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Japan House is looking for volunteers for Matsuri

Japan House is planning for their annual Matsuri Festival on September 8th. It’s going to be even more fantastic this year as it’s the 20th anniversary. They need lots of volunteers to pitch in and help make the festival run smoothly. Here’s what they’re looking for:

We’ll need assistance setting up, selling tickets, running errands, helping in the food tent, helping performers, packing up, and lots, lots more!

You’ll receive a Matsuri 2018 t-shirt, and some volunteer training, and definitely have the chance to meet some great people. Interested? Just go to our 20th Anniversary and Matsuri website and sign up, and we’ll get back to you with more information.

Maybe nature is more your thing? They’re looking for some garden volunteers as well, as the late snows have set the garden prep back a bit. 

Jim Bier has created an incredible resource for all of us who love beautiful gardens. These peaceful gardens are maintained with a lot of work by a wonderful group of devoted volunteers. Jim Bier, who is the designer, donor, builder, and supervisor of the gardens, oversees the volunteers. They generally work on Monday or Friday mornings, sometimes changing the schedule due to weather. He is looking for people, with some gardening experience, to prune, plant, weed, and to also learn from one another about Japanese garden design. Volunteers usually bring their own tools (pruning shears, trowel, weed-digger, etc.) although we have some tools to use.

If you would like to volunteer one or two mornings a week, please contact Jim Bier at bier@illinois.edu, with your name and phone number. You can also call him at (217) 377-2961, but email is preferred if possible. You will be joining a great group of devoted garden lovers!

Staff writer

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