State Fair Show Volunteer Signup
Our State Fair Dahlia Show takes place on Sunday, September 1st through Monday, September 2nd (Labor Day) at the Minnesota State Fair. Our show is one of the most popular ones for the public. We count on our membership to assist in making this show a success. The State Fair pays us a stipend for putting on this show and we need to make sure everything goes smoothly and that we have members staffing the flower rooms during the times the public is allowed in the facility. Below is a link for the electronic signup for the tasks and shifts for our show.
Volunteers will need to obtain both a gate and a parking pass for their vehicle. If you did not receive yours yet, please contact Eric Thomson at eric.thomson@eandkqa.com or (952) 454-7186; or Kathy Thomson at kthomson@eandkqa.com or (612) 408-1763.
Volunteers will also receive one free general admission ticket. If you have not received your ticket yet, please contact Arnie Sachs at (763) 757-7518 or Carolyn Koehler at (651) 470-8466.
SignUpGenius is a free online signup tool for volunteer management and event planning. The sign up is live and updates in real-time as people add, edit, or remove themselves from this signup. The below link is a live link that can be accessed at any time until the event is over.
Have questions regarding SignUpGenius? Check out the link to the support page to find answers to your questions: https://www.signupgenius.com/support
Volunteer Role Descriptions
SignUpGenius has character limits to its descriptions, therefore more detailed descriptions are provided below for each of the volunteer roles.
Set up = Assist in setting up the rooms by placing section signs according to the map provided by the Show Chair; place classification number ranges on the tables for each section to assist exhibitors in placing their blooms; place/set up other signage, set up information tables in each room, set up Court of Honor background cloth and sign. Reports to the Show Chair, Eric Thomson.
Judge’s Clerk = Clearly and legibly mark the number of entries, 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winner names or exhibitor numbers, and winning variety name on clerking sheets. Turn sheets into the head table/lead judge, Randy Siem. Accuracy is a must! Kathy Thomson will have a brief informational meeting with the clerks prior to judging. Reports to Kathy Thomson.
Staging Assistant = Assist exhibitors by putting together vases, soaking oasis in water, filling vases with water and oasis as needed, assist exhibitors with other general tasks as requested, etc.
COH Clerks = Must be an experienced exhibitor. Assist in placing and arranging COH winners as they are brought up, attaching COH ribbons, and filling out and placing COH cards for each entry. Reports to Randy Siem.
Show Runners = Staple 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons to entry tags as entries are awarded by the judges (using stickers: 1st = blue, 2nd = red, 3rd = white, and double blue = COH winner). COH winners are to be taken to the head table and turned over to Randy Siem.
Data Entry = Assist with entering the show results as provided by the clerking sheets into the shared Access program. Requires knowledge of computer use, familiarity with Access/Excel programs, and providing your own laptop to work on. Reports to Eric or Kathy Thomson, or Cindy Soule.
Large / Small Flower Room Attendant = Staff the information tables in the specified room and assist the public by answering questions, providing them with available handouts on growing dahlias or MDS brochures, directing them to additional information available on the web, etc.
How to SignUpGenius
First click the Sign Up button, which will put a check in the box.|
Then click the Submit and Sign Up button , which will prompt for your name and email address.
Finally, click the Sign Up Now button. This will display a Thank You message.
You are done. You will receive a reminder email message the day before the event that you signed up for. You can also use the Add to Calendar button and select whichever calendar app you use: Outlook, Mac iCal, or Google calendar.