Merriment on Perry Street
Fair is Saturday; features parade, games, quilt raffle
When the South Perry Street Fair opens on Saturday it’ll be the last time that Spokane Valley Quilters put on their Kindred Spirits Outdoor Quilt Show in support of Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
It’s the 10th time the Valley Quilters put on this show and this year’s theme is Christmas in July. About 120 crib-sized quilts will be on display and for sale at the Crisis Nursery. Proceeds from the quilt sale and any quilts left over at the end of the day all will go to Vanessa Behan.
“Over the past nine years the Kindred Spirits Outdoor Quilt Show has raised $23,575 which has provided more than 5,000 hours of love and safety for our children,” said Mary Savage, development director at Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. “In addition, the Spokane Valley Quilters Guild has lovingly sewn more than 800 quilts valued at $47,425. We feel so fortunate to be on the receiving end of their generosity.”
The quilt that’s being raffled off this year has an unusual story. Mari Haworth of Spokane Valley Quilters said that in 1993 Margie Karavitis made a red and green cherry appliqué quilt called “Cherry Rose” that was accepted at the famous American Quilter’s Society Show in Paducah, Ky.
“In 1995, some of her quilting buddies decided to replicate the quilt as a raffle quilt for the Washington State Quilters Spokane Chapter. Each block probably took 20 to 30 hours to make,” Haworth said. “The quilt was made and raffled off, but there were 16 extra blocks.”
Those blocks were held in safekeeping by local quilter Louise Zagma.
Karavitis died in April 2008 – shortly after Zagma had brought the blocks back to Spokane Valley Quilters asking if someone could think of something to use the leftover blocks for.
“A few of us knew what treasures the blocks were and we think that most of the women who made those blocks are now gone,” said Haworth.
Since the blocks were rediscovered Spokane Valley Quilters have spent hundreds of hours on the quilt that’s being raffled off on Saturday.
Ethel Schuerman put the blocks together and hand appliquéd a matching border, Haworth said.
“The Valley Quilters spent many hours around a large old oak quilt frame,” Haworth said. “They had an old-fashioned quilting bee, sitting around hashing out the problems of the world.”
The quilt show is just a small part of what’s going on at the South Perry Street Fair.
Lorien Herbs and Natural Foods has free health food samples all day and the Spokane Alliance will have a booth featuring SustainableWorks – a nonprofit that is organizing neighborhoods to do energy retrofits together, working with contractors and suppliers to maximize savings for homeowners trying to become more energy efficient.
Windfall, 1024 S. Perry St., will be having a bag sale. Clothing, shoes, purses and books are included in the sale. Whatever fits in a provided bag is $5.
Odyssey Youth Center is putting on children’s games like races, water balloon toss and an old-fashioned fish pond in Grant Park. The games are free and there are prizes.
There will be music and food vendors at Grant Park and The Shop coffee house all day, and the fair ends with an outdoor movie shown in The Shop’s parking lot at dusk.
“Neighbors bring their lawn chairs and watch a movie on the wall,” said Geneva G. Orovic, who’s with the South Perry Business and Neighborhood Association.
Orovic added that every year the South Perry Street Fair benefits a nonprofit in the area. This year, proceeds go to Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery and to programs at Grant Elementary School.
Business owners on South Perry and volunteers put together the street fair.
“This is all about the kids and the community, trying to keep it safe for everyone,” said Orovic.