NCC Club ConnectionNCC Club Connection › Januarywebsite.pdf · the NCC, I can say that the one...

From the editor—

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 vil-

laging was going to be.

At various times between

November and now, I had

friends and family mem-

bers in the hospital, and

there were a couple of

times when I wanted to

throw in the towel.

I forged ahead, and I man-

aged to complete my

Dickens village in the tub,

affectionately known as

“Port Chretien at Tub-

side,” and the “North

Pole Food Court at the

Buffet,” along with various

vignettes. This was my

“therapy.” And my thera-

py helped me to really re-

focus to remember why

we celebrate the season.

Once the focus

was clear, we

spent wonder-

ful times with

our clubs and

their parties,

along with fam-

ily and friends

that were able

to be with us

for Christmas,

and even man-

aged to have an

Open House—

or as some of

you refer to it as “House

Walk.”

(Continued on page 26)

Happy New Year 2013!

NATIONAL

COUNCIL

OF

CLUBS

January / February 2013 Volume II, Issue I

Inside This

Issue:

Under the

Umbrella

2

Kirk’s Kibitz 3

Spotlight on Our

Clubs

4

Associate Mem-

ber 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 Repre-

sentatives

28

NCC Associate

Members

29

“Keeping Clubs Plugged in to Collecting and Each Other”

NCC Club ConnectionNCC Club Connection

Sue Chretien NCC Secretary and

Club Connection

Editor

Port Chretien at Tubside. This is in the bathtub

in our master bathroom. It’s one of “those” kind

of tubs that is difficult to get in and out of so why

not put a display there?

Sometime It’s Hard

to Say Good-bye

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 Christ-

mas celebrations. The

same thing occurs when

we begin to set up our

village displays. When we

open a Department 56

lighted house or accesso-

ry, it's like the beginning

of a family reunion. This

is especially true when I

begin to open the boxes

containing our Depart-

ment 56 Merry Makers.

This lively group of jolly

green-robed monks has

long been my all-time

favorite collection and

one

that

gets

the

most attention of our

holiday guests.

I began my collection in

the early 1990's and con-

tinued to add to the col-

lection 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 dis-

played them

in a bookcase

or on a coffee

table. Assem-

bling a display

in this manner

failed to bring

out the

uniqueness of these mer-

ry gentlemen and certain-

ly did not demonstrate

the work ethic that was

instilled in these short

and bald monks.

Shortly after realizing that

I wanted to create a com-

munity-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 individu-

als were constructing

wooden lighted buildings

that were the perfect

scale to house the

monks. Each year, I pur-

chased one or

two of these cus-

tom made build-

ings until my Mer-

ry Makers’s wood-

land community

was complete.

As the collection

continued to

grow, I accesso-

rized the settle-

ment with minia-

ture 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 path-

ways 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.


Under the Umbrella

NCC Club Connection

Mike Goode NCC President

ello all! I hope we all

survived the fruit cake,

cookies and over indul-

gence of whatever it is

that we all partake in. The Hol-

idays are a time for us to re-

joice in what we have, those we

have and to remember those

before us.

With the

thoughts of

rejoicing, I

want to of-

fer 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 Gather-

ing was an incredible event.

Really, REALLY incredible.

You, the collectors and guests,

were so generous that the final

donation amount to the Pancre-

atic Cancer Action Network,

PANCAN, in memory of Sha-

ron 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 Cen-

ter, 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 build-

ings. 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 ap-

proaching! 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

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

Kirk’s Kibitz

Volume II, Issue I

Kirk Wyllie NCC Vice President

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 Lamplight-

ers of Quebec, and a

number of the

club members.

This has always

been a genuinely

enthusiastic col-

lectors club. I

know this be-

cause of their

excitement and

participation in

the Chicago

Gathering. I also

realize this be-

cause I receive a

copy of their club

bulletin which in-

cludes 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 re-

cent meetings, they

shared ideas about how

to use novelties in vari-

ous village displays and

how to create a holiday

centerpiece of fir branch-

es and cranberries.

