Much More Than Just a Show
For many people, visualizing the reality of death is met with an intense fear of being forgotten. Lake Park’s Peggy Stellmach watched that fear materialize as her sister, Mary, battled stomach cancer. “My sister was very afraid of being forgotten,” Peggy said, “especially in regards to her youngest child who was not quite five.” Mary ultimately lost her battle, and Peggy became determined to find a way to ensure that her sister’s memory would not fade. The result is the Families Forever Quilt Show and Tea, now in its seventh year.
Over one hundred quilts are expected in Lake Park for the August 17 show, a number that has consistently grown throughout the tenure of the show. “We are expecting quilts from areas we’ve never even heard of before,” said Peggy. Between 25-30 volunteers will be on hand the day of the show, performing tasks ranging from hanging quilts to serving food and drink. “I even have friends coming in from Montana to help,” she said. “It’s a tremendous amount of work, but it is one of the best days of my whole year.”
Everyone who walks through the doors is given a ballot to vote on their five favorite quilts. “The contest is all people’s choice,” Peggy explained. The top five finishers will take home a prize, with the winning quilt maker pocketing gift certificates to the Bay Window Quilt Shop in Perham and the Red Pine Quilt Shop in Detroit Lakes. “The price of quilting fabric has gone up a lot in recent years,” Peggy said. “People really appreciate the prizes.”
The heart and soul of the show are the scholarships that result from the proceeds. The Families Forever Scholarship Fund was established shortly after Mary passed away. Two scholarships in her name are awarded annually, one to a Lake Park /Audubon senior girl and one to a finalist in the Miss Northwest scholarship pageant. The Miss Northwest pageant is a subchapter of Miss America, and was a contest close to Mary’s heart. She watched her daughter Jackie compete in the pageant and believed it gave her added poise and personal development. “The contest basically amplified all of her good character,” Peggy said. “We wanted to recognize that.” The second scholarship is given to a Lake Park high school senior girl. “Mary lived in Lake Park for many years and her kids all went to the school,” Peggy explained. “The school seemed like a logical choice to put Mary’s memory.” The scholarships are awarded based on a personal essay on how family and the community have helped shape the contestant’s life.
Although the quilts are the highlight of the show, they are not the sole performers. Peggy is an avid gardener and has transformed her surroundings into a virtual garden paradise. All of the quilts are hung outdoors (with the exception of antique or family quilts), so visitors are able to view them amidst the beauty of summer. The weather has cooperated with the show every year except one. “I call the weather service each year and ask them for the driest Saturday of the summer,” Peggy explained, adding that the event will be moved to the American Legion in Lake Park in the event of inclement weather. “We’ve been lucky so far,” she said. “It’s not easy to move one hundred quilts.”
Tea and cookies will be served throughout the day and lunch available for purchase. Although there is seating for eighty, only fifty lunches will be served. In addition, Tami Jensen of Northwind Crossing will provide peaceful harp music as visitors peruse the show. A variety of gift baskets and other miscellaneous items will be available for purchase and door prizes awarded throughout the day. Admission to the show is just $5.
Although the show has become a community event, the heart of it still belongs to Peggy and her family. Each year they bring out a picture quilt that was made for Mary’s daughter and a hand quilt given to Mary by her daycare children. “We hang them each year and celebrate her life,” Peggy explained. “It’s a really special day.”
The 2013 Garden Quilt Show and Tea will be held on August 17th from 10:00am – 3:00pm at 4020 4th Street in Lake Park.
More information can be found at http://quiltsandtea.weebly.com/index.html.