There are no borders in bonsai. The dove of peace flies to palace as to humble house, to young as to old, to rich and poor. So does the bonsai spirit. John Yoshio Naka Bonsai Society of the Lehigh Valley Bonsai Times P.O. Box 1684, Bethlehem, PA 18016 February, 2018 Message From the President Greetings from the unkept desk of my office. Winter is still trying to make itself known but there is a mild thaw going on as I write this note. Thank you all for putting your trust in me and our board members to lead this organization and make it interesting and better for all involved. Thank you to Greg for his leadership of the past years of his tenure ship. Now is the time to look at your trees and do some wiring and pruning before the sap starts to flow In deciduous species. As the winter ebbs make sure your trees stored outside don t dehydrate in the winds of Spring. Those protected still need some water as well as they thaw. The Spring schedule will be out shortly if it isn t already. Remember MABS is coming in April. New trees are always welcomed from any member for submission. Plan to attend and learn new or reinforce old ideas and processes. See you at the meetings and thank you for your support of BSLV. Bob Ruhe BSLV President, Bob Ruhe BSLV Board President: Bob Ruhe Vice President: Ken Tietjens Secretary/ Treasurer: Jack Kane Program/Education: Jim Gillespie Newsletter: Linda Kondikoff Director: Rodney Conn Director: Jim Heacock Director: Dave Tettemer Past President: Greg Krause A team of BSLV members came early to set up our space at the Cherry Blossom Festival in spring. Our display attracted many visitors and our volunteers did a good job of educating through demos and answering questions.
BSLV 2018 Spring Semester Our NEW meeting room is C-309. It is the last room in the C-Wing across the parking lot from the greenhouse where we used to meet. Enter through garage door. All meetings are held at the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School at 7:30 pm unless otherwise noted. In case of inclement weather, please call Jack Kane @ 610 691-2161. Note: No smoking anywhere on BAVTS campus! February 27 (Tuesday) 7:30 Suiseki program Jim Gillespie and Dave Tettemer will discuss the art of Suiseki. Samples of various types of Suiseki will be displayed and discussed. Some discussion will also be held on nursery stock for bonsai as a preparation for the May meeting. March 27 (Tuesday) 7:30 BYO (bring your own) bonsai for refinement. Bring in an existing, styled bonsai tree in a bonsai pot. Trees may be deciduous (need not have leaves yet) or conifers. Bring whatever materials you need (tools, wires, etc.) If there is something you might want to purchase from Jim Gillespie please contact him (610 837-6688) prior to the meeting. Display suggestions for the trees will also be discussed. Bring in any trees which may be candidates for display at the MidAtlantic Conference. The club will choose 3 trees for that display. April 28 10am-5pm 5th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival, Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, PA. BSLV will participate once again by educating the public about bonsai. We will have a display of member trees. More details to follow. April 16, (Monday) 7:00 MidAtlantic speaker, Tony Tickle from England, will present a lecture/ demo. This is a joint meeting with Pennsylvania Bonsai Society at the Greater Plymouth Community Center, 2910 Jolly Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462. Details will be announced later. Demo tree will be raffled. May 22 (Tuesday) 7:30 BYO (bring your own) pre-bonsai for rough styling and potential potting. Bring in nursery stock, collected trees, etc. for rough styling. Bring whatever materials you need (tools, wires, soil, pots, etc.) If there is something you might want to purchase from Jim Gillespie please contact him (610 837-6699) prior to the meeting. June 23 (Saturday) Annual Picnic/Auction at the Kondikoff Farm. Mark the date! More details later in the season. 2
Don t Miss It! The annual MABS Spring Festival commences on Friday evening, April 13, and continues through Sunday afternoon, April 15. Renowned international professional bonsai artists present lecture/ demonstrations, workshops, and critiques of bonsai. Also vendors and MABS clubs bonsai exhibit. Demo trees will be raffled! Member attendance benefits our club by increasing the share for the cost of the speakers. Visit the MABS website for more info: http://www.midatlanticbonsai.org
Some 2017 Events Some of our members working on their trees during a BYO session Another fun memory.practically every BSLV member was able to make it to our annual picnic in June. We enjoyed a fun auction, good food, fine weather and camaraderie. Thank you to ALL the folks who helped make it a huge success the tent group, the cooks, the auctioneer, the runners, the record-keepers, the bringers of food and the hosts. Thanks for bringing your auction items too! We made a nice profit for our club. 4
Please Keep in Mind We will continue to hold silent auctions during all club meetings as an ongoing fund-raiser for club activities. Please consider offering up some of your bonsai trees, materials, tools, books or art for these monthly auctions. You keep 75% of the final price, the club gets 25%. Please check the BSLV website for links to upcoming Bonsai-Related Events (to be posted shortly) http://www.bonsaisocietylehighvalley.org Also, be sure to check out Bonsai Society of the Lehigh Valley on Facebook BSLV DUES $40.00/ individual $45.00/ family (still a bargain!) Experience Art in Nature Benefits include: B S L V Jim Gillespie 3183 Pine Rd. Danielsville, PA 18038 (610) 837-6688 jagill@verizon.net -Educational Programs & Workshops -International Speakers -Newsletters -BSLV Website -10% Discount on Sho Fu En Merchandise -Auction/Picnic -Annual Banquet 5