Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Improvements to part of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway April 21, 2022

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:01 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
U.S. Highway 14 west of New Ulm in southwestern Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

IF YOU’RE A FAN of the “Little House on the Prairie” television series, you will recognize these town names: Walnut Grove. Sleepy Eye. Mankato. In the TV version, the Charles and Caroline Ingalls family lived in Walnut Grove, but also traveled to Sleepy Eye and Mankato. In her books, Laura Ingalls Wilder doesn’t write about journeying to either town from Walnut Grove. Hollywood added its creative perspective, including a setting that is not exactly accurate in its depiction of the prairie. I know this area well. My hometown of Vesta lies 20 miles north of Walnut Grove on the mostly flat prairie of big sky and wide open spaces.

Heavy traffic on U.S. Highway 14 between Nicollet and North Mankato in March 2013, before that section of two-lane expanded to four-lane. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2013)

The trip back to Redwood County from my Faribault home takes me along U.S. Highway 14, also known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway. That road passes through Mankato and Sleepy Eye and many other communities into the heart of rural Minnesota, along a particularly dangerous stretch of roadway. Highway 14 has/had a reputation for above average deadly crashes. That’s no surprise given the narrow lanes carrying heavy traffic volumes.

West of Nicollet, signage warns drivers that Highway 14 goes back to two-lane. It’s at this point where the current four-lane expansion begins to New Ulm. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo December 2016)

But that is all changing. Several days ago, government officials and others gathered for a ceremonial event to kick off a two-year road construction project that will replace 12 miles of two-lane roadway between Nicollet and New Ulm with a four-lane road. It’s about time. This is the last stretch of two-lane converting to four-lane from Rochester to New Ulm.

Westbound on Highway 14 heading to Nicollet from Mankato. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2016)

I don’t get back to southwestern Minnesota all that often anymore, just for the occasional funeral or family gathering. But I’m thankful that come October 2023, the drive between Nicollet and New Ulm will be easier, safer, faster. Just like it is now between Mankato and Nicollet.

Once west of New Ulm, Highway 14 will remain the same. Narrow. Well-traveled. Not particularly safe. But for today, I’m grateful for the improvements to 12 miles of a route the Ingalls family didn’t follow, but which many fans of “Little House on the Prairie” travel today en route to Walnut Grove.

© Copyright 2022 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Laura fans: Walnut Grove pageant needs financial help after flash flooding July 13, 2018

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:01 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo of the pageant site along the banks of Plum Creek taken several years ago..

 

WALNUT GROVE AND LAURA INGALLS WILDER. The two are synonymous. Wilder brought notoriety to this small southwestern Minnesota prairie community with her Little House books. The town embraces the author in its summer-time productions of The Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant. Staged in an outdoor amphitheater along the banks of Plum Creek, the pageant brings Wilder’s prairie stories to life. It’s a top-notch show that I’ve seen twice.

 

Plum Creek floods the pageant grounds following torrential rain. Photo source: Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant Facebook page.

 

But now the Wilder Pageant Committee needs financial help to deal with damage caused by early July flash floods that ravaged southwestern Minnesota, including the creek-side performance site. Shows were canceled because of the flood. Volunteers worked hard to clean up the mess so the show could reopen on July 12 with added performances.

 

Native prairie plants, like black-eyed Susan and coneflowers, are featured on a mural in the heart of Walnut Grove. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

I love that about small towns—the coming together to get a job done. The people of Walnut Grove understand the value of Laura Ingalls Wilder to the local economy. And they are determined that the Big Flood on the Prairie will not stop the show despite damage to sets, costumes, sound and light equipment, and site access roads.

 

Flood clean-up. Photo source: Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant Facebook page.

 

A gofundme page has been set up to help pay for maintenance to aging and flood-damaged facilities. The goal is $30,000. Please consider donating and spread the word.

 

Photo source: Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant Facebook page.

 

I am a mega fan of Wilder’s descriptive writing. That she lived in a dugout on the banks of Plum Creek in my native Redwood County, on my beloved prairie, endears me even more to this author.

