On Thursday, April 28th the Historical Society of Walworth & Big Foot Prairie will hold its annual dinner and McElwain quilt program at the Abbey, in Fontana at 6 p.m. Reservations must be made by April 20 along with a check made out to the Historical Society of Walworth & Big Foot Prairie, P.O. Box 336, Walworth, WI 53184-0336. Cost for the dinner and program is $25 per person.
For information call 262-275-2426.
Take a colorful step into the last century when Walworth was the place to shop for quilt patterns, quilting materials and beautiful finished quilts. The Historical Society of Walworth & Big Foot Prairie will have their annual dinner and program on Thursday, April 28 at The Abbey Resort, 269 Fontana Blvd., Fontana. The evening will begin at 6 PM with socializing and the viewing of a collection of McElwain quilts. There will also be display tables containing the history of the Fontana Ladies Aid Society, information from Kathi West, quilt expert, on the Scrapper Quilt Guild of Williams Bay and the Historical Society publications. Fred Noer, well-known photographer and owner of Image Source, Delavan, will present his note cards with remarkable scenes of the area. Sherrie of The Cornerstone – A Gathering, Walworth will offer various types of “past-times” items and several books, among which will include “Wisconsin Quilts – History in the Stitches” with information on the McElwain quilts along with many other Wisconsin quilts.
The featured speaker will be Amy Hanson of Stoddard, WI, who collects McElwain patterns. She will delight you with her quest for trying to locate the prized quilt patterns. Arlene Patek, a quilter from the Fontana Ladies Aid Society of the Fontana Community Church, will tell about the early history of the quilting group that hand-quilted many of the quilts from the McElwain shop. There will also be representatives from the Lydia’s Helpers of the Walworth Immanuel United Church of Christ who will tell about their projects of today. Genevieve Peters Wainwright, featured in the Wisconsin Quilt book, will provide information for a slide presentation about her early life as a quilter at the Mary A. McElwain Quilt Shop.
The cost of the entrée, which is a beef and chicken combination platter, is $25 including tax and gratuity. Reservations must be made by Wednesday, April 20 with a check made out to the Historical Society of Walworth & Big Foot Prairie, P.O. Box 336, Walworth, WI 53184-0336. For information: Call Richard Rasmussen at 262-275-5482 or Nancy Lehman at 262-275-2426