Fun in Mankato and Walnut Grove

Oh, I’m so excited. We’ve got some details to add about the Walnut Grove field trip and activities in Mankato this summer during LauraPalooza.

First, two Walnut Grove natives, Denise Tietz and Catherine DeBates, are public relations students in my department at MSU. They’ve taken on the task of organizing activities for those who want to continue to Walnut Grove on Saturday afternoon.

Denise’s family has been involved with the Pageant and all the fun activities at WG for years; in fact, her mother sews up the bonnets and other fun costume pieces available for sale in the museum gift shop at WG. Catie’s family, too, has been heavily involved in what’s really a main attraction of southwestern Minnesota.

So your field trip includes:

* Admission to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum (which will feature Dean Butler as a speaker that Saturday afternoon);

* Shuttle to the Plum Creek Dugout Site and the Pageant grounds for tours on buses;

* Admission to the Pageant Supper for dinner;

* Reserved seating at the Pageant.

We anticipate that most will want to drive themselves, and some might continue on to De Smet for that town’s weekend activities, but we’re taking a tally of those who want alternate transportation to WG so we can arrange that if needed.

For those who want to stay in Mankato Saturday afternoon, the Betsy-Tacy Society will have extended hours, from noon to four, with costumed guides of the Betsy and Tacy houses. Additionally, society volunteers will be offering family activities Friday morning from 10 to noon, as a third track of LauraPalooza activities, which will include conversations with Betsy and with Laura, a walking tour of the neighborhood, and storytelling. We’re very excited about your partnership with the Betsy-Tacy Society! You might even see some of your favorite characters from both series at the Wednesday night ice cream social at the dorms!

There’s still plenty of room in the dorms and plenty of time to register for LauraPalooza. Hope to see you there!