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In The Beginning
It all started at Whimsical Wares in October of 1997. More than one enthusiastic collector of these quirky little boxes made in England called Harmony Kingdom, thought of starting a Harmony Kingdom Club. Karen Gilbert of Whimsical Wares agreed that we could get signatures of prospective members. Many of our current FIH members were attending Karen Gilbert's Octobearfest event and helped gather signatures. Two of them volunteered to set-up a meeting and notify all of the prospective members.
The first meeting was held in December of 1997 at Carrows restaurant in Tarzana. Officers were elected and potential names for a club suggested. It looked like the club was off to a good start. Our first meetings had an average of 25-30 members, some coming from as far away as San Diego. The name "Friends in Harmony" was selected as our club name.
However, things got a bit "bumpy". Our President and Vice President left us "holding an empty bag". But, that did not stop the club from forging ahead. A new President and Vice President was selected and the club raised money from raffles, thereby putting the club back in fiscal order.
-Sharon Yackey