Living in the 1800s
Musicians, authors share life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder at Walnut Grove festival
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Staff Writer
WALNUT GROVE -- The community of Walnut Grove came together last Saturday to celebrate the Wilder Festival that was filled with activities connected to Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.
The grounds of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum was filled with people. They listened to l800s music played and sung by performers. They bobbed their heads to the melody. Many girls walked around wearing bonnets and dresses from the 1800s, all ready for the Laura and Nellie Look-A-Like contest that would be held later in the day.
Once the performers finished, they made way for William Anderson and Cindy Wilson, two authors who have a great love for the "Little House on the Prairie" book series.
Both recalled how they both discovered Wilder's books in grade school. They made sure to read all that they could by her. The books left them both with questions.
"I was always fascinated what happened to the rest of the Ingalls family after the books were completed," Anderson said to the audience. "I did research about them and wrote the story of the Ingalls family and quite a few others."
Wilson was curious about something else.
"I wrote the book 'The Beautiful Snow' because I was curious how the real history compared to what unfurled in the novel 'The Long Winter,'" Wilson said. "And the more I dug, the more interesting it became. I was sharing information and was finding that some of my girlfriends were saying 'You need to put this together in a book,' so that other people can learn it too."
As they sat on the porch of the Masters Hotel, a hotel that Laura Ingalls Wilder herself worked at, the authors spoke more in depth about their stories and what they knew about Walnut Grove's connection to her family.
After their presentation, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum gift shop became full. Many from the audience had gone to get books signed by Anderson and Wilson, and asked more questions. Others looked around at all the Ingalls family themed merchandise. Some families went through the museum.
Outside, Curtis and Loretta (Curtis Teague and Loretta Simonet) were back on stage, singing and playing interesting instruments.
"This is a Celtic folk harp," Simonet said to the audience. "It's an Irish harp with 36 strings, very different than your usual harp."
As they played, many visitors went looking around at the vendors nearby. Sister's Delight filled the air with the smell of fresh egg rolls. The Prairie Apothecary was selling hand-crafted goat's milk soaps, body products and more. There was a stand were girls could buy their very own homemade bonnets and clothes that resembled what Laura Ingalls might have worn as a young girl.
Mercy Market had its own booth, selling things such as jewelery, toys and kitchen supplies from all over the world such as Turkey, Mexico, Kazakhstan and more.
Each product was handmade by someone who lives in one of these countries and the money earned would be sent to the maker.