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Articles Most Recent Articles MBS Membership Event at the Cooper-Young Festival | MBS Membership Event at the Cooper-Young Festival |
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| Written by Fred Nowak | |
| Wednesday, 22 September 2010 | |
It was a dark early morning, the clouds were broiling and the threat of rain  was imminent, lightning coursed across the sky and the wind howled....... No, it really wasn't that way. The sky was clear; one could see the stars; there was no lightning; and the breeze was gentle as Shirley Boyd and Sharon Stephenson from Brussels Bonsai trudged there way from home in a large Ford 250 pick-up truck to go to Brussels to pick up ice, an ice cooler, chairs and carts for the job that needed to be done at the Cooper-Young Festival on Saturday morning at the booth that was being sponsored by the Memphis Bonsai Society. Four AM is a pretty early start in anyone's books. They started early and ended up late (after 7 PM that same day) working for the benefit of the Bonsai Society.Fred Nowack arrived just a few minutes before Shirley and Sharon. Fred brought the trees he selected at Brussels after getting selection input from Dana Quattlembaum. He also brought sandwiches and baked goodies (ala Cecile), bottled water, chips, tools, a cash box with petty cash. Rick O'Brien showed up next with his Van filled with racks, tables, chairs, another cooler, a tent top, aprons, and a Memphis Bonsai Society banner for all to see. He was closely followed by Darryl Bailey who brought his expertise so he could do demo work to stimulate interest... and stimulate interest he did. Rick's wife Pammy came and brought homemade cookies that were put out on the demo table as an enticement, especially for youngsters Shortly after taking care of some chores at home, Tom Essmeyer appeared and stayed the rest of the working day. Tom got his morning walk workout because the parking was at a premium by then and he must have walked a mile to get there. Shirley and Sharon were kind enough to taxi him back to his car when the day was through. David Lindstrom appeared a bit later to lend a helping hand. He also brought a trident maple in a root over rock style with him for Darryl to work on. The tree turned out great after Darryl put his clippers to it. Between all that were present, one could take turns leaving to see what the festival had to offer, and there was plenty to see and do. Some shopping was done. The crowds picked up as the day went on and we quickly ran out of material to hand out. Shirley laid out a pen and paper and we were able to collect the names and e-mail addresses of those who expressed interest. I believe that over 100 names and e-mail addresses were collected. We hope that there will be a continuing interest in Bonsai on their part. That was the purpose of why we were there- not to make money (although that always helps) but to garner interested folks so we (the Bonsai Society) can grow and spread the great hobby of bonsai to a larger community. When 7 PM arrived, we quickly tore down all that had been built and packed it away. We were all a bit weary but pleased by what had been accomplished - the word was spread about the Art of Bonsai, the Memphis Bonsai Society and Brussels Bonsai Nursery. For those who were unable to make it, we are sorry you missed out on the opportunity to interact with the public and with fellow members. It was a long day but one that was rewarding. A welcome message went out to everyone that signed up for our email newsletter to encourage them to come to the next meeting (October 26th). A footnote for your attention: Bjorn Bjornholm, is in town and will be here for an extended period of time. If you need help with your trees, you can contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it He was one of our guest artists early this year, a young, talented Bonsai Artist who studied in Japan under the Masters. He can quote you prices for his personal services. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 October 2010 ) |
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