4-H Delivers

Barn Quilt Tour Teaches History and Increases Tourism to a Small Rural Town

The Issue:

Small rural towns, like Quincy, are especially sensitive to the downturn of the economy. Many families have moved away to find work and support themselves. As more of their friends moved away, the youth who stayed decided to help. Thus, the Historic Barn Quilt idea was proposed. The project was the perfect opportunity to increase tourism and enable the community 4-H clubs to come together. By encouraging the various 4-H clubs in the Quincy community to work together on a joint project, they were able to develop bonds of friendship and camaraderie instead of the continuous competition they faced at fair and other 4-H events. 

 

What has 4-H Done?:

The Feather River 4-H club began a community service project to create barn quilts for historic barns in Quincy. Unlike traditional quilts made of fabric, these special barn quilts were painted onto plywood sheets. Working with various community members, organizations and 4-H clubs, the group decided which barns would receive a barn quilt along with the patterns and colors for the quilts. The group received donations for supplies and purchased the remaining needed materials to construct the quilts. To determine the designs for the individual quilts, the group researched local the history of each barn and local agriculture. Each 4-H member took turns painting the specially prepared plywood sheets with the quilt designs. After several months of preparation over the winter, 4-H members made presentations to club members and the public about aspects of the project. Once the quilts were completed they were placed in the barns with the help of the local volunteer fire department.  A tour map was created and passed out at the Quincy Crazy Quilters Quilt Show in May. The response was so overwhelming that a second printing of the map was required. Several 4-H members also agreed to create additional barn quilts to be placed in their personal barns so that the map and places to visit would also increase.

 

The Payoff:

The Feather River 4-H club has gained community recognition from making a difference in the town of Quincy. The group has come together to cause community excitement about the project. With the extra tourism from the barn quilts, more revenue influx into the economy which helps everyone. Local merchants have taken it one step further by making their own versions of the barn quilt and using them in their stores. Feather River 4-H has shown that 4-H can have many different positive impacts on its members and the community.

“They [Feather River 4-H club] are on the edge of success to increase tourism and provide a positive impact on our community. This is a start.” 
--A Quincy reporter

 

“Being able to see the barn quilts around town, we are able to say, ‘Hey, we painted those barn quilts together!’” 
--4-H member, Abby