It is time to celebrate the fall season at the Sac County Quilt-A-Fair, which starts Sept. 19 and continues on Sept. 20. 315 quilts have been entered for this 10th anniversary show. All who entered quilts will deliver them to the Sac County Fairgrounds on Tuesday or Wednesday, September 16 or 17 between 1 and 7 p.m. Committee members and volunteers will hang all the entered quilts, then add the finishing touches to the decorations inside and outside. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, at the Sac County Fairgrounds in Sac City. The fairgrounds will be decorated with interesting grasses, flowers, pumpkins and, of course, quilts. Quilts entered by area quilters will be displayed in the 4-H and Open Class buildings with a variety of small accessories and antique items. The food vendors will be onsite to provide food and beverages for the visitors. The quilt vendors and volunteers will be in place to welcome people from all over Iowa and other states to this biennial event. The 4-H and Open Class Buildings will be full of beautiful quilts and vendor booths, with a full schedule of speakers and demonstrations.

“We are excited to have our featured speakers with us for programs at 1 p.m. each day of the show,” said Linda Sleight of Odebolt, the 2025 Show Chairperson. “Joyce Franklin of Winterset will speak on Friday and will show many of the quilts she has made throughout her lifetime. Judy Martin of Grinnell will speak on Saturday and will also have a bountiful trunk show of quilts she has designed and made,” she added. Vendors and local quilters will also present demonstrations with new techniques and quilting tools on the 4-H Building stage throughout each day of the show. More information can be found on the Sac County Quilt-A-Fair Facebook page. Visitors will find a schedule of demonstrations listed in the show program.

A few lucky visitors will receive gift bags featuring some Sac County items. Carolee Franzkowiak of Schaller said, “We certainly appreciate the support of Sac County businesses who provided gifts for these bags or made monetary donations.” Two gift bags will be given away each day of the show, following the afternoon speaker presentation. To be eligible, visitors should sign their names on a ticket they receive as they enter the show and deposit it in the drawing box in the Open Class Building. Visitors will find “Bits and Pieces” of quilting supplies at garage sale prices in the Open Class Building. The vendors in both buildings will sell patterns, tools, fabrics, gifts, and many other items. Anyone who wants to have scissors, knives or blades sharpened should plan to leave those items with the vendor early in the day for pickup later the same day.

Most of the quilts displayed at the Quilt-A-Fair are new entries; they have not been displayed at any of the previous shows. This year, there are several exceptions. Steve Kettering’s quilt that displays the original fifty-five barn quilts in Sac County is the only one that is displayed each year because it represents the perpetual theme of the show, “Barns and Quilts.” There is also a memorial section featuring some of LaRue Schade’s quilts this year. LaRue was a charter member of the quilters group that launched the Quilt-A-Fair in 2007. She passed away at the end of 2024. The quilters are honoring her memory by displaying a few of the amazing quilts she created during her lifetime, some of which have previously been shown at the Quilt-A-Fair.

“We have some terrific entries of new quilts and some interesting vintage quilts as well, including a civil war quilt from the 1800s,” said Sleight. There will be quilts of all sizes, colors, and types. Most of the buildings on the fairgrounds are adorned with barn quilts that visitors can see in addition to the cloth quilts entered in the show. The colorful quilts, decorating ideas and antiques throughout the two buildings will provide a great viewing experience for all visitors. You do not have to be female or a quilter to enjoy the Quilt-A-Fair. There is an admission fee to the quilt show buildings. Children under the age of ten are admitted free.

A “show and shine” car show will take place on the fairgrounds on Saturday. Vera Thomas is coordinating this event and expects to have special cars from a number of communities around NW Iowa displayed during the quilt show hours. There is no entry fee for the car show and it will not be judged. “It’s just a great opportunity to show off your car and enjoy time with other car enthusiasts,” said Thomas. “Since we have had car shows connected to the Quilt-A-Fair in the past, we thought it would be fun to bring it back for our 10th anniversary show,” she added.

The Sac County Quilt-A-Fair typically attracts about a thousand visitors, primarily from Iowa and neighboring states. Visitors are encouraged to mark maps to show where they came from. The Sac County Area Quilters, who have planned and prepared for this show, along with many other volunteers, are doing their best to make sure that everyone who visits will have a great experience. The buildings where all the quilt show activities take place are both handicapped accessible. The only animals allowed in the buildings are service animals. The Sac County Quilt-A-Fair is a celebration of barns and quilts, and Sac County is the place to be on Sept. 19-20.