Some of you may know that we live near Walnut Grove. Yep, that Walnut Grove. Some of you may also know that my husband and daughters have been acting in Walnut Grove’s Wilder Pageant for 6 years now.
Every summer, June evenings are consumed with rehearsals for Anna, Victoria and Daryl. Then July comes and weekends are consumed with the performances.
Tonight is opening night. It is just past dark, so the show just began. The grassy hillside near Plum Creek will be crowded with hundreds, sometimes well over a thousand people, some in reserved seats and others in folding chairs and on blankets. Children will laugh and chase each other on the hills until the music starts and they excitedly catch sight of a horse drawn wagon off in the distance behind the trees.
Then “Older Laura” will come out and start to tell her story, about how it is that the Ingalls Family arrived in this little town. And for nearly two hours, families will go back in time as they watch dances, schoolroom lessons, a grasshopper plague, a raging fire, a church’s construction, a girl’s blindness, comedy, tragedy and more.
The boys and I went Wednesday for dress rehearsal and got to see this year’s show. I always choke up at certain scenes, and some just make me smile. I took a billion pictures, too.
Here’s a few images from the banks of Plum Creek…
Backstage…
Almost time…
And it begins…
Break a leg, my sweeties.
How very cool!
So cool – wish we lived close so we could go!
I love Little House. It was my favorite tv show growing up. I wish we still had good wholesome programming on tv like that. I think it is really neat that your kids are so involved and enjoy that!
In reference to my Tuscan Bean Toss- I think if you roasted the red peppers that would add another layer of flavor in place of the anchovies.
This looks wonderful! We have one here in KY about the life of Stephen Foster. Outdoor shows are so much fun. Hope you all enjoy the season!
I read all the books when I was a child – it seemed so romantic and full of freedom to make mistakes, but no real harm (like when they used all the white sugar making icecream when their parents were away and left them minding the house by themselves…)
Thank you for posting! I love Little House and now so does my daughter. She is 7 years old but her favorite tv show is Little House. We got the first two seasons on DVD and gave her the next two for Christmas. Just found 5 and 6 but we are searching for the rest because it’s better then what’s on TV now. I am excited to start our summer lessons on the book series! My daughter wants to live on Plum Creek soooo bad. She is a version of Laura despite growing up without the Ingalls. 😛 Thanks for the pictures! What a cool idea. 🙂
We went in 2012. It was a great play! I loved the church building scene. My kids loved wading in Plum creek while we were in WG, too. Thanks for your work and dedication- people come from all over the country (and beyond) and it would be dissapointing without the commitment of the actors and crew to put on a great show.
Oh, I can’t wait for someday when I get to go!