Who's going to the Potomac festival in Washington D.C. at the National Arboretum?
I will be there bright and early tomorrow, and perhaps Saturday too. Hope the Azaleas and Wisteria are still in bloom, we got an early warm start to our spring here, but now its cold again.
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Education/events.html#May
Potomac Bonsai Festival
May 2, 10:00am-5:00pm
May 3, 10:00am-5:00pm
May 4, 10:00am-5:00pm
National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Arboretum Grounds
The National Arboretum in partnership with the Potomac Bonsai Association and the National Bonsai Foundation presents the 2008 Potomac Bonsai Festival from Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4.
Exhibits of bonsai trees owned by members of the Potomac Bonsai Association will be on display in the Arboretum’s Administration Building from 10:00am until 5:00pm, and from the permanent collection of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum from 10:00am until 4:00pm each day. A sales tent offering bonsai, pots, and related bonsai accessories from a variety of bonsai vendors* will be open on Friday May 2, from 10:00am to 5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. This annual sale offers novice and expert bonsai enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase high quality bonsai at reasonable prices.
[* Bonsai Supply; Clarke Bonsai; Gardens Unlimited; Lang Bonsai; Little Trees Bonsai; Nature’s Way; Meehan’s Miniatures; Osiga]
On Saturday, from 10:00am to 4:00pm, the arboretum will be selling bonsai books and magazines that have been declared surplus. These are items that duplicate what is already in the library collection. They range from de-accessioned library copies to out-of-print collectibles. The sale is located in the Administration Building lobby.
This year’s festival features two world class bonsai artists who will share their knowledge and skills of the horticultural and design principles used in training bonsai, such as choosing the front of the tree, training the tree through wiring, pruning techniques, and soil requirements during a series of free demonstrations open to festival participants.
Mr. Shinichi Nakajima from Japan will do demonstrations featuring a large juniper bonsai on Saturday, May 3 at 1:00pm and Sunday, May 4 at 12:00pm. Mr. Shinichi Nakajima is President of the Nippon Bonsai Growers’ Association. He began his bonsai training as a boy under the direction of his father Tsuneichi Nakajima, a bonsai master, and became a member of the board of directors of Nippon Bonsai Growers’ Association in 1979. Mr. Nakajima was one of the first bonsai instructors certified by Nippon Bonsai Association in 1981. He has been teaching and lecturing worldwide on the beauty of bonsai and its artistic value since 1985 and appeared on NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Network, as a bonsai instructor for several years.
Ms. Cheryl Manning from California will do a demonstration featuring a small black pine bonsai on Saturday, May 3, at 11:00am. Ms. Cheryl Manning began her bonsai training in 1981 in California, studying with bonsai masters John Naka, Ben Oki, Harry Hirao, and Jim Barrett. Ms. Manning was selected by John Naka to join Nampu Kai Club, a prestigious bonsai study group founded by Mr. Naka. Ms. Manning has written numerous articles for many bonsai publications including Journal of the American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Today and edited John Naka’s Sketchbook. In 1994 she completed a one-year apprenticeship with bonsai master Yasuo Mitsuya in Toyohashi, Japan and has the unique distinction of being one of only two women outside of Japan to receive this prestigious internship.
Admission to the festival is free.