{ It's A Giveaway! } 2010 Barn Quilt Calendar, and a surprise!

Hello everyone! It's a cold and wet Tuesday here in upstate NY. Winter arrived with 2 inches of snow over the weekend and it stuck. I don't think we'll be seeing the green grass here till Spring. More snow is on the way for Wednesday evening. I got the shovel and the ice melt out so I'm all prepared.

Are you ready for that giveaway announcement? First, If I may, there is a little story behind the prize...

One day last month I had an appointment with a family in Grahamsville, NY. I had never been there before, so I decided to google it and see how far away it was and if there were any interesting things to do while I was there. I found out it was about 68 miles south west of Delhi and was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I also found out that Grahamsville is in the Town of Neversink. Records show on the town website that the original Neversink was established in 1828. Over the years though, the government took control of the land and flooded it for NYC Reservoirs. There currently is a big dam located where this town was relocated from. Feeling sure that my trip was destined to be short and unmemorable I decided that this was OK for something I should see along the way. Even though they are in the middle of nowhere, I can at least see a giant lake and take in the view for a few minutes, right? I jotted down "big dam" on my "things to see" list. Which was a very short list at that point. It looked like I was in for a meeting, lunch, and some fresh air that day.

Getting no other information besides "big dam" with googling Grahamsville, I then typed in Town of Neversink. I hit paydirt! Up popped a website for the Town of Neversink. On it was a picture of a covered bridge with trees and some water flowing under it. I read through the list of menu choices on the left hand side of the page. Departments, Elected Officials, History, Links... And I come to the words BARN QUILTS! I clicked on it right away. A list with over 40 pictures of hand painted quilts came onto the page in front of me. I read about a lady named Barbara Purcell who presented the concept of "Barn Quilts of Neversink." She personally painted over 35 of the many quilts that now hang on buildings and barns in the Town of Neversink. I thought, wow! What a neat idea! I then knew what I was going to do while visiting Grahamsville. Admiring some very colorful painted quilts.

Feeling excited I called Lisa Garigliano, the Town of Neversink clerk, to get more information about the quilts. She let me know that there are color brochures at the town offices with directions to all the barn quilts that are free to take. She also politely mentioned that they also put out a yearly calendar featuring 12 of the quilts as a fundraiser for the foundation. A soon as she spoke about the calendar my mind began trying to calculate how many I should buy for friends and family. Score!


Needless to say, my trip was a success in all aspects. I was able to meet with clients, enjoy a nice drive "in the middle of nowhere," and see a few of those wonderful barn quilts. It was so nice. I stopped at the clerks office and said "hi" to Lisa and her deputy Susan and thanked them for telling me about the calendar. I ended up with about 6 of them. I'll probably order more before January. I wish my wife would have been able to make the trip, but I'll definitely be going back on a day where I have more time to explore. I told her all about it when I got home. I'm bringing my camera next time because I forgot to put it in the car on the first trip! That dam was gorgeous!

So everyone, those 2010 Barn Quilt Calendars are my giveaway for this month. 2 lucky winners will receive a their very own copy to enjoy all next year. I'm also going to throw in some quilt related items that I'll keep secret. I love surprises don't you?

This time around the giveaway rules will be a little different. I've decided to let people enter in 3 ways instead of 4. Normally I will throw every one's name who follows me directly in the pot, but since these calendars are so special, I thought I'd simplify things, not only to make it easier for me, but to make it easier for the folks who actually read my blog to win. You can enter up to 3 times in the following ways:

1. Send me an email to enter at ryanwalsh@stny.rr.com.
2. Post a comment below (ON THIS POST ONLY) to the blog.
3. Post the giveaway on your blog along with the giveaway image above (click the image to enlarge and save) and let me know so I can add your name again.

The winners will be chosen at random on Tuesday, December 22, 2009. Everyone will have 2 weeks to get your entries in. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!

GOOD LUCK! TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS! HAVE FUN!!

Happy quilting,