The Greater Kansas City Iris Society

The Greater Kansas City Iris Society invites you to explore America's Heartland the week of May 11th through the 16th, 2009 when we host the American Iris Society National Convention. The Doubletree Hotel, 10100 College Blvd, in Overland Park is our convention headquarters. In addition to the thousands of irises being grown as the main attraction, the Historic Iris Preservation Society has donated over 300 varieties of irises that have been planted at various convention tour gardens.  These plantings will be an added delight for all convention attendees as well as providing a visual history lesson in the development of the modern garden iris.


"Three Trails KC" commemorates the pioneering legacy of our area. Lewis and Clark explored the Kansas City area in July 1804 on their travels with the Corps of Discovery paving the way for more pioneers to head west. Independence, MO (now a Kansas City suburb) and Westport (now a Kansas City neighborhood) were the last trading posts for the pioneers where they enjoyed their final taste of civilization and stocked up on essential supplies before they set out over land on three major trails: the Santa Fe Trail, the California Trail and the Oregon Trail. It was in southern Johnson County, Kansas, not far from our convention "home", where the Santa Fe Trail divided from the Oregon and California trails. These original western trails were used until the first transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869, slowly replaced them.


Ultimately, three major interstate highways, I-29, I-35 and I-70, have replaced the three trails and today seven counties now consider themselves part of the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Kansas City is the most centrally located major metropolitan area in the US and is less than one day's driving time for more than 55 million people or a 3-hour flight from either coast. We hope many people who don't normally have the opportunity to attend an AIS National Convention will take advantage of our convenient location to see the latest introductions by today's hybridizers and many favorite irises from years gone by.


From trail head to a modern metropolis, Kansas City has gone from a western cattle round-up destination, to being "up to date", to an exciting destination undergoing a central city metamorphosis. Kansas City offers sophisticated museums, shopping and a huge range of entertainment and art including five Casinos.


The GKCIS convention committee has incorporated as many suggestions as possible to improve the garden tour experience of the attendees. We have put our focus on having the gardens we visit to be within one-hour travel time of the convention hotel. We also sought out locations that would accommodate large quantities of iris so we could spend quality time in the gardens evaluating irises and less time on the bus or watching a clock. These goals led us to sites where the
most people, the general public or convention attendees, could appreciate the plantings and the efforts of the hybridizers. We are fortunate to have the support of three major public display plantings: Powell Gardens, Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Garden and Kansas State Research and Extension Center as sites for the major guest plantings. We will also visit two private gardens, one in a suburban setting and one rural.


Another exciting and innovative suggestion incorporated into the 2009 convention is the "Blind" Seedling Trial. Hybridizers were invited to submit seedlings that would be grown without public identification of the originator or seedling number permitting complete anonymity. The blind seedlings are being grown in a special group of beds for evaluation without any bias toward the originator. These trial beds will be critiqued during special Judges Training sessions. This should help draw attention to the efforts of novice and experienced hybridizers alike to tune their best skills. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for the best seedling from this group of plants. After the ballots are tallied, a master list of the seedlings will be provided. More HC's may get awarded through this visibility and it is hoped that it will prompt lively discussions during the training sessions.


By carefully managing our
travel time, we hope to be able to provide our visitors a more relaxed pace to enjoy each iris garden, visit with other attendees and even visit a few points of local and historic interest along the way. You will note the schedule of programs and judges training sessions do not overlap so you can actually attend every program if you so desire. We have worked to provide attendees with an optimum convention experience. Or you can enjoy the convenience and comfort of your room at the Doubletree Hotel, utilize the amenities and enjoy the woodland hotel setting. You'll have time to socialize with other AIS members in the lounge or restaurant, or blaze a trail to area restaurants and attractions. We hope your trail leads you to KC and Overland Park for an exceptional, evenly paced 'Quality Iris Time in 2009'.