The Clothesline of Quilts campaign is reaching out to area businesses and municipalities to stimulate more tourism on rural roads.

Some of the ideas discussed were having home businesses create products to go along with the quilt program; restaurants offer discounts for people who mention the Clothesline of Quilt brochure or larger businesses to post signs supporting the quilt blocks.

Grayson County Extension Agent Joan Martin’s first stop on this mission was to visit with the Clarkson commission on Monday night.

During the meeting on March 8, Martin asked for help to promote the quilt blocks in the city and to also ask for someone on the commission to volunteer marketing services to the quilt committee.

Currently there are 53 blocks either approved or hanging on walls of buildings in Grayson County. A majority of those already hung are located in Clarkson.

“A higher concentration of the blocks are in Clarkson,” Martin advised. “We don’t know if people were enthusiastic from the beginning, or if we did a better job of marketing up here. We want the Clarkson Commission to help market this project. We want to encourage businesses that serve tourists to give recognition to the project by giving a small discount for people who had our brochure, or put a sign in the window saying we support quilt blocks. The long-term goal is to encourage entrepreneurship through home businesses making things that go along with quilt trails; note cards garden flags, jewelry, etc.”

The end goal of the statewide initiative for quilt blocks is to link all rural trails from Eastern KY to the Mississippi River.

According to Martin, quilt blocks cost $200, which includes installation. Applications can be picked up at the Grayson County Extension Office (Commerce Drive in Leitchfield), or at the Centre on Main (South Main Street in Leitchfield).

The next quilt block to be installed in two weeks at Dr. Craig Johnson’s home on Highway 79.

“Our project covers traditional quilt patterns,” Martin mentioned. “It is a way to bring art to the community, and make the community prettier. The lasting quality of the blocks is 11 years.”