“Our big push for volunteers isn’t until April and May,” said Rob Bates, president for the upcoming festival. “You can go to our website (petuniafestival.org) and fill out a form to let us know you are interested.”
Volunteers are needed for entrance into the festival, to sell tickets, and to monitor parking lots. High school students can earn free tuition by volunteering through Sauk Valley Community College’s Impact program.
“We also get high school football teams to help out with putting things up and later tearing stands down,” Bates said.
Volunteers of all ages are needed, according to Bates. Volunteers are often paired with another volunteer, and the time commitment is usually three to four hours.
“We need volunteers to be at least 21 years old to sell beer tickets,” Bates said.
This year’s theme for the Petunia Festival is “Happy 250th Birthday, America.”
“We need hundreds of volunteers to make it a success,” Bates said. “We go to local businesses first to get volunteers and then local organizations.”
Besides local civic groups, the festival also gets volunteers from churches.
“We’ll be working closely with the city to celebrate America’s 250th,” Bates said.
New this year will be a pedestrian bridge going over the Rock River into Page Park.
The Petunia Festival started after Dutch elm disease wiped out the elm trees that used to line the city’s streets. Since 2011, a group called Dixon in Bloom has been putting up hanging baskets of petunias throughout downtown and along Galena and Peoria Avenues. In total, there are 265 baskets hung to celebrate the festival. According to the Petunia Fest website, it costs about $17,000 annually to decorate the city.
The money for these baskets comes from individual donations, but the Dixon Area Garden Club and the Rock River Garden Club have been major financial contributors to the Dixon in Bloom program. Donations may be sent to: Dixon in Bloom, P.O. Box 127, Dixon, IL 61021.
