Blue Springs, Mo. – The “Growing Our Communities Together” quilt, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Missouri Municipal League (MML) will be on display Friday, July 1 to Friday, July 8 in the lobby of Blue Springs City Hall, 903 W. Main Street. City Hall will be closed Monday, July 4 in observation of the holiday. City Hall is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The queen-sized, custom-designed “Growing Our Communities Together” quilt is part of the League’s new “Growing Our Communities Together” public information campaign, designed to increase awareness, participation and positive perception of city government and its services. The quilt made its debut at the MML’s 40th Annual Legislative Conference, held in February in Jefferson City, and is now on tour throughout the state.
“I invite the community to see this one-of-a-kind traveling quilt while it is on display at City Hall,” said Mayor Carson Ross, current president of the Missouri Municipal League. “This quilt embodies the spirit of cooperation to improve municipal government and administration in state of Missouri.”
In 2009, the MML reached an important landmark in its legacy – 75 years as an entity promoting the welfare and unity of Missouri cities. When it looked around for ways to celebrate its rich history, the idea of a quilt conveying that rich heritage emerged.
“Missouri’s municipalities large and small, urban and rural share common responsibilities,” said Richard Sheets, interim executive director. “The current League was born in 1934 as cities across our state looked for ways to share best practices and speak with a unified voice. Today, the League serves as the principal clearing house of information for municipalities and to provide for a forum for the discussion of common municipal issues. We all gain from each other’s experience and knowledge.”
The quilt was designed by Simon Lam, a 29-year-old graphic designer with Hughes, a St. Louis-based integrated communications agency, and was executed by Thomas Farnam, a 32-year-old Missouri craftsman who lives in Creve Coeur. The design represents two predominant and equally important landscapes within the state – urban and rural. The state of Missouri has more than 900 municipalities, both large and small, and urban and rural.
Farnam does glass flameworking at St. Louis’ Third Degree Glass Factory and also creates custom-made glass jewelry. A 2008 graduate of the University of Phoenix, he has been doing patchwork quilting since 2002. The Farnam family has a long history of quilting, and Thomas grew up around a grandmother, aunt and sister who are quilters. Thomas selected the fabric, did the piecing and patchwork, and assembled the entire quilt. Sally Hader of Hader-Sal Quilts in Eureka, Mo., did the long-arm machine quilting. The quilt features a meandering quilting pattern, with a cabbage rose pattern on the left and a butterfly pattern on the right.
The MML was first established as a clearing house for information and to provide training and support for city officials. Today, MML is an independent, statewide, not-for-profit association that serves as a strong voice for Missouri’s cities and municipalities. The organization provides training, information sharing, legislative assistance, advocacy and administrative support for city employees across the state.
For more information on MML and its 75th anniversary visit http://www.mocities.com.
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