Quilt raffle to raise grandstand funds

LISBON -- A quilt celebrating the Columbiana County Fair will be raffled to raise funds for to repair the grandstand.
The quilt will be on display throughout the area until July 30 when the fair begins. It will be in the arts and crafts building at the fairgrounds during the fair.
The winning ticket will be drawn in front of the grandstands at noon Aug. 5.
The idea for the quilt originated between Bob Stark, a fair board member, and Sharen Cope of Salem, a quilt maker. Cope had designed and made a similar project for the Ohio Percheron Breeders Association as a fundraiser for 2006.
Cope and her husband, Jerry, raise and show the registered Percheron draft horses at their farm in Salem. That project generated more than 5,000 in profit for the association.
The raffle tickets for the quilt are 1 each or 6 tickets for 5.
The colors in the quilt -- red, white, black and gray -- enhance the quilt squares depicting various activities at the fair.
The center of the quilt features the grandstand. The first fair was in the fall of 1846, but the actual grounds were not opened until 1853. The quilt also shows other fair activities.
The quilt measures 120 inches long by 115 inches wide, and was entirely hand-quilted by Cope.
To obtain tickets or to display the quilt, call (330) 424-5531.