NCC Club Connection - National Council of 56 Clubs

NCC Club Connection
“Keeping Clubs Plugged in to Collecting and Each Other”
NATIONAL
Volume II, Issue I
COUNCIL
January / February 2013
OF
Happy New Year 2013!
CLUBS
From the editor—
Inside This
Issue:
Under the
Umbrella
2
Kirk’s Kibitz
3
Spotlight on Our
Clubs
4
Associate Member Connection
5
By the Numbers
6
Melinda’s Nook
8
Just D-Lighted
10
Through the Clubs’
Windows
10
Trick or Treat on
Route 56
12
Call for Pictures
14
Magnolia 56ers
15
Club Membership
101
17
Tips ‘n Tricks
23
Theme Meeting
Ideas
24
NCC Region Representatives
28
NCC Associate
Members
29
elcome
2013! I
hope that
you all had a
great holiday season! At
my house, the head elf,
Jeff, broke his foot, and
that had us revising what
the original “plan” for villaging was going to be.
At various times between
November and now, I had
friends and family members in the hospital, and
there were a couple of
times when I wanted to
throw in the towel.
I forged ahead, and I managed to complete my
Dickens village in the tub,
affectionately known as
“Port Chretien at Tubside,” and the “North
Pole Food Court at the
Buffet,” along with various
vignettes. This was my
“therapy.” And my therapy helped me to really refocus to remember why
we celebrate the season.
Sue Chretien
NCC Secretary and
Club Connection
Editor
Once the focus
was clear, we
spent wonderful times with
our clubs and
their parties,
along with family and friends
that were able
to be with us
for Christmas,
and even man- Port Chretien at Tubside. This is in the bathtub
aged to have an in our master bathroom. It’s one of “those” kind
of tubs that is difficult to get in and out of so why
Open House—
not put a display there?
or as some of
you refer to it as “House
Walk.”
(Continued on page 26)
Page 2
NCC Club Connection
Under the Umbrella
Mike Goode
NCC President
Sometime It’s Hard
to Say Good-bye
most attention of our
holiday guests.
know many of you
experience the same
thing Trisha and I do
when we begin to
decorate the house for
the Christmas holidays.
We bring down a box of
decorations, open the
box and reunite ourselves
with decorations that
remind us of past Christmas celebrations. The
same thing occurs when
we begin to set up our
village displays. When we
open a Department 56
lighted house or accessory, it's like the beginning
of a family reunion. This
is especially true when I
begin to open the boxes
containing our Department 56 Merry Makers.
This lively group of jolly
green-robed monks has
long been my all-time
favorite collection and
one
that
gets
the
I began my collection in
the early 1990's and continued to add to the collection until they retired
at the end of that decade.
There were no lighted
buildings to house the
monks when I decided
that I wanted to display
them in a
wooded,
cloistered
environment.
Up until that
point, I had
simply displayed them
in a bookcase
or on a coffee
table. Assembling a display
in this manner
failed to bring
out the
uniqueness of these merry gentlemen and certainly did not demonstrate
the work ethic that was
instilled in these short
and bald monks.
Shortly after realizing that
I wanted to create a community-like display for
our Merry Makers, I
discovered a father and
older son team at a Tex-
as Round Up Gathering
who had the same belief
that I did. The Merry
Makers needed a bakery,
a candy shop, a cider
barn and a bunkhouse.
These two gifted individuals were constructing
wooden lighted buildings
that were the perfect
scale to house the
monks. Each year, I purchased one or
two of these custom made buildings until my Merry Makers’s woodland community
was complete.
As the collection
continued to
grow, I accessorized the settlement with miniature baked goods,
apple baskets,
cooking utensils, chicken
coops, livestock, beds,
work benches, vegetable
crates and much more. A
variety of trees punctuate
the buildings and pathways as one’s eye scans
the display. During the
holiday season, I spend
great amounts of time
gazing at these busy souls
and admiring their work.
(Continued on page 7)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 3
Kirk’s Kibitz
ello all! I hope we all
survived the fruit cake,
cookies and over indulgence of whatever it is
that we all partake in. The Holidays are a time for us to rejoice in what we have, those we
have and to remember those
before us.
With the
thoughts of
rejoicing, I
want to offer you a
sweet
thought for
the New
Year, as it relates to the past
year. As many of you have seen
or heard, the Chicago Gathering was an incredible event.
Really, REALLY incredible.
You, the collectors and guests,
were so generous that the final
donation amount to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network,
PANCAN, in memory of Sharon Wyllie, was $25,000. In
addition, yes, I said in addition
to that, four (4) other charities
benefited from the little event.
Those charities are supported
by the host Clubs and were the
Ronald McDonald House near
Loyola University Medical Center, Infants, Inc., The St. Rose
Center and the Woodstock
Public Library. Your support
and giving speak volumes, Thank
You!
On a little of a lighter note, in
the Chicago area, the clubs have
their annual House Walk in the
month of January. I had the
pleasure of taking a friend of
mine from Texas with me, to
expose him to the nuttiness and
craziness of these little buildings. I can say that Jerry will
never be the same! We toured
eight homes and displays over
two days… Oh, and one other
thing, yes, we “ooh” and “aah”
over the wonderful displays and
the creativity of everyone, but
this is also a FOOD FEST. I
mean, we eat at every home,
have a little nip here and there.
I am POSITIVE that the Chicago
area Clubs are not the only
ones that do it all this way!
Anyway, Jerry was amazingly
not too overwhelmed, as this is
his first total dipping into the
sea of Department 56. He
loved the displays, enjoyed the
food, but most of all, it was the
people. Like at the Gathering
and every other Club out there,
and the time of the year, the
people are what make this all so
incredibly enjoyable and worth
it. Friends make new friends,
you meet, you talk, and you
make a connection through
these little buildings, accessories
and trees. That is what is the
most valuable of what we do.
On that heartfelt note, the
Northeast Gathering is fast approaching! Yet again, friends
will gather to share ideas, break
bread and enjoy each other’s
company.
During the House Walk this
weekend I was asked if I was
Kirk Wyllie
NCC Vice President
involved here in Texas since
moving. I said that I was part of
three (3) Clubs here in Texas. I
also indicated that I might be
helping out a little bit with the
upcoming Gathering here in
2014. The funniest part of this
conversation was that the
young lady then turned to Jerry
and asked him if, after this being
his first dip in the Kool Aid, and
if he was ready for all of that.
Jerry responded with, “Yes, and
I have already offered to help in
any way I can.”
We hooked another!
Kirk
Page 4
NCC Club Connection
Spotlight On Our Clubs—Village Lamplighters of Quebec
by Mike Goode,
NCC President
This past fall during the
Chicago Gathering, I had
an opportunity to visit
with Paul Roy, President
of the Village Lamplighters of Quebec, and a
number of the
club members.
This has always
been a genuinely
enthusiastic collectors club. I
know this because of their
excitement and
participation in
the Chicago
Gathering. I also
realize this because I receive a
copy of their club
bulletin which includes excellent
information about
their meetings and
club activities.
In the most recent
edition, Paul Roy
reminded his
members to "keep
a bit of space open
in order to increase your
collection." It was great
advice, I just wish I had
known Paul 20 years ago!
At one of their most recent meetings, they
shared ideas about how
to use novelties in various village displays and
how to create a holiday
centerpiece of fir branches and cranberries.
On December 1, the Village Lamplighters celebrated the beginning of
the holidays at their
Christmas Club Supper
with 74 people in attendance. Their Christmas
party was much like many
other clubs where door
prizes and gift certificates
were awarded. They also
participated in a Half and
Half (50/50) where two
of their members won
$150.00. One very unique
part of their program was
recognizing Francine Britnell as the "Recruiter of
the Year." What a wonderful way of recognizing
members for their efforts
to enlist new club mem-
bers. This is a wonderful
concept and perhaps
more of us should think
along these lines. If you
attended the Chicago
Gathering, you are aware
of the many NCC gifts
that were in your goodie
bag. One of those gifts
was the NCC Pin Shop.
