"Franklin always said, 'If you want to lengthen your life, lessen your meals,' " says Archbold's wife, Linda, the Betsy Ross impersonator whom he married two years ago today in a ceremony at Independence Hall. "That's our philosophy now."
Having lost "a whole person" in weight, by his estimation, since his last July Fourth appearance, the impersonator has resolved to maintain the aesthetic of a portly, jovial Franklin without sacrificing his own health.
After taking a few smaller gigs in the late spring, he has resumed his annual Franklin Court engagement, which allows visitors to interact with Ben in the courtyard of Franklin's former home at 314 Market St. He also informed his Old City employers that he was ready to return for a full slate of appearances this weekend - including Sunday's parade at Independence Mall.
"It wasn't the same without him," says Amy Needle, president and chief executive officer of Historic Philadelphia Inc. "He's one of Philadelphia's best cheerleaders."
Archbold spent what is typically his biggest work day of the year last July at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he stayed for about a month after his stroke. He then was transferred to Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital for two months of inpatient treatment.
"Right after the stroke, it was pretty bad," Archbold says, slumped against his oak cane on a Franklin Court bench until the sight of camera-ready Texas tourists compels him to perk up. "Now people come by every day and tell me I look great."
According to Archbold, his wife - in an affront to many a Franklin proverb - deserves the credit. A pharmacist before finding work as America's seamstress-in-chief, the 52-year-old ensured that her husband adhered to a strict diet. She says her experience as caretaker for her former husband, who had Hodgkin's disease, helped prepare her for this episode.
