2026 Fall Trek
The Tucson Area Iris Society invites you to
A Desert Oasis Of Iris
The AIS Region 15 Fall Trek
October 17, 2026
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
at Tohono Chul
in The Wilson Room
7366 N Paseo Del Norte
Tucson, Arizona
Featuring guest speaker
Jody Nolin
Past President of AIS
presenting “The Wide World of Iris”
Registration is $60 for adults and $35 for youth, and includes lunch.
Registrations must be received no later than September 26, 2026.
Make your check payable to Tucson Area Iris Society and mail it with the completed
registration form to:
Joyce Knill, 2310 N. Catalina Vista Loop, Tucson, AZ 85749
For more information, email tais.trek.committee@gmail.com.
Schedule
| SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2026 | |
| 8:00 am | Tohono Chul self-guided garden walks During the cooler morning temperatures Please complete your walks by 9:15 am |
| 8:30 am | Registration Raffle sales |
| 9:30 am | Welcome Board Meeting Club Intros |
| 10:30 am | Jody Nolin, Judges Training: Louisiana Iris |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:30 pm | General Meeting Officer Nominations and Elections |
| 2:00 pm | Jody Nolin, Judges Training: Spuria Iris |
| 3:00 pm | Silent Auction closes Raffle |
| 4:00 pm | Thanks for coming |
| 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Garden walks (if temperatures permit) |
| 5:00 – 8:00 pm | Jazz Under the Stars or Raclette Dinner* |
Download the printable schedule (PDF)
*See Saturday evening options below.
Saturday Evening Options
As the Desert Oasis Trek comes to a close, your Tucson experience doesn't have to end. Choose either evening, or a little of both.
Option 1: Jazz Under the Stars. Remain at Tohono Chul and enjoy an evening of live music in the gardens during their popular Jazz Under the Stars program.
Option 2: A Swiss Raclette Evening. Join fellow Trek participants for an authentic Swiss raclette dinner, graciously hosted by TAIS members Jody and John Williams. Using a traditional half-wheel raclette cheese melter, our host will scrape warm, bubbling Swiss raclette cheese over potatoes, cured meats, and other Alpine favorites. Rather than a formal dinner, raclette is an interactive experience: guests gather around the table, share stories from the day, return for another helping of melted cheese, and enjoy a relaxed evening with friends old and new. Directions will be available at the trek.
If you plan to join us for raclette, please RSVP in advance to TAIS.Trek.Committee@gmail.com so the hosts can prepare plenty of food and seating. If you'd like to enjoy a little music first, simply join us later in the evening; we'll keep the cheese melting.
General Trek Details
Region 15 hosts two region meetings per year; a Spring Trek and a Fall Trek. The Treks are hosted by our societies on a rotating basis. We try to arrange the Trek Wheel so that meetings are held in alternating states (AZ or CA) so that members are not forced to travel long distances every year.
The Fall Trek is usually a one day event with Executive Board and General Membership meetings, a judges training session, a luncheon and a guest speaker. This meeting is an information meeting attempting to provide our judges with the on going training they need and an informative speaker to give us insights into what is happening in the world of iris.
The Spring Trek is usually a one or two day meeting with garden tours to view seedlings and new introduction in the garden setting. This also whets our appetites for new iris that we "just have to have" in our own gardens and provides feedback to the hybridizers around the country. It also allows our judges the opportunity to see new iris and gives them a chance to evaluate the iris for possible awards. The Spring Trek gives our judges a chance to get 2 to 4 hours of training. The Spring Trek also makes everyone a judge in their own right by letting them vote for their favorite irises seen on the Trek and various awards are given to hybridizers at the Awards Banquet held on the last night of the event.
