by John Callaway

Matt Ouwinga gave a great lecture on trident maples and workshop on February 16th. This was the second time in as many years that we have hosted Matt. He is a great presenter and artist. After the morning lecture we had several members attend the afternoon workshop, but not enough to cover his costs. This means that the club actually lost money by bringing in Matt. This is unfortunate, as a lot of our club members missed a great opportunity to work with a very talented bonsai artist.

What is it that you want from the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society? We have over 60 paid members, but rarely do we have more than 10-15 at any one meeting. I understand that we all have busy lives and can't be expected to attend every meeting. What will it take to get more members in attendance? What would excite you enough to change your plans and be there? Do you have suggestions for programs or topics that you would like to see covered? Do we need to vote to change meeting dates, times, locations? I would like to hear from each and every member on this subject. Feel free to call or email at any time.

A big thank you to Lee Squires for submitting another great article for the newsletter. I am extending a challenge to all members to contribute at least one article to the newsletter this year. This can be an informal "how-to" article, a story of your successes and failures, an interview of another club member, or a "Tree of the Month" submission. George does a great job month after month, but he needs your help.

The Greater Louisville Bonsai Society is enacting a new policy. From now on you must sign up two weeks in advance for paid workshops and have paid in advance. The club cannot afford to bring in presenters and artists at a loss. We must be able to cover their charges and expenses. If there is a lack of interest we will have to cancel future programs.

We are no longer searching for a volunteer to fill the Meeting Chair position. Lee Squires has accepted the position. Responsibilities include organizing the scheduled meeting events, collecting fees for various programs in advance, and writing brief descriptions for the newsletter. Thank you, Lee.

And lastly, I would like to thank Earl Ekman. He has volunteered to fill the recently vacated Show Chair position. Earl has already begun work on the Spring Show at Yew Dell Gardens. I know he'll do a great job and I'm sure he will be looking for all our help to put on a great show. This year we will be displaying in the barn, more than doubling our available display space. It will take a large amount of trees and the help of all the members for this show. Please contact Earl and let him know how you can help.

2nd Tuesday: Trim and Talk - Repotting
The 2nd Tuesday meeting this month will be held on Tuesday, March 11th at 7pm at the Bon Air Library. The main focus of this meeting is to encourage discussion and learning amongst members. Bring a tree, soil, tools, and wire and be ready to repot. Here you can learn from others, or do the teaching by demonstrate how to repot a problem tree, pre-bonsai, or finished specimen. This is an open forum meeting, so be sure to attend and add to the discussion.

Following Saturday: Club Day - Preparing Club Trees for Sale
On Saturday, March 15th at 10am the club will meet at the Okolona Fence Company to work on club trees. We will be preparing club trees for sale at our various events this spring, such as the Spring Show at Yew Dell Gardens and Art in the Arbor over Mother's Day weekend. In addition, we will also be organizing trees and supplies for our upcoming Beginner's Workshop. If you can attend please do so. We will be working outside, so please dress appropriately.