Fortune Lake Fall Fest to feature colorful quilts

CRYSTAL FALLS -- Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp will celebrate the season with its Fall Fest and Quilt Auction on Saturday.

Participants can choose from two formats: on site in person or online in a virtual auction through Saturday.

The "live" Fall Fest begins at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium with quilt viewing and shopping for smaller handmade items in the corner country store. A continental breakfast will be served by donation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the dining hall and homemade bakery will be sold on the deck.

At 11 a.m., 30 juried quilts and other original creations will be auctioned off in an exchange led by auctioneer the Rev. Soren Schmidt, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chassell. The auction will conclude with a drawing for specialty items offered in a raffle format.

More than 70 additional quilts of various sizes and camp opportunities will be presented online in a silent virtual auction format through 5 p.m. Saturday. Registration for the virtual event can be accessed through a link on fortunelake.org. All of the auction items -- both live and virtual -- can also be previewed there.

The annual fundraiser is organized by a group of dedicated women who call themselves "Sisters of the Cloth." Nearly every month throughout the year, these quilters gather at the camp to work on group projects and take others home to work on individually. Quilted creations and other handmade items are also contributed by individuals and groups from member congregations and other generous donors.

"Since Fortune Lake Camp's first Fall Fest in 1997, many volunteers have contributed to the success of this major fundraiser," said Mary Poirier, lead organizer from Ishpeming. "The Sisters made about half of the quilts that will be auctioned this year. The rest were donated by nearly 30 different groups and individuals."

"I'm thankful for the talented quilters, hardworking volunteers and generous donors who make Fall Fest possible," said Amanda Rasner, camp director. "Join us for a lively in-person event Oct. 7 or go to the website to participate virtually through our online auction. Your support of this event helps to make outdoor ministry available to everyone."

Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp is 3 miles west of Crystal Falls on U.S. 2.