Prairie State Bonsai Society

September General Meeting
2022-09-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
IRON BONSAI COMPETITION
Our September meeting should bring back some fond memories for our longtime members. Our Iron Bonsai is a competition between three bonsai artists and one assistant who will each style a mature juniper in a 5-gallon container in one hour.
Attendees will wander around the room, observing the transformation of the raw plant material into a work of art. The audience is encouraged to ask questions of the artist, make suggestions, question, and comment as they work. Please allow the artist space to work and avoid any physical contact with the work site.
At the close of the competition, attendees be given a ticket to vote for their favorite tree. The artist with the most votes will be crowned Iron Bonsai Champ of 2022.
All three-styled trees will then be raffled individually. Raffle tickets are priced at 1 for $3.00, 3 for $5.00, 7 for $10.00, and 15 for $20.00.
In alphabetical order, the participating artists this year are; Jim Beck, Phil Malhiot, and Victor Zurczak.

This meeting will be held on the second Wednesday of the month due to the Holiday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

September 2022 Board Meeting
2022-09-20 19:00 - 20:30
https://prairiestatebonsai.com/monthly-meeting-page/

October General Meeting
2022-10-05 19:00 - 20:30
Penjing Demonstration

Jennifer Price will design a Penjing planting on a slab. She will be using approximately nine Chinese Elms, Muck, and a marble slab. Penjing, also known as penzai, is the ancient Chinese art of depicting artistically formed trees, other plants, and landscapes in miniature.
Using artificially dwarfed trees and shrubs, these arrangements are created in special trays or pots which are placed on ornately carved wooden stands. Often, rocks, miniature ceramic structures (like buildings and bridges), and figurines are added to give the proper scales as part of the natural scenery. These miniatures add to the symbolism of a penjing specimen by providing a social or historical context in which to interpret the overall penjing design.
These miniature landscapes include trees that are frequently over a hundred years old. Like the plants in the Chinese garden, they have been carefully selected and tended so that they develop into twisted and gnarled shapes reminiscent of their full-size counterparts in the wild. Like Chinese gardens, these miniature landscapes are designed to convey landscapes experienced from various viewpoints – a close-up view, a medium-range view, or a panorama.
As an art form, penjing is an extension of the garden since it enables an artist to recreate parts of the natural landscape in miniature. Penjing is often used indoors as part of a garden’s overall design since it reiterates the landscape features found outside. Penjing pots grace pavilions, private studies or living rooms, and public buildings. They are free-standing elements within the gardens or placed on furniture such as a table or bookshelf. A lattice display stand is sometimes built, which adds particular prominence to the penjing specimen and exemplifies the interplay between architecture and nature.
Photo of the quartz slab and elms to be used for the demonstration and raffle

There will also be a discussion on preparing Topicals for the upcoming winter season.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

November General Meeting
2022-11-02 19:00 - 20:30
Our guest presenter for November is Angelica Ramirez, currently working on a six-month bonsai internship at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She will share her extensive knowledge of bonsai pot artists’ from around the world.
She has compiled an extensive database of the bonsai ceramics community together and made bonsai pottery easily accessible. The potters of all skill levels, from amateur to professional, in all populated regions. You might also discover potters who don’t make “bonsai pots” but rather make unique pots that may suit as accent or nontraditional style pots. This database includes active potters, archive potters (coming soon), retailers, and resources about bonsai ceramics.

“I love bonsai pots! I have spent countless hours online, researching and finding potters worldwide. I want to make bonsai potters and their work easily accessible to everyone. My goal is to bring the global bonsai potter community together, support them, and in doing so help the whole bonsai community grow long term.”

Angelica’s website can be viewed here.