The Village Lamplighters
were very creative and
pooled their NCC Pin
Shops along with a few
additional provided by
the NCC and used them
for centerpieces at their
Christmas Club Supper.
Having completed my
first year as President of
the NCC, I can say that
the one thing that I have
enjoyed the most is
meeting club members
like the Village Lamplighters of Quebec. I enjoy
reading your emails and
hearing about the wonderful things that all of
you are doing. This is a
stellar organization made
up of very special and
giving individuals.
Volume II, Issue I
Page 5
Associate Member Connection—Millie’s Hallmark
t is with great pleasure that
I introduce one of our newest Associate Members!
Millie’s Hallmark is located
in a suburb southeast of Phoenix, AZ called Ahwatukee (Ahhwah-too-key). I have to admit
that I did a little giggle the first
time I said it! Know this, Millie’s Hallmark isn’t your run-ofthe-mill, average kind of Hallmark store-- by any stretch of
the imagination- and, it is nothing to laugh about!
Though, I haven’t had the opportunity to personally visit (the
Chretien's have promised me
room on the couch if I want to
come!!); Millie’s Hallmark is
10,000 square feet of pure collector awesomeness! Millie’s is
the largest Department 56 dealer in the state of Arizona! You
name it, they got it! They even
sell retired items and offer very
exciting savings throughout the
year!!
Millie’s was established in 1979
and has expanded twice in its
33 year history! From looking
at the extensive product lines
that they carry (on top of every
Department 56 gift item you
could want!) This is THE collector and gift central of the
southwest-YEAR ROUND!!
Millie's’ is so committed to the
Department 56 product lines
that not only do they sell all of
the village products; but, the
village display is over 120 feet
long!! Millie’s Hallmark has
partnered with Showcase Displays to create one of the most
elaborate village displays that
you could ever see in a retail
store! You name it, they got it
and aren’t afraid to display it as
new products arrive.
To further commit themselves
to the Department 56 products,
they sell Styrofoam cutting
tools, paints and all the items
you need to build that one of a
kind display! Millie’s also offers
regular display building seminars
with Showcase Displays artist
Stephen Pepin. You really need
to visit his website
(http://showcase-displays.com)
and you will understand the
partnership!! That is another
article yet to come!
Speaking of seminars, they have
one coming up on Saturday,
February 2nd with Lisa Johnson
of Department 56. Lisa will be
sharing information on the new
2013 introductions (loving the
new nativities and the Griswold’s for Snow Village-BTW!!).
Richard Puckett
NCC Membership
Chairman
Speaking of new arrivals, you
can call the store, now, and get
on their list for the 2013 village
products. Their phone number
is (480) 893-3777. They also
provide FREE SHIPPING on
orders over $45—CHA
CHING!!
(Continued on page 16)
Page 6
NCC Club Connection
By the Numbers
Treasurer’s Report,
December 31, 2012
Tom Iacoviello
NCC Treasurer
appy New Year! I
can’t believe it’s
been an entire
year since I began
my term as NCC Treasurer. During the past
year I’ve learned an awful
lot about how the organization ticks financially.
I’ve had the privilege of
meeting or communicating with people from
many different clubs in
the US and Canada. I’ve
worked closely with the
NCC Board of Directors
and together we have
made many positive
changes to the way in
which the organization
operates. It’s been a lot
of work (frankly much
more than I anticipated)
but it’s also been a lot of
fun.
One of the changes
adopted in 2012 was the
elimination of paper
where possible. The
NCC Club Connection
(which you are reading) is
now distributed solely by
email which has saved the
NCC the cost of printing
and mailing hard copies
(over $2,000 per year).
Just recently we also sent
out the 2013 club and
associate member invoices by email. As the quality
of our contact data improves, we plan to start
sending the club invoices
directly to the club treasurers who pay the in-
voice. We understand
that it will take some
time to work out all the
glitches, but so far there
have been few problems
reported.
OK, let’s review the highlights from the NCC
2012 income statement.
I’m extremely happy to
report that we ended the
year in the black. Yea! As
I had reported in the last
NCC Club Connection,
we had budgeted a loss of
$1,400 primarily due to
the one-time expense of
transporting excess inventory from the Connecticut home of previous president, Randy Miller, to Chicago and Texas, to be used for the
2012 Chicago Gathering
and 2014 Region 8
Roundup. Fortunately,
our income was higher
than budgeted, and our
expenses were less than
budgeted, so the expected loss was more
than offset.
On the income side,
membership dues received from clubs and
associate members
(businesses) was right on
target. Merchandise sales
exceeded the plan by
close to $1,000. Based on
historical data we had
conservatively budgeted
only for the sale of the
new NCC 20th Anniversary Pin. However, actual
pin sales were higher
than expected. We also
ended up selling a number of Jack’s Umbrella
Shops and Collectors
Club Houses at the Chicago Gathering. That was
a pleasant surprise. In
addition, we had unbudgeted income from bingo
and raffle sales amounting
to about $700—some of
which was donated to the
Chicago Gathering charity. Overall, income
exceeded budget by
$1,751.
On the expense side, we
decided to forgo spending
any of the $1,000 budgeted in 2012 for advertising.
This is an expense item
we do plan to use in the
future. Advertising in collector publications such
as Village D-Lights can be
an effective method of
attracting new members
to collector clubs as well
as associate members for
the NCC. We also spent
$450 less than anticipated
in the Postage & Shipping
account. This was primarily due to the excellent
work of Jeff Chretien
who works for a freight
company and handled all
the shipping details of the
inventory move from
Connecticut. Chicago
Gathering expenses were
$665 over budget. We
will need to watch these
expenses a bit more carefully in Connecticut. As
mentioned previously, an
unbudgeted donation of
$250 was made to the
(Continued on page 9)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 7
Under the Umbrella
(Continued from page 2)
Perhaps this is why, when the
holidays are over and it's time
to put away the decorations
and displays, I find it difficult to
say good-bye to these little
guys. Realizing that they will
need their rest for the next season gives me comfort as I gently
place them in their individual
boxes. I sometimes think that I
catch a wink and a quick wave
as I close the lid on a box. I
carefully return the collection
to their safe location on the top
shelf of one of our closets and
immediately begin to think of
what next year's display might
bring.
The same holiday reunion occurs again when I retrieve our
three elves from their home in
our back bedroom closet. Several years ago, a good friend
and very talented fellow club
member learned to mold and
sculpture human-like charac-
ters. She soon
began to concentrate on creating
a variety of Santas that I found
to be very intriguing. She soon
offered to teach
any of our club
members who
were interested
in learning how
to sculpt; thus, I immediately
jumped at the opportunity.
Over the past three years I
have created three of these fun
characters. Bert, Ernie and Jed
spend their holidays adorning
our North Pole room. They sit
in a circle assembling and painting wooden toys that Santa will
deliver Christmas Eve. Just like
the Merry Makers, the elves are
exhausted at the end of the season because of their efforts to
make all of the world's children
happy on that one special night.
As I pack them away, I sometimes hear a soft sigh that lets
me know that they will rest well
over the next several months
and be eager to welcome in the
next season when again we will
reunite with them.
Mike
Page 8
NCC Club Connection
Melinda’s Nook
reetings for the
New Year!
Melinda Seegers
Ms. Lit Town
Department 56
Consumer Services
mslittown@dept56.com
(800) 548-8696
(M-F 11 AM – 2 PM
central)
Can you believe
that we are already writing 2013 on our checks
and other correspondence? Maybe this will be
lucky “2013” for all of us!
I sure hope so!
The new 2013 introductions have just been announced. We invite you
to go to our website,
www.dept56.com and
click on the “New Introductions” link on the
Home Page. If you are
one of those who just
likes to have a printed
copy, these are now available both online (listed in
the SHOP section in Replacement Parts), or by
calling us at 1(800)5488696. The cost for the
brochures is the same as
last year, $4.50 for Village
or Snowbabies, and $5.95
for the “Possible
Dreams.” There are
many neat new additions
in all Villages and some of
your favorites are still
around. (Quick, can you
name the longest running
lit building in any of our
Villages? *The answer is
given later in this article!)
