Gordon W. Fredrickson

The Harbor at Peace Village

2012-01-26T17:06:00.000-06:00

The Harbor, located at Norwood, Minnesota, offers assisted living and senior care. We arrived early and had a chance to visit with many friendly residents as they finished their noon meal before we set up.
They were a fun group, and they responded with smiles and laughter to my Farm Heritage Program, which included my story, A Farm Country Picnic. Many of the men and women in the audience were retired farmers who had lots of interesting stories to tell Nancy and me after the show.

Thanks to Bonita Heilman, Director of Community Relations, for inviting us to do our Farm Heritage Program at the Harbor and for the donation for travel expenses. The residents seemed to enjoy the show and Nancy and I had a good time, too.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Dakota County Library's First Annual Author Fair

2012-01-22T10:51:00.000-06:00

Over 40 authors and several representatives from publishing and advertising attended the first annual event at the Galaxie Library in Apple Valley on Saturday, January 21, 2012, where the public was invited to meet local authors, listen to keynote speaker and mystery author David Housewright, and attend some workshops on publishing.

Nancy and I were delighted to be part of the event and felt honored to be in the company of so many fine authors. We displayed and sold books at our table and found time to walk around to visit a number of other authors, several of whom have become our friends over the years.

Meeting Brian Leehan, author of Pale Horse at Plum Creek, presented a special opportunity for us because we had purchased his book about the First Minnesota's valiant efforts at the Battle of Gettysburg back in 2006 from a bookstore at Gettysburg when we visited the Battlefield on a guided tour. Nancy brought our copy with us and asked him to autograph it.

Brian Leehan signing and displaying our copy of his book that we purchased at Gettysburg in 2006.

Whether or not you are a reader of Civil War books, Brian's book is one to enjoy. Brian's detailed narrative of the First Minnesota's heroic involvement in the Battle at Gettysburg gives a unique and complete account that makes great reading.

Nancy and I wish to thank Youth Services Coordinator Jennifer Verbrugge and Adult Services Coordinator Lindsey Dyer for inviting us to participate in the author fair and for doing a great job in organizing and hosting the event, which was enjoyed by participants and visitors, alike.

I leave you with two more photos:

Nancy (below) and I (above) at our display.

Lafayette Charter School

2012-01-20T11:40:00.000-06:00

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

Cutting the young trees

2012-01-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

After posting my September 6, 2011, blog about thinning the trees Nancy and I planted in the mid-1990s, I received an email from someone who made me feel better about the job because he offered a unique use for the logs, a use I had never imagined.

Tim Arlt, a program leader with the University of Minnesota Extension, emailed me to express an interest in buying the logs for growing shitake mushrooms. He and his wife Deb have a backyard venture where they use oak logs 3" to 10" in diameter and 44" to 48" long to grow mushrooms by drilling several holes into the logs and placing spawn into the holes. The spawn thrives in the log and sprouts mushrooms in all directions.

Nancy and I thought this was a really good use for our young logs, and since Tim said he needed to implant the spawn within two weeks after the logs were cut, we set up a time line with him on when we would cut and when they would pick them up.

The very last photographs are the before and after shots I promised in my September 6th blog.
But first, here are a few photographs of the cutting process:

I cut the trees about 48" from the ground so the bottom would be a perfect length

for Tim and Deb's mushroom logs.

I was pleased to discover that some trees had two or more logs of 48" diameter and 48" length.

Then I cut the trunk off as close to the ground as I could.

Although I cut only 13 trees, I was able to get 25 logs over 3" in diameter.

My chipper, which you can see mounted on my tractor in the background, will easily take up to a 6 " log so I could have just chipped the logs, but I liked the idea of the logs being used to grow something.

Looking west, before(above) and after (below) the cutting.

Looking east, before (above) and after (below).

In a few years, I'll cut out the trees in the middle row, and I'll check with Tim to see if he needs more logs. I plan to use the smaller logs for making some benches for outside use. I'll see how ambitious I am when that time comes.

I meant to get pictures of us loading the logs on Tim and Deb's trailer, but Nancy and I were so busy visiting with them and listening to them explain the mushroom process that we forgot.

Maybe next time.

As 2011 closes..

2012-01-01T13:42:00.000-06:00

As December 31st comes around, most of us do some looking back as we review the year, count our blessings, and consider ways to improve personally and professionally.

As you may know, my wife and I offer free Farm Heritage shows about my Collector series of Farm Heritage books to preschools, elementary schools, other schools, museums, libraries, historical societies, clubs and banquets of all types, nursing homes, senior centers and assisted living facilities. The shows are intended to be entertaining and educational for all ages of children and all ages of adults.
If you know of a place we should visit, give us a call.

My records show that in 2011 Nancy and I visited and performed for over 6,000 children and adults, visiting over 80 different facilities, including over 40 schools and nearly 40 museums, libraries, historical societies, senior care facilities, and other facilities.
Since we were on vacation for 10 days in January and 16 days in September, and since we were at the fair for 7 days and at Farmfest for 4 days, you can see the schedule was pretty steady, especially if you factor out holidays and other days we vended at other sites.
But our goal is to do more shows in 2012.
Can you help us? if you know of a place we should visit, give them a call and recommend that they call us. My stories aim to entertain and educate, and I enjoy making people of all ages smile.

We also published two new books, If I Were a Farmer: Tommy's Adventure and A Farm Country Picnic, which brings our book total to seven titles. You can view sample pages and order on line at www.gordonfredrickson.com or just email me at twogfsc@integra.net.

First, we are thankful to be so busy. We thank all of those teachers and principals in schools and all those activity directors and club leaders for taking a chance on us by letting us try to entertain and educate your group. I know it's a risk to invite an unknown to your school or group. I hope we didn't disappoint.
If we succeeded, please pass the word. Please invite us back. We can only continue if leaders continue to invite us to perform at their facility.

Second, our goal is to entertain and teach about farm heritage in a way that provides fun stories that are accurate according to what farming was really like for kids in 1950. It is my goal to write 16 titles of the Farm Country Tales series that cover the whole year of January through December of 1950 so that in 100 years or more there will be an entire body of work that displays what it was like on a farm in 1950.
I write my stories to preserve our farm heritage and as response to two things in our society:
(1) many children's books make farming look like a petting zoo. It wasn't then and it isn't now. I try to show things that farmers really do in my stories, like chores, haying, threshing, feeding calves, and milking cows.
(2) popular media either seems to get stories about farming wrong or ignore stories about farm people entirely, as if no stories can take place in a farm setting.

Third, since traveling and producing books are expensive endeavors, our goal is also to sell books. If we don't sell books, we cannot continue to do free shows, and I think free shows are essential because many groups have little or no money available.
At this point I wish to point out the many, many schools and other facilities who stretch their budgets to give us a travel donation for our efforts. Regardless of the size of the donation, we greatly appreciate it. Recently, teachers in a school actually donated their own money to us for travel expenses (thank you, Amy). I was moved by their generosity during Christmas Season when money for every family is at a premium. Also, lots of schools purchase a complete set of my books for their libraries. The books are a perfect and unique addition to any library collection, in both rural and metropolitan libraries.

In 2012, Nancy and I are working on A Farm Country Harvest, which will be longer than the other books and include illustrations of my story and real photographs of harvest in the middle of the last century. It should be done in 2013.
We plan on publishing a fun book called What I Saw on the Farm Caused Me Great Alarm, which is not a series title. The story is illustrated by twelve-year-old Bradley Simon, who goes to New Prague School.
And I hope to progress on my teen novel, Garden Ghost, which takes place on the Carlson farm in February, 1955, when Jimmy is 14, Maggie is 13, and Joey is 10. The story is based on an event when my sisters and I saw a ghost in our garden when I was about 9.

Thanks to all who invited me to visit a facility in 2011.
Thanks to all who managed to give a donation for expenses,
Thanks to all who purchased my books. I know you appreciate that they are keepsake books, meant to be passed on from generation to generation to preserve farm heritage. I hope you enjoy them often.
Thanks to blog readers everywhere.
Happy New Year!

The Week Before Christmas at Five Elementary Schools

2011-12-28T11:55:00.000-06:00

This year Nancy and I were privileged to be invited to perform my Christmas story at five schools in four days, Monday through Thursday of the week before Christmas. With Christmas less than a week away and vacation from school only a few days in the future, the children's excitement is at a peak. It's a fun time for me to do shows that include my story A Farm Country Christmas Eve.

Pictures of the shows are on the second page of this post.

Otsego Elementary, Otsego, MN

Monday morning, December 19, 2011, we did two shows for third grade students at Otsego Elementary, where I did my first shows in the year 2000. This is my twelfth consecutive year performing there, and it brought back lots of memories.

During the summer of 2000 Nancy and I published our first book at home, County Road Christmas Eve which was the predecessor to A Farm Country Christmas Eve. Teacher and friend Diana Sawdey liked the story and invited me to do a reading for her third grade class. After she and I discussed what would work best for the students, I came up with the format that I still use today. I had never performed for little kids before so I credit Diana for giving me the courage and inspiration to begin the performances and I think of her often when I do shows throughout the year. Diana passed away in September of 2010. We miss her always.

Nancy and I thank Mrs. Erickson for continuing to invite us to Otsego to keep up the tradition of doing my Christmas stories for third grade students.

Fieldstone Elementary, St. Michael, MN

We were scheduled to do two shows on Monday afternoon starting at 12:45 at Fieldstone Elementary, St. Michael, Minnesota. This is our second year at Fieldstone and I thank Ms. Kampa, the Media Specialist, and Ms. Aanuerud, the principal for inviting us back. I credit the students' high level of excitement to the enthusiasm shown by Ms. Kampa and Principal Aanuerud, who took time from their busy day to chat with us and help us get settled. They both made us feel especially welcome.

Big Woods Elementary, St. Michael, MN

At noon on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, our first of two shows for third grade students started at noon.

The weather was great and we enjoyed our one-hour drive to the school. Here, too, we always feel especially welcome as former students who work in the office greet Nancy and me as we sign in. Friend and retired teacher Nancy Terhark first invited us to do a show for her class in the year 2000, so this was our twelfth consecutive year at Big Woods, which was formerly St. Michael Elementary. Ms Terhark and Diana Sawdey were close friends, and I feel gratitude to both of them for getting me started.

Nancy and I thank third grade teacher Ms. Curran for continuing the tradition of having me perform my Christmas story at the school.

Cedar Creek Community School, Cedar, MN

Nice weather continued to make winter driving a joy, and lucky for us because Cedar Minnesota is about an hour and a half from our place. The first of two shows for first grade students was scheduled to begin at 1:50 PM on Wednesday, December 21. The first graders and their teachers were full of enthusiasm, and since the schedule allowed 45 minutes for each show, the students had lots of time to ask questions. I was especially impressed with the answers the students had for my "quiz" but I was even more impressed with the quality of questions from these students, who clearly had fun during the show but also had curiosity and a desire to learn.

Nancy and I thank Mrs. Baar, the first grade teacher who invited us to perform at Cedar Creek and arranged the visit.