Angelica began learning bonsai in 2019 from online videos, books, and Feng (Gary) Gu of Penjing Bonsai Garden in Malabar, Florida. Later that year, Angelica attended a one-to-one class with Peter Chan at Herons Bonsai and was invited to continue her studies with Peter. Angelica returned to Herons Bonsai in May 2022 for a week-long course and will return in February 2023 for a month-long internship. As a member of the Bonsai Society of Brevard, Angelica competed at the 2021 Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention Scholarship Competition, earning second place; encompassing a scholarship to continue her bonsai studies and named a guest artist for the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. Angelica was honored to display her bonsai at the 2022 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and at the Chicago Botanic Garden later that same year.
In February 2022, Angelica launched ‘Discover Potters,’ a free online database of active bonsai potters worldwide, which includes direct links to over 300 potters, bonsai pot retailers, auctions, and bonsai pottery resources.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting - November 2022
2022-11-08 19:00 - 20:30
Board Meeting

Club Christmas Party
2022-12-07 07:00 - 21:00
Join us for the last get-together of 2022
Bring snacks and your favorite NA drinks, plus a white elephant gift.
There will also be a door prize chance whether you are naughty or nice.

We will have our annual Christmas Party this year on December 7 ( our regular Wednesday meeting days ) at the College of DuPage. This is a fun get-together to celebrate the holidays with our bonsai friends and colleagues.
Please bring food to share. It can be an appetizer, dessert, or homemade dish. It can NOT be anything that requires an open flame, and NO alcoholic beverages are allowed. The club will provide pop, water, ice, plates, cups, and utensils.
As usual, there will be a door prize or maybe two. Everyone attending will be given a ticket for a chance to win it.

Also, we will have a White Elephant gift exchange. Bring something bonsai-related if you want to play in the White Elephant exchange. You don’t get to play if you don’t bring a gift. Gifts are inexpensive and can be humorous, new, or used items, but they must be related to bonsai and usable, not junk. It can be a pot or tool you don’t need anymore, a book you have read, but remember it must be bonsai related. Wrap it well, put it in the gift pile when you arrive, and you might get something helpful when it’s your turn to snag a gift from the heap. We will draw numbers from a hat to determine the gift-choice play order. Starting with #1, the first person picks a gift from the pile, then unwraps and displays it for all to see. The second and all subsequent people can steal or take a gift from the pile. If they steal, the person who just had his/her gift stolen can take a gift from the pile OR steal any other gift (EXCEPT the one just stolen from him/her). No limit on how many times a gift can be stolen. When all the gifts have been opened, the first player who started the game (who, by the way, never had the option of stealing a gift, to begin with) gets to either keep or exchange his gift with anyone playing, thus ending the game. It is a very fun event; bring a gift and participate.
Please remember to keep the date open for our Christmas party. We always have a good time, sooo, even if you don’t usually make it to our regular meetings, do plan on coming to this.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

January 2023 Board Meeting
2023-01-10 19:00 - 20:30
Jan 10, 2023, 07:00
All members are welcome to join via ZOOM

General Meeting February 2023
2023-02-01 19:00 - 20:30
Join us for the first meeting of 2023! We will view the official club video from the Destination Asia show and open the floor to discuss the show. As always, feel free to bring any trees you need advice from other members!
REMINDER: If you ordered club shirts or hats, you could pick them up at this meeting in person.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Winter Silhouette Exhibit
2023-02-18 10:00 - 16:00
The 3rd annual PSBS Winter Silhouette Bonsai Exhibit is at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL.

A Silhouette exhibit displays the bonsai without leaves which may seem a little strange, but it is a great time to see the trees’ structure, especially the ramification.
The exhibit will last one day on Saturday, February 18, 2022, from 10 am to 4 pm. Both members and non-members are welcome to display their deciduous trees in the natural winter stage of development. Everyone is welcome to visit the exhibit at no charge. There is a $5.00 charge for parking collected at the gate.
The setup for the event will begin on Friday, February 17, 2022. Contact Nick DiBattista with the number of trees you wish to display or how many tables you wish to reserve if you consider vending at the exhibit. You may also email prairiestatebonsai@gmail.com with ‘Winter Silhouette‘ in the subject line.

