Dear Friends.
It may seem hard to imagine, but we are already making plans for the 2009 MADC Convention. This is going to be a Convention you simply will not want to miss! The Harrisburg/Hershey Convention will be held from August 5th through August 8th at the Harrisburg Hilton in Harrisburg, PA. We will be twenty minutes from world famous Hershey, the chocolate capital of America. The theme is “Beginning With a Kiss” and yes, we have a Hershey Kiss in mind! As one of the new twists – and there are quite a few new approaches planned for 09 – our Welcome Breakfast will be on Thursday morning and you will receive a very special MADC Kiss, the first of two dolls that will be included in the price of your Convention registration. She will be an 8” doll! The ADC designers have already done the prototype and she is darling, I think attendees will all be delighted. (And no, she is not in silver or tulle.) As we all know, Hershey Kisses come in different flavors and so will our doll. We will be asking you to choose your flavor doll and you can only do that if you are registered at the time we need to decide on the doll numbers. If there are collectors who might want to order extra flavors, that option will also be available. We will have to charge for any extra dolls - you only get one with your registration. If you register after the time we ask for your choice, you will receive your doll, but it will be a random selection from our order.
Additional Highlights we can tell you about:
Tours will be back! We have a terrific newcomer to our volunteer ranks, Kathi Holmes, from Maryland; she is going to make the tour arrangements for our group.
The Harrisburg /Hershey area is a treasure trove of interesting and exciting destinations. In addition to all of the attractions of Hershey Park, you will be able to visit nearby Amish Country, the hallowed battleground of Gettysburg, numerous local museums including the National Civil War Museum, the Antique Auto Museum, the National Watch and Clock Museum, and for railroad buffs there is the Strasburg Railroad. Rich in history, the Harrisburg/Hershey locale also offers ample opportunities for dining, shopping, and golf. The Hilton is located in downtown Harrisburg and is adjacent to Strawberry Square, a retail and dining complex.
For those attendees who travel with husbands or significant others who do not register to attend the Convention, you will be able to purchase a meals only banquet ticket if you would like your husband/so to attend the banquet with you. We will have entertainment again next year, so you might want to dance a bit! The only drawback...meals only banquet attendees will not be able to be included in the drawings for centerpieces.
I am very pleased to tell you that for H/H 09, we have a new position on the Convention Team. Joyce Lazoff will be our Accessibility Coordinator. Joyce will be the person any attendee with special needs can turn to for help. I know Joyce will be taking the time to address members in forums such as this to speak about just how much can be accomplished despite challenges to mobility. Joyce can be contacted at dollsesq@aol.com or you can let the office know you would like to speak with Joyce and Melissa will pass your request to Joyce.
When packing for H/H, toss in your badge holder from a previous convention. When you arrive at Registration show that you have your badge holder and do not need a new one and you will receive 10 free raffle tickets. We are trying to promote savings for MADC and recycling.
The Harrisburg/Hershey Convention will feature several “Specials,” dolls that will be offered for sale at Convention in addition to the event dolls. We are working on an offer that will be made within the next several months to our early registrants. We are still in the planning stage, but I will tell you that if you are a Cissette collector....you might not want to miss out! We have something truly wonderful in store for our collectors.
I'm very excited about the plans for HH09. Pre-registration has been going great, we will sellout. Do not wait, sign up now. You will be on the early bird notification list if you sign up by November 15th. We are planning this Convention for you! We are trying to make this 09 Convention an event that will offer you choices, a great locale, meal only options for several events, dolls for sale without required event attendance, and a renewed focus on friendship and fun. Let's make the 09 Convention a grand success. Together, we can do it!
Sincerely,
Laura Colpus
Convention Chair
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