Diane Carson is first quilter named Dinner Feature Artist
Virtual Conservation Dinner names Diane Carson, of Exeter, as Feature Artist of 2022 online charity auction fundraiser
The Conservation Dinner Committee has announced the Feature Artist, of the 2022 charitable online auction event, is Diane Carson, of Exeter. She is the first quilter to receive this honour.
Diane is known as The Electric Quilter. She is a longarm quilter. A longarm quilter uses a longarm sewing machine to sew together pieces (such as quilt tops and batting and backing) into a finished quilt. As a longarm quilter she “takes an idea that is inside a client’s imagination and makes it a reality.”
This year’s feature art piece is a beautiful quilt of a lion’s face. Diane is a member of the Exeter Lions Club and the Lions Club nominated her as this year’s feature artist. She took a Violet Craft pattern and expanded upon it to create a visually impressive finished product that is a stunning example of her artistry and workmanship.
“I am honoured to be named as the 2022 Feature Artist,” Diane said. “I also feel it is wonderful that this year’s Feature Art is a quilt that honours the Lions Club and its service to the community.”
The Exeter Lions Club has been a partner in the Conservation Dinner for more than three decades. Exeter Lions Club was chartered in 1937. It is part of Lions Clubs International, known as “the largest service club organization in the world.”
The Lions Club is a group of service-minded men and women banded together to do things which cannot be done by individuals working alone. Exeter Lions Club has actively fundraised for projects including development and maintenance of South Huron Trail, MacNaughton Park, and other nature and conservation projects. These are just some of the examples of their service in action.
The 2022 Feature Artist has been quilting since 1999 and she is one of Ontario’s first longarm quilters. Since then, Diane has quilted more than 4,000 quilts for clients and patrons. She is Chair of the Southern Ontario Longarm Operators Guild and a founding member of the Canadian Machine Quilters’ Association (CMQA).
This year’s Feature Artist has received many awards throughout Canada and the United States. Her quilt called Blueberry Cheddar received the Best Workmanship ribbon from the World Quilt Competition in 2014. That quilt also received first place in the MQX show in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 2014. It also received a first-place award in Longarm Quilting at Quilt Canada in Halifax in 2015.
Diane loves her quilting enterprise. “I love my job,” she said. She gets to realize and enhance the pride and vision of her clients and she gets to be a part of important celebrations in people’s lives, making wedding quilts, baby quilts, heirlooms, and quilts to mark other important milestones. It is gratifying, she said, to see people’s pride in the finished work and even, in some cases, tears of joy.
“My job is to take a pieced top, enhance the design using only thread and ingenuity, and create a finished quilt,” she said. “My designs and placement of them is unique, and one-of-a-kind. I try to augment and complement the designs of the tops and I like to think a part of me is infused into every quilt that comes my way.”
Diane and her husband Bill have five children and seven grandchildren. “I have a wonderful husband who supports me in what I do with never a complaint,” she said.
Diane works collaboratively with her friend Anne Beaudoin and calls Anne “the best quilt piecer in the world.” Diane and Anne received a Viewer’s Choice ribbon at the Heritage Celebration Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2004. Diane was sole quilter for Anne’s ‘Fabrications’ show at Homer Watson House and Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario in 2006.
The Conservation Dinner is a partnership of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and Exeter Lions Club. This dinner and auction charitable fundraising event started in 1990. Net profits are split evenly between community conservation projects of the Foundation and community conservation projects of the Exeter Lions Club. The event has raised more than $1.255 million for the community over more than 30 years.
Projects supported by the Dinner include community work by the Lions Club and community work by the Conservation Foundation.
These projects, supported by auction sponsors and donors and bidders and volunteers, are many. They include parks and conservation areas; accessible nature trails in Bayfield, Clinton, Parkhill, Lucan, Arkona, Exeter, and Varna; outdoor nature education; a $1,000 student environmental bursary for students in local communities; a summer job at Ausable Bayfield Conservation for a senior secondary school student; turtle monitoring in Port Franks and Ailsa Craig; aquatic habitat studies in Old Ausable Channel at Grand Bend; recreation opportunities such as a family fishing derby; and other projects.
The Dinner Committee plans to host two live TV and Internet broadcasts to kick off and cap off the auction week: The broadcasts are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2022 and at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2022 (the last day of auction week).
