Quilting Celebration Kicks Off August 26

Upstate quilters are holding a month-long celebration of quilting, with many events planned throughout Pickens, Anderson and Oconee Counties beginning August 26.

The Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail and the Lake and Mountains Quilters Guild are teaming up for the celebration, which will conclude on September 30.

The Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail celebrates the history of the area by creating painted panels that feature unique patterns created by quilters as well as historic patterns.

There are many quilt panels on display throughout the tri-county area, including on a railroad-inspired design on Pendleton Street in Easley, near the city's gazebo and fountain.

Other Pickens County Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail sites include Central, Liberty, Six Mile and Clemson.

As part of the celebration, the UHQT will celebrate the 100^th quilt block on the trail on September 7, which will be unveiled by the City of Westminster in conjunction with the opening of the 51^st Apple Festival. That celebration will take place at the Municipal Building, 100 E. Windsor, beginning at 9:30 a.m., with a dedication, bus and walking tours of local quilt blocks. A bus tour of the quilt blocks in Walhalla will begin at 2:30 after the Rotary luncheon.

The month-long festivities will begin with a reception from 4-6 pm Sunday, August 26 at the Lunney House Museum, located at 211 West South First Street in Seneca. Several of the historic fabric quilts that are represented on the quilt trail will be displayed during the reception and the quilt show will continue until the end of September.

Fabric quilts will also be on display at several locations through the month of September.

In Clemson, fabric quilts represented on the Trail in Pickens County will be displayed at The Arts Center, located at 212 Butler Street.

Westminister will host quilts on the Trail at the Westminster Depot, 135 E. Main Street and also at the Oconee Heritage Museum Annex at 126 E. Main Street.

Walhalla will host quilts at the Oconee Heritage Museum, 123 Brown Square Drive. The Kafee quilters from Heirlooms and Comforts will be displaying a vibrant collection of quilts using Kaffe colors and fabric, some traditional patterns but in new colors. Patriots Hall, 13 Short Street will feature quilts with a patriotic theme.

In Seneca, The Greater Oconee Chamber of Commerce, 105A Ram Cat Alley Seneca, will feature HiFiber, they will display HiFiber in Portraits.

In Anderson, fabric quilts represented on the Trail in Anderson County will be displayed at The Anderson Arts Center, located at 110 Federal Street.

On September 15, the musical “Quilt: A Musical Celebration” will be presented by the Social Circle Theater Group of Social Circle, GA, at the Walhalla Civic Auditorium in Walhalla. The show begins at 7pm and tickets are $10.

According to quilting celebration officials, the musical is a compassionate look at the AIDS epidemic and celebrates the courage of living and dying in the age of AIDS. The series of monologues and songs are drawn from stories behind the NAMES Project Memorial Quilt and the show is linked together by the story of a volunteer's experience while making a quilt panel in memory of a friend.

For more information, contact the Walhalla Civic Auditorium at 864-638-5277.

The grand finale for the quilt celebration will be the LMQG quilt show, “Celebrating Silver,” at the Shaver Recreation Center, 698 W. South 4th Street in Seneca. It will run from September 21, 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. through September 22, from 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Over 200 quilts will be displayed, along with a charity silent auction, a boutique with vendors and a presentation quilt drawing. Additional local venues will include the Ballenger House, Blue Ridge Arts Center and Heart Warmers at Dogwood Plaza where quilts will be displayed during the show. A driving map of quilt venues will be available at the Shaver Center.

All events are open to the public and free of charge except for the musical on September 15th. For additional information contact the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail at info@uhqt.org or call 864-723-6603 or the Lake and Mountain Quilters Guild at www.LMQG.org

For an interactive map of the locations on the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail, visit its web site.