Members of Palmetto 56ers take a break after setting up a village of miniature buildings at the Ronald McDonald House. From back left, Michael Morgan, Bill Craft, B.J. Craft; front row, Jacque Morgan, Peggy Culler–Hair, Norman Hunt, and R. D. Hunt.

The saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child,” but a Columbia collectors club has found it also takes a child to raise a village.

Inspiration for raising their village, comprised of miniature collectible houses, comes from the children whose parents stay at the local Ronald McDonald House. Members of the Palmetto 56ers hope the little village created for the holidays will provide some seasonal cheer for families who, because of illness, can’t be their homes this year.

Officially, the name of the 20–something member Midlands collectors club is Department 56. The avid group collects limited edition porcelain buildings by Department 56, Inc., an Eden Prairie, MN, giftware company.

Although 56ers have plenty of houses and buildings of their own, more than enough to create a village setting, the ones they set up at the Ronald McDonald House have been donated by the manufacturing company.

According to longtime Palmetto 56 member Peggy Culler–Hair, “The Department 56 company has donated these pieces of the North Pole Village over the past several years. Our club comes to the Ronald McDonald House each year, takes every piece out of its box, and sets up the village so the families staying here over the holidays can have a little cheer.”

Setting up the village is a shared labor of love by members of the club.

Jacque Morgan, whose husband Michael is the club’s national representative, said another of the club’s favorite annual events is its home tour. “We go from one member’s home to the next to look at how they have set up their villages.” Meetings focus on fine points of collecting and investing in the pieces as they are released, and on caring for and insuring them.

The group has been meeting since the early ’90s when tobacconist Jerry Webber set up a village in his (then) Dutch Square establishment. In the Midlands area, Peddler’s Porch and Kitty’s Hallmark Shop continue as licensed dealers of the Department 56 buildings.

For information about club activities, contact Jacque Morgan at 960-2454.