General Meeting - March 2023
2023-03-01 19:00 - 20:30
Our March Meeting will be a ZOOM presentation by Chris Consenza on Tanuki or Phoenix grafting.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b. The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting
2023-03-07 19:00 - 20:30
March 7, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join log in to your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section

Yamadori Dig with MBS
2023-04-01 12:00 - 15:00 | Boerner Botanical Gardens, 9400 Boerner Drive, Hales Corners, WI, 53130, United States
Bryan Lorentzen, a member of the Milwaukee Bonsai Society, is hosting a Yamadori dig on April 1st, 2023, and has invited our club to attend.
He was walking in the woods near the Boerner Botanical garden three years ago. The Milwaukee Public Schools own the woods. He came across a large group of burning bushes. In many places, they are considered an invasive species. When I contacted and met the caretaker of these woods, he permitted me to dig up as many of these trees as I would like.
We have been there for two springs and are not making a dent. We dug maybe 50 last spring. They make great bonsai. Some were 4″ in diameter. You can dig up trees for an upright, slant style or other. My plan for next spring is to make forests. The trees flower in the spring, get red berries, bud back, and ramify easily, and of course, the leaves turn red in fall. This last fall, when the leaves were changing color, we were there. They stood out in the woods, and there were more than a thousand of them. I will make some oval pots that you can buy for the forest at a reasonable price, and I have some other pots for sale.
You will need branch cutters, shovels, bags, a saw if you choose a large tree, and maybe a cart because the woods are a couple of hundred yards from the parking lot. Be prepared with soil and pots for when you get home.
The event starts after their Saturday meeting on April 1st, 2023. The meeting goes from 9-12 noon at the Boerner Botanical Visitor building on the lower level. Come to the meeting if you want. Or you can wait in the parking lot for us to come out. There will likely be a good spring educational program.
https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Boerner-Botanical-Gardens
Here is a story that he wrote a few years ago about Yamadori.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRHD5WvDjZr4Y5AsJVDkBuGExlFLEKRLnq4x1wXpOKopQv7MsFvhrHDbzvfxx9F-A/pub

General Meeting - April 2023
2023-04-05 19:00 - 20:30
Forest Planting Hands-on Workshop

Jim Beck and Linda Camp are leading a forest planting hands-on workshop for our March 2023 General Meeting.
The cost of the workshop is $60 for a five-tree planting and $80 for a seven-tree planting. Additional trees will be available for $10 each.
Species available are Dawn Redwood, Trident Maples, Japanese Maples, Black Pines, Larch
Pot, soil, and wire are included
Observers are welcome at no charge.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting
2023-04-11 19:00 - 20:30
April 11, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join, log into your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section.

General Meeting - May 2023
2023-05-03 19:00 - 20:30
Air Layering and Grafting
Presentation by Mark Fields