Chatfield Elementary School, Belle Plaine, MN

In October of 2011, we were invited to do a six shows that included my story If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure. for grades one and two. The students and I enjoyed my visit, which led to Mr. Carlson inviting us back to do the Christmas show for the same groups of first and second graders on Thursday, December 22, 2011. Three shows for first graders were scheduled to start at 9:00 AM and three shows for second graders were scheduled to start at 12:30 PM. Believe me, with the high enthusiasm on this pre-vacation day, I needed the lunch break. A special surprise during the last morning show was a visit from my grand nephew Jacob Malz, who student-taught at the school last fall. He took time to visit with us over the lunch break and Nancy and I were delighted to see him.

Nancy and I thank Mr. Carlson, the first grade teacher who invited us to perform at the school again.

To see pictures of the events, click READ MORE

First group of third graders at Otsego (above and below).

Second group of third graders at Otsego (above and below).

First group of third graders at Fieldstone Elementary (above and below).

Second group of third graders at Fieldstone (above and below).

Nancy and I forgot the camera on Tuesday. My apologies to students and

staff at Big Woods Elementary because we have no pictures!

First grade students in the first group at Cedar Creek (above and below).

First grade students in the second group at Cedar Creek (above and below).

First group of first graders at Chatfield Elementary in Belle Plaine.

Grade one, Group two at Chatfield.

Grade one, Group three at Chatfield.

Grade two, Group one at Chatfield.

Grade two, Group two at Chatfield.

Grade two, Group three at Chatfield.

We hope to return to the schools next December.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Santa Day at Gaylord Public Library

2011-12-20T07:56:00.000-06:00

Gaylord Public Library (above) and

the Santa Day sign (below).

Saturday was Santa Day at Gaylord Public Library and the staff had fun activities planned for all ages.
I was scheduled to do two shows, one at 9:30 AM and one at 10:30 AM, but other activities included petting animals from the farm, visiting Santa, and decorating cookies.
The library at Gaylord is a really nice facility with several meeting rooms and a large entryway. There was plenty room for the good turnout of adults and kids who took part in the various activities.

Across the hall from my show were several farm animals that children and adults could view and pet.

All the activities were well attended, including my first session (above) and

my second session (below), both of which included my book A Farm Country Christmas Eve.

Audience members of all ages take part in my demonstration

of teaching a newborn calf to drink from a pail (above)

and laugh at the results (below).

I signed many books, but Nancy was so busy visiting with people

she didn't get much time to take pictures.

Nancy and I enjoyed talking to the many audience members

who stopped to visit after the show and share their stories of the farm.

Nancy and I are very grateful to Librarian Wanda Messner for inviting us to do two shows at Santa Day, and we wish to commend her and others for organizing such a wonderful event. Wanda, Laurie Waltz, and Kayla Downer all worked hard to make it happen smoothly, and each of them took time from their busy schedule to greet Nancy and me and to offer assistance. Many volunteers were available all morning to help with the event's activities.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

All Saints Catholic School, Lakeville, MN, second day

2011-12-18T18:46:00.000-06:00

Our second day at All Saints included doing shows for students in grades 2 and 3. We were greeted with a smile at the door by Debbie Donnelly, who signed us in and gave us visitor badges.

Third grade students in the first group were eager to begin the show (above) and
listen to my explanation of 'chores" on the farm (below).

The first group of third grade students volunteer to answer the question,

"From what six places do the cats come when Joey calls them?"

Second group of third graders listening as I begin the Prologue (above) and

raising their hands to answer questions (below).

The same group lines up to take turns sticking their hands in the can of oats.

Two classes of second graders made the last group large,

but they were fun and eager to listen (above),

and they watched closely as the children in the story

go to the barn to help with chores on Christmas Eve (below).

The same group raises hands to answer questions.

I had a lot of fun doing the shows at All Saints, and I was sad when my stay their ended. Nancy and I wish to again thank Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Lloyd for arranging the visit. The students and staff I met seemed enthusiastic about their tasks and that always makes my job a pleasure.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

All Saints Catholic School, Lakeville, MN

2011-12-15T12:16:00.000-06:00

Like many elementary schools I visit, All Saints in Lakeville overflows with enthusiasm. The teachers smile and greet us and the children do the same.
When we visited on Wednesday, December 14, Angela Barry, who was attending the front desk, greeted Nancy and me with a big smile and took the time to walk us over to the media center to introduce us to Mrs. Johnson, who helped Mr. Steve Lloyd, a volunteer at the school, arrange our visit. Mrs. Johnson is the librarian at the school, and as she acquainted us with where we were to set up, she greeted each child who passed by name and offered a friendly smile.

It's not hard to spot a school environment where kids can blossom.

I was scheduled to do four consecutive performances of my Christmas show, which includes my book A Farm Country Christmas Eve. Since the story is very close to what actually happened to me as a farm boy awaiting a visit from Santa at chore time on Christmas Eve, I love doing the show for all ages of kids and adults. The story still touches my heart with sweet memories of my parents and siblings.

The first group of kindergartners await the start of the show (above) and hold up two fingers to help me demonstrate how to teach a newborn calf to drink from a pail (below).

As the children exit, Mrs. Johnson helps them line up to take their turns

at sticking their hands in a coffee can of oats.

The first group of first graders listen as I recite the prologue (above) and raise their hands

to answer questions (below).

Then they take turns feeling the oats as they exit.

The second group of kindergartners view of picture of the farm I grew up on during my introduction (above) and listen as I explain they will get a chance to feel the oats in the can after the show(below).

Mrs. Johnson helps organize the exit as I hold the can of oats.

First graders make up the fourth and final group and they eagerly listen as I begin my introduction (above) and they enthusiastically raise their hands to answer questions (below).

Children check out the oats as they exit.

Nancy and I enjoyed our visit to All Saints immensely. Because teachers and students were enthusiastic, I had even more fun than I usually do performing my stories.

Nancy and I want to thank all the teachers and the students for showing us such hospitality, and we especially thank Mr. Lloyd and Mrs. Johnson for arranging the event. Also, a special thanks to the principal, Mrs. Meskill, for taking time to watch one of the programs.

After sharing some fun and learning experiences with children, I am always reluctant to say goodbye, but this time I know I am returning in a couple days to do the Christmas show for students in second and third grades. I'm looking forward to it.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

St. Mary's School in Owatonna

2011-12-13T14:33:00.000-06:00

I received a warm greeting from everyone at St. Mary's in Owatonna.
First, June, who handles the many issues in the office, took time to show me where to set up and then she held the door for Nancy and me as we carried in our equipment. Kids in the hallway smiled to say hello and Sharleen Berg, Media Specialists, said hello and took a few moments to chat as we met her in the hallway.
Everyone we met offered to help, especially Tammy Barnes, who teaches grade 1 and who invited us to the school to do three programs of A Farm Country Christmas Eve to Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 students.
I can always tell when teachers and other leaders have "talked up" my visit because the groups of students are excited to see the show when they come in to sit down. This was certainly the case with these groups.
And they asked lots of good questions.
One second-grade girl asked me if I always wore overalls.
I told her I only wear them as a costume when I perform.
She replied with a big smile, "I thought so."

Kindergarten Students eager to answer questions (above)

and posing for a group photograph (below).

Students in first grade holding up two fingers to teach a calf to drink (above)

and raising their hands to answer questions (below).

Second Graders raising their hands to answer questions (above)

and lining up to feel the oats in the can after the show (below).

Administrators seldom are able to break away from their work to watch my show, but I was particularly pleased when Principal Hawkins stopped by to watch the show with the first graders. Later, she stopped by to tell my wife that she liked the show and then she thanked us for coming.

Nancy and I thank Mrs. Barnes for inviting us to visit St. Mary's and arranging the whole event, and we thank Mrs. Prostrollo for the use of her room.

We also thank all the teachers for sharing their time with us and Mrs. Hawkins, the principal for allowing us to visit the school.

As a former teacher, I never underestimate the importance of class time with students, and I will always strive to make my time with them valuable to their education.

I also believe in having some fun during the show, and the students seemed to be right on top of it all!

I found a great deal of pleasure performing for each group at St. Mary's, and I think the energy and joy expressed by the students are tributes to the entire workforce at St. Mary's.

Rosemount Area Seniors Monthly Meeting

2011-12-08T08:40:00.000-06:00

When Darline Lehman, President of the Rosemount Area Seniors, invited me do be their program for their December meeting and luncheon on December 6, I was, of course, delighted to accept.
You see, I know that when there is food at a gathering, people will come to eat, and then they will stay for my story. I'm humble enough to know the reverse is not always true.

I set up before the food was served and projected on the screen a picture of the farm where I grew up, which seemed to generate some interest. Audience members were very friendly and ready to enjoy the afternoon.

After the luncheon, Darline introduced me and I was privileged to speak to the group for about 50 minutes. Since the audience was filled with former farmers, people who had grown up on farms, and non-farmers who remember visiting farms of their relatives, they were very responsive to my references to farm life and my story, A Farm Country Christmas Eve.

After the show, many from the audience were very kind and told me how much they enjoyed the show, but to be honest, I don't think anyone enjoyed it more than I enjoyed performing it. When I see the smiles on faces initiated from the memories my stories evoke, it makes my day.

They always like the picture of the mother milking the cow and squirting a cat.

Lots of people stayed to chat, tell stories, ask questions, and buy books.

But when we are really busy, as we were after the show, Nancy doesn't get time to take many pictures.

However, our friend Beverly Hermes (with me in the photo above) stopped by, stayed for the show, and took some pictures because, as she said later, "...you may mot have a photo of you both together at one of your events." She emailed the photos to me to use.

The photographs above were all taken by my wife Nancy,

but the photographs below were all taken by our friend Beverly.

Obviously, these are moments we could never capture ourselves, since we are both busy.

We thank you for the photographs, Beverly.

And we thank Darline Lehman, President of the Rosemount Area Seniors for inviting us to come to the luncheon and do our program. The Rosemount Seniors were genuine, friendly, and wonderful to listen to. We had a fun afternoon.

CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE, 2011

2011-12-07T12:49:00.000-06:00

Volunteers at the the Dakota City Heritage Village near the fairgrounds in Farmington, MN, put on a great display of Christmas cheer by decorating the historic buildings that make up the village. The lights are lit and the buildings are open for two weekends, and the event is called "Christmas in the Village."

This year they were open from 1 PM to 8 PM on December 3 and 4, and will be open again next weekend from 1 PM to 8 PM on December 10 and 11. It's a great place to go on your own or take that special someone. Bring the kids to give them a treat from Christmas in the past.
Admission is free for kids under 3 years old, $2.00 for kids 4-12, $4.00 for adults 13 and up, or $12.00 for a carload.
Most of the buildings are open, including the print shop, the blacksmith shop, the depot, the drug store, and, of course, the Confectionery where they sell candy and gifts. You won't want to miss it.
Also, visit Nancy and me in the storage building across from the print shop where we sell our books and give away free stickers.

Last weekend lots of visitors enjoyed the mild weather with some snow

on Saturday afternoon and evening.

If you get tired of walking or just want to sit and enjoy the light display, you can enjoy free horse-drawn trolley rides, which pick up riders by the depot among a number of other stops.

It may not be a one-horse open sleigh, but it is a thrill, just the same, for kids and adults of all ages.

Also, Nancy and I are in a cozy little building across from the print shop where we sell our books and sweat shirts. Please stop by for a short visit. We offer free stickers for kids and adults for as long as they last, which is usually the whole event because Nancy makes a lot of them.

