The Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau is now accepting applications for their 2012 Barn Quilts Tour.

This past year was the first year for the barn quilts of DeWitt County through the Chamber of Commerce. Carolyn Sugg, Tourism Director with the Chamber of Commerce explains barn quilts are 10' by 10' pieces of plywood, painted to depict a quilt block, and mounted on a barn. During the inaugural tour, she says they received some very high praises from people scattered around the area.

[audio:barnquilts1.mp3]Sugg On Inaugural Year[/audio]

Applications are now being accepted for new barns for the Chamber's 2012 quilts. This year, the application will be a little bit different. Sugg says like last year, the barn owner needs to know basic information about their barn, such as when it was built, what materials they used to build it and a brief history of it. She says included this year will be a map of their current barns so the applicant can understand how their barn would fit in the the tour.

[audio:barnquilts2.mp3]Sugg On This Year's Application[/audio]

Ten barns will be accepted into the program for the 2012 season. The program's goal is to add ten barns per year, totaling 50 barns by October 2015. There will be two annual guided tours will take place each year. One of the lessons the committee took away from their first year was to have the quilts completed much earlier to allow the committee time to get them up on the various barns.

[audio:barnquilts3.mp3]Sugg On Preparation Changes[/audio]

The deadline to turn in applications to be considered for the Barn Quilts of DeWitt County program is December 31, 2011. Application packets are available Monday through Friday at the Chamber office during regular business hours.  Additional information may be requested by calling 217-935-3364, emailing tourism@clintonilchamber.com, or following "Barn Quilts of DeWitt County" on Facebook.