Southampton Rose Society Hosts 40th Annual Rose Show June 11

On Saturday, June 11, the Southampton Rose Society encourages everyone to stop and smell—and admire—the award-winning roses at its 40th annual rose show at the Southampton Arts Center.

The rose show is free and open to the public, both as guests and as participants in the contest. The morning of the event, anyone can enter freshly clipped roses to compete for a first place silver trophy and be showcased to the public in the afternoon.

“The public will be able to walk through and see long tables filled with glorious roses that were in the competition and their trophies,” explained Jim Berkrot, the president of the rose society.

Expert rosarians Lois Fowkes and Louis Arce will judge the entries and determine the first-, second- and third-place roses in each category. The first-place winners will take home trophies, while the second- and third-place finishers will receive ribbons.

Roses must be properly classified according to American Rose Society standards and entered into an appropriate category. If exhibitors need assistance identifying their roses, this year’s ARS Handbook for Selecting Roses will be provided at the show and expert volunteers will be available to assist them.

Not only will the rose show be celebrating its 40th anniversary, but the rose society itself will be as well. Mr. Berkrot said that the rose show began the same year that the society was founded, in 1976. He added that although the rose society will not make any special changes to the rose show for the anniversary, they plan to participate in this year’s Southampton Village Fourth of July parade.

Last year, the rose show was held at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton, where the rose society maintains a public rose garden. Mr. Berkrot said the location was changed because the Southampton Arts Center will provide better exposure as it is in the middle of the village. There were about 12 exhibitors last year and the rose society is hoping for a higher turnout to join in this year’s festivities.

As a nonprofit organization, the rose society brings all types of rose enthusiasts together to share their love for the rose, the country’s national flower. They provide educational programs that focus on rose cultivation and preservation, as well as maintain five public gardens throughout Southampton, according to their website.

In addition to the rose show taking place in the center gallery of the arts center, there will be a boutique sale in the front entry hall featuring luxurious items from six vendors located within the New York metropolitan area. These include LSC Design jewelry, PK Collection, Boo Gemes, Gramercy Atelier, Catch All Gifts and Pennoyer Newman.

The rose show on Saturday, June 11, will run from 1 to 4 p.m., but the boutique will begin earlier at 10 a.m. Anyone is welcome to enter his or her roses that morning between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. as long as they were clipped that morning and grown outdoors. Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton. For more information, or to become a member of the rose society, visit southamptonrose.org.