Volunteering at the NCNPS Native Plant Garden at the NC State Fair

The Margaret Reid (Triangle) Chapter has been busy getting ready for the state fair.

Our permanent garden of 17 years is accentuated by our newer garden space and a covered booth. Our larger footprint at the fair offers us more opportunities to share the importance and value of native plants: the covered booth has posters, resources, plants to give away and volunteers to answer questions and speak with many more fair visitors; the patio stones in the new garden provide a place for children’s activities or talks; garden interpreters will have two gardens full of native plants to show our visitors.

Presentation/Demonstration/ Question and Answer Hour

If we are asked to do a presentation this year, we will focus on how to create container gardens with native plants. This was a big interest last year from visitors. We will do one presentation on 8 days and include time for general native plant questions from the audience. It will be casual and fun. We will not be asking volunteers to give the presentation but perhaps to help facilitate.

Volunteer Opportunities

Be part of this exciting outreach opportunity to educate thousands of fairgoers over 11 days. Getting the word out on the value of native plants is the most important job we have as members of the NC Native Plant Society so sign up today! We are asking for three volunteers per shift and three shifts per day. Consider more than one shift or plan to spend the day with us! With so much going on in our gardens this year you won’t want to miss it! Visitors come from across NC, we would love to see volunteers from all over the state as well. Volunteers receive free admission and parking (inside the fair).

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AA4AB2BA6F9C43-2023

Partnerships

The message that native plants are important to our ecosystems and the wildlife they support is shared by other organizations. We have invited 8 of these organizations to spend a day at the fair with us to reach more visitors. We also invited NC native plant nurseries to donate plants for giveaways or to spend a day with us as a guest nursery. The schedule of who is coming and when is:
Friday, Oct 13 = Coastal Landscapes Initiative
Saturday, Oct 14 = Meadowflower Farms from Aberdeen
Sunday, Oct 15 = South Wake Conservationists and Haw Honey Native Plants from Graham
Monday, Oct 16 = Wake Audubon
Tuesday, Oct 17 = Tri-County Conservationists (AM), NC Botanical Gardens (PM) and Rachel’s Natives from Pittsboro
Wednesday, Oct 18 = Neuse River Hawks Conservationists and Sorrells Landscaping from Dunn
Thursday, Oct 19 = New Hope Audubon and Deep Root Natives from Durham
Friday, Oct 20 = Friends of Plant Conservation
Saturday, Oct 21 = Flower Moon Nursery from Morganton
Sunday, Oct 22 = Wild Ones of Central Carolina