End of the season
It felt odd at first to have all the quilters sitting around a table rather than around a quilting frame. But I quickly adjusted when they came to my house for lunch. They settled in and were soon telling stories and cracking jokes. Sally brought a heavenly dessert that was creamy with a citrus zing and fresh strawberries. Carmen brought flowers to grace the table. We drank coffee I made so that Joan had a Friday off from supplying coffee for the entire group. Cathy brought some extra chairs so we all had a place to sit. The sun was out and most of our work was finished for the season. On May 16, we had the rummage sale. I haven’t heard yet how much we made from that but any amount helps us toward maintaining the Historical Village. And the Village is looking so lovely these days! The grass is that spring green and the trees have leafed out. Lilacs are starting to bloom. Gary is cleaning up all the buildings so that by Memorial Day weekend the museum can officially open for summer. Hundreds of visitors will pass through learning about the Tobacco Valley and seeing buildings and artifacts from our past. And the upkeep and repairs for all of this mostly come from these women who quilt all winter to raise money. So when you visit the Village this summer, stop by the museum to pick up a raffle ticket for a quilt we made and/or purchase other items that the women created: baby quilts, potholders, dish scrubbers, cards and pine needle baskets. Your support keeps the buildings painted, the lawn mowed, the roofs repaired and the electric bill paid.
And have I mentioned the events at the Village this summer? July 26th will have the New Old Time Chautauqua there giving free community workshops from 1:00 – 4:00pm. And then August 2 is the 10th Annual Eureka Montana Quilt Show! If you haven’t been yet, you should definitely put this on your calendar. August 18th is Montana Shakespeare in the Parks at 6pm with “Romeo and Juliet.” The Historical Village gives so much to the community from preserving our heritage to providing a wonderful shady lawn for summer events. Recently when Paul Magid, tour director for the New Old Time Chautauqua, came through to arrange details for the summer, we talked about community building. This place and these women as well as the other volunteers with the Board of History truly embody community.
Tobacco Valley History blog 