PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Postal Service Unveils Holiday Nutcrackers Stamps at Ballet Chicago’s Opening Night Performance of “The Nutcracker”

What:	The Postal Service will join Ballet Chicago in celebrating the magic of The Nutcracker by unveiling a 36” x 45” enlargement of the new Holiday Nutcrackers commemorative stamps at the opening night performance of Ballet Chicago’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
Who:	Mark Reynolds, Corporate Communications, Chicago Post Office Brigitte Lenz, Treasurer, Ballet Chicago Board of Trustees Marie, Performer, Ballet Chicago Herr Drosselmeyer, Performed by Artistic Director Daniel Duell, Ballet Chicago Nutcracker, Performer, Ballet Chicago
When:	Friday, December 19 – 7:00 p.m.
Where:	Athenaeum Theater 2936 N. Southport Ave.
Background:	What do Santa, a king, military captain and drummer have in common? They are the four eye-catching nutcracker designs featured on the new holiday commemorative stamps – the Holiday Nutcrackers. Santa or “Father Christmas” has a lantern in one hand and a snowflake-topped staff in the other. He’s joined by a gold and ruby-crowned king, a yellow-jacketed military captain, and a green-garbed drummer with a red drummer. These nutcrackers were custom-made for the U.S. Postal Service by Glenn A. Crider of T.R.C. Designs, Inc., of Mechanicsville, VA. Crider based the characters on sketches and notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, CT, who later photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps. The art director for the 2008 Holiday Nutcracker stamps was Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C.
Contact:	Mark Reynolds (312) 983-8371, cell (312) 351-5868 mark.v.reynolds@usps.gov

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.