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28th annual quilt show a sign of warmth to come

More than 35 vendors from several states will offer supplies, fabric and more.

Elizabeth Grauwelman and Liz Morris, museum volunteers for the Warren County Historical Society, display one of the quilts that will be shown at this weekend's Lebanon Quilt and Fiber Arts Show.

Contributed photo Elizabeth Grauwelman and Liz Morris, museum volunteers for the Warren County Historical Society, display one of the quilts that will be shown at this weekend's Lebanon Quilt and Fiber Arts Show.

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer Updated 10:34 PM Friday, March 5, 2010

LEBANON — Quilts can keep people warm at night, but the annual Lebanon Quilt and Fiber Arts Show, slated for March 5-7, also signifies a different warming.

“It’s a sign that spring has finally come,” said Joan Townsend, the show manager who has been involved with the event since its inception. This will be the 28th annual show.

“This year, the particular draw will be that everybody has cabin fever,” Townsend said with a laugh. “This has been the most awful winter.”

More than 35 vendors from places near and far, including Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee, will attend the show, making it “different than just the normal people you see at quilt shows,” Townsend said. In addition to quilts, those vendors will offer craft supplies, new and vintage fabric, and finished fabric-related crafts.

The show takes up the entirety of the Warren County History Center, along with the adjacent old post office, which adds about 8,000 square feet of exhibit space, said Victoria Tappy, executive director of the historical society.

The museum also will host an exhibit called “Inspired by Red and Green,” on loan from the Nebraska-based American Quilt Study Group.

This includes 24 quilts made by members of the study group, who were inspired by red and green quilts from the mid-19th century. Red and green were the popular decorating colors of ladies magazines in that time period, Tappy said. Red and green quilts from the Warren County museum’s own collection also will be on display, as will quilts from private collections.

The quilt show typically draws 2,000 to 3,000 people, who “run around and get excited about making things — that inspires you to make things,” Townsend said.

A number of shops and restaurants in downtown Lebanon also join in the fun by hanging quilts in their establishments, Townsend said.

Admission to the quilt show is $6. All proceeds benefit the Warren County Historical Society. The show usually nets about $15,000 a year for the society, Tappy said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.