In preparing for the 30th annual St. John's Kula Festival, organizers reflected on the event's beginnings.
In 1982, members of St. John's Episcopal Church Women organization sought to raise money for local nonprofit organizations.
The previous year, the women created a quilt for parishioners Robert and Allie Doe who were moving back to the Mainland. This sparked the idea to make another quilt and auction it off to raise money. To attract a crowd for the auction, organizers created what is now known as the St. John's Kula Festival. (It was originally called St. John's Sun Festival.)
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Marilynn Hirashima and niece Dara Reckard display one of the quilts that will be shown at the 30th annual St. John’s Kula Festival on Saturday.
The event was such a success that quilts became a central theme of the festival for several years.
To commemorate the festival's 30-year anniversary, organizers said there will be a variety of quilts on display and Maui Quilt Guild docents, including the original quilt belonging to the Doe family. Quilts will be on display alongside their stories.
"Quilting is an American tradition born out of practicality and women's need to gather together," said Marilynn Hirashima. "As they sewed the pieces into a whole, they also wove themselves into a community. Every quilt has a story; that is one of the wonderful things about them."
For more information about the quilt display, call Monnie Gay at 878-1346.