The volunteers decorate the buildings inside and out, but they let Nancy and me decorate the inside of this one. We put up the tree, the Santa, and the garland along with the sleigh and reindeer on the counter in the back. Well, OK, Nancy did all of the actual decorating, but I helped carry stuff.

We try to make the place look inviting, both on the inside (above) and on the outside (below).

So there is one weekend left of this fun event. I hope you can stop by.

Be sure to visit the volunteers in the Gift Shop/Confectionery.

Visit the Harris House.

The afternoon and evening will give you plenty of time to visit all the interesting places in the village.

I hope you can stop to visit us. We are in the storage building across from the print shop.

Nancy and I thank everyone at Dakota City Heritage for inviting us to use the building for our book sales, especially Mary Hendricks for always helping us arrange our visit. All the volunteers need to be commended for their dedication and work.

Of course, we especially thank our customers and others who just stop by to visit.

Below are a series of pictures of some happy kids and adults who purchased one of more our books. Nancy isn't always free to snap a picture, so we apologize to the many customers we were not able to photograph, but feel welcome to come back, bring your book, and we will take a special photo.

Why not come to Christmas in the Village for a holiday treat?

It's open 1 PM to 8 PM next weekend, December 10 and 11.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Cowboy Jam Session by Jeri Dobrowski

2011-12-02T09:48:00.003-06:00

Since 2006 Jeri L. Dobrowski from North Dakota has written a monthly news and review column dedicated to the life of the American West. Her column is entertaining and informative, and reviews a variety of books, CDs, artworks, poetry, activities and all things western and rural. If you're still looking for that special gift for someone, check it out. Well, actually, why not bookmark it and check it out regularly. You'll be glad you did.

In her most recent column, Ms Dobrowski was kind enough to list and review my seven books and recommend them as gift options for adults and kids. Obviously, the lady has taste.

If you take a few moments to look at all the other items listed, including a CD by Western entertainer Dave Stamey and books by author Skip Halmes, I think you will understand why I am honored to be mentioned in an article with such good company. Click on earlier columns to see many other values and ideas for gifts.

I urge you to go to her website and check it out.

http://www.cowboypoetry.com/cowboyjam.htm#Dec2011

Lubavitch Cheder Day School

2011-11-28T10:06:00.000-06:00

Located on Ford Parkway in St.Paul, Lubavitch Cheder Day School is Pre-K-8 and provides an integrated curriculum of General and Jewish studies. Mrs. Armstrong, who teaches second grade at the school, met us at Dakota Village during the Dakota County Fair last summer and invited us to visit and do a show. I'm glad she did. the kids listened with great attention and responded with smiles as I read my stories If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure and A Farm Country Picnic.

The students eagerly listened and participated as I demonstrated how to teach a newborn calf to drink from a pail and how to call cattle. After the program each of them took a turn at sticking his or her hand in the can of oats.

We thank Mrs. Armstrong for inviting us to the school. Students seemed to enjoy the show and have fun. I know I did.

Goldfinch Estates

2011-11-27T11:20:00.000-06:00

On November 22, 2011, at Goldfinch Estates, I did a Farm Heritage Program,

which included my story A Farm Country Thanksgiving.

Goldfinch Estates is a Senior Living Community located in Fairmont, MN, and Nancy and I love to be invited there to visit and do a Farm Heritage Program. This is our our fourth time at the facility and each time we have been greeted by Marilyn Oelke, the energetic and fun Community Life Director, who always has a farm story to tell.

Marilyn Oelke, Community Life Director at Goldfinch Estates, poses for a photo with me.

Marilyn also took a shot at appealing to the group to look for pictures of threshing for our newest book called A Farm Country Harvest, which we hope to have out in 2013.

Residents at Goldfinch are always eager audience members and story tellers. They make a very responsive audience and Nancy and I love listening to their stories after the show. Several Residents stopped to chat and purchase books after the program.

We thank Executive Director, Erin Maidl, for having us at Goldfinch Estates again, and we thank Community Life Director, Marilyn Oelke for arranging our visit. We also thank all the residents who attend my programs year after year. We love your smiles and your stories.

We look forward to returning soon.

Redwood Falls Public Library

2011-11-26T09:03:00.000-06:00

We arrive really early for our program at Redwood Falls, which gives us plenty of time to meet Robin and Angie, both of whom helped arrange our visit to the library. We set up our equipment and spend some time looking around.

The library is an attractive, modern structure with plenty of room for books, people, and decorations.

Nancy set up a table for our books in a large community room.

In the back of the room workers made ice cream which they served to everyone after my presentation.

Lonnie Leske visited with us before the program and after the program she introduced us to her son, Steven Leske, who has recently written and illustrated several children's books, including the one I purchased from him called Wind Turbines. The book is a soft cover book that explains wind turbines and uses pictures to convey what they do. The book doesn't try to sort out every detail, but it makes the topic interesting and fun. It has a short glossary at the end.

After my show I get to sign some books and Nancy and I share some stories with people.

We thank Robin Osland for inviting us to do a program during their city's Christmas by Candlelight Celebration, and we thank Angie for helping to arrange the details.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Cold Spring Area Historical Society

2011-11-25T10:03:00.000-06:00

The first part of February, 2011, Tony Nathe contacted me to do a program on Farm Heritage for Cold Spring Area Historical Society History Series, and we set the date for the morning of November 18, 2011.
In the same month, Robin Osland of the Redwood Falls Public Library contacted me to do a program at the their library in the late afternoon for their community-wide Christmas by Candlelight celebration scheduled for November 18.

After checking the map, we decided that although the cities of Cold Spring and Redwood Falls were over 90 miles apart, we would have plenty of time between shows. The big worry was the weather. Well, Friday, November 18 was beautiful, and we enjoyed a scenic drive through the farm countryside in the early morning as we avoided I-94 and took a more westerly route through the farmlands and small towns of Scott, Carver, McLeod, Meeker, and Stearns Counties.

After my show, which included my story A Farm Country Thanksgiving, members stayed to chat and buy some books. Nancy and I also appealed to the group to search for pictures to loan us for A Farm Country Harvest.

Ladies from Kimball stop to chat after the show.

And in the photos below, I get to sign some books.

Thanks to Tony Nathe for inviting me to speak about Farm Heritage at his organization's History Series. A special thanks to all the members of the society; for it is their curiosity and intellect that will help pass on accurate farm heritage.

Next, Nancy and I load up our equipment and begin another scenic drive through Stearns, Kandiyohi, Renville, and Redwood Counties to do a show at the Redwood Falls Library. More about that tomorrow.

All Seasons Preschool & Inver Glen Senior Care

2011-11-17T18:35:00.000-06:00

All Seasons Preschool and Inver Glen Senior Living are in the same building, and as one senior told me, "The children come to visit us every day." Other seniors around her nodded and smiled.

Many seniors arrived early at the large community room and visited with Nancy and me as we set up. Senior comments about the "children coming" were always accompanied with a smile of anticipation.

Teacher Amy Lemieux said that the key to daily visits is to have he Preschool and seniors in the same building. Otherwise, winter offers a special challenge of dressing up with coats and boots and headgear. Since the kids are in the same building, they just walk over to visit the seniors. "It's like a field trip for them," Amy said.

The seniors were all seated when the children, who are 3-5 years old, arrived and I could hear some greetings being exchanged. One child made the rounds of shaking hands with a number of his senior friends.

Performing for this mixed group was a joy for me. The children and the seniors were very responsive to everything in my show. Maybe visiting the seniors every day makes the kids more eager to hear stories. In any case, children came up with some of the best questions ever, and not just for their age-group but for almost any-age group.

Of course, I showed them how to teach a newborn calf how to drink out of a pail.

About ten minutes later, after the show, one child remembered that I had said we had to take the cow and calf back to the barn. She asked, "Why do you need to take the calf to the barn." Other questions included, "Why do people live on farms." These questions may sound basic, but understanding the answers are crucial to understanding anything about the food we eat. The audience listened intently to my answers.

Nancy and I had the distinct privilege to meet and chat with Kenneth Fritz, who has written three books and will soon see his fourth book published with Outskirts Press, Inc., Denver, Colorado. After the show Ken, his wife, and his friend stayed to chat with us for several minutes. Ken was a farmer, a soldier, an electrician, and a writer.

Ken holds a couple of my books and I hold three of his.

Nancy and I really enjoyed our visit to All Seasons Preschool and Inver Glen Senior Living, and we wish to thank Amy Lemieux of All Seasons and Sue Hastings, activities director at Inver Glen, for arranging our visit.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Skype to Salem Hills Elementary School

2011-11-16T08:42:00.001-06:00

Yesterday morning I did my first Skype with a school, and it was fun because the fifty-five third-graders were enthusiastic and asked really good questions. They could see and hear me from their classroom, and I could see and hear them from the comfort of my computer chair.

The teacher, Mr. Melde, contacted me a few days ago requesting that I talk to the students because his students and Ms Gustafson's students would be doing a project that would require them to go through a process similar to writing a book. So instead of my doing my usual story program, I just signed into the Skype application on my computer and awaited his call, which came to my computer promptly at 9:00 AM.

For about half an hour I explained a bit about my background and showed samples from the various stages of writing, illustrating, and publishing my books. Then students with questions took turns walking up to the camera to ask a question.

It was easy, fun, and convenient. I spent no money on gas and did not have to leave the house.
I mailed the kids free stickers and order forms in case anyone wants to buy a book.

We did not, however, take any pictures, but you can visit Mr. Melde's blog at the address below, click on the YouTube link, and watch some of the program.

www.mrmelde.blogspot.com

My thanks to Mr. Melde and Ms Gustafson for inviting me into their classroom.

Search for Harvest Pictures

2011-11-15T13:33:00.000-06:00

On October 18, 20ll, I posted a blog about my search for pictures of harvesting grain in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Many kind and generous people responded and Nancy and I have looked at hundreds of photographs, but pictures of the mid-century vintage are really hard to find. Why?

Pictures of threshing in the 1900s to 1930s on big farms with big crews are easy to find, but my story, A Farm Country Harvest, is a story about a farm family on a very small farm. Even though I will use some of those pictures of the big operations, I need pictures that reflect the small farm to tell my story.

Obviously, I don't know the whole answer to the question "Why are pictures of small farm families threshing grain around 1950 hard to find?", but I can explain what I've seen so far that allows me to list a few of reasons in no particular order:
1) Big Farms are what get recorded. The big gathering of workers, the big rigs, and the large fields all make appealing photos and meat for stories.

2) Photography in early part of century vs 1950. Photography in the early 1900s was a new phenomenon that caught on quickly. Professional photographers set up studios in small towns all over rural areas and getting pictures taken was a ritual and a sign of prosperity. Small farmers probably weren't that prosperous to get it recorded in a photo.
In the middle of the century, people had their own small cameras and pictures were no big deal. My mother had Brownie that mostly stayed in the drawer except for special occasions when we were dressed up. We never thought of snapping a picture of everyday things like threshing or killing chickens.

3) 1950 is too recent–photos of 1950s farming may still in be in boxes stored in closets and will not make it to historical societies for another decade or two. I hope they are out there. If so, let me know.

4) Small farmers didn't have the time nor the money to take pictures. I remember the film and the development came from egg money, and there was a long list of things that came from egg money. Sometimes there weren't that many eggs.
When Mom finally did get some film developed, there would be pictures in the roll over a year old.