 

Laura Look-A-Like contestants gather for a group shot in the park several years ago. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

To all the wonderful folks in Walnut Grove and surrounding area, thank you for your tireless efforts to welcome Laura fans from around the world to your community. Even after a devastating flood.

 

Period attire is common among young Laura fans visiting Walnut Grove. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

CLICK HERE to reach the gofundme page and learn more.

NOTE: The Ingalls dugout site is temporarily closed due to flooding.

BUT the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove is open.

Copyright 2018 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Celebrating Laura Ingalls Wilder at a Chicago museum & I’m in December 18, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Follow U.S. Highway 14, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway, west across the prairie to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and then on to De Smet, South Dakota. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

MINNESOTA PRAIRIE ROOTS. My blog name honors my roots in Redwood County where Laura Ingalls Wilder, celebrated author of the Little House book series, lived for awhile as a child. Walnut Grove lies just 20 miles distant from my childhood home. It is a place where earth and sky spread wide, where fertile black soil grows tall corn and the wind seldom stops blowing.

 

The American Writers Museum in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Lee Engquist.

 

Some 500 miles to the south and east of Walnut Grove lies Chicago. Windy, yes. But otherwise distinctly different. Nothing prairie-like here in this city. Until you look close, to the new American Writers Museum which opened in the heart of Chicago in May.

 

An overview of a section of the Laura Ingalls Wilder exhibit. Photo courtesy of Laurel Engquist.

 

I’ve not visited the museum. Yet, I hold a connection to this acclaimed museum now showcasing a temporary exhibit, “Laura Ingalls Wilder: From Prairie to Page.” I grew up with the Little House books read by an elementary school teacher each day after lunch. That was long before the books grew in popularity, long before the TV series, long before Walnut Grove became a destination for Laura fans.

 

My Laura Look-A-Like Contest photo close-up in the exhibit. Photo courtesy of Laurel Engquist.

 

But my love of Laura’s writing and my native prairie roots are not my only connections to this exhibit which runs through spring 2018. A photo I took several years ago during a Laura Look-Alike Contest in Walnut Grove is included in the exhibit.

 

Laura Look-A-Like contestants gather for a group shot in a Walnut Grove city park in July 2013. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2013.

 

Awhile ago, Boston-based Amaze Design contacted me about using the image. The design company manages content development for the museum.

 

This section features noted American authors. Within the museum is info highlighting Minnesota writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Charles Schulz and more. Photo courtesy of Laurel Engquist.

 

An exhibit in the Children’s Literature Room. Photo courtesy of Laurel Engquist.

 

Another exhibit focuses on the writing process. Photo courtesy of Laurel Engquist.

 

From what my friend Laurel, who recently toured the 11,000 square foot literary museum tells me, the place is impressive. Located on the second floor of a building at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, it includes 13 permanent exhibits in six galleries plus temporary exhibits. Laurel spent hours there wandering, reading, observing and participating in interactive aspects of displays. She was surprised to find my Laura Look-Alike photo as part of the American Voices Exhibit.

 

The prairie near Walnut Grove is especially beautiful in the summer. I took this photo at the Laura Ingalls Wilder dug-out site north of Walnut Grove many years ago. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

I’m honored to have my work included. I’m proud of my prairie roots, of my rural upbringing in a part of Minnesota made famous by a much-loved American writer.

 

FYI: If you’re wondering how Amaze Design found my photo, look no further than searching the internet. I also have photos included in exhibits at the Children’s Museum in St. Paul and in the World War II Museum in New Orleans. All found my work online, on this blog.

 

Disclaimer: Amaze Design paid for rights to use my Laura Look-A-Like image in the exhibit.

© Copyright 2017 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Thanks to friends Laurel and Lee Engquist for permission to share their photos.

.

 

Attention, Laura Ingalls Wilder fans: A new must-read book by Marta McDowell September 21, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

WHEN A PACKAGE LANDED on my front doorstep some 10 days ago, I wondered about its content. I hadn’t ordered anything. But inside I found a newly-released book, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes That Inspired The Little House Books.

