CES HISTORY

Our Story

Chattahoochee Evening Stars

By Betsy Malone, First CES Guild President

Late in 1997, Ann McLean and Betsy Malone, motivated by the desire to have a local, evening quilt guild, discussed the possibility of establishing an evening quilt guild in North Fulton County.   Familiar with the quilting community, they felt there were plenty of potential members. At the time there were two guilds in Cumming, GA–The Piecemakers  and the Sunset Quilters.  Initially, they contacted The Bulloch Hall Quilt Guild to see if they might be interested in a sister guild.  The Bulloch Hall guild preferred not to partner so Ann, decided that with a little help, an independent guild could be formed.

Ann,  Betsy and Ann Johnson, a friend of Ann McLean, met to begin setting up the initial organization. At that meeting the three decided to serve as acting officers of the new guild. Betsy Malone would be the president, Ann Johnson would be the vice president and coordinate programs, and Ann McLean would be the secretary-treasurer. The first meeting place was the Unitarian Universalist Church in Roswell.  Betsy contacted a friend who helped make a flyer that was distributed to Hancock Fabrics, Cloth World, and The Calico Quilter in Roswell.

Fourteen women attended that first meeting. At that meeting the group formed a committee to find a better name for The North Fulton Evening Quilt Guild. Led by by Meryl Gillingham, The committee took suggestions, and by the second meeting they had three choices to vote on.  The current name of Chattahoochee Evening Stars was selected.

The officers recognized that a better meeting location was needed.  A local Auto Nation dealership had a well-equipped, fairly large room available at no cost to community groups. Within six months the group had doubled the size and the once spacious room was now too small.   Ann McLean contacted the City of Alpharetta and found space at the Alpharetta Adult Activity Center, our current meeting location.  By November 1998, membership was close to 40 members. At one point, membership reached 100 and due to space limitations, a wait list was established.  After a decline in 2020, membership is rising and is now at 60 members.

As membership grew, the guild hosted a biannual quilt show until 2016. 

The 2020 pandemic presented a challenge for meetings and retreats.   This challenge gave rise to the hybrid meeting format.  National speakers are now welcomed via zoom meetings allowing members to attend either in person or virtually.

 Chattahoochee Evening Stars is currently an Arts Leader Group in the city of Alpharetta.  This partnership has allowed the guild host community exhibits and events including an antique “Quilt Turning” (2024) event at the Alpharetta Library.   Exhibits at the Alpharetta City Hall Community Room included “The Warmth of Autumn” (2023), and “Temperature Quilts” (2025).  The guild also presented an exhibit at the Art’s  Center in 2020, and in 2025 the show was titled, “Off the Bed Onto the Walls.” Annually, CES staffs a table at the Alpharetta Farmers Market and hosts an activity table at the annual Art’s Center Family Day in October.