The Houston Area Postcard Club was founded on January 1, 1994. It is a merger of two previous Houston clubs: The Houston Post Card Club and The Greater Houston Postcard Society. The club is governed by a constitution and a set of bylaws. Officers are nominated and elected by popular vote. Now in our 17th year of existence, we are looking towards the future of postcard collecting and want to make HAPC the area's leading source for information, education, and fun with postcards!
Our meetings are held on the third Sunday of each month excluding major holidays, the month of October (Annual Houston Vintage Book, Postcard & Paper Festival), and December (Holiday Party held the second Sunday). Attendance is strictly voluntary but strongly encouraged. We also encourage new enthusiasts and folks with a curiosity about postcards to stop by for a visit. Who knows, you might get hooked!
One of the key functions of HAPC is to provide interesting and informative content relating to all kinds of postcard collecting. To that end, we host several member and guest programs throughout each year. These programs cover topics such as cities and towns, transportation, pretty ladies, artist signed, and other numerous topical categories. We've also hosted guest authors and educational presentations on subjects such as National Postcard Week.
So what goes on at our meetings you ask? We normally begin at 2:00 PM with refreshments and postcard browsing as many of our members bring cards to each meeting. By 3:00 PM, we begin our meeting program and it usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Once the program is completed, our President will call a brief general meeting for club announcements and other news/notes. The remainder of our meeting is spent browsing through more cards and meeting your fellow postcard collectors.
Aside from meetings, HAPC also offers two annual member bourses in February and August. We time these events for non-show months so you can scratch that postcard itch! Members are strongly encouraged to price their excess cards and bring them to both bourses (and the monthly meetings if you like). We only ask that you have everything priced before you arrive as it is in good taste and will probably allow you to make friends much faster! Don't worry if you're a non-member with cards to sell, you are invited too. We simply ask that you introduce yourself before setting up.
Our biggest event is our participation in the annual Houston Book, Postcard & Paper Festival held each October at the Stafford Centre in Stafford, TX. This show is currently owned and operated by our Vice President, Daniel Monsanto. Through his company, DM Promotions, Daniel coordinates more than 20 postcard dealers from around Texas and neighboring states. Membership allows you FREE ADMISSION to this show and you can sign up on the spot!
Last, but most important of all, is our quarterly newsletter. Along with the meetings, website, and show, this is another key point of contact for all members. This is the place for members to contribute articles, news, and notes about their collecting adventures. We also strive to provide fun and informative articles, a full local and statewide show calendar, and club news. Eventually, we will be posting this newsleter online for member access only. For non-members, we will soon post a few sample newsletters from previous years so you can get a sample of what HAPC has to offer.
All in all, we're proud of our little club. We hope you'll take a moment to consider signing up today by visiting our 2010 Club Membership Page today or dropping by one of our meetings for a visit!
Happy Postcarding!
