Logo of the Catskill Mountain Doll Club

Background

The Catskill Mountain Doll Club was chartered in September 1989 and has for the past 23 years been a source of information and access to doll lovers of all ages in the Catskill Region.

The Catskill Mountain Doll Club actually started in 1988 with its first ever doll show and sale.  Several of its charter members are still active in the Club including its current president  Marilyn Laufer.  The Club has 10 members and what the club lacks in numbers is more than compensated by the spirit and industry of its members.

The CMDC meets the fourth Thursday of each month  (excluding January and February) in Liberty, NY.  After the business of the Club is concluded, members and guests enjoy a program which includes speakers or projects related to dolls and collectible bears. Members present their own collections or speakers are invited to present a particular kind of doll.

CMDC’s 20^th Anniversary

In the fall of 2009, the Catskill Mountain Doll Club celebrated its 20^th Anniversary by creating a public exhibit of dolls from the members’ collections.  Hosted by the Liberty Museum and Arts Center in Liberty, NY  For the Love of Dolls included some of the most iconic and popular dolls throughout the 20^th, and into the 21^st centuries. From rag dolls to porcelain dolls, from Amish to Eskimo, club members displayed their best loved dolls.

Community Service  

In service to the community, the Club has purchased and donated doll and bear books to local libraries, and has collected and donated dolls and bears to area non-profit organizations during the winter holidays, including handmade teddy bears for children who are being discharged from local hospitals.   Members have made presentations, including slide shows,  for other organizations including schools, libraries, nursing homes and other educational programs, such as the 4H.  For the past three years Club members have donated cartons full of dolls and bears to Safe Passage, a local organization serving battered women and their children.

Members of the Catskill Mountain Doll Club paid a visit to the Roscoe Residential Healthcare Facility in Roscoe, NY, in May of 2009  and brought some of their favorite childhood dolls to show  the residents.  Shown here are club members , Theresa Boucher (l.) and Diane Mues.

Here demonstrating an interactive toy dog to the residents is Marilyn Laufer, a charter member of the Catskill Mountain Doll Club and current president. 

Current Activities

Members of the Club are currently preparing a video on making porcelain dolls.  Filmed by Theresa Boucher, the film hopes to highlight methods used to cast, fire and paint porcelain doll heads.

Contact Information

Current Officers:  Marilyn Laufer, President,  Grace Rivera, Vice President;  Lynn Nalven, Secretary and Janet LeRoy, Treasurer.

Contact Telephone:  Marilyn Laufer (845) 292-6628 or Lynn Nalven (845) 482-3561 or write to:

Catskill Mountain Doll Club

P.O. Box 73

White Sulphur Springs, NY 12787

In my next posting, I will be including pictures and information about the Catskill Mountains most memorable shows!