On December 1, the Vil-

lage Lamplighters cele-

brated the beginning of

the holidays at their

Christmas Club Supper

with 74 people in attend-

ance. 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 Brit-

nell as the "Recruiter of

the Year." What a won-

derful 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 Lamplight-

ers of Quebec. I enjoy

reading your emails and

hearing about the won-

derful things that all of

you are doing. This is a

stellar organization made

up of very special and

giving individuals.

NCC Club Connection

Spotlight On Our Clubs— Village Lamplighters of Quebec

t is with great pleasure that

I introduce one of our new-

est Associate Members!

Millie’s Hallmark is located

in a suburb southeast of Phoe-

nix, AZ called Ahwatukee (Ahh-

wah-too-key). I have to admit

that I did a little giggle the first

time I said it! Know this, Mil-

lie’s Hallmark isn’t your run-of-

the-mill, average kind of Hall-

mark store-- by any stretch of

the imagination- and, it is noth-

ing to laugh about!

Though, I haven’t had the op-

portunity 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 col-

lector awesomeness! Millie’s is

the largest Department 56 deal-

er 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 col-

lector 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 Dis-

plays 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 Gris-

wold’s for Snow Village--

BTW!!).

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!!


Associate Member Connection— Millie’s Hallmark

Volume II, Issue I

Richard Puckett NCC Membership

Chairman

Treasurer’s Report, December 31, 2012

appy New Year! I

can’t believe it’s

been an entire

year since I began

my term as NCC Treas-

urer. During the past

year I’ve learned an awful

lot about how the organi-

zation ticks financially.

I’ve had the privilege of

meeting or communi-

cating 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 invoic-

es by email. As the quality

of our contact data im-

proves, we plan to start

sending the club invoices

directly to the club treas-

urers 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 high-

lights 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 in-

ventory from the Con-

necticut home of previ-

ous president, Randy Mil-

ler, to Chicago and Tex-

as, 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 ex-

pected loss was more

than offset.

On the income side,

membership dues re-

ceived 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 Anniver-

sary Pin. However, actual

pin sales were higher

than expected. We also

ended up selling a num-

ber of Jack’s Umbrella

Shops and Collectors

Club Houses at the Chi-

cago Gathering. That was

a pleasant surprise. In

addition, we had unbudg-

eted income from bingo

and raffle sales amounting

to about $700—some of

which was donated to the

Chicago Gathering chari-

ty. Overall, income

exceeded budget by

$1,751.

On the expense side, we

decided to forgo spending

any of the $1,000 budget-

ed in 2012 for advertising.

This is an expense item

we do plan to use in the

future. Advertising in col-

lector 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 primar-

ily 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 care-

fully in Connecticut. As

mentioned previously, an

unbudgeted donation of

$250 was made to the


By the Numbers

NCC Club Connection

Tom Iacoviello NCC Treasurer

ters. She soon

began to concen-

trate on creating

a variety of San-

tas that I found

to be very intri-

guing. 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 paint-

ing wooden toys that Santa will

deliver Christmas Eve. Just like

the Merry Makers, the elves are

exhausted at the end of the sea-

son because of their efforts to

make all of the world's children

happy on that one special night.

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 sea-

son 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 oc-

curs again when I retrieve our

three elves from their home in

our back bedroom closet. Sev-

eral years ago, a good friend

and very talented fellow club

member learned to mold and

sculpture human-like charac-

(Continued from page 2)

As I pack them away, I some-

times 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

Under the Umbrella

Volume II, Issue I

reetings for the

New Year!

Can you believe

that we are already writ-

ing 2013 on our checks

and other correspond-

ence? Maybe this will be

lucky “2013” for all of us!

I sure hope so!

The new 2013 introduc-

tions have just been an-

nounced. We invite you

to go to our website,

www.dept56.com and

click on the “New Intro-

ductions” link on the

Home Page. If you are

one of those who just

likes to have a printed

copy, these are now avail-

able both online (listed in

the SHOP section in Re-

placement Parts), or by

calling us at 1(800)548-

8696. 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 col-

lect the

Halloween Village, this

will make hiding cords a

little easier, and replacing

a worn out black cord

that came with your Hal-

loween 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 deter-

mine if you can use these

bulbs in the particular

piece you have.