Besides all the new items,
we have added a couple
of great items
that you, the
collector,
have asked for
–we will offer
both the AC/
DC adapter
and the
single
light cord
in black! If
you collect the
Halloween Village, this
will make hiding cords a
little easier, and replacing
a worn out black cord
that came with your Halloween piece will also be
a snap. In addition, we
have added a couple of
new colored bulbs – blue
and green (120 volt
bulbs) and purple and
orange (3 volt bulbs) that
are sure to spice up your
Village. Please remember
that these bulbs can only
be used in sockets that
originally took the same
voltage bulbs in white! If
you have questions,
please call or email us and
we can help you to determine if you can use these
bulbs in the particular
piece you have.
Some of you
have already
seen the Product
Recall concerning “Shelly’s Din-
er” 56.55008 on our
website. We wanted
to let you all know
that the scope of this
recall is quite limited.
Below is the information as is listed on
our website.
IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE
Enesco LLC is voluntarily recalling the power
adapter (picture below)
sold with certain Department 56 Collectible
Shelly's Diner units because the power adapter
may overheat, posing a
fire hazard.
If you purchased a Shelly's
Diner after July 1, 2012,
you may have an affected
power adapter. You may
(Continued on page 13)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 9
By the Numbers
(Continued from page 6)
Chicago Gathering charity – Pancreatic Cancer
Action Network. This
was taken from proceeds
from bingo and is a line
item I would definitely
like to include in future
budgets. Other expenses
such as bank charges,
board expenses, merchandise shipping, merchandise cost (20th anniversary pins), professional
fees, supplies and website
expense were very close
to budget. Overall, expenses were $469 less
than budgeted.
So, in total we began
2012 with a balance of
$7,645.66, had a net
income of $796.41 and
ended 2012 with a balance of $8,442.07.
Well that’s all for now,
folks. 2012 has been a
very successful year for
the NCC, and I’m very
excited about the upcoming year. I believe that
2013 will be a year of
increasing numbers of
NCC Associate Members, NCC Member
Clubs and active memberships within those
clubs. The NCC will be
able to strengthen its focus of helping Member
Clubs and Associate
Members succeed. Take
care.
Tom
Approved
Actual
Budget
Actual
2011
2012
2012
$5,443.79
$7,645.66
$7,645.66
Club Member Dues
$3,708.00
$3,960.00
$3,960.00
Associate Member Dues
$1,800.00
$1,325.00
$1,425.00
Merchandise Sales
$1,302.50
$750.00
$1,706.00
$50.00
$0.00
$695.00
$6,860.50
$6,035.00
$7,786.00
$0.00
$1,000.00
$0.00
$10.00
$15.00
$15.00
$0.00
$309.28
$189.02
$2,067.96
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$250.00
$578.48
$1,000.00
$1,665.23
Merchandise Shipping
$0.00
$0.00
$11.84
Merchandise Cost
$0.00
$504.00
$549.00
NCC Incentives
$963.38
$0.00
$0.00
Postage/ Shipping
$314.74
$4,000.00
$3,558.29
Professional Fees
$0.00
$250.00
$250.00
Supplies
$544.07
$200.00
$309.21
Web Site
$180.00
$180.00
$192.00
$4,658.63
$7,458.28
$6,989.59
Net Income (loss)
$2,201.87
($1,423.28)
$796.41
Ending Balance
$7,645.66
$6,222.38
$8,442.07
Beginning Balance
Income
Miscellaneous Income
Total Income
Expenses
Advertising Expense
Bank Fees
NCC Board Expenses
NCC Bulletin/Club Connection
Contributions/Donations
Gathering Expenses
Total Expenses
Page 10
NCC Club Connection
Just D-Lighted
reetings, NCC
Members,
Linda Kruger
Editor, Village D-Lights
With the approaching new year, our
Village D-Lights team is
very excited to be looking to our 9th year of
publication. Our thanks
to all of you for supporting us with your subscriptions, and for helping to
make this publication
possible. We’re having
fun and we hope you are,
too!
Starting with the December/January issue, we’re
excited to be bringing
you two new columns
which will publish each
issue in 2013. The first is
a series of articles on
how to use model trains
in our village displays, to
be written by Phil Renninger and Paul Malek.
The second series —
“From Inspiration to Creation” — will highlight a
different Department 56
village artist each issue.
These insightful interviews will be penned by
Steffie Lederman.
Coming in 2013: You’ve
been asking for it! Pioneer Communications is
now working on the 3rd
Edition of the Village Dtails reference book, tentatively scheduled for
release mid-2013. Please
watch Village D-Lights
and our website
www.treasuresmagazine.c
om for details as they
develop.
Treasures: Antique to
Modern Collectibles is
our sister publication, and
at the recent Gathering in
Chicago we learned that
not many NCC members
are familiar with this magazine. Thus at the end of
December, Pioneer
mailed a complimentary
copy of Treasures to
each NCC club representative (just as we do
Village D-Lights). Originally the timing was to
arrive just following this e
-newsletter, but a change
in schedule caused the
magazine to be delivered
first. We hope this was
not a problem to you.
We ask that each club
rep please watch for their
copy and share them at
your next club meeting.
We trust that you will
enjoy your introduction
to the “antique” side of
our company. All club
members are offered a
special subscription rate
of $27.95 for one year.
Please use the code
NCC_TRS_2013, when
ordering online at
www.treasuresmagazine.c
om, or by phone
877.899.9977 ext. 211.
Wishing you all a very
Happy New Year!
Linda
Through the Clubs’ Windows
Penny Miller
Web Master/Resource
Coordinator
penny56r@aol.com
webmaster@ncc56.com
appy January and
welcome one and
all to 2013. We
were blessed
with snow here in the
northeast along with really cold temperatures.
The cold temperatures
are good for all those ski
hill owners who make
snow. They have been
able to put down a good
base for the powdery
snow that fell. Looking
ahead to the rest of January the weatherman is
predicting colder than
normal temperatures.
I was saddened to hear
that Donna Rhodes’ husband, Dusty, died on December 14th, as a result
of a car accident. They
had been married more
than 50 years and lived in
Maricopa, AZ.
(Continued on page 11)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 11
Club Windows
(Continued from page 10)
I would be remiss if I didn’t
mention the terrible tragedy
that happened in early December, not too far from where I
live, when 20 first-graders along
with their teachers and other
school professionals lost their
lives. My heart goes out to all
those parents and families in
Newtown.
Plans are moving ahead for the
upcoming Northeast Harvest
Gathering—October 25–27,
2013 here in Connecticut.
Their website is www.northeast
harvestgathering.com. More
information is being added to
the website as it becomes available.
Now to see what our clubs
have been doing over the holidays. I will say that many of our
clubs have put up villages not
only in the local Ronald
McDonald houses but also in
senior centers, nursing homes,
etc. Imagine my surprise when I
saw a display of Seasons Bay at
our local senior center. The
director is not a collector but
someone donated the buildings
to their never-ending tag sale
and she put up a Christmas display. I must say for a noncollector she did a very good
job. Hmmm – maybe I should
try and get her really interested
in collecting.
The North Shore Villagers
Association (MA) held their
annual Christmas party in early
December. This is a picture of
the cake that the Diane and
Tom Shine made for the event.
The cake included fondant figures and a green chocolate
Christmas tree with royal icing
decorations.
The club’s house tours start the
middle of January with a stop at
the home of Ellie and Andy Bertolino. Their Dickens and
North Pole displays always have
interesting enhancements and
ideas for club members to use
in their own displays. Congratulations to Club President Maddie Pimenta on being the recipient of the club’s “Collector of
the Year.”
Department 56 Housing
Authority (AL) started their
Christmas season with their
annual Christmas party / house
hopping at the home of Frank &
Regina Hendon where they had
appetizers. Next was the
beautifully decorated home of
Martha Haywood. Bill and Barbara Harrell decorated with
Dickens’ Village vignettes portraying Christmas songs and
poems. Guests identified the
scenes and the winners received prizes. The evening ended at the home of Ron and Gail
Williams (pictured middle column at the bottom).
