DILLEY, Ore. — In Dilley, the winter weather may be cold and frightful, but the folks who keep tradition alive are warm and delightful.
Marge O’Rear’s holiday memories are deep and lasting, and the ones she remembers best are the ones she made — in 1946!
“Back in those days, I drew a lot," O'Rear recalled. "I mean, that was my thing!"
It was the thing she shared on "Storybook Lane" with hand-drawn and painted characters born of Mother Goose and many children’s stories. Across the decades, she created countless nursery rhyme characters that came to life with paint and wood.
It was an event that brought joy to those who strolled the holiday yard tradition in Forest Grove starting in 1935.
“To see those little kids when they go through was amazing! I mean, you’ve got to imagine what it was like — little ones 2, 3, 4, 10 or 12, going through for the first time. To see their faces! That’s what it was all about,” said O’Rear.
Storybook Lane has always been about holding on to traditions for the O’Rear family. For more than 40 years, the acre-sized event has been a Christmas gift to friends and neighbors in Dilley.
In 1979, Marge managed the operation while her husband, Norris O’Rear, made sure everything worked just right. A winding trail led you past more than 70 displays that went up every other year.
PHOTOS: Storybook Lane
Since early November, Sue Marshall’s family has touched up the scenery, strung the lights and kept alive the holiday tradition called Storybook Lane.
Marge’s daughter, Sue Marshall, runs the operation these days, and said that the acre-sized event has been a Christmas gift to friends and neighbors since 1935.
“We get everything running that’s been stored for the past two years, and we re-paint all of the characters that have paint that’s worn out," Marshall said. "And after all these years, that can add up to lots of work.”
Today, Sue’s son, Dan Marshall, keeps it all running and credits his grandfather, Norris, for his love of the efforts it takes to keep Storybook Lane in good shape and operating.
“My grandpa Norris was just one of those guys: a tinkerer. I spent so much time with him always working on something in the shop," Dan Marshall said. "When you’re a little boy turning wrenches and wiring things, it was a boy’s dream, in my book.”
Dan’s sister, Chrissy Doran, is the designer and painter of new additions to Storybook Lane. She remembers cleaning set pieces and changing light bulbs as a kid.
“It was fun to spend time with my family, instead of only seeing each other every once in a while," Doran said. "Knowing that we’re going to have a solid month together setting all of this up is just amazing! Now, I have my daughter here, and she experiences the same things I did as a kid. That really does it for me.”
“There’s just nothing like this in the area — at all,” added Dan Marshall. “And it’s free to walk through. We don’t charge! I’ve seen it now for 36 years and it’s still very cool. I love walking through it.”
It may warm you to know that Storybook Lane is free to all visitors of any age — and it begins each evening at 5:30 p.m. sharp.
“I want anyone to be able to come to it,” added Sue Marshall. “Not just the people who can afford to come. Plus, there aren’t that many things you can do on Christmas; especially that families can afford to visit.”
The holiday season is fleeting — it passes so fast! So, make some time for Christmas cheer from the O’Rear family to yours: A perfect event for all the right reasons for youngsters and those young at heart.
Directions: Drive south from Forest Grove on State Highway 47 for approximately three miles to Dilley. Watch for signs to “Storybook Lane” on the left side of the highway. It opens each day at 5:30 p.m. beginning Friday, December 15 and runs through Christmas.