So the reason I write my stories about small farms is that history does a great job of telling the stories of the big-time operators, the rich, the famous, the wars, the outlaws, etc. Enron and Wall Street get coverage; but hard-working people who struggle from month to month to pay bills are not considered newsworthy or worthy of being in the central plot of a story. That is why I am compelled to write my stories about families on small farms to preserve the farm heritage of all the people who started with nothing and ended up with not a lot, but in the interim invented ways to make a living on their small piece of land and enjoyed their hard life.

Please let me know if you have photos that I can use for my Harvest story. I offer a free book to anyone whose photos I use.
Email me at twogfsc@integra.net

Marianne Mastenbrook, who works in the archives of the Winona County Historical Society, kindly answered my appeal when I sent it out last October. Yesterday, Nancy and drove down to Winona and visited the archives at the fabulous new Museum. We found many pictures to our liking and are very thankful we made the trip. Thanks for your help, Marianne.

Nancy snapped a photo of me looking through the collection of farm pictures at the Winona County Historical Society in the new Museum at Winona, Minnesota.

Village of Lonsdale

2011-11-08T22:16:00.000-06:00

Village of Lonsdale has comfortable new facilities for seniors and a large room for events which is physically connected to the public library. We performed a show there last July and the audience members were great. When Activities Director Amanda Bartusek invited us to do a show which would include my book A Farm Country Thanksgiving in November, I was delighted to return.

After the show, I was surprised to discover that Mary Malecha, one of the audience members, was 104 years old! I felt privileged to talk to her as she graciously took the time to explain a little about her life to me.

Audience members were very kind and stayed to chat and tell stories long after the show was over. The audience response made for a fun afternoon.

I wish to thank Activities Director Amanda Bartusek for arranging our visit and for making us feel welcome and at home.
Nancy and I especially thank the residents who attended the show and who stayed after to chat and tell us their stories. They were an amazing audience.
We had fun and we hope the staff and residence did too.

We hope to return again soon.

Duluth Children's Museum First Fridays Event

2011-11-06T12:54:00.001-06:00

On August 23, 2011, I posted a story about our visit to the Duluth Children's Museum and indicated how much I always enjoy visiting. Well, Emily Halbakken, Program Director, invited us back to be part of an event they call First Fridays. Since this event was to have a farm theme, Nancy and I were to display our props and books and talk to kids and adults about the farm.

Nancy behind the table of books

Me by our display of pictures of children doing farm work.

Children like to put their fingers into the can of oats.

Parents and grandparents asked the children if they could identify the farm activity. Everyone could identify the kids milking cows.

Children enjoyed coloring the black and white pages of illustrations from our books.

And there was so much more to do!

View a seed demonstration and take home some bags of seed.

Make butter and then eat it

Play in the really cool permanent displays.

Make a variety of crafts.

Or explore some exciting stairs to view natural history.

The event lasted from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and although the children showed signs of getting tired, none of them wanted to leave. I can understand why. The place is filled with fascinating displays and activities and volunteers and professional staff who work hard to make it fun and educational.

Duluth Children's Museum was established in 1930 and is the fifth oldest in the nation. Go to their website at www.duluthchildrensmuseum.org to learn about the attractions to visit and programs they offer.

I thank Emily for inviting us to be part of this event. Nancy and I greatly enjoyed talking to the kids and adults. Thanks to those customers who stopped to talk and especially to those who bought my children's books about farm heritage.
Also thanks to Mary Davis, Program Director, and all the kind staff members and volunteers who helped make our visit enjoyable.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Holiday books for the holiday season

2011-11-03T08:22:00.002-05:00

The mother of the grandmother pictured below purchased my book, A Farm Country Halloween, last summer to give to her great grandchildren on Halloween..

She emailed me to tell me her great grandchildren loved it.
She said, "My darling city great grandkids were spellbound and listened to every word."
I freely admit that this made my day.

Just to warn you, this is a shameless plug for my books.
But here it is––the holiday season.
And sure enough, you are going to read books about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
This is good, I think.

But why not read a stories about Halloween, Thanksgiving,
or Christmas that actually display your farm heritage?

Why only read the child some fantasy about Christmas in New York City or some made-up place?

Lydia, who was 100 yeas old, bought A Farm Country Halloween last year because she said it showed exactly what it was like when she went trick or treating as a kid. She wanted to pass that on to her descendants.

A customer who bought the A Farm Country Thanksgiving told me she loved the old-fashioned Thanksgiving that showed kids sledding and playing in the hay barn. No television in the house allowed people to visit, not argue about football or which parade to watch.

A Farm Country Christmas Eve shows a farm family being brought closer together by the simple things as they work together to finish chores on Christmas Eve.

My stories are based on actual events–things that farmers really do.
Kids love them.
Adults enjoy the nostalgia.
And I've been performing these stories
for kids and adults for over 11 years.

I write these stories to try to pass on our farm heritage in an entertaining and accurate way,
but it only gets passed on if someone buys the books. Consider buying several for yourself or as gifts for others.

These are Collector quality books that can be passed on from generation to generation, just like the farm heritage they display.

Check out my website www.gordonfredrickson.com where you can see sample pages of my books before you order, or email me at twogfsc@integra.net to order books. Or just give me a call to ask questions.

By the way, shipping is free.

Happy Holidays!
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Merry Christmas!

Thanks for listening.

Trinity Preschool

2011-11-02T11:27:00.000-05:00

On October 31, Nancy and I were in for a couple of real treats at Trinity Preschool at Watertown. First, we approached the town from the south, a route which took us through beautiful farm country in Carver County, and we always enjoy looking at the fields and forests.
Second, we were scheduled to perform last in a program that preschoolers were putting on for their parents, and we had the opportunity to see these lucky students perform. Their program was fun for everyone.

When we arrived, we were greeted at the door by Mrs. Bowyer, a friendly, energetic teacher who clearly enjoys working hard to teach students. As we set up, we watched Mrs. Essen rehearse with the children.
Nancy and I were amazed at their high performance level.
At the beginning of the program, each student was featured as he or she rode a home made horse onto the performance area and an announcer introduced the student and horse, urging the eager audience to applaud.

Then they sang songs as directed by Mrs. Essen, a teacher whose high energy and excitement makes the experience both successful and fun for the students.

Next, the students formed a circle with their parents to perform a square dance and the chicken dance.

Children and parents had their chicken dances down perfectly!

After the dancing, everyone moved to the tables and turned their attention to the stage, where I was set up to entertain the audience with a brief talk about farm heritage, which included a performance of my story If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure.

Performing stories for an audience of parents with their preschool children is a special delight for me because the parents understand the nostalgia in my stories and the kids are always delighted to hear about Nancy's Adventures on a dairy farm.

They learned how to teach a calf how to drink out of a pail and about other chores on the farm.

They took turns feeling the oats in the coffee can.

And then I got to do something I love to do–Autograph books for children.

Thanks to Mrs. Bowyer for arranging my visit to Trinity Preschool, and thanks to her and Mrs. Essen for showing Nancy and me their classroom and all the neat things they teach the students at Trinity.

Nancy and I were really impressed with the school, the students, and the degree of parental involvement.

We thank those parents who stopped to chat with us and comment on my show. Feedback from audiences means a lot to me.

Nancy and I had fun watching the students in their performances, and as always, we had fun meeting people and performing our show.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

FarmAmerica, Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center

2011-10-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

Located west of Waseca, Minnesota, Farm America offers events that display farm heritage throughout the year, from Springtime On The Farm to Christmas On The Farm. Events take place in the roomy Interpretive Center, pictured below, and volunteers provide rides to other buildings, including a 1850-1930 farm site.

Director Jim Gibson invited us to display our books and do a show at the All Hallows Eve event on October 29, 2011. Other activities included, pumpkin carving, a corn maze, rides to the country church, a haunted feed mill, a 1930s barn, and a blacksmith shop, each of which offered traditional games and treats for the kids. Entertainment included Jolly Jon the Clown, Magic Zach Madel the Magician, and myself.

They scheduled me to perform my farm heritage program, including my story A Farm Country Halloween, at 1:00 PM and at 2:30 PM.

Audience members listened and watched as I told my story of Halloween, 1950, on the Carlson Farm.

In the background of the photograph, parents and children carve pumpkins.

Children and adults of all ages attended.

And I got to autograph some books.

Thanks to Jim Gibson for inviting us to the event. We also thank Crystal, other staff members, and all the volunteers who helped make the show run smoothly.

Everyone who attended seemed to have fun during the day, and Nancy and I had a fun visiting with people and doing our show.

Because we are scheduled for Dakota Village's "Christmas in the Village" at Farmington, Minnesota, we will not be at FarmAmerica's "Christmas on the Farm" on Sunday, December 4, 2011. We would love to attend both events, but of course, that is not possible.

We hope to be back for other events during 2012.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

St. Bernard Catholic School, Cologne, MN

2011-10-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

Sister Jancy invited me to do presentation of farm heritage at St. Bernard's, a preschool-grade six Catholic School at Cologne, Minnesota. Nancy and I enjoyed meeting and talking to the teaching staff and other friendly workers. The kids were fun and asked great questions.

The first group was preschool through grade two, and for them I did a show that included my book

If I Were A Farmer: Nancy's Adventure. Projection onto the wall gave a really big, bright image.

The group waves to Nancy after I introduce her as the

little girl in the dedication photo projected on the wall.

The second group was grade three through grade six, and for this group

I did a show that included my book A Farm Country Halloween.

The introduction included the bit about teaching a newborn calf how to drink out of a pail.

The kids hold up two fingers to begin learning the process.

Students at St. Bernard's were inquisitive, polite, and fun. I like the mix of ages in the groups because it seems to stretch every audience member to accept things aimed at all age levels.

It brings me back to my time at the country school where I could listen to lessons from every grade.

Nancy and I thank Sister Jancy for inviting us to St. Bernard's and the staff members for taking class time to see my show about farm heritage. Thanks to those who stopped to comment on my program and especially those who purchased books.

Nancy and I enjoyed the day and we hope to return soon.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Halloween Harvest Moon Festival at Dakota City

2011-10-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

Throughout the year, Dakota City, located next to the Dakota County Fairgrounds at Farmington, Minnesota, offers a number of fun events that take visitors back to the past.
On Friday and Saturday. October 21-22, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM volunteers were present at Dakota City demonstrating all sorts of Harvest activities.

Potato stamping-carve a potato, dip it in ink, and you have a stamp.

Making a pin wheel. The kids love to see them turn in the wind.

Shelling and grinding corn.

Making rope.

Walking on stilts.

Pumping water.

Wheel rolling

More walking on stilts.

Hanging out laundry

visiting an old-fashioned candy store.

Making candles.

Washing clothes with a ringer washing machine.

After dark the area becomes really fun because the children are taken on rides around the village and through a neighboring field as spooks of all kinds appear from nowhere to scare and delight everyone.

During all this time, Nancy and I were selling our books and sweatshirts in part of the storage building, which is located next to the Blacksmith Shop and across the street from the Print Shop.

The building is nice and cozy inside. Nancy poses for me as I snap a picture of her by our display.

Outside of the building, we display our signs.

We had fun visiting with all the kids and adults who stopped by to chat.

Sometimes Nancy could break away to snap a photo of me doing what I most like to do-autograph books for friendly customers.

We gratefully thank the people at Dakota Heritage for allowing us to use the space. Everyone involved with the organization is very kind and works hard to make every show a success.

We hope to see you all at "Christmas In The Village" on December 3-4 and 10-11. The lights will be on and the village will be filled with an atmosphere of an old-fashioned Christmas. See you then.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Ecumen Pathstone Living

2011-10-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday Nancy and I enjoyed the scenic drive down Highway 169 to Pathstone Living in Mankato.
Recreation Director Linda McDonald had invited me to do a program for the Kiwanis Club meeting, and although Linda was not present, many kind people welcomed us and helped us get settled, including Miranda, Megan, Diana, and Leah, who introduced me to the group before I spoke.

Ecumen Pathstone Living is a really fine facility, and the residents I talked to praised the care and the care givers.

Rex told me stories of farm life.

Ken and LaVerne came early and chatted with us.

Bernie, who farmed near Henska, MN, told me that when she heard the program was about farming, she had to come to see if I told the truth. After the show, she told me with a smile, "You got it right."

Many in the group stayed after the show to tell Nancy and me their farm stories, including Donald and Myrtle Frederickson (not a relative) and Rachel Wellmann.

Most of the stories told by residents revealed a childhood on the farm that was filled with hard work and some difficult times mixed with some positive experiences. They all could easily relate to the hard work of the family in my story A Farm Country Picnic and to the cows getting out when the family was about to take few hours off to go fishing after a rainstorm.

Nancy and I thank Linda McDonald for inviting us to visit Pathstone and all the care-givers who helped us set up. We especially thank the residents who so kindly took time to chat with us and share their stories. We enjoyed listening to them so very much.

We wish you all the best.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Chatfield Elementary at Belle Plaine, Mn

2011-10-20T10:50:00.001-05:00

My nephew's son Jake, or Mr. Malz as he is called at Chatfield Elementary where he is student-teaching, arranged for me to visit the school and perform three shows for first-grade students and three shows for second-grade students on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.

I did my story If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure for all six groups of children. Students in the first group (shown above) are in the first grade and they followed every detail in the the introduction and the story.

They held up two fingers when I showed them how to use them to teach a newborn calf how to drink out of a pail.

They turned to wave to say "Hello" to my wife Nancy as she snapped a photo of them.

And (below) they lined up to feel the oats in the coffee can.

The second group of first grade students was my grand nephew's class, who is seating on the chair to the right on the left side of the picture above. Sitting to his his right is Mr. Carlson, his supervising teacher.

The students eagerly hold up two fingers to learn how to teach a calf to drink.

And then (below) await to see the outcome of Nancy's adventure.

The third group of first grade students listen as I explain a few details about the farm on which I grew up.

Above they greet Nancy as I project a picture of her in the dedication of the book,

and below they courteously line up to feel the oats in the coffee can.

Programs for groups 4, 5, and 6 were in the afternoon and children in these groups were in the second grade.

Group 4 listened intently through the show, but they were especially focused when I explained how Santa delivers gifts to farm kids in my book A Farm Country Christmas Eve, below.

Children wait their turns to feel the oats.

Group 5 listens to me explain some details of the farm on which I was raised.

And they laugh at the picture of my dad using the cow's tail for a mustache.

They wave to say "Hi" to my wife Nancy.

And after the program, they raise their hands to ask questions.

Students in the last group of the day (above) were ready for the show.

They held up two fingers for teaching the calf to drink.

They paid close attention.

They said "Hi" to Nancy.

And then they lined up to feel the oats.

I need to thank Mrs. Merenes (pictured below) for graciously allowing us to use the media center all day.

I also thank my grand nephew Jake for his effort. I'm sure he learned that it is no small task to introduce something into the hectic schedule of teachers and students in a public school.

And I also thank the staff for being open-minded and listening to a student-teacher who suggested bringing in a relative to perform a "free" show for the kids.
I can only imagine that there may have been a bit of skepticism, just as there should be whenever we allow someone from outside into classrooms, decreasing the time allotted for planned curriculum.

Class time needs to be guarded carefully. Programs that take time away from regular lessons need to have value. I hope the staff and students found value in my program.

I believe that Farm Heritage also needs to be guarded carefully and passed on accurately with fun stories. I hope my books serve to do just that because a story not told is lost forever.

Nancy and I had fun and we hope the students and staff did too.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Minnesota Valley Learning Center

2011-10-19T08:40:00.000-05:00

Minnesota Valley Learning Center provides alternative education for high school students in the Montevideo and surrounding area. When staff member Emily Dirksen contacted me to arrange a visit I was eager to work something out for a couple reasons: 1) I always jump at the chance to speak to high school students and 2) Montevideo was a new area for me to perform.

Instead of doing a show that contained a more sophisticated story, A Farm Country Thanksgiving, I decided to do a show containing my story A Farm Country Christmas Eve, which is a heart-warming story about young children awaiting Santa's visit on Christmas Eve. To the credit of the students, they seemed to understand the story's adult appeal and feel the family's bond.
The first show was a mix of 9-12.

And the second group had a similar mix of 9-12 students.

Although students asked few questions, a few stayed to comment after the show, and to them, I want to say"Thanks."

Thanks to Emily Dirksen for inviting me to the school and arranging the visit. Thanks to all staff members and Director Raymond for offering assistance and showing interest in my books, to Mr. Smith for giving me the book of poetry by Leo Dangel, and again to Emily for allowing me to visit her Graphic Communications class, a group of truly inspirational young people. Enjoy those moments with that group, Emily.

Best to all.

On the three-hour drive home, we were treated to images of harvest as we met trucks full of sugar beets,

snapped pictures of combines in corn,

and viewed bales of cornstalks, giving pleasure to our journey home.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Harvest Book

2011-10-18T19:22:00.000-05:00

I write two series of books, and in each series I try to pass on our farm heritage in an entertaining but accurate story. My goal is for people to see my stories hundreds of years from now and understand what it was like to be a child on a farm in 1950.
I believe that a story not told is lost forever, and that we need to tell our stories, for if they are left to others to tell, the stories will either be inaccurate or forgotten.
I have a goal of producing 16 titles of fun, accurate stories about a farm family in 1950. The stories range from January to December and deal with the same farm family. When completed, the stories will express in a very personal but accurate way what it was like to be a child on a farm in 1950.
I have 4 stories completed, but to tackle the next one, a story about harvest, I need to do something a bit different.
Please read the letter below, which I sent to hundreds of places via email and USPS. Also, our show at Minnesota City Historical Society was the first place we handed out the letter of request after the show. The response to the letter from those who attended my show was extremely gratifying.
Respond if you can help or pass on the request. Many thanks-----

October, 2011

Hello to everyone,

i apologize for this impersonal message, but I’m sending this request for harvest pictures to many people and many facilities in hopes of getting a good response. Please pass this message on to anyone who can help.

For those of you who have seen my show at a nearby school, museum, library, or senior/community center, you are already familiar with my efforts to preserve our farm heritage by creating accurate stories about farm life in1950, stories which aim to teach and entertain children and adults of all ages.

  But let me review my purpose briefly:
I have two series of books that tell accurate yet entertaining stories about farm activities: If I Were a Farmer series and Farm Country Tales series.
Both series are efforts to preserve farm heritage with Collector books that will become keepsakes to be passed on from generation to generation.

More about my other stories can be found on www.gordonfredrickson.com

I have sixteen titles planned that cover the farm activities of the fictional Carlson Family from January through December in 1950, and my long-term goal is to complete all sixteen stories so I have a body of work that accurately depicts events on a farm in 1950. The books will be historic and entertaining. I have 4 books completed so far.

The next book in the Farm Country Tales series will be called Harvest: A Farm Country Story, and I hope to make it different from the others in the series in a couple ways:

1) Since many people have asked about my doing a story on harvest with comments like, "Don't forget to include the big dinner and all the lunches," or "Don't forget tipping the shocks," or "Don't forget stack threshing," I know this book about harvest will have to be more than twice as long as the others and probably larger in dimensions.

2) Because of the difficulty in illustrating all the machinery accurately, I have decided to have the book contain two parallel stories.
On the left page will be actual photos of harvest activities along with an explanation and narration of the process.
On the right page (or part of the right page) will be my fictional story in rhyme and meter. Since I hoe to have ample pictures displaying all aspects of threshing, my rhymed story will not be accompanied by any illustrations of harvest on the Carlson farm in 1950.
The Carlson Family is the same fictional family I have featured in all of my Farm Country Tales series. Although this book will be aimed more at adults, I am hoping my story will be an added entertainment to interest kids and others who have not experienced the process first-hand.

I would like to keep the cost of the book under $25.00 but I want it to be hardcover and of collector quality.

However, I need a great deal of help locating pictures.
If you or anyone you know has pictures I can use, please let me know.
Either email them to me or if you can't scan them, call me and we can figure out a way to get a copy to me.
You will be given credit in the book and offered a free book when (and if) the book is completed.
If you have a large number of pictures, maybe we can schedule a time when we can come out to visit your farm, museum, or personal collection. Distance is not an issue.

Pictures should be from the era of 1940-1960 (but they can be from any time period as long as they are pictures of any part of the process of harvesting grain). The book is about threshing, but I need pictures of early combining for the book, too.
Also, any kind of picture showing any kind of old farm activity may be useful, for example, pumping water from a well or a cistern, washing clothes or hanging them on a line, picking eggs or cleaning eggs, a hen on a nest, cleaning chickens and cooking on a wood stove (even if it is not for harvest).
Since the area I am portraying is hilly, pictures that show hilly terrain are preferred, but if your pictures are on level fields, that's OK.

Please know I welcome all pictures.
Pictures can show horses and tractors, kids and adults, men and women. Pictures of steam power are welcome too.
I am interested in pictures showing all facets of threshing, and I am a little reluctant to give a list because I do not want to leave anything out.
But below is a list of some items to spark your memory. The list is not meant to limit, so if you have something that is not on the list, send it anyway:

1. Cutting grain with a binder pulled by horses or tractor.
2. shocking grain by kids and adults and men and women, taking a water break and drinking out of a thermos or a jar
3. tipping shocks-pictures with snakes in the shocks would be good too
4. Pictures of snakes in the grain bundle or on the wagon
5. loading bundles
6. kids working with adults
7. kids and/or adults in the grain box, loading or unloading
8. pitching bundles into the machine
9. someone on the machine as it is working
10. the machine blowing straw onto the straw pile
11.someone adjusting the blower
12. men and women and kids pitching bundles
13. belting the threshing machine
14. aligning and tightening the drive belt
15. unplugging the machine
16. people of any age pumping water.
17. cutting grain with horses or with tractors pulling the grain binder
18. washing up for lunch inside and outside the house
19. serving and eating lunch outside in the field or inside the house
20. preparing the meal--all steps, including butchering chickens,
     making pies, etc. using a wood stove or newer range.
21. women cooking, especially with a wood burning cook stove
22. women in the field or driving tractors
23. kids driving tractors
24. people loading wagons-
     wagons pulled by horses--wagons pulled by tractors
25. threshing machine on the road
26, pumping water by hand for cattle or animals of any kind
27. pumping water from a cistern pump in a kitchen or washroom
28. washing clothes with a ringer washer
29. hanging clothes out on the clothesline
30. stacking bundles for stack threshing
31. stack threshing or pitching bundles into a threshing machine
     from a stack of bundles
32. stack threshing when there is snow in the ground
33. butchering chickens or ducks or geese

And any other farm activity!

