Region 21 Fall 2025 Meeting Invitation

Posted on July 7, 2025 by wrmesser

2025 Fall Regional AIS region 21

Hosted by the Sioux Empire Iris Society, Sioux Falls, SD

Friday August 8^th and Saturday August 9^th

The 2025 Fall Regional will be held in Sioux Falls at the Springdale Lutheran Church on the Southeast edge of Sioux Falls. 26946 480th Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57108.
Guest Speaker will be Hugh Stout of Stout Gardens at Dancing Tree Nursery Oklahoma City
The auction will include a selection of newer iris from both Mid-America and Shreiner’s. We are gathering items for a silent auction as well.
HOTELS: These are the 2 closest hotels. They both have it all..ice machines, color televisions, indoor bathrooms, free parking(outside) and even free breakfast. We were not able to get a rate specific to our group. They do offer discounts for AARP, AAA and military as well as their own rewards programs.

The closest hotel is GLo by Best Western. The AAA/AARP rate is $199 plus tax per night.

The 2^nd closest hotel is Super 8 by Wyndham. The AARP/AAA rate is 108.90 plus tax per night. They are at the I229 exchange on a divided road so one would have to do a u-turn at an intersection both coming and going.

GLo by Best Western
1211 S. Darryl Place
Sioux Falls SD 57110
(605) 275 4000
833 320 6810

Super 8 by Wyndham
2616 E 10^th St
Sioux Falls SD 57103
(605) 338 8881
888 807 7155

Meeting Registration Form (shown below) is available as a pdf to print.

Meeting Registration includes check-in with munchies on Friday 5-8pm and both lunch and dinner on Saturday.

Members: $45 Youth Members: Free Non-Members: $60

Registration Form – Region 21 Fall Meeting August 8^th and 9^th 2025

Registration deadline is July 31^st to meet caterers deadlines

Name: ____________________________________________ Addition Names Can Be Listed Below

Email: _____________________@__________

Phone: _______________________________________

____Member ($45.00) ____ Youth Member (Free) ____Non-Member ($60 which includes a 1year membership in AIS.)

Judges training ______YES ______YES but not for credit ______NO

Mail this form with payment to:

Dorothy VerHey / Region 21
47115 277th St
Lennox, SD 57039

Saturday lunch will be a selection of subs, chips and salads.

As of now, the Saturday dinner menu is beef in gravy, glazed carrots, potatoes and fruit salad depending on the caterer’s availability.

Please list any dietary restrictions here and we will try to accommodate them

Siberian/Species Iris and AIS Region 21 Convention

Posted on February 6, 2025 by wrmesser

Aim for Ames for Irises

May 23 & 24, 2025

Ames, Iowa

We are pleased to host the 2025 Siberian and Species Iris Convention in conjunction with the spring meeting of AIS Region 21. The convention will begin Friday afternoon, May 23, and conclude Saturday evening, May 24. It will include tours of three gardens, two with guest Siberian and species irises, in-garden judges’ training, and silent and live auctions.

The host hotel is the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center, 2100 Green Hills Drive in Ames, www.gatewayames.com. Twenty guest rooms have been reserved on Friday and Saturday nights for convention attendees at the rate of $132/night (U.S. funds) plus 12% tax for two queen or one king bed. Guest rooms have recently been renovated. Please contact the hotel directly at 515-292-8600 and mention the Region 21 Iris Convention to receive this pricing. Pricing is good until May 2, 2025 but we encourage making your reservation as soon as possible so that we can request additional rooms if needed.

Convention Registration is $120 U.S. funds if postmarked by April 1, 2025 or $140 U.S. funds if received between April 2 and April 20, 2025. No refunds can be given for cancellations made after April 20, 2025. Convention registration includes a welcome dinner and garden tour at the Jurik garden on Friday evening, continental breakfast on Saturday morning at the Girton garden, Saturday lunch and tours at the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens, judges’ training at the Jurik garden, and an evening banquet, speaker, and auction at the Gateway Hotel Saturday evening.

A charter bus for 40 passengers has been reserved for transportation on Saturday. We will rely on ride-sharing on Friday evening for the across town trip from the hotel to the Jurik garden with sign up available at the registration table Friday afternoon.

The closest airport is the Des Moines International Airport (40 miles south of Ames). You may elect to rent a car there or to contact Kris Jurik, k.jurik@yahoo.com, to arrange for pick up by a volunteer.

Details, tentative schedule, and registrations form: https://siberianirises.org/convention2025.pdf

Thank you to Region 21 and the Lincoln Iris Society for providing logistical and financial support.

