Kusamura Club Calendar

May 2009
• May 15 - 4 Demos focusing on bonsai basics for newer members

June 2009
• Tosh Retrospective Night (Rescheduled to July)

July 2009
• Black Pine Demo (Moved to June)

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Other Events
May 9-10 Palo Alto, Bonsai and Suiseki Akebono & Cashu Suiseki Kai:  Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, 2751 Lewis Road. Saturday 12-5:00PM and Sunday 10-5:00PM. Demos at 2:00PM each day.

May 30-31 Sacramento, California American Bonsai Association: 50th Anniversary Show, Sale & Celebration, 10AM-4:30PM, at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. Hands-on workshops for all levels from novice to advanced enthusiasts; large member and vendor sales areas; raffles and door prizes. Demonstration daily at 1:30PM by renowned bonsai professionals. Timm Johnson, 916-362-8147; BonsaiTimm@aol.com

May 30-31 Sacramento, California American Bonsai Association, 50th Anniversary Show & Celebration, 10AM-4:30PM, at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. Hands-on workshops for all levels from beginners to advanced enthusiasts; large member sales and vendor area; hourly raffles and door prizes. Demonstration daily at 1:30PM by renowned bonsai professionals. Timm Johnson, 916-362-8147; BonsaiTimm@aol.com

May 15, 2009 – Starting 6:45 PM sharp! (Yes, 15 minutes earlier this month.   We have to clean up starting at 8:30 PM so the “Hotel De Zinc” can come in promptly at 9:00 PM)

The May program is geared toward new and existing members. We will be demonstrating rather quickly the process of creating several different types of bonsai.  Our program will cover four species of trees around the room:  A Maple group lead by Jerry Carpenter, an Elm demonstration by Michael Greenstein, a Juniper demo by Bill Scott, and basic maple pruning by Dave Curbow.  We will be showing how each should be planted, nourished, and styled.  We will be able to walk around, watch, and ask questions of the demonstrators as well as hear commentary from John Planting. 

Message from the President: Charlene Fischer
A huge thank you for an outstanding 2009 show!Several visitors complimented us on the elegant display with bonsai surprises at every bend, the informational demonstrations, and the variety and quality of our trees (both in the show and for sale).  We had 17 people inspired enough to sign up for our newsletter.  Our demos were perfectly tailored to the audience of beginners and seasoned bonsai artists.

I am extremely appreciative of the show team: Jerry Carpenter, Rita Curbow, and Stephanie North for guiding all the details needed to pull this event off.  A special thank you to Michael Greenstein, Hal Jerman, Dave and Rita Curbow, and Ken Bozzuto for the Friday evening setup as well as Dave Flynn and crew for the Friday evening setup of the exhibit hall and Tokonoma. Thank you to all who assisted Bill Scott in pricing all the sale trees and to John Planting who helped me price and list the pots consigned for sale by Don Loughry (and to Don for donating those pots that didn't sell to the club).  Jane Iki and Bill, thank you for keeping the plant sales going at a steady pace.  Thank you to Helen Reist for making the dining room was a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle.  Finally a big high-five to John Thompson and Lonnie McCormick for the Saturday demo and to Sandy Planting and Ricardo Archilla for the Sunday demo.  A special thank you to the thought and effort Dave Curbow put into the educational display and the extra club meeting signage in the entrance hall. Thank you to all whom I haven't mentioned who volunteered more than one time at the reception table, at the plant sale, in the kitchen, and in the exhibit to greet and talk with our visitors. Finally, a big thank you to all those who picked up and returned all that we store in the shed.  Never forget that everyone contributes to the success of this show, from preparing plants for sale to cleaning up at the end.  No matter what level of effort - it supports the bigger goal and you ALL deserve congratulations for a job well done.

Certificate of Merit Awards: Jerry Carpenter
Last year, as Show Chair, I wanted to start a new tradition at our shows by rewarding members who did an outstanding job of preparing their trees, the formal Tokonoma, and accent items. I started by giving out several certificates. These certificates are not given based on judging a tree for its perfection because we do not have certified judges in our club. Rather, they are rewards for a job well done. We wanted to reward members for evolving trees, studying the art of the presentation, for creating a clean formal design setting. That means pots must be cleaned well, trees and dressings done, scrolls chosen well, and the accents items developed and placed well. I, personally, think that rewarding members for a job well done contributes to the overall desire to do better and to excel with the organization. We work hard to put on a show and work hard on our plants. We show because we are proud of what we have done with these trees.

This year we had a wonderful team of Charlene Fischer, Stephanie North, Rita Curbow and I who observed the tokonomas and presented the certificates. I wanted them primarily to chose the awardees this year so they may pass on this tradition of the Certificate of Merit Awards.

In Memoriam: Fritz Howard
“It is with great sorrow that I bring you news of Fritz Howard, lifetime member of the Kusamura Bonsai Club, who passed away on Thursday, March 12, 2009. Fritz always loved the club and was so happy to be able to host many of its meetings at this home.”

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