Identify the date of the picture, the workers, the activity, and the machinery, if possible because i intend to identify details in each picture in the book.
Thanks for any help you give. If I use one or more of your pictures, you will get a free book if it gets published. Getting this done will be a long process.
I can make no promise that it will be published. It depends on the quality and quantity of pictures I get, so please do your best to help me out.
I hope to hear from you. I want this to be known as the book on threshing.
I want it to be known as the book that depicts our Minnesota harvest heritage.

To contact me,
Call me at 952-461-2111, 952-797-6169.
Email twogfsc@integra.com
website www.gordonfredrickson.com
or send me a note at my address:

Gordon W. Fredrickson
8855 Canter Lane
Lakeville, MN 55044

My wife Nancy will be assembling and cataloging the pictures as they come in.

Thank you so much.
Gordon

Minnesota City Historical Society

2011-10-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

Sunday Nancy and I took a scenic drive east through Red Wing and followed Highway 61 south to Minnesota City where I was scheduled to speak on Farm Heritage for the Minnesota City Historical Society. They hold their meetings and events at the old First Baptist Church and seeing our poster with their sign made us feel really welcome.

Pastor Dave Eckert, who lives nearby and serves as the pastor of the church located across the street, saw us at the door and immediately came to open up and help us carry our equipment into the building.

Dave Eckert standing on the steps of the old First Baptist Church, which is now used by the Minnesota City Historical Society.

The inside of the facility was cozy and perfect for presenting my stories, but what really made the place great was the audience. The members were pretty serious about their farm heritage and eager to share their farm stories with Nancy and me before and after the show.

To begin the program, the audience sang the song "The Farmer is the Man" twice before my show began. The words pay tribute to agriculture as the core of civilization. The first couple lines are "When the farmer comes to town with his wagon broken down,/ Oh the farmer is the man who feed them all! "

Several members pointed out a small embroidered piece with Daniel Webster's words that I had quoted in my Greenfield Village blog last January, and which I show below:

The audience of mostly adults and several children was enthusiastic and fun. My presentation included my story A Farm Country Picnic, which shows the family's haying interrupted by rain. Then they plan to go fishing at a nearby lake, but those plans are interrupted by the Watkins man telling them their cows are out. Audience members understood every detail of the book because most of them have been through it all.

Afterwards everyone stayed for coffee and treats while they visited.

Many told me farm stories and purchased books.

I was honored to sign a book for this couple, Howard and Gladys Volkart, who will celebrate their 65th Wedding Anniversary on October 19, 2011.

Thanks to all who attended. Special thanks go to the O'Grady family, especially Jenn, who led the group in song and spirit. She was one of several who asked many good questions, told stories, and generally made the day a joy.

Thanks to Dave and Brenda Eckert for arranging the event, and a special thanks to Dave for being so generous with his time. He opened up early, provided us with an informal tour, and gave us some history of the area before and after the show.

We hope to see you all again soon.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Czech Heritage Club, New Prague, MN

2011-10-15T08:14:00.000-05:00

Last June at Cedar Summit Farm's Milkapalooza (posted June 6, 2011), Vi Chromy, Vice President of the Czech Heritage Club of New Prague, invited me to speak at their October meeting.

I'm always thrilled to have the opportunity to speak to a group that celebrates heritage of any kind, but I was particularly happy to be asked to do a show for the Czech Heritage Club (I'm half Czech) from the town where I was born. Also, I knew I'd be treated to all sort of great stories from really fun-lovinmg and kind people.
The evening surpassed my expectations.

Twenty-three people attended as I spoke for nearly and hour. Afterwards many asked questions, told stories, and bought books while coffee and snacks were served. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening. I know Nancy and I sure did.

The fact is that Nancy was so busy visiting with club members that she didn't get to take many pictures, and as usual, i didn't take any pictures of her.

In the pictures above and below, I sign some books as I listen to fascinating stories from the past.

Marie Flicek tells me of her 1948 flight from communist Czechoslovakia. She is a wonderful lady with a fascinating past about which she intends to write a book.

In the picture above, I tell Archie Kochina and Marie about the story of the lady whose father accidentally ran the hay fork into her arm when she was a child tramping hay on the wagon while her dad stacked. We each knew far too many stories of accidents on the farm.

Many members of the group lingered to tell stories, purchase books, and take photos.

Nancy and I had a wonderful evening and wish to thank the entire Czech Heritage Club for having us visit and for their great hospitality.

We especially thank Vice President Vi Chromy, who arranged the visit, and President Deb Ziskovsky and her husband Arnie for recommending us to the club.

We look forward to seeing everyone again soon.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

FRED: Lucky kids and Lucky fathers

2011-10-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

Fathers committed to reading to their kids every day! Now there is an action that can help change the world.

Over thirty Dads signed up to part of the F.R.E.D. (Fathers Read Every Day) Program at BOLD Schools (Bird Island-Olivia), Minnesota, and the program was a huge success, thanks to all the fathers and kids who attended and thanks to the staff members who organized it and provided the honest enthusiasm that seemed to ignite the interests of everyone.

Above, I read my story If I Were a Farmer: Field Work to a group of kids and their dads.
I had the opportunity to read to two separate groups of fathers and their kids during the evening.

Like the moms, you know these dads work all day (I talked to one father who combined corn during the day) and they are tired. It's after 6:00 PM and the kids have had a long day, as well. Yet here they are taking some time to sit down together and read.

And obviously, it was along day for the teachers and other staff members, too. Let me return to earlier in the day when Nancy and I arrive to do three shows for the kids in the afternoon on October 11, 2001.

The first show was If I Were a Farmer:Nancy's Adventure for a great group

of over 80 students in grades 1-2 .

In the pictures above and below, I demonstrate how to teach newborn calf how to drink from a pail.

Next, for a group of over 100 fun kids in grades 3-4, I perform my story A Farm Country Halloween, as shown in the three pictures below:

After this show, Nancy and I got to experience a fire drill with the staff and students.

Everyone assembles outside for the head count. The firemen regularly hide a couple of kids to test the accuracy of the staff's head count. This helps make it "real."

Then we go back into the school to do a show for about 45 kindergarten students, who listen to If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure, as shown in the pictures below.

Media Specialist Janeen Perrizo, left, stands at the back.

Title 1 leader Bonnie Wertish arranged for me to be at the evening FRED Program, and Media Specialist Janeen Perrizo arranged for me to visit the school during the day. Much to the credit of these two professionals, the enthusiasm of the kids is high, which makes my performances especially fun for me.

Before the evening program ECFE Coordinator Renae Saunders (center)

and Title 1 leader Bonnie Wertish (right) take a moment from preparation to pose for a photo.

The FRED Program provided a free copy of my book If I Were a Farmer: Fieldwork to each family that attended. I signed the copies in advanced and staff members opened them up on the table so families could claim their books after they eat a lunch served in the cafeteria.

Children and fathers seemed to enjoy the evening.

To close the evening's activities I have the privilege of speaking to the fathers alone while the children are entertained by the staff members in another area.

For the first few minutes I explain how and why I came to write about farm heritage. Then I use the last several minutes to elaborate on the value of reading to children. Reading to children is the one thing that is sure to contribute to their personal and educational success, and the benefits for the reader, too, are enormous. I repeat: Lucky kids! Lucky dads!

Nancy and I want to thank all of the friendly staff and students at BOLD Schools who made us feel so very welcome and whose enthusiasm for reading and for their guest author was inspirational.

I thank the fathers who attended, especially those who stopped to visit with me and thank me for my efforts.

We especially thank Bonnie Wertish of Title 1 and Media Specialist Janeen Perrizo for arranging my visit and Renae Saunders for all her work on the evening's event.

We hope to be invited to return to BOLD Schools soon.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Making travel more fun

2011-10-02T10:11:00.001-05:00

Required ingredients for a fun vacation may vary drastically from person to person, but one ingredient that adds heaps of joy to any vacation day for Nancy and me is meeting a guide, a server, a park ranger, or any person who really enjoys doing his or her job and strives to have some fun doing it.

Last January, the park ranger at the Arizona Memorial in Honolulu was particularly professional and Faced with group after group of eager tourist, he handled things smoothly and managed to be a joy to talk to.

In that same great city, a bartender at the Hard Rock Cafe tossed some bottles for us and made everyone feel welcome.
In September, Nancy and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest with our friends Dick and Ev, and encountered many fun, dedicated professionals.

A manager at the Phillips County County Museum, Malta, Montana, eagerly explained how her grandfather convinced her grandmother to move from Minnesota to rough it in Montana many years ago. Her detailed personal story made the museum's artifacts and photos more relevant to us, which makes her the kind of person who helps make our trip more fun and interesting.

But the museum has more than just outstanding western and farm artifacts. Located on Highway #2, which runs east and west along the northern part of Montana, it is one of several museums that contain dinosaur remains. In the picture above I stand next to a femur bone of an apatosaurus. The display is unique to area discoveries and is one of the many treasures along highway #2.

The H. Earl Clack Museum at Havre, Montana, is located in a mall on the edge of town. Behind the mall parking lot is the attraction we want to visit, Wahkpa Chugn Buffalo Jump, a centuries-old site where Native Americans herded buffalo over the edge of a steep embankment to accomplish large kills to feed families.

It is here that we meet dedicated workers, and a remarkable couple of people. We arrive at the museum about 2:30 and are told that the tours to the Buffalo Jump ended at 2:00, but the manager immediately phones to see if someone can come in to give us a tour.

Anna Brumley, pictured below, comes in especially to takes us down a nearly vertical embankment before she gives us a tour of the digs below.

Above and below are photos of our destination, the bottom of the buffalo jump.

We have our seat belts fastened in the back seat as Anna explains the digs while descending the hill and riding the brakes all the way down. The camera's eye doesn't do this steep road justice.

We use the opportunity to thank her for coming in especially to give us this tour, and she explains the reason for her unbridled enthusiasm for her work. Her husband John discovered the digs when he was 14 years old in about 1961! He went on to become an archaeologist and now he and his wife manage the digs, give tours and dedicate their lives to the discovery. For them, this is living the dream.

At the bottom of the cliff, Anna gives us a tour of several small buildings that cover the digs, and we get some lessons from experts on how to throw the atlatl to kill a bison. Nancy doesn't do too bad in her first try below:

After Nancy's throw, the plywood bison remains standing, just like he did after I hurled my atlatl.

Nancy snapped a photo of Dick and me talking with Anna in one of the covered dig sites.

My focus is not to give readers an accounting of our trip, but, instead to point out the many, many individuals who made it special. Anna is a jewel, and I can only encourage you to take the drive to Havre and see the digs, which reveal layers of use during over a thousand years.

As we drive toward Glacier National Park, we notice a dark cloud and smell fire.

This fire is one of many burning in the northwest, and the haze will limit our views of Glacier National Park this day and the next.

That evening, we arrive at the East Lodge in Glacier National Park, and when we eat supper, we are served by the Jing, a fascinating student from China, who entertains us with stories and treats everyone she meets with enthusiasm and warmth.

