What Is the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society Website (gnobs.org)?

gnobs.org is the official website of the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society (GNOBS), a bonsai club founded in 1972 by noted bonsai authority Vaughn Banting. The site is the club's public hub for meeting and event information, membership applications, and announcements about bonsai activities in the New Orleans area. It is useful if you are looking for a local bonsai club to visit, want to join GNOBS, or need details on upcoming bonsai events and seminars.

What the site covers

The homepage describes GNOBS as one of the most active bonsai clubs in the U.S. and points visitors to three main areas:

• Meetings and events — Upcoming events for the next three months appear at the bottom of the homepage. A complete listing of events and meetings is on the calendar page under "News and Events."
• Membership — New members are always welcome. A club application is available under "Join," and applications are also available at every meeting. Prospective members can drop in to a regular meeting as a guest before deciding to join.
• Featured links and sponsors — The site lists featured links and auction sponsors, including Underhill Bonsai, which sponsored the 2027 American Bonsai Society learning seminar.

The homepage is edited by Kathy Barbazon, listed as Newsletter and Website Editor.

Events announced on the site

The page evidence shows several dated items, which give a sense of how the club uses the site:

The 2027 seminar is a four-day event featuring hands-on workshops, seminars, Friday Night LIVE!, the Joshua Roth New Talent Contest, tours, vendors, an exhibition, a banquet, auction, and awards. Registration is handled through the American Bonsai Society's RegFox page, and the full brochure is on the ABS home page (americanbonsaisociety.org). The site notes that workshop space is limited and some workshops are expected to fill quickly.

How to use the site

1. Check the calendar first. If you want to attend a meeting or event, go to the calendar page under "News and Events" rather than relying on the homepage, which only shows the next three months.
2. Visit a meeting as a guest. The club explicitly invites interested people to drop in to a regular meeting as a guest before applying.
3. Apply to join. Use the application under "Join," or pick one up at any meeting.
4. Register separately for the 2027 seminar. Seminar registration is not handled on gnobs.org; it goes through the ABS RegFox link. Workshop prices are described as exceptionally low thanks to sponsor support, but the site does not list specific prices, so check the registration page for current costs.

What to keep in mind

• The site does not publish membership dues, meeting locations, or a full event schedule on the homepage; those details sit on the calendar and Join pages.
• Event dates on the homepage are announcements, not confirmed registration pages — verify details on the calendar or the linked registration site before making plans.
• The 2027 seminar is organized with the American Bonsai Society, so its registration, pricing, and schedule are governed by ABS rather than GNOBS.

If you are in or near New Orleans and interested in bonsai, gnobs.org is the starting point for meeting times, membership, and the club's larger events.