MELINDA SEEGERS - D56, MN
Melinda is the Manager of Consumer Services for Department 56, Inc. She joined the company in 1989 as one of the original members of the Consumer Services division and over the years has talked with thousands of collectors and consumers. She has had the opportunity to represent Department 56 at open houses at both retail stores and collector events giving her the opportunity to meet collectors, answer their questions and provide informational seminars.
Over the years Melinda has gained invaluable knowledge of Department 56 giftware, the Villages and Snowbabies. She has done extensive research and is considered an expert on the company’s older products. Melinda is responsible for the Village and Snowbabies sections of Collectors Corner on the Department 56 web site. She is also a contributing writer for “Village D-Lights” Magazine, a bi-monthly publication serving Department 56 village enthusiasts.
As the Manager of Consumer Services, Melinda and her team handle all written correspondence, emails and calls made to the Lit Town telephone line. She writes and presents seminars, works with the many collector-sponsored clubs and collector conventions throughout the United States and Canada and is the company advisor for the National Council of 56 Clubs (NCC).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BILL SHADID - D56, MN
Bill is the Director of Marketing for the Villages brands at Department 56. He leads a team of people in developing the product lines and marketing strategies for all of the Department 56 villages. His attention today is towards the technological side of the business.
Before he became a marketing professional, Bill practiced as a licensed architect for several years. He focused mainly on public architecture, including schools, university buildings, as well as city halls and courthouses. With his background in architecture the application of technological changes, as it applies to the production of village components, is a natural.
Bill enjoys combining his marketing and architectural experiences in working on the villages product lines. He has also had the opportunity to attend Department 56 collector conventions around the country, and is particularly impressed with the passion that Department 56 collectors have for the product and company.
Speakers
VINCE AIELLO - Display artist, CA
For eight years Vince has been collecting Dickens Village for himself and his wife Joan, and the North Pole Village for his grandchildren. After retiring from a successful career as an architect, Vince entered the culinary world, became a chef and opened his own restaurant. Vince’s creative work with villages has been one of the high points of the annual house tours of the “56 Reasons Collectors Club” in San Francisco.
Vince usually doesn’t venture too far from home to present seminars. He presented two seminars at the 2003 “GOLDEN GATE GATHERING” in San Francisco, which is local for him. He did travel east and present two seminars at our 2005 gathering in Reston Virginia. These were very popular and exciting seminars. You do not want to miss this opportunity to see some west coast display artistry in action.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ART BROWNELL - Swap & Sell vendor, NC
Art and his wife Helen started collecting Dept. 56 houses in 1988. They are from New England and their first venture was to collect New England Village. Art and Helen started collecting on a visit to Portland, Maine. Their collection has since expanded to Christmas in the City, North Pole, and Snowbabies. At retirement time, in 1990, they started buying extra houses and with another couple started their secondary house sales as a hobby. Their first gathering as vendors was the initial “Mid Atlantic Villagers Gathering” {MAVG) at Williamsburg, Virginia in 1994. Since then they have attended most of the Dept. 56 Collectors Gatherings that have been held in the country. They enjoy meeting with collectors and have gained many new friends though the years. In retirement, Art and Helen enjoy the coastal waters of North Carolina's southern most city, Wilmington.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ESME GIBSON - Photography, CA
Exploring photography as an art form has been part of Esme’s life since her godmother gave her a Brownie Hawkeye box camera for Christmas in the late 1950s. Over the years, she advanced professionally with images printed in magazines and newspapers, on permanent exhibit in federal courthouse collections in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the director’s office of the Los Angeles Opera and in many private galleries. With the advent of grandsons, she now has four, the stars of her images now focus on little boys, who grow up in the most appealing (and dirt-covered) ways.
In 1995, a moving sale for a local dealer giving up the Department 56 village line lured Esme and her husband Bob into collecting Dickens Village. They own all but the Village Mill and Norman Church. They also acquire North Pole “just for the grandsons.”
Trained as a journalist, Esme served for two years as the Editor of the NCC Bulletin and belongs to the Village Idiots, Our 56 Club and the San Diego 56ers.