The Delaware Valley 56’ers
(PA) have kept busy throughout this year.
They started off doing something different for the club by
having an ice cream social. The
club provided the ice cream
(many flavors) with the members bringing in the toppings –
nuts, bananas, syrups, sprinkles
– you name it – they had it.
During another meeting the
members played bingo while
watching a slide show of past
gatherings (brought in by Marty
Stoltz.) Seven of the club members went to the Chicago gathering. They all started out from
different locations and met in
Shipshawana, Indiana, where
they spent a day at one of the
largest flea markets in the country, before heading to their final
destination. They are also gathering packages for the military. Most significantly, at the
end of November, a group of
the members set up D56 village
displays at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden, NJ. That
was followed by refreshing the
displays at the two Ronald
McDonald houses in Philadelphia. Finally, in early December,
(Continued on page 18)
Page 12
NCC Club Connection
Trick or Treat on Route 56
Arizona Collectors’
Clubs Road Trip to
California
by Judy Logan, Vice President,
Southwest Villagers
n the weekend
of October 19,
2012, thirty-six
members of the
Arizona Collectors’ clubs
from Phoenix and Tucson, took to the road for
a Trick or Treat Trip on
Route 56 to California,
for a little spooky Halloween fun! We were
dressed in Halloween
attire as we first visited
the Murphys’ “Halloween
Extreme”
extravaganza
in Jamul
where we
dined with
fifty inflatable
haunting
friends.
On Saturday, the trick or
treaters continued to
Canterbury Gardens in
Escondido, and City
Lights in San Diego,
where we met with Cynthia Markle, who signed
many of our new purchases.
Our evening was spent at
Seaport Village by the San
Diego Bay.
Then on Sunday, our next
stops for treats were at
The Emporium at Knott’s
Berry Farm in Anaheim,
and Kelly’s Boutique in
Yorba Linda.
Each merchant on our
route had phenomenal
displays of our beloved
Department 56 villages,
full of tricks of the trade,
in addition to the lovely
decorations for the holidays. Everyone arrived
home with bags of treats
from these wonderful
merchants.
Editor’s Note: This trip was
such a blast and I encourage other clubs to try this.
Also—there were many
pictures, so the Southwest
Villagers have been kind
enough to share the link to
their photo website and
invite you to take a peek at
the fun through the pictures.
Site Name: Trick or
Treat on Route 56
Site URL:
http://trickortreatonroute
56.shutterfly.com/
Site Password: Dept56
The password is case
sensitive.
Volume II, Issue I
Page 13
Ms. Lit Town’s Nook
(Continued from page 8)
confirm you have a power
adapter included in this recall if
the date code stamped on the
bottom of the Shelly's Diner
unit is either 03 12 JP01 or 05
12 JP01:
Adapters sold with Shelly's Diner units purchased at any time
prior to July 1, 2012 are not
included in the recall. Adapters
sold with other lighted Department 56 products, including
other Original Snow Village collectibles, are also not included
in this recall.
If you have a Shelly's Diner collectible with an affected power
adapter, unplug it from the electrical outlet immediately. You
can continue to display Shelly's
Diner without the power adapter. Return the power adapter
to a Department 56 authorized
retailer for a free replacement.
You can also select a full refund
of the entire Shelly's Diner unit,
including both the diner and the
power adapter, by returning the
entire unit to an authorized Department 56 retailer.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Enesco LLC toll-free at
1-800-436-3726 between 7.30
a.m. and 6 p.m. Central, or visit
the firm's website at
www.department56.com/recall to
confirm whether your product
is included in the recall and for
instructions on how to return
an affected power adapter.
As you can see this recall is affecting a very small window of
production and therefore, affects a very small number of
pieces. Enesco was able to identify every retailer who received
the affected pieces and were
notified as soon as we were
aware of the problem. Because
this piece has been part of The
Original Snow Village since
1998 (*It is the longest running
design in any Village!) many of
you already have this great
building in your collection and
have nothing to be concerned
about. Also, if you have ever
replaced your adapter, these
were not included in the recall
because they were made at a
different time.
At the end of each year, I go
back and review the types of
calls we receive through Consumer Services; this would include through our telephone
service, emails, postal mail and
in person. A questions that is
near the top, is concerning repair and replacement of parts.
We have a lot of people looking
to have their animated pieces
repaired. This would include
skating ponds, turntables, ski
hills, etc. Unfortunately, Department 56 has never offered any
repair services. Motors require
some degree of technical expertise and knowledge of electricity
that we know some of you
have, but most of our collectors
do not. We have talked to a
great number of collectors who
have sourced motors through
local hobby shops and we are
sure that you can find a source
in your area. What you need to
think about is, will it be worth it
to spend a certain amount for
repair when the piece may be
worth less than the cost of the
repair? We do stock a wide
variety of replacement parts
(Continued on page 23)
Page 14
NCC Club Connection
Call for Pictures of Your Vignettes
Editor’s Note: This was
recently in the Village DLights Magazine, and I
hope that all of you creative
“Village People” will submit
pictures of your vignettes!
pace and time
are limited
these days, but
collectors still
want to be able to display
their village pieces. Thus,
there have been numerous requests for unique
ideas to develop small
vignettes using a single
building or just a few related pieces. Village Display Tips to the rescue.
A resource book, both in
e-book format and hard
cover print, is currently
in production to provide
ideas to stimulate your
creative juices. Leigh
Gieringer, of the Village Display Tips
books and DVDs, is
teaming up with Sue
Chretien, NCC Secretary and vignette
display builder extraordinaire. And
they are requesting
other collectors
share their ideas
providing new and
different perspec-
tives.
Two types of
vignettes:
1. A realistic mini display featuring a building or multiple pieces
which can end up
similar to a Thomas
Kincaid painting.
2. A display using a village building and accessories, enhanced
with related repurposed items/antiques.
By combining villages
with antiques, it gives
new life to both cherished pieces. Keep in
mind that displays can
be either seasonal or
not.
Whether your display is
of the realistic variety or
more stylized as a decor
item, the authors would
like to hear from you, so
start building your display.
Tell them how you selected the building(s);
where you found the accent antiques; take progressive pictures, if applicable or a picture of the
finished display; and send
them in for possible inclusion.
SUBMISSION
DEADLINE
HAS BEEN
EXTENDED TO:
January 31, 2013
Mail pictures and a description to: Village Display Tips, Ocotillo
Lakeside, 3115 South
Price Road, Chandler, AZ
85248.
Or e-mail high resolution
jpg photos and a word
document (Microsoft or
like program) to:
villagedisplaytips@cox.net
Questions? 480.600.6099
Requirements:
 1 to 3 Department
56® buildings
 No larger than a
small coffee table
 No height restriction
 At least 1 accessory
 Multiple entries will
be accepted.
 Submitting pictures
and copy provides
permission to publish
display(s)
Participants whose displays are included will
receive a complimentary
copy of the completed
Volume II, Issue I
Page 15
Magnolia 56ers
By Pam Orman, Vice President,
Magnolia 56ers
or the September meeting, John and Virginia
Martin welcomed club
members to their home
for a celebration of the 200th
birthday of Charles Dickens.
Numerous vignettes throughout
the den and dining areas featured writings and mementos
from the Dickens era. A collection of Dickens Village churches
was displayed on the fireplace
mantle, along with a framed
Dickens village puzzle above.
Richard Puckett provided historical background and information for the various village
pieces and items. Members
enjoyed refreshments which
included a cake with a bust of
Dickens on the top. Virginia
stated that she got some
strange looks when ordering a
200th birthday cake for Charles
Dickens! Everyone enjoyed the
food and fellowship.
Club members were asked to
bring a small display featuring a
theme of fall, Halloween, or
carnival for the October meeting. Earline Strickland was our
gracious hostess for this meeting. Everyone enjoyed viewing
the displays and hearing details
of how they were built. While
munching on delicious goodies,
Richard Puckett showed the
slides used for the “Membership 101” presentation that he
and Mike Goode presented at
the Chicago Gathering.