Some of you

have already

seen the Product

Recall concern-

ing “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 infor-

mation as is listed on

our website.

IMPORTANT SAFE-

TY RECALL NO-

TICE

Enesco LLC is voluntar-

ily recalling the power

adapter (picture below)

sold with certain Depart-

ment 56 Collectible

Shelly's Diner units be-

cause 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


Melinda’s Nook

NCC Club Connection

Melinda Seegers Ms. Lit Town

Department 56

Consumer Services [email protected]

(800) 548-8696

(M-F 11 AM – 2 PM

central)

Chicago Gathering chari-

ty – 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, mer-

chandise shipping, mer-

chandise cost (20th anni-

versary pins), professional

fees, supplies and website

expense were very close

to budget. Overall, ex-

penses 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 bal-

ance 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 upcom-

ing year. I believe that

2013 will be a year of

increasing numbers of

NCC Associate Mem-

bers, NCC Member

Clubs and active mem-

berships within those

clubs. The NCC will be

able to strengthen its fo-

cus of helping Member

Clubs and Associate

Members succeed. Take

care.

Tom


By the Numbers

Volume II, Issue I

Approved

Actual Budget Actual

2011 2012 2012

Beginning Balance $5,443.79 $7,645.66 $7,645.66

Income

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

Miscellaneous Income $50.00 $0.00 $695.00

Total Income $6,860.50 $6,035.00 $7,786.00

Expenses

Advertising Expense $0.00 $1,000.00 $0.00

Bank Fees $10.00 $15.00 $15.00

NCC Board Expenses $0.00 $309.28 $189.02

NCC Bulletin/Club Connection $2,067.96 $0.00 $0.00

Contributions/Donations $0.00 $0.00 $250.00

Gathering Expenses $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

Total Expenses $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

reetings, NCC

Members,

With the ap-

proaching new year, our

Village D-Lights team is

very excited to be look-

ing to our 9th year of

publication. Our thanks

to all of you for support-

ing us with your subscrip-

tions, and for helping to

make this publication

possible. We’re having

fun and we hope you are,

too!

Starting with the Decem-

ber/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 Ren-

ninger and Paul Malek.

The second series —

“From Inspiration to Cre-

ation” — will highlight a

different Department 56

village artist each issue.

These insightful inter-

views will be penned by

Steffie Lederman.

Coming in 2013: You’ve

been asking for it! Pio-

neer Communications is

now working on the 3rd

Edition of the Village D-

tails reference book, ten-

tatively 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 mag-

azine. Thus at the end of

December, Pioneer

mailed a complimentary

copy of Treasures to

each NCC club repre-

sentative (just as we do

Village D-Lights). Origi-

nally 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

base for the powdery

snow that fell. Looking

ahead to the rest of Janu-

ary the weatherman is

predicting colder than

normal temperatures.

I was saddened to hear

that Donna Rhodes’ hus-

band, Dusty, died on De-

cember 14th, as a result

of a car accident. They

appy January and

welcome one and

all to 2013. We

were blessed

with snow here in the

northeast along with real-

ly 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

had been married more

than 50 years and lived in

Maricopa, AZ.


Just D-Lighted

Through the Clubs’ Windows

NCC Club Connection

Linda Kruger Editor, Village D-Lights

Web Master/Resource

Coordinator

[email protected]

[email protected]

Penny Miller

I would be remiss if I didn’t

mention the terrible tragedy

that happened in early Decem-

ber, 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 avail-

able.

Now to see what our clubs

have been doing over the holi-

days. 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 dis-

play. I must say for a non-

collector 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 fig-

ures 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 Ber-

tolino. Their Dickens and

North Pole displays always have

interesting enhancements and

ideas for club members to use

in their own displays. Congrat-

ulations to Club President Mad-

die Pimenta on being the recipi-

ent 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 Bar-

bara Harrell decorated with

Dickens’ Village vignettes por-

traying Christmas songs and

poems. Guests identified the

scenes and the winners re-

ceived prizes. The evening end-

ed at the home of Ron and Gail

Williams (pictured middle col-

umn at the bottom).

