The Holly Society of America, Inc. is an active, nonprofit organization with members
in the United States and around the world.  Established 1947.

79th Annual Meeting 2026

October 27-30, 2026
Gettysburg, PA

Hotel Gettysburg
1 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA 17325

The Holly Society Hotel Gettysburg is full.

Other options:

The Union Hotel | Historic Downtown Gettysburg, PA Hotel

Gettysburg PA Bed and Breakfast Inn | Bed Breakfast Gettysburg PA Inn

Inn At Lincoln Square – Gettysburg 

1863 Inn Of Gettysburg - Guest Reservations

https://federalpointeinn.com/

Schedule

Download Schedule

Tuesday, October 27

Opening Remarks 6:00pm 

Sue Hunter, President and Carole Cossaboon, Executive Secretary

Welcome Dinner  6:15 – Gettysburg Hotel

Keynote Entertainer,  the Renowned Magician Marc Charisse (see below)

Sprig and Auction Room open beginning at 11:00am

Wednesday, October 28

6:30 am
Breakfast in Hotel

8:30 am
Depart for Union Mills Shriver Homestead

9:15 am
Tour at Shriver Homestead

11:30 am
Depart Homestead for Gettysburg

12:15 noon – 8:00 pm
Lunch and Dinner and Shopping in Downtown Gettysburg on your own

6:00 pm
Downtown Gettysburg Haunted Ghost Tour
(Guided, walking tour) Need to register separately using link for Gettysburg Ghost Tours

Sprig and Auction Room open for judging

Thursday, October 29

6:30 am
Breakfast in Hotel

9:00 am
Opening remarks and Welcome – Sue Hunter, President

9:30-10:30 am 
Speaker Dr. Harlan Svoboda, Lead Collections Manager (Botany), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

10:30 am
Break

10:45 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker Jason Reeves; Horticulturalist at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville
Garden Heroes: Pollinator and Host Edition (See below) 

12:15 – 1:00 pm  
Lunch in Hotel  

1:00 – 2:00 pm
Speaker Jason Reeves; Horticulturalist at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville
Cast Away: Turning Trash into Treasure aka One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure (See below) 

2:00 – 4:30 pm 
Plant Auction and Sale

6:00 pm
Dinner at Hotel and back by popular demand…
the Still Limber Band

Friday, October 30

Breakfast in Hotel

Depart

Guests and Speakers

Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00pm - a performance featuring Magician Marc! 

Magic is the oldest of the performing arts, going all the way back to the shamans who used conjuring tricks to explain the impenetrable mysteries of the universe. The best magic is still timeless, mixing memory with illusion to conjure the experience of wonder.

Dr. Marc Charisse touches upon ageless mysteries in his performances, from the ghosts of the Gettysburg battlefield to role of chance and fate in all our lives. And like any good Victorian parlor magician, he can pull a coin from your ear or demonstrate the impossible with a wicked deck of cards.

The professor has been studying and performing magic for more than 50 years. 

Charisse, who holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Washington, said the role of “Professor of Prestidigitation” seemed a natural fit. 

“When I was in the classroom, I used magic and humor to illustrate the lessons, and that’s very much in keeping with authentic 19th century performances,” Charisse said.

But mostly, the show focuses on having fun.

Charisse grew up in a Hollywood show-business family — his father, Nico Charisse, was the teacher and first husband of dance legend Cyd Charisse. Charisse’s mother, Zita Charisse, was also a dancer. The family moved to Las Vegas when Marc was 8, and he was able to see and meet and learn from many of the world’s greatest magicians.

He has performed at countless private parties, public events and worked as a magic demonstrator in Las Vegas. But he recently decided to leave teaching and editing and devote himself full time to his magic.

I’ve always been excited by new things,” he said. “That’s the thrill of magic, opening us up to new impossibilities.”

Thursday, October 29, 9:30-10:30 am
Dr. Harlan Svoboda 

Dr. Harlan Svoboda is the Lead Collections Manager in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C., where he is responsible for the operations, management, and advancement of the United States National Herbarium. This collection of over 5 million preserved botanical specimens is one of the largest and most important such collections in the world, housing specimens dating back to the birth of our country and continuing to grow to this day through expeditions and scientific research.

Before coming to the Smithsonian, Dr. Svoboda spent eight years as the Herbarium Curator at the U.S. National Arboretum (part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture). There, he oversaw the U.S. National Arboretum Herbarium and the U.S. National Seed Herbarium, totaling about 950,000 specimens of preserved plant material. The U.S. National Arboretum Herbarium houses over 10,500 specimens of Ilex representing 372 species and 1028 cultivars; it is also the designated repository for Ilex nomenclatural standards.

Dr. Svoboda earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX and a doctorate in plant systematics from Ohio University in Athens, OH. He is an active member of several professional societies including the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and serves on federal task forces such as the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections and the Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens.

Thursday, October 29, 10:45 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Jason Reeves

Jason Reeves is a renowned horticulturist. "I am most excited about my new job. I am located at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville. This is the headquarters for the state for the Department of Agriculture. It’s a 200 acre property and I’ll be in charge of the landscape around the buildings and tasked with renovating the landscaping and developing gardens. I also will continue conducting trials like I did in Jackson. And of course will be planting some hollies of course".  

Industry Influence: Serves as a contributing editor for Fine Gardening magazine, lectures at symposiums, and leads international gardening tours.

Background: Earned his Master's degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee and previously honed his skills at prestigious institutions like Longwood Gardens and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Follow Jason on his Facebook page. 

Garden Heroes: Pollinator and Host Edition

Some plants really work overtime! In addition to enhancing beauty in the garden, they also provide important food and habitat to the critters that reside there. This talk focuses on dependable new and older, but underutilized, good garden performers for attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your domain. Since you can’t have butterflies without caterpillars, Jason will also highlight plants needed to support the full lifecycle of these winged beauties. The talk includes natives along with non-natives such as white-veined Dutchman’s pipe, Vitex Delta Blues®, Cuphea Vermillionaire®, Cassia alata (Candlestick Plant), Asclepias physocarpa (Swan Butterfly Weed), ‘Antares’ fennel, and Zinnia ‘Zowie Yellow Flame’ that are sure to bring the pollinators into your garden. This talk is 60 to 75 minutes long.

Cast Away: Turning Trash into Treasure aka One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

When you see an old set of bedsprings on the side of the road, do you pick it up? Jason does! Working with limited funds, he finds ways to bring whimsy into the University of Tennessee Gardens in Jackson. The 44 ft. wall of suspended bottles is a major attraction in the Gardens, which draw thousands of visitors each year. Found objects such as cookstoves, bicycles, and satellite dishes are used to create imaginative art that showcases the dazzling plant collections of the University Gardens. Jason will inspire you to repurpose your own treasures into whimsical creations.

Thursday, October 29 Awards Banquet,
Special Musical Program by Still Limber

Still Limber plays Appalachian, Folk and Celtic music. 

Randy Cato banjo, harmonica, vocals and li.ber Jack's. Craig Zumbrun on guitar and vocals. (Missing is newest member Cian on fiddle.)