Display from Peggy Dietrich
(below)
Cover a cardboard box with
purple tissue paper
Place a piece of black velvet
cloth in the bottom.
Arrange a house and accessories from the Dickens Village, “All Hallows Eve Series.” This display featured
the Theatre of the Macabre
lighted house, The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, three people – Masquerading on All Hallows
Eve, and Jack of the Lantern.
A strand of battery operated, silver wire, clear lights
was woven throughout the display.
Display from Richard Puckett
(below)
Use a fall placemat for the base.
This display featured the Dickens Village, “All Hallows Eve
Series,” Mordecai Mould
Undertaker, Horse Drawn
Hearse, and Under the
Bumbershoot. Fencing, fall
trees, and 12 crypt pieces
purchased from Pretty Petals were used. Small wood
chips were used to make
the pathway to the cemetery. For a personal effect,
a miniature bulldog purchased from Mini Things was
used at the doorway. (Richard
has a bulldog named Rowdy.)
Display from Mac and Donna
Jo Culpepper (below)
The top was cut out of a decorative pumpkin, and then fall
mums and a burlap bow were
placed in the container. Mac
and Donna Jo’s daughters
called the pumpkin a
“mumpkin”! A pumpkin
backdrop stating “Happy
Fall Y’all” was used in
combination with a scarecrow and rattan pumpkins.
(Continued on page 22)
Page 16
The NCC
welcomes it’s
newest
Associate
Member—
Millie’s Hallmark
5027 E. Elliot Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85044
(480) 893-3777
NCC Club Connection
Associate Member Connection
(Continued
from page 5)
While I could go on
about the offerings, I
would encourage you to
visit their website
www.millieshallmark.com
and sign up for their customer newsletter. They
even have an online blog
of Department 56 products and new items arriv-
ing and a Facebook page.
In the dealings that I have
had with them on the
phone, their customer
service is second to
none! Every employee
that I have talked to is
very knowledgeable and
eager to help. I can only
imagine what a real life
shopping experience
would be like with them.
Millie’s is open weekdays
from 9AM to 7PM, 9AM
to 6 PM on Saturday and
from 11AM to 5 PM on
Sunday! Now, that is a
retail operation committed to meeting its customer’s needs!
Richard
Volume II, Issue I
Page 17
Membership 101
By Richard Puckett,
NCC Membership Chairman
he holidays are behind
us. The villagers are
packing up their wares
in most homes until
next season. Now, what? It is
easy to get all excited about
collecting and club membership
when we “are in season,” as it
were. Now, we have to focus
on how do we maintain the enthusiasm of our members and
how do we find new one? I
have a few thoughts on that.
I am very passionate about synergy or the relationship between retailers and clubs (hold
that retailer thought a second!).
Where your club has a reliable
retail outlet to service your
club member needs, keep them
engaged! Utilize that relationship to the best of your ability
by creating a club brochure and/
or flyer. I can’t say it enough!!
Not everyone that buys the
Department 56 villages belongs
to a club. Your retailer is your
lifeline for new membership!
That brochure or flyer is your
silent salesperson. Your Region
Rep has some ideas and ways to
assist you in creating one!
Even long term village collectors wait with baited breath for
the new introductions. We all
want to see what is the newest,
and latest, thing. Ask your retailer to create a little vignette
area using a few of the new
pieces to place your brochure
or flyer on.
Here’s a thought—North Pole
has a few new peppermint
items. Use those pieces and
have a bowl of peppermints
provided by your club. This
way, folks leave with an impression of the club and a good
taste in their mouth!
As for retailers… we all know
that collecting is taking a back
seat to the economy in most
areas. Retailers who sell the
village items are few and far
between in some areas. Create
a “need and want!” Any good
retailer who is serious about
their business is looking for a
way to grow sales! If you get
the objection of “I can’t afford
to invest that much in village
inventory!” or “I used to sell
the villages and folks aren’t buying!” Help your retailer to understand that Department 56
has not had large volume buying
quantities in years. Today, a
retailer can buy in single or
double units. Help them to create a want list that your club
would like to buy. This guarantees retail sell through!
When planning your meetings
this year, serve meat with the
potatoes! Meetings need to be
more than a social affair or a
potluck! Go back to the draw-
ing board by ENERGIZING
them with make and takes and
history lessons for new members. Let the old dogs teach
the new pups what they know!
All Region Reps have creative
meeting ideas to share with
Club Reps. Capitalize on it!
For 2013, I would like to ask all
Region Reps, Club Reps as well
as officers to stop and think
about ways in which we can
make collecting fun for all. Ask
yourself how can I keep the fire
burning? What is it that this
club is doing? Make a connection! Call another Club Rep
randomly and ask what they are
doing! Make this the year that
collecting gets fun, again!
Page 18
NCC Club Connection
Club Windows continued
(Continued
from page 11)
eleven of the members set up a
ten foot display of North Pole
and two, three foot displays of
the Dickens Village for the Wilmington, Delaware
House. Jack Graff, one of the
members actually built the tables for the display while another member, Frank Laudenslacer built the bases for some
of them. They ended the year
with thier annual Christmas
Party. Marty Stoltz, a past president and his wife, Beverly
(currently vice president) made
centerpieces for all the tables.
They were later raffled off.
Again, their members went out
of their way to make it a great
event.
Trudi Baer, Dean Stevenson
and the elves of the Annapolis
Villagers (MD) decorated the
Hospice of Chesapeake Houses
in Harwood and Linthicum, for
the holiday season. In the recent December/January issue of
Village D-Lights, Phil Renninger
wrote an article on “Toy Trains
and Scale Model Trains.” The
club donated $800 to the Partners in Care for the Military.
Food gift cards were given out
to members of the military, and
returning veterans that are in
need, in Prince George's and
Anne Arundel counties. The
club also donated ten bags of
food to a local group called
“Help by Phone”.
The Air Cap 56ers (KS) set
up the North Pole displays at
their two Ronald McDonald
Houses by Duane Rohling, Kenneth and Leona Toon and Sharon and Billy Edwards. When
they arrived they were greeted
at the Sleepy Hollow house
(near Wesley Hospital) by a
sign on the door that said "A
big thank you to Dept-56". The
lady at the Mid-Town house
(near St. Francis hospital) told
them that their Christmas
doesn't really begin until they
get their village set up.
Heritage Treasures Collectors’ Club (NY) started their
holiday season at the home of
Sherry & Scott McKevitt to
view their Dickens Village and
Christmas in the City displays.
After a wonderful meal and a
clarinet presentation by their
daughter Maria, members were
given a special hand-made
Christmas gift made by their
children.
Here is a picture from the Palmetto 56ers (SC) Halloween
Party Palmetto 56ers President,
Peggy Culler-Hair, at their Halloween party at the home of
member and newsletter editor,
Norma Hunt. The "Good
Witch" costume and the Grimm
Reaper figure are both Department 56 items. Peggy purchased the Grimm Reaper at
the Chicago Gathering this
year!
Treasure Coast 56’ers (FL)
did their house tours in early
December. Stops were made
at the homes of Bev Stouky,
Kathy Abbate, the Ritzman’s,
Scott Heggie with the last stop
and dinner at Bobby Tobin’s.
Of course, being true Department 56 collectors—snacks
were eaten at the other homes.
What is a house tour if not
viewing displays while munching
on something good? The display has also been refreshed at
the Life Care/Harbor Place.
Twenty-three members of the
Village Addicts Anonymous
(VAA) in Southern California
met at the Los Angeles Ronald
McDonald House (LARMH) on
Saturday, November 25th to
put together an exciting North
Pole display. Directed by Cora
Smith, we went to work putting
up buildings, accessories and
lots of trees.
(Continued on page 19)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 19
Club Windows continued
(Continued from page 18)
pediatric research and teaching
hospital, providing medical,
surgical and rehabilitative care
to children with orthopedic
conditions, burn scars, spinal
cord injuries, and cleft lip and
palate all at no cost to the patient or family.
