The Puzzle Parley is the premier biennial meeting of wooden jigsaw puzzle collectors, designers, crafters, restorers and enthusiasts in the USA. This will be our 15th biennial gathering. There will be puzzles on display, puzzles to do, puzzles to sell, and tips on how to craft puzzles.

For over more than two decades, the Puzzle Parley has grown from a small, occasional one-day gathering of puzzle cutters and collectors to a well-attended biennial weekend event celebrating the art of the wooden jigsaw puzzle. Parleys have provided a showcase for experienced puzzle makers, and they have fostered and trained aspiring cutters. They have brought puzzle creators, suppliers, collectors, and aficionados together with a diverse array of programming, activities, and opportunities to enjoy the company of fellow puzzle lovers. Many volunteers have contributed countless hours to making each Parley a success.

Now celebrating 25 years, we're pulling out all the stops to make Puzzle Parley 2020 the best event yet!

The central portion of the festivities kicks off Friday evening with our Welcome Reception, a buffet dinner, the Pagey Elliott Puzzle Exchange, the Yankee Swap and the opportunity to puzzle into the wee hours.

Saturday begins with breakfast for those attending the FULL WEEKEND, and setup for those displaying puzzles to show or sell. The room becomes a wash of beautiful and fantastic puzzles. You can vote for the Best-in-Show Puzzle, see all the Pagey Elliott exchange puzzles up close, or maybe buy a raffle ticket on a special donated puzzle.

Photo courtesy Rick Tucker

After introductory remarks, we have an exciting slate of daytime presentations discussing topics as varied as mounting puzzles for display in a exhibition setting, the history of advertising puzzles, laser cutting both wood and acrylic, puzzle restoration and more. The Puzzle Crafters Roundtable will feature experienced cutters and makers in a lively Q&A session, followed by the puzzle cornucopia of Table Sales in the late afternoon.

After the delicious plated dinner in the ballroom on Saturday evening, the Best-In-Show award presentation and the Raffle Drawing, we'll have an extra-special Artifact Puzzle Contest featuring an exclusive new puzzle design by Artifact Puzzles. Again, the opportunity to assemble a variety of puzzles into the night is available.

On Sunday morning, we'll wrap up with a trio of engaging speakers addressing the history of Waterford Puzzles, puzzle lending libraries and what it's like to run a puzzle business in Italy.

For those of you arriving early, we have two major events during the day on Friday. One is a tour of the Antiquarian Societ Friday morning. The other is a series two hour workshops on puzzle cutting running all day Friday.

THE TOUR: We will assemble at 9 am to carpool to the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) in Worcester (20 miles northeast of Sturbridge). During our two-hour visit, we will hear their curators talk briefly about the role of McLoughlin Brothers, a major manufacturer of jigsaw puzzles in the 19th century. After that we will have plenty of time to view some of the many nineteenth century puzzles in the AAS collection.

Founded in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, the American Antiquarian Society is both a learned society and a major independent research library. Its library houses the largest and most accessible collection of American books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, music, and graphic arts material printed through 1876, as well as manuscripts and reference works related to pre-1900 American history and culture. President Obama presented the AAS with the 2013 National Humanities Medal in a White House ceremony.

There is a $5 fee for the tour. Signup is limited to the first 50 people who sign up. Initially only those registering for the FULL WEEKEND may sign up. All others will be wait-listed and notified if an opening becomes available.

THE WORKSHOPS: The Puzzle Parleys are about the only place where a puzzle collector can see the latest creations of the experts, and the only place a beginner can ask questions and learn. This year we are doing even more. There will be three two-hour timeslots on Friday for workshops. Each slot can be for beginners, intermediate cutters and advanced techniques. Would you would like to learn to cut a puzzle, have you cut some already and would like to learn new things? For details go to our workshop page.

There is a $5 fee for the workshop. Signup is limited. Initially only those registering for the FULL WEEKEND may sign up. All others will be wait-listed and notified if an opening becomes available.

The Sturbridge Host Hotel

Sturbridge Village

THE HOTEL. This year's Parley is at the Sturbridge Host Hotel, in the quaint village of Sturbridge MA. It is situated on a small lake and has novel amenities like paddleboats, a fire pit and mini-golf! We have a special rate of $119 per night which is available from July 21 through July 28 if you would like to plan an extended vacation. Area attractions include Old Sturbridge Village , Six Flags, many antique shops and more. While you can register online, your best way to register is to call the hotel at 508-347-7393 and give the code word "2007PUZZLE".

REGISTRATION. There are three registration packages available. The FULL WEEKEND is the best buy and includes five meals: Friday Buffet, Saturday Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and Sunday Breakfast. It includes all events except the Artifact Puzzle Contest which is an additional small fee. It does not include the Friday Tour, $5, nor the Friday Workshop, $5. However, initially only those signed up for the FULL WEEKEND can reserve a slot in either.

The next level package is SATURDAY DAY AND EVENING. It included Saturday lunch and dinner and all Saturday events except the Artifact Puzzle Contest which is an additional small fee.

The most economical is the SATURDAY DAYTIME package which includes lunch and all events during the day from 8AM to 5PM.

While not an explicit package on the registration form, if you are coming with a guest or child who will not be attending any events, you can alert us and we will contact you about purchasing extra meals.

Remember we do have the Armstong Educational Grant that is open to all to defray cost.