Friends of the Pumpkinvine annual dinner, April 28

The 14th Friends of the Pumpkinvine annual dinner will be held this Tuesday, April 28 at Greencroft Community Center. We have 278 people registered and have turned down another 18 who wanted to come.  That is 50 more people than registered last year. We don't know why the increase.

Every year I debate whether or not to have the dinner, seeing as how it is a lot of work for the planners, primarily me. Although we have a committee that help with the planning, the actual work ends up with me. This is the sixth year that I've done the dinner, and I find that it doesn't get a whole lot easier. Things like keeping track of the registrations, sending confirmation emails and postcards and making the name tags are a major action.

I'm starting the name tags now, or at least the last stage of preparing them, because I must first get the names in alphabetical order with the correct tables. What makes the name tags so hard is that they don't feed all that well through the printer. I'm finished now and ruined seven sheets of name tags. I had to go to Wal-Mart to get more nametags.

I also made little Vegetarian and Gluten Free cards to put on the tables of those who want a special menu. At first I made them of 20 lb. paper, but since I was at Wal-Mart, I got some card stock and remade them so they stand up better.

Now I'm ready to go back to working on my presentation.

Spring bike ride will highlight differences in wildflower density along the Pumpkinvine

For the past four years, John Smith has led a spring wildflower walk on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, but this year the event will involve a bike ride. The ride, Sunday, April 26, will start at Abshire Park at 3 p.m. and go to C.R. 33 and back (about 10 miles), stopping at three or four places along the trail to observe the native and invasive plants in bloom. From the beginning of the trail to approximately mile marker 4, there tend to be more invasive plants than native plants. Beginning near mile marker 4.5 and on to CR 33, a fine array of native plants will be on both sides of the trail.

John and his wife Joann have identified 30 wildflowers along the trail including Dolls’s Eyes, Wild Geranium, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Golden Rag Wort and Hepatica. 
 

There is no cost for the ride, but if you plan to attend, let John Smith know by email at: johnjs@goshen.edu. 

   

Invasive species workshop cancelled

The workshop scheduled for April 4 to identify and eliminate invasive species along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail has been cancelled. Organizers discovered that the invasive plants without their leaves are too difficult to identify this early in the spring. Thanks to all those who volunteered to help. We will let you know when the workshop is rescheduled.