Sarasota. They also did Building
Villages Across The Bay, John
Knox Village in Tampa, and
Pinecrest Place in Largo. The
club also celebrated their 20th
annual Christmas Party. House
tours started on December
30th.
The VAA volunteers not only
help set up the display, but donate buildings and accessories
for the display. The VAA began
setting up a North Pole display
at the LARMH in 1992 when a
few members were asked by a
local retailer to assist them in
setting up a display of North
Pole buildings and accessories
donated by Department 56.
With Stan directing, we set up
both a Dickens’ Village display
and, as a tribute to Stan’s deceased wife, Ethel Higgins, a
North Pole display. The North
Pole village, known as “Ethel’s
Village,” was entirely donated
by members of the VAA to
honor Ethel who passed away in
2011. Stan volunteers at the
hospital and entertains the children as a professional clown
known as Squekey.
River City Villagers (TX)
newsletter offered news of
their shopping trip to Fredericksburg during Retirement
weekend along with the Hill
Country 56ers.
The following day, Sunday, November 26th, nineteen VAA
members met at the Shriners
Hospital for Children in Los
Angeles. The hospital had received a Dickens’ village as a
donation. The staff at the hospital had no experience setting
up a village display. So, VAA
member, Stan Higgins, volunteered our club to do the display.
Stan Higgins in front of the Dickens’
display.
The Shriners Hospital for Children in Los Angeles is a 60-bed
The photo is of Margaret Ferris.
The Lincolnland 56ers (IL)
started the year off with an
Open House event at Mary Ann
Stone’s and Carol Przyzycki.
Tampa Bay 56er’s (FL) traveled to one of my favorite
stores—Christmas Tree Shops
in Altamonte Springs. After
shopping and lunch they went
to Gaylord Palms and several of
the club members slid down a
forty foot slide made entirely of
ice. Sounds like fun!! The club
did several displays around the
area. They did displays at Regency Residences, Ronald
McDonald House, Safety harbor
Library and Bahia Oaks Lodge in
Village Idiots (OR) had another successful Dickens Tea.
Thirteen members of the Village
Trader’s from Puget Sound
made the 2.5 hour trip to join
them. Not only were there
many delicious desserts and tea,
but they also raised $720 for
their charity.
Paul Roy of the Village Lamplighters Su/Of Québec
(CAN) retired as club presi(Continued on page 20)
Page 20
NCC Club Connection
Club Windows continued
(Continued
from page 19)
dent. He had served in this capacity for the past three years.
The new president is Nicole
Jolicoeur. Congratulations!!
Congratulations also to Francine Britnell, recruiter of the
year.
Nifty 56ers (IN) started their
annual Christmas party at the
Glenbrook Mall at the Holiday
Houses for Humanity Display.
It ended at Roberta Keefer’s for
Christmas dinner and gift exchange.
Detroit 56’ers (MI) celebrated the last hurrah of 2012 with
a Retirement Weekend to remember and the annual Christmas Social. Retirement weekend started with the usual trip
to Nancy’s Hallmark in Sharonville, OH. This is the 10th year
that members of this club have
traveled to Ohio for Retirement Weekend. Some members of the Village Collectors
of Michigan group joined
them. Retirement weekend for
these seasoned shoppers started on Thursday with a trip to a
local train display. After a day
of shopping at Nancy’s on Friday, they had dinner with some
of the Queen City Villagers.
4 Seasons 56 Collector’s
Club (VA) said good-bye for a
while to Bob & Nancy May.
They are moving to Colorado
for a bit. The club ended the
holiday season with a trip to a
local dinner theatre.
Spirit of 56 Collector’s Club
(TX) had a combined meeting
with the Texas Nifty 56ers and
Cowtown Villagers. They met
at a local gift shop in Arlington.
Connie Earl, Spirit of 56, made
her Wine Box demonstration.
Jean Pope of the Nifty 56ers
and Cowtown Villagers also did
a presentation. All three clubs
participated in a Christmas
Tour of Homes in early December.
Big D-56ers (TX) had a wonderful year as a club. They had
new members, a successful auction for the Ronald McDonald
House, trip to Tyler,
invitations to local Department 56 stores and
many great programs.
The club’s website is:
www.bigd56ers.com.
At a meeting last fall
club members attended a foam cutting
demonstration. Rocks consisted of multiple layers of
Styrofoam glued, cut and painted. Vera and Gordon Sohl
hosted the Halloween party.
They house was decorated inside & out. Their circle drive
was decorated with green &
orange rock lights, tombstones
and other lighted Halloween
objects.
The Village Landlords (FL)
had calendars for their members to purchase of last year’s
home tours. The cost is only
$10.00 and what better way to
remember all those great displays they saw. The club had
home tours scheduled from
December 1st straight through
to mid-January. The club once
again filled the back of Bonnie
Eichholtz’s van for delivery to
Toys for Tots. The club celebrated their 21st anniversary last
October. They are one of the
oldest and largest clubs in the
country. A group made up of
(Continued on page 21)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 21
Club Windows continued
(Continued from page 20)
Mike & Roseann Abrams, Chris &
Norm Barrett, Joe McPhillips, MeiHua Paige and Elizabeth Bron set up
the Ronald McDonald House display.
Congratulations to the newly elected officers of the Desert Villagers
(AZ) Judy Stacey - President, Diane
Jolin - Vice President, Linda Thompson - Secretary and Pat Murray -
Treasurer. Three of the four new
officers were the original officers
when the Club began in 2000.
Don’t forget—we want to hear
what your club is doing. Please submit your newsletters to the NCC
Secretary, Sue Chretien at secretaryncc@ncc56.com, and to
Penny Miller at penny56r@aol.com.
Did You Know?
Submitted by Richard Puckett
Did you know that Department 56 has had two Possible Dreams Santa’s featuring
North Pole items and Snowbabies?
Santa’s North Pole Village- 2009
Downhill Delivery- 2008
Page 22
NCC Club Connection
Magnolia 56ers
(Continued from page 15)
Display from Pink Mize
Display from Pam Orman
Featured in this display was a top hat used in the
table centerpiece which Pink Mize won at the
Chicago gathering. Added to the hat was the
Snow Village piece Melinda’s Poinsettias and Mistletoe, signed by Melinda at the gathering. The
base was a black spider web doily.
Use a pumpkin basket, or any type basket can be
used. Cut a piece of Styrofoam to fit snuggly
inside the basket.
This display featured a Snow Baby Guest Collection M&M figurine, “Sweets Ready for Treats.”
A fall tree and a Halloween ghost tree were added. Battery operated candy corn lights
(purchased at the Chicago gathering room hop)
were strung along the top edge of the pumpkin.
Confetti filler in Halloween colors was used to
cover the Styrofoam base. Purple metallic mesh fabric was
used around the basket (main
purpose was to hide the battery
box).
Display from Earline Strickland
Various carnival pieces were used on the top of
a piece of furniture for a colorful and fun display.
The Mississippi State Fair was in town that week,
so this display was quite appropriate for the current happenings!
Volume II, Issue I
Page 23
Ms. Lit Town
including power adapters, light
cords and specialized bulbs. We are
always happy to help “troubleshoot” your problem, we just cannot always fix the problem.
With all the great new items we
offer each year, we know that there
will be something brand new, and in
perfect condition, that you can use
instead of the older repaired item.
And isn’t it fun to get a new piece?
It makes the Village alive with new
excitement!
‘Til we talk to you next time,
Ms Lit Town
Melinda
Department 56 Consumer
Services
(800)548-8696
mslittown@dept56.com
Tips and Tricks
Jane and Dave of the Big D-56ers
submitted these tips.
Red Ball Village Use
What do you make out of a red
ball with holes found at a local
pet store? First, cut off the bottom. Second, place in a sand
covered lid and, last; add elves
or children to use as a climbing
play apparatus (right picture).
Take the pieces that you cut off
from the ball and arrange it into
a lid with water in it. Add a
wire painted white for a
sprinkler. Add water waves
at the bottom (far right picture).