Nancy snapped a photo of Jing, above, and she took one of us, below:

Thus is only the end of our second day of travel on a fifteen-day trip, and already we have met several workers who make that extra effort to have fun and spread it to others. I'll return with a few more examples soon.

City to Country Tour

2011-09-28T07:50:00.001-05:00

Late Thursday, Nancy and I returned from a 15-day vacation (article to follow soon) to the Pacific Northwest states, giving us a day and a half to prepare to be at the Scott-Carver City-to-Country Tour on Saturday, September 24, where we planned to have fun meeting people, talking about farm heritage, doing a 30-minute show, and selling our books.

Three farms are included in the tour, and a ticket purchased at any one of the locations is honored at every location. There is no particular starting point.
We felt lucky to be scheduled from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Charles and Jeri Friedges farm, located west of New Market. Charles and Jeri have a really clean and efficient farmstead, with the dairy building and holding pen located next to County Road 27 and near County Road 2. We drive by the place many times a year and always enjoy viewing the fine herd of cattle and the fine crops.

Nancy took the above picture of the Friedges farmstead several years ago during a winter sunset.

I like the way the sun makes the vertical pink streaks on the blue silos.

Youngsters are kept busy coloring as food is prepared to be served to the farm visitors.

Later, children are read to while others stand in line to eat.

The big shed had displays from several vendors plus an informational display from the Jersey Association as shown below:

Patrick Fisher, staff writer from The New Prague Times covered the event.

My program was at noon and I performed a 25 minute show which included my story If I Were a Farmer:Nancy's Adventure.

Audience members seemed to enjoy the show and stopped by later to chat.

Around 600 people visited the Friedges Farm that day, and no one seemed in a hurry.

Many attended the 4-H display.

All morning and afternoon people stopped to visit and buy books.

I had the privilege of signing some books,

and Nancy and I gave out free stickers.

And I got to meet my second cousin Nancy, who was a childhood friend of my wife.

But what people really came for was the milking, which began at 3:30 PM.

Visitors go to the barn as milking begins.

Charles and Jeri have a fine herd of Jerseys.

But they have a few Holsteins too.

And everybody likes the calves.

Nancy and I want to thank Laura Kieser from the Scot County and Carver County Extension offices for inviting us to the event. Also, we thank the farmers who participated and went thorough all the extra work to prepare their farm for visitors and put their regular work on hold so people could come to their farms. We especially thank Charles and Jeri Friedges for opening their farm to us.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Thinning Trees

2011-09-06T09:36:00.001-05:00

Here's a job I've been putting off for years: thinning my stand of oak trees. In the mid-1990s I ordered seedlings and planted them close together, expecting some of them to die and figuring I could always thin out the poorer ones. Also, if the trees are planted close together, they are discouraged from growing laterally and encouraged to grow straight and tall because they are all competing for the sunlight.

Well, guess what? The years passed in a flash and they all grew straight and tall. Now, I have to make some tough decisions. I'm tying twine around the ones I think I will cut to try to visualize the grove of trees as it will appear when I remove most of them.

You might imagine that I feel pretty guilty marking them this way, especially after nurturing the little guys along for all these years. Nancy and I discuss the project in whispers.

I'll be sure to post "before" and "after" pictures when the tree-cutting project is completed.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

deer update

2011-09-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

I've posted a few times about the damage the deer do to my garden, my roses, and other plants in the yard, but I admit, it's hard to stay mad at the little ones.

As Nancy and I go for an evening stroll, we spot the two young ones checking out my antique machinery display. We see their momma close by and the three of them eventually scurry off into the trees.

But only a minute later they appear a few yards to our left. They aren't too frightened. They know their momma outweighs us.

Mother and twins check out the plant life on the community drain field.

Then they move on to see what kind of plant life the neighbor's place has to offer.

Pictures by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Seniors Share Project

2011-09-04T08:43:00.001-05:00

Near the end of August I received a request from one of the Senior Share Project Editors, Heidi Horchler, to repost part of my post "Countryside 1950" which I had posted on September 10, 2010. I approved the request in a reply email after I checked the website www.seniorshareproject.com, which co-editors Heidi and Eileen maintain to offer an outlet for people to tell their stories. Great idea, eh?

I urge everyone to check it out. I think you'll not only enjoy reading the stories submitted by others, but also you might just be inspired to share your favorite story on their website. Remember this: "a story not told is lost forever." Only you can tell your story!

Pioneer Power 2011

2011-09-03T08:26:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Nancy and I attended the 38th Annual Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show near Le Sueur, Minnesota. The event is always a pleasure to attend because of the fine displays of tractors, machinery, and threshing activities.

From a distance we view the men pitching bundles of oats into the threshing machine, located in the center of a ring of threshing machines of all brands.

We move closer to get the feel of the activity. Within a minute or two I remember how the whole process always made me itch.

Working in the information booth is our friend and dedicated club member Betty Sticha.

We check out the mural she dedicated to the memory of her husband Frank, who had been an active club member.

We visit the rows and rows of Minneapolis Moline tractors, the featured tractors this year.

The list of featured companies for 2011 included

Minneapolis Moline Power Imp. Co. 1929-1974,

Moline Plow Company 1870-1929,

The Great Minneapolis Line 1887-1929,

Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company (Twin City) 1902-1929,

All of the companies merged to form the new Minneapolis Moline Power Implement Company in 1929.

But there is always a variety of brands and types of tractors and other machinery.

Cars and horses too.

A recent acquisition, the Lexington Church, awaits a foundation.

We watch a medical chopper from Mayo Clinic land for display purposes. After the landing, the crew remained nearby to answer questions.

Once you attend this show, I know you will return every year because it offers activities and displays for the entire family. If you've never been to this show, put the third week in August on your calendar for 2012.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Renaissance Festival, 2011

2011-08-30T11:41:00.000-05:00

Nancy and I have attended the Minnesota Renaissance Festival nearly every year since its beginning in the early 1970s. We enjoy the comedy, the atmosphere, the animals, the juggling, the crowd, the crafts, and most of all, the Puke and Snot Show.

The longest-running and oldest act at the Renaissance Festival, Sir Ralph Puke, left, and Sir Thomas Snot, right, have been dishing out their humor with sword play for 41 years. Mark Sieve is the original Puke, and John Gamoke took over as Snot with only days of preparation after Joe Kudla passed away in August of 2008. They both need to be commended for their courage in pulling off what must have been a tough transition. This is their 4th year together in the act and they were in fine form.

Both last year and this year, Nancy and I came early to get a chance to talk to Mark and John near their stand where they sell tee shirts, mugs, and other Puke and Snot stuff. Mark held up last year's photo of the four of us. Below is this year's photo. As you can see, no one has aged, and I am even wearing a different shirt than I wore last year.

Nancy made a quilt from the Puke and Snot tee shirts that we've purchased over the years. She took a couple photos of it and gave Mark a copy. He seemed genuinely pleased with the small gift and said he would put it in a ring binder with other Renaissance Festival photos. You can see a corner of the quilt in the picture behind the photo Mark is holding of the four of us from last year's visit.

Although these guys are, indeed, celebrities, they honestly enjoy talking to fans and friends at the Festival. John's son Zane, pictured below, took the photo.

Mark Sieve, Zane Gamoke, John Gamoke.

This year's show was mostly new material that featured Sir Puke's plan to become a politician. The program was hilarious and also had lots of the old comic gems that Puke and Snot have performed throughout the past years.

One more thing, I recommend Mark's book, Call Me Puke: A Life on the Dirt Circuit, a memoir of the beginning days to the recent past. The book is funny, serious, revealing, and a good read. To purchase the book go to www.magaga.com

Sir Puke among the audience.

Sir Snot among the audience.

After the Puke and Snot Show, we checked out the animals, the jousting, the crafts, the juggler, and some food. Steak on a stick is my favorite. It goes well with red wine.

Nancy and I used to raise hogs so watching the little guys dig in the dirt brought back some good memories.

We enjoyed watching the handler wash the elephant.

The jousting is an attraction that contains action and humor. There is a bit of the "good guy" vs "bad guy" game that you might find in pro-wrestling, but there is also the honest challenge of riding your horse at another guy who has a long stick pointing at you. I wouldn't say it is completely safe.

The sign on the box says, "Buy Something," and like a number of other shops, this one offered some bargains. Marked down merchandise is something rare at the Renaissance. The economy seems to have affected all areas. So if you like bargains, attend next weekend and see what you find.

We watched players throwing knives and pins close to each other and a volunteer from the audience.

By the expression on this volunteer's face, we can conclude she can feel the breeze of the pins as they pass by.

Before we left, Nancy and I spent a bit of quiet time by our favorite spot in the shade by Wind Rose Mill.

We reluctantly take our leave of the fantasy world but we know we'll be back next year.

Thanks to Mark Sieve and John Gamoke and all the wonderful performers and workers who make the Renaissance Festival what it is.

My post on last year's Renaissance Festival was September 6, 2010.

To purchase Mark's book go to www.magaga.com

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson, except for the one taken by John's son Zane.

Berean Education Center

2011-08-26T07:44:00.000-05:00

April 2010 was the first time we had visited Berean Education Center to do a show, and I was happy to return to the school on Tuesday to do two shows: If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure for ages 4-5 and A Farm Country Christmas Eve for grades 1-4.
The groups were small in number but enthusiastic. In the three pictures below the four and five year old students listen attentively and then eagerly participate when i show them how to teach a calf to drink out of a pail.

Children in that same group wait for their turn at sticking a hand into the can of oats in the pictures below.

The children in the second group ranged from first to fourth grade and they listened carefully to my explanation of why Santa visits farm kids during chore time on Christmas Eve in the picture below.

Then they responded quickly to the quiz questions in the two pictures below.

Nancy and I wish to thank Kristi Ollila for inviting us to Berean and arranging our visit.

We especially thank Mrs. Hartley and Mrs. Otto for their warm welcome and for sharing their class time with us. Thanks to Pam who greeted us and showed us where to set up. We hope to return again soon.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

All Saints Catholic School, Madison Lake, MN

2011-08-25T10:10:00.000-05:00

The drive to Madison Lake took just a bit over two hours, but the morning was sunny and beautiful so the time seemed to go fast. As we approached All Saints Catholic School, we were treated to a nice view of Madison Lake.

Our first show was for preschoolers and they seemed to enjoy the story If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure, especially the part where Nancy uses her two fingers to teach a calf to drink from a pail.

Children in the second group (below) ranged in grades from first to sixth.

Since the group number was small, the students could stretch out on the floor to enjoy A Farm Country Picnic. After the show they lined up to take turns feeling the oats that I display in a coffee can.

Nancy and I thank Liz Blaschko and Mary Ann Adams for inviting us to their school. I had fun doing the show and the kids were great.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Nowthen Threshing Show

2011-08-24T08:20:00.000-05:00

The annual Threshing Show at Nowthen Minnesota is always a bustle of activity. This year the organization held its 41st show and it gets better every year.

The show features antique cars and tractors, a parade, free rides around the grounds, a tractor pull, pedal pull competition, an active sawmill (the smoke in the above picture is rising from the sawmill), and too many displays to mention. There were lots of antique vendors and food vendors. The ice cream vendor was among the most popular during the beautiful, sunny, but pleasant day.

Preserved buildings to visit include a filling station, a country school, a church, and many more.

This year we were invited to attend on Saturday, August 20th to perform a couple shows in the country schoolhouse, and the members allowed us to sell our books nearby.

