Laurapalooza 2012: What Would Laura Do?

Happy Trails from Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN,

What do historic tornadoes, telephone numbers, television celebrities and long naps have in common? Laurapalooza baby!

First a little background. A few years ago Dr. Amy Lauters, Sandra Hume, Connie Neuman, Barbara Hawkins and I held a mini-retreat at the Little House on the Prairie Museum near Independence, KS. We spent two days sharing our knowledge about the children's author, Laura Ingalls Wilder and learning from each other. As we chatted that weekend we all expressed our desire and dream to make sure that the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her contribution to children's literature would not be forgotten in years to come. I believe those conversations planted the seed for what has become the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association.

This group of dedicated women organized the first Laurapalooza in 2010-a 2.5 day conference on the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laurapalooza 2012 is the second conference which is held on the campus of Minnesota State University. The attendees of this conference encompass researchers, musicians, television fans, actors, authors and those who love Laura and her works. It is not a "fanfest". It is a time where legitimate research is shared in a conference format. Presenters are required to submit briefs for consideration and a committee of the LIWLRA selects appropriate topics for the conference. New this year is the addition of Camp Laura for our younger LIW crowd. I would estimate that there are about 150 people in attendance at Laurapalooza 2012.

I was not able to attend Laurapalooza 2010 and was disappointed that I couldn't. That was the year that we went to Ireland and that I was unemployed. It just didn't seem wise to spend the money or give the time to attend that year. I was determined to make it this year. My initial plan was to drive by myself to Minnesota, go to the conference and return home. In April, I was chatting with my friend, Valerie Snyder, and I told her about this conference and who would be here. I said the magic words "Dean Butler" and Valerie was in for the trip. Truthfully, she is here for more than that and I think she is not only enjoying herself but learning something at the same time.

We set off on our 11 hour drive bright and early Wednesday morning. We talked and talked and talked (and laughed and laughed and laughed) which made the hours pass very quickly. I didn't even feel tired until I got out of the car and stood up. My legs were just a little shaky. We checked into the dorm at MSU, changed into our "Laura" dressed and went to the Welcome Ice Cream Social. I was thrilled to see friends that I haven't seen in a few years and to really meet friends from Facebook. That's a real phenomena to me. Because we chat online through our Facebook walls and because we share information with each other, it feels as if you really know a person. Then you meet in real time and truly confirm those cyber friendships. At the ice cream social we also met Dean Butler, the actor turned documentarian, who played Almanzo on the t.v. show "Little House on the Prairie". Now, I'm a purist. My interests lie in reality and in the LH books. I like to share "what really happened" rather than what's seen on t.v. I've spent a lot of my time before, during and after a presentation clearing up ideas such as "Didn't Mary get her sight back and what happened to her child?" Uh, no. However, it was fun to meet Mr. Butler and I really respect the fact that he has taken the time to research and learn about the real Laura and Almanzo and has graciously shared that information with others.

Today was the real open of Laurapalooza. There were several presentors who covered topics such as the similarities between Louisa May Alcott and LIW, weather events mentioned in the later LH books (more on that in a minute) and information about Dr. Tann from LHOTP. As with any conference there were some excellent speakers, some adequate speakers and one or two clinkers. I gave a brief presentation to the little girls at Camp Laura. It was a unique group as every one of them knew about Laura already thanks to their parents. Following our Legacy luncheon we listened to Dean Butler and Dr. Dale Corkrell introduce the Pa's Fiddle Project. Dr. Corkrell is a musicologist from Nashville, TN. Several years ago he read the LH books to his son and he was touched by the emphasis on music included in the books. Through the past several years. Corkrell sought out the music and history of every song that Laura mentions in her books. This past January Dean Butler, Dr. Corkrell and his students put together a program of Pa's music. Ronnie Milsap, Randy Travis, Committed and a few other musicians were invited to perform in the concert. They were assigned songs which were performed in the artist's own style. The concert was taped for PBS and aired around the country during the June pledge week. LIWLRA member were extended a special invitation to come and be a part of the audience. Again, I really wanted to be there but the real world stepped in. I didn't think my boss would like it if I went to work 1 day after the Christmas break and then gone for the next two. Darn! I have to say that I really enjoyed the video that was shown about the making of the Pa's Fiddle Project and also the video of the concert itself but, my full tummy and sleepiness did catch hold a few times and I caught myself dozing off more than once. Valerie did too and at one point we both woke up because Valerie dropped her glasses. Oops!

I'll just briefly touch on the rest of the day. After the video was over, we came back to the dorm and both fell asleep. We woke up about 6:15 and had to rush to get dinner and attend the author's reception this evening. I was so rushed getting ready to come to MN 3 days after returning from Colorado that I forgot to pack the books that I wanted to have autographed this week. Luckily almost every author had postcards of their book covers and gave me an autograph on those. When I get home, those cards will be added to their respective books. William Anderson was also their. I've met him several times now and he is always very approachable and kind. Mr. Anderson began researching LIW as a young teenager and is a walking encyclopedia of information on Laura. I bought two new books by Bill tonight and he signed both of them. Guess what I learned from his book entitled "Laura of Mansfield? Laura's phone number. I'm not going to tell you what it is. You will have to buy the book or come to see me at Apple Festival in Topeka the first weekend of October.

Lastly, my favorite "new knowledge" of the day is that the tornado included in THGY was the first tornado ever captured by a camera. Isn't that cool. I've seen the photo many times but never made the connection. Barbara Mayes-Boustead, a meteorologist from NE stated that Laura was a storm chaser whether she knew it or not. The pictures above are of Valerie and I with Bill Anderson, Valerie and I with Dean Butler and of the 1884 tornado in South Dakota.

My eyes and brain are fading fast so I'll just sing "Old Dan Tucker" and turn in for the night.