Kalona receives $108,000 grant for quilt blocks

    The city of Kalona has learned that it will receive a $108,000 grant from the state as part of its downtown revitalization project. The money will go to purchasing the bricks for the ?quilt blocks? which will be installed in Kalona?s downtown sidewalks.

    Lori Mostek owns a business in Kalona and was the person who hatched the idea of putting in the quilt blocks. Mostek volunteered to be on the downtown revitalization group that met with consultants over how the downtown should look.

    ?We got the preliminary designs from the consultants, and it just looked like the same old-same old,? said Mostek.

    Mostek said that the design did not set Kalona apart from other surrounding towns.

    ?We needed something that was unique to Kalona,? said Mostek.

    Mostek remarked that Kalona residents often call the city the ?quilt capital of Iowa.? With that in mind, Mostek suggested that the city incorporate quilts into its downtown renovation. The other members of the revitalization group liked the idea, and soon it was written into the plans.

    The quilt design that will be on the blocks will not be painted on but will be made by using different colors of bricks that are cut to shape and later put together to create the desired pattern. The quilt blocks will be six feet long and six feet wide. Mostek said that 38 of the quilt blocks will be placed in the downtown area alone, and on top of there they will be placed near a few other noteworthy locations such as the library, the historic village and City Hall.

    An example of what the quilt blocks will look like is on display at the Kalona Chamber of Commerce Building. Mostek said that the streets and sidewalks will be put in beginning sometime around June 20, and that the quilt blocks will be installed at this time. She said it will take several months to complete the installation and that the downtown project is expected to be finished in November.

    Kalona Mayor Jerry Kauffman said he was ?elated? that the city received the $108,000 from the state. The grant was made possible by the Community Attraction and Tourism program which is administered by Vision Iowa. The stated goal of the Community Attraction and Tourism program is to promote ?recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment attractions that are available to the general public.?

    Kauffman said that the city originally asked Vision Iowa for $550,000. He said a lot of work went into preparing the grant to the specifications set forth in Vision Iowa?s charter. The $108,000 the city will receive is the result of several meetings and countless hours of volunteer work on the grant, said Kauffman. He said that Vision Iowa was interested in promoting art in the downtown area, which is why the group agreed to fund the purchase of the bricks for the quilt blocks.

    ?The quilt blocks will be very attractive,? said Kauffman. ?They will be a tourist draw.?

For more, see our June 10 print edition.