Marion Ross Statue Fundraiser
Marion Ross lived in Albert Lea in her early years before moving to the Twin Cities to follow her dream of acting. A group of Albert Lea'ns are fundraising to create a beautiful bronze statue of Marion to be placed in front of our Performing Arts Theatre!
Why Marion?
Marion Ross who fulfilled her dream to be an actress and became an icon with the TV series “Happy Days”, claims Albert Lea, MN to be her hometown. She lived here during her younger days and then attended the MacPhail School of Acting in Minneapolis. Her family then moved to San Diego, CA where she entered San Diego State College and moved into acting doing whatever roles became available and finally landing the role of Mrs. C or Marion Cunningham of the show “Happy Days”.
Being Albert Lea’s hometown actress, we would like to honor her with a bronze statue that would be placed in front of the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center. Having discussed this project with her and she being a welcoming and inviting person, she thought a statue of her sitting on a bench inviting everyone to sit with her would be a great fit.
Marion has returned to Albert Lea many times to participate in plays and help fundraising with ACT. She also donated her 1955 Happy Days Ford pickup to kick off the building expansion campaign at the Freeborn Co. Historical Museum and continued to help their fundraising efforts throughout the project. We appreciate her many volunteer hours and financial support to our community.
The MRSC (Marion Ross Sculpture Committee) is working on this project and doing its fundraising. So far we have half the statue paid for and we are chipping away at the second half.
One may support this project in several ways. Any person or business donating $5,000 or more will have their name on a bronze plaque inside the theater lobby. Another way is to purchase a paver in the amount of $250 or $500 (see attached paver information sheet). The bricks need to be purchased by March 31, 2021 so they can be engraved and then installed in the sidewalk in front of the theater. These are ways of leaving your personal or business name as a legacy in the community. Also, you may donate any amount to help support this project.
Because the project has been interrupted by the Coronavirus the unveiling of the project is now planned for July 2021. The committee graciously appreciates your generous support.
-Marion Ross Statue Committee