Artificial Lifesaver Use
Find a bag of craft
lifesavers and separate them
by color. In the picture at
the bottom, the red and
green lifesavers were used
as stepping stones in a
North Pole scene for the
Route 1 ,North Pole Residence.
Sprinkle with snow or glitter.
Clothes Snaps Use
Glue four clothes snaps
onto the side of a
painted piece of wood
that act as wheels. Add a pull
chain in front and presents on
the top. (pictured bottom right)
Page 24
NCC Club Connection
Theme Meeting Ideas
Club Meetings with a
Theme
By Patty Duncan,
President and Founder,
Southwest Villagers
he holidays are
over and the
New Year has
rushed in. It’s
now time to get back to
business and start planning our 2013 meetings.
We have always found it
very easy to plan our club
events and bi-monthly
meetings if we start with
a theme.
One of my favorites was
using today’s Reality TV
Shows as a theme for our
meetings. In October
2010, we used the show
“Design Star” to theme
our annual display contest. Here’s what we
sent out to our members.
“Design Star—
Village Style”
Display Contest
It's time for one of our
favorite meetings of the
year - our annual display
contest.
In the spirit of today's
competition shows, we
are hosting our very own
"Design Star—Village
Style.” And, of course, we
have our own little
"twist”. Participants who
sign up for the contest
will receive five mystery
items that they must incorporate into their display. The challenge is to
repurpose these five
items and create a new
use for them.
“What are these five
mysterious items?” you
ask. You will have to attend the October meeting to find out and see all
the fun and creative uses
that the thirteen contest
participants have imagined.
All meeting attendees will
be voting for their favorite display that has the
most unique use of the
five mystery materials.
The top three favorite
displays will win a
“Design Star” award and
a gift certificate from a
local D56 retailer. Display entries will be numbered for voting purposes.
they did they received a
bag with the mystery
items in it. Those items
were a roll of pennies,
wine corks, red plastic
electrical caps, a pack of
chewing gum that was in
little brick shapes and a
small pack of red floral
beads. It was fun to see
how all the participants
used these unusual items.
One of the most creative
was the small frozen
pond made by the member chewing the gum and
shaping it into a pond.
Then for our next meeting in November our
theme was based on the
popular show, Extreme
Makeover—here’s how
we planned that meeting:
“Hansel & Gretel’s
Extreme Makeover”
Who says building a
house can't be a fun and
easy project?
(Continued on page 25)
Who will be our
top three
“Southwest Villagers Design Stars?”
We had members
sign up for the
contest and when
Volume II, Issue I
Page 25
Call for Club Meeting Ideas
o you have a meeting idea or concept that has
worked well with your club?? If so, we would
be interested in including it in our HIGH
OCTANE MEETINGS booklet for clubs.
Send your ideas to Richard Puckett,
Membership Coordinator at rchpuc@aol.com
Theme Meeting Ideas
(Continued from page 24)
We hope you will join in
the time-honored tradition of decorating a holiday gingerbread house.
The Club will provide a
pre-built gingerbread
house with a small selection of candies and icing
for glue. You bring what
other special candies and
edible items to make
your house the best decorated house of the day.
Your imagination is your
limit. We will be working
in teams of two. And,
just for fun, there will be
a “twist” to the challenge
which will be announced
right before we begin
decorating.
Don’t forget to bring any
special tools you would
like to use. We will have
the basics there for everyone’s use.
If you rather not decorate, please come and
socialize or supervise.
It was a fun, interactive
meeting that everyone
got involved in the activities. We donated the
finished gingerbread
houses to the local senior
home. Decorating gingerbread houses was an
idea we borrowed from a
club in Northern California. Modifying the theme
gave it our own twist and
excitement.
After twenty years of
meetings, it’s sometimes
challenging to come up
with new ideas that are
fun and interesting, especially since most of our
members have been collecting for ten or more
years. Plus we want to
hold meetings that our
new collectors will enjoy
and be inspired. I believe
if we go back to basics
and just have fun in
sharing our hobby and
display ideas, we will
continue to have good
meetings that members
enjoy and look forward
to attending. Picking a
theme gives us ideas to
build on for decorations,
door prizes, workshops
and make ‘n takes.
Page 26
NCC Club Connection
From the Editor
(Continued from page 1)
I love our open houses—
love looking at the wonderful creations of the
other talented people in
our clubs, and finding
those great ideas, or
things that I’ve “just gotta
try.”
That would be me hugging
Joan really hard, as I was so
incredibly surprised to see
our Joan show up at our
door. I really should have
worn the waterproof mascara, because I was crying
many tears of joy!
Our particular open
house was fun, and I
loved chatting with the
various members, but the
very best part was when
one of our members,
who had been very seriously ill for quite some
time, surprised us all by
coming to our open
house! Talk about the
BEST surprise of all!
After all, yes, we love our
villages, the decorating,
the competitions and the
challenges, but at the end
of the day, it’s about the
friendship and the fellowship that our Village Family brings us.
There are some really
great articles in this edition of the Club Connection.
A couple of things to
mention—Village Display
Tips is doing a new “ebook” , and they are
looking for your pictures
of your vignettes.
Be sure to check out that
article as I know how
talented you all are! The
deadline has been extended from what is listed in
the Village D-Lights article.
Richard Puckett, is looking for great club meeting
ideas for a new booklet
to be shared with all of
our clubs so you can get
the most out of your
meetings.
Looking for ideas for
your displays later this
year? Check out Facebook and see the NCC
page as well as the Village
Landlord’s page—they’ve
posted a ton of pictures
from their members’
open houses, and they
are terrific! There are a
lot of great displays in the
Dept 56 Villages page (on
Facebook) as well. Kirk’s
Dad, Richard Wyllie, sent
him this link of a fabulous
Dickens Village display,
and thought I’d pass it
along as well—I kept saying “Wow!” the whole
time I was scrolling
through—enjoy this—
http://thecaveonline.com/
Dickens2012Display/
DickensChristmas2012
.html.
You’ll see some Halloween articles in here—
there wasn’t room in the
last Club Connection and
they were too fun not to
include. I hope you enjoy
them, and hopefully get
some ideas from them.
(and I hope these people
submit them for the vignette book!)
I’ve had the most fun
reading all of the club
newsletters that you have
been sending me. Thank
you for the time you put
into them (I know a thing
or two about how much
time goes into them!), the
ideas, the pictures are
just great, so keep up the
good work and keep
them coming!
The new 2013 introductions are out—anyone
have a favorite? The
elves keep adding “foodrelated” buildings, and I’m
afraid that I’m going to
have to enlarge my kitchen to incorporate them
all! I’m quite excited
about Arabella’s Millinery
and Miss Lavender’s
Soaps and Sachets
(pictured left) for Dickens, oh and I’m pretty
sure the Camden Coffee
House will wind up in my
kitchen next to my coffee
maker. I’m sure that the
Deerfield Airport will
arrive in Jeff’s Christmas
in the City on schedule
with no lost luggage. I
(Continued on page 27)
Volume II, Issue I
Page 27
From the Editor
(Continued
from page 26)
also know without a doubt that
the Harley Roadside Cabins will
be a part of this ever growing
display in our barrister bookcase. One of our friends is sure
to get the pieces from National
Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,
and oh boy! Did you see the
Halloween
items?
The “Blood
Creek Jailhouse” is sure
to come to the
Marshal’s
house! And
the “Wanted:
Dead or
Alive” sure
does look like
Deputy 1, so
that’s a keeper! Wow—I
gotta go find
some room
for these!
There’s great information in
here from all of our Clubs, and
Linda Kruger, from Village DLights, has a fun article as well.
Ms. Lit Town brings in the new
year with some really good information, and of course Tom
Iacoviello has the numbers, Kirk
Wyllie talks about the final
numbers for PANCAN and
what he was up to over the
holidays.
Our “Spotlight on
Our Clubs” is on
the Village Lamplighters of Quebec,
and Richard brings
us news about a
new Associate
Member! This is
one that I am very
familiar with (don’t I own half
that store by now?!) Millie’s
Hallmark, and of course you
have got to read Mike Goode’s
article. It got me all teary-eyed
when I first read it.