The information below was taken from Mark Fields’ website.
My passion for bonsai began at about age 9. I was born in 1959 and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. My dad was a landscape contractor, as I am today.
My dad used to purchase and dig nursery stock from a nursery, Line’s Nursery, down the street from where we lived. Occasionally, I would go with him and wandered around the nursery one day and found some little mugho pines that the nursery owner had lined out and was training in the ground. I asked the owner, Mr. Line, what he was doing with them, and he said he was training them as bonsai. I began asking him more about them and visited him more often. A few days later, he loaned me two books he owned from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, “Handbook on Bonsai: Special Techniques” and “Handbook on Dwarfed Potted Trees, The Bonsai of Japan” and told me that I would learn more if I read them. He showed me how to start and grow plants from cuttings, prune properly, and practice other skills as I grew older. He passed away in the early 1970s.
My dad used to bring home shrubs in the back of his truck which was removed from a job and discarded. When I saw an interesting-looking trunk or shape, I would remove it and pot it up from the truck. Most would die within days. Some would survive for at least that year’s growing season. It was great practice, and I learned a lot.
When I married and moved out of my parent’s house into a double in 1979, I moved my bonsai there. The neighbor next door noticed that I was growing bonsai and told me his father-in-law used to do bonsai. He went back to his house and got his wife and introduced me. I told her the story about how her father got me started in bonsai and that he had loaned me his two Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbooks more than a decade before. She told me to wait a minute and went back into the house. A few minutes later, she brought out those very same books and told me to keep them. I was stunned. They are now a part of my book collection, and I still use them as a reference to this day.
I discovered a bonsai nursery on the southeast side of Indy called Mendel Gardens about that same time. There I began a relationship with the owner, Max Mendel. He sold starter trees, supplies, offered free advice, and critiqued my trees when I asked him to. He became my second mentor and taught me much of what I know about bonsai today. I called him the father of bonsai in Indiana. I spent many weekends wandering around his nursery. He introduced me to the Indianapolis Bonsai Club, which I joined. I have been a member of that organization since 1979 and was president from 2009 – 2012. Max passed away in the mid-1990s, and I bought a few of his trees and his personal set of Masakuni tools I treasure.
In October of 2004, I traveled to Europe, where I met and befriended Danny Use and his wife Ingrid at their Ginkgo Bonsai Center in Laarne, Belgium. I went back there in October 2005 and worked for Danny for a couple of days. I talked them into traveling to the US in June of 2008 to headline the Mid-America Bonsai Alliance in Indianapolis, their first time here in the US. They invited me to their nursery in April of 2009, where I spent 2 weeks straight working side by side with Danny on many of his world-class bonsai specimens. It was truly an amazing experience, and I learned so much. I am a much better bonsai artist because of his teachings.
I worked for a major pharmaceutical company here in Indy from 1980 – 2010. I also owned and operated my own landscape business, Fields Landscape Concepts, LLC, founded in 1983 and closed in 2006. As part of the landscape business, I have sold bonsai, pre-bonsai, and supplies to club members and fellow enthusiasts since the early 1980s. In 2011, with a gentle push from friends such as bonsai artist and author Craig Coussins, and bonsai artist Warren Hill, I founded my own School of Bonsai.
For the second time, I am married with 2 grown children from my first marriage and a granddaughter and a grandson. My wife Allison delivered twins, a boy, and a girl, in November 2007. So I am experiencing sort of a second life, so to speak.
With the twins coming along, I looked for something to do at home rather than being gone every evening landscaping. In 2006, with some prompting from my wife and IBC club members, I decided to start a website and open a new business, Bonsai by Fields, LLC. I perform demonstrations, lectures, and workshops using a wide variety of trees. I also vend at a few major exhibitions throughout the US.
I recently updated a list of bonsai artists I have either seen in demonstrations, lectures, and workshops. They total more than 60 at this point. Names such as the great John Naka, Mas Ishi, Yuji Yoshimura, Danny Use, Ryan Neil, Masahiko Kimura, and Bjorn Bjorholm.
In 2013, I finally realized a dream I have always had of traveling to Japan to visit some of the bonsai nurseries there. I was also able to see one of the major exhibitions there, the Taikan-ten, held in November in Kyoto.
In early January 2015, I traveled to Osaka, Japan, to study at Kouka-en. A third-generation bonsai nursery owned by Keichi Fujikawa. It is the nursery where Bjorn apprenticed and is now a resident artist. I had secured a spot to study for a month there. What an amazing experience! It was 7 days a week, 8 – 9 hours a day of nothing but bonsai. I was also able to attend the 2015 Kokufu-ten Bonsai Exhibition and the famous Green Club Sale. While there, I met Italian bonsai artist Mauro Stemberger. He visited here in the fall of 2015, and I am now his Midwest agent.
Mark Fields

Some of Mark Fields’s Bonsai trees

Acer Buergerianum

Pinus

Pyracantha
Contact information
Location: Greenwood, Indiana, USA
Email: maf71459(at)gmail.com
Website: www.bonsaibyfields.com

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting - May 9, 2023
2023-05-09 19:00 - 20:30
May 9, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join, log into your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section.

Midwest Bonsai Society 17th Annual May Bonsai Exhibit
2023-05-13 10:00 - 2023-05-14 16:00
Midwest Bonsai Society 17th Annual May Bonsai Exhibit
May 13th and 14th, 2023
A newer tradition for the Midwest Bonsai Society is the May Bonsai Exhibit. Starting in 2004, the show is smaller than the August Bonsai Exhibition but is well worth the trip to view the displays of trees. The Garden Bonsai trees are displayed in the two courtyards. Vendors offer an amazing selection of trees, accent plants, pots, stands, tools, and Bonsai books and literature. There are also workshops, including a children’s workshop, and bonsai demonstrations.
The May Exhibit is held in the Burnstein Hall of the Regenstein Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The theme of the show is education. Members are invited to bring trees in various stages of training, accompanied by explanations of what processes are being used.
There is no cost to attend the bonsai show once inside the Garden, but regular parking rates and per-person admission ticket prices apply for entry into the Chicago Botanic Garden. Please see the Garden’s dedicated webpage for pricing details.

