In the winter of 2020, Fairmount, a retirement community located in Ephrata, hosted its annual Quilting Days event in the Farm Crest Community Room. As had been done for many years, quilting enthusiasts, from beginner to advanced, were invited to take part in producing quilts to be sold at Fairmount's annual benefit auction and chicken barbecue in September. The three-day quilting event was completed within weeks of the state being shut down by COVID-19 restrictions.

This year, the tradition was once again observed, with quilters meeting at New Covenant Mennonite Fellowship on Farmersville Road, New Holland, on March 6, 9, and 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Organizer Nora Hoover said that the quilters worked on 18 quilts, which were mostly queen sized. Hoover noted that over the three days, more than 180 quilters gathered to work. "We have had good help," she said. The wives of Fairmount board members prepared a lunch each day for the quilters.

Patterns that were spread on frames for quilting included Broken Star, Lone Star, Log Cabin Fan, and Spin Star. The brightly colored patterns favored purples and rose colors, but some featured shades of brown, peach, and rust, and one was done in cranberry, browns, and yellows with a cream background. "I really like these colors. They work nicely together," said Peter Passage, stewardship director at Fairmount.

When the quilts made during Quilting Days are auctioned off in September, proceeds will benefit the Sharing Fund, which provides $2.5 million in uncompensated care for Fairmount residents annually. In 2020, the auction segment of the event was held online with items being previewed and picked up at New Covenant. The drive-through chicken barbecue was held there as well. About a dozen of the approximately 30 quilts prepared for the 2020 auction were completed during Quilting Days. According to Passage, the quilts brought in about $14,000 of the more than $91,000 raised by the partial event.

The 2021 Fairmount Benefit Auction and Chicken Barbecue is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 11, at Fairmount. Passage said the format of this year's event will depend on a number of factors. At this point, Passage is happy to see work on the quilts progressing. "A lot of people come together to do something like this," he said. "We are very happy (that they do)."

More information about the mission of Fairmount may be found at https://fairmounthomes.org.