COSTA MESA : He Pops Question on a Fairgrounds Sign

When Velva Sanders’ boyfriend, Pat Axtell, proposed to her on Valentine’s Day, her response was, “I’m soooo embarrassed!”

That’s because a group of photographers was waiting to catch her response after Axtell popped the question with a message on the Orange County Fairgrounds marquee on Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.

Sanders said yes, and the couple, who met at a church social in August, plan to be married this summer. Sanders, 19, is a sociology major at Orange Coast College, and Axtell, 23, is a graduate student at nearby Southern California College.

“She thought we were on our way to a picnic in TeWinkle Park between classes. I told her I forgot the spoons and turned around and headed past the fairgrounds,” Axtell said. “I told her to look up at the sign and tell me what time it was, and that’s when she saw the message.”

Sanders said: “As soon as I saw the message, I realized that all those photographers were there for us, and I just froze up. I didn’t know what to say.”

But the romantic event was not without a private moment. Later on at Charles TeWinkle Memorial Park on Arlington Street, Axtell gave Sanders a heart-shaped box of candy with an engagement ring hidden inside.