During her seminar, Esme hopes to help you improve your photography with her invaluable tips and to help you apply them to photographing your Department 56 displays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JIM MURPHY - Hot wire applications, CA
Jim Murphy is a member of the San Diego 56ers. Jim’s career employment was with San Diego Gas & Electric. He was a journeyman lineman for twelve years, then an electric distribution foreman for nineteen years. Six years later Jim became their permanent electric distribution instructor for lineman at the San Diego Gas & Electric Skill Training Center. Jim retired from this position December 1, 2004.
Jim and his wife Lauren reside on their ranch in Jamul, CA, where Jim displays year round his collection of the entire Halloween Village with special effects of music, thunder, lightning and sounds with actual wind via computer and modules. Jim & Lauren’s collection expands far beyond just “Halloween” with “North Pole”, “New England” and “Dickens” village pieces in their repertoire. Jim’s seminars give new meaning to depth perception as he reveals things that go beyond the simple application of hot wire, hot knives and Styrofoam. His electrical expertise also comes out as he talks about other aspects of his display techniques.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOB OBENLAND - Creative Club Meeting Ideas from the NCC, FL
Bob has been an active collector of Department 56 Villages since 1986 when in Fort Worth, Texas, he and his wife started collecting.
It all started with one Snow Village house, "Turn Of The Century". After moving to Florida in 1990, he got the bug big time and now he collects Snow Village, North Pole, New England, Christmas in the City, Season’s Bay and Disney Village. He and his wife now are the proud owners of more than 350 D56 houses.
For four years Bob served as President of the “Village Landlords” in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 2003 and 2005 he was Chairman of the Southern Regional Gatherings (SRG), both held in Florida. In 2004 he became President of the National Council of 56 Clubs (NCC), a position he still holds today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JILL RINDFUSS - Inventory and appraisals, OH
Ms. Rindfuss comes to us from Delaware, Ohio, just north of Columbus. An avid collector herself, Jill is the owner of J.Phillip, Inc, publisher of the Bentley Collectors Guide for Longaberger Baskets and The Collectibles Database web-based inventory tool which helps Collectors to organize and determine value for their different collectibles. Her industry experience spans more than 14 years and nearly every day she answers questions about how to inventory and insure collectibles. She offers everything from useful tips to solid industry information on how to better understand the secondary market and apply values to a collection. She mixes fun stories with good practical examples to offer everyone a less-overwhelming, more fun approach to tracking and insuring your collectibles. Come prepared with your own questions and go home empowered and ready to get organized!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. D. ROBB - Display artist, VA
JD and his wife Pat are avid collectors of Department 56 and model trains. Part of their lives has been spent in Colorado where they were part of the “Rocky Mountain D 56ers Collectors Club”. While living in Colorado they served as co-chairpersons for a Colorado gathering, held in Denver in 2001.
He and Pat have been model railroaders for decades. For several years they won first place in one of the “Dickens Exchange” annual display contests. Their offering was entered in the Alpine (mountains) division. JD has a lot to offer making landscape backgrounds for villages with trains including; mountains, rivers and creeks as part of the scenery. His theory is to build displays that are made up of 80% Dept 56 pieces, 15% realism (tees, rocks, mountains, water, etc) and 5% whimsy. Using this formula they try to reach everyone from collectors to kids. JD also makes and uses pewter figurines in his displays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VERN SCHWIETERMAN - Unique hot wire carvings, FL
In the early 1990’s the only thing Dickens about Vern Schwieterman was his resemblance to Ebenezer Scrooge. He turned his nose up at anything Christmas. In 1993, he was introduced to Department 56’s “Snow Village”. After this he became addicted and was transformed from Bah Humbug to Kriss Kringle.
Using Styrofoam in his displays, Vern has become an accomplished carver of Styrofoam. His carvings began with simplistic mountains. In 1999, he took his Styrofoam carving a step further. He carved a replica of the “Emily Louise” in which a large part of the starboard side was removed for a seaside scene. His next project was a pumpkin in which the inside was hollowed out for a Halloween scene. Vern has a Thomas the Tank Engine he carved from Styrofoam for a train display. He has train stations from several villages and an electric train displayed around it.
After tiring from carving pumpkins, Vern tested his ability with such creative ideas as Easter eggs, snowmen, Liberty Bells, keg barrels, footballs and even an apple. In his seminars he combines your creative input with his talents and delivers a one-of-a-kind handcrafted treasure. He takes Styrofoam carving to another level. This is a must see seminar. |
Questions? 
