Role Call: Potomac Festival - Washington D.C.

ekillians

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.

__________________
The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'
-- John F. Kennedy

Advertisement

ekillians

LOL... those heads are HUUUUGE! But I'm gonna leave it that way, kind of humorous don't you agree?



Also, Mr. Bush has squandered so much money on this war he wants to cut the budget to the National Arboretum from $5 million to $3 million.

Check out the info on that story:
http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/site/images/letter.pdf

And sign on the online petition or send a real letter here:
Signing only takes less than two minutes and may make a difference - really!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nationalarboretum

I signed, who else will

__________________
The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'
-- John F. Kennedy

Sailor_Jerry

I'm going!

I can't make Friday due to work, but I plan to be ther all day Saturday and possibly part of Sunday as well.

I'm crazy go nuts excited to see all the vendors, especially Garden Unlimited.

BunjinEnt

I'll be there Saturday.

__________________
Life without Bonsai would be...well, death.

Sailor_Jerry

PS: ekillians, the wisteria and azaleas are indeed still in bloom. Well, the ones in my neghborhood (about 30 min north of DC) are anyway...

Dale Cochoy

I'll be 'passing' on vending this year after about 18ish years. I'll miss it after so many years.
Isn't Tom Brown ( Shadyside) going to be vending?
I also notice a few others not listed?

Who hired the two speakers? PBA or the Nat. Arb?
Dale

__________________
________________________________
If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
__________________________________________

Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
____________________________________________
Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio

ekillians

Funny you should mention, i just stopped by Toms new place today. Extremely nice guy, very informative stop by his new place in Glen Rock, PA. He said he hasn't been down to the Arboretum in a while for the Potomac festival but he's making progress on his new place by leaps and bounds. I encourage everyone to stop by and check him out especially as he gets all his stock from the old place to the new.


-EK

__________________
The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'
-- John F. Kennedy

grantw

My wife and I planning on attending Saturday, staying overnight and spend some time on Sunday; making a nice weekend of the short trip.

As this is our first time attending any festival, could someone give us an idea of what to expect? I presume this might be a good opportunity to purchase a nice finished Bonsai or two? How are prices?

Thanks,

Grant
(3 hours from DC)

cray13

If you think money spent insuring our security so that we can even particpate in bonsai is a waste then I disagree. Instead of signing a petition a non-profit organization should be created and money donated to insure the bonsai exhibit is properly staffed by paid professionals or experienced volunteers. Why be at the mercy of the government. When has the government ever run anything efficiently?

I for one don't want any tax money spent on the bonsai exhibit. I appreciate bonsai but not everyone else does... so why should their money be spent on something they have no interest in? To them this would be a complete waste of our tax dollars. You can find examples of wasteful spending throughout government. Like here in NC they spent millions of tax dollars on a tea pot museum. Far less important then supporting our military or basic infrastructure like roads and bridges. As much as I love bonsai and see the National Arboretum as a true treasure, I don't see it as a high priority for our government to maintain.

If we love it so much then we should put our money where our mouth is and not expect the government to handle it all. Anyway, just differing opinions here.