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WHAT: |
National First Day of Issue of the Water Lilies Forever stamps |
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WHO: |
US Postal Service with The Garfield-Perry Stamp Club |
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WHEN: |
11:00 a.m., Friday, March 20, 2015 |
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WHERE: |
La Villa Conference and Banquet Center |
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BACKGROUND |
Water Lilies Forever® stamps The Water Lilies Forever® stamps will be unveiled on Friday, March 20, during the Garfield-Perry March Party 2015 stamp show. The First Day of Issue stamp dedication ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. at the La Villa Conference and Banquet Center, 11500 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44130. The event is free and open to the public. Water lilies are aquatic herbs that live in both temperate and tropical climates around the world; they are found in still freshwater habitats. There are more than 50 species in the water lily family (Nymphaeaceae) and hundreds of hybrids. Although delicate looking, the flowers are tough, and in the U.S., hardy water lilies grow well in most of the USDA hardiness zones, including in Ohio. Water lilies bloom in the U.S. from spring to fall. Many water lilies bloom only during the day, but there are several night bloomers whose flowers open in the late afternoon and close at morning’s light. The appreciation for the beauty of water lilies has a long history. The plants take their botanical name, Nymphaea, from the nymphs, nature deities from Greek mythology. Water lilies are featured often in the art of the Maya, an ancient Mesoamerican culture. Some of the most well-known paintings of French impressionist Claude Monet were of water lilies; the artist dedicated the last decades of his life to capturing the beauty of the lily pond on his estate in Giverny, France. Water Lilies are being issued in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps. The stamps go on sale nationwide on March 20, 2015. Art director Phil Jordan designed the stamps using existing photographs by photographer Cindy Dyer. How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to: Water Lilies Stamps After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers will need to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by May 19, 2015. |
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