Monday, April 25, 2011

Quilt Show Setup has Begun

While the water is rising in the Ohio River, the AQS staff is busy with alternate preparations for the 27th AQS Quilt Show & Contest. Yesterday we had a 12-hour period to decide what we would do when the city told us they were planning to install the flood gates in our flood wall and that we must evacuate the Expo Center and Convention Center, both of which sit on the river side of the flood wall.

After visiting a variety of buildings and churches, here are the alternate plans we have in place:

Pavilion (also known as the Marshmallow) in downtown Paducah:
  • Vendors who were in the Expo Center will be moved to the Pavilion.
  • Best of Show and other top awards in the large quilt categories, all of the quilts in 9 categories and their winners, plus the Best Miniature and the miniature category will be displayed here.
  • Admissions, Workshops, and AQS Membership Desks will be at the front of the Pavilion, as well as the First Aid Station, Package Check, and the Paducah Visitors Bureau.
  • Certified quilt appraisers will be on hand to appraise quilts - this booth is located on the last aisle of the Pavilion.
  • American Quilter editors will also be located on the last aisle of the Pavilion.
  • The Quilt Life editor Jan Magee will have a booth next to the Ricky Tims' booth in the Pavilion. You can subscribe and meet Ricky Tims too.
Office Max building at Kentucky Oaks Mall:
  • Vendors who were in the Pavilion will be moved to the Office Max Building.
  • Winners of the 2011 AQS Lancaster Quilt Show, and the 2012 Pilgrim/Roy Challenge will be on display.
Circuit City building at Kentucky Oaks Mall:
  • Vendors who were in the Convention Center (1st and 2nd floors) will be located here.
  • Special quilt exhibits include the Alliance for American Quilts Contest quilts, and the AQS Authors' Quilt Exhibit.
Food Tent:
No Paducah quilt show is complete without some southern barbeque, strawberry shortcake, ribs from Larry-Larry & Darrell, and many other treats. We couldn't disappoint you there either. We will have them all, but they will move just a couple of blocks - to the parking lot on 2nd Street, just behind the National Quilt Museum.

Live Quilt Auction:
One change is that the Live Quilt Auction will be held inside the National Quilt Museum, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Enjoy a grilled chicken dinner at the Food Tent from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. and then head across the street to the museum for the auction.

AQS School of Quiltmaking:
All classes - workshops and lectures - will be held at the 1st Baptist Church, 2890 Broadway. There is plenty of parking on three sides of the building. Look the AQS Quilt Show sandwich board sign for the entrance.
  • Lectures will be held in the Chapel on the first floor.
  • The Best Wall Quilt and all of the entries in the small wall categories will be displayed in the Great Room on the first floor of the church.
  • All workshops will be held in ten classrooms on the second  floor of the church; there is an elevator just inside the entrance for easy access to the classrooms.
  • Special Events being held at the 1st Baptist Church include the All-Star Review, the AQS Authors' Roundtable, Stitched - the Movie, and the evening with Charlotte Angotti. All of these events will take place in the Chapel/Lecture Hall.
  • If you have any questions, Educator Coordinator Marcelle Cashon, Klaudeen Hansen, and Sylvia Thomas will be at the church to assist you.
Special Events at the Carson Four Rivers Center:
All activities at the Carson Center will be held as scheduled. Shuttle service from the AQS Bus Stop at the Pavilion will begin 45 minutes prior to the start of the events.

There will be shuttle service to all of these venues, plus the AQS Vendors on Kentucky (Finkel Building) where more vendors and the AQS "Hurt Book" Sales are located.  The bus drivers can tell you which route they are running and where they can stop.

If you need to pick up your advanced registration packet, a name badge holder, and wish to purchase tickets for workshops, lectures, or special events, check at the Workshop Desk inside the entrance to the Pavilion. The Workshop Desk will be open from 12 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, and from 8 a.m. to close on show days.

Tomorrow the quilts will be hung and the winners of the AQS Quilt Contest will be announced at the Carson Four Rivers Center, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., and the show officially opens at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

Phew... what a week, but we did it. We can't wait for you all to see the beautiful quilts on display this year!

See you at the show!

Bonnie Browning
Executive Show Director

6 comments:

NancyinSTL said...

I was hoping that the show would be postponed, but understand why that would be a bigger problem for the vendors, teachers, etc. However, due to the floods, my hotel closed and I was unsuccessful in making other accommodations. Also, with severe weather in the forecast over the next several days, I have no desire now to drive to Paducah, especially so soon after the too near miss of the tornadoes that recently devastated St. Louis.

Anonymous said...

You are ALL the BEST Bonnie - what a challenge for you and you are all shining today. I know it will be a successful show and everyone will have a wonderful time.

Daphne

Ann Winschel said...

I am very disappointed in this irresponsible decision. The city and county are under a state of emergency. Parts of the city have already flooded or have lost power - likely places where quilters hoped to stay at "bed and breakfasts". It's dangerous/difficult/impossible to travel to Paducah, especially if you're not familiar with the area. AND - the National Weather Service is predicting major flooding from the Ohio River in Paducah. You're still using the Pavilion which is right up against a flood wall. Are you nuts or just trying to save money?

Anonymous said...

I am very disappointed with the lack of information about the conditions of the show. I finally found a website that has road conditions and two of the roads into paducah are closed in both directions due to flooding. We will not be driving to the show tomorrow. It is unfortunate that they did not take peoples safety into consideration with the decision to continue the show. Best of luck to all.....I wil sure miss the show this year.

Neva Hart said...

The Professional Assn. of Appraisers-Quilted Textiles (PAAQT) quilt appraisal booth has been cancelled. We regret having to do this. Please see our website to find an appraiser near you: www.quiltappraisers.org
Neva Hart, President

Feltsey said...

I am commuting to Paducah from Marion, Illinois (my home town--staying with my sister). Yes, across the flooded Ohio River. Today was terrific--I attended two lectures, took a half-day class, went to the Rotary Club antique quilt show, and shopped the vendors at two locations. There are inconveniences, of course--the classrooms were smaller, the contest quilts are in two locations, and vendors are at multiple locations. But AQS did a great job at pulling the show together in the face of a near-natural disaster. We will get a break with the weather tomorrow--sunny days ahead.