A Gillett girl turned a heart-breaking incident at the 2013 Oconto County Fair into a heart-warming tale of generosity in 2014.
Elizabeth Ciancio, 11, whose black and hot pink quilt was stolen at the 2013 fair, exhibited a black, pink and dark blue quilt to place on her bed and also sewed a patriotic quilt to be donated to a veteran.
“I’m very proud of her for doing it again,” said her mother, Sarah Ciancio. “It was a struggle for her, a lot of anger last year and obviously, disappointment.”
After learning of the theft, a couple donated $250 to Elizabeth last year, with the provision she create a quilt for the 2014 fair. The sixth-grader did that and more. She purchased fabric for the two blue-ribbon quilts she exhibited on Thursday and purchased fabric to make a quilt for her 3-year-old cousin. She also wants to make a quilt to donate to a resident at Sharpe Care, the nursing home where her mother works.
She also gave $30 to the 4-H member whose bracelet was stolen at the 2013 fair.
“My hat’s off to her,” said Terry Nelson, president of the fair board. “When you see stuff like that, it makes the job of being on the fair board worthwhile. It makes you feel good.”
Elizabeth, a member of Hintz 4-H, worked with her grandmother, Lynn Jones, to create the quilts. Elizabeth started quilting when she was 5 and has made about 10 quilts.
She started her bedroom quilt in January at Quilt Camp, a one-day workshop sponsored through 4-H. Organizers of the workshop gave Elizabeth the honor or choosing the design, and she picked Crazy Courthouse Steps, which she saw on the cover of a magazine. It was renamed Elizabeth’s Quilt for Quilt Camp, and several other 4-H members created their own versions of the pattern.
Elizabeth finished hand-stitching both quilts just in time for the fair, and each day she returned to the fair, checking the quilts on display.
“She said, ‘If it happens again, I’m never putting anything into the fair again,’ so we’re happy every time we come to see it,” Sarah said.
The veteran’s quilt raffle program is in its fifth year, and a dozen quilts were entered this year. Sixty-eight have been donated since 2010. In a special arrangement with the raffle committee, the patriotic quilt was given to Mike Ciancio, a veteran and Elizabeth’s grandfather, who will move to Oconto Falls from Illinois in the coming weeks.
“We’re real excited it will stay in the family,” Sarah said.
The 2013 thefts prompted the fair board to invest in security cameras. The board used a $1,000 donation from the Gillett FFA to purchase eight cameras to place in the Expo Building. Four of the eight were delivered in time for the 2014 fair.
For Elizabeth, it was a relief.
“I’m just glad they got a little better security, that they got the cameras. There’s a lot more people that are aware what can happen,” she said.
She said she was grateful to Nelson for his efforts to improve security in the building and for his helpfulness and concern. She was also excited about the VIP wristbands she received for unlimited rides for herself and her sister.
Elizabeth also thanked the couple who donated the $250 so she wouldn’t give up on quilting.
“You’ve got another busy year ahead of you,” Sarah said.
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