Ah, yes, I had been expecting this. Sort of. But I’d forgotten about the book by bestselling author Marta McDowell that includes three of my photos. More than a year had passed since Marta and I connected.

Now I was holding the results of this New Jersey writer’s intensive research, multi-state visits and hours of writing. It’s an impressive book for the information and the art published therein on the places and plants in the life of author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 

Every summer, the folks of Walnut Grove produce an outdoor pageant based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” books. Many pageant attendees arrive at the show site dressed in period attire and then climb aboard the covered wagon. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

I have not yet read the entire book. But I am sharing this new Timber Press release now because Marta will be at Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Avenue, in Minneapolis from 7 – 8 this evening (September 21) to present The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I expect the book to be enthusiastically received here in Minnesota and by Laura fans world-wide.

 

The southwestern Minnesota prairie, in the summer, is a place of remarkable beauty. I shot this image outside Walnut Grove. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2010.

 

I am among those fans with the added bonus of having grown up only three townships north of the Charles and Caroline Ingalls’ North Hero Township home near Walnut Grove in Redwood County, Minnesota. Long before the Little House TV show, long before I realized the popularity of Laura’s book series, I loved her writing. A teacher at Vesta Elementary School read the books aloud to me and my classmates during a post-lunch reading time. That story-time instilled in me a deep love for the written word and a deep connection to The Little House books.

 

The prairie near Walnut Grove is especially beautiful in the summer. I took this photo at the Laura Ingalls Wilder dug-out site north of Walnut Grove in 2010.

 

With that background, you can understand my enthusiasm for Marta’s book which focuses on the landscapes and specific plants that surrounded Laura and her family. Laura writes with a strong sense of place, a skill I’ve often considered may trace to her blind sister, Mary. Laura became her sister’s “eyes.”

 

I cannot imagine so many grasshoppers that they obliterated everything. I took this photo at the Steele County History Center in Owatonna during a previous traveling exhibit on Minnesota disasters. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

Marta writes of specific plants and places in her book, taking the reader from Wisconsin to Minnesota to Missouri and in between—wherever Laura lived. In the section on Walnut Grove, she notes the wild plums, the morning glories and the blue flags (iris) that Laura writes about in On the Banks of Plum Creek. I’ve walked that creek and creekbank, seen the Ingalls’ dug-out, wildflowers and plums. I am of this rich black soil, these plants, this land. There’s a comfortable familiarity in reading of this land the Ingalls family eventually left because of a grasshopper infestation and resulting crop failures.

 

My black-eyed susan photo is published in Marta’s book. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.

 

To be part of Marta’s book on Laura Ingalls Wilder is an honor. The vintage botanical illustrations, original artwork by Garth Williams, historic photos, maps, ads, current day photos like my three and more make this volume a work of art.

There is much to learn therein, much to appreciate. So for all of you Laura fans out there, take note. You’ll want to add The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes That Inspired the Little House Books to your collection.

 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this book and was paid for publication of my three photos.

© Copyright 2017 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Minnesota Faces: Laura Ingalls Wilder wannabes February 13, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Portrait #7: Laura Look-A-Likes

 

Portrait 7, Laura look-alikes

 

THESE ARE THE FACES of contestants in a July 2013 Laura Look-A-Like Contest in Walnut Grove, Minnesota childhood home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The girls lined up for a photo to be published in the local newspaper. The rest of us, including lots of proud parents and this proud aunt, snapped away. That’s my niece on the left, come here from North Dakota.

Laura fans travel from all over the country, and even the world, to pay homage to Laura and her Little House books. So, just to be clear, these are not all Minnesota faces featured here.

But these girls, some clutching Laura and Charlotte (Laura’s rag doll) dolls, portray the pioneer spirit. They adore Laura and her books. Or perhaps it’s the TV series, Little House on the Prairie, they adore.

They remind me of me. I grew up about 25 miles from Walnut Grove in Vesta, where an elementary teacher read the entire Little House series to her students during an after lunch reading period. This was long before the television show and long before Walnut Grove residents realized the importance of Laura to their community.