The Delaware Valley 56’ers

(PA) have kept busy through-

out this year.

They started off doing some-

thing different for the club by

having an ice cream social. The

club provided the ice cream

(many flavors) with the mem-

bers 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 mem-

bers went to the Chicago gath-

ering. 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 coun-

try, before heading to their final

destination. They are also gath-

ering packages for the mili-

tary. Most significantly, at the

end of November, a group of

the members set up D56 village

displays at the Ronald McDon-

ald House in Camden, NJ. That

was followed by refreshing the

displays at the two Ronald

McDonald houses in Philadelph-

ia. Finally, in early December,


Club Windows

Volume II, Issue I

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 Tuc-

son, took to the road for

a Trick or Treat Trip on

Route 56 to California,

for a little spooky Hal-

loween 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 Cyn-

thia Markle, who signed

many of our new pur-

chases.

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 holi-

days. Everyone arrived

home with bags of treats

from these wonderful

merchants.

Editor’s Note: This trip was

such a blast and I encour-

age 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 pic-

tures.

Site Name: Trick or

Treat on Route 56

Site URL:

http://trickortreatonroute

56.shutterfly.com/

Site Password: Dept56

The password is case

sensitive.

Trick or Treat on Route 56

NCC Club Connection

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 Din-

er units purchased at any time

prior to July 1, 2012 are not

included in the recall. Adapters

sold with other lighted Depart-

ment 56 products, including

other Original Snow Village col-

lectibles, are also not included

in this recall.

If you have a Shelly's Diner col-

lectible with an affected power

adapter, unplug it from the elec-

trical outlet immediately. You

can continue to display Shelly's

Diner without the power adapt-

er. 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,

(Continued from page 8) including both the diner and the

power adapter, by returning the

entire unit to an authorized De-

partment 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 af-

fecting a very small window of

production and therefore, af-

fects a very small number of

pieces. Enesco was able to iden-

tify 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 Con-

sumer Services; this would in-

clude through our telephone

service, emails, postal mail and

in person. A questions that is

near the top, is concerning re-

pair 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, Depart-

ment 56 has never offered any

repair services. Motors require

some degree of technical exper-

tise 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


Ms. Lit Town’s Nook

Volume II, Issue I

Editor’s Note: This was

recently in the Village D-

Lights 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 numer-

ous requests for unique

ideas to develop small

vignettes using a single

building or just a few re-

lated pieces. Village Dis-

play 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 Vil-

lage Display Tips

books and DVDs, is

teaming up with Sue

Chretien, NCC Sec-

retary and vignette

display builder ex-

traordinaire. And

they are requesting

other collectors

share their ideas

providing new and

different perspec-

tives.

Two types of

vignettes:

1. A realistic mini dis-

play featuring a build-

ing or multiple pieces

which can end up

similar to a Thomas

Kincaid painting.

2. A display using a vil-

lage building and ac-

cessories, enhanced

with related repur-

posed items/antiques.

By combining villages

with antiques, it gives

new life to both cher-

ished 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 dis-

play.

Tell them how you se-

lected the building(s);

where you found the ac-

cent antiques; take pro-

gressive pictures, if appli-

cable or a picture of the

finished display; and send

them in for possible inclu-

sion.

SUBMISSION

DEADLINE

HAS BEEN

EXTENDED TO:

January 31, 2013

Mail pictures and a de-

scription to: Village Dis-

play 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:

[email protected]

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 dis-

plays are included will

receive a complimentary

copy of the completed

Call for Pictures of Your Vignettes

NCC Club Connection

By Pam Orman, Vice President,

Magnolia 56ers

or the September meet-

ing, 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 fea-

tured writings and mementos

from the Dickens era. A collec-

tion of Dickens Village churches

was displayed on the fireplace

mantle, along with a framed

Dickens village puzzle above.

