Needs From: Central Iowa RSVP

Help Reiman Gardens make the gardens absolutely gorgeous to celebrate our 30th Anniversary!

Reiman Gardens seeks community volunteers to help us ensure that all areas of our gardens look beautiful before our 30th Anniversary Celebration Weekend. Activities will bring hundreds (and possibly thousands!) to visit our gardens over the weekend of September 13th. For more information about those events, see below.

We need all hands on deck to ensure that every inch of Reiman is looking great for these activities. Shifts are on September 10, 12, and 15 from 8-11 a.m. In addition, we seek community help starting in October to help us plant our spring bulbs, cut back and prep different spaces for winter, and other seasonal garden clean-up. 

Volunteers must register for these gardening shifts here. 30th Anniversary Events at Reiman Gardens
Farm to Table Fundraiser - September 11, 5-8 p.m. - A four course meal in our gardens will raise funds for Reiman Gardens' Grow and Give produce donation program.Botanical Bash - September 13, 5-9 p.m. - This celebration of our past 30 years will be fun for the entire family, including mouthwatering bites from local food vendors, a silent auction (9AM-8:15PM), inflatables, an all-request concert by musician Dustin West, and to end the evening, a jaw-dropping drone show!Elwood's Golden Birthday Party - September 15, 12-5 p.m. - We cordially invite the entire community to celebrate Elwood's 15th birthday! Activities will include a gnome costume contest, a visit from Cy, petting zoo, gnome-themed crafts, and a VIP birthday party

There are also volunteer opportunities related to all three events. The Farm to Table Fundraiser volunteer opportunity can be found here. The Botanical Bash and Elwood's Birthday Party volunteer roles are available to all Reiman Gardens volunteers who have completed the required trainings and background checks. If you would like to become a volunteer at Reiman Gardens, please visit our website for more information.

Servers will serve four plated courses to dinner guests. This includes delivering the food to each guest at their table, removing plate at the conclusion of course, and assisting with dishwashing and clean up.  
This task will require good balance and coordination, the ability to stand throughout the duration of the event, and the ability to handle freshly prepared plates that may be warm or cold to the touch. Serving food at the table will require a person to bend at the waist and fully extend their arm while holding a plate of food.  
Due to the nature of this event, we will need the servers to be the same person throughout the duration of the event.

Each fall Reiman Gardens hosts a popular community event, Spirits in Gardens. Children of all ages are welcome to join in the spooky fun by attending in costume. Visitors trick or treat around the gardens and join in a variety of activities, including storytelling, Meet-A-Scientist, and more.

The featured attraction during this event is an astounding display of hundreds of carved pumpkins lit against the evening sky. Volunteers from the local community and university spend five days stenciling and carving hundreds of unique designs. We are looking for volunteers to create new designs to add to our stencil collection. Designs currently include American icons, animals and nature, cartoons, creatures and monsters, famous people, movies, phrases and internet memes, musicians, television, video games, and traditional pumpkins.

Designs must be family-friendly and no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches. Stencils should be carved, not shaved, designs. Please email rgvolunteer@iastate.edu for more information and stencil samples.