Be sure to check out the back
page for information on the
Northeast Harvest Gathering
coming up, as well as the deadlines for submissions to the
Club Connection.
Some have already taken down
all of the decorations and villages, some keep their villages up
all year long. Mine will be up
for awhile longer (at least on
the inside), as I want to take the
time to savor and enjoy them.
The older I get, the faster
Christmas comes and goes.
So as we go forth into 2013, let
us “honor Christmas in our
hearts, and try to keep it all the
year.” Let us keep the spirits of
Christmas Past, Present and
Future ever present in our
minds, and cherish the fellowships and friendships with our
members.
Happy Reading!
Sue
Page 28
NCC Club Connection
N CC R e g i o n a l Re p r e s e n t a t iv e s
Region I
Region 6
US - ME, VT, RI, NH, MA, CT;
CAN - PE, NL, NS, QC, NB
US - IA, MN, ND, SD, WI
CAN - MB
Penny Miller
region1ncc@ncc56.com
Shirley Willis
region6ncc@ncc56.com
Region 2
Region 7
US - DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY,
PA; CAN - ON
US - CO, KS, MO, NE, WY
Barbara Fisher
region2ncc@ncc56.com
Billy Edwards
region7ncc@ncc56.com
Region 3
Region 8
US - KY, NC, TN, VA, WV
US - AR, LA, NM, OK, TX
Linda Lewis
region3ncc@ncc56.com
William Dillard
region8ncc@ncc56.com
Region 4
US - AL, FL, GA, MS, SC
Peggy Culler-Hair
region4ncc@ncc56.com
Region 9
US - AK, ID, MT, OR, WA
CAN - AB, BC, SK
Mardelle Brutzman-Kromminga
region9ncc@ncc56.com
Region 5
Region 10
US - IL, IN, MI, OH
US - AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT
Thelma McKenzie
region5ncc@ncc56.com
Michele Brown
region10ncc@ncc56.com
Mike Goode—Regions 2, 4 and 8
Tom Iacoviello—Regions 1 and 6
Kirk Wyllie—Regions 3, 5 and 7
Sue Chretien—Regions 9 and 10
This is your resource and reference for contact information for your Region Representative. You’ll
find your state or province listed under the appropriate region. This representative is your clubs’
voice to the NCC Board of Directors, they provide your clubs with the latest editions of the Club
Connection, and are a great resource. It’s a good idea to get to know them. You can also find this
information on our website—www.ncc56.com
Volume II, Issue I
Page 29
N CC A ss o c i a te M e m b e r s
Alan Cook & Lorraine Crowley
1171 Main Street
Spanish Springs, The Villages
Lady Lake, FL 32159
Ph: 352.259.7384
Fax: 352.259.7384
sales@allthingsfineonline.com
allthingsfineonline.stores.yahoo.net
Teresa Miller
Olde World Canterbury Village
2369 Joslyn Ct
Lake Orion, MI 48360
Ph: 248.391.5700
teresamiller@canterburyvillage.com
www.canterburyvillage.com
Maria Sutorik
25 Christmas Lane
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Ph: 989.652.9931
sales@bronners.com
www.bronners.com
Jason Stauffer
2801 S. George St
York, PA 17403
Ph: 717‐741‐2669
Fax: 717‐741‐9477
jcstauffer@christmastreehill.com
www.christmastreehill.com
Harry & June McGowan
1415 McCulloch Blvd.
Island Mall Townhouse #101
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
Ph: 928.505.5655 (AZ)
Ph: 248.705.0296 (MI)
Fax: 928.505.3709
hmcgo@citlink.net
www.dept56.biz
http://www.dept56retirees.com/
Melinda Seegers
7400 Flying Cloud Dr., Suite 100
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Ph: 800.548.8696
MsLitTown@Dept56.com
www.department56.com
Jason Stauffer
2801 S. George St
York, PA 17403
Ph: 717‐741‐2669
Fax: 717‐741‐9477
jcstauffer@christmastreehill.com
http://www.department56atcth.com
Edward Delgau
7900 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Niles, IL 60714
Ph: 847-967-5253
Fax: 847-967-0133
europeanimports@europeanimports.com
www.europeanimports.com
Chris Brosterhous
Ph: 650.248.1043
christmasvillagefun@gmail.com
www.christmasvillagefun.blogspot.com
Brian Young
1212 Knoxville St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Ph: 800.262.5335
Fax: 619.243.1530
info@citylightscollectibles.com
www.citylightscollectibles.com
Tim & Lilia Kearney
619 Woodbine Court
Myrtle Beach, SC 29579
Ph: 843.903.1578
TimD56er@aol.com
GreatEscps@aol.com
PO Box 1779
Hurst, TX 76053
Ph: (817) 268-2466
Fax: (817) 268-2461
happhall@peoplepc.com
www.happinessgifts.com
David Natal
216 East Laurel Ave.
Lompoc, CA 93436
Ph: 805.735.9255
david@hwff.com
www.hotwirefoamfactory.com/home.php
Lottie Clinedinst
1907 Old Harrisburg Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Ph: 717.334.2072
ourminithings@yahoo.com
www.ourminithings.com
Rob or Rita Frank
2951 Gulf to Bay Blvd.
Clearwater, FL 33759
Ph: 727.797.1660
Fax: 727.799.2704
sales@robertscw.com
www.robertscw.com
‐
Linda Kruger, Editor
Pioneer Communications, Inc.
300 Walnut Street, Suite 6
Des Moines, IA 50309
Ph: 877.899.9977 ext. 204
lkruger@pioneermagazines.com
www.treasuresmagazine.com
Leigh Gieringer
7150 E. Camelback Rd. Suite 444
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Ph: 480.940.7420
Fax: 480.940.7558
villagedisplaytips@cox.net
www.villagedisplaytips.com
NATIONAL COUNCIL
OF
CLUBS
7920 Citadel Court
No. Richland Hills, TX 76182
www.NCC56.com
Find us on Facebook—
Search: NCC56
2013 NCC
Executive Board
PRESIDENT
Mike Goode
7920 Citadel Court
North Richland Hills, TX 76182
presidentncc@ncc56.com
mtgoode@att.net
Ph: 817.427.5330
VICE PRESIDENT
Kirk Wyllie
402 John Price Road
Blanco, Texas 78606
vicepresidentncc@ncc56.com
arkeyteck1966@juno.com
630.222.3152
TREASURER
Tom Iacoviello
3615 Black Oaks Lane North
Plymouth, MN 55446
treasurerncc@ncc56.com
tiacoviello@yahoo.com
Ph: 763.519.0051
SECRETARY
Sue Chretien
10951 E. Dover St.
Mesa, AZ 85207
secretaryncc@ncc56.com
schretien@cox.net
Ph: 480.773.8575
“Keeping Clubs Plugged in to Collecting and Each Other”
Upcoming Events
can also find them on
Facebook, search on
Dept. 56 Northeast
Harvest Gathering.
NORTHEAST
HARVEST GATHERING
2013—
The Department 56
clubs in the northeast
are your hosts for
the Northeast Harvest
Gathering.
This event will be held
the weekend of October 25 - 27, 2013
at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley
Airport in Windsor
Locks, CT.
To attend this gathering is as easy 1 - 2 - 3.
For more information
about these events, visit the event website or
the NCC website at
www.ncc56.com.
And in 2014—
Walk off the plane pick-up your luggage check-in at the front
desk of the Sheraton
Hartford Hotel.
Their website is:
www.northeastharvest
gathering.com and you
We’re told we’re headin’
back to Texas, according
to the announcement we
heard in Chicago.
NCC Club Connection Publication Schedule
March/April 2013
Deadline: February 15
Publication: March 1
May/June 2013
Deadline: April 12
Publication: May 3
July/August 2013
Deadline: June 14
Publication: July 3
September/October 2013
Deadline: August 15
Publication: September 3
November/December 2013
Deadline: October 11
Publication: November 1