It All Begins with Destruction

Steve Doolittle, Downtown Development Director, visits with AQS staff Rick Loyd, Billy Schroeder, and Meredith Schroeder about the destruction taking place. Today we were given a tour of the building to see the progress being made. Here are some photos so you, too, can see what will lead to a completely renovated convention center in Paducah. Many of the areas were really destruction zones but we stepped as close as we dared to snap these photos.

The City of Paducah has committed to renovate the convention center compatible with the renovation of the Executive Inn. The classrooms will be completely remodeled with new everything - from top to bottom, and we are especially grateful to have new lighting in these rooms for our workshops. New heating and air conditioning will be installed. The International Rooms will be renovated with new ceiling, lighting, wall treatments, and carpeting.

Steve Doolittle, Meredith Schroeder, AQS President; Mary Hammond, Executive Director of the Paducah/McCracken Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Terry Guill, Director of AQS Show Operations, take a look at where the planter (we always called it the moat) was removed in the lobby of the convention center. It is amazing how much space that planter took up.

The ceilings will be replaced throughout the building. Two shifts a day are working to get the building ready for reconstruction. All they left in place are the metal heat ducts as you can see in this photo. New electrical lines will be installed throughout the building.

The upper hallway was in big time destruction mode today. Won't we all be anxious to see it all put back together?

Workers were busy ripping out wiring and heat registers. This was a pretty big mess.

Carpeting is being ripped out of the classrooms. New ceilings and lighting will be installed in all of the classrooms.

The bathrooms have been gutted and will be brand new from top to bottom.

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Wow, can you believe all that they have torn apart so far? Keep an eye here on our Blog and we'll bring you new photos as the work progresses.

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Can't wait until April? Well, you can see that there is a lot of work to be done, but these crews are up to the task, and the building will all be fresh and new for our 25th Anniversary Celebration. And, we'll also get to celebrate a newly renovated convention center and hotel rooms. Put on your dancing...or your track shoes and come celebrate with us.

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Meanwhile back at the office, Cindy Carrico and Marcelle Cashon are busy working on the Registration Guide for our 25th Anniversary Celebration. It will be later in November before it is all finished. We still have a lot of information to get formatted in our software, and then it goes back to the teachers for proofing, and a final proofing in our office...then we'll get it to the printer and posted for online registration. We'll post a notice on our Web site and here on our Blog when we have a better idea of the date it will be ready.

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Here's a little secret: 19 of the past Best of Show winners will be joining us in Paducah...and you'll be able to take classes from several of them. How great is that... to learn from some of the best!

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Bonnie Browning

Executive Show Director

Olfa Young Designer Okada Award at Paducah

Do you know any young quilt designers who are creating innovative quilts?

One of the categories in the Paducah Quilt Contest is Young Designer Quilts. The quilter can use any technique in making a fabric quilt in a unique interpretation. This category is open to ages 18 to 35 (determined on the opening day of the show). The judges will be looking for originality in this category.

There are some great awards for this category. All quilts in this category are eligible for the $5,000 Olfa Young Designer Okada Award. In addition, there will be 1st ($1,500), 2nd ($1,000), and 3rd ($750) places.

Pass the word around to your quilting friends and to your guild about this special contest geared to young quilters. They can't win if they don't enter.

The rules for the AQS Quilt Contest are available on our AQS Web site, www.AmericanQuilter.com. Just click on Shows & Contests and then choose the Paducah Quilt Show. The deadline for receiving contest entries (entry form and two digital images) is January 5, 2009...so there is still time to work on an entry.

If you have any questions about the Young Designer Quilts category or the Paducah Quilt Contest, please call the AQS office at 270-898-7903.

Executive Inn Update

The contract to purchase the Executive Inn by Space Coast Hospitality has been signed. The contract closing will be in 10 to 14 days. The long-awaited renovations will begin shortly after the closing.

Once the closing has taken place, the new owners will begin to determine the status of the reservations for those who sent checks to the hotel.

If you sent a check to the hotel and have NOT received a confirmation for your room, please forward a copy of the front AND back of your cancelled check to Sylvia Thomas in the AQS office who is collecting this information. Her e-mail address is: sylvia@AQSquilt.com or fax it to 270-898-1173.

A Glimpse of the 2008 AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines

If you missed the show in Des Moines, here is how it looked through Bonnie Browning's camera lens. You can view them larger by clicking on the photos. Put the dates for next year's AQS Quilt Expo - Des Moines on your calendar now so you don't miss it: October 28 - 31, 2009.

The view from the windows on the third level of the Iowa Events Center was beautiful. The exhibit floor looked like a patchwork quilt. This is only 2/3 of the exhibit hall. There is another room of quilts under where I was standing. More than 900 quilts were on exhibit at this show.

Two familiar faces, Dale Perry and Bill Schroeder, greet quilters as they enter the show.

Winners Marilyn Badger (co-winner with Claudia Clark Myers of the Best Longarm Workmanship Award) and Anne Lullie (winner of the Best Machine Workmanship Award)

visit in front of Anne's quilt.

AQS President Meredith Schroeder presented a contribution to the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild in appreciation of their assistance in providing volunteers for the show. (L to R: Mary Shotwell and Jill Reber, Co-AQS Volunteer Coordinators; Meredith Schroeder; Sherri Street, Guild President; and Doris Rumpp, Guild Treasurer)

With this being an election year, we included a Hooray for the Red, White & Blue exhibit. Nancy Kirk, Kirk Collection, Omaha, Nebraska, shared some of her antique red, white, and blue quilts and costumes.

One of the popular events is the All-Star Review where the instructors demonstrate a technique and the quilters move around the room at their own pace. Each participant receives a booklet of handouts from the instructors so make notes or as a reminder when they get home.

Quilters are getting a close look at one of the quilts in the exhibit by Sandra McMillan, Albion, Nebraska. We all aspire to make such beautiful quilts.

You know how popular aprons are again. MaryJane Butters, Moscow, Idaho, shared her collection of aprons as one of our special exhibits. Do you remember your grandmother wearing one of the aprons that covered her whole front? I do. And it reminds me of her baking cookies.

An exhibit of Judy Martin's quilts was very popular. People loved her Log Cabin quilts. Thanks, Judy, for sharing your beautiful quilts.

The National Quilt Museum displayed two exhibits at the show: New Quilts from an Old Favorite: Sawtooth, and the 2009 Pilgrim/Roy Challenge. The Yoyos from Paducah drew crowds as they demonstrated some tricks for making yoyos and how to use them in a variety of ways.

Here's a great view of the exhibit hall!

This is a view of the exhibit hall from the skywalk windows that overlook the show. Great quilts! Great vendors! Lots of visitors!

Wish you were here.

The show closes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday - that's tomorrow, so you still have one more day to come see the show.

Sunrise in Des Moines

Here is the view of the Iowa State Capitol from my hotel room window.

Do you need a hotel room for the AQS Quilt Expo in Des Moines?

If you need a hotel for the Des Moines AQS Quilt Expo, the Downtown Marriott still has some rooms available.

The Marriott is located in downtown Des Moines and is connected to the Iowa Events Center via the skywalk system. It is the closest hotel with rooms still available.

To book your room at the Marriott, call 515) 245-5500 today. Rooms at the AQS rate are limited.

Des Moines Marriott Downtown
700 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-245-5500

See you in Des Moines, October 8 - 11!

Bonnie Browning