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Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival
History
The Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival was organized in 1988 as a fundraiser for the Algood Senior Citizens Center. Barbara Tolleson was the new Senior Center Director and was challenged to raise matching funds for state and federal funding for the Senior Center. Judy Roberson who is now Area Agency for Aging Director, but was then supervising Senior Centers in the Upper Cumberland advised her, to do some kind of fundraising that was fun for her. So…quilting was her interest, and she contacted Mildred Locke, a well-known quilt teacher, designer and coordinator of a quilt show in Clarksville. Ms. Locke served as consultant and a show was born. Not only has the festival been a major fundraiser for the Senior Center, it has provided an opportunity for showcasing the quilts of women (and men) of the Upper Cumberland region, state of Tennessee and other states. Indeed the mission of the festival is “To preserve the art and heritage of quilting and related arts, showcase quilts and needle arts, and provide education and a meeting place of experts in the related fields”. Quilting reaches across all age and socioeconomic levels. Local schoolchildren, representatives from local businesses, church groups, chamber of commerce, and Algood City officials are involved in making the festival a success. The Seniors from Algood Senior Center (especially the quilters) have ownership in the festival and participate in all the activity.
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