Would you come to “Blooms & Threads”– A fun, 3-day Flower & Quilt Show in Lebanon, Oregon in 2008?

2008 JUNE– STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL, LEBANON, OREGON… A few local Lebanonites are considering developing this idea for June 2008. They are asking the following five questions –

• Would mid-Willamette Valley gardeners and quilters enjoy a major, local, 3-day flower and quilt show with garden displays, judged flower arrangements, juried and judged quilt competition, art quilts, heritage quilts, local art, workshops, speakers, and a commercial vendors marketplace?
• Would Lebanon benefit from a major new tourist event at Strawberry Festival?
• Would Lebanon’s businesses and organizations like to have $5,000 to $8,000 new income?
• Would Strawberry Festival like to appeal to a new type of visitor & expand its long term potential?
• Would the City of Lebanon and Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce like to support an economic development event in the manner of Sweet Home’s Oregon Jamboree?

MEETING
If you are interested in discussing this idea, Please come to a meeting about “Blooms & Threads” Flower & Quilt Show 3-days, workshops, speakers, vendors at 2008 Strawberry Festival Lebanon, Oregon

• What– Lunch meeting – Informally discuss “Blooms & Threads”
• When– Noon, Thursday, March 29
• Where– Peggy’s Alaskan Cabbage Patch B&B, 194 S. 2nd St. Lebanon
• Sponsor – Alaskan Chocolate Quilting Company.
• RSVP– (541) 258-1774, (5410 451-4910 ACQC@alaskaquilt.com

FICTIOUS NEWSPAPER STORY

500 Gardeners and Quilters Attend 2008 Strawberry Festival Flower & Quilt Show — “Blooms & Threads”
New York Times
BY MARK TWAIN, Published June 13, 2008

LEBANON, OREGON… Festival attendees enjoyed a new event for the 99th Strawberry Festival. The 3-day Flower & Quilt Show inspired them with 5 glorious gardens, 100 beautiful floral arrangements and over 125 colorful and unique quilts.

In six scheduled classes and workshops they tried new quilting skills and learned helpful garden techniques. Local and regional artists and professionals led these sessions in exploring a variety of Blooms & Threads.

For gardeners, quilters and general shoppers, the marketplace had many specials in gardening supplies, beautiful flowers, high-tech sewing machines, and a variety of special fabrics and quilting notions.

All this fun and learning was under cover and air-conditioned inside Lebanon’s River Center. River Center has easy parking and is close to Strawberry Festival’s Open Air Country Fair and Carnival in Cheadle Lakes Park.
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SPECIFIC ITEMS OF DISCUSSION
Attendees/ Market

• 500-800 – Tourists & Locals – Gardeners & Quilters – Baby Boomers & others
  

Activities

• Flower/Garden Displays with Awards– Personal & Business
• Quilt Displays wish Awards– Personal, Heritage, Antique & Artistic– Juried & Judged– Open & Invitational
• Commercial Vendors– Nurseries, Landscapers, Sewing Machine Dealers, Quilt & Fabric Shops & Dealers
• Workshops– 4–6 Flower/Gardening & Quilting/Sewing
• Professional Speakers & Artists

Funding & Support

• Generate income– $5,000-$8,000 – Admission Fees, Vendor Fees, Sponsorships, Quilt Raffle–High quality, year long raffle, Flower & Plant Sales, Silent Quilt Auction
• Tourism promotion grant– City of Lebanon “Bed tax”
• Economic Development Support– Lebanon Chamber of Commerce
• Technical Support– OSU/Linn County Extension Service & Master Gardeners. Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs, Lebanon Garden Club, Santiam Scrapper Quilt Guild

Benefits

• New Market– 3-day event targets new Strawberry Festival market – quilters & gardeners

Interested?
Think this might be a fun tourist event for East Linn County?

Give us a call – Alaskan Chocolate Quilting Company (541) 358-1774, (541) 451-4910 or email ACQC@alaskaquilt.com.