Graduation Weekend in Columbus, Ohio: Roses and Quilts, Knitting and Art

We just got back from a weekend that could have included more than it did, if our legs had held out. June 8-10, 2007, was not only graduation weekend for Ohio State University, but also a weekend full of roses, arts, quilts and knitting!

Rose Festival

The 21st Annual Rose Festival in the Columbus Park of Roses was worth seeing, and even more worth smelling! The Park of Roses (one of half-a-dozen floral parks in Columbus) covers 13 acres, including a smaller herb garden, a garden of miniature roses, and, I understand, a daffodil garden, though June was too late for us to see it.

In general, to me, the heritage rose collection was more interesting, and certainly sweeter-smelling, than the more modern roses. A man sitting on a bench in the heritage area turned out to be a park official, who directed us to three roses we were very glad to have seen.

Two of them were the famous Red Rose (more pink, really) of the house of Lancaster and the White Rose of York, after which the Wars of the Roses were named.

The third rose was called General Jacqueminot. It had a scent that had to be breathed to be believed. Honestly it made inhaling a new and delightful activity!

Outdoors, the paths and grass were comfortably busy without being crushed, with a nice mix of adults, children, and dogs in attendance. It was a very friendly crowd: wandering through flowers makes for cheer and good temper. Dealers in tented stalls sold plants, plant food, garden decorations, jewelry, lemonade, sandwiches, etc.

Indoors, the Columbus Rose Club had its annual show and exhibition.

Admission and parking were free.

National Quilting Association Quilt Show

On the same weekend, in the Columbus Convention Center, the National Quilting Association had its enormous (over 400 quilts) quilt show. For 2007, there was an exhibit of basket quilts, two auctions (one live, one silent) of little quilts, an exhibit of Alzheimer's themed quilts, and just loads and loads of others, ranging from traditional to contemporary, from cute to elegant, and all of them breathtakingly well-made.

The ropes keeping you away from the quilts were of clear plastic, interfering very little with picture-taking, and picture-taking was allowed in most of the exhibition. White-gloved volunteers stood by to turn quilts over so you could see the backs, which were generally almost as pretty as the fronts.

Almost as interesting as the quilts themselves were the dealers, over a hundred of them. The number of quilting tools, machines, and patterns for sale was unbelieveable to a non-quilter. And the fabrics were to die for, especially the batiks and the hand-dyed ones. Even a non-quilter wanted to buy yards of blue-and-white indigo dyed fabric, or watery-patterned silk, or home-dyed wool, or Provence-style prints from France.

On Saturday, demonstrations of quilting techniques were scheduled, and classes seemed to be going on all the time. Two appraisers were available by appointment.

The whole thing was very big, very professional, very entertaining, and very hard on the feet (though there were places to sit and rest, thank goodness).

Admission for the public was $8.00 per day. The dates for 2008 are June 19-21.

What I didn't go to, though I wish I could have, was the Knitters Connection, held the same weekend, in the same Convention Center, with its own batch of exhibitors, classes, etc. I see from their website that they had tons of interesting things -- classes galore, and dealers in yummy yarns. The halls were dotted with knitters, each with a lapful of needles and yarn. Looked like fun! Admission was only $5.00 for the day. Next year, the Knitters Connection and the National Quilting Association Show will be on consecutive weeks, instead of the same week, so anyone who wants to attend both can be in hog heaven!

Missed the Columbus Arts Festival too, but the web page already has some information about the 2008 one.

Next June, maybe we'll take in a different selection of Columbus treats.