ABOUT US
HISTORY OF THE CLUB
Latest Update: In 2016 PPBS became a study group, and then in 2019 was inactivated when the teacher Steve Alford -- whose mother had started the group in 1987 -- decided to retire.
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The Pikes Peak Bonsai Society was founded on May 9, 1987 by Sonya Alford, our first president. Sonya had made
some bonsai while working at the greenhouse of the Horticultural Art Society here
(1438 N. Hancock) and had been asked by the management about starting a bonsai club. Ross Huddleson,
Charles "Charlie" Richards, and Mary Alice Ayling were among the original members, and these four are still participating in our
group. Sonya contacted the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society president in
Denver, Dick Meleney, who sent down member Allan Hills to be a guest speaker at the first meeting of six members and a few
guests. (Sonya and Ross had participated in the Horticulture for the Pikes Peak Region Spring Plant Sale previous
to our club's founding.) The Denver club held their 17th Annual Bonsai Show in June at the
Denver Botanic Gardens. (These shows continue through
the present and several of our members regularly attend the two-day display of some of the state's finest trees in minature.)
The first set of our club by-laws were presented at our Aug. 25 meeting.
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The Nov. 12, 1988 meeting had a showing of the rented Bonsai Clubs International (BCI) audiovisual program, #11, "the National
Bonsai Collection." Fifty slides and a 16-minute cassette tape showed the trees in 1976 when the
Collection was first introduced and also in 1986.
A nationally distributed article, "Bonsai: Minature Fascination" by Edwin Safford of the Providence Journal was published in
the Colorado Springs Gazette on Dec. 8. For our local version of this article, it included two color photos
by Bob Jackson, one of Larry Estes' "evergreen in terra cotta pot" and one of Sonya's blooming bougainvillea, which she had
started long ago in that greenhouse. Plus there was a small sidebar about our club. (On Dec. 10 the article was
printed in Denver's Rocky Mountain News, but without any local informnation.) Sonya was still president, and we
met on the second Saturday of each month at the Horticultural Art Society offices. The Feb. 11, 1989 meeting screened
the BCI audiovisual program #12, "Introduction to Bonsai."
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Pikes Peak Bonsai Society logo, 1993
Jim Summerville was president in 1993 of the 18-member Pikes Peak Bonsai Society and Mary Alice was secretary. Mike Sandifer edited
the newsletter which was a single sheet folded in half to make four half-size pages. Monthly meeting
notices were generally sent out on colored paper postcards. The October meeting opened with the 58th Annual
Penrose Apple Day parade south of Colorado Springs, followed by lunch
and a dig of small junipers in East Penrose. Master gardener
Harold Sasaki of Denver gave a demo at the Colorado Springs Senior Center on Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. (This long-time friend of
our club has been an instructor at the Denver Botanic Gardens since the late 1970s. The previous September he had
participated in the International Bonsai Arboretum Symposium in Rochester, NY,
and in July, 1986 he had given a lecture-demo on Ponderosa Pines in Washington, DC at the joint BCI/American Bonsai Society
convention.)
Harold Sasaki (right) with assistant Larry Jackel after his demonstration at International Bonsai Congress,
July 1986,
Washington, D.C.
(Bonsai Magazine, BCI, Vol. XXV, No. 6, November/December 1986, pg. 20)
Pikes Peak Bonsai Society logo, 1995
Ross Huddleson was president in 1995 and '96, and by that first year a quarterly newsletter had given way to a more or less monthly
single-page sheet being mailed to all
members. The Dec. 9 meeting at a member's home was followed by a holiday dinner at The China Village restaurant on N. Union.
Pikes Peak Bonsai Society logo, 1996
The monthly newsletter on two sides of a sheet of white or colored paper would be edited by Ron Setter in 1996. Club dues were $10 per
year. Club meetings were usually held at either the Colorado Springs Senior Center (1514 N. Hancock), Los Robles Nursery
café (918 W. Costilla), or private members' homes on the second Saturday of the month at 10:00 a.m.