February marks an important month for Laura fans. The author was born on February 7, 1867, and died on February 10, 1957.

Perhaps you noticed on February 7 that Google featured Laura and her sister Mary in a prairie scene. Twins Jack and Holman Wang of Canada created that Google banner through the process of needle felting, basically sculpting the sisters from wool. (Click here to learn more.)

Besides the Google gig, Laura is also back in the news with the recent release of Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. The South Dakota Historical Society Press clearly underestimated the interest in this book with an initial press run of 15,000. Now in its third printing, the book is currently out of stock and will begin shipping again in March. I’m sure many a Little House fan is waiting for the title.

Laura seems as popular today as she did decades ago, when I imagined myself as a pioneer girl on the prairie.

This is part of a series, Minnesota Faces, published every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

My beautiful niece on her wedding day September 9, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Carlyn and Jared leave the church in the early evening, showered with birdseed.

Showered with birdseed, Carlyn and Jared leave the church in the gorgeous early evening light of a perfect September day.

IT’S SO CLICHE to say that the bride was radiant. But no other word seems fitting for my niece, Carlyn, so in love with her now-husband, Jared, her high school sweetheart whom she married on Saturday at English Lutheran Church in Walnut Grove.

Just a historical note here. The English Lutheran church bell dates back to the late 1800s, when Charles Ingalls, the father of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, donated monies toward its purchase.

Lots and lots of birdseed tossed.

Lots and lots of birdseed tossed at the newlyweds.

The bridal couple, family and guests walked below that bell Saturday before witnessing a beautiful ceremony celebrating faith and family and the beginning of a new life together.

Look at how happy they are...

Look at how happy they are…that loving look Jared is giving his new bride.

Carlyn cried more than any bride I’ve ever seen. Cried walking down the aisle. Cried during the ceremony. Cried when she hugged her parents. So much emotion overwhelming her.

That look, oh, that look on the new groom's face...

That look, oh, that look on the new groom’s face after the ceremony.

And I thought how fortunate she is to live only blocks from her parents, to work side-by-side with her mother in a family-owned daycare. Likewise, Jared works with his father on their nearby farm.

Instead of signing their names in a guestbook, guests signed the leaves on this tree.

Instead of signing their names in a guestbook, guests signed the leaves on this tree.

These newlyweds will be surrounded by those who have loved and nurtured and cared for them their entire lives.

I watched as kids wove freely among adults on the church grounds and at the reception in the Westbrook Community Center. Small town carefree. Connected. Something you wouldn’t see at a wedding reception in a larger community.

Jared and Carlyn await their introduction and entry into the reception hall.

Jared and Carlyn await their introduction and entry into the reception hall.

On one end of the reception venue, kids tossed a toy football back and forth. A boy rumbled a toy truck across the floor. Preschool boys splashed in the drinking fountain.

And in between it all, adults laughed and conversed and danced to the beat of polkas, country line dances, 70s tunes that I once sang as a member of the Wabasso High School choir and more.

As my husband and I passed below street lights outside the community center, past the impressive corner veterans’ memorial and the old brick implement dealership where the bride’s dad (my eldest brother) worked before a new facility was built on the edge of town, I considered what a perfect day it had been. September weather at its best. My mom recovered enough to attend the wedding and reception. And love. Radiant.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Walnut Grove mural bridges cultures July 18, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rochester artist Greg Wimmer was commissioned to paint this mural last summer in downtown Walnut Grove.

Rochester artist Greg Wimmer was commissioned to paint this mural last summer in downtown Walnut Grove.

MY NEPHEW, ADAM KLETSCHER, who lives and teaches in Walnut Grove, told me to check out the new mural downtown when I recently visited this southwestern Minnesota community. So, after leaving the Family Festival during the town’s annual celebration of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books, I stopped to photograph the 20-foot by 78-foot painting on the east side of Bubai Foods along Main Street.

Being a bit rushed, I failed to photograph the front of the building housing a combination Asian and American food market. And I didn’t have time to go inside and ask questions.

