Alan Walker wrote:
That's an attitude that I don't get either, Billy. They
charge to get into dog shows, horse shows, sporting
events, and seemingly everything else, but somehow
everything about bonsai should be free. I think bonsai is
one of the best (and most unappreciated) bargains around.
Alan Walker


Well, MOST horse shows are free. The ones you see on TV --
the world cup, etc. -- cost a bit. The AKC shows around
here are all free (though you may pay for parking at some).
I'm sure the Westminster and Chicago dog shows charge an
arm and a leg to get in the door. But they're on national
TV. I doubt WBFF -- much less the Florida convention --
will be able to make that claim, or even local TV. We had
one local TV station show up at our show this year for the
first time EVER.

There are, in fact, a lot more devotees of both horse and
dog shows (and sporting events aren't even in the same, er,
league [sorry]) and they all have an established and at
least steady-state fan base. Lots of people have horses
(and EVERY little girl wants one). Everybody has a dog or a
cat. Of any given 100 people, maybe one has even an idea
what bonsai is. You'd probably need a pool of 500 to find
someone who owns a bonsai.

In fact, Bonsai, or so the crying goes, is losing fans.
Most of its national/international organizations are
scraping by; BCI drops its publication down to 4X a year to
save money. They and local groups should do nothing to
discourage the great unwashed public from coming in and
looking and learning (or even DOING) bonsai. Few, if any of
them, will pay the registration fee for a day at the demos,
etc. at the Florida show, much less the whole event. So if
you want to entice newcomers to the sport they should at
LEAST be able to get into the display for nothing -- if only
so they will oooh and ahh enough to then wander into the
vendor area and spend some money (for trees that undoubtedly
will die). They MAY be impressed enough to buy a day's
registration, too. But maybe not if they're nickel and
dimed to death every time they turn around.

But, as Alan notes (in a way) NOTHING is free any more.
Might as well add the Great Sport of Bonsai to the list of
things that ain't free.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only
where people have learned to appreciate and cherish the
landscape and its living cover will they treat it with the
care and respect it should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

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