On Apr. 13, Harold Sasaki conducted a demo-workshop for the club at the old West Middle School. And on Aug. 10 a bonsai show
with demonstration and raffle was held at the Donaldson (aka Asian) House, 1123 N. Cascade Ave. on the campus of
Colorado College, just north of downtown Colorado Springs. The event was
held as a memorial to the late member Marshall Cross. There were about two dozen members in the club at this time.
In 1997 the Pikes Peak newsletter was titled "bonsai journal" and was edited by Marie Walling. In July, the ABS
Convention was held in Denver and Harold Sasaki gave a demo on Englemann spruce and a workshop on Black Hills spruce. A 10th
anniversary party celebrating the organizing of our club was held in Sept. 1997. By that Aug. 9, the Pikes Peak Bonsai
Society's big annual show was again held at the Donaldson House of Colorado College. The show featured a demonstration by
Harold Sasaki, and the show's coordinator was Mary Alice. Subsequent single-day shows at this venue were held on Aug. 8, 1998 and
Aug. 14, 1999. The two-day show format would begin Aug. 12-13, 2000 and then Aug. 11-12, 2001.
Long-time club member and master gardener Pete Apostolas would also regularly demonstrate, assisted by members
such as Rick Ruggles and Ross Huddleson.
The September 1998 meeting was at
Sonya's in Lake George, CO, where she lived from 1989 through 2008.
Lynne Ryder was the club president at the beginning of 1999, followed by Ross later in the year. On May 1, 1999 a spring
show was held at Los Robles Nursery. An azalea workshop with Harold Sasaki up in Denver was the mid-June meeting. The
non-private home meetings for the rest of 1999 and throughout 2000 were all at Los Robles Nursery.
In January 2000 a reorganization of the club led to an experiment without formal officers, the responsibility
for each monthly meeting being undertaken by one individual member. (For the next twenty-one months, the
club's newsletter would be titled "Bonsai News" and continue to be edited by Marie Walling, followed for a few months by Mary Alice.)
The local chapter of Ikebana International
invited us to bring some of our trees to display during their March 15, 2000 meeting at the
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Harold
Sasaki conducted a workshop on May 13 at the Senior Center for us. And the June meeting was a car-pool
trip up to Harold's nursery in Wheat Ridge, outside of Denver. The club was again invited to bring trees to display at the
Japan-America Society of Southern Colorado
meeting at the Fine Arts Center on Oct. 21.
At the start of 2001, the year-long experiment with no officers was ended and Pete Apostolas was elected
president of the Pikes Peak Bonsai Society. On March 23, the Colorado Springs Gazette included an
article by reporter Dru Wilson about the club. Harold Sasaki,
Pete Apostolas, and Mary Alice Ayling were quoted in this good overall introduction to bonsai. In April, the non-private
home meetings were moved to just the Senior Center as we said good-bye to the Los Robles Nursery, which was
closing. On May 4 Harold Sasaki conducted a demonstration-workshop
at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. On May 19 Pete Apostolas conducted a Beginning Bonsai Workshop at his home.
Starting in October 2001 through April 2003, the monthly mailing of the club would be titled "Pikes Peak Bonsai Society of Colorado
Springs Newsletter." It was edited by fairly new member Larry Rohr.
The 2002 show (Aug. 10-11) was held at the Japanese-Chinese Language House of Colorado College, behind 1196 N. Cascade.
In 2003 the club dues were raised to $20 per year per family. The May 2003 meeting was up at Harold Sasaki's nursery.
In June the first e-mailed version of the newsletter was made as an alternative to standard mail, with Claudia and Jim Eley as
editors. The monthly was simply titled "Pikes Peak Bonsai Society." Living in Green Mountain Falls, the Eley's most
years in June would have club members meet there, dig small trees, collect rocks and moss, and finish with a potluck lunch. An
Aug. 16 display and sale was held as part of the Community Hands-on Art Day at the Fine Arts Center. A one-day show on September
6 was held at the Worner Center of the Colorado College, 902 N. Cascade Ave. This is the campus' student union building.
