WHAT:
The Postal Service in Seneca Falls joins this weekend’s of the 62nd anniversary of the film, It’s A Wonderful Life, with a keepsake picture postmark — also known as a pictorial cancellation in collectors' circles — to be offered at a special postal booth at the “Real Bedford Falls” program this weekend.
WHERE:
Seneca Falls Heritage Area Visitor Center
WHEN:
11 am to 2 pm - Saturday, December 12
BACKGROUND:
Seneca Falls Postmaster Dawn Waldron said the picture postmark is free.
"We will apply the postmark on any envelope that has proper postage, making it a first class souvenir of the day," the postmaster added. The postmark bears an image of the fabled bridge where George Bailey was given a chance to review his good life by the angel Clarence. Such a bridge is also found in Seneca Falls.
"It's a postmark that is more than circles and bars," added Mrs. Waldron. "It is a picture that explains why we believe that Seneca Falls is the real inspiration for Frank Capra’s magical Bedford Falls.”
Stamp and card enthusiasts at the weekend events might also enjoy free Christmas Card Printing at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, 116 Fall St., with the Park Rangers at the Print Shop. County Historian Walter Gable also presents “Christmas Past through Historical Christmas Cards.”
If you miss the special postmark during the celebration, but wish to obtain the postmark, you may submit a mail order request. Pictorial postmarks are available only with the dates indicated, and requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial postmark date.
Customers wishing to obtain a postmark should affix First-Class Mail postage to any envelope or postcard, address the envelope or postcard and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to Postmaster, followed by Bedford Falls Station, Postmaster PO Box 9998 Seneca Falls, NY 13148-9998.
The Real Bedford Falls celebration in Seneca Falls – drawing several parallels to the historic community along the Erie Canal and the fictional Bedford Falls of film -- was the subject of lengthy holiday feature in Sunday’s New York Daily News (December 6).
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.