Richard Puckett provided his-

torical background and infor-

mation 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 meet-

ing. Earline Strickland was our

gracious hostess for this meet-

ing. 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 “Member-

ship 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 acces-

sories from the Dickens Vil-

lage, “All Hallows Eve Se-

ries.” This display featured

the Theatre of the Macabre

lighted house, The Strange

Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde, three people – Mas-

querading on All Hallows

Eve, and Jack of the Lantern.

A strand of battery operat-

ed, silver wire, clear lights

was woven throughout the dis-

play.

Display from Richard Puckett

(below)

Use a fall placemat for the base.

This display featured the Dick-

ens 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 Pet-

als were used. Small wood

chips were used to make

the pathway to the ceme-

tery. For a personal effect,

a miniature bulldog pur-

chased 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 deco-

rative 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 scare-

crow and rattan pumpkins.


Magnolia 56ers

Volume II, Issue I

While I could go on

about the offerings, I

would encourage you to

visit their website

www.millieshallmark.com

and sign up for their cus-

tomer newsletter. They

even have an online blog

of Department 56 prod-

ucts and new items arriv-

(Continued from page 5) 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 commit-

ted to meeting its cus-

tomer’s needs!

Richard

Associate Member Connection The NCC welcomes it’s

newest Associate Member—

Millie’s Hallmark

5027 E. Elliot Rd.

Phoenix, AZ 85044

(480) 893-3777

NCC Club Connection

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 en-

thusiasm of our members and

how do we find new one? I

have a few thoughts on that.

I am very passionate about syn-

ergy or the relationship be-

tween 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 relation-

ship 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 collec-

tors wait with baited breath for

the new introductions. We all

want to see what is the newest,

and latest, thing. Ask your re-

tailer 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 impres-

sion 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 buy-

ing!” Help your retailer to un-

derstand 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 cre-

ate a want list that your club

would like to buy. This guaran-

tees 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 mem-

bers. 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 connec-

tion! Call another Club Rep

randomly and ask what they are

doing! Make this the year that

collecting gets fun, again!

Membership 101

Volume II, Issue I

eleven of the members set up a

ten foot display of North Pole

and two, three foot displays of

the Dickens Village for the Wil-

mington, Delaware

House. Jack Graff, one of the

members actually built the ta-

bles for the display while anoth-

er member, Frank Lauden-

slacer built the bases for some

of them. They ended the year

with thier annual Christmas

Party. Marty Stoltz, a past pres-

ident 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 re-

cent 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 Part-

ners 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

(Continued from page 11) their two Ronald McDonald

Houses by Duane Rohling, Ken-

neth and Leona Toon and Sha-

ron 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 Collec-

tors’ 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 Pal-

metto 56ers (SC) Halloween

Party Palmetto 56ers President,

Peggy Culler-Hair, at their Hal-

loween party at the home of

member and newsletter editor,

Norma Hunt. The "Good

Witch" costume and the Grimm

Reaper figure are both Depart-

ment 56 items. Peggy pur-

chased 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 Depart-

ment 56 collectors—snacks

were eaten at the other homes.

What is a house tour if not

viewing displays while munching

on something good? The dis-

play 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.


Club Windows continued

NCC Club Connection

The VAA volunteers not only

help set up the display, but do-

nate 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.

The following day, Sunday, No-

vember 26th, nineteen VAA

members met at the Shriners

Hospital for Children in Los

Angeles. The hospital had re-

ceived a Dickens’ village as a

donation. The staff at the hos-

pital had no experience setting

up a village display. So, VAA

member, Stan Higgins, volun-

teered our club to do the dis-

play.

Stan Higgins in front of the Dickens’

display.

The Shriners Hospital for Chil-

dren in Los Angeles is a 60-bed

(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 pa-

tient or family.

With Stan directing, we set up

both a Dickens’ Village display

and, as a tribute to Stan’s de-

ceased 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 chil-

dren as a professional clown

known as Squekey.

Tampa Bay 56er’s (FL) trav-

eled 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 Re-

gency Residences, Ronald

McDonald House, Safety harbor

Library and Bahia Oaks Lodge in

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.

River City Villagers (TX)

newsletter offered news of

their shopping trip to Freder-

icksburg during Retirement

weekend along with the Hill

Country 56ers.

