Greensburg Commemorated with Special Stamp Cancellation

The Greensburg Post Office commemorated the 4th anniversary of the tornado event in Greensburg by offering a special postmark, along with Go Green stamps and other green-related products. Local Postmaster Randall Kelley had the idea for last week’s special stamp cancellation event, which was held at the 5.4.7 Arts Center. He went through channels at the U.S. Postal Service to get approval for a cancellation postmark bearing the phrase “Rebuilding Green for Future Generations, 5-4-7 Anniversary Station”. The postmark also features a partial wall of bricks to signify the local rebuilding. The cancellation was available to patrons sending out letters and postcards last Wednesday, and is available through June 3 to collectors (see below).

The event also promoted the Post Office’s Go Green stamp sheets, which feature 16 different stamp offering ideas to help conserve resources. These “forever” stamps are quite eye-catching and are designed to inspire people to take action in their everyday lives. Also for sale were Go Green tote bags and plantable postcards made from paper containing wildflower seeds. These will continue to be available at the Post Office while supplies last.

Randy invited GreenTown and the 5.4.7 Arts Center to be a part of this momentous day. We had a table set up on Wednesday, with handouts on water conservation and various other GreenTown flyers available to the Post Office customers who dropped by for their special postmark. The AmeriCorps team shared space with us and distributed their materials throughout the day as well.

We are very grateful to Postmaster Kelley for the opportunity to be a part of this special event, and we congratulate him for coming up with such a creative way to honor Greensburg and the Green Initiative.

A note to collectors: The special “Rebuilding Green” Greensburg postmark will be available through June 3, 2011. Local people can bring over a stamped envelope to the Post Office and get the postmark. Out-of-towners are invited to put a first-class stamp on an envelope, place this inside another mailing envelope (postmarked no later than June 3), and send it to the Greensburg Post Office, 139 North Main, Greensburg, Kansas 67054-9998. The local Postal Service folks will cancel your stamp with the commemorative postmark and mail it back to you in one of their postal envelopes. Please note that envelopes bearing this special cancellation cannot be sent as regular mail; they are for collecting purposes only.

To purchase Go Green stamps and other licensed and retail products, visit your local Post Office or go online.