Fourth Annual Paris Hill Hook In & Raffle Rug Draw - Want to Know Who Won? Read On!

Yesterday was the day for our Fourth Annual Paris Hill Hook In, but this year we hosted an extra event that I'm sure made it memorable to all in attendance. As many of you may know, we have been selling rug raffle tickets for over a year to benefit the Maine Medical Center's Kidney Transplant Family Assistance Program. This program assists patients and their families in the transplant process with some of the financial hardships that result from travel, lodging, and other miscellaneous expenses that are incurred.

Two women in our Tuesday hooking group know this process all too well. Irene Adams and Cindy Kimball (Paws & Claws Hooking) both received new kidneys in the past couple of years, and it was our and their desire to help others on this momentous journey. You can read more about our project and these wonderful women here in an earlier post, but essentially, they and the Tuesday group created this beautiful traditional-but-with-a-twist hit or miss hooked rug as the grand prize. This took many months to complete, and when I say there is love in every loop, I'm not kidding. This rug is headed to its new home this week, but more on that in a bit.

Much about our Fourth Annual Hook In was like the previous three. We had our wonderful vendors, Cherylyn Brubaker of Hooked Treasures in Brunswick, Maine and Kim Dubay of Primitive Pastimes in Gray, Maine providing our attendees with gorgeous goodies related to rug hooking and beyond. The food was once again absolutely amazing, provided by For the Love of Food and Drink from Kittery, Maine. Imagine this menu...try not to drool on your keyboard or device, ok?

Breakfast: pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, GF blueberry muffins, blueberry muffins, cranberry scones, coffee, tea

Lunch: creamy parsnip soup, honey lavender chicken, spinach stuff shells, autumn vegetables, fresh garden salad

Dessert: mixed fruit crisp with fresh whipped cream

Yes. That's how we eat at the Paris Hill Hook In, thanks to our able and forever smiling catering company, so if you have an event you need help with, by all means give them a shout.

We had Connie Fletcher of Seven Gables Rug Hooking once again greeting everyone, taking registrations, and selling raffle tickets until the very last moment (and I mean the very last moment). And once again we also had Ellen Marshall of Two Cats and Dog Hooking registering and beautifully arranging our rug show in the church sanctuary.

Speaking of the First Baptist Church of Paris Hill, it was also again our home for the day. Many thanks are due to Reverend Mary Beth Caffey for being such a gracious host, giving us a history and context talk on the building and the area, and once more allowing us to ring the centuries old Revere Foundry church bell.

We had so many beautiful rugs in the rug show this year. I regret that I do not have a record of all of the designers and hookers on each one, but it goes without saying that no design may be reproduced without the designer's consent, so please be respectful of what you are about to see. (For all galleries, click on the side arrows to move through the pictures.)

Here are a few pictures of our attendees doing what you do at a hook in - hooking away on their gorgeous projects! I was pretty busy the entire day and was not able to get as many of these pictures as I would have liked, but if you were there and have some also, please feel free to post them and tag yourself and your friends on our Facebook page!

All of this was great fun, but really, the most magical moments, ones that I will remember forever, surround the rug raffle drawing. For this drawing we had a very special and much loved guest. Many of you are familiar with Ron Adams as the builder of our extremely popular and solidly made Bear Pond Wood Works hooking frames and accessories. Many of you may also know that he is Tuesday group member Irene Adams' husband. What you may not know is that at 81 years of age, Ron gave Irene the gift of life by donating a kidney to her so that she might be with us for a long time to come. I am at a loss for words for what this means to us and to everyone who loves Irene. Ron spoke about kidney donation, about his experience as a donor, and about how you or anyone can become one. Standing with them was Cindy Kimball, whose kidney came from a non-living donor. Cindy is also a beloved member of our Tuesday group and our gratitude for her life knows no bounds. So, please, even if it's just checking that little "donor" box on your driver's license, do something to support organ donation and transplant. I am not ashamed to say that I was overcome with emotion in introducing these three at our event, because truly, they would not have been there with us without organ donation and our day would not have held such joy.

Here are some pics of them leading up to the drawing...

AND THE WINNER IS....................

Joanne Kalapinski of Harrison, Maine!!!

I called Joanne shortly after her name was drawn and she was SO excited! Who can blame her!? She said to me, "I never win anything!" I said, "You did today!" Joanne is a fellow rug hooker who hooks with the Wednesday group at the Painted Mermaid Studio just a few miles from us in South Paris, Maine. I know this rug will be well loved and has gone to a wonderful home.

We raised approximately $3,300 in this effort. In this month of giving thanks, yesterday was a monumental reminder of all we have to be thankful for. Ron asked everyone present at the hook in who had worked on the rug to raise their hands. These women have earned special thanks. Not all of them were present, but a good many were. As I said before, that rug was made with love in every loop, and to my Tuesday group hookers who poured out that love so generously, thank you.

Happy gratefulness and happy hooking!

Cindy Kimball with her kidney transplant "Tree of Life" logo rug.

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