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Record crowd at GCV
celebrates Laura Ingalls Wilder A record crowd spent Saturday, August 9, performing the tasks of 19th century life on the prairie, just as Laura Ingalls Wilder told of in her highly successful Little House on the Prairie series of novels. Genesee Country Village in Mumford celebrated Laura Ingalls Wilder Day with daylong activities for all ages and an appearance and book signing by special guest, Alison Arngrim, who as a childhood actress, portrayed Nellie Oleson in the popular television series based on the books and starring Michael Landon, "Little House on the Prairie."
Many mothers and daughters came dressed in their prairie dresses and bonnets; evidence, organizers, say of the tremendous appeal of the Little House series of books, the hugely popular television series and the event at GCV. HerrGesell said the event was a good way to tie in literature with learning about life in the 19th century. On the job as President and CEO of GCV just 15 months, Peter Arnold looked across the Village Square with delight at the number of families who came out to celebrate the author, who perhaps did more than any other, to bring awareness to the hardships and joys of rural life in the 1800’s. "It (Laura Ingalls Wilder Day) has huge potential, as today demonstrates. It’s been a great family day," Arnold commented. Arnold came to GCV from a museum in Wisconsin, where Laura Ingalls was born. The event was very popular there, Arnold said. However, in researching the author’s family further, Arnold discovered that her father, Charles Ingalls was born in Cuba, New York, about 75 miles from GCV and her husband, Almonzo Wilder, was born in Malone, a town located about 250 miles north in Franklin County, NY. Many of the skills used by "Pa" in caring for his family that Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her books, were acquired during his boyhood years growing up in Western New York. Arngrim held two autograph sessions and spoke to large audiences about what it was like to work on a television series with popular stars like Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. Born in New York City and raised in Hollywood, California, Arngrim had never read the Little House books when she auditioned for the part of Mary. She didn’t get that part but she was selected to play Nellie, the rich and very nasty daughter of Nels and Harriet Oleson, owners of the town’s general store. Museum members and visitors can look forward to next year’s Laura Ingalls Wilder day at GCV.
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With hundreds of families roaming
the village and participating in such activities as making soap,
weaving, making corn husk dolls and bonnet making, GCV marketing
coordinator Leif HerrGesell calls this, the first ever day dedicated to
Laura Ingalls Wilder, "one of the most successful events of the
summer."
