Dickens Village mannequins visit Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Rich Dair, Speaker Host; Jonett Haberfield, Dickens Village; Phyliss Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President.

Jonett Haberfield demonstrated to the Byesville Rotary members how the Dickens mannequins are constructed. The Byesville Rotary has a personal interest in the mannequins. The members sponsor two Dickens coal miners located at the Byesville Scenic Railway depot.

The sculpting process begins with a Styrofoam head used to display wigs. Cellu-clay is molded over the head and facial details are added. After two weeks, the clay used for the heads is dry. The heads are then painted with a flesh colored based coat. Finally, individual facial characteristics are painted on the head.

Five years ago, Dickens Village started with 105 mannequins. This year, 180 will be on display. One of the new displays will be a group of animated ice skaters.

Jonett explained it takes up to 30 hours to create a head for a new character. In addition, Dickens artists must repair heads of older characters. While heads are being repaired, the costume committee is refreshing the mannequins’ costumes. Up to 80% of the clothing worn by the mannequins must be replaced each year. These activities keep the 15 Dickens artists and the costume committee busy all summer and fall.

Jonett reported that during the 2009 season, 36 busloads of tourists arrived in Cambridge. Four of the tour buses spent the night in Cambridge. The economic impact of the bus tours on the local economy is estimated to be $40,000.

The number of tour buses arriving in Cambridge for the 2010 season is increasing. To date, 61 buses have scheduled tours of the Dickens Village. Forty-one of the buses will be staying overnight. These tours will have an estimated $316,000 impact on the Cambridge economy.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, Tuesday, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.