Later I connected with Terry Yang, who moved to Walnut Grove in 2001 from St. Paul, opened the Asian portion of Bubai Foods in 2003 and purchased the American foods side in 2005.

Yang is among the estimated 30 percent of Walnut Grove’s 870 residents of Hmong ethnicity. The Hmong first came to this rural area in 2000, Yang says, to settle in a quiet small town with affordable housing (“We don’t have to lock our houses or cars here,” he says) in a landscape similar to their native Laos.

Walnut Grove is now home to retired Hmong and to young people employed mostly at factories in nearby Marshall, Wabasso and Worthington.

The mural in progress. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

The mural in progress. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

It is that infusion of Laotian immigrants that figured in to the design of the community-supported mural painted last summer by Greg Wimmer of Rochester based Wimmer Illustration and Design with assistance from Adrienne Lobl. Mural sponsors included individuals, local businesses and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum.

This snippet of the mural shows Laura Ingalls Wilder as a teacher next to a Hmong woman. To the left is the log bridge spanning Plum Creek, where the Ingalls family lived in a dug out.

This snippet of the mural shows Laura Ingalls Wilder as a teacher standing next to a Hmong woman. To the left is the log bridge spanning Plum Creek, where the Ingalls family lived in a sod house.

The painting, Yang says, shows the similarities between Laos and Walnut Grove and also melds the new Hmong culture and the pioneer history of this Minnesota community. For example, Laura Ingalls and a Hmong woman stand side by side, one in a simple lace-collared prairie dress, the other in intricate and colorful traditional celebratory Hmong attire reserved for special occasions like weddings and New Year’s celebrations.

Wimmer worked with the Hmong community, integrating many of their suggestions in to the design. A log bridge spanning Plum Creek, part of an original Ingalls family mural here which had faded and was in need of repair, was incorporated in to the new work and represents the bridging of two cultures, according to the artist.

“My personal opinion is that it (the mural) makes a statement about the changes in the community without saying a word,” Wimmer says.

In the foreground a Hmong man plays a bamboo flute near a rice field as his daughter carries a basket. In the background, a pioneer busts sod with a an ox and a plow.

In the foreground, left, a Hmong man plays a bamboo flute near a rice field as his daughter carries a basket. In the background, a pioneer busts sod with an ox and a plow.

Yang also references the connections between the two cultures via two farming scenes—of a pioneer man plowing a Minnesota field with an ox, similar to the water buffalo that work the land in Laos, and of a Hmong family near a rice field and shown with a basket for carrying harvested crops from farm to village.

Native prairie plants, like black-eyed Susan and coneflowers, are part of the painting.

Native prairie plants, like black-eyed Susan and coneflowers, are part of the painting.

One of the draws to Walnut Grove, Yang says, is the land available for Hmong to plant gardens. Laotian natives, like native Walnut Grove area residents, are connected to the land.

Yang has always felt welcome in southwestern Minnesota and appreciates the mural showcasing the changes in his community, which now includes, he says, “so many races.”

Girls in traditional Hmong dress attended the mural dedication last year.

Girls in traditional Hmong dress attended the mural dedication last year. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

FYI: Hmong dancers will be among entertainers at the Family Festival from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. this Saturday, July 20, at the Walnut Grove City Park as part of the festivities celebrating the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Click here to see the festival schedule.

And click here for more information about other events at the annual celebration.

BONUS PHOTOS:

Greg Wimmer painted this mural in nearby Marshall. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

Greg Wimmer painted this mural in nearby Marshall. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

And Wimmer painted this mural in Rapid City, South Dakota. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

And Wimmer painted this mural in Rapid City, South Dakota. Photo courtesy of Greg Wimmer.

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Walnut Grove offers a kid-friendly festival at annual “Little House” celebration July 17, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Pioneer prairie attire is the dress code of the day for all ages.

Pioneer prairie attire is the dress code of the day for all ages.

