International Peace Garden staff, volunteers preparing for summer visitors
May 28—DUNSEITH, N.D. — With the annual planting push just weeks away, Guy Abernathey thought the best way to show his appreciation for the staff at the International Peace Garden was through ice cream. On Thursday, May 25, he organized Lulabelle's Ice Cream, from Bottineau, North Dakota, to deliver ice cream to workers preparing the garden on the U.S. Canadian border for the summer.
"They're kind of the unsung heroes, aren't they?" said Abernathey. "They work like crazy trying to get flowers grown up there in such a short season and everything looks so amazing up there."
The garden, which has a 2,400 acre campus, has around 10 year-round staff. During the summer, it hires an additional 40 to 50 seasonal staff members. The organization relies on the help of volunteers to help with maintenance and guest experience at the garden.
Abernathey works in real estate on the East Coast, but grew up in Lansford, North Dakota. He now returns to the area every summer to relax at Lake Metigoshe, practice photography and volunteer at the gardens.
"When you take things for granted as a kid, as you become an adult, you realize how much work goes into making that happen," Abernathey said. "For enjoyment, you always want to put something back into it."
The help of volunteers like Abernathey is key to preparing for a summer of visitors, said Tim Chapman, CEO of the International Peace Garden.
"Volunteers are critical for any nonprofit, but especially one like ours — it's fairly seasonally based and requires quite a bit of work at the beginning of the summer just to get all the plants in the ground and pruned up," Chapman said.
Volunteers at the Peace Garden assist seasonal and year-round staff in greeting guests, leading tours and maintaining the grounds, gardens and buildings.
"When we can get individuals, families or service groups to do volunteer days or to come multiple times throughout the season, it really allows the Garden to put on the type of display that visitors come to expect every year," Chapman said.
The closest towns to the Peace Garden on either side of the border are about 15-minutes away from the garden by car. An effort to recruit volunteers helps the organization get past the challenges associated with its rural location, Chapman said. This winter, the organization created a new volunteer coordinator position.
"It really became clearer, especially during COVID, the importance of volunteers and consistent volunteering year after year, so as an organization, we really prioritized that this offseason, not only by creating that position, but also making sure we were reaching back out to folks who volunteered in recent years," Chapman said.
Ahead of the summer, the garden is hosting dedicated volunteer days to prepare the garden for visitors. On Tuesday, May 30, the Garden is hosting a volunteer day to help prepare the grounds for the summer season. Saturday, June 17, is volunteer planting day. Those interested in volunteering can contact Deb McCallum, the garden's volunteer coordinator, at 1-888-439-6722 ext. 138 or
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