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.

Village Idiots (OR) had an-

other 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 Lamp-

lighters Su/Of Québec

(CAN) retired as club presi-



Volume II, Issue I

dent. He had served in this ca-

pacity for the past three years.

The new president is Nicole

Jolicoeur. Congratulations!!

Congratulations also to Fran-

cine 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 ex-

change.

Detroit 56’ers (MI) celebrat-

ed the last hurrah of 2012 with

a Retirement Weekend to re-

member and the annual Christ-

mas Social. Retirement week-

end started with the usual trip

to Nancy’s Hallmark in Sharon-

ville, OH. This is the 10th year

that members of this club have

traveled to Ohio for Retire-

ment Weekend. Some mem-

bers of the Village Collectors

of Michigan group joined

them. Retirement weekend for

these seasoned shoppers start-

ed on Thursday with a trip to a

local train display. After a day

of shopping at Nancy’s on Fri-

day, they had dinner with some

of the Queen City Villagers.

(Continued from page 19) 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 Decem-

ber.

Big D-56ers (TX) had a won-

derful year as a club. They had

new members, a successful auc-

tion for the Ronald McDonald

House, trip to Tyler,

invitations to local De-

partment 56 stores and

many great programs.

The club’s website is:

www.bigd56ers.com.

At a meeting last fall

club members attend-

ed a foam cutting

demonstration. Rocks consist-

ed of multiple layers of

Styrofoam glued, cut and paint-

ed. Vera and Gordon Sohl

hosted the Halloween party.

They house was decorated in-

side & 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 mem-

bers to purchase of last year’s

home tours. The cost is only

$10.00 and what better way to

remember all those great dis-

plays 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 cele-

brated their 21st anniversary last

October. They are one of the

oldest and largest clubs in the

country. A group made up of



NCC Club Connection

Mike & Roseann Abrams, Chris &

Norm Barrett, Joe McPhillips, Mei-

Hua Paige and Elizabeth Bron set up

the Ronald McDonald House dis-

play.

Congratulations to the newly elect-

ed officers of the Desert Villagers

(AZ) Judy Stacey - President, Diane

Jolin - Vice President, Linda Thomp-

son - Secretary and Pat Murray -



Volume II, Issue I

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

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 sub-

mit your newsletters to the NCC

Secretary, Sue Chretien at secre-

[email protected], and to

Penny Miller at [email protected].

Display from Pam Orman

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 Collec-

tion M&M figurine, “Sweets Ready for Treats.”

A fall tree and a Halloween ghost tree were add-

ed. 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. Pur-

ple metallic mesh fabric was

used around the basket (main

purpose was to hide the battery

box).

(Continued from page 15) Display from Pink Mize

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 Mis-

tletoe, signed by Melinda at the gathering. The

base was a black spider web doily.

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 cur-

rent happenings!

Magnolia 56ers

NCC Club Connection

including power adapters, light

cords and specialized bulbs. We are

always happy to help “trouble-

shoot” your problem, we just can-

not 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

[email protected]

Ms. Lit Town

Volume II, Issue I

Route 1 ,North Pole Residence.

Sprinkle with snow or glitter.

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 bot-

tom. 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 pic-

ture).

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

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)

Tips and Tricks

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 plan-

ning 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 con-

test. 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 in-

corporate into their dis-

play. 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 at-

tend the October meet-

ing to find out and see all

the fun and creative uses

that the thirteen contest

participants have imag-

ined.

All meeting attendees will

be voting for their favor-

ite 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. Dis-

play entries will be num-

bered for voting purpos-

es.

Who will be our

top three

“Southwest Villag-

ers Design Stars?”

We had members

sign up for the

contest and when

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 mem-

ber chewing the gum and

shaping it into a pond.

Then for our next meet-

ing 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?


Theme Meeting Ideas

NCC Club Connection

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 [email protected]

Call for Club Meeting Ideas

Volume II, Issue I

special tools you would

like to use. We will have

the basics there for eve-

ryone’s use.

