Trundlebedtales

My friend Kelly Pelzel and I took an quick trip up to Walnut Grove to see the new pageant in July. After 45 years they have changed their pageant. They are taking the story and dividing it into three parts. The first one will have the most of the original pageant so they started with what will be the second of the trilogy. It’s called Chasing the Dream, 1875-1876. We also took a little time to hit some of the other places in town. This was Kelly's first trip to Walnut Grove. It wasn't a complete trip, but we saw a lot including getting in a good visit with William T. Anderson and Cindy Wilson.

August is growing as Laura Ingalls Wilder event month. Look for events in Pepin, WI: De Smet, SD; Spring Valley, MN; Malone/Burke, NY; and NBC Little House on the Prairie TV reunion events. 

July is one of the biggest Laura Ingalls Wilder event months. We're going to look ahead to events to Pepin, WI; Independence, KS; Walnut Grove, MN; De Smet, SD; Mansfield, MO; Malone, NY; Burke, NY; Old World Wisconsin; Eagle, WI; Nelson Pioneer Farm; Oskaloosa, IA; Project Archeology; and the Wilder Podcast.

June brings us into Summer and it's a big Laura month. Get the news from Pepin, WI, Independence, KS, Burr Oak, IA, De Smet, SD, and Spring Valley, MN.Then what's going on with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association and the South Dakota Historical Society Press. Are you going to an event this June?

Since this is late we'll go through some of the big events this year and what we're still looking forward to. Whether you're interested in the TV show, the museums, or books, there is a lot going on.

I didn't get a roving report episode although I didn't get to do it live. Instead I'm going to give you a full report of what it was like to attend this cast reunion and how it was different from other cast reunions. I'll include some ideas about what you should plan on if you make a Little House cast reunion trip. The cast included: Alison Arngrim (Nellie Olesen)Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle)Wendi Lou Lee (Baby Grace)Patrick Labyorteaux (Andy Garvey)Jennifer Donati (Baby Rose)  

Every year I do some reading in honor of World Read Aloud Day. It's every March 2nd in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Sometimes I do something Laura specific, but lately I've been doing Mother West Wind's Children by Thorton W. Burgess. For awhile I was doing short episodes as I tested various microphones, but today's is going to be my standard equipment. Learn more about Burgess and find a list of links to the other stories. Today we're doing "Why Peter Rabbit's Ears Are Long."

Laura Ingalls Wilder season is really getting started. The Laura Ingalls Wilder sites that haven't opened yet for the season will open at the end of May. There is an event in Pepin and a fundraiser in Burr Oak. There is a Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association homesite updates online program about what's happening with the homesites this year. It's Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival and 3 more events with "Little House on the Prairie" TV show cast members that are close to Iowa. There is even an event at the Gene Autry Museum of the West. Check out this episode and my blog post for more.

March is the month when the museums that closed down for the winter start to reopen. We have several events and a couple pieces of news.

I know what it means to miss New Orleans.... or rather I don't. I've never been there, but it's one of my friend Kelly Pezel's favorite places to visit. She's going to join me so we can learn about what to visit in New Orleans, how and why. Tracy Vozar is going to call in, too. Tracy is going to talk about going to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras and how you can actually participate in a Mardi Gras parade.

Find out everything that happened in 2022. Get updates about what's gone on at the homesites. Find out about new books to buy. Learn where to tune in for on-going programs. 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.   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.

What do people talk about? Normally people tell their Laura story. We all have one. How we discovered Laura and her booksWhat your favorite story is from the booksWhat’s the best thing in your Laura collectionWhat’s your favorite edition of the booksWhat’s the craziest thing did you do because it was a “Little House” thing (place visited, craft tried, book read) I hope to either hear from you live or…. Give Laura a Call and Give a Listen Call in (714) 242-5253 or toll free 1-877-633-9389 to call into the show.

February in Laura's birthday month so for a winter month we get a lot of action this month. A lot of it is online so you can participate.

We normally don't have an update this month, but we've got enough going on that I wanted to. Most of that stuff is online so I want you to know in enough time to get signed up for it and to prepare questions. We also have a bunch of birthdays this month and no one much mentions them so I'm giving them a shout out, too.

In 2019 I was driving down to Mansfield, Missouri for their Wilder Days event. I was going to be traveling by myself I decided to swing over to Marceline, MO on my way down. Disney - YouTube It wasn't very long after I got back that I was looking up something about Rothville, Missouri and discovered it was right by Marceline and I somehow had missed it. That means I had to go back. My friend Kelly offered to go back with me and this is what we saw in Marceline. Ep 133 Roving Report Chariton County Missouri Take 2 06/18 by Trundlebedtales | History (blogtalkradio.com) Marceline Tour https://www.downtownmarceline.org/tour

December is an even busier month than usual. We've got Christmas events at De Smet, SD; Mansfield, MO; Malone/Burke, NY. We're also checking in on Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas themed plays and events connecting with the NBC Little House on the Prairie TV show.  Laura Ingalls Wilder Events December 2022 Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas Events – Sarah's Notebook (wordpress.com) Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas Plays Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas Plays 2022 – Sarah's Notebook (wordpress.com) Dean Butler Reads for Almanzo Wilder Dean Butler Reads for Almanzo Wilder Farm – Sarah's Notebook (wordpress.com)

We'll look back on Veteran's Day with a special focus on "In Flander's Fields" by John McCrae and poppies. 

November used to be a slow Laura fan month, but we've seen some developments this year. Learn about events at Mansfield, MO and a future TV show event. 

I've already done episodes with touring plans - how to visit a site and what to see - and with everything going on we're going to check in and see if they are still valid. Today we're going to talk about our visits this year to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa and Midwest Old Threshers in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

September tends to be another big Laura Ingalls Wilder event month. Learn about events in Pepin, WI; Mansfield, MO; Malone, NY; West Branch, IA.