Visitors to the Carbon County Fair in August were heartily encouraged to "stuff the jars."

Not only did they get the opportunity to view plenty of terrific exhibits, fairgoers were also able to support Breast Cancer Awareness and donate to the American Cancer Society.As part of the quilt exhibit, the fair conducted a Quilt Block Contest with the theme: Breast Cancer Awareness Treasure the Memories.In addition to the regular judging, fair coordinators collaborated with the owners of The Quilted Crow, and added a "Viewer's Choice Award."Fifteen blocks were entered. Jars were displayed in front of the blocks and the public was invited to vote for its favorite by means of a cash donation of any amount.Thirteen-year-old Madeline Tonkin of Lehighton, a member of the Mahoning Valley Community 4-H Club, received the highest number of donations at $96.10.Kathy Long of Lehighton was the second-place winner with $56.01. Third place went to Barbara Herman, who raised $47.32.A total of $294.53 was raised and will be donated to the Carbon-Tamaqua Unit of the American Cancer Society at its annual telethon in April. The blocks will be converted by Long into wall hangings and table runners, and will be auctioned off at the 2015 Carbon County Fair.Money raised from those items will help offset the cost of ribbons and premiums for the youth division of the fair.In return for their efforts, the three quilters were each given a gift card from The Quilted Crow, tucked into a handmade fabric envelope. Madeline received a $50 gift card; Long and Herman each earned $25 gift cards.Jane Heckman, who co-owns The Quilted Crow with Cindy Mengel-Smith, said they were happy to sponsor the contest."It helped to generate a little more interest in making the blocks," said Heckman. "We talked it up at all of our classes and groups."Kristin Simmons, the Still Exhibits coordinator for the Carbon County Fair, said she was hoping the contest would help generate more interest for The Quilted Crow and where it is located."Also, everyone has had someone in their family who has been touched by breast cancer," said Simmons. "Everyone can relate to that."Although the contest was a first for the fair, this isn't the first time The Quilted Crow has sponsored a contest to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.For a number of years, the store, which is located at 179 Interchange Road in Lehighton, has sponsored a quilt block contest on its premises.Those blocks are then made into quilts, which are in turn given to local organizations to help in their cancer fundraising efforts.