SATURDAY MAY 3, 2003
At 1 pm
At the John Marsh House, Cowell Ranch

Directions: Take Highway 4 to Brentwood. Drive through Brentwood and head south on Walnut Blvd for 2 miles. Take a right on Marsh Creek Road and drive 1.5 miles. Look for the balloons on the right side of the road. Please wear comfortable shoes. Refreshments will be provided

We are looking for a good turn out for this event by the FRIENDS. Once again we need to show State Parks how serious we are about the preservation and restoration of the Stone House. With the new 3600 acres just acquired you might think our work is done. Things have never been that easy... we still don't have the funding from the State to make the Stone House the centerpiece it must be for this new State park. Emergency repairs to the failing north wall have not begun and have not been funded. Still we are closer than ever to achieving our goal. We need your continuing support, we need your cards and letters to State Parks. We need you voices to join in support of the good work Senator Tom Torlakson is doing on our behalf. Senator Tom's bill to fund the restoration from the last Parks bond issue [not a regular budget item] was reported out of committee last week with a "do pass" recommendation. Once more into the breach, dear FRIENDS.

To voice your support and approval of Torlakson's Bill to create the John Marsh State Park [SB 978] Please write or e-mail :
SENATOR TOM TORLAKSON
STATE CAPITOL BUILDING
SACRAMENTO, CA 95814
OR CALL Tom Higgins [916] 445-6083
Or e-mail: senator.torlakson@sen.ca.gov

If you belong to any other historical or community organization please mention that when you write or call...and please consider asking members of that group to sign the enclosed petition. Letters from those organizations on their letterhead will also carry a great deal of weight.

There are no words to tell you how important you are to the success of this project. By all measurements we are a small but close knit group of Californians who have stayed on task from the very beginning. We are now closer than ever to success...that success has come inch by inch and there are still a few inches to go. The Trust has managed with a hand full of talented dedicated board members to keep this project alive. We have never had an office, a telephone or fax bill. We have volunteered the use of our own phones and P O Box numbers. We've driven ourselves to an untold number of speaking engagements, made toll calls to bureaucrats & legislators, stuffed envelopes, persuaded businesses to support us often buying postcards they probably didn't need, and no member ever accepted a penny for expenses. You have all sent support money, most of which we have squirreled away for future needs of the Stone House. We have lost count of how many good deeds have been done for us by members of the FRIENDS. Without asking, FRIENDS have carried petitions, bought postcards and videos, written letters of support , told others about our plight and recruited new FRIENDS. One of our newest FRIENDS publishes the California Territorial Quarterly and decided to dedicate an entire issue to John Marsh, his life and his house. This special issue is planned for the Fall of 2003. Such generosity and innovative thinking has blessed us all along the trail. Please try to attend the Ribbon Cutting ceremony on May 3rd, it will be the first chance we have had to hold a "meeting", and to introduce all of you to those who will one day soon benefit from the State Park you helped to create.

In Association with: