July/August2003News

VOL XII NUMBER 4

THE PYRAMID 56ERS OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

JULY/AUGUST 2003

The Regular meeting of the Pyramid 56ers will be Thursday, August 14th at 7 p.m. at the Central Church Family Life Building at 2005 Winchester in Collierville. For the program there will be a make-n-take session presented by Jim Shull and George Moore. According to the consensus of those present at the June meeting, members will be encouraged to buy, for $2, one ticket each to be used for the awarding of door prizes. This will help to defray the cost to the club for prizes that the club has to buy because of a lack of donated items. Gerald and Barbara Frazier are scheduled to provide refreshments for the meeting.

CLUB CONTACTS

PRESIDENT

Joe Hammond 725-5020

VICE-PRESIDENT

SECRETARY/NEWSLETTER EDITOR

TREASURER

The regular meeting of the Pyramid 56ers Club took place on Thursday, June 12th at the Central Church Family Life Building. The meeting began at 6:30 with a Potluck dinner. As usual the food was delicious and varied and there was more than enough for all present.

After dinner Joe Hammond presided at our business meeting. He introduced two new members, Tom and Joanne Telfer, to those in the club who had not met them during our visit to the Calico Butterfly in May. He then reported that his doctors had found him cancer free and thanked us for our support and prayers during his illness. Charlie Billingsley is celebrating being able to see clearly as a result of cataract surgery and Lynn is out of the boot she was wearing as a result of a fall she took in May. Jim Shull has been in the hospital five times already this year and his doctors have diagnosed him as having kidney failure. It was announced that Mary Helms who has not been able to come to our meetings for some time now is taking chemo for her cancer.

Joe congratulated members with birthdays in May and June--Lynn Billingsley, Bernie Jacquez, Sharon Shute, Barbara Spiecha and Joanne Telfer and those with anniversaries--Faith Deaton, Nancy and Lane Herrmann, George Moore and Jim Shull, and Barbara Spiecha. Joe announced that the next meeting would be held on Thursday, August 14th at 7 p.m. at the Central Church Family Life Center and that Jim and George would be in charge of a Make-n-Take session for our program.

Sharon Shute reported that we have $200 in our treasury and that the only outstanding debts were the cost of the last two newsletters. At the April meeting, the members had decided to use club money to insure that there would be door prizes, including one lighted building, at each meeting. Gerald Frazier made the suggestion that beginning at the August meeting, each member be allowed to buy one $2 ticket. These tickets would then be drawn to determine who would win the door prizes. This would also provide us with the money to buy the door prizes without depleting our club finances. The members agreed with this suggestion, and we shall put this into practice starting next week.

Joe then reported on the club visit to the Calico Butterfly. Alinda Norris talked about our plans to travel to Little Rock to visit some of the shops that carry Department 56 there. She said that she had e-mailed a contact person from the Collectors' Club in that area but had not heard back from them. Lynn Billingsley suggested several stores in the city that she knows have good displays. October 4^th is our target date for the trip. Alinda also mentioned that she would try to have some information at the next meeting about when we can visit the Something Special Stores in Covington and Ripley, Tennessee. She then reminded everyone that the mid-year releases could be viewed at the Dept. 56 web site: www.d56.com/

At this point the new club directories were passed out and members were told that new name badges would be given out at the August meeting. Anyone wishing to buy a lanyard for the name badge can do so at that time. The price will be $1.25.

The Christmas in June gift exchange took place and then Door Prizes were given out. (See the list of winners below.)

Present at the meeting were Lynn and Charlie Billingsley, Barbara and Gerald Frazier, Russ and Jane Gorby, Joe Hammond, Jo Ann Harris, Nancy Herrmann, Maggie Miller, George Moore, Mary Morie, Alma Nau, Alinda Norris, Jackie Robinson, Sharon Shute, Jim Shull, Barbara Spiecha, Tom and Joanne Telfer, and John Webb.

At the June meeting it was decided that the club would travel to Little Rock on October 4th to visit some of the shops that carry Department 56 products. Since that time I have been in touch with Linda Harvey, the President of the Collectors' Club in the Little Rock/North Little Rock area, and have been given the names of three stores that have good displays and that support the club. Linda also plans to check with her club members at their August meeting to see if any of them would like to meet us for lunch and then go with us to the stores. I should have more information for you at the meeting next week. –Alinda

CHRISTMAS IN JULY OPEN HOUSE

Rick and Karin Nelson of Home for the Holidays Christmas and Collectibles Shop in Cordova had their annual "Christmas in July" Open House on Saturday, July 26th from 10-6. Coming after the storm as it did, it was a welcome change. How delightful to walk through the store and look at all the beautiful Christmas ornaments and other collectibles. As always the refreshments were delicious and the door prizes wonderful.

Area D56 Dealers

THE CALICO BUTTERFLY, 2965 Germantown Rd., Suite 121, Bartlett, TN 38133, 901-385-9964, Clyde Stephenson.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS CHRISTMAS AND COLLECTIBLE SHOP, 8504 Macon Road, Cordova, TN 38018, 901-755-5554, Rick and Karin Nelson.

POT POURRI GIFT SHOP, 2130 W. Poplar Avenue, Suite 103, Collierville, TN 38107, 901-861-2693, Leonard and Ida Engleberg.

SHERRY'S HALLMARK SHOP, 636 W. Poplar Avenue, Collierville, TN 38017, 901-853-1955, Betsy Jonakin, Sherry Wingo, Bill Jonakin.

SOMETHING SPECIAL, 230 S. Washington, Ripley, TN 38063, 731-635-4470 and 100 W. Liberty, Covington, TN, 38019, 901-475-4477, Janie West, Laurie Pratt.

BIRTHDAYS

DOOR PRIZES

Maggie Miller--"Happy Birthday Village Express" donated by Jim Shull and George Moore

Nancy Herrmann--"Bob Cractchit/Tiny Tim House ornament" donated by Alinda Norris

D56 GATHERINGS

September 18 – 21, 2003

The Michigan Gathering 2003, the first collectors gathering in Michigan, is sponsored by the Village Collectors of Michigan. The event will be held at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, One Covered Bridge Lane, Frankenmuth, Michigan 48734, on the same weekend as Frankenmuth’s 14th annual “Oktoberfest” celebration. For additional information about this event, contact www.migathering.us

October 3 – 5, 2003

Display Expo 2003 – Village Harvest Festival will be hosted by the Capital Region 56ers at the Prime Hotel & Conference Center, 534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY. Call (518) 584-4000 for hotel reservations. For questions concerning event registration please call Diane Epting at (518) 882-6192.

October 9 – 13, 2003

The Golden Gate Gathering, the first collectors event to be held in San Francisco, will take place at the Bay Bridge Holiday Inn, 1800 Powell Street, Emeryville, CA. 94608 The theme is “Halloween on San Francisco Bay”. To reserve a room at the special convention rate of $109.00 per night, contact the Bay Bridge Holiday Inn at (510) 658-9300. For more information visit their web site at www.goldengategathering.com

Central Church is located at 2005Winchester between Houston Levee and Bailey Station Roads in Collierville. Our meeting will be held in the Family Life Building located on the Bailey Station side of the campus. Enter from the easternmost driveway. The meeting will be in the Senior Adults' Activity Room on the right across from what presently serves as the sanctuary.