Department 56 is taking its celebration of the Dickens' Village® Series 20th Anniversary on the road and will roll out the red carpet at the California Gold Gathering. Activities and events being planned include:

• Dickens' Village artists with signings and more

• A 20th Anniversary social event,

• Seminars presented by Department 56 personnel

• A Department 56 commemorative display featuring the 20th Anniversary Special Edition Village products

• Special prizes

• A special edition of the Department 56™ celebrations magazine for convention attendees (A wonderful keepsake that can be signed by the visiting artist!)

• A commemorative 20th Anniversary scarf will be offered for sale only at the CGG and two other gatherings. The cost of the scarf will be $20.00 each with the profits from sales at the CGG going to support the Ronald McDonald House. Preferred payment will be Master Card and VISA.

The Dickens 20th Anniversary Commemorative Scarf is 12" by 60". It is made of 100% black lambswool (by Woolmark). The Twentieth Anniversary logo is embroidered on one end of the scarf in a beige thread. It is dry clean only.

Visit the Department 56 website for the latest information. D56 has also created a special website for Dickens' Village -- you can find more info at www.dickensvillage.com.

Our special guest artist is...       Barbara Lund!

Barbara is the talented daughter of Neilan Lund, master architect of the Heritage Village Collection. She was working for an advertising and publishing company when she was "drafted" to help her father with the growing responsibilities that came with the explosive popularity of The Heritage Village Collection. She found that having no previous experience in design was a real advantage since it allowed her to completely understand her father's conceptual work, problem solving, and technique.

Barbara works on designing Dickens' Village, New England Village, Alpine Village, and North Pole. She finds that each series has advantages and challenges that are unique. With the exception of the North Pole, the Villages have quite specific architectural styles, which she needs to reproduce with a good degree of historical and geographical accuracy. To that end, she does extensive research and tries to execute a classic look while attempting to keep the designs fresh. This year she and Neilan Lund have designed all of the 2002 lighted introductions for Dickens' Village, New England Village, and Alpine Village as well as most of the lighted pieces in the North Pole.

Barbara's goal has been to deliver pieces with the same warmth, charm, and feeling that Heritage Village collectors have come to expect from the Lund family's continuing tradition of design excellence.