♪♪ ♪♪ Fons: A lot of people want to credit me with the existence of the Iowa Quilt Museum because I was involved with quilting at the national level.

But it actually was not my idea, and I always like to clarify that.

A couple in our town, they approached me about a quilt museum, and at that time, my focus was really on the national quilting scene, and I wasn't really looking for a local project.

But they planted the seed, and the next thing I knew I was inviting people to be on a board of directors for the Iowa Quilt Museum.

Kohlsdorf: Seated on the City square, the Iowa Quilt Museum creates a cozy home base for Winterset's quilting fame.

As many people know, I hosted with Liz Porter "Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting" on public television nationwide for 20 years with Liz and then also with my daughter.

Viewers' favorite segment is the tips segment.

And for all those episodes, I always said...

If you have a tip to send to us, you can mail it to...

So, millions of people heard of Winterset.

Now that the Quilt Museum is here, I think we're even more focused in people's minds as a place where quilters thrive.

Kohlsdorf: Opened in a former JC Penney store in 2016, the renovated space provides the perfect backdrop for quilts of all patterns.

The museum threads together America's quilting culture and heritage, displaying traditional and contemporary patchwork.

Thanks to a rotating collection, visitors will often find something new.

Our exhibition committee makes a real effort to have the exhibits be quite different, one to the next.

We have people that will pop in and go through the gallery in 15 or 20 minutes, and we have people that will spend two hours.

It's the type of museum where a person can gain something regardless of how much time they have.

My vision for the Iowa Quilt Museum, really from the get go, was to make it so that it would sort of hold up no matter who visited here.

Kohlsdorf: Down the street, another Winterset institution lights up the block as a result of Marianne's work in the community.

Fons: I don't think I would have gotten involved with the Iowa Theater had it not been for the Iowa Quilt Museum.

Here you are.

Thank you.

One thing sort of leads to another.

You're all set.

As we were about to open the Iowa Quilt Museum, our movie theater in Winterset, the theater where my children grew up going to movies, watching movies, where I watched movies, closed.

And I'm like, "Someone in the community needs to take the lead, and that person is me."

We purchased the building.

It was a two-year full gut and rehab.

This place was the biggest mess you ever saw.

Kohlsdorf: Madison County is a town steeped in movie magic, and The Iowa has captured that spirit since reopening in 2017.

The second-run theater shows films new and old.

It also hosts live performances and community events.

Even the city's beloved cowboy, John Wayne, with his Western adventures, gets time on the big screen.

Fons: When I'm at a movie night and I am sitting and watching as a shared experience with people that I know in my community, I just get the greatest feeling of joy on those nights.

♪♪