Spring in New York

Found along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, in the North West of New York State is Orleans County. In 2006, Lora Partyka (Partyka Farms, Inc.) helped to organize the local community of Kendell, NY, and started what is now known as the Country Barn Quilt Trail of Western New York! If you are looking for something to do this beautiful spring day, read the press release sent out this past week (that I have copied below). Remember that these Barn Quilts can be found every day, and maps to the full Country Barn Quilt Trail are available at Partyka Farms located at 1420 County Line Road (Route 272) in Kendall, New York.



Country Barn Trail Part of Seaway Trail Quilt Show March 21-22

Quilts made of fabric are not the only types of quilts being featured at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Quilt Show on March 21-22 at the Seaway Trail Discovery Center in Sackets Harbor. A special exhibit of the Orleans County Country Barn Quilt Trail will invite show visitors to explore the Seaway Trail byway and a 22-mile loop tour that features quilt blocks made of wood.

More than 40 painted quilt blocks now adorn the sides of barns in the Town of Kendall, found along the western Lake Ontario stretch of the Seaway Trail between Rochester and Niagara Falls.

Travelers can follow a map or access a cell phone audio tour to find the blocks with names such as The Farmer’s Daughter, Carpenter’s Wheel, Circle the Field and Joseph’s Coat. The phone number to call and a map are available at Partyka Farms Market at 1420 County Line Road in Kendall – about three miles south of the Seaway Trail (Lake Ontario State Parkway Morton/Rt. 272 Exit).

Orleans County Tourism and Partyka Farms Market will have a display for the Orleans County Country Barn Quilt Trail at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Quilt Show. Orleans County Tourism Director Wayne Hale says farm market owner Lora Partyka is among the local farmers and families that have sponsored the blocks on their barns.

“We share Seaway Trail’s innovative use of storytelling as a method of interpreting our cultural, natural and tourism resources. The Orleans County Country Barn Quilt Trail and its cell phone audio narration, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Quilt Show, and the series of Seaway Trail outdoor storyteller interpretive panels placed the length of the 518-mile byway are developing modern-day storytelling traditions that add unique dimensions to the Great Lakes Seaway Trail travel experience,” Hale says.

The March 21-22 show also features more than 90 “Hugs for Heroes” quilts honoring America, her soldiers, and Presidents; quilted works by four international quilting author-artists; and a Viewer’s Choice competition of quilts and wallhangings of “My Favorite Seaway Trail Place(s) for $500 in prizes. There will also be demonstrations and vendors.

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail Quilt Show runs 10am to 5pm on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 at the Seaway Trail Discovery Center in Sackets Harbor, NY. The show is sponsored by the Seaway Trail Foundation and Orleans County Tourism. Learn more online at http://www.seawaytrail.com/ or call 315-646-1000. The show is a Yellow Ribbon Event for military families. #