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Lafayette County Quilt Show to be held on weekend of September 19 & 20
QUILT SHOW
Pictured from L-R: Kristine Haas, Heidi Brenum and Phyllis Sonsalla, members of the Lafayette County Sew & Sews, display a quilt to be raffled off at the quilt show.
Kayla Barnes
Updated: Aug 27, 2015, 3:31 PM
Published: Aug 27, 2015, 3:33 PM

The Lafayette County Sew & Sews along with the Darlington Chamber Main Street Program are preparing for the third Lafayette County quilt show.  The show is held every other year, and is coming up this year on Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Darlington Middle School, located at 11630 Center Hill Rd. in Darlington. The show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Organizers are currently looking for entries for the show. Entered quilts can be made by yourself or someone else. The show will be a viewer’s choice, so you don’t have to worry about it being judged. With viewer’s choice anyone can vote on the quilt they like the best.

Entry forms are available at Pins & Pieces Quilt Shop in Darlington, or online at http://www.pinsandpiecesquiltshop.com/index.php. Entries are due back to Heidi Brenum at the Pins & Pieces Quilt Shop by Friday, Sept. 11.

A queen sized quilt, made by members of the Lafayette County Sew & Sews, will be raffled off during the quilt show. Tickets cost $1 each or $5 for six tickets. Tickets can be purchased at Pins & Pieces Quilt Shop or by contacting other quilt guild members.

The raffle winner will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 20 during the show at 3:30 p.m.

There will also be a food stand available during the show, as well as vendors, demos and a lecture each day at 11:30 a.m. by Sandy Schweitzer.  On Saturday, the lecture will be on 19th century floral quilts and on Sunday the lecture will be on 20th century floral quilts.  Schweitzer is also an AQS certified quilt appraiser and will be doing appraisals on both days of the show for a fee.

Quilting is not just something that your grandma does in the winter with scraps out of need or just for something to do. This is a 3.5 billion dollar industry in the U. S. now, with over 20 million active quilters.  

These days people use quilting as a creative outlet, a hobby, and even as a form of therapy.  This hobby however, is not cheap.  With fabric selling for $7.00 to $14.00 a yard and with a king size quilt using up to between 25 and 30 yards of fabric, just the material alone can cost up anywhere between $210 and $420, not to mention the quilting fees, and all the time it takes to create such a masterpiece.   

So if you are blessed with a graduation or a wedding quilt, keep in mind all of the effort and cost that went into such a gift and please take good care of it, and don’t let the dog eat it.

Do you have some of your grandma’s old quilts in a closet somewhere? Have you ever wondered if or what they were worth? Well, now you’ll be able to find out at the Lafayette County Quilt Show.

Sandy Schweitzer, an AQS certified quilt appraiser will be at the quilt show, and for a fee she will give you an appraisal on your quilt.  Appraisals will be available both days. 

Recently a local guild member went to an estate sale and spent just $15 on a floral appliquéd twin sized quilt top, with three matching accessories. A few months later she had it appraised for insurance purposes, and to see how old the fabric was. The grouping was appraised at $700 for insurance reasons. 

Who knows what treasures are lurking in your closets or attics?
Mt Zion Fest features plenty of local talent
On Saturday and Sunday
Mt Zion Music Fest
CHARLEY PREUSSER
Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout
Published: Jun 25, 2025, 2:45 PM

Sometimes an event takes on a life of its own, like the rock festival in upstate New York held in the summer of 1969, which came to be known by a single word–Woodstock, the name of the nearby village where it was held.

Well, maybe we’re seeing a local version of that famous concert right here in the Driftless. Local bar owner Jill Riggs is putting on a two-day music festival. The Mount Zion Pub First Annual Music Fest is scheduled for this weekend, Saturday, June 28 & Sunday, June 29.

The music festival is being hosted by Countryfied, one of the 15 bands scheduled to play for the two-day event. The outdoor event is planned to start at 1 p.m. both days. The last performance on Saturday at 7 p.m. is Backtracking with Steve O with a country music performance.

The last act on Sunday starting at 8 p.m. is Electric Gravy, a band featuring Randy Swiggum and his friends. The whole festival is centered around old rock & roll and country music.

In addition to the country music of Countryfied, featuring Doug Wayne, the Saturday schedule includes Mineral Point’s Driftless Ramblers, who have played in Nashville recently. Eighteen-year-old singer Dakota Bedward will catch everyone’s attention with his performance.  

Later in the day, country musician Donnie Reyzek and rock and roller Neil Knutson will take the stage. Then, it’s time for Winter Blue, featuring local singer Arleena Roe and her friends. The last performance is Steve O.

The Sunday schedule starts with Marty Cina, an accomplished musician who describes his music as Americana with lots of tunes you’ll recognize.

Next up is Annie & the Crush, featuring Annie Christopherson, a musician that has been entertaining local crowds for several years.

Then, it’s Rusty, Dusty & Friends, a band formed to play this event, featuring Brian Fontaine. They’re followed the Guthrie’s, the well-known duo of Scott and Erika, who play lots of gigs in the area.

Playing rock & roll, Bryce Bird will entertain the crowd, followed by Mike Macabee, a singing comedian from Iowa.

At 7 p.m. DJ DRT takes the stage, featuring three WDRT Disc jockeys, who may be streaming the performance to the community radio station in Viroqua. The final band Sunday is Electric Gravy.

The price for this event is $15 per day. Jill Riggs wanted to make the music festival a free event, but couldn’t come up with enough sponsors. Hey, $15 per day is a reasonable price for the number and quality of the performances.

So bring lawn chairs and expect a good time. Food will be available. Capelle’s Cuisine, a food truck, will be serving food both days and the Mount Zion Pub will put on a Chicken Q on Saturday.

The outdoor event will go on rain or shine, as the Mount Zion Pub has a large tent to use if rain shows up on either day. The outdoor stage on a trailer is often used by the Pub for outdoor performances known as Dancing in the Street.

Look, if you missed Woodstock, don’t miss the Mount Zion Pub First Annual Music Fest this weekend.

See you there.

Oh yeah, Mount Zion Pub is located at 43499 County Road W Boscobel, WI 53805. You can find them on the internet at mtzionpub1@yahoo.com