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Fair festivities envelop Glen Ellen

Although they'll be more than a bit embarrassed and certainly surprised, I wish to send many happy returns of the day to Glen Ellen's happily married Lees, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend.

Bill and Margaret Lee have been together since Oct. 7, 1961. Parents of four, grandparents of 14, they just welcomed their newest grandson, Ethan Nicolas Lee on Sept. 9.

Congratulations to the whole family.

This Sunday, Oct. 9, is our annual Glen Ellen Village Fair. For more information about how you can help, call Shannon Lee at 996-3352 or email her at shannonlee@me.com. There's still a chance to join the parade if you call Trina Oliver at 935-9030 right away, or email msdogi@yahoo.com.

On Sunday at noon our eclectic, colorful, unique and moving Glen Ellen Village Fair parade will begin, winding its way down Carquinez Avenue, rounding the corner at Arnold Drive and following the "S" curve over the bridge. I'm thrilled to announce that this year's grand marshals are Marge Everidge and Archie Horton, two of our town's most revered citizens. Some folks would call Margie the mother of our town (and wouldn't be too far off) and refer to Archie as our town's illustrious illustrator (placing him in the highest categories with the likes of Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth).

Margie will look young and vibrant in a truly Glen Ellen frock that she fashioned with more than a little help from Archie. I won't give it away before the fair, but be sure to look closely and choose your favorite Glen Ellen landmark among the delights in Margie's dress.

Though born in Santa Rosa, Marge Everidge (née Pomeroy) arrived in our town in the early 1950s after a circuitous journey that included Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and more. She recalls that daddy moved them about every year-and-a-half, until they all settled in Glen Ellen. Her first six weeks in our town were spent in a little second floor, front apartment at the venerable Chauvet. Then, not the dream destination that Christine Hansson has created, but still, not a bad place to land.

In her earlier years, back in Arkansas, Margie was bitten by a water moccasin, fortunately surviving.

Back to her good life in Glen Ellen, Margie graduated from Sonoma Valley High School (along with neighbor Ruth Campbell and many others) married her sweetheart, Jim Everidge, and settled down to raise a family in our town. First little David arrived, followed soon by Michael and Will.

Thence Margie began her lifelong care of the neighborhood's children with a daycare service. Among those first kids were the Gallo family. As time went on, Margie added more kids to the daily fracas resulting in the best place in Glen Ellen to play and meet with other kids. Marge happily bragged, "For 43 years, someone from this house was taking the bus to Dunbar." Indeed that was so. I know because both of our boys have multiple fond memories of being at Margie's.

While watching a passel of kids, Margie also found ample time and energy to pursue a lifetime's worth of "projects," ranging from simple carpentry jobs, to refurbishing an entire house, to various yard, plumbing and gardening tasks.

This woman rarely sits still. In fact, to talk to her about her honored marshal-ship, she sat for only a short time, soon ready to go out and split a dump truck full of oak logs delivered recently by tree-man Greg Smith.

When I asked Margie where she learned all the specifics of home remodeling, she replied that growing up the youngest of 10 children, with six older brothers, made her adept at many skills. Adding, "Daddy was always making something out of nothing, old wood and bent nails," and she observed and learned along the way.

In addition to raising several generations of Dunbar kids, Margie has also kept busy with a variety of volunteer duties, including rides and food delivery for FISH, docenting at the Bouverie Preserve and being a faithful St. Leo parishioner.

Margie's husband, Jim, died almost a quarter of a century ago, though that hardly seems possible. Margie lived alone for many years, still caring for neighborhood kids and occasionally helping Emily Gemini Ross with her Santa Rosa dance classes. There she met her second true love, Archie Horton, artist and illustrator of our town and Margie's sweetheart, helpmate and partner today. They've been together since 1996 and make for a formidable team: helpful beyond reason, friendly as summer days are long and the neighbors that everyone can (and does) depend upon.

Archie began his art career painting watercolors in grammar school. He always loved art and after four years service in the Air Force (where he was a weather watcher 24/7), Archie enrolled at the San Francisco Academy of Art.

After receiving his art degree, Archie worked in the design department at PG&E in charge of the company's image. He and his former wife, Diane, raised two daughters in the East Bay while Archie commuted to corporate offices in San Francisco. He has no regrets about his long association with PG&E, telling us that it was a wonderful job during an exciting time. An artful company image was valued and his compensation was generous.

Upon retirement, Archie moved to Sonoma, which he'd initially visited during Fourth of July festivities, arriving in Glen Ellen in the mid-'90s. He and Margie met at Emily's dance studio and fell in love over a year. Now they're O'Donnell Lane fixtures, dependable, humorous and helpful.

Finally able to pursue his love of art fulltime, Archie has produced a second lifetime's worth of paintings of our town in the recent and distant past. With a romantic eye and soft touch, Archie illustrates the stories of our village with a gentleness, making it far more beautiful and quaint than it ever can be.

Archie's vision is responsible for much of the beauty we perceive around us. It is a blessing. Each of his paintings tells a story about our town.

Watch for Archie and Margie leading our grand parade this Sunday, and then stick around for a day's worth of festivities including food and craft booths, entertainment and the quilt raffle at the end of the day.

There's still time for you to sign up to help at the Glen Ellen Village Fair. And believe me, you are needed, appreciated and absolutely necessary to make this fair happen. Shannon Lee, whose news began this column, tells me that workers are especially needed to help in Kids' Alley, and, of course, during clean up.

Call Shannon or her sweetie, Steve, at 996-3352 or email them at shannonlee@me.com. There's still a chance to join the parade if you call Trina Oliver at 935-9030 right away. Or reach Trina by email atmsdogi@yahoo.com. See you there.

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Share your good news with friends and neighbors in Glen Ellen. Call me at 996-5995; write me at Box 518, GE 95442. Or email me at Creekbottom@earthlink.net, Glen Ellen chatter rarely requires timeliness; however, if your news does, please be sure to contact me at least two weeks before the run date.