Nope, you don't have to be here from day one! New town residents will be showing up at any time, really. She just happened to have arrived when the town's overrun by the statues and topiary animals. So, she could react to them, start a fight with them, or even still be inside her town home playing with things in there. There are a ton of options, really!

The residents who have been there longer can help catch her up to some of the stranger things that have gone on before she arrived.

Does that help?