Please see the Midwest Bonsai webpage for additional information

Spring Bonsai Weekend
2023-05-20 10:00 - 2023-05-21 16:00
The Greater Louisville Bonsai Society is hosting a special bonsai exhibit at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY on Saturday, May 20, from 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, May 21, from 12 pm to 4 pm.

FREE ENTRY
Dozens of bonsai on display
Non-juried show
People’s Choice Award
Bonsai demonstrations
Japanese cultural demonstrations

General Meeting - June 2023
2023-06-07 19:00 - 20:30
Rock Planting demonstration by Larry Magee
and
Bonsai 101 to be determined

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Meeting of the Board - June 2023
2023-06-14 19:00 - 20:30
June 14, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join, log into your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section.

Annual Club Picnic 2023
2023-06-25 11:00 - 15:00
This year’s summer picnic is Sunday, June 25, from 11 to 3, at Cantigny Park, 1s151 Winfield Rd. in Wheaton, IL 60189.
Cantigny is a beautiful park with gardens, the Robert R. McCormick House, and the First Division Museum.
Our club picnic is the perfect time to come together and enjoy bonsai. We should take this opportunity to bring a tree to show others and bring trees that we would like advice on. It is a great time to hang out together and work on trees. Nothing beats a summer day talking bonsai and wiring trees.
Our picnic will take place under the shelter just on the left as you enter the park. Lunch will take place around noon. The club will provide burgers, hot dogs, and drinks; members are asked to bring their sides and share.
Members, please plan on bringing a dish to pass and a tree or two to work on. The club will have our wire box available if people need wire for their trees.
So we hope to see you on June 25th!

Please be aware that while there is no entry fee to Cantigny, there is a $10 parking fee per car.
Please feel free to call me (Nick DiBattista 630-479-2112) should you have any questions.

General Meeting - July 2023
2023-07-12 19:00 - 20:30
Make Your Own Pot
Don Lindstrom will demonstrate the art of making clay bonsai pots. You are then invited to make your own. Don will then collect the pots, fire them, and return them at a latter meeting. There is a charge of $25 if you decide to make your own, which will cover the cost of the clay and firing.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

General Meeting - August 2023
2023-08-02 19:00 - 20:30
This general meeting will include a presentation on how to prep your tree for our 17th year at the Morton Arboretum show and to talk about how you can help with the setup and show itself.

Destination Asia Festival
2023-08-04 17:30 - 2023-08-06 17:30
The Morton Arboretum

Explore the diverse cultures of Asia through music, dance, food, and more. Join us for a fun-filled weekend that will transport you across the globe. Starting with a member preview on Friday evening and all day on Saturday and Sunday, enjoy diverse cultural performances and demonstrations, various shopping and art vendors, and local food trucks.
This event attracts new members to our club and allows members to gather and interact with the Festival attendees and teach them about the art of bonsai.
PSBS is proud to again be in the Sycamore Room hosting our Annual PSBS Bonsai Exhibition. Our Bonsai Exhibition is where our club members can show their trees which they have spent so much time on. There will also be several “trees in training” tables where our new members can show their work and others can display interesting trees in progress. Please consider bringing as many of your trees as possible. As PSBS members, you are allowed up to three display trees for judging but unlimited “trees in training.”
Workshops

Kusamono Workshop Link
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/adult-programs/kusamono-workshop/

Lavender Star Flower Bonsai Workshop Link
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/adult-programs/lavender-star-flower-workshop/

Trident Maple Bonsai Workshop
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/adult-programs/trident-maple-workshop/

Bring Your Own Tree Bonsai Workshop with Mark Fields
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/adult-programs/bring-your-own-tree-workshop/

Dwarf Jade Bonsai Workshop Link
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/adult-programs/dwarf-jade-workshop/

Itoigawa Shimpaku Juniper Bonsai Workshop with Mark Fields Link
https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/adult-programs/itoigawa-shimpaku-juniper-workshop/

Please consider bringing a tree for display.
If you are interested in volunteering time at the show or need transport for your trees, please contact Nick DiBattista (nicholasd_1@yahoo.com or 630-479-2112).
Link to Parking information for volunteers
Link to Morton Arboretum for more information

45th Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition
2023-08-18 09:00 - 2023-08-20 17:00
August 18-20, 2023
Friday August 18 – Noon to 5PM
Saturday August 19, Sunday August 20 – 9AM to 5PM

Click here for more information

General Meeting - September 2023
2023-09-13 19:00 - 20:30
General Meeting – September 13, 2023

BC Bonsai will present a hands-on styling workshop. BC Bonsai will have available several pre-bonsai trees to purchase and work on to bring home to add to your collection.

As always…
Bring a tree to the meeting you have questions about. Members are always encouraged to bring personal trees to the meetings for advice on care or styling from our many club artists.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday (or the 2nd Wednesday if immediately preceded by a holiday) from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

General Meeting - October 2023
2023-10-04 19:00 - 20:30
General Meeting – October 4, 2023

All about pines
Larry Magee will demonstrate how to work with your pines at this time of the year.
Bring a pine of your own for help with pine candle pruning.
Larry will also show his PowerPoint Show of his trip to Japan.

Here is one of the items for the monthly raffle.
Ficus benjamina

As always…
Bring a tree to the meeting you have questions about. Members are always encouraged to bring personal trees to the meetings for advice on care or styling from our many club artists.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday (or the 2nd Wednesday if immediately preceded by a holiday) from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Meeting of the Board - October 10, 2023
2023-10-10 19:00 - 20:30

Membership Promotion Event on the Riverwalk
2023-10-22 12:30 - 17:00
Membership Promotion Event on the Riverwalk

NOTICE: The event time has been changed. We will start at 12:30 p.m. and end at 5:00 p.m.
Due to the ‘Healthy Driven Naperville Marathon’ on the same day, roads will be closed (Marathon Map Link)
Riverwalk Overlook Naperville, IL
Membership Promotion Event on the Riverwalk

October 22 | 12:30 am – 5:00 pm | Smykal Pavilion | Downtown Naperville, 188 W Jackson Ave, Naperville, IL 60540, United States

Join the club for our first-ever membership promotion event! Relax on the beautiful downtown Naperville Riverwalk, work on a tree, and hang out with other members.

This event is a “free-speech” promotional event. The goal will be to engage passersby and try to encourage and gain new members to the club. While attending, we hope members can take turns chatting with and engaging potential members who will stop by and see what bonsai is about. Let’s help the club grow!

A senior club member will also do a short demonstration in the afternoon.

Food is only allowed for yourself and not for sharing with others or the public. So feel free to bring some snacks and drinks or go downtown and grab a bite at your leisure.

Hope to see you there!

Location Details

Free Speech Pavilion (also known as the Smykal Pavilion). This is located on the Naperville Riverwalk near Jackson Avenue and Webster Street. This is located on the riverwalk on the library’s south side and next to the Dandelion Fountain in Civil Plaza. 188 W Jackson Ave, Naperville, IL 60540, United States.
PARKING

Parking is available in the street in front of the pavilion, in the parking lot across the street north of the pavilion, south of the pavilion across the river at the city hall parking garage and Water Street district hotel garage, and in all other various lots around the downtown area. Parking should be more ample the earlier you arrive. There is also the larger parking garage on the east side of downtown by Barnes and Noble.

Park District information: https://www.napervilleparks.org/freespeechforums

General Meeting - November 2023
2023-11-01 19:00 - 20:30
General Meeting – November 1, 2023

Wiring demonstration by Larry Magee and Linda Camp
Larry will also show his PowerPoint of his trip to Japan.

As always…
Bring a tree to the meeting you have questions about. Members are always encouraged to bring personal trees to the meetings for advice on care or styling from our many club artists.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday (or the 2nd Wednesday if immediately preceded by a holiday) from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.
