Midwest Bonsai Society — Glencoe / Highland Park, IL clubs

What it is

The Midwest Bonsai Society (MBS) is a Chicagoland bonsai club whose primary identity is the monthly General Meeting at the Regenstein Center of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois, plus membership dues, a monthly newsletter, Chicago Chapter meetings, and major public exhibitions (May Exhibit; Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition). Official History: the Society as known today was established in 1967 with meetings on the first Monday of every month; Contact prints a Highland Park P.O. Box and club email [email protected]. It is not a commercial nursery and not a museum tuition class series.

Who it’s for

Chicagoland / Midwest bonsai enthusiasts — beginners through advanced — who want club fellowship, first-Monday evening General Meetings at Chicago Botanic Garden, member programs and demos, newsletter access, and exhibition volunteering or tree display. Guests and new members should confirm each date, room (Burnstein Hall or Alsdorf Auditorium), and Chicago Botanic Garden admission / parking rules on the live Meetings and Garden pages before traveling.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party club site with a printed Chicago Botanic Garden meeting place, published 2026 General Meeting schedule samples, printed dues on Join/Renew, and History / Mission context — not a Facebook-only club and not a scraped directory card.

Meeting place / schedule (Meetings + History — checked 2026-09-24): meetings at the Regenstein Center, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022 (Burnstein Hall or Alsdorf Auditorium; garden guard directs). History: first-Monday monthly cadence since the 1967 reorganization. Visible 2026 General Meeting samples at check: October 5, 2026, 7:00–9:00 p.m. — “Iron Bonsai” (Victor, Matt, and Larry; Burnstein Hall; trees from Brussels Nursery auctioned after the demo); November 2, 2026, 7:00–9:00 p.m. — Winter Care with Jason Davis / Prairie State Bonsai (page also spells “Jason David” in one line — confirm live). No extra Society fee to attend once inside the Garden; regular parking and per-person Garden admission apply (see Garden pricing).
Membership / dues (Join/Renew — checked today): newsletter electronically $35; printed newsletter $45. Membership year July 1–June 30 (renewals due by July 1). Pay via Eventbrite (electronic or printed) or printable mail-in form. Why Join / Mission: promote interest and enjoyment of bonsai; assemble culture information; acquaint fanciers; encourage Midwest groups (By-Laws objectives ratified June 1, 1998).
Club identity / contact (Contact + History — checked today): mailing Midwest Bonsai Society, P.O. Box 1373, Highland Park, IL 60035; email [email protected]; all-volunteer (no Society phone). History notes Mid-America / May exhibition tradition at Chicago Botanic Garden; Chicago Chapter holds separate meetings (see Chicago Chapter page). Club programs and workshops do not reclassify this card as Learning (Learning is curriculum/schedule-first class series such as Longwood Gardens Advanced Bonsai or Chicago Botanic Garden’s own adult bonsai classes — a separate Learning card when listed).

Meeting times, dues, and program samples above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live Meetings, Join/Renew, Contact, and Garden admission pages before joining or traveling.

Official URL

https://www.midwestbonsai.org/

Meetings / 2026 schedule: https://www.midwestbonsai.org/meetings
Join/Renew (dues): https://www.midwestbonsai.org/membership/join-renew
Why Join: https://www.midwestbonsai.org/membership/why-join
Contact: https://www.midwestbonsai.org/contact
History: https://www.midwestbonsai.org/society/history
Mission: https://www.midwestbonsai.org/society/mission

Location

Meeting place: Regenstein Center, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022. Regular General Meetings: historically first Monday monthly; 2026 samples 7:00–9:00 p.m. (confirm room on the live Meetings page). Club mail: P.O. Box 1373, Highland Park, IL 60035. Contact email: [email protected].

This is a club meeting / demo / exhibition address, not a retail nursery showroom and not a museum or botanic-garden tuition desk (Garden adult CE classes are a separate Learning identity when listed).

Notes

Category is Clubs. First-party club with printed meeting place, first-Monday tradition, 2026 schedule samples, and printed dues. Not a nursery. Member workshops, Iron Bonsai demos, and Mid-America exhibition programming do not reclassify this card as Learning.
First Monday / 7:00–9:00 p.m., Regenstein / Glencoe, $35 / $45 dues, and Oct 5 / Nov 2 2026 samples are transcribed from official pages checked on 2026-09-24 and may change.
Pics optional for this Thursday card; no listing image saved beside this file.
Not affiliated with Bonsai Plaza.
No Bonsai Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does MBS meet?
A: Meetings page (checked 2026-09-24): Regenstein Center, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022. History: first Monday of each month. 2026 samples include Oct 5 Iron Bonsai and Nov 2 Winter Care, both 7:00–9:00 p.m. Confirm topic and room on https://www.midwestbonsai.org/meetings — Garden admission/parking still apply.

Q: What are the dues?
A: Join/Renew (checked 2026-09-24): $35 electronic newsletter; $45 printed newsletter. Membership July 1–June 30. Confirm live: https://www.midwestbonsai.org/membership/join-renew

Q: I’m new — where do I start, and is this a Learning listing?
A: Attend a General Meeting as a visitor (confirm the date on Meetings; budget Garden admission), then join via Eventbrite or the printable form if you want the newsletter and member benefits. Club demos and workshops do not make this a Learning listing — MBS stays Clubs.