Golden Cockerel's Russian director Roman Karkachev is expert at designing more than nesting dolls. Here he poses with his White Cockerel, a snow sculpture he made near his home in St. Petersburg, Russia, where white Christmases are the norm.

And this rooster has a lot to crow about: 2004 was a very productive year at the Golden Cockerel workshop, where our Russian "elves" painted thousands of nesting dolls and successfully loaded them on Santa's sleigh to ensure they would make it safely under your tree.

Golden Cockerel staff and artists would like to thank you--each and all of our many partners and patrons--for working with us, encouraging us, growing with us, and in short, making our 11th year a success in so many ways. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and the best of New Years. And may your Christmas be as white as ours--in Russia and in Boone!

Walton Conway
The Golden Cockerel, Boone, NC