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­For Immediate Release

May 14, 2012

Since 2009, Callawegians have seen brightly painted quilt patterns appear in rural places. These “barn quilt” squares are part of a national trend that began in Appalachia, spread across the Midwest into Iowa and finally Missouri. The Callaway County Barn Quilt Trail will be highlighted during a special dinner and book tour stop on July 12 in Hatton. Author Suzi Parron will visit Terra Bella Farms to discuss her new book, Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement, as part of her national book tour.

“We have nine barn quilts now in Callaway County,” says Margot McMillen, owner of Terra Bella Farms, who put the first Callaway barn quilt on her farm near Hatton. The Terra Bella barn quilt caught Parron’s attention when she read a blogger’s entry about an event at McMillen’s farm.

Parron’s book, Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement, documents the barn quilt story, which begins when Donna Sue Groves in Ohio painted a quilt square on their barn to honor her mother, a quilter. Soon, the entire Ohio neighborhood pitched in and bright quilt squares started to appear on other buildings. When there were ten, the first “quilt trail” was born, and the sputtering local economy got a big boost from tourism. Restaurants and gas stations, even highway rest stops, started decorating with painted quilt squares. Each group makes its own rules for where the squares may be placed and in some communities, barn quilts are allowed only on historic barns.

In Callaway, the sites are a mix of historic and recent buildings—as long as they serve a purpose in the community. One Callaway County example is found at the Kingdom Telephone Company barn in Auxvasse that houses trucks and equipment for the telephone and Internet company. Another is a Guthrie church that has a bright “Greek Cross” pattern on the gable. The building has been restored as headquarters for Heirloom Acres, a seed company raising seeds for vintage varieties.

In each case, the squares have stories to tell. One barn sports a sensational version of “Farmer’s daughter,” as a nod to the owner’s heritage and love for her parents.  McMillen wanted a pattern to signify a first step, and remembered a story from Mabel Murphy, legendary Callaway County quilter. “Mrs. Murphy told me that a young girl would make a simple four-patch as her first quilt. I think of her every time I look at the barn,” says McMillen.

In addition to the July 12 dinner, Terra Bella Farms will celebrate Parron’s arrival and the Callaway County Barn Quilt Trail with a quilt show and a tour. Columbia chef Walker Claridge of Broadway Brewery will cater the dinner, featuring locally produced foods, to highlight Parron’s talk. The evening’s events will reflect Terra Bella’s mission of supporting food for the community, arts for all and health of the rural ecosystem, including farmers. Proceeds from the event will support the Auxvasse Creative Arts Program and historical preservation.

“The barn quilts are an incredible combination of local heritage, talent and artistic spirit, and Parron’s visit is proof as to the potential the Callaway County tour has to become a significant tourism draw,” says Jennifer Bondurant of the Auxvasse Creative Arts Program, a local non-profit organization dedicated to bringing arts and cultural opportunities to local families. “ACAP is pleased to be part of the effort to continue to build and grow the barn quilt tour in this area. We’d love to see Callaway County become known as the barn quilt capitol.”

McMillen says she’d like to see the number of barn quilts in mid-Missouri double this year to add to area historical preservation and encourage local tourism. Callaway County barn owners interested in adding a barn quilt to their property should e-mail McMillen at margotmcm@socket.net. McMillen may also be contacted via e-mail for directions to tour the Callaway quilt trail or for tickets ($50 each) to the July 12 event at Terra Bella Farms.