Everywhere you look at the Kansas State Fair, effort and skill are on display. People are vying for ribbons and titles in everything from cooking to cattle — there are competitions on Lego creations, homegrown onions, cinnamon rolls and domestic rabbits.
But rarely are talent and creativity displayed in such a collaborative way as in the Reno County Community Quilt. This one-of-a-kind quilt comprises 32 individual blocks and a large central square, each designed and produced by various Reno County organizations.
Earlier this year, Daryl Goad and the Hutchinson Public Library, the quilt’s instigators, invited the county to participate in their vision for a collaborative quilt. The level of response was exciting, and this spring ideas and designs started getting pieced together, figuratively and literally.
Since participants had been invited to use non-traditional techniques and…