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Avery Island Moso Grove Grooming 20-22 Feb 2026
sponsored by the LOUISIANA-GULF COAST CHAPTER (LGCC) OF THE AMERICAN BAMBOO SOCIETY (ABS)
2026 will mark the 27th year that LGCC and ABS members have come to Avery Island to help clear and clean E. A. McIlhennys plantings of timber bamboos. As in years past, the weekend is limited to ABS members (INTERESTED NEWCOMERS ENCOURAGED TO JOIN!). If you are not already a member please complete the membership form online at the ABS website.
REGISTRATION: Be first to register HERE and guarantee your spot for the Saturday night dinner and extravaganza! The form is also available on the ABS website. Coordinators for the weekend are Ken Ringle (202-258-7361) and Judge Edwards (337-898-1469), who can also be contacted by email at lgcc.abs@gmail.com.
Schedule of Events:
Friday February 20th: 6:00 pm at the Hampton Inn Suites, 400 Spanish Towne Boulevard, just off Highway 14, New Iberia 70560, with drinks and registration followed by a buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. There we will reintroduce ourselves and catch up on each other’s doings, conduct a brief LGCC business meeting, and organize our teams for the next day’s work.
Saturday February 21st: We will meet at 8:30 AM at the Jungle Gardens parking lot on Avery Island for the centerpiece of the weekend: clearing and cleaning selected bamboo groves on the Island, including E. A. McIlhenny’s original Moso and Madake groves, as well as the groves of mixed bamboos below Prospect Hill which comprise some of E. A.’s ’s original study plots which have yet to be fully inventoried. At the end of the day’s work, all will have an opportunity to take home poles from the selection we have cut, and to relax and enjoy the groves we’ve cleaned!
Saturday Evening: At 5:30 PM we will gather at historic Marsh House for drinks and dinner. After dinner entertainment will feature the celebrated Bamboo Weekend Auction, featuring donated plants, artifacts, books, clothing, jewelry etc., with all proceeds going to the LGCC to help defray costs of the weekend ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING AND DONATE BAMBOO-RELATED ITEMS FOR THE AUCTION! Bids tend to escalate once the wine is served!
Sunday, February 22nd: We will reassembly at Marsh House, beginning at 9:00 AM, where ABS members will give presentations on bamboo culture and applications. If you have bamboo artwork or crafts to show off or skills to share, this is the time and place!
We’ll then have a traditional complimentary red beans and rice luncheon at Marsh House and head for home.
BACKGROUND: For those who have never been to an Avery Island Work Party Weekend and would like a preview, ABS member Daphne Lewis has posted on YouTube an excellent video of our 2010 weekend. You can also read Ken Ringle’s history of this bamboo weekend and Andy Ringle’s excellent paper on E.A. McIlhenny’s work with bamboo which gave birth to the grove we’ll be clearing.
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