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OCTOBER 20, 2002
We rented a 55 passenger bus for our first Halloween House Tour! We sold out the seats and it was a huge success. Even the Dept 56 area sales rep attended. We visited 5 member homes from Marlborough to Carver, and enjoyed lunch, goody bags, snacks, and a catered dinner. The local cable channel even gave us publicity!
Our MENTAL group poses for a picture en route! Wonder what the neighbors were thinking??
Hank's students made this metal sign to greet us at his home.
(Left) Hank made a wax water scene for his Spooky Schooner.
(Center) Believe it or not, Helen's garden tub is hiding under this scene of Halloween animation.
(Right) Kay's Lang & Wise Halloween display.
(Left) Kay's Lemax 'Spookytown'
(Center) Joan (a/k/a Harry Potter) chats with sisters Cathy & Fran.
(Right) Jen & David's D56 Halloween display was set inside a rolltop desk using "canned insulation foam" for the caves & ledges.
(Left) Jennifer the spookyworld witch compares spells with wicked-witch Donna.
(Center) Kay said she wore out her new boyfriend right down to his heart-patterned briefs!
(Right) Pete the monster gets chummy with Lauren the Medieval lady!
(Left) Penny & Randy make a cute couple!
(Center) Dept 56 area sales rep Sandy enjoys the fun.
(Right) Wally as Eeyore.
SEPTEMBER 2002
Special guests Larry & Mary Cudire, owners of a North Shore Dept 56 store visited the club to do a "make and take" project with our members.
(Left) Mary & Larry explain the instructions.
(Center) Noreen inspects her sister Joann's bridge construction. (Right) Barbara & Allane work intently on their projects.
Club Night at Christmas Barn
Members enjoyed an after-hours Club Night at one of our sponsoring stores.
(Left to right)Owner Nancy Malay greets members in the "Halloween Spirit." Members viewed the handiwork of member Sue W who created this styrofoam coffin with the Dept 56 Halloween village and giftware inside.
(Left to right)Members gather up bargains. Even knee surgery didn't stop member Gerti from coming bargain-hunting! New members Dave & Justine quickly get the hang of how to shop with THIS group!
THE CLUB WELCOMES OUR NEWEST MENTAL-ETTE!
Member Judy, and husband Tim are happy to introduce JAIDA LEE...born on Sunday, Sept. 15th at 7:08pm. She weighed 6lbs 12ozs and was 19inches long! Everyone is doing well...she's sooo cute! :) (coming from the Mom of course!) (Granny Sue feels she's quite beautiful also!)
AUGUST 2002
Steve and Sandy Tracy of Tracy's Collectible Displays in Georgia paid our club a visit to sell their miniatures.
Members Pete Delaney (left) and Jim Frisbee (right) help the Tracy's load their truck after the meeting
CLUB MEMBERS AT THE NEVE (North Eastern Village Expo) collector's gathering in Warwick RI August 23-25, 2002.
click here to view the RI gathering photo album
(Left) Club member Leo takes his turn at the club table at the NEVE gathering to help sell pins for the club treasury.
(Right) Pat & John take a break to formulate their strategy for the weekend's activities.
JULY 2002
Our annual club cookout was held at member Maryse's home in Brockton.
(Left) Members enjoy socializing and participating in a Yankee Swap.
(Center) Frank Wilson opens his gift.
(Right) Expectant mom Judy is pleased with her plush duck.
January 2001 House Tour
On a bright sunny morning 55 club members boarded a bus, first heading to Fairhaven,
MA - the home of members Debby & Karl. Because of their limited space inside, they creatively turn their garage into their display room, with an old ping pong table for a base. With a woodstove for heat, it was nice and toasty as we checked out the unique touches. Karl is also an avid model railroader, and his train collection is enjoyed as well as the village display.
Our next stop was the home of Art & Jean in Dartmouth, an old New England farmhouse. Not only did we have a glimpse of the Alpine Village & New England Village, we had a wonderful buffet lunch provided by the club. A highlight of Jean's home was her quilt collection. Jean is an avid quilter, and members tried to convince her to donate a few for the day's doorprizes, but without much success! A unique touch to Jean's display was her creative use of fabric for water, grass, cobblestone, and backgrounds.
Our third stop was in Fall River, to the home of Jerry & Donna, where members enjoyed dessert & coffee as well as an extensive Snow Village display. When space ran out for her displaying, Donna put the cover on the hottub, and put the display right on top! A deep resin ocean was a big hit with the members, as well as the skirting material which was a village scene pattern.
Traveling up Route 24 we stopped to visit Kay in Brockton who had converted her guest room into a mini Disney World. In addition to her Christmas in the City And North Pole Displays, Kay also had her extensive collection of Possible Dreams Santas and a wonderful Fontanini Display. Kay cleverly integrated her Santas and her Villages, with several vignettes around the house such as putting a railroad-attired santa with Victoria Station, and a Pointsettia-bearing Santa with Mrs. Claus' Greenhouse. A great way to blend ones hobbies!
We continued on to Carver so we could visit Helen. No one could believe that Helen had actually converted one of her bathrooms into an animated display area!! Her garden tub was home to Billy Buttons, one of the Department 56 giftware collections. Fortunately she had more than one bath in the house that she could still use! Helen lives in a retirement community, but manages to enjoy her villages all year by using shelves and cabinets. Each shelf is a self-contained scene with backgrounds, trees, miniatures, fences, and a mixture of buildings from the City, New England, and Dickens!
Our trip concluded at the home of Jim & Lorraine in Duxbury. Here we were treated not only to wonderful village displays but a delicious catered dinner followed by lots of Lorraine's famous pastries! It's wonderful to have a club member who owns a bakery! Lorraine and Jim showcase their village talents by having built their own display cabinets, so that they could enjoy their City and New England displays year round. A sunroom addition (formerly a screened porch) holds Seasons Bay, and Lorraine's Snowbabies grace the dining room. They have many themed trees upstairs and down and they are so beautifully done that they could rival those seen in Christmas stores!
Our First Overnight Trip
Our first overnight bus trip found us traveling to visit several of our sponsor stores, Baker's Department Store, Ingleside Christmas House and Quiet Horizons, along with several other stops. We ate, we shopped, we ate, we shopped... Even our bus driver joined in on the fun and ended up becoming a member!
Nuance Cruise - May 2001 - with Judith Price (Miss Lit Town)
July 2001 Picnic
Our Annual Picnic was held at the Dartmouth Home of members Jean & Arthur. Members had a great time playing D56 related carnival games & participating in our yearly Yankee Swap!
Our First Mini Event
Our first mini event was held in October of 2000. Several vendors were present, workshops were held & we had our first display contest. We will have a similar, but larger event in April, 2002.
Our 2001 Holiday Party
In December, 2001 we had our 6th annual holiday party at the elegant Wamsutta Club in New Bedford. About 80 club members and guests attended. Over 100 doorprizes were given out. We had a silent auction as well as 6 display raffles for charity as well as a wonderful sit down dinner, games, music, laughs, and socialization.
