A one-of-a-kind quilt block sundial has been installed in downtown Burnsville. The latest quilt block to adorn a building in Burnsville has the distinction of being the first one in the world that can also be used to tell time. Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina installed the quilt block sundial in downtown Burnsville on Friday, March 19, 2010. The colorful block is mounted on the Yancey Times Journal building just north of the town square. It features a 4-foot gnomon spire that uses sunlight to tell the time of day, and is accurate within six minutes.
Local astronomy buff Bob Hampton came up with the idea more than a year ago and pitched it to Barbara Webster, executive director of Quilt Trails of WNC. Webster and her husband, Martin, spent 12 months working with Hampton to turn the idea into reality.
"It's really going to pull people to Burnsville. There's nothing like it anywhere else in the world," Barbara Webster said. "I hope the town will think of it as the town clock."
The eight-foot by eight-foot wooden structure, visible from town square, features three sets of numbers for telling time. There's a set for daylight savings time, a set for standard time and one for local apparent time. A plaque beside the block explains how to use the sundial and the trigonometry principles involved.
"It's a real educational opportunity for people to learn how to read it," said Webster. "High school students can use it to apply abstract math to the real world."
In addition to being the world's only quilt block sundial, it's also a milestone for the Quilt Trails of WNC project. It is the 150th block displayed in Yancey and Mitchell counties.
"Quilting is part of our heritage," Webster said. "You can learn the history of our area by traveling around and seeing the quilt blocks. This is a way to embrace our heritage."
Road Rally Blends Quilt Trails and Scenic Beauty June 26, 2010
The second Western North Carolina Quilt Trails Road Rally takes place Saturday, June 26. This unique event provides participants a list of a dozen quilt blocks from the 170 blocks adorning barns and buildings throughout Yancey and Mitchell counties. Using maps and ingenuity, the goal is to locate all 12 blocks on the list while driving the fewest miles. There are three different lists of quilt blocks for the rally, and participants do not receive their itinerary until reporting to the starting point at Mountain Heritage High School that morning at 9 a.m. The rally lasts until 5 p.m. Since this rally is not timed, folks are encouraged to stop along the way and enjoy the countryside and visit shops. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers for each of the three itineraries. Entry fee is $35 per car and the deadline for entry is June 22. Proceeds from the event benefit the non-profit Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina Inc. For more info or to register, call (828) 682-7331 or go to www.quilttrailswnc.org.
More about Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina
 Explore the highest concentration of quilt blocks anywhere in the USA! Come to Yancey County to get started on your great quilt adventure, just 45 minutes North of Asheville - exit 9 off I-26, or exit onto Hwy 80 off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Six contiguous counties host quilt blocks, with the highest concentration in Yancey and Mitchell Counties. Nine different driving trails take you to view vividly painted quilt squares installed on barns and buildings of participating communities. Even if it is raining you can still enjoy a day of adventure finding the quilt blocks. Stop by the the Quilt Trails Gift Shop in the Yancey County Chamber of Commerce in Burnsville to get a driving map and pick up one of nine tour guides that tell the stories behind the blocks.
Quilt Trials of Western North Carolina has just published the Driving Map for all nine quilt trails covering Yancey and Mitchell Counties. The 16 page map will help you find the quilt blocks all over both counties. There are nine Tour Guides which go with the map which have all the stories about the blocks in them. You can purchase the map for $2 or a Tour Guide at the Quilt Trails Gift Shop at the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce or at Needle Me This quilt shop. The Tour Guides are $10, $12 and $15, depending on the size. Each Guide tells you how many blocks are on the trail and the approximate driving time it will take you to find all the blocks. Each Guide also has the map for that tour in the back of the book. The guides are available at the Quilt Trails Gift Shop only.
For info on the sundial or the region's nine quilt trails, visit www.quilttrailswnc.org, or call (828) 682-7331
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