The Dear Mad’m Day Picnic is this Saturday in Happy Camp!
Looking for a fun activity this Saturday? Don’t miss the Dear Mad’m Day Picnic this Saturday celebrating the book Dear Mad’m by Stella Walthall Patterson.
From the Dear Mad’m Day Committee:
The book, Dear Mad’m, by Stella Walthall Patterson, has been loved by readers for more than fifty years. It was published in 1956 and became a popular book club selection throughout the USA.
Years later, people in Happy Camp, California and areas nearby in the Klamath River Valley still love the book, Dear Mad’m. It is one of the most popular books in town, and for good reason. It tells the story of a remarkable woman who decided, on her 80th birthday, to move to a remote mining claim about eight miles south of Happy Camp. Her cabin overlooked Ferry Point.
You are invited to come celebrate the life of Stella Walthall Patterson and the writing of her precious book, Dear Mad’m, which tells her story of life in the Klamath River Valley.
When and Where
On Saturday, August 13, 2011 we’ll gather at 11am on the beautiful lawn of the Klamath River Resort Inn two miles east of Happy Camp, right next to the Klamath River in the shade of the sycamore trees.
Speaker
Ron Diridon Sr. has agreed to share his memories of living on a mining claim near Stella Walthall Patterson in the 1940s. He is now considered to be the ‘father’ of the modern transit service in California’s Silicon Valley!
Relatives
Relatives of Stella Walthall Patterson will attend!
Peter & Elizabeth Walthall Lisner are authors of a new book about Stella’s life. It is expected to be published in 2012 by Naturegraph Publishers. Naturegraph is the current publisher of Dear Mad’m which is available online at the Naturegraph website and through major booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The Book
You’re invited to bring your copy of Dear Mad’m to be signed by the people at the picnic, or buy a new one! We should have a supply on hand.
Picnic Lunch
There will be a luncheon prepared by members of the Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce and their friends, for which we request a donation of $5.00.
To reserve lunch, email info-at-happycampchamber.org or phone Linda at 530-493-2099 or Judy at 530-493-5248.
Seating is hard to come by, so please bring your own folding chair or a blanket to picnic on.
Book Signings
Writers are welcome to come with books to be sold and signed. Please bring a folding table and chair!
Awards
We will be giving Dear Mad’m and Dear Sir awards to a few people over a certain age who have accomplished amazing and wonderful things while living in the Klamath River Valley, just as Stella Walthall Patterson did.
Talent
You are welcome to bring your own song, story, poem, or memoir to read or sing for the gathering. Also bring a bouquet of flowers if you’re a flower gardener, and the best vegetable from your garden for a veggie contest!
A Trip to the Dear Mad’m cabin site!
After we’re done with our luncheon, entertainment, and awards ceremony, we’ll be traveling together to Ferry Point to visit the Dear Mad’m cabin site. We’ll also see the site of a cabin owned by three women who came here from Chicago to live, because they loved the book, Dear Mad’m, so much when it was originally published!
There will be some dedicated Dear Mad’m collectors and historians present! This will be an opportunity to find out more about this amazing woman who showed us that you’re never too old to live in the wilderness and have a good time!
We look forward to greeting you on the first-ever Dear Mad’m Day, August 13, 2011
Events, Happy Camp area, History, Siskiyou County | admin August 9, 2011 | 
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