Pumpkin: I'm used to "small town" quilt shows with lots of traditional patterns and quilts all quilted by the same longarmers. ThreeRivers had a wide range of quilts from traditional to ultra art quilts. Something for everyone. The skill level varied. I have never seen handquilting done as well--I actually thought I was looking at a machine quilted quilt on one of them. There were others who I'm guessing were more towards the beginner level. There are only about 100 or so quilts; I think it's juried in.
Enter a show. I have, never won, didn't expect to. It was great getting feedback from the judges on ways to improve my quilting. (LOL they could run out of room on the form when listing my deficiencies!) It's fun to see your quilt hanging with others.