by Don Piccard
Fund raisers can be fun. On big holiday weekends (like the ones where we always seem to be rolling down the Interstate to some grand dog and pony balloon show) you will see sign after sign about FREE COFFEE at the next rest stop. It is a public service safety measure to save lives.
Surprise. After a paper cup of tepid Thermos coffee and a damp glazed doughnut comes the reckoning. "We are doing this great service for your safety on the highway as a token of our Christian Love for you. And, by the way, we are also going to build a great new edifice so that we can worship the God that taught us to do this good for you." Now the mud and slug was free, but you know where you'll be shoveling coal for all eternity if you are not moved to give unto Caesar, and freely.
The logic of all this is to raise money for your interest from outside the community that has the need. If only those that were to benefit were to have to contribute, there could be a simple assessment and save all the work, never-the-less the cost, such as it is, of the goods. Is that fair? Well, let's try it ourselves for the benefit of our National Balloon Museum at Indianola.
The first stage of the museum has been completed, paid for and is in service, but the total plan calls for one more wing to be built. It is needed, but the ground will not be broken for it until ALL the necessary money has been raised. This month's column is to let you know how we are going to help with that goal.
The National Balloon Museum's Board of Directors has appointed me to run a program to do just that. It hasn't officially started yet but already several thousand dollars has been deposited in the Museum's Building Fund account. We have commissioned Deb Ford, of Sandia Crest, NM to create a Limited Edition Porcelain "Balloon Museum Doll Series" ©. The first issue will be a memorial to our late and beloved maverick BFA President, Bill Murtorff.
The edition has been limited to only 200 units. Each one is selling for $500. Each of the 200 units will be serial numbered. This may seem like we are taking the easy way out, to have such a low number and at such a low price. Commercial collectors dolls often sell at twice that amount and in editions of at least five times that quantity. We have elected not to pursue the commercial market, but to keep it in the family. We can build our own church. All proceeds will go to the building fund for the long awaited final wing of the museum at Indianola, Iowa.
The National Balloon Museum is the official Balloon Federation of America (BFA) museum. The BFA is a division of The National Aeronautic Association (NAA). The NAA is the official U.S. representative of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and was chartered by the Congress of the United States.
Checks in the amount of $500 should be made out to "The National Balloon Museum, Inc." and mailed to Don Piccard, Murtorff Doll Committee, 1445 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414-3625 to be entered in the registry and issued serial number reservation.
Subscribers that have a desire for a special serial number from 2 to 199 should ask me directly to reserve their favorite or lucky number. Serial Number One is being reserved for Mary Murtorff. Jim Fromm has reserved Serial Number 200 which I suppose he is holding for display at Indianola. There are a few other numbers already taken. You can call me at 612-333-6912 or e-mail me at Balloon@msn.com to check the registry and reserve your number.
Professional doll collectors and distributors at the International Doll Show, "The Santa Fe Doll Art Show" in Santa Fe, New Mexico recently seemed to think that this will be a fast sellout because of its high speculative value due to the small number of the edition, its low price, the credibility of the cause and the fine quality of Deb Ford's work. Early orders show that they were right. I hope enough will still be available when this issue of Balloon Life gets to you.
Serial numbers reserved by individual subscribers for this unit will be automatically reserved for future potential units in the Balloon Museum Doll Series ©. Nominations for future editions, such as Ben Abruzzo, Malcolm Forbes, Joseph Montgolfier, Ed Yost or John Wise, should be made to the National Balloon Museum's Board of Directors in Indianola. But Bill Murtorff is the First Edition. He always will be.