If you rather not deco-

rate, please come and

socialize or supervise.

It was a fun, interactive

meeting that everyone

got involved in the activi-

ties. We donated the

finished gingerbread

houses to the local senior

home. Decorating gin-

gerbread houses was an

idea we borrowed from a

club in Northern Califor-

nia. Modifying the theme

gave it our own twist and

excitement.

After twenty years of

We hope you will join in

the time-honored tradi-

tion of decorating a holi-

day gingerbread house.

The Club will provide a

pre-built gingerbread

house with a small selec-

tion of candies and icing

for glue. You bring what

other special candies and

edible items to make

your house the best dec-

orated 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

(Continued from page 24) meetings, it’s sometimes

challenging to come up

with new ideas that are

fun and interesting, espe-

cially since most of our

members have been col-

lecting 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.

Theme Meeting Ideas

NCC Club Connection

From the Editor

I love our open houses—

love looking at the won-

derful creations of the

other talented people in

our clubs, and finding

those great ideas, or

things that I’ve “just gotta

try.”

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 seri-

ously 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 fellow-

ship that our Village Fami-

ly brings us.

There are some really

great articles in this edi-

tion of the Club Connec-

tion.

A couple of things to

mention—Village Display

Tips is doing a new “e-

book” , and they are

looking for your pictures

of your vignettes.

Be sure to check out that

article as I know how

(Continued from page 1) talented you all are! The

deadline has been extend-

ed from what is listed in

the Village D-Lights article.

Richard Puckett, is look-

ing 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 Face-

book 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 say-

ing “Wow!” the whole

time I was scrolling

through—enjoy this—

http://thecaveonline.com/

Dickens2012Display/

DickensChristmas2012

.html.

You’ll see some Hallow-

een 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 vi-

gnette 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 introduc-

tions are out—anyone

have a favorite? The

elves keep adding “food-

related” buildings, and I’m

afraid that I’m going to

have to enlarge my kitch-

en to incorporate them

all! I’m quite excited

about Arabella’s Millinery

and Miss Lavender’s

Soaps and Sachets

(pictured left) for Dick-

ens, 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


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 mas-

cara, because I was crying

many tears of joy!

http://thecaveonline.com/Dickens2012Display/DickensChristmas2012.html




Volume II, Issue I

also know without a doubt that

the Harley Roadside Cabins will

be a part of this ever growing

display in our barrister book-

case. 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 Jail-

house” 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 keep-

er! 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 D-

Lights, has a fun article as well.

Ms. Lit Town brings in the new

year with some really good in-

formation, 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.


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 fellow-

ships and friendships with our

members.

Happy Reading!

Sue

Our “Spotlight on

Our Clubs” is on

the Village Lamp-

lighters 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 dead-

lines for submissions to the

Club Connection.

Some have already taken down

all of the decorations and villag-

es, 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.

From the Editor

NCC Club Connection

Region I US - ME, VT, RI, NH, MA, CT;

CAN - PE, NL, NS, QC, NB

Penny Miller

[email protected]

Region 6 US - IA, MN, ND, SD, WI

CAN - MB

Shirley Willis

[email protected]

Region 2 US - DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY,

PA; CAN - ON

Barbara Fisher

[email protected]

Region 7 US - CO, KS, MO, NE, WY

Billy Edwards

[email protected]

Region 3 US - KY, NC, TN, VA, WV

Linda Lewis

[email protected]

Region 8 US - AR, LA, NM, OK, TX

William Dillard

[email protected]

Region 4 US - AL, FL, GA, MS, SC

Peggy Culler-Hair

[email protected]

Region 9 US - AK, ID, MT, OR, WA

CAN - AB, BC, SK

Mardelle Brutzman-Kromminga

[email protected]

Region 5 US - IL, IN, MI, OH

Thelma McKenzie

[email protected]

Region 10 US - AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT

Michele Brown

[email protected]

Mike Goode—Regions 2, 4 and 8 Kirk Wyllie—Regions 3, 5 and 7

Tom Iacoviello—Regions 1 and 6 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

