Trundlebedtales

Check in about what's going on in Laura Ingalls Wilder fandom this month. We'll check on what's going on Trundlebed Tales, what's going on in the homesites this month, and some highlights of the coming year.

Drop in tonight, February 7, 2020 and help us celebrate Laura Ingalls Wilder's 153rd birthday.  Laura fans are invited to call in and share either the story of how they became a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, their favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder related experience, or annual family traditions based on Laura. Based on requests, I'm continuing it as an hour so you'll have plenty of time to call in. So please call in and help fill the time. If you want to share your story, but don't want to talk on air, you can send a story to me ahead of time or in the chatroom live during the show. Live callers or chat get time before sent in stories. Call tollfree 1 (877) 633-9389 Contact me through social media at Trundlebed Tales or send stories to info@trundlebedtales.com

Today we're going to celebrate World Read Aloud Day by reading part of Mother West Wind's Children by Thornton W. Burgess. We're picking up from our 10 minute episodes last year where we were testing microphones. This time our story is "Why Peter's Ears Are Long." 

There was a lot going on during 2019. There were a lot of things going on. The "Little House on the Prairie" Cast Reunion and the Laura Ingalls Wilder conference lead the list on my social media of what people thought were the biggest events. We also have things going on with "American Masters," "Little House on the Prairie: The Musical," and lots of stuff at the homesites. Check out what happened.

I finally got 5 of the 6 people from our trip together to interview about our last trip. Chime in as my mom, my brother, my niece and nephew, and me talk about our trip to Walt Disney World during late January 2019. We talk about where we stayed and our time at the park, our favorites, and what we learned. We stayed at Pop Century, visited all four parks and Disney Springs, and had the DVC tour.

Start with classic historic hooking rugs with Rose Wilder Lane. Then drop into the world of modern latch-hooking.

A report on my September 2019 trip to Wilder Days, Mansfield's big Laura Ingalls Wilder event. Wilder Days is a big Laura event that includes special speakers, music, a crafts show, a pageant showing, etc. The Wilder dinner is a newer event and includes a special guest speaker who is then available for signing. This year the special guest was Alison Arngrim aka Nellie Oleson on "The Little House on the Prairie" NBC TV show. Another fairly recent additional to the program is a fiddle festival that is quickly developing a regional reputation for a high quality event.

Join us tonight as we talk about the fall season and a couple of big upcoming events. The Laura Ingalls Wilder homesites are closing for the season, a major production of "Little House on the Prairie: The Musical" is rolling out in Springfield, Missouri, and some of the TV show cast is doing a new (only 2nd year) event in Burbank, California. Looking ahead at a special Carrie anniversary event at Keystone, South Dakota in 2020 and a new weekend for Wilder Days next year. 

Get a full report on what was happening during Pepin, Wisconsin’s Laura Days 2019. Laura Days is their big Laura Ingalls Wilder event of the year. They have events going on at the museum, the city park, and the cabin. What’s it like to visit? What did you miss this year? What’s different from visiting during Laura Days and visiting during a normal time.

Join us as we catch up on what's going on in with Laura fans this month including some programs, upcoming books, and upcoming videos. 

This month will see major events at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa for their Laura Ingalls Wilder Remembered event, Laura Days in Pepin, Wisconsin; and Wilder Days in Mansfield, Missouri.

There is a HUGE community of Walt Disney World addicts online. They've produced discussion boards, Facebook groups, YouTube videos, blogs, websites, and podcasts. Unfortunately for a lot of new fans it's like coming in at the middle of the movie. This episode will get you going on the basic terms that you'll need to successfully plan a trip. And trust me you need to plan to have a successful Disney trip.

August is a little slower month, but there are still events to find. Look for them in DeSmet, South Dakota; Spring Valley, Minnesota; Mansfield, Missouri; and Malone, New York. We also have a new book this month The Prairie Devotional by Wendi Lou Lee.

One of the questions reenactors, people who wear old-fashioned clothes at living history museum sites and at living history events, get a lot is "aren't you hot?" Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it's no. Today we'll look into why that is and what can you do in heat if you're wearing old-fashioned clothes or even what you should do yourself is you're visiting a living history site or wearing a costume during summer heat. Learn about how people used to beat the heat.

Get a jump on everything going on in Laura Ingalls Wilder fandom during July 2019. We’ll check in on the Laura Ingalls Wilder museums having special events, the opening of Laura Ingalls Wilder homesite season, and my programs. Find out more about Walnut Grove, Minnesota: DeSmet, South Dakota; Spring Valley, Minnesota; Mansfield, Missouri, and Malone, New York. Plus about the "Little House on the Prairie" TV cast reunion and a conference.

Once again we join host Sarah Uthoff and Walnut Grove museum director Amy Foster as they talk about the major event the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and the Walnut Grove Pageant coming up July 12-13, 2019 in honor of the 45th Anniversary of the Little House on the Prairie TV show. This will be the largest reunion of the cast planned for this year. We’ll talk about what’s happening, who’s coming, and what to expect.  Tune in with your questions.

Join host Sarah Uthoff and Pauly Tee (he was previously on the show talking about visiting Little House on the Prairie TV show filming locations) as we talk about meeting actors. What do you do if you run into an actor? What can you expect at a reunion event? How do they work? What should you know before you go? We're going to focus on the Little House on the Prairie reunion coming July 2019, but these tips will be helpful no matter what the TV show, event, or con you go to.

Get a jump on everything going on in Laura Ingalls Wilder fandom during June 2019. We’ll check in on the Laura Ingalls Wilder museums having special events, the opening of Laura Ingalls Wilder homesite season, and my programs. Find out more about Independence, Kansas: Burr Oak, Iowa, and Spring Valley, Minnesota.

A lot happened last year because of the big anniversary, but there's still interesting stuff going on this year. 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.

Debra Reid, Curator of Agriculture and the Environment at The Henry Ford, joins host Sarah Uthoff to talk agriculture. Laura didn't just live in Little Houses, she lived on farms across the Midwest. But while people tend to have one idea about what farms were like in the past, it was really much more complicated. We'll examine how agriculture has helped the country through the fulfillment of the Homestead Act, what Wheat Culture was down to what variety Pa and Almanzo would have grown, and how agriculture changed between the late 19th century and the 1910s and 1920s when the Wilder farm Rocky Ridge was thriving.