April 16, 2008
UNL Students A Big Part Of Spring Affair
LINCOLN, Neb. — Students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's floral design class will contribute their designs to this year's Spring Affair.
For the first time, organizers of the Spring Affair preview party have chosen UNL's Advanced Floral Design and Floral Shop Management classes to do all the decor for tables at the evening event. UNL Garden Friends sponsors a preview party the night before Spring Affair every year to raise funds for the UNL Botanical Gardens and Arboretum.
The Spring Affair 2008 Plant Sale will take place at Lincoln's State Fair Park on April 26, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The preview party is April 25, 5-9 p.m.
David Lambe, a UNL professor of floriculture and who teaches the design class, said the preview party will give his students a chance to build their resumes along with vital experience.
"It's a real life event that they are participating in," he said.
Lambe, who also is a speaker for Spring Affair, said his students will be able to use pictures of their designs for their portfolios. He said his class of about 15 students will try to use many Nebraska products in their designs with an emphasis on woody and floral table decor.
Stephanie Bryant, a sophomore agricultural education leadership major from Kilgore and a student in Lambe's class, said she is excited for Spring Affair.
"I think it's a great opportunity to get real world experience and to work with clientele," she said.
Profit raised from the preview party will be used for landscaping and special projects on East Campus. By contributing work to the event, UNL students are helping improve their campus.
"This is kind of becoming a way to help each other," Lambe said.
The designs for the preview party will include table runner mats, pussy willow, yellow twig dogwood and curly willow. They also will use high tunnel research tulips courtesy of Laurie Hodges, an extension vegetable specialist.
Attendance at the preview party is by reservation only. Reservations are $35 per person if registering before April 16 or $45 per person after April 16. Those at the preview party have the opportunity to buy plants ahead of everyone else at the main Spring Affair event on Saturday, April 25.
Lindsey Oltjenbruns, a senior horticulture major from Osmond and a student in Lambe's class, said she can't wait see what the preview party will look like.
"I'm really excited to see how it turns out," she said. "I'm excited to see the final product, because I think it will be really neat."
Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and UNL Extension, which sponsor the event with UNL Botanical Gardens, are part of the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
4/16/08-AB Achim Dobermann - Ph.D.
Agronomy and Horticulture Professor (402) 472-1501
 
Dan Moser IANR News & Photography Coordinator (402) 472-3007
Department:
Communications & Information Technology
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