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Dear Friends:
What fun it was to be in Kalona, Iowa, again with all my friends at The Village Shoppe! Gallery owner Doris Greiner and her staff and friends really made me feel right at home. The gallery receives strong support from the members of the Moss Country Friends Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society, and I wish to thank everyone who helped make the weekend so enjoyable and successful.
A special treat for me was getting to have dinner at the Fireside Grill with Moss Country Friends members on Thursday night. The Fireside Grill is located in the building that once housed the Edmondson-Reif General Store, which is featured in The Olde General Store print that we released during the show. The Edmondson-Reif General Store had a six-generation, 121-year history of serving the Kalona area until the family-owned business was destroyed by fire in 2004. The restored building now houses the Fireside Grill and a furniture store.
The Olde General Store depicts a scene outside the Edmondson-Reif General Store in Kalona, IA.
Pat and members of the Moss Country Friends Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society at Fireside Grill, located in the Edmondson-Reif General Store. Doris Greiner, owner of The Village Shoppe, is standing on the left.I started signing Friday afternoon in a lovely gazebo outside the gallery, but the weather became so warm that Doris moved me and all the collectors inside where it was air-conditioned. In true Iowan fashion, everyone took the change of venue in stride and with good humor. Midwesterners are the dearest people! They are so pleasant and kind and a joy to be with.
After the show Friday evening, Doris and I were treated to a private tour of the Historical Museum by Steve Reif and Marilyn Woodin. The Museum houses the loveliest antique quilts and wedding dresses as well as the most impressive spool cabinets I have ever seen. Another collection the Museum has, and something that is one of my favorites, is the most gorgeous Vaseline glass. I really enjoy antiques. They bring history to life for me, and I love to see them preserved and appreciated and kept in use.
Steve Reif and Marilyn Woodin give Pat a personal tour of Kalona's Historical Museum.After the show Saturday evening, the Moss Country Friends Chapter hosted a fundraising dinner at the Kalona United Methodist Church. It was lovely, with each table decorated in a different theme, and entertainment provided by an area children’s string group. The profit from the dinner will benefit two children. One child with spina bifida will receive a Rabbit Mobile Walker and another child who is learning different will receive educational CD’s to use as a learning tool.
I was so proud of Society Board member Judy Roe, who got up and gave a talk on the Society and the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that people who care are involved with the Society and the Foundation.
I received a very precious gift in the form of a donation in my name of 23 bags of school supplies to the Mennonite Central Committee. The MCC will distribute the bags to needy children in third world countries. I met a wonderful doctor at the dinner who had visited Iraq. He told me that he had seen our soldiers sharing their supplies with the Iraqi children, showing them that we are really peaceful people who care. He said he had seen first-hand that education is the best way to foster peace in the world and congratulated the work of the Society and the Foundation. My congratulations and thanks to all of you who help make this possible!
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know about two special fundraising events for the Foundation that I’m very much looking forward to. The first one will be a Dessert Reception held on Friday, September 29, at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines, Iowa. We’ll be having dessert at 7:00 p.m. and a live auction at 8:00 p.m. Each attendee will receive a complimentary black and white Moss print, and silent auctions will be held throughout the evening. Contact Foundation Board member Mariann Peterson for tickets and additional information at 515-314-3619 or e-mail her at mariann@netins.net. Mariann was at the Moss Country Friends’ dinner Saturday night, and she was so excited about the Dessert Reception!
The second one will be a Dinner Gala held at the famous Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia, on Saturday, November 11. The evening will start at 6:00 p.m. with a silent auction, followed by dinner, entertainment, and a live art auction. Attendees will also receive a complimentary black and white Moss print. Contact Dell Philpott at the Foundation office for tickets and additional information at 540-932-1728 or e-mail her at foundation@mossfoundation.org.
I have a break this weekend, which is Labor Day Weekend, and then I’ll be visiting more of my Iowan “family” when I attend shows with brothers Greg and Garland Angove who own the Heritage Art Galleries in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. I’ll be in Cedar Falls on September 8 and in Waterloo on September 9. Greg and Garland have a fun-filled weekend planned for their collectors and me, and we’ll be releasing two special print editions at their shows. Ice House Days features the Cedar Falls Ice House Museum and remembers the days before electric freezers when blocks of ice were actually harvested from frozen rivers in the winter and stored for use year round. Campanile Memories-UNI features the cherished campanile on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa.
Ice House Days (top) and Campanile Memories - UNI to be released during Pat's visit to the two Heritage Art Galleries in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa, September 8th and 9th. For more information, call the galleries at Waterloo (319) 236-0000 and Cedar Falls (319) 266-4681.See you soon!
Love,
Pat
P.S. Congratulations to my “cowboy friend” Frank Addington, Jr., and his wife Amanda on the arrival of their son Franklin Augustus! Gus was born on August 21, weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Welcome, Gus!
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