Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
BY ROSA HATFIELD, Times-Union Correspondent
MENTONE - Orabelle "Orie" Meredith will serve as parade marshal for this year's Mentone Egg Festival. She is being honored for her many years of service to the Chamber of Commerce and the community.
Orie has served nearly 25 years on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, on which she has held every office on the chamber and was the first female to serve as president, in 1987.
She was on the original committee for the annual variety show and the driving force in beginning the Egg Festival Hall of Fame in 1990. Since that time, each parade marshal is inducted into the Hall of Fame. Herschel Linn was the first, followed by Macy Nelson, Darrell and Mary Ann King, Ron Secrist, Jerry Secrist and Emma Zolman.
Orie is one of of the original members of the "Hen House Five," a group of ladies who dress as old hens and bawk out songs at the Egg Festival. The group was chosen as the Best Musical Group in 1993 by John Shaughnessy of the Indianapolis Star.
She loves being in the variety show each year and helping others dress for their parts. She also enjoys working at the Kosciusko County fair stand each year and helping organize the annual Mentone/Burket basketball games. Last year, she missed the game for the first time as well as the Easter Egg Hunt because she fell and broke her ankle while attempting to deliver cookies to shut-ins.
Orie has been a part of the Mentone community since she married Jim Meredith in December 1954. They live on Jim's family farm southwest of Mentone on the Kosciusko /Fulton county line. Orie said she used to work on a farm when she was growing up but she leaves the farming to Jim because he wouldn't want his equipment torn up.
She loves the farm, which to her means walking in the woods and letting the rest of the world go by. No cars, no phones, no communication; just peace.
Orie worked at Frank Mfg. in Mentone 41 years ago before going to work at Boggs & Nelson Agency, where she is beginning her 36th year.
"I've been here so long I'm like one of the pictures on the wall," she said. "Macy Nelson taught me how to meet the public and Joe (Boggs) - you could search the world over and never find anyone better than Joe to work for. I've been real fortunate to have two good bosses."
Orie said she has met many wonderful people through her work at Boggs & Nelson and the people she works with are like a part of her family.