On November 8, Harold Sasaki conducted another workshop here.
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Founding Member Mary Alice Ayling.
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Claudia and Jim Eley.
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From June 19-20, 2004 the Pikes Peak Bonsai Society participated in the
Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society's
annual show at the Denver Botanic Gardens. That
September saw a second club show here at Colorado College's Worner Center.
On Sept. 10, 2005 the club's new official web site debuted at
www.phoenixbonsai.com/PikesPeak Bonsai.html.
The logo in use shortly afterwards at the top of the pages was this modified photo and text combination based on
an existing design:
Serving the Colorado Springs, CO Area since 1987
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From Oct. 22-23 the club's annual show
was again held at Colorado College's Worner Center. Bill Fox was elected president in December.
Our May 2006 meeting was at Cliff Broyles' and the following month saw a dig at Claudia and Jim Eley's. From Sept. 23-24,
our annual show was held at Colorado College's Worner Center. Gazette
reporter Shari Chaney Griffin visited on Saturday and had an article in the next day's paper (pg. Metro 3),
"Variety of plant types on display at bonsai exhibition". On Saturday we also held our first "Peoples' Choice" vote during
the show. Pete's fiery Japanese maple forest was named as the most favored by the visitors throughout the day.
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From Sept. 2006, (standing l. to r.) Robert Baran, Pete Apostolas,
Bill Fox, and (seated) Founding Member
Charlie Richards.
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Founding Member Ross Huddleson.
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The first edition of the club's yearbook was published in January 2007, dedicated to our founder Sonya Alford (who would soon
rejoin our meetings). This useful guide was spearheaded and includes photographs by Cliff Broyles, who would continue to at least
co-edit these annually for most of the next six years.
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Club Founder and First President, Sonya Alford.
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Yearbook #1.
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Cliff Broyles.
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A bonsai workshop with a handout was held at
Phelan's Gardens in lieu of our March 10 meeting. Our May meeting was at
Cliff Broyles', the following month saw a dig at Claudia and Jim Eley's, and July's meeting was at Pete Apostolas'. From
Sept. 29-30, our annual show was held at Colorado College's Worner Center.
In mid-March 2008, the club participated in the two-day Spencer's Lawn & Garden Centers Success Show with a
demonstration and educational display. We would be in the show for at least the next six years as well. On April 12,
Harold Sasaki
conducted an excellent workshop/critique of trees here for 22 of us. Our annual show
was held at Colorado College's Worner Center from Sept. 27-28. In November, Steve Alford (Sonya's son) took over
the monthly notification duties and for the next two years produced a detailed newsletter with color
photos. David Conlin was elected our next president in December. Robert Baran was Vice-President and Charlie
Richards continued as Treasurer.
At our February 2009 meeting, the club had a hands-on making of custom pots with clay the club had purchased. The
pieces were slow drying, would be fired in a few weeks, and be ready for taking home in April. This workshop would be
repeated the next two years. Archival copies of our newsletters were now on-line as of
late June.
Starting with a design that had been custom-embroidered on members' shirts over the past few years, member Harve Wolfe's artistic
granddaughter presented us a modified logo example which underwent suggested changes that were voted on by the members throughout
the summer. In early September a new logo was officially accepted by club members to act as our brand:
This logo was added to our web site pages and put on both a large 30x72" banner and a 24x36" sandwich board for advertising
club activities, thanks to the efforts of Henriette Gregorio.
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President (2009-2011) David Conlin.
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Robert Baran and Kenny Asher.
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Steve Alford.
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As a prelude to our fall show at Colorado College's Worner Center, Fountain Valley News and El Paso County Advertiser and News
on Sept. 23 ran a story with color photo by Janet Huntington on the lower right front cover and two b&w photos from previous
shows on pg. 66. The caption to the first photo for "The Ancient Art of Bonsai Grows in Fountain" was captioned
"Bonsai artist and historian (l to r) Robert Baran and his son Kenny Asher show off a fine example of a bonsai from
Douglas Fir." (The tree was actually a medium-sized slant-style Ponderosa Pine collected earlier this year, and used with
the kind permission of its owner, Cliff Broyles.) The Sept. 26-27 show held at Colorado
College's Worner Center was followed the next day with an article in The Gazette.
