'Happy Days' star Marion Ross returns to Albert Lea for unveiling of her statue

ALBERT LEA ­– Marion Ross has revisited her Minnesota hometown plenty of times over the years to lead parades, sign books and perform in the downtown theater that bears her name. But the "Happy Days" star believes this weekend's visit to Albert Lea will be her last.

"I won't do this again," said the 92-year-old actor, who flew in this week from her California ranch. "I've had a nice life, wonderful children. I've pretty much done everything I ever dreamed of."

If this does turn out to be the farewell tour, the locals are making sure it's a historic one.

A statue of Ross sitting on a bench was unveiled Friday in one of the most visible corners downtown, just a block from Fountain Lake, where she served as a junior lifeguard.

Ross entertained the few hundred fans who showed up, mugging as guest speakers sang her praises, planting kisses on the cheek of her bronze twin and playfully waving a baton-shaped award, presented by MacPhail Center for Music's CEO Kyle Carpenter.

"I've been in all your homes!" she bellowed over the applause after arriving in an open-top convertible.

In addition to the ceremonies, Ross was scheduled to enjoy a pontoon ride and serve as grand marshal for the city's July 4th festivities on Saturday.

A few hours before the statue dedication, she got the opportunity to show off the town to family members who have never seen southern Minnesota — or any part of the Midwest.

During lunch Friday at the Wedgewood Cove Golf Club, one of the first-timers was puzzled by an item on the menu.

"So walleye is a fish?" said Tamra Meskimen, a voice-over actor who is married to Ross' son, Jim Meskimen, a renowned impressionist who had a cameo in the infamous "jump the shark" episode of "Happy Days."

Their daughter, actor Taylor Meskimen, was also making her maiden voyage to this part of the country.

"It's just amazing to see the effect Grandma has had on this town," the 30-year-old said while stroking Grandma's hand at the dining table. "Her hometown is so supportive and excited."

At one point during the meal, a club employee approached Ross to tell her that she had saved pictures of the Emmy-nominated star holding her three children when they were each babies.

"She's kind of Albert Lea's sweetheart," said Dave Nelson, president of Albert Lea's 4 Seasons Vacations Inc.

Nelson first met Ross 20 years ago when he picked the actor up from the airport. On the way to the hotel, Ross' wig flew off and landed in his lap.

"Well, now you know!" she told him, adjusting the piece back on her head.

Ross' hair stayed intact during a bus tour Friday in which loved ones got a chance to cruise by places that meant so much to Ross in her youth: the salmon-colored house where she and her sister slept in the basement after their parents rented out their bedrooms for extra cash; the cemetery where she used to picnic; the armory that held school dances; the former sites of movie theaters where she marveled at "Gone With the Wind" and "A Tale of Two Cities"; the former library where she used to pore over "Who's Who in America," jealous that other actors her age had already made it in show business.

"It was a wonderful childhood," said Ross, who relies on a cane and her longtime assistant's steady hand but retains a youthful twinkle in her eyes. "But mostly it gave me the impetus to get out and become somebody."

After she spent 11th grade in Minneapolis as a nanny and student at the MacPhail Center for Music, Ross' family moved to San Diego, where Ross soon started performing in theater shows. By her early 20s, she was under contract at Paramount, snagging bit parts in films like "Sabrina" and "Teacher's Pet," while gawking at movie stars like Marlene Dietrich and James Mason in the studio commissary.

Her big break, of course, came when she was cast as Mrs. Cunningham in "Happy Days," which ran on ABC from 1974 to 1984.

If she's gotten tired of fans asking her what the Fonz was really like, she rarely shows it.

"You don't want to disappoint anybody or be scandalous, although a part of me wished I was scandalous," she said. "But I lived such a clean life. That is my image and it worked for me."

As recently as last week, Henry Winkler, who played Arthur Fonzarelli, had hoped to be present for the special weekend. But none of her former TV co-stars was able to make the trip.

Ross' daughter, Ellen Plummer, who served as a writer and producer on "Friends," also wasn't present.

But several members of her TV family did send notes of congratulations, including Ron Howard, who played her son on the series.

"Bravo, mom!" wrote Howard, who was among the donors who contributed to the $100,000 project.

Glen Parsons, chairman of the Marion Ross Statue Committee, choked up so many times during emcee duties you might have thought he lived next door to the Cunninghams.

"She's just a gem," he said earlier in the day. "So down to earth."

Sue Scott, a longtime favorite on "A Prairie Home Companion," shared a story at the ceremony about the time she had dinner at a Perkins restaurant with Ross and her late husband, Paul Michael, when they were in town to perform "Love Letters."

As soon as Ross learned that the chef was a big fan, she insisted on saying hello. She spent the next half-hour in the kitchen.

Ross may never have another major screen role or return to Albert Lea. But she'll always be remembered as a celebrity who went out of her way to make time for fellow Minnesotans.

And that's the role of a lifetime.

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431

Twitter: @nealjustin