The Blue River Rail Trail has colorful wildflowers and birds and now a series of barn quilt panels that add more bright hues to the hiking and biking path.

Local artist Renee Hoffman has painted several multi-colored barn quilt panels, and her husband, Mark Hoffman, also an artist, has posted them on some mile markers and bridges along the trail.

Renee and her family spend a lot of time on the trail. Mark is board president for the trail development organization, Marshall County Connection.

“I spend quite a bit of time on the BRRT, it’s like my second home,” Renee said. “So, I thought I’d like to decorate it a little bit and it seemed like barn quilts would be a logical choice. They add a pop of color.”

Renee’s ideas mostly come from Pinterest, a social media application that offers do-it-yourself project ideas.

Renee has created a total 34 barn quilts so far. They range in size from 6x6 inches to 4x4 feet.

“I’ve given them mostly to family and friends and the trail.”

She’s done brightly painted quilt panels for both of the trail’s covered bridges.

Renee, who works at Citizens State Bank, studied art for two years at Emporia State University and two years at Kansas State University, where she received a bachelor of fine arts degree in metalsmithing.

“I like color and pattern so this lends to enjoying barn quilts,” she said.

The painting project pairs well with her family’s love of cycling.

“Mark and I started mountain biking when we were first married. Then once our kids were old enough, they also enjoyed biking. The BRRT has always been a favorite.”

They’ve also done single-track bike riding around Fancy Creek in Riley County and on various trails in Colorado. They later progressed to road riding such as Biking Across Kansas for several years.

“And now we are participating in gravel events, some races and some non-competitive rides. Alcove Spring is also a great place to spend time with family hiking, running or riding on numerous trails.”