By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp.- On July 8, the township board of trustees voted 5-0 to purchase “Blue Goose” and “DH” quilt signs for the Michigan State Police office at Township Fire Station 1, 14645 Dixie Highway. The cost of the signs was $300.
The signs were installed on July 20.
Similar quilt patterns are often painted on the side of a barn or building and reflect historic or local messages. The signs are gaining in popularity across the nation.

That grassroots rural art project could soon be a part of the local landscape following a recent visit by Springfield Township resident Kristin Sanchez.
The “DH” represents the historical Dixie Highway through the township.
The “Blue Goose” pattern is synonymous with the Michigan State Police stemming from Commissioner Joseph A. Childs (from 1952-1965) who decided to “add some life” to the color of state police patrol cars that had been uniformly black with gold door shield and striping painted on since the 1930s. In 1954 the color was changed to a bright shade of blue that remains standard today. Troopers dubbed it the “Blue Goose” in parody of a well-known commercial bus line of that time.
Earlier this summer, Sanchez proposed a quilt trail along the Dixie Highway to create a year round experience within the “Dixie Byway Overlay District. The trail will celebrate the quilts as a traditional art and honor the rural culture. She presented the plan to the township planning commission to help mark the 13 mile section of Dixie Highway through the township. The trail will celebrate the quilts as a traditional art and honor the rural culture.
The concept will encourage rural tourism by promoting the authentic heritage along with an art experience.