Central Florida Koi & Goldfish show - March 2013

[gardengimp]

I thought I would come start a new thread about this, so we can build excitement and then post show photos! Maybe even some video!

So, Central Florida Koi & Goldfish show is this coming weekend. The actual dates are Friday March 9 through Sun March 11. When the show was first being advertised I think somebody got the dates wrong, but it does start this Friday at 1PM. Yup, I'm going on Friday! I haven't decided about Saturday yet. And I still haven't decided if it's to be a wheelchair event or a walker event. Can't really tell just how big it is. And how much rambling around I am going to want to do. I would prefer to be upright, the better to see with and get better photos. But, if it's really big, I don't want to prematurely tire out my legs and have to stop rambling around. Plus, I have a basket for the walker, the better to carry around purchases and stuff.

This is going to be the first fish show I have ever been to. I've been going to and participating in dog shows for over 25 years, so it will be interesting to compare a big regional dog show to a big regional fish show.

So Sharon, Shakaho, asked in Shinksma's thread, who all is planning to go? Who, who??? There is the fish show, the vendors, and all day Saturday are various educational seminars. There is going to be a plant vendor there from down in South Florida. Pond plants! Yippee!

Oh, and here is CE's post from the other thread:

Well, I would drive to Chicago (4 hours) to see a real live koi show! Maybe I'll have to check with CometKeith and see if he knows of one that is worth going to, although he has goldies ....
I looked on-line and don't see anything for Chicago, except the Garden Show this month. They do have koi there, and some beautiful ones, too. I was there last year, and the exhibits that had koi were raffling them off at the end of the show. Of course, I would have had to go the last day, hope to win one, and then haul it home 4 hours, which would not have been a cool thing, especially since they would have come from warm water to my cold pond. So, it's not really free if you have to drive 4 hours just to take a chance you MIGHT win one! Also, I would probably win the last one and ugliest one. LOL I sure was tempted, though, as the booth that had a nice pond had some gorgegous butterflies, one in particular was yellow and white, and such long fins unbelievable! I asked if ALL of them were going to be raffled off, and he said yes. Made it tempting, but then you figure the cost of gas for that long of a drive, I could buy that one fish on E-bay, including $45 shipping, and come out ahead.
Did you see any other koi show on-line in Illinois? I'm just curious. I would drive the hours just to witness a real koi show, and love walking around the booths. I would go to MO, IN, KY or IL for one, since I'm central to Illinois, all of these states are just about as close for their major cities. If anyone knows of a show, please let me know.
Hope to hear back from those of you in FL that my go to the one there this month! Post pics, too.
And now, back to Shinksma's thread! :razz:

 

[j.w]

You will have so much fun and see such neat ideas and things to bring home. Please whoever goes show us all the pix you take of lots of koi and goldfish! And any plants you see make sure you write down the names so we'll know what they are in case we would like to find them somewhere. Have loads of fun!

 

[shakaho]

Diane, the actual space is fairly small. There's an outdoor tent where they have the fish tanks, judging and some vendors, and an indoor exhibit hall with lots of vendors. There is also a seminar series on Saturday that is sit-down. All the space together is way smaller than a Walmart, but you will want to go through it many times. It's pretty crowded. I think you want the walker.

 

[fishin4cars]

I wanted to go to the Orlando show so bad, But the LSU garden club is having a fund raising event and the koi club is involved in it and bring koi and goldfish to sell at the show here. Between working and the Garden show I'm booked for the weekend. Please if anyone does attend, take lots of pics to share!

 

[shakaho]

Pictures here of them setting up.

http://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...entral-Florida-Koi-Show-March-8-10-2013/page4

 

[j.w]

Those tubs are pretty handy to have. How do they get the water right for the koi to stay in?

 

[Mmathis]

Wow, hard to imagine setting up for something like that. Wishing there was something a little closer to home....

 

[gardengimp]

Warning! Teasers Inbound! Oh, and I met Shakaho at the show today, hi Sharon! We met over the water plants, go figure. Have to make my way through the more zillions of mediocre pictures I took. Glad I went, was fun and interesting. I might make my way back over on Sunday morning to see the fish that won, compare notes with my mental thoughts. I would love to go to some of the seminars they are having tomorrow, but that would be a much longer day than my legs will cooperate with. Glad I took the walker, couldn't have seen things well enough in the tanks from my chair, and the chair would have been tough navigating some of the spots, aisles too narrow. My chair is a 'sporty' manual model, slung low to the ground with wide cambered wheels. Now for some teasers,

This little guy is in tank #32. I over heard folks discussing how this fish could be the baby grand champion. All of this tank are Purdin bred, some really nice fish in this tank. I happened by while the bench committee was doing there thing with photos, measuring and recording, and couldn't really get in their way to get a better picture. When the bench committee were finished, the Purdin crew buttoned her back up with the netting over the tank.

 

[shakaho]

I didn't take pics, but here's a link to a lot of them.

 

[j.w]

Lots of nice looking fish and thanks for sharing!

 

[Mmathis]

Oooh, love all the pretty colors! In one pic, there was, I guess, a plastic "goldfish" spitter set up. When I first glanced at it, I thought it was a live fish!

 

[shakaho]

That spitter is really cute. It looks very much like a real oranda.