You’ve Heard of Small Towns, but This One Shrinks the Imagination

If he had more time, no telling what Larry W. Powell, 41, of Yorba Linda might accomplish--considering that he put together an entire town, including the people and animals, in just about 300 hours.

Some of his innovations include windows made of plastic, door knobs from straight pins, a roof from a toothpaste tube and a water tower built from a discarded Comet cleanser can.

The three-fourth-inch-tall lady at the train station wears a hat with a feather plucked from a small bird; baggage near her is one-eighth inch in size and trees are small tips of real branches.

Buildings in the 1800s-era Western town are reproductions from pictures “and they’re as accurate as I can make them,” said Powell, a member of the Santa Ana chapter of the California Carvers Guild. The 11-foot-long town, being displayed at the Placentia Library, 411 E. Chapman Ave., until Dec. 31, has a church, bank, Chinese laundry, hotel, farmhouse, barn and a train station.

“I was going to put in my son’s train,” he said, “but I sold it. He lost interest in it when he learned about girls.”

To give the town life, each house and store is lighted inside.

Gloria Mattie, administrative assistant at the library, said kids aren’t the only ones fascinated by the old-time Western town. “It’s nostalgic for some of our older patrons who remember the no-frills construction of the older Western homes,” she said.

Powell noted that “kids really enjoy seeing the small details” of the hand-carved town. “It’s about eye-level for a 6-year-old.”

Powell, who operates an office-cleaning service whose customers include the library, said his fascination for miniature wood carving increased last year when Mattie asked him exhibit his display.

“That’s when I really got involved and before I knew it, I started adding pieces and the town really grew,” he said. But he pointed out that his main hobby is carving abstract folk art and balsa wood duck decoys.

“I call it ‘stress relief’ when I carve decoys,” he added.

“Look, lady, I pay your salary,” said an unhappy citizen to Alice Drake, who fields complaints at the city offices in Fullerton. “Well, if you do, I wish you would give me a raise,” was her friendly reply.

It’s that type of phone interplay and humor that helps Drake get results in solving complaints and problems aimed at the mayor, City Council and city administrators, and they know it. Drake, the council secretary, recently was honored with her 30-year service pin, and the city also sent her a dozen roses. When asked her age, she replied, “If you’re going to put it in the paper, I won’t tell you.” And she didn’t.

Drake, in recollecting her 30 years as a city employee, pointed out that she had one close call. “Someone complained their garbage wasn’t picked up and if I didn’t do something he’d put it by my front door,” she said, “so I called his bluff. I gave him my address and I’m still waiting.”

Carol Kulok, 41, of Cypress, has gone three weeks without smoking. She quit during the Great American Smokeout after puffing away for 27 years.

Some public schools hold bake sales to raise money, but Roy O. Anderson and Harbor View elementary schools in Newport Beach have really gone big time. For instance, last year the schools combined to raise $27,800 from a 5- and 10-kilometer race that attracted 3,000 runners, half of them students, parents and relatives.

“In last year’s race, we saw parents participate with their babies in carts and strollers,” said race director Diane J. Boggs, who said 2,000 runners have already signed up for the Spirit Run around Fashion Island on Jan. 26. The cost is $5, or $11 including a T-shirt.

“A lot of people think just because we’re in Newport Beach our school don’t need money and it’s easier for us,” said Boggs, “but we’re working hard to make this succeed. One of the ways we get results is to treat students who get a lot of race entries to hamburger, pizza and ice cream parties. We have about 200 adults working on this.”

She pointed out that some financial help comes from half a dozen corporate sponsors.

Because of the size of the annual event, the schools even hired a race adviser to formulate the course, which race spokesman Laer Pearce) says will appeal to serious runners because of the attractive Newport Beach routes.

“Any school could work this up,” he said, “if they had an active PTA like these two schools.”

Sign-ups are being taken at Anderson school, (714) 760-3490.