A local tradition that began in 1941 is back, stronger than ever. The 79th annual Weed Show will illustrate how a little creativity combined with our unique desert plants can lead to unique works of art. Reporter Heather Clisby has details …
Created by the wives of WWI vets who had moved to the desert for their health, the 79th annual Weed Show is Twentynine Palms’ oldest tradition. With the theme, “Desert Skies,” this year’s creative contest spans 12 categories.
The competition is open to anyone, including children, and all compositions must include dried desert plant material (except for category 1).
The Weed Show will be held at the Old Schoolhouse Museum, 6760 National Park Drive on Saturday, November 7, from noon to 4 pm and on Sunday, November 8, from 10 am until 4 pm. For more info, contact Weed Show Chairman Larry Bowden at 760-501-1718 or visit 29palmshistorical.com.
Category 1: Sunrise, Sunset – purple glass perfection. Use museum quality sun-purpled glass with a majority of fresh plant material. Dried weeds may be added.
Category 2: Dust Devil – use broken/imperfect sun-purpled glass in your entry with dried weeds.
Category 3: Little Dipper – use a miniature accessory with dried weeds or a little animal entirely pieced together from small dried weeds. It just needs to fit in a 3″ x 3″ x 3″ box, including the base.
Category 4: Big Dipper – same as “Little Dipper” except it needs to fit in a 6″ x 6″ x 6″ box.
Category 5: Full Moon – use a light-creating device as an accessory with dried weeds (like an old lantern, candle, flashlight, headlight from a car, miner’s headlamp, etc.).
Category 6: Milky Way – use a star as an accessory with dried weeds (like a tin star shape, star-shaped vase or box, photo of an actual star or the Milky Way, etc.)
Category 7: Blue Skies – use an accessory that is the color blue with dried weeds (like a blue spatter ware cup or plate or coffee pot, blue ceramic vase or crockery, a blue bird, blue denim, or any blue item).
Category 8: Thunder and Lightning – use two accessories with dried weeds. One can make a sound and the other is related to electricity (like a harmonica and a light switch, or pocket change and a flashlight, or a kazoo and clock or watch, etc.).
Category 9: Mirage – a scene to-scale or diorama with dried weeds (like matchbox cars on a road to scale through the desert, or a small lake or stream with small desert animals around it, or a homesteader cabin with windmill and water tank, or a train set with desert background, etc.).
Category 10: Raining Cats and Dogs – use something associated with water with dried weeds (like any kind of plumbing, water valve or spigot, water pitcher, desert water bag used on cars in the early days, a cup or pan, etc.).
Category 11: UFOs – Oversize entry with dried weeds that exceeds the weight or size rules.
Category 12: Cloud Gazing – this category is for young children. What do you see in the clouds? Use your imagination.
