SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - It's a year-round job to make sure the Illinois State Fairgrounds look and stay beautiful.

There are 85,000 flowers around the fairgrounds and it takes a crew to plant and maintain them all. With the help of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Illinois State Fairgrounds are graced with beautiful plants and flowers.

Between a small crew from the Decatur Correctional Center and Lincoln Correctional Center, all of the flower beds are prepared and flipped. They are then flowered, mulched and watered.

"It's a constant upkeep everyday," said Robert Quick, an offender at the Lincoln Correctional Center.

The crews start planting in January and February, and then the process goes from there. Jerry Morgan, the landscape supervisor, said leaders want to use green houses to start, and then around mid-May, they are putting all of the flowers into the ground.

"They (IDOC) are so proud of it and I think it's a big thing. Their work is showing through all of the flowers," he shared.

Workers from IDOC see their work grow from the ground up. The plants at the Illinois State Fair start from seeds and bulbs. Lenna Ultsch, an offender at the Lincoln Correctional Center, said it is fulfilling to see their hard work bloom.

"Honestly, I didn't think it would get as beautiful as it does. It's definitely rewarding in the long run to watch everything grow into something so beautiful," Ultsch said. 

Rain or shine, crews are out preparing for the expected thousands of visitors to walk through the fairgrounds. Ultsch and Quick hope people smile when they see all of flowers throughout the grounds.

"It's a good positive feeling to come out here and there are thousands of people who are going to see it. Knowing that we came out here and we did something positive, that's going to reflect and a lot of people will see it and appreciate it," shared Quick.

The Illinois State Fair kicks off Thursday, Aug. 12.