Thursday, May 18, 2006

No Quilt Show at Strawberry Festival?

LEBANON, OREGON... On May 18, the following was submitted as a Letter to Editor to... Lebanon Express, Corvallis Gazette Times, and Albany Democrat Herald. Then it was sent to the Santiam Scrappers Quilt Guild newsletter.

Some of this is from talks with at least two guild members. One member has significant experience marketing quilting commercially.
No Quilt Show at Strawberry Festival?

Most local festivals have quilt shows. Not Lebanon. Why not?

Scio's Lamb and Wool Fair has a quilt show. Pioneer Picnic in Brownsville has a quilt show. Lebanon used to have quilt doings at Strawberry Festival. Why not now?

Lebanon's Strawberry Patches Quilt Shop had Strawberry challenge quilt contests. For 5 or 6 years, the Strawberry Court made a "Queen's Choice" from entries and there were "Visitor's Choice" winners. Strawberry Patches gave prizes and decorated the shop.

In 2002, Lebanon's Santiam Scrappers Quilt Guild was formed. In 2003 they held a quilt show during Strawberry Festival. However, in 2004 and 2005, the quilt show was in October.

If there was a Strawberry Festival Quilt Show it would be another reason for tourists to stay in Lebanon.

Lebanon's Strawberry Festival Quilt Show could be a big tourist attraction like the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Sisters is the largest outdoor quilt show in the country. Tourist businesses in that part of Oregon are packed during the show.

Possibly the city's tourism marketing monies could make Strawberry Festival a real "tourist" event. Santiam Scrappers Quilt Guild should join the Festival board and plan to make 2007 a big Strawberry Quilt Show year.

Tourists — defined by the tourist industry — are people who travel for 24 hours or more to a place other than where they live. This distance is more than 50 miles from their home. Tourists visit for leisure, business, family, mission and meeting.
This section was added in the email sent to the guild...
Tom’s Garden Center & guild quilt show on Mother's Day weekend was a success.
  • It was designed and marketed for more than quilters.
  • Mother’s Day and Tom’s other attractions brought over 1,000 folks.
  • They all saw the beauty and skill of guild quilts.
  • They bought over $400 of quilts.
  • The guild’s production costs were low.
  • The show benefited from Tom’s marketing plans and location.
  • Many of these folks would not come just for a quilt show in Lebanon in October.
Strawberry Festival brings many to Lebanon.
  • People go to the garden show while their children enjoy Festival rides.
  • People eat ham and pancake breakfasts in town to support the Festival.
  • A guild quilt show in town will support the Festival.
  • Done right, a quilt show is an added attraction for Lebanon.
  • The guild would make more money.
Every quilt show I have attended is designed to attract more than just quilters. The annual Pacific International Quiltfest in Santa Clara, California, is in a major convention center and marketed to wide range of potential attendes.

(QuilteerPeg and I went here from Alaska back in the '90s. I spent much of my time sitting in our rented car on top of the parking garage — There is only so much quilting I can handle!)

Sisters is definitely unique. It’s growth was not an accident. It took hard work, marketing, planning, and coordination.

Santiam Scrappers should do more than a small quilt show in October.
Santiam Scrappers should support Strawberry Festival with a quilt show.

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