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AQS Paducah Show Announced… FINALLY!
AQS Paducah Quilt Show Announced! Finally!
Go here for the official announcement: AQS
Is time for vacation!
Hi All!
Well last week is over and the best week of the year has begun! Ok so maybe not the best week but it defiantly ranks in the top 5! You see Bright and early Tuesday morning my Aunt and I are leaving for Paducah KY for the 25th annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest! It our vacation! we go every year and enjoy our self’s a great deal. We eat, we shop, we eat, we see the quilt, we eat! Can you guess our schedule revolver around were we are eating lunch and dinner?! Our breakfast is a given, we almost always stop at Kirchhoff’s Bakery (spelling???) for a pasty then go next door the coffee house for a cup of hot tea.
This year i am more prepared than any of the past years, possibly to prepared! We have our “show folder” full of everything we need. It contains our schedule of what we want to do and when we need to be there, as well as a couple of maps and driving directions just in case… not that we have ever gotten lost mind you!
We have a great place to stay again this year, a small “cabin” on Kentucky Lack. I say cabin because that is what the owners call them but to be honest they are just small mobile homes that contain everything we may want or need. We have perfect privacy, the cabin next door is close but not to close, as well as a nice front desk we can set on and watch the wild turkeys that travel right by the front door! We even have a nice kitchen with all the gadgets… not that we have every used it! Ok that’s not true, we have used the microwave to heat up leftovers for a late night snack!
My bag is not packed but i do have a list ready of things i “have to have” and “can’t live without” It always amazes me that i “need” so much junk to be happy. this year however i have a desire to bring less things, therefore a few simple rules.
#1. Makeup and toiletry must fit inside my makeup bag anything that doesn’t fit must be left behind.
#2. Two pairs of shoes are more than enough, the pair i am wearing and a second pair just in case, no more than that!
#3. People who know me know what a mess i am, but this year i am bringing only twice as many clothes as i need! i know this sounds like over kill but trust me, most of the time i can really use the extras!
#4. Food is a no! That’s right this year we are not bringing any food with us to snack on. Every year we have a cooler full of snacks and every year we bring them all back home with us! The only food and food related items we are allowed to bring are Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, a knife, and some cling wrap to cover up the leftovers. After all everything else is provided in the cabins for our use!
#5. A Fan – in my mind the most important of all items to be packed! I can’t sleep without the noise, and to be honest it drowns out the snoring that’s coming from the other bed! I have a new floor tower fan that i will bring along this year, still nice and conveniently in its box but pre-tested so i know it works.
Yap that’s it. I will stick to the rules. I will not bring ANY unnecessary items. At lest i hope!
I hope that any of you out there that are attending this years show have a great time! I know we will!
See you all there!
Paducah Kentucky… Here I Come!
Well another day down, seven more to go before I leave on vacation! It may seem like a odd time for a vacation but it works great for me! Every year my aunt and I leave the guys ( my uncle and cousin ) at home and head to Paducah Kentucky for the big AQS Quilt Show & Contest. During the show the town becomes a quilters heaven. All the stores are smart to cater to the large mass of quilters that arrive to see the show. Quilts are hanging in most storefronts, lots of special quilt week sale and events, and every restaurant tends to have a quit week menu! And lets not forget that during quilt week the local cable company has a special quilt channel showing quilt related show all day and into the night! People come from across the sea to see the hundreds of quilts competing for over $125,00.00 in cash awards and to visit all the hundreds of vendors. Last year I meet some ladies from Scotland as well as from China and Japan.
The Museum of the American Quilter’s Society is also located in town, just a few blocks away from the show. If you have never been you should go at least once. Like most museums they have strict rules concerning no photography and absolutely no touching but the quilts on display are always the best of the best. This year they are having special exhibits on Sawtooth Star Quilts, Miniature quilts, and of course Art Quilts. And lets not forget to mention there great gift shop!
Eleanor Burns has a permanent retail shop in Paducah but during quilt week she always has a location at Carson Park. She is normally on hand at all times, for signing her new book, that conveniently comes out around the time of the show. She also gives free shows throughout the day and trust me it worth taking a rest and having a laugh why’ll Eleanor and her friends entertain the crowd! She always brings in a special tent to see fabric off all brands and types for only $4.00 a yard and she has a “barn” to use as a extra storefront during the show.
the town of Paducah is nice enough to provide free bus travel around town during the quilt show making it easier to get to and from. However the bus schedule is far from perfect. The first year I was at the show I waited nearly two hours before the bus to my hotel retuned to the show for a pickup. The visitors burrow could not find the bus during this time, sounded a bit fishy sounding to me to me but I figure if this is the only complaint I have I shouldn’t complain at all! The Visitors Bureau also has the Trolleys’ running during this time. The busses look just like old trolley cars both inside and out. They are under the guidance of a Visitors Bureau Guides so you get a great history and get to see the town. I take the trolley to most places instead of the bus!
The first few years we stayed right in town. The location was great, the rooms always clean, and the price totally out of this world. The price of the hotel room was a big part of our budget for the trip but as nice as it was it was not worth the price we were paying. Last year we were lucky enough to be recommended to a good old mom and pop motel located on down the road, about 25 miles from Paducah. The Bel Air motel is a old motel, but is very, very clean and the locals that run the place are super sweet. Each room has a kitchenette so you can cook your own meals if you wish, and they have free internet as well. I recommend try to get into one of the “cabins” they are actually a small modular home but talk about nice! They are like having a small suite. Bathroom, Kitchen/Dinning room area and the bed room with two queen beds. The cabins were new last year and I like to think we were lucky to get into one of them. We are going back to the Bel Air again this year! If you check out the web iste, just to let you know, the photos do not show the cabins, just the motel rooms. Like i said it is a old motel but as long as its clean and comfortable I don’t care about the 1970′s décor!
If you would like more info check out the following sites!
Well enought about vacation… back to work!
p.s. guess what my guilty pleasure is this week??? Getting ready for vaction!