THE FAMILY FESTIVAL in Walnut Grove is exactly what you would expect—an event filled with family-friendly activities during the community’s annual celebration of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books. Arts and crafts. Book signings. Pony rides. Laura and Nellie Look-A-Like Contests. Entertainment.

Showing Mom her art.

Showing Mom her art.

Tagging along with my 9-year-old niece, who traveled to southwestern Minnesota with her parents from Grand Forks, North Dakota, for the weekend event, I delighted in all this small town offers to families via the festival. Lots of busy and happy kids here. I’ve forgotten, though, just how quickly elementary aged youth can dart from one activity to the next.

My niece keeps a tight grip on her Laura doll while sifting through corn.

My niece keeps a tight grip on her Laura doll while sifting through corn.

And Beth did just that, with me there to hold her camera and Gatorade, but, thankfully, not her Laura doll, while I also juggled my 35 mm Canon DSLR camera and an over-sized bag. It’s not easy taking photos with your hands full and a mobile niece to watch. I shot at least a few frames one-handed.

Kids, including my niece, right, dig for objects in a tub of corn.

Kids, including my niece, right, dig for objects in a tub of corn.

I managed while observing Beth sift through tubs of corn and soybeans to find hidden objects and then weave among craft stands that held her interest, but not for long. She fingered merchandise at one booth then zoomed to another.

Creating seed art.

Creating seed art.

Earlier she’d created seed art, a craft I remember from my elementary school art days, days in which my teacher read the entire Little House book series to me and my classmates through the course of a school year. I attended school in Vesta, only 25 miles north of Walnut Grove, practically in the backyard of Plum Creek. To this day, the Little House books, and Wilder’s descriptive writing of the prairie landscape (she was the “eyes” for her blind sister, Mary) in the Minnesota-set volumes, remain among my favorite books. I once even penned a poem, “Prairie Sisters,” about my connection to the Little House books and the Ingalls sisters. (See poem at the end of this post.)

Most of the kids' activities are centered in the park shelter.

Most of the kids’ activities are centered in the park shelter.

But back to that Family Festival in Walnut Grove. Before my arrival, my niece punched a horse design onto leather at one of the many activity stations centered in and near a shelter at the city park. This festival is definitely a hands-on experience any kid, and parent, can appreciate.

The pony ride.

The pony ride.

I hoped Beth would ride a pony at the pony ride, but she didn’t follow my hint while under my supervision, opting instead to participate in the Laura Look-A-Like Contest. (You can read about that competition by clicking here.) And that was OK.

All of you parents and grandparents out there with children who are Little House fans, you have two more weekends to wend your way to Walnut Grove for a variety of activities, including the Family Festival from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, July 20 and 27, in the one-block square city park.

BONUS PHOTOS:

Leather art.

Leather art.

Craft demonstrations, like spinning, are part of the festivities.

Craft demonstrations, like spinning, are part of the festivities.

Tools and materials for crafting beautiful wooden spoons.

Tools and materials for crafting beautiful wooden spoons.

FYI: Click here to learn more about Little House themed events in Walnut Grove during the next two weekends.

AND HERE’S MY PROMISED POEM, published in 2000 in Poetic Strokes, A Regional Anthology of Poetry from Southeastern Minnesota:

Prairie Sisters

Laura and Mary splashed their way into my heart
as my fourth grade teacher waded into Plum Creek.
I felt the words sliding across my bare feet,
sticking to me like bloodsuckers between toes.

Prairie sisters, Laura and Mary, and me,
children of the wind and sky, we three.
The words swept me away from the brick walls
of school and of desks in orderly rows.

Across the rich, black soil, heavy with a farmer’s dream,
to Walnut Grove, twenty-five miles south and west,
I joined my prairie sisters on the banks of Plum Creek,
at home with the sweet scent of dark earth.

Together we turned the pages of our lives,
each day a new chapter, a new adventure.
Nellie Oleson, grasshoppers by the millions,
fire wheels and blinding, closed-in blizzards.

Years apart, yet years so close.
Prairie sisters, Laura and Mary, and me.
Rooted to a land that reaches into the soul,
bound forever by words in a book.

