 | | | Cover girl Charlotte Tschann (striped dress) stands with Lamorinda Weekly staff after her family discovered she was front page news. Surrounding Charlotte, kneeling from left: Moya Stone, Jaya Griggs, Nick Marnell, Wendy Scheck and Andy Scheck. Back row: Cathy Dausman and Cathy Tyson. Photo Ben Tschann
| | | | | | At age 4, Charlotte Tschann is a bona fide cover girl. The smiling Orinda preschooler adorned the front page of the July 3 issue of Lamorinda Weekly, dressed in red, white and blue, clutching a lollypop in one hand and waving a U.S. flag with the other.
Photographer Ohlen Alexander captured her image during last year's parade when Charlotte rode with her father, Ben, and their friends in a military all-terrain vehicle. It was her first parade appearance.
Publisher Andy Scheck selected the archive shot to accompany the issue's lead story about Fourth of July festivities, and ordered matching T-shirts silkscreened for staff to wear as they walked the parade route.
A friend alerted the family of their daughter's fame. "Early Wednesday morning [July 3], I received a text message telling me Charlotte was in the Lamorinda Weekly," said her mother Cary Tschann. "Charlotte and I went outside to look at it right away. We were surprised to see her on the front cover of the paper," she said.
This year the Tschann family (Charlotte, her parents, and Charlotte's brother, William) were part of the crowd.
"We parked at BART and as we were beginning our walk [to a spot near the Orinda Library] I saw [writer Nick Marnell] with Charlotte's photo on his shirt. My husband wanted one himself so we followed the man to float 12 and met the whole Lamorinda Weekly staff," she explained.
After Charlotte's family introduced themselves, she was re-photographed, surrounded by staff. The Schecks plan to give the family their very own T-shirts.
"We had no idea her picture was taken [last year] or that she would be in the Lamorinda Weekly. It was a very fun surprise," said her mother.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA