The Second Annual Paris Hill Hook-In, Paris Hill, Maine - November 15th, 2014

Our second annual Paris Hill Hook-In seems to have been a great success, thanks to both the attendees and all of the people who helped bring it together! I am very grateful to everyone who was a part of this event. I think it's generally agreed that although our first hook-in last year was also great fun, this one was even better. My husband, youngest son, and I worked with Reverend Mary Beth Caffey of the First Baptist Church of Paris to set up the venue. This is a new venue for us. Last year we used the 1853 Paris Hill Academy Building, but because of handicapped accessibility issues, we thought we'd try the church this year. The church is situated at the very center of historic Paris Hill village, and commands fantastic views of the village "loop" and the White Mountains in the distance. It's beloved by us, and we think by the time Saturday was over, it was beloved by many more. Reverend Caffey gave the group a nice presentation on the history of this building. If you are interested in a brief history, please click here. This building requires a great deal of tender loving care to keep it as beautiful and intact as it is. I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is a stewardship organization called Friends of the First Baptist Church. If you, or anyone you know, would like to make a donation to its care, please contact the church on its contact page. We were so happy to have the same two wonderful vendors return this year for our hook-in. Cherylyn Brubaker of Hooked Treasures in Brunswick and Kim Dubay of Primitive Pastimes in Gray. So talented, so nice. It is always a joy to work with them. So, aside from beautiful scenery and tempting vendors, what else is important to (hungry) hookers? The food! This year we had Jennicakes Bake Shop of Norway cater our hook-in and wow...well deserved rave reviews all around. Jennifer and her staff created and served wonderful pastries for breakfast and dessert, including gluten free options, and a savory lunch of pumpkin soup, vegetarian baked beans, turkey pot pie, salad, and fresh breads. There was so much left over of the sweets that we donated some to the church's coffee hour for Sunday morning! And, of course, we had our annual rug show. So much talent in one space. Ellen Marshall off Two Cats and Dog Hooking kindly and ably coordinated our rug show, which was held in the upstairs sanctuary of the church. Here is your virtual tour of our rug show... I took a little climb up to the balcony space to photograph our attendees viewing the rug show... One little surprise discovered by one of our rug show attendees...a hooked foot stool beneath a pew toward the front of the church. It is very old, hooked on burlap and affixed with the kind of hand wrought hardware that is also displayed, albeit in much larger form, in a glass case from when the church was renovated. Any guesses as to the age of this foot stool? Insight welcome! If you would like to view all of the photos in larger format, click here. Thanks again to all of our attendees and helpers! We will definitely be doing this again next year. Please watch our website and our Facebook page for details once I am able to come up with a date for next year. Also, do come see us at the Maine studio on December 6th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for our annual Holiday Open House. We'll have refreshments, a prize drawing, open hooking, and 10% off all wool purchases. Hope to see you then and happy hooking! - Beth

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