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Celebrating Laura Ingalls Wilder with a Laura Look-A-Like contest & more in Walnut Grove July 16, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The prairie attire of girls entered in the Laura Look-A-Like Contest in Walnut Grove.

The prairie attire of girls entered in the Laura Look-A-Like Contest in Walnut Grove.

CALICO SKIRTS SKIM bare legs. Bonnets brush braids. Charlotte rag dolls tuck into crooks of arms and lunch pails dangle from clenched hands.

Each contestant was asked where she had traveled from, whether she'd visited other "Laura" sites and whether she'd attended the "Wilder Pageant" before drawing a question from a lunch pail.

Each contestant is asked where she traveled from, whether she’s visited other “Laura” sites and whether she’s attended the “Wilder Pageant.” Then each drew a Little House-related question from a lunch pail.

And Laura look-a-likes step up to the microphone during the Laura Look-A-Like Contest Saturday afternoon in Walnut Grove, the southwestern Minnesota childhood home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I am in the city park with my husband and mother to meet my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and their 9-year-old daughter who have driven from North Dakota for this weekend celebration of all things Little House.

My niece's entry number. No, there were not 57 contestants. This is just the identifying number tag she was handed after I paid a $5 entry free and she registered.

My niece’s entry number. No, there were not 57 contestants. This is just the identifying number tag she was handed after I paid a $5 entry free and she registered.

At the last minute, my niece decides to enter the Laura competition and she scrambles to complete an entry form while the other girls are already answering questions about themselves and the Little House books.

My niece considers her randomly drawn question: What's another name for a leech? She got a little help with the answer.

My niece considers her randomly drawn question: What’s another name for a leech? She gets a little help with the answer.

Soon Beth joins the other Lauras on the grass, eventually taking her place in line to move up to the mic. I can sense her nervousness. She momentarily forgets that she lives near Grand Forks and that she’s seen the Wilder Pageant, an outdoor production featuring snippets from the Little House books, the previous evening. She hesitates again after pulling her question—What’s another name for leeches?—from a lunch bucket. (Bloodsuckers would be the answer.)

Pure Laura with bonnets, braids and prairie dresses.

Laura contestants with bonnets, braids and prairie dresses.

I am incredibly proud of Beth for joining the fun. And fun it is to see all of these 8 to 12-year-olds who have journeyed to the prairie from all parts of the country because they appreciate the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Four of the finalists in the Laura Look-A-Like contest. the fifth finalist was found shortly after I took this photo.

Four of the finalists in the Laura Look-A-Like contest. The fifth finalist was found shortly after I took this photo.

Beth doesn’t win the contest and, because of another commitment, we must leave before the top five finalists begin presenting a skit.

The Laura Look-A-Like contestants gather for a group shot in the park.

The Laura Look-A-Like contestants gather for a group shot in the park.

But my niece gathers with the other Lauras next to a brick building as the official photographer, along with a contingent of adoring parents, grandparents and at least one proud aunt, photograph the Laura look-a-likes.

If the contestants were chosen solely on which most resembled my image of Laura, it would have been this contestant.

If the contestants were chosen solely on which most resembled my image of Laura, it would have been this girl. She possesses that “look” which seems most like the Laura I imagine from the books.

FYI: Walnut Grove’s annual July celebration of all things Little House continues two more weekends, July 19-20 and July 26-27. The Laura-Nellie Look-A-Like Contest is part of the Family Festival, set again for 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturdays, July 20 and 27, in the city park. The Look-A-Like Contest starts at 3 p.m. with prizes based on overall appearance and knowledge of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nellie Oleson, Laura’s nemesis.

The Family Festival features an abundance of activities for kids, plus music, re-enactments, arts and crafts, demonstrations of old-time activities, author visits, pony rides and more. I’d highly recommend attending. I’ll show you additional fest images tomorrow.

Other attractions in Walnut Grove include the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, several shops and a mural.

About a mile north of town, visitors can see the site of the Ingalls’ family dug-out along the banks of Plum Creek.

But the highlight for most is the Wilder Pageant, performed Friday and Saturday evenings, beginning at 9 p.m., in an outdoor amphitheater just outside of town. I’ve seen this locally-produced show, which features a horse-pulled covered wagon, a prairie fire and more, several times. It’s outstanding. Four more performances are set for July 19, 20, 26 and 27. I’d recommend reservations. If you are traveling from afar, be aware that you likely will have to travel some distance to find a hotel room. Walnut Grove does not have a hotel and the nearest one in Lamberton is likely already booked. There’s camping at Plum Creek Park, a Redwood County park near the pageant site. But this fills quickly, especially on pageant weekends. Reservations are recommended.

Click here to read more details about the Little House celebration in Walnut Grove.

BONUS PHOTOS:

Far fewer girls competed in the Nellie Oleson Look-A-Like contest. Clearly, few want to role play the mean Nellie. But look how these girls played the haughty role to the hilt.

Far fewer girls competed in the Nellie Oleson Look-A-Like contest. Clearly, few want to role play the mean Nellie. But look how these girls played the haughty Nellie to the hilt as a group photo was taken.

Take two of the Nellie Look-A-Likes.

Take two of the Nellie look-a-likes.

What grandpas won't do for their granddaughters.

What grandpa won’t do for his granddaughter.

Lots of families watched the Laura and Nellie contests and spent hours at the kid-oriented Family Festival in the park.

Lots of families watched the Laura and Nellie contests and spent hours at the kid-oriented Family Festival in the park.

Too young for the Look-A-Like contest, but still outfitted in prairie girl clothing.

Too young for the Look-A-Like Contest, but still outfitted in prairie girl clothing.

© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Pull off Highway 14 & view the historic buildings of Lamberton June 7, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 7:20 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

A portion of Lamberton’s Main Street shows this to be a strong agricultural community.

LAMBERTON. Just another small town on the southwestern Minnesota prairie, so you would think if you’re driving on U.S. Highway 14, The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway.

But this community some dozen miles east of Walnut Grove, destination for fans of “The Little House” books and television series, is worth at least a drive-through if not a stop.

I’ll admit that up until my middle brother moved onto acreage north of Lamberton several years ago, I hadn’t spent much time in this town of 822 except to visit an uncle and aunt who once lived and ran a furniture store here.

I still haven’t explored this agricultural community like I should. But I’ve seen enough to know that I need to look more in depth. Let me show you why, via photos I took, mostly along Main Street, during a brief stop two months ago.

The once-popular corner gas station still stands in downtown Lamberton.

Most small towns once had creameries like this one.

Hanzlik Blacksmith Shop, dating to 1895, was gifted to the city and preserved by the local historical society. With the original wood floor and tools, it’s been called “a warehouse of a long ago lost art” by locals. The community celebrates this piece of history with an annual Hot Iron Days, this year set for September 7 – 8.

It’s the old buildings—from the cute corner gas station to the stout brick creamery to the old wood-frame blacksmith shop—that appeal to me. Some 30 miles to the northwest in my hometown of Vesta, which like Lamberton sits in Redwood County, the old buildings are mostly gone. But not in Lamberton. Here you’ll find plenty of historic buildings to please your artist’s eye and your historian’s heart.

Now all I need is someone with keys so I can take you inside these old buildings.

Vintage signs hold a certain historic charm.

The Music Mart supplies most major brands of band and orchestral instruments. Sales staff reach out to 100-plus schools in southern Minnesota, according to online information. Who would expect to find this type of business in a small town of less than 1,000 residents? Not me.

The Lamberton Antique Peddler is a must-see for anyone who is into antiques. This place is packed with merchandise in the former furniture store once operated by my uncle and aunt, Merlin and Iylene.

The Sewing Shoppe next to the creamery. Love the architecture.

An old Farmall is parked next to a building just off Main Street.

“The locker.”

A low-slung brick building, perhaps a former garage, caught my eye.

TO VIEW ANOTHER particularly beautiful building in Lamberton, a former bakery, click here to read a previous post on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling