President’s Letter – March 2025
Prairie State Bonsai Society
Dear Members,
One of the major highlights of 2025 was the Silhouette Show, held on February 22-23 at the Morton Arboretum. The event was well attended, aided in part by favorable weather. The Arboretum also hosted a Train Show that weekend, bringing in model train enthusiasts—many of whom stopped by to admire our bonsai display. Our Special Events Chair, Craig Cronquist, may share more details about the show. Given its success, we anticipate hosting future Silhouette Shows at the Morton Arboretum.
Numerous attendees of the Silhouette Show expressed interest in joining the club by taking advantage of a temporary free three-month membership. We warmly welcome them and encourage them to attend our upcoming meetings. They will also receive our newsletter throughout their trial membership. If you’re a new member, we invite you to introduce yourself at our next meeting—we’d love to meet you!
Looking ahead, we have an engaging program planned for our March meeting. Linda Camp of BC Bonsai will lead a hands-on workshop for members who participated in last year’s Forest Workshop. If you attended the workshop, we encourage you to bring your forests for review and potential rearrangement.
We’re also excited about the special events scheduled for 2025, including:
1. Annual Picnic – Sunday, June 29, 2025
2. Destination Asia (DA) Show – August 2-3, 2025 (Note: Consider spelling out “DA” if necessary for clarity.)
3. Naperville Riverwalk Event – Mid-summer (dates TBD)
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Your passion and dedication make our society’s events successful and enjoyable. Let’s continue growing together in our bonsai journey and sharing our passion with others throughout 2025!
Best regards,
Badar Zulqarni
President, Prairie State Bonsai Society
