Two Chester quilters win 1st Place People’s Choice Awards at Billings’ 35th Quilt Exhibit

WOODSTOCK

Two Chester residents have won first place in the Billings Farm & Museum 2021 People’s Choice Awards for the 35th Annual Quilt Exhibition, which is being held through Aug. 22.

More than 10,000 visitors have viewed the exhibition to date and 1,100 ballots were cast for favorites in the large and small quilt categories. The People’s Choice Award winners for this year are:

Full size quilts:

• First place: Confetti Carnival – Norma Ippolito, Chester
• Second Place: My Red & White Quilt – Mary Guntz, Hartford
• Third Place: Variation on Kaffe’s Facet – Neomi Lauritsen, Weathersfield

Small/Medium size quilts:

• First: Berkeley – Linda Diak, Chester
• Second: Floral Bouquets – Mary Jane Arvidson, Brownsville
• Third: Kaleidoscope – Kathleen Geagan, Brownsville

At the exhibition opening, the Jurors’ Choice Awards were presented to:

• Linda Diak of Chester for her quilt, Berkeley, by juror Marti DelNevo;
• Floral Bouquets made by Mary Jane Arvidson of Brownsville was selected by juror Nola Forbes;
• Norma Ippolito of Chester was selected by juror Froncie Quinn for her quilt, Confetti Carnival, which also received the Billings Farm & Museum Staff Choice Award.

The winning quilts will be on display through Sunday, Aug. 22. Billings Farm & Museum is open daily from  10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Quilt Exhibition is included in admission. Visit billingsfarm.org for hours and admissions details.

Visiting safely.  For the continued safety of our staff and guests, all guests over the age of 2 are required to wear a face covering in all indoor spaces. For outdoor spaces, mask wearing is optional for fully-vaccinated persons; unvaccinated persons must wear masks when around people and unable to maintain 6’ physical distances. No entry is permitted without a face covering.