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Elleonore Loney would be so proud of her little girl now. The daughter who styled her dolls' hair so much they went bald, and who played at the feet of Elleonore's home hair salon customers, has been selected as the Taylors Falls Royal Lady of the Village.

Royal Lady is Taylors Falls' way of wrapping the community's arms around someone who brings people together. One of the criteria for selecting the Royal Lady is that she promotes Taylors Falls and helps get things done. As a longtime volunteer in the town and a fixture in the business scene, Anderson more than qualifies.

Anderson has seen good and bad times in the village she loves. And she has survived more than economic ups and downs over 35 years in business. Chronic health problems that temporarily stumped medical doctors made her personal life unpredictable. But, recent successful hip replacement surgery resolved a hereditary complication, and last week Anderson was back at work in her salon, Barb's Family Hair Care and Tanning.

Meeting Anderson at the salon she is visibly humbled and excited to serve as the figurative matriarch for Taylors Falls' Lighting Festival this weekend. She'll lead the Friday night parade that steps off at 6 p.m. Nov. 23 on mainstreet, making its way just beyond her salon doors.

Anderson's first impression upon being told she'd been chosen as Royal Lady was that there must be others who are more deserving. To be honest-- she added that her very first thought, was that festival committee members were going to ask her to volunteer for something.

Anderson doesn't describe herself as a mover and shaker in Taylors Falls. She's quietly gone about her salon business for more than three decades, cultivating friends, keeping secrets, giving advice and making people look good.

Just a week into returning to work after her surgery, Anderson said, "I'm ready to go, I am glad to be back. I have so much to be grateful for...my employees (Samantha Peterson and Jennifer Viebrock) kept things going, I don't know what would have happened without them. God has never let me down. He has gotten me through tough times, taught me patience."

Anderson is a river valley native, having graduated from St. Croix Falls High School (she was Barb Loney then.)

She got into styling in Taylors Falls fresh out of cosmotology school in St. Paul. She married Gordy Anderson.

Her daughter Andrea has given her two grandchildren, and Anderson has found "life partner" Paul, who owns Croixland Leatherworks, in Osceola.

Barb's Hair Care has been housed in about three different locations in Taylors Falls and two years ago occupied a totally remodeled building on the west side of mainstreet. A full service salon it offers waxing, pedicure, tanning bed, manicure, and all of today's hair treatments, styles and services.

Anderson says Taylors Falls and the St. Croix Valley will always be her base, her foundation. The region's natural beauty and the people will always keep her here.

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