July and September are always the busiest months in the Laura Ingalls Wilder event calendar. This year I made the trip to Walnut Grove, MN for the 45th Anniversary of Fragments of a Dream. Their pageant is based on an original script by James Merchant that has been polished, modified, and adapted through the years. I always say this is the most Hollywood version with sets built on railroad tracks that can move in and out and rotate 180 degrees, a fake creek, a real fire that races across the stage, real animals, and…how do they do those realistic grasshoppers anyway?
A Visit to Walnut Grove
I was on the spot to do my In the Kitchen With Laura (Pioneer Version). That was part of their Family Festival in the park. I checked that out and filmed a lot around town. Look for the new videos that will be coming. Some of the new ones will be focused on short, focused questions about what there is to see in Walnut Grove.
The return of my live reports from a Laura trip. These were recorded live, but live none the less. I drive up to Walnut Grove, learn about changes around the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, and end up in Marshall, Minnesota.
This is the second day of my trip. I hit several places I hadn’t made yesterday. I do my In the Kitchen With Laura (Pioneer Version) and check out the rest of the Family Festival. I visit the Wheels Across the Prairie Museum in Tracy, Minnesota. Then I end the night with “Fragments of a Dream” the Walnut Grove pageant.
This is the last day of my Walnut Grove trip. I visit the dugout site and get two nasty surprises. Then I have a happy surprise at the museum. Finally, I drive home and talk about videos you can look for.
Bonus:
Here’s the video of the flood damage at the Dugout Site.
Sarah S. Uthoff is a nationally known Laura Ingalls Wilder authority and has presented at five of the Wilder homesites, many times at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, many conferences and numerous libraries, museums, and events around the Midwest. She is the main force behind Trundlebed Tales fighting to bring the History, Mystery, Magic, and Imagination of Laura Ingalls Wilder and other greats of children’s literature and history to life for a new generation. How can you help? Attend one of her programs, schedule one yourself, watch her videos, listen to her podcast, look at her photos, and find her on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , SlideShare, and Academia.edu . Professionally she is a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College and former director of the Oxford (Iowa) Public Library.
Sarah's Notebook 