms had been recorded since the first at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London in 1889, of which less than a third had occurred in the United States. What made Lou’s flower unique was the fact that apart from “Tilly,” all the other blooms were cultivated by institutions mostly botanical gardens and universities making Lou the first individual ever to raise a blooming corpse flower.
Subsequent to Tilly, Lou Ricciardiello
has been quite successful is growing many corpse flowers. In one
room of his greenhouse about 300 of the “rare” breed
are presently growing. In another section of his greenhouse, Lou
was proud to show us his 28th corpse plant that is just days away
from blooming. That new plant is expected to be a larger broader
plant that “Tilly."
Comparisons of Tilly to the
new plant:
The bulb on
Tilly was 120 pounds. The bulb on the new plant weighs 225 pounds.
Tilly’s
height was 82 to 85” the new plant, which is still growing, is presently
80 inches high.
The girth of Tilly, when it was closed was 128 centimeters.
The new pant is 141 centimeters. That means, once the new plant blooms, later
this week, it should be bigger than Tilly.
L
to R: Pres Brian Winslow, Lou Ricciardiello, and Sec. Kathy Calvin.
Photo
by W.
Stephen Loughlin
More Greenhouse Pictures "Click" on the
thumbnail picture to open a larger picture. |
|---|
 Ready to bloom |
 Lou shows his pineapple plant |
|---|---|
 Lou shows his Australian grass tree which is nearly 100 years old |
 Joe can't get enough of the smell |
 A room full of 300 smelly plants |
 The group listens to Lou |
Upcoming Schedule:
Monday, March 16th
OPEN
Monday, March 23rd
Jane Bergeron, Organ Donor Program guest of Roger Landry
"Click" here to get back to the top of page.Ba
c
Joe Collie
Editor
Kiwanis Kronikle is a weekly publication of the Kiwanis Club of Laconia, N.H., P.O. Box 757, Laconia, N.H. 03247-0757. We meet Mondays at 6:15 p.m. at the Pheasant Ridge Country Club, Country Club Rd., Gilford, N.H. Please call your President or Secretary about any Member or family member in case of illness. Email: Joe Collie or Steve Loughlin
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Pictures contained in this newsletter have been modified to assure a fast download. Therefore, if you try to print them, they will not be of the best quality. If you should desire a picture better suited for printing, feel free to request a copy by emailing W. Stephen Loughlin at steve@theloughlins.com