Isaac Cronkhite, USPS chief processing and distribution officer, dedicates the Piñatas! Stamps in Roswell, NM.

The Postal Service dedicated its Piñatas! stamps at the 36th Annual Piñata Festival in Roswell, NM, on Sept. 8.

“Ours is truly a world culture, and our stamps allow us to weave together the many threads of our national tapestry, and piñatas are the perfect example of this,” said Isaac Cronkhite, the Postal Service’s chief processing and distribution officer, who spoke at the ceremony.

Frequently found at Mexican celebrations, piñatas are hollow figurines filled with candy. Blindfolded players take turns hitting the piñata until it breaks, scattering the treats to be picked up by guests.

It’s believed piñatas originated in China several hundred years ago. The custom was brought to Europe by explorers, then to the New World by Spanish missionaries.

Joining Cronkhite at the ceremony were Tim Jennings, mayor of Roswell; Alma Salas, president of the Roswell Hispano Chamber of Commerce; Felipe Flores, the Postal Service’s processing operations senior director for Western Region; Yesenia Prieto, executive director of the Piñata Design Studio; and Emily Zaiden, director and curator of the Craft in America Center.

Juan Oropesa, a member of Roswell’s city council, served as master of ceremonies. Dance troupe Asi se Baila Ballet Folklorico performed.

The Forever stamps feature digital illustrations by Víctor Meléndez and were designed by Antonia Alcalá, an art director for USPS.

The stamps are available in booklets of 20 at Post Offices and usps.com.

The Sept. 19 webinar will focus on transfer credits, alternative credit providers, prior-learning assessments and tuition benefits for postal employees.

USPS employees can participate in an upcoming webinar on completing a college education.

The webinar, “Back to School to Finish What You Started,” will be held Sept. 19 at 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Pacific time.

Representatives from the University of Phoenix will discuss transfer credits, alternative credit providers, prior-learning assessments and USPS tuition benefits.

Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees may only participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.

The University of Phoenix website has details about additional tuition benefits for Postal Service employees.

For more information, email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.