Fall in love with orchids: Thousands of exotic blooms highlight annual orchid show, sale

Published 3:01 am Sunday, March 1, 2026

By Mary Richardson

Thousands of orchid blooms will fill the hallways of the historic F.G. Bulber Auditorium – complemented with music of a botanically-themed concert by the Lake Charles Symphony “Orchid-stra” — when the McNeese Banners Series presents “A French Garden of Orchids” during the weekend of March 14-15.

The event has been created by the first-ever, three-way collaboration of the Banners Series, The Lake Charles Symphony, and the Calcasieu Orchid Society. The weekend will include a free orchid show and orchid sale, a ticketed symphony concert, and an extensive silent auction with treasures such as a never-used Cattleya-patterned Ralph Lauren purse with the original tag of $168 hanging from it.

Calcasieu Orchid Society

The orchid show will be open to the public, free of charge, from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 15. The lobby of Bulber Auditorium will be jam-packed with orchids. Regional societies will create displays of orchids, all based on the theme of “A French Garden of Orchids.” Participating orchid societies creating displays are coming from New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Houma, and Galveston, in addition to Lake Charles. Judges sanctioned by the American Orchid Society will select orchids from the displays to be evaluated for national awards.

Orchid vendors will sell a huge variety of orchids that are not available locally, and that will grow very well in South Louisiana’s hot and humid climate. In addition to the popular Phalaenopsis, there will be Dendrobiums, Vandas, miniature and full-sized Cattleyas, Encyclias, and more – all at prices considerably lower than elsewhere.

One popular vendor, Linda Roberts, does not sell living orchids, but instead will bring her unique orchid-inspired jewelry. Her jewelry is made from precious stones, and sometimes from unusual materials such as the petrified bones of the large, hairy, extinct mastodons. Her selections are all one-of-a-kind.

Lake Charles Symphony

The Lake Charles Symphony “Orchid-stra” will perform a special, botanically-themed concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Tickets are $20 at the door, and free to McNeese and Sowela students. Due to a sponsorship from Reed Mendelson Jr., free tickets are also available for current and retired educators, active-duty military, first responders, and seniors over the age of 80.

Tenor Paul Wolf will sing the “Flower Song” from Carmen, “April Showers, and “A une fleur,” a musical setting of a romantic “Poème” by French poet/playwright Alfred de Musset.

The orchestra will perform “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker, “Flower Duet” from the opera Lakmé, “Orchids” by Charlotte Blake, and “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. After intermission, the Orchid-stra will perform Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No. 100 in G major.” This symphony is commonly called “Military” because it uses “Turkish" percussion instruments — the triangles, cymbals, and bass drums used by the Ottoman Empire’s Janissary bands.

Creating the botanically themed concert was fun, according to William G. Rose, artistic director and conductor. “One of the joys of being a conductor is the honor and pleasure of selecting the program to create a mood. In this case, we want to paint a picture in sound, one that will augment the beautiful orchids that will be surrounding us.”

Silent auction

An extensive silent auction will fill the south hallway of Bulber Auditorium and will include items in every price range. Some of the items will be nostalgic, such as vintage decorative pottery from the 40s and 50s. Other items will be of greater monetary value. Keith Joiner, who donated the Cattleya-patterned Ralph Lauren handbag, has also donated two heavy silk antique Nagoya Obi, which were originally part of traditional Japanese formal kimonos.

Other items will include exquisite wines from the wine cellar of Dr. Keith DeSonier, a museum replica of the “death mask” of Paul Gauguin, and several woven baskets made by members of the Coushatta Tribe in the 1980s.

For more information about the orchid show, see the Facebook page of Calcasieu Orchid Society, or contact Mary Richardson at mrichardson@mcneese.edu.