This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Heritage Council on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Memorial Quilt Highlight of Annual Panguitch Quilt Walk Days

The United in Memory quilt is dedicated to victims of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the passengers and crew members of American Airlines Flights 11 and 77, and United Airlines Flights 95 and 175. It is similar to the world-famous AIDS quilt, and consists of panels measuring 10-1/2′ x 10-1/2′, with each panel consisting of 25 blocks, with each block memorializing a victim of 9/11.

The quilt project was initially started by two Long Beach, Calif., residents in May 2002, and it grew in scope and size as word spread throughout the nation and world. In all, hundreds of volunteers from across the United States and 17 foreign countries contributed to the quilt.

A woman in town has a niece who worked on the quilt, and we were able to being it here through that connection, Fellows says. The quilt is more than 14,000 square feet in size. If it were laid out flat, it would take up three-quarters of a football field, Fellows says.

The quilt will be on display in Panguitch s Triple C arena all three days of the festival and be open to the public free of charge. Exact times are still pending, but Fellows says people may call (866) 590-4134 as the event nears or check the city s web page, www.panguitch.org, for a complete schedule.

The quilt will be set up on special stands or laid on the floor, with paths that allow spectators to walk and view the sections. There will also be videos, CDs and other materials on hand that talk about some of the people who are memorialized in the quilt, Fellows says.

This is the sixth year that Panguitch has held Quilt Walk Days, which celebrates the role the quilt played in the city s history. When the pioneers first came to Panguitch, they ran out of food. A party of seven men set out to travel more than 40 miles for supplies. But the snow was so deep, the wagon wheels got stuck in the snow when they were only 10 miles out of town. The men decided to pray and spread quilts out on the snow. They noticed when they were kneeling on the quilts that they didn’t t sink into the snow. So they took the quilts and spread them on the snow and slowly leap frogged their way to get supplies.

The festival will feature a play that reenacts the snowed-in quilt walk. It will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday as part of dessert or dinner theatre. The three-day event also includes quilting classes, quilt displays and quilt blocking demonstrations, and a quilt trunk show Friday and Saturday at noon. The show features women who bring their family s quilts in trunks and tell the stories behind the quilts, Fellows says. There are always some remarkable tales.

For more information about the event, contact the Panguitch Main Street Program at (866) 590-4134.