"Bending the Bonsai Rules" by Maria St. Louis-Sanchez
(pp. A3, A5) was based on interviews with Steve Alford, David Conlin, and Robert Baran and primarily was about the tiny
tire swing which Steve had hanging from one of his trees (and which he also was offering for sale in three sizes).
Two b&w photos by Jerilee Bennett were included, one of which was looking out through the new shohin/mame
(bonsai under 12" tall) stand we had. Our year-end luncheon with gift exchange was held at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort,
thanks to assistance by Mary Alice Ayling. This would be repeated the next three years as well.
A club-run demo/workshop was held in May 2010 at Bill Fox's house. For a fee, participants could have either a dwarf
myrtle, orange jasmine, or Chinese elm, which they then initially shaped. A summer show
was held for the first time on July 17-18 at the Citadel Mall. The response was outstanding. Bill and Pete made the
local Fox 21 Morning News on behalf of the club. Our fall show was held Oct. 16-17
at Colorado College for the eighth year, this time with a well-received workshop feature.
Again, a club-run demo/workshop was held in May 2011 at Bill Fox's house. For a fee, participants could have either a
Ligustrum (privet), Sageretia (Chinese sweet plum), or Ulmus (Chinese elm). Our fall show
was held Oct. 22-23 at Colorado College, for the ninth year, again with a workshop feature. At year end a new administration
was elected: Pete Apostolas as President, Bill Fox as Vice President, and Cliff Broyles as Treasurer.
June 2012 saw a joint BCI/ABS convention in Denver, again, and Harold Sasaki was one of the participants. The club's
2012 annual show was that Labor Day weekend at the
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Fifty-one persons total
participated in our two workshops both afternoons. Thirty-five persons attended our demonstrations. Eleven new
members joined us over the weekend, and also one member returned after being away a few years. In early November we
had a workshop on the banks of the Arkansas River at
Seufer's Tree Farm in Cañon City. And also that month Pete and Bill
conducted a Basic Bonsai Workshop at Harlan Wolfe Ranch.
The 2013 Pikes Peak Bonsai Society Show was held Oct. 5 - 6 at the old Ivywild School.
The 2014 year starts off with new president Steve Alford and a new meeting site: Creekside Meeting Room, 2002 Creek Crossing St.,
Colo. Springs, CO 80905 (the southeast corner of W. 21st St. and W. Rio Grande St). In February, Ficus expert
Jerry Meislik presented an excellent workshop for us. And the regular meeting that month was held at a new location,
the Community Meeting Room of Fire Station #14, near Dublin and Academy Blvds, with the Creekside Meeting Room becoming an
alternative site. In April, we hosted a workshop with Michael Hagedorn, one of the few Americans who have spent
several years in Japan doing an apprenticeship with a Japanese Master. In June we
traveled to Canyon City for a workshop at Seufer Tree Farm.
Peter Tea presented a Workshop at S&S Bonsai. In
September's wiring workshop we voted to change our meeting dates to 7-9 p.m. on the Third Tuesday of the month beginning in
October. This was done to address low attendance during this year of reconfigurations. (For financial reasons we
neither had a yearbook nor put on a show in 2014.)
At the beginning of May, 2015 Matt Reel was in Colorado
Springs for a workshop. In mid-July the club's very successful first show
was held at the new Pikes Peak Library District 21C Library. A workshop with Todd Schaffer from Denver on Junipers was held
at S & S Bonsai in mid-September. November's meeting was cancelled because of a blizzard that day, so the regularly-scheduled
elections were held in December along with our Christmas Party at the Bass Pro Shop.
This history is primarily derived from material in older issues of the club newsletters, this website, and informal interviews
with various senior club members.
An ongoing listing of the last several years' worth of our previous meetings' activities
can be found here.
© 2005 - 2016 Pikes Peak Bonsai Society
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