Thanks for posting. Looks like Fairchild (FTBG) is a bit behind on updating the site, even though the link and title are updated. The program and info still shows last year’s Haiti feature.
It’s cool to note that this is the 2nd year that it's a Tropical Fruit festival in addition to the usual mangos.
The Rare Fruit Council International (RFCI) Miami will be there as usual with fruits, veggies and a fruit tree selection of choice cultivars & grafted specimens. Drop by our area and say hi, pick up a member form for the RFCI! Maurice Kong always sharp & informative, offering fruit wisdom.
The Mango and Tropical Fruit Festival - Celebrating the Mangos of the Dominican RepublicRegarding Roblack's suggestion of helping out, it may prove to be a good idea but some coordination is needed. I think it could be sensible to use the RFCI, Miami to help filter submissions to assist with relieving Fairchild of any additional duties for the festival. The employees really do so much. I imagine any mangos not hand delivered would need to be mailed, and they must make it on time for the display / mango auction / fundraiser. That's generally what gives Dr. Noris Ledesma, FTBG's Curator of Tropical Fruit, the most difficultly, the timing of it all.
The other consideration is how many cultivars can members supply them with that aren't already available via their sources and collection of fruiting specimens?
Could be a good idea, just sharing some thoughts and let me know however the RFCI can assist, perhaps compiling a potential cultivar submission sheet or something similar.
Wonder what Squam256 has to say about the mango assistance. I forget the total number of mangos usually displayed.
A familiar face at Fairchild's Mango festival is Mark Diamond who produced this cool poster of 220 varieties a few years ago. He's a good guy and one of the leading 3d photographers in the world. A pioneer among us, who loves tropical fruit.
http://www.diamondimages.com/mangoposter/