Co-Chairs: Lois Girton and Kris Jurik

Region 21 May 2024 Newsletter is now available

Posted on May 1, 2024 by wrmesser

The latest issue of the Region 21 Newsletter is now on its way to AIS Region 21 members. Those with email addresses receive it as a pdf and others receive a paper copy.

You can see the Region 21 May 2024 Newsletter online as well. Here is the link you need: https://aisregion21.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/region-21-newsletter-may-2024.pdf

Reminder: The Region 21 February 2024 Newsletter (pdf) contains the registration form for the Region 21 Spring Meeting May 24-25.

The second portion of the Region 21 May 2024 Newsletter is also on its way to AIS Region 21 members and can be seen online here as well: https://aisregion21.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/region-21-newsletter-may-2024-part-ii.pdf

Region 21 Newsletter and Spring 2024 Meeting

Posted on February 1, 2024 by wrmesser

The Region 21 February 2024 Newsletter (pdf) is now available. It contains news about new Region 21 hybridizers, clubs’ news, members we’ve recently lost, and, of course, details of the Region 21 Spring 2024 Meeting.

The 2024 Region 21 Spring Meeting will be in Madison County, Iowa May 24th and 25th. Just southwest of the greater Des Moines area, is where the gardens we will be visiting are. This map shows their location along with other Madison County highlights.

Region 21 Fall 2023 Regional Meeting – Sioux City, Iowa

Posted on June 17, 2023 by wrmesser

The Siouxland Iris Society is hosting the Region 21 Fall 2023 Meeting this year August 25-27. Howie Dash will be our Judges Training and after-dinner speaker. Howie is a hybridizer of Arilbred and Tall Bearded irises. He is the 2nd Vice-President of the American Iris Society and President of the Aril Society International. He was also the Co-Chair for the AIS 2022 National Convention in Las Cruces, New Mexico where his ‘Chihuahua Night’ iris won the President’s Cup (photo above).

The meeting hotel is the Stoney Creek Inn & Suites, 300 3rd Street, Sioux City, Iowa. We have a special rate for rooms during the meeting.

Complete information including room reservations and the registration form can be found here. Send your registrations to:

Region 21 Fall Regional
%Michael Becker
509 3rd Ave SE
Le Mars, IA 51031-2407

Iris Show – Greater Omaha Iris Society May 13, 2023

Posted on May 10, 2023 by wrmesser

Saturday, May 13th is your opportunity to see, and to participate in, this year’s Omaha Iris Show: “In My Mother’s Garden”.

Show location: St Andrews Episcopal Church
925 South 84th Street
Omaha, NE

Entries accepted from 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. and the show is open to the public at no charge from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.

See the complete show details (pdf). Also, some tips on preparing your iris for a show.

Learn more about the Greater Omaha Iris Society at their website: https://www.greateromahairissociety.org/

Region 21 Spring 2023 Meeting – May 19-20

Posted on May 4, 2023 by wrmesser

The Lincoln Iris Society will be hosting the 2023 Region 21 Spring Meeting with 5 Garden Tours! There will also be in-garden Judges Training by Andi Rivarola, AIS President. Sunday, May 21st, there are 3 open gardens to visit on your own.

The April 2023 Region 21 Newsletter has details. And the brochure has the registration form.

Note: The deadline for making hotel reservations at the special rate is May 5th.

Region 21 Fall 2022 Meeting – Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Posted on July 20, 2022 by wrmesser

Everyone is invited to the American Iris Society Region 21 Fall Membership Meeting! We will be having presentations from iris hybridizer Hooker Nichols on Tall Bearded Irises and on Louisiana Irises, two of the many types of irises he has hybridized. Join us Friday evening August 12 and all day Saturday August 13, 2022

Details and the registration form were mailed to all Region 21 members last month. In case they did not reach you, here are copies (pdfs).

Invitation and Details

Registration Form

Hope to see you there!

Region 21 Fall Meeting – August 13, 2022 Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Posted on June 12, 2022 by wrmesser

Pleas join us for the Region 21 Fall Meeting Saturday, August 13, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Our speaker will be Hooker Nichols presenting Judges Training on Tall Bearded and Louisiana Irises. More details and invitations will be coming soon.

Please Vote in the 2021 AIS Tall Bearded Symposium – Deadline September 15

Posted on August 31, 2021 by wrmesser

A reminder that there is still time to vote in the 2021 Tall Bearded Iris Symposium. The ballot was included with the Spring 2021 Irises Bulletin and is also available online here (PDF). Everyone, member or not, is eligible to vote for up to 25 of the 447 TBs on the ballot.

Your votes should reach the Region 21 RVP (Wayne Messer – wrmesser@gmail.com) by September 15th. A list of your choices and their numbers would be great.

Complete details on how to vote are available. You can also see results from previous years voting there.

Thank you for your participation.