Last weekend, my niece and I traveled to Mansfield, Missouri, to celebrate their annual Wilder Days. Although there are several events from Wednesday through Sunday, the majority of the festivities took place on Saturday, which was the only day we were able to be there.
We were looking forward to a wonderful day of Little House fun: first, the Little Laura lookalike contest, followed by old-fashioned children’s games and a parade. The Wilder Home had their share of activities too, with crafts for children throughout the day, and entertainment on the front lawn, including the playing of Pa’s fiddle.
The Little House Memories pageant had two scheduled showings for the day, in the afternoon and at night. So we had a very packed schedule, to fit in all the events both in town and at the museum.
And then it rained. It started raining Friday night, and it rained, and it rained, and it rained.
I was very discouraged. Had we come all this way only to have everything spoiled by the rain? What could be done in the rain? The Little Lauras would be soggy and bedraggled. Who wants to play outdoor games in the rain and mud? Would the parade even be held if the rain didn’t let up? What about the events at the Wilder Home? In past years, they’ve had a large tent set up in case of rain, but this year as we pulled up, we noticed there was no tent. “We usually do get a tent,” the director, Jean Coday, explained, “but this year it wasn’t supposed to rain!”
Surely there would be no playing of Pa’s fiddle in the rain, with no tent available. And the outdoor pageant? I saw no way around it. They would have to cancel it.
But the fine people of Mansfield pulled together and used a bit of ingenuity to make sure that even the heavy steady rain couldn’t put a damper on everyone’s fun! The Little Laura/Little Farmer Boy contest and the children’s games were moved into the Community Center. At the Wilder Home, the children’s activities were housed on Laura’s sleeping porch (an exciting moment for me, as I’d never been on the sleeping porch before!) and the video room was used for the playing of Pa’s fiddle. Mansfield High School kindly lent their gymnasium for the heartwarming Little House Memories pageant so a warm dry performance was still enjoyed by all.
If you’ve never been to Wilder Days in Mansfield, you’ll surely want to put it on next September’s vacation agenda. It was an eleven hour drive for us, and even so we were able to make the trip with only a half day of work for me and a half day of school for my niece missed. So even though it’s held during the school year, most people in the southeast or south-central portions of the United States should easily be able to attend. And I assure you, it’s worth it. Even in the rain.
Because when else can you both see — and hear — this?
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