Kentucky Proud preserved in fabric

Quilt will be raffled at KACD convention in July

By CHRIS ALDRIDGE, Kentucky Agricultural News

Kentucky’s farm families aren’t the only folks that are Kentucky Proud. So are members of the Auxiliary of the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts (KACD).

The auxiliary will sell tickets to win a homemade quilt with a Kentucky Proud theme, featuring the familiar blue, red and green logo of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing program, at next month’s KACD State Convention. Three squares left over from the quilt were made into three bolster pillows that will also be awarded to the winner.

Last year, after the auxiliary gave away a Kentucky Proud gift basket at the state convention, it came up with the idea to incorporate the Kentucky Proud logo in this year’s quilt design. The idea came to fruition after it “was suggested and discussed at one of our KACD Board meetings,” said Stephen Coleman, director of the Kentucky Division of Conservation.

The quilt and pillows will be on display during the final day of the state convention July 12-14 at the Galt House hotel in Louisville. Raffle tickets will be available at the auxiliary’s table for $1 each or six for $5.

All 120 Kentucky counties are asked to participate each year in the auxiliary quilt project. Twenty-two Kentucky counties provided blocks for this year’s quilt. They include: Barren, Breckinridge, Caldwell, Campbell, Carroll, Clark, Crittenden, Cumberland, Green, Hardin, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Meade, Mercer, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Pendleton, Trigg, Trimble and Webster. The pillows represent Christian, Fleming and Magoffin counties.

Proceeds from the raffle fund the auxiliary’s three $1,000 State Soil Conservation Scholarships, which are presented annually at the convention. This is the 30th year that the auxiliary has awarded college scholarships to young people interested in studying agriculture and natural resource fields.