This year's Holiday Banquet will be held on December 5, 2004, from 11:00am to 4:00pm at Harry's Hoffbrau. (Note: Harry's now accepts MasterCard and Visa.) The restaurant is located at 390 Saratoga Avenue near Kiely Boulevard. Harry's telephone number is 408-243-0434.

We will have the plant exchange again this year. Everyone who brings a plant puts it on the table in the center of the room. A club officer will select the best plant which will be added to the auction plants. The person who brought that plant is the first to select from the exchange. Whoever brought the plant the first person picked picks next, and so forth until all the plants have been taken. When all the plants are gone, the last person selects a plant from the gift plants.

There are two ways to have plants in the always-popular auction. Plants donated to the society are very appreciated. The alternative is a 70/30 split between the grower and the society respectively. (Growers can specify minimum starting bids.) Auction plants will be classified either in the budget class ($20 or less) or in the luxury class (more than $20). There will be the usual plant raffles.

People who have paid their 2005 dues by noon on December 5th will be eligible for a special drawing.

New officers will be installed at the December meeting. (See November Courier for a list of incoming officers.)

To allow us to make appropriate reservations with the restaurant, please contact Bill Kurtz at 408-243-3692 to let him know how many people you will be bringing to the Christmas banquet.