August 24, 2006 – “Something as simple as a quilt trail draws us together,” said Congressman Wamp at a quilt hanging ceremony announcing that Clinch-Powell Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) had been selected to receive program grants.
Two initiatives RC&D plans to carry out will stimulate the local economy. One, the technical assistance initiative, will provide small businesses in East Tennessee with development assistance. The other will help fund marketing activities for the “Clothesline of Quilts Clinch-Powell Trails,” which is a unique tourism initiative. The quilts, placed on barns along the interstate between North Carolina and Tennessee, will be used to attract people on the road to stop and shop at local businesses.
“This crowd here today speaks to the unique qualities of this project and shows the goodness that this type of event represents,” said Wamp. The quilt hung in Rutledge was the 20th and final square on Grainger County’s trails.
