‘Let’s put on a show!’ is the catch cry of the old Mickey Rooney films, but that’s exactly what members of St Mary’s Parish did over the Peter Allen Festival weekend to showcase their quilting efforts.
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Around 300 people passed through St Mary’s Hall to admire the handiwork on display, and they were full of praise for the quality, Dot Sonter said.
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Mrs Sonter is a keen quilter herself and said she has lots on company in that regard.
“I’m a quilter, all the people I know are quilters, and many of the ladies at church are quilters.
“We had a quilt show many years ago, and I suggested we have another one in spring. Everyone I asked was happy to help.”
Mrs Sonter said the organising committee scheduled the show to coincide with the festival so there’d be more people around, and the result was many more visitors than they expected.
She said there’s considerable effort involved in putting up the quilts and packing up the show, so they wanted to pick a date that would give the show the best exposure.
After the call went out for quilts to display, they ended up with more than space would allow. Ultimately 169 stunning examples of the craft were put on display.
The committee was thrilled with the outcome and very grateful to those who helped and to the many who attended. The show also acted as a fundraiser for the church.
Mrs Sonter is confident another quilt show is in the offing if the Peter Allen Festival returns next year, and she’s very hopeful that it will.
“I think the festival could be really big, and it would be wonderful if everyone got involved,” she said.
“It so good for bringing the community together, and it’s good dollars-wise. It would be great for everyone to be behind it.”
She was full of praise for the festival’s young co-directors Josh Moylan and Matt Sing, saying they are just the sort of go-getters the town needs.
“They deserve a big pat on the back,” she said.
