November Meeting Information

Saturday, November 8, 1p.m.

On Becoming Winterwise

By Randolph Lewis and Randy Clark

A resounding Republican victory? The first black man to win the White House? An end to the mortgage crisis? A rebound in the floundering stock market? It's hard to say what the next few weeks will bring, but we can guarantee one thing for sure.... WINTER. And that's the topic for this month's meeting. Our resident sensei at the Bonsai Learning Center, Randy Clark, will present a program on how to get your bonsai ready for winter. Winter protection is not a particularly difficult proposition for those living in the Carolinas, but a few precautions need to be taken. Randy will cover them all and tell us the most efficient ways to make sure your bonsai (both tropical and temperate) survive the worst that Carolina can dish out. If you are new to bonsai, this is one meeting you should be sure to attend, and even old pros might learn a thing or too as well. So make plans to join us in November as we work together On Becoming Winterwise.

Also on the agenda at the November meeting will be the announcement of the slate of candidates running for the club offices of president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The nominations received so far by Nominations Committee chair Chris Jenkins will be presented and then the meeting will be opened to the membership for nominations from the floor. The close of the meeting will mark the end of the nominating period for the upcoming election, so if you still have someone to nominate who is willing to serve, this will be your last chance. To nominate someone before the meeting, contact Chris at christopher_jenkins@earthlink.net.

Report from the 2008 Carolina Bonsai Expo

The 2008 Carolina Bonsai Expo at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville has come and gone and what an event it was! The whole weekend was a resounding success and a positive experience for everyone fortunate enough to be in attendance. And what’s more, congratulations are in order for the Bonsai Society of the Carolinas’ award-winning expo display. That’s right, we had a great display and it showed, as we were co-recipient of the Curator’s award for Most Creative Group Display, bestowed by Arboretum Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura. In the words of John Dixon, who as event coordinator was responsible for organizing our display, “Arthur has been a great friend to both our club and the bonsai community. To obtain the Curator Award from him tells me that we are supporting his vision of bonsai in the Southeast.” For those who didn’t have a chance to see our display, the theme was “Down Home Bonsai” and it featured some of our club members’ best trees juxtaposed with objects and memorabilia evocative of the rural southern experience. The overall effect was true to the vision: fun, informal, and without a doubt out of the ordinary. As Dixon put it, ”Suffice it to say, our display was not going to infringe on anyone else's copyright!”

Thanks and congratulations to everyone who devoted time, talent, and resources to this effort including: club members who exhibited bonsai and accents, those who lent objects to provide our display the requisite Southern charm, those who assisted in the on-site construction of the display, those who took shifts staffing the display during the weekend to answer questions, and all club members who attended the expo. And last but not least, many thanks to event coordinator John Dixon for his visionary role in heading up this entire effort and seeing it through to success.

Finally, the BSC wishes to recognize Arthur Joura and the Arboretum staff for the great job they do producing the Carolina Bonsai Expo this year and every year. This event gives our club something to look forward to, something to strive for, and a wonderful opportunity to learn, both from other enthusiasts as well as from the world-class guest artists and instructors who participate. Thanks to Arthur and everyone at the Arboretum for making it all possible.

Our club's display contained the following bonsai and accents (L to R):

Chinese Elm group (rock planting) - Randy Clark
Grass planting w/ceramic tiger- John Dixon
Japanese Black Pine - Steve Pilacik
Trident Maple- Randy Clark
Corkscrew accent planting- Kitty Craig
Japanese White Pine and Grass accent - Jim Hanley
Shimpaku Juniper- Mike Brawley

At left: A detail of this year's display at the Expo showing Mike Brawley's juniper and Jim Hanley's pine. Below: A close up shot of Randy Clark's large Trident maple.

An overhead shot of a portion of the vendor's area at this year's Carolina Bonsai Expo.

This Red Pine literati won both the "Best In Show" and the "Instructor's Award".

Here is a complete list of awards and recipients from the 2008 Carolina Bonsai Expo:

Best In Show, Individual, as chosen by the guest artist: Red Pine literati, by Michael Dietz of the Mid-Appalachian Bonsai Kai, Johnson City, TN.
Best In Show, Group Display, as chosen by the guest artist: RMBB Study Group, Columbia, SC.
People's Choice Award for Best In Show, Individual: Bald Cypress formal upright, by Ed Lauer of the Triangle Bonsai Society, Raleigh, NC.
Peer Award for Best In Show, Individual: Bald Cypress formal upright, by Ed Lauer of the Triangle Bonsai Society, Raleigh, NC.
Instructor's Award for Best In Show, Individual: Red Pine literati, by Michael Dietz of the Mid-Appalachian Bonsai Kai, Johnson City, TN.
Curator's Award for Most Creative Group Display: (co-winners) Bonsai Society of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC; Hinoki Bonsai Club, Roanoke, VA.

This bald cypress planting by Ed Lauer of the Traingle Bonsai Society won both the "Peoples Choice Award" and the "Peer Award" at this year's Carolina Bonsai Expo.

October Meeting - Recap

By all accounts, our first annual Member Appreciation Day was a big success. The picnic was the main event and the food provided by Johnson And Wales was out of this world. Kudos to club Vice-President Randy Clark for organizing the menu and acting as liaison with Johnson and Wales. Those who weren’t able to make it missed out on some great grub. At the meeting John Dixon also filled us in on the plan for our club’s Carolina Bonsai Expo display and we were treated to a preliminary look at the trees. And let’s not forget the swap meet aspect of this event, where I hear some truly great bargains were had. And finally, congratulations to John and Maggie Farrell, winners of the October silent auction and proud new owners of the shohin Japanese Black Pine styled by Steve Pilacik at our August meeting.

The catering staff at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte provided a feast for this year's club picnic. Desserts provided by our club members were an excellent finish to a great meal.

At left: The Bonsai Learning Center was decorated with fall colors providing a seasonal backdrop to the picnic festivities. Below: Kitty Craig (center) helps raffle chairman John Phillips select some winning numbers while Maggie Farrell thinks about putting in a bid on Steve Pilacik's shohin black pine (which she later won).

At left: Our Exhibit Chairman also attended the picnic and gave us a look at the display tables he had constructed for this year's Expo. We have no idea what he was keeping in his little brown jug, but we bet it wasn't plant food.

On The Horizon

Coming up in December is the BSC’s annual Holiday Party. This event is always a great time and a good opportunity to get to know our fellow club members better, while enjoying some good food. This year’s party will feature a pot luck dessert spread, so start thinking about a favorite seasonal treat to bring and share.

Other News

The planning board is continuing to explore new ideas for the content, format, and guest artists for future BSC meetings. They are very anxious to receive input from the membership on these issues. Any members with ideas they wish to share with this body should contact planning board chair Rusty Harris at nclivingwaters@ctc.net.