A video featuring this year’s Feature Artist is scheduled for the March 31 broadcast.
The #VirtualConservationDinner online auction begins on Thursday, March 31, 2022 and ends on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 9 p.m. You may find out more at abca.ca and conservationdinner.com or phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
To learn more about the online auction, or the feature fundraising dinners of participating local partner restaurants, visit the Conservation Dinner website:
A link to the online auction will be posted on the online auction page when the online auction begins March 31.
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Morrison Lake hike
On Saturday, March 19, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., community members are invited to join Denise Iszczuk, of Ausable-Bayfield Conservation, to explore the functions near Morrison Reservoir, one of the area’s most attractive hiking routes, during the All About Morrison Reservoir hike.
The hike will be about 2.5 kilometres and last about 90 minutes.
Families and youth are especially welcome.
Participants are asked to meet/park at 71042 Morrison Line, at the pavilion.
A map is found here:
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, in partnership with Bayfield River Valley Trails Association, is sponsoring the hike.
Learn more:
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New Chair and Vice Chair for ABCA
The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) has a new Chair and Vice Chair.
Dave Jewitt, of Central Huron, is the new Chair and Marissa Vaughan, of South Huron (representing South Huron and Perth South on the ABCA Board) is the new Vice Chair.
They were elected at the ABCA’s Annual Meeting in February.
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Stay safe near water
With everything melting fast, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority reminds you to stay safe around water this March Break and beyond with five safety tips:
- Always read and obey all signs near water
- Always have a buddy with you when you play outside
- Call 911 for emergencies
- Never play beside a river, creek or dam
- Stay off the ice, including shelf ice on Lake Huron
Learn more on our River Safety web page:
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Oaks and Acorns (ages 2-5 years old with caregiver)
Oaks and Acorns is a play and inquiry based program that takes place in the beautiful woods around Morrison Dam Conservation Area east of Exeter.
Learn how to assess risk and help your child explore and deepen their relationship with nature.
To learn more visit our Educational Experiences for Families and Community Groups web page:
The April 2022 session dates are April 5, 12, 19 and 26.
Registration closes, for the April sessions, on Monday, April 4, 2022 at 9 a.m.
This program is for parents/caregivers and children ages 2-5. Infants are welcome with older children. We recommend infants be carried/worn.
There are also sessions in May and June:
Visit our website at abca.ca to learn more.
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Walk the Storytime Trail
Enjoy a walk on the MacNaughton-Morrison Section of the South Huron Trail.
Did you know there are two stories you can check out on your walk along the Storytime Trail?
Start in Exeter at MacNaughton Park and walk the loop across the Stirling Bridge to check out the story @HuronCountyLibrary has posted.
Or start at Morrison Dam Conservation Area at the pavilion, on the south side of the reservoir, to read a different story.
Whatever story you choose, listen for birds calling in the spring sunshine!
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Take part in Earth Month
Help clean up our land and water and get a chance to win an education program valued at $120
Earth Day is Friday, April 22, 2022.
April is Earth Month.
Your school or community group can help, locally, by taking part in our Watershed-Wide Cleanup from April 18 to 22, 2022.
Why take part?
Watersheds connect all of us.
Watersheds are how water travels from your school to your local river to Lake Huron and then to the oceans.
Removing garbage from our land and water can prevent our wildlife from become entangled or from ingesting the garbage. It also keeps our Great Lakes clean!
Incentive for schools and community groups to take part
Participating classes and community groups will be entered to win a program of your choice ($120 value).
The winner will be notified by Friday, April 29, 2022.
Eligibility
Your school or community group must be located in the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) watershed area and data must be entered in the data collection sheet
Register here:
This Earth Month, you can also learn about how to care for our planet by tackling global challenges with local action.
Learn about soil, habitats, and rivers through Earth Month Virtual Presentations
Classes do not have to register to take part in the virtual presentations. Just click the links below to join. Participating classes will be sent a package of classroom materials to extend their learning.
Click the links below to join the Earth Month virtual presentations!
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – Celebrate Soils (best for Grades K-3):
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – Celebrate Habitats (best for Grades 4-6):
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 – Celebrate Rivers (best for Grades 7-8):
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