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RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE DISPLAY

THE VILLAGE LANDLORDS

NEXT MEETING IS SUNDAY, MARCH 21ST, 2010

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Mark Your Calendar! Our Next Meeting
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
ANNUAL PICNIC TREE TOPS PARK
THE NORTH LAUDERDALE AQUATIC CENTER
701 SW 71 AVE (ROCK ISLAND) ROAD
NORTH LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

The Village Landlords started from a meeting of several strangers at The Silver Sleigh Christmas
Store in Pompano Beach, FL, in the latter part of 1991. These few people saw they had a common
interest in the Department 56 Villages, and thought it would be a great idea to form a club to include
other people who also had their interest (or habit)!! From there, an organizational meeting was held
on September 24, 1991, and the first official meeting of the Village Landlords was set for October
1991. The Club continued to grow to 80 members by 1998.

In 1998 the Village Landlords hosted a one-day event called “Christmas In July”, which turned out
much greater than expected, spurring our membership to close to 150 members. Due to the success
of the one-day event, two more Gatherings were held in 1999 and 2000.

In 2003 and 2005 the Village Landlords hosted the Southern Regional Gathering (a three-day event),
raising over $14,000 at each Gathering for various charities, including the Ronald McDonald House,
The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital (Lotsy Dotsy Clown Fund), and Juvenile Diabetes.

As a non-profit Club, The Village Landlords designates funds to be donated to two charities each
year. Designated charities have been The Sheridan House, The Fort Lauderdale Ronald McDonald
House, The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, and The Majic Children’s Christmas Fund. We are
proud that we have had our North Pole Village displayed at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and
at the Fort Lauderdale Ronald McDonald House.

Meetings are held the 3rd Sunday of each month – January through April and September through
November of each year. We do not hold a meeting December, as this is the month we have our
Christmas House Tours where members open their homes for fellow members to view their village
displays

Our meetings include guest speakers, demonstrations on setting up displays, working with
Styrofoam, wiring your villages, display tips, hand’s on display workshops, and making vignettes
using one or more houses. We have Refreshments, Door Prizes and Raffle Prizes at each meeting.

Village Press, our newsletter, is published the seven months a year, the same months as our
meetings are held.

During our “off” months, we have held bus trips visiting Department 56 dealers throughout the State
of Florida, and we have even ventured into South Georgia. Our first bus trip was a one-day trip, and
our last trip was a three-day “Mystery Bus Trip”. No one knew, except for the person who planned
the trip, where we were going and what our itinerary was. Each trip included a Saturday night of
entertainment, such as a Mystery Dinner Theatre. Each trip has been a major success.