Past president Marion Derbecker welcomed guest speaker Willa Wick and 16 ladies to the United Church Women’s meeting on Sept. 28 at Knox United Church.
The ladies will be hosting a thank-offering service on Oct. 15 with guests the Belmore Community Choir, Madison Armstrong with highlights of her mission trip to Nicaragua, and Heather Giles offering the reflection. On Nov. 3 and 4, the UCW will be hosting their annual Holly Berry Bazaar including a craft room, bake room, silent auction, and Saturday luncheon.
Sharon Prieb and Jean Field hosted the meeting starting with prayer and a scripture.
Wick, of Harriston, has followed the life of Queen Victoria and the Royal Family and continues to collect a large quantity of memorabilia. Five years ago, she decided began collecting dolls, old fashioned china head dolls, and a few modern special ones. Now she has dolls ranging in size from two inches to four feet tall. She still has her first patchwork stuffed doll created especially for her. She has frozen Charlottes, Poor Pitiful Pearls, a Bradley doll, and a set of wax Dionne quintuplets.
Dolls are made from such materials as leather, papier mache, celluloid, composite materials and some have wind up action, music boxes, and bendable parts. She cautions against imposters and modern reproductions, recommending purcahsers check the feet and find the manufacturer’s stamp.
She admits that sometimes she just has to buy one that appeals to her, regardless of its era or monetary value. A kitchen witch, Anne of Green Gables, Betty Boop, and Sir John A. MacDonald all have homes on her shelves or are stored in protective sleeves. From positively antique and fragile to specialty-themed, seasonal, comical, or current, hundreds of dolls abound in her home. The ladies enjoyed looking over the 100 dolls on display and enjoyed tea, crackers and cheese, and sweet treats to end the afternoon.
