The long-running Albert County Quilt Show and Sale raises funds for the museum, but also helps preserve local handicrafts

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by Hanne Armstrong
THis Week staff

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There are banners and signs along Highway 114 to invite and guide you to the Albert County Historical Society's Annual Quilt Show and Sale in Hopewell Cape from July 15 to 19.

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Baby Laurel Smith shows off some of the colourful quilts on display for the Albert County Historical Society’s Annual Quilt Show and Sale, which takes place in Hopewell Cape this weekend.

Over a hundred homemade quilts are available to buy, as are crib quilts and quilt tops for those who want to finish a quilt themselves.

"We also have a lot of smaller items," explains Dawn Kinnie, "like knitted afghans, socks and mitts. And of course there are crocheted tablecloths, and placemats and decorative pillows.

"All items have to be made by the person submitting them, so you're sure of getting something homemade at the sale."

Dawn is a former chairperson and current member of the Quilt Show Committee, and has been involved with the show for the last 15 years.

The Show itself has been running for over 25 years, with proceeds going to the Albert County Historical Society and Museum.

"The Show is in the Community Hall in the Museum complex," says Dawn, "which has just been renovated this past winter. The Hall dates from 1885, and we're pleased to be here for the Show this year."

Quilts and other items come from all over the Moncton area, including Shediac, Salisbury and places between. Quality and variety keep improving, and there are also men who submit quilts to the Show. The most common size of quilt is queen-size, though there are some twin-size as well.

They are artfully displayed on the walls of the Hall, but if you want to seen one in greater detail, the volunteer staff will take it down and spread it out for you on tables, to give an idea of how it would look on a bed.

"The Historical Society receives a commission on each item sold," Dawn elaborates, "so this is not only a wonderful sale of handcrafted items, it's also a great way to support the Museum."

The Albert County Museum has several buildings, including the old county jail from 1845, the courthouse from 1905, the old treasurer's office and tax office.

Permanent displays include antique agricultural equipment in the barn, and a DVD movie about R.B. Bennett, who was born in Hopewell Hill in 1870, and was prime minister of Canada from 1930-35.

Dawn points out that if you want to attend the Quilt Show and not go to the Museum, you are charged admission for the Show only. It costs only $2, and children 12 and under get in for free.

The Show runs Tuesday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"We hope that high gas prices don't keep people away from the Show this year," Dawn worries. "A lot of tourists usually come, and there is some concern about that."

This is certainly an event worth taking in, as it helps to preserve local history through local handwork. The Historical Society started in 1958 in the taxation office, and has created with patience and dedication the Museum complex of today.

"We're all volunteers doing this to keep the Albert County Museum going," says Dawn. "We enjoy having people come by even if they're not planning to buy anything."