YVONNE BELL

We are proud to announce our 2026 Potter Valley Spring Festival & Rodeo Grand Marshal Yvonne Bell!

Yvonne Elmer Bell was born February 5, 1948, in Susanville, CA to Betty Jo and Byron Elmer but moved to Potter Valley when she was around 4 yrs old. Her father co-owned Sanhedrin Logging Company. Yvonne was in the inaugural First Grade class of the newly built Potter Valley Elementary School in 1953, passing through all grades and graduating Potter Valley High School in 1966. She enjoyed growing up in Potter with her sister, Sandy, and many of her family members, some of whom still live here. Her father Byron was also honored with being a Potter Valley Spring Festival and Rodeo Grand Marshal.

Yvonne married Glen “Lucky” Bell, Jr. in 1966, her oldest daughter, Marcy was born in 1967 and her youngest daughter, Julie, was born in 1970. Both girls attended Potter Valley Elementary School and High School. Yvonne worked for the Ukiah Daily Journal as the office manager for 40 years. She was the president of the Potter Valley High School Booster Club while her daughters were in school, and she took many photos of  Potter Valley athletes and 4-H and FFA students which were often printed in the Ukiah Daily Journal. Yvonne is passionate about horses and western riding; she became a longtime member of the Redwood Empire Quarter Horse Association and a longtime member of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, volunteering for Search and Rescue. She has been active for decades in the Potter Valley community, riding with the Sheriffs Mounted Posse for the parade, volunteering to work at the Rodeo dance and BBQ and was a member of the Equine Drill team for many years. Yvonne’s fondest memories of Potter Valley are swimming in the Eel River, gathering cattle with her friends, performing in the Rodeo Grand Entry with the drill team, and sharing the Potter Valley Spring Festival and Rodeo traditions with her two granddaughters, their cousins and friends.