NCC Regional Representat ives

NCC Assoc iate Members

Volume II, Issue I

Alan Cook & Lorraine Crowley

1171 Main Street

Spanish Springs, The Villages

Lady Lake, FL 32159

Ph: 352.259.7384

Fax: 352.259.7384

[email protected]

allthingsfineonline.stores.yahoo.net

Teresa Miller

Olde World Canterbury Village

2369 Joslyn Ct

Lake Orion, MI 48360

Ph: 248.391.5700

[email protected]

www.canterburyvillage.com

Maria Sutorik

25 Christmas Lane

Frankenmuth, MI 48734

Ph: 989.652.9931

[email protected]

www.bronners.com

Jason Stauffer

2801 S. George St

York, PA 17403

Ph: 717‐741‐2669

Fax: 717‐741‐9477

[email protected]

www.christmastreehill.com

Chris Brosterhous

Ph: 650.248.1043

[email protected]

www.christmasvillagefun.blogspot.com

Brian Young

1212 Knoxville St.

San Diego, CA 92110

Ph: 800.262.5335

Fax: 619.243.1530

[email protected]

www.citylightscollectibles.com

PO Box 1779

Hurst, TX 76053

Ph: (817) 268-2466

Fax: (817) 268-2461

[email protected]

www.happinessgifts.com

David Natal

216 East Laurel Ave.

Lompoc, CA 93436

Ph: 805.735.9255

[email protected]

www.hotwirefoamfactory.com/home.php

Lottie Clinedinst

1907 Old Harrisburg Road

Gettysburg, PA 17325

Ph: 717.334.2072

[email protected]

www.ourminithings.com

Rob or Rita Frank

2951 Gulf to Bay Blvd.

Clearwater, FL 33759

Ph: 727.797.1660

Fax: 727.799.2704

[email protected]

www.robertscw.com

‐

Linda Kruger, Editor

Pioneer Communications, Inc.

300 Walnut Street, Suite 6

Des Moines, IA 50309

Ph: 877.899.9977 ext. 204

[email protected]

www.treasuresmagazine.com

Leigh Gieringer

7150 E. Camelback Rd. Suite 444

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Ph: 480.940.7420

Fax: 480.940.7558

[email protected]

www.villagedisplaytips.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

[email protected]

www.dept56.biz

http://www.dept56retirees.com/

Melinda Seegers

7400 Flying Cloud Dr., Suite 100

Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Ph: 800.548.8696

[email protected]

www.department56.com

Jason Stauffer

2801 S. George St

York, PA 17403

Ph: 717‐741‐2669

Fax: 717‐741‐9477

[email protected]

http://www.department56atcth.com

Edward Delgau

7900 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Niles, IL 60714

Ph: 847-967-5253

Fax: 847-967-0133 [email protected]

www.europeanimports.com

Tim & Lilia Kearney

619 Woodbine Court

Myrtle Beach, SC 29579

Ph: 843.903.1578

[email protected]

[email protected]

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

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 Octo-

ber 25 - 27, 2013

at the Sheraton Hart-

ford Hotel at Bradley

Airport in Windsor

Locks, CT.

To attend this gather-

ing is as easy 1 - 2 - 3.

can also find them on

Facebook, search on

Dept. 56 Northeast

Harvest Gathering.

For more information

about these events, vis-it the event website or

the NCC website at

www.ncc56.com.

And in 2014— We’re told we’re headin’

back to Texas, according

to the announcement we

heard in Chicago.

Upcoming Events

“Keeping Clubs Plugged in to Collecting and Each Other” 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

[email protected]

[email protected]

Ph: 817.427.5330

VICE PRESIDENT Kirk Wyllie 402 John Price Road

Blanco, Texas 78606

[email protected]

[email protected]

630.222.3152

TREASURER Tom Iacoviello 3615 Black Oaks Lane North

Plymouth, MN 55446

[email protected]

[email protected]

Ph: 763.519.0051

SECRETARY Sue Chretien 10951 E. Dover St.

Mesa, AZ 85207

[email protected]

[email protected]

Ph: 480.773.8575

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

NCC Club Connection Publication Schedule

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