Dazzling Nutcracker Stamps Transform the Holidays

Event Honors Virginia Craftsman Who Created Figures

WHAT:
“Glenn Crider Nutcrackers USA Station” — a dedication of the 2008 Holiday Nutcrackers postage stamps and recognition of the Richmond-based artist who custom-made the nutcrackers featured on the stamps.

WHO:
The U.S. Postal Service, in partnership with Richmond Ballet and Landmark Theater. Speakers include Bobby Ukrop, Stoner Winslett, and Patti McCloskey.

WHEN:
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

WHERE:
Landmark Theater
6 N. Laurel Street
Richmond, VA 23220

WHY:
The nutcrackers were custom-made for the Postal Service by Richmond-based artist Glenn Crider who based the characters on sketches and notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce who later photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps. Crider is one of a handful of nutcracker makers in the country who creates nutcrackers in the German style, a process which requires over 400 steps in the crafting of just one figure. For many years, Crider has produced nutcrackers used by the Richmond Ballet for its annual production of The Nutcracker. The Ballet will have costumed characters from the production mingling with attendees and available for photographs.

Crider designed the pictorial postmark that will be used at this event, and a photo of Glenn with the four prototype nutcrackers is featured on silk cachets that will also be available. In addition to contemporary and traditional Christmas stamps and this year’s Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps, Holiday Nutcrackers tote bags and lapel pins will be available.

The Postal Service will also be handing out stamp collecting goodie bags to the first 50 kids that attend. The goodie bags include a tee shirt, stamp lapel pin, coloring book, first day of issue cachet (commemorative envelope), starter stamp collecting album with postage stamps, Ranger Rick journal, and stamp collecting information.

This fun, festive family event is free and open to the public. The stamp dedication ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

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.