More than 500 quilts will be on display this weekend as Algood celebrates the 36th Annual Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival.
“John Allen and the quilt board work very hard year to year putting this together,” Algood City Administrator Keith Morrison. “They put in countless hours and this week’s go time. They will be working constantly to pull this off.”
Special exhibitions include The Quilts of Rebecca Shipley, The Quilts of Marcia Glynn, and The Antique Quilts of Liz Mullens. Morrison said the festival is currently the primary fund raising event for the Senior Center.
“The activities and the meals and things they do throughout the year supports those programs that they offer,” Morrison said. “The seniors chair, volleyball chair, yoga activities…they do all the things that are available to those folks to keep them active and involved in the community.”
Hope Church, the Country Store, Algood Activity Center, Algood United Methodist Church and City Hall will all have quilts on display. Advance tickets are $5 tickets. Lunch will available at Algood Methodist, Hope Church and the Farmer’s Market.
While the festival is currently centralized near city hall and the downtown area, Morrison said a potential $12 million expansion of the new city park would include a gymnasium and a parking lot big enough to house the entire event.
“To have that facility for the quilt festival, would put all of the quilt festival in one place,” Morrison said. “You know, it would be a big event. To have the indoor space for people to go and exercise, and play basketball and do things, I think it would be a big deal.”
Morrison said the park expansion would give the Quilt Festival more visibility and accessibility for people to attend. Morrison said said the spring is a good opportunity to show off the town and welcome in visitors from across the state for the yearly event.