Nancy smiles by our table of books.

This proved to be a good spot for us to sell books because we were next door to a building that offered hands-on activities for children on one side of us (above), and on the other side of us ladies were cooking chicken soup in an old-fashioned kitchen and selling it to passers by (below). The fragrance was terrific!

The windows of the cabin where they made the soup were open (far left) and customers enjoyed the food on shaded tables nearby.

I got to sign some books and Nancy and I got to visit with a bunch of really fun people during the day.

Like all of the threshing shows, the Nowthen show is, indeed, a show for the whole family, but it seems the organizers of the Nowthen Threshing Show make a special effort to attract kids of all ages. As you can see from the pictures above, the show is full of parents with their children and that's always a sight that lifts the spirits.

My 3:30 PM show in the country school.

Thanks to Sharon Wilhelm for arranging my visit to the Nowthen Threshing Show, and I especially want to thank the board members for allowing me to perform in the school house and to sell my books in front of the building. As you can see by the pictures, we were able to reach lots of families with our message of preserving farm heritage. Nancy and I hope to return next year.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Duluth Children's Museum

2011-08-23T17:23:00.000-05:00

This is our second visit to the Duluth Children's Museum, located in the same building as the famous Depot Museum that has all those great old trains. The first time we did a show there in August, 2009, I was impressed with the museum's gallery of activities for kids and the great audience. It was much the same this time as a couple of preschools brought some children to watch the show.

Program Director Mary Davis introduced me before I began my program.

The Duluth Children's Museum was established in 1930 and is he fifth oldest in the nation. Go to their website at www.duluthchildrensmuseum.org to learn about the attractions to visit and programs they offer.

CEO and President Michael Garcia took time to visit with us and tell us the story of Grace Walker, a nine year old girl from Proctor, MN. When Grace was seven she learned that the Duluth Children's Museum was planning to move and had started fundraising to build a new museum. Grace decided to help by writing and illustrating a book called The Blunders of Harry Hamble and donate all the proceeds to the Museum.

Mr. Garcia kindly gave Nancy and me a copy of Grace's book, which is autographed by Grace. We love the story and illustrations and admire Grace not only for her creativity with the art, but also for her creativity in deciding that fundraising for a museum was not beyond the scope of her seven years of experience.

What can I say? I was 55 when I published my first children's book. I guess creativity takes longer to form in some of us.

Nancy and I wish to thank Mary Davis for inviting us back to perform our show at the Duluth Children's Museum again this year, and we especially thank Mr. Garcia for the copy of Grace's book and for telling her story to us.

We hope to be back to the Duluth Children's museum soon.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Dakota County Fair, 2011

2011-08-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

The first Dakota County Fair goes back to 1858, the year Minnesota became a state, and it has been going strong ever since. This year the seven-day event was helped tremendously by the very pleasant weather from Monday, August 7 through Sunday, August 14. Nancy and I displayed and sold our farm heritage books and tee shirts in Dakota Village, an assembly of restored buildings that displays the area's heritage. Buildings range from a train depot to a bank building and are open for the fair-goer to visit and listen to a volunteer in period costume explain and demonstrate the workings of a blacksmith shop or a print shop. It's an interesting place to visit.

The Dakota City Board allows us to rent this building to sell our books about farm heritage during the seven days of the fair. Since our two series of books reflect stories of farm heritage, it is a perfect spot.

The general store was next door to us and open for visitors.

The old Vermillion State Bank, built in 1918, was moved to Dakota City in 1985.

Visiting the bank brings back memories for me because my father and mother banked there.

I remember opening my first savings account here and going in with Dad as he took out loans for expanding farm operations.

The Dakota Drug Store was only half a block from us and it sold hot food, cold drinks, and ice cream.

An attractive and informational pamphlet called "A Fair to Remember" details the 150-year development of the Dakota County Fair from 1858 to 2008. The facts are fascinating and are presented in an interesting story form with photographs. The pamphlet is given away free at most buildings in Dakota Village.

Obviously, Nancy and I are at the fair to sell books, but what makes the seven fair days fun for us is the people who take the time to visit with us. Old friends, neighbors, relatives I've never met, classmates from high school, and people with farm backgrounds from all over the country who compliment us on our efforts to preserve farm heritage.

The fair has not forgotten its agricultural and small town roots and, I think, that's why so many people come from so far away to visit the livestock barns, the midway, eat the food, visit Dakota Heritage Village, watch the threshing, enjoy the live music, and watch the tractor parade every day at 1:00 PM.

competition

Starting the straw pile

Singer and songwriter Ben Aaron stopped by to introduce himself to us. He played a few songs and moved on to pay at the Drug Store and the entertainment tent. Ben is a local talent from Farmington.

A fiddler played in from of the depot at Dakota City

The tractor parade is about half an hour long and features tractors of all makes and models. Maynard Ohm, Chairman of the Machinery Men's Club, does a live narration that describes each entry. The parade includes horseless carriages donated to Dakota City.

And I got to sign lots of books, which is my favorite thing to do.

Above is a picture of our first visitors and customers during the fair. On Monday before Dakota City officially opened a visitor stopped by to talk and bought a book.

Notice the free sticker from my book covers on the young man's shirt. To see more photos with children and other visitors, click on Read More below.

Nancy and I attended our building from noon to 9:00 PM on Monday, 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM on Tuesday through Saturday, and 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.

The hours were long but what made the stay worthwhile were all the friendly visitors and the hard-working volunteers at Dakota City. Below is a photo of Carl, one of the many Dakota City Volunteers. Carl displays one of my books that he bought for his granddaughter.

I wish to thank all the people at Dakota City for having me be part of their Heritage Village. It's a fun place to be during the fair. For more pictures of visitors and customers of all ages, click on Read More below.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Lots of children and adults posed for pictures after a purchase or during a visit. If I miss some photos or names, I apologize, but I want each of you to know that Nancy and I greatly appreciate your visit and hope you see us again next year at the fair or sooner.

A former coworker stops by with his family

This little girl loves the kitty

Even royalty visits.

College kids visit too.

Abby was excited to get a book.

Rylee with her horse and book

Virgil Throne, a high-school classmate, brought his mother to meet us.

Glenn and Logan are twins.

Family of Glenn and Logan taking pictures of the twins

Nancy posing with friends who visited. From left to right are Katie Stiles,

Nancy, Tina Stiles, Mike Stiles, and Chris Zweber.

Sara rolling a hoop.

My father used to roll a hoop don the streets of Elko when he was a child in the 1920s.

Parade pictures

The staged shootout between Dakota City volunteers playing law enforcers and bad guys always draws a crowd.

Nancy and her former coworker Jim Czech

Jennifer and Trisha grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota where family members farm. These sisters are proud of their farm heritage.

As we were packing up to leave on Sunday a friend and former coworker, "Vic" Vickers and his wife Liliya stopped by to say hello. Nancy and I are glad they did.

Hope to see everyone again next year at the fair!

Farmfest 2011

2011-08-11T07:39:00.000-05:00

The crowds of people at this year's Farmfest at Gilfilland Estates, Redwood Falls, MN, were treated to warm but pleasant weather, which was far better than the unbearable heat during the first two of the three days during last year's event.

Although Farmfest is a showplace for the newest and biggest farm machinery and all of the serious activity related to agriculture, the large tent called the Toy, Craft, Home and Garden Pavilion housed a variety of vendors displaying and selling things like Watkins Products, maple syrup, leather crafts, and toy tractors. And that is where Nancy and I had our Collector series of Farm Heritage books for sale.

As you can see, customers range from folks my age (above) to the very young (below).

The young man on the left won the trophy he is holding in the pedal pull competition.

Leo and Mavis bought a book early in the day, and after reading it they returned later to buy the other two books in the series. I especially enjoy that kind of feedback. Good luck to them and their grandkids!

The young-people-but-not-little kids group bought books too.

This young fellow seems particularly pleased to be getting two books.

We had a number of young farm couples who were not yet married buying books for themselves, not for their future kids, because they were pleased and proud to be part of the farm heritage as shown in my stories.

On Thursday we took the two-hour drive home, and as we neared home territory, we stopped as dairy workers brought the cows back from pasture to be milked at Dave and Florence Minar's Cedar Summit Farm north of New Prague, which was the site of their annual Milkapalooza several weeks ago.

We enjoyed watching the cows cross the road and head to the barn.

Nancy and I wish to thank everyone at Farmfest for making the three days a great success.
I especially thank Troy Krause, editor of The Farmfest Gazette, for interviewing me by phone before the event and then writing and printing a story about me and my books entitled, "Keeping State's Farm History Alive." The article appeared in the August 2nd issue of the paper and includes pictures of me and the cover of A Farm Country Picnic.
In his story, Troy thoroughly explains my purpose and goals for writing my farm heritage stories. I felt honored to be featured in an article of a paper that focuses on modern farming, and I felt that it showed an understanding by all those involved in agriculture of the importance of preserving their heritage in story form. Many visitors kindly stopped by our booth to explain that they liked Troy's story.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Credit River Antique Tractor Club

2011-08-07T11:23:00.000-05:00

When people ask me where I am from, I don't always give the same exact answer because it is more complicated than just naming a town, and I know most people aren't interested in a long answer to a short question. If the conversation goes beyond my zip code (Lakeville), or my high school (also Lakeville), or my home town (New Market), to where I actually grew up (a farm in Credit River Township), I end up proclaiming, "I'm from Credit River."
I know this affiliation is pretty vague for anyone who is under forty years old because for years no business place has existed on the intersection of County Road 68 and County Road 27, which was the site of Credit River. Yet the affiliation of being from "Credit River" still has power for those of us who attended country schools nearby, grew up playing pool and cards at the tavern on the corner, attended some dances and anniversary parties at the adjoining dance hall, and then voted for the first time at that same facility. Yes, for us, being from Credit River still draws us together, even if our lives have taken many different directions from each other.

Above is a picture of a photograph of Credit River Store, located on the southwest quadrant of the intersection of County Road 68 and County Road 27 in Scott County around 1910. The structure burned to the ground in the late 1930s. The store built to replace it was a much smaller and less grand structure.

But the structure most of us remember as "Credit River" was the town hall/tavern/dance hall located in the southeast quadrant of the intersection of #68 and #27, which is directly across the street form the site of the old structure.

This building has been gone a long time and a new town hall was erected about a half mile east on County Road 68,

For those of us who proclaim that we are from Credit River, our memories of childhood on a family farm may vary from bitter to joyful on many topics, but we tend to agree on one thing–we are fascinated with the tractors and machinery used during those times when we were children. The fondness for the old iron leads members to spend money and time restoring the tractors and days of preparation to display and parade the results of their efforts. It's nothing short of true love.

The Credit River Antique Tractor Club displayed their antiques while vendors sold various crafts at a three-day show at Cedar Lake Farms Regional Park on July 29-31, 2011. The park offers beautiful rolling hills, large shade trees, a beach, and a lovely view of Cedar Lake. Visitors of all ages enjoyed the show.

Of course, most of the members of the Credit River Antique Tractor Club hail from the towns and countrysides far beyond Credit River, and many of the members who live near Credit River are too young to remember any of the buildings in the above pictures, but it's the hard work of all these members that made the Credit River Antique Tractor Club Show a success.
Above is a picture of what visitