Lafayette Charter School

What would have been a beautiful drive to Lafayette Charter School on Thursday afternoon, January 19, 2012, was spoiled by the bright sun--but what am I saying?! Think how it could have been spoiled by blowing snow or even cancelled by a blizzard! Nancy and I decided to squint and enjoy the view as best we could and feel lucky for the nice weather.

The occasion was called Ag Night and the local Parent Teacher Organization sponsored a really nice lunch and a program that focused on agriculture, which still is the leading industry in Minnesota.

My program on Farm Heritage included my story A Farm Country Picnic, and I spoke for a little over 45 minutes to the audience of students and adults.

Talking about Farm Heritage to the Ag-Night audience of kids and adults at Lafayette was like preaching to the choir. The adults were on top of every farm joke and bit of nostalgia I threw out, and kids of every age showed enthusiasm and interest.  Add the fact that they supplied a sound system that made me sound like a radio announcer and I have to say that for me it doesn't get any more fun than this.

The intergenerational audience is always great to see, especially when

 young students and their parents pick out books together to buy.

Connor, seated second from right, stopped to chat with me after the show.

He said he liked my books and enjoyed the show.

When I asked him about school, he indicated he wanted to learn as much as he could.

Pretty good attitude, wouldn't you say?

Many kind and interesting people took time to talk to me and to Nancy after the show. They wished us well on our endeavor to pass on Farm Heritage, gave positive comments about the show, purchased books, and shared a number of fun stories with us.

I signed books and talked to parents and students, 

and when Nancy wasn't busy, she snapped a few photographs.

I thank the Parent-Teacher Organization at the Lafayette Charter School for inviting me to speak at Ag-Night and for their generous donation for travel expenses. Everyone made Nancy and me feel really welcome at the event.

I especially thank Heather Winkelmann who arranged the event and Sandy Burger for ordering a full set of books for their library.  

I consider it a privilege to be involved with Farm Heritage and enjoy the opportunity to speak on the subject to farmers and non-farmers, alike.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson