The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library has included her entire speech from her visit complete with lots of photos.
Wendy McClure at Hoover Presidential Library

And while you are on the Hoover YouTube page, check out their Laura exhibit from the 1990s.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Exhibit

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube and Blog Talk Radio
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association, Vice-President and Membership Chair

And I hope everybody will tune in Feb. 7, 2012 at 9:30 pm ET, 8:30 pm CT, 7:30 pm MT, 6:30 pm PT

Stream it online or call in to either just listen or talk at

Call in (714) 242-5253 or toll free 1-877-633-9389

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube and Blog Talk Radio
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association, Vice-President and Membership Chair

Click here to join now.

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube and Blog Talk Radio
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association, Vice-President and Membership Chair

Laura Ingalls Wilder FAQs

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube.

If you have some time spend it with Laura Ingalls Wilder:

A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas

In the meantime, here is the list of committees we have worked out based on everyone’s interests. If any assignment does not work for you or if you think we made a mistake in your assignment, please note it in the comments.

Keynote Programming
Chair: Rebecca Brammer
Other board members: Sandra Hume, Jonni Craven
Additional volunteers: Barb Boustead

Awards/Awards Dinner
Chair: Rebecca Brammer
Other board members: Sarah Sue Uthoff
Additional volunteers: Lauri Goforth

Content Programming
Chair: Amy Lauters
Other board members: Sandra Hume, Connie Neumann
Additional volunteers: Barb Boustead, Laura McLemore, Laura Chapman

Friday Night Entertainment
Chair: Jonni Craven
Other board members: none at present
Additional volunteers: Lauri Goforth

Registration
Chair: Jonni Craven
Other board members: Sandra Hume
Additional volunteers needed: Rachel Luther, Laura Welser

Publications
Chair: Sandra Hume
Other board members: none at present
Additional volunteers: Wendy McClure, Sue Poremba, Laura Welser, Laura Chapman

Children’s Programming
Chair: Rebecca Brammer
Other board members: Connie Neumann
Additional volunteers: Rachel Luther, Laura McLemore, Heather Von Bank, Julie Miller

Food
Chair: Amy Lauters
Other board members: Connie Neumann
Additional volunteers needed: none

Just-In-Time/On-Site/Technical
Chair: Amy Lauters
Other board members: Sandra Hume
Additional volunteers: none; an events-planning class at the University will be spearheading this.

Fundraising
Chair: Connie Neumann
Other board members: none at present
Additional volunteers needed: 2-3

Elections
Chair: Sandra Hume
Other board members: none at present
Additional volunteers needed: Carolyn Pappin, Laura Welser, Suzanne Falck-Yi, Sanne Jakobsen

Merchandise
Chair: Amy Lauters
Other board members: none at present
Additional volunteers needed: Melanie Stringer, Karen Witham

Probably the most unusual thing new this year is the replica of Laura Ingalls Wilder engagement ring from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. (scroll down linked page) I think it is probably out of better material than Laura’s original that was ordered out of the Montgomery Ward catalog. On that same page find plenty of Laura jewelery and, if you have your own Jack, I highly recommend Jack’s Puppy Treats (my dog Blue pops them like candy). I also saw a couple of ornaments I want for my Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas Tree. They’ve even put out a special online newsletter about what they are selling this year. They are also proud of their cloth dolls and flannel child sized PJs which are locally made.

Although the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Spring Valley, Minnesota is a smaller site they always have interesting and unusual pieces. This year they’ve introduced a glass ornament of their site. They sell one of my favorite Laura dolls, a cloth Almanzo doll. They also have 3 specially designed Playing Laura dresses for 18 inch fashion dolls.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa is also a smaller site with unique items. For stocking stuffers, they have laminated wooden bookmarks featuring a Burr Oak tree (I love mine) and slates and slate pencils.

The Ingalls Homestead of De Smet, South Dakota is offering free standard shipping on purchases over $50. They were surprised by how well Basic Country Skills, a new book they’ve stocked, is selling. It’s a how-to of pioneer skills. Another big seller is the hardcover set of Laura’s books in a wooden crate. They’ve introduced high quality tin cups produced by Jacob Bromwell which has been making tin cups since the 1830s, still handmade in the United States. Also, along with several of the other sites they are selling the Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura DVD which is a great companion for both a trip to Malone and the book Farmer Boy. It is of course also available from Malone.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum of Mansfield, Missouri has put together a special page of Christmas related items in their giftshop, including their awesome laser-cut ornaments of the Sewell cover illustrations, plus Rocky Ridge. They also are still promoting their DVD Laura Ingalls Wilder: Stories of Pioneer Girl.  It won’t let me link to sections within the giftshop. The DVD is under Collectibles and Gifts and the Christmas stuff is under Christmas.

The following Laura Ingalls Wilder sites are still open and allowing you to order for Christmas. I’m listing the cut off date for Christmas orders to reach you before Christmas as given to me by the homesites. The Walnut Grove museum is especially counting on mail orders this year because they normally get walk in traffic at the gift shop all winter, but they have construction going on right now so they are mail-order only this year.

Walnut Grove MN

Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum

Phone 1-800-528-7280

Last Day for Priority Mail – December 16th

De Smet SD

Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, Click on Gift Shop

Phone 1-800-880-3383

Last Day for Priority Mail – December 16th

Ingalls Homestead

Phone: 1-800-776-3594

Last Day for Priority Mail – December 21st (16th for regular mail), call if questions

Mansfield MO

Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum

Phone 1-877-924-7126 (Toll free)

Last Day for Priority Mail – Sometime between December 12th and the 16th

Malone NY

Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder Farm

Phone (518) 483-1207

Last Day for Priority Mail – December 1^4th

Malone also says for their set up, online ordering has a quicker response.

Spring Valley MN

Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum (Store not online)

Phone (507) 346-7659

Last Day for Priority – December 10th

Burr Oak IA

Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum

Phone (563) 735-5916

Last Day for Priority – Not giving a last day, it’s up to the customer

And Don’t forget you can also get your Laura fan memories of Laurapalooza 2010 and gift memberships.

Sarah S. Uthoff blogs at TrundleBed Tales; look for her on Twitter and YouTube.

To kick off the holidays in wintry style, we thought we’d try something a tiny bit different this time … a haiku contest to accompany a giveaway of the book.

Here are the rules:

1. Write a haiku about The Long Winter
2. Post it here in the comments

That’s it! You have until the end of the day on Monday, December 12. Erin and I will choose our favorite and bestow the winner with a copy of The Heroine’s Bookshelf, which features a chapter on The Long Winter and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Happy writing!

We went to random.org to choose the winner…and she is Deb whose comment is:

I remember being shocked that the Boast’s tried to “buy” Laura and Almanzo’s baby. It felt so tragic and lonely and incredibly personal. Although it’s never clear whether the Boasts were infertile or just had no children live past infancy it is one of the more hard and adult truths in The First Four Years.

Congratulations, Deb! Please email your address to beyondlittlehouse at gmail dot com. We will send The Wilder Life right out to you and you will also receive a signed bookplate from Wendy McClure!

I’m really grateful that Sandra and Connie agreed to help coordinate audience participation for Pa’s Fiddle by members of our Little House community.

For those who are able to be there it’ll be a great chance to be part of the show…we’ll make sure we see your smiling, happy faces as you listen to some of the best music Pa played on his fiddle during his family’s timeless adventure on the prairie. Our house band will be five to six players led by musical director Randy Scruggs…together they will be supporting some special guests from the worlds of country and bluegrass music.

Laura mentions 127 different songs in her books…we’ll hear 10 to 15 of them at the Loveless Barn. The performances will be edited into a 1-hour Pledge Special for PBS that will premiere nationally in June of 2012.

We only have about 100 seats available…they’ll all be good…you’ll be part of the show. I know i’ts short notice, but you’ll have fun. We’ll need to know who’s coming by Friday, Dec 16. Details on the show time will be made available at that time…you should expect the performance to be shot over a four- to six-hour period during the afternoon and evening of January 6, 2012. I’ll hope to see you there.

Edited to add:

People have been asking about children attending the performance. We’re glad you reminded us, as we would love younger fans to be in the audience! Any child 8 years and older is welcome to come, but please keep in mind that this will be a long afternoon/evening and we will need everyone who chooses to attend the event to stay from beginning to end in the interest of continuity.

Dean