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Visitors traveling the rural roads of Racine County in Southeastern Wisconsin this Fall will see even more color than what Mother Nature is offering when they look for bright quilt patterns mounted on historic barns. Fifteen barns, starting in October 2008, along with six new barns in 2009, will be sporting 8 x 8 foot square painted plywood quilt patterns, all visible from the road, to launch Quilts on Barns-the Beauty of Rural Art. The ambitious project, cosponsored by the nonprofit Racine Arts Council in conjunction with the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau, will include 45 quilts on barns during the next three years.
This Fall, motorists, bicyclists and walkers will see patterns such as Bear’s Paw, Wild Goose Chase, Indian Trails, Tulip Basket, Black-eyed Susan and Corn and Bean adorning selected barns. The Mariner’s Compass will be strategically mounted on a barn a half-mile from Windpoint Lighthouse, Racine’s popular landmark on Lake Michigan.
The route threads through the countryside, within minutes of some of the area’s most popular Fall attractions such as Swan’s Pumpkin Farm, Apple Holler, Borzynski’s Farm and Floral which feature pick your own farms and corn mazes, and the famous Bear Den Wildlife Zoo’s Haunted Woods, where visitors can find maps showing the quilt locations.
On October 11, the official kickoff of “Racine County Quilts on Barns”, residents and business owners will display quilts on their porches, clothesline, and fences as part of Racine County Quilt Hang Day to draw even more attention to the barn art project.
“The quilts on barns give visitors another reason to spend quality time in Racine County this Fall”, said David Blank, President/CEO of The Racine County Convention and Visitor Bureau. “This rural art provides an added value where families can see the quilts and then visit our corn mazes, pumpkin farms, apple orchards and pick-your-own stands.”
Blank said warm wind currents from Lake Michigan extend the Fall growing season and delay the frost “so the harvest season is celebrated big time here.”
Blank said more than 200 “Racine County Quilts on Barns” volunteers are adding to the celebration by bringing another dimension to the countryside. Several quilts were mounted during the summer, with all 15 up and ready for viewing by October 11.
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