Author to visit Hatton as part of national barn quilt book tour

Roger and Terri Gilmore's barn off County Road 240 sports a barn quilt design. The Gilmore barn is one of nine to sport a barn quilt in Callaway County, part of a growing trend to celebrate local farm culture and bolster tourism.
Roger and Terri Gilmore's barn off County Road 240 sports a barn quilt design. The Gilmore barn is one of nine to sport a barn quilt in Callaway County, part of a growing trend to celebrate local farm culture and bolster tourism.

Callawegians have noticed bright quilt patterns painted alongside barns since 2009. National author Suzi Parron has noticed them, too.

The squares are part of the Callaway County Barn Quilt Trail, a collection of designs which will be a focal point of Parron's July 12 visit to Terra Bella farms hear Hatton. Parron is stopping there as part of her book tour, discussing "Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement."

Margot McMillen, owner of Terra Bella Farm and owner of the first Callaway barn quilt hopes the attention will cause more local farmers to add to the nine existing barn quilts in Callaway County. It was her quilt square that's bringing Parron to Callaway, after the author read a blog entry about an event at the farm.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.