HOPS presenting quilts to veterans on Sept. 11 at fair

The Honoring Our Patriots’ Service program will return to the Wayne County Fair on Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. in the Event Center. This year the HOPS program plans to honor 100 veterans with handmade quilts in a ceremony that has increased in attendance in the past three years of its existence.

Last year the program presented 104 Quilts of Valor to veterans of various branches of the military, and over 600 people attended the event.

The HOPS program was founded in 2021 by the Tree City Quilters’ Guild of Wooster under the leadership of Betty Boreman, Jeri Fickes and Vicky Hartzler. They drew inspiration from Quilts of Valor (www.qovf.org), a nationwide organization that has presented over 382,700 quilts to veterans since it was established in 2003.

With the help of the Tree City Quilters’ Guild, public volunteers and the Wayne County Fair Board, the HOPS program has become a must-see event during the Wayne County Fair, which includes a moving presentation ceremony to honor and thank Wayne County veterans for their service. To nominate a Wayne County veteran for this award, call Dorrie Miller at 330-466-5180. Through a joint effort between the HOPS committee and the Wayne County Fair, sponsorships are available this year and moving forward.

Quilts can be sponsored through nonprofit, tax-deductible contributions through the Wayne County Fair 501(c)(3). A sponsorship form is available on the Wayne County Fair website at www.waynecountyfairohio.com or by contacting the fair office for a form. Mail your sponsorship to the Wayne County Fair, P.O. Box 3, Wooster, OH 44691. A list of sponsors will be published during the fair (unless requested to remain anonymous), and the contributions will be used to purchase the materials necessary to make the quilts.

As in previous years, members of the public are welcome to contribute handmade quilts or dog beds for service animals to be awarded to veterans. There are specific size, color and other requirements for items to qualify as a Quilt of Valor, and these requirements can be found in Section 117 of the 2024 Fair Premium Book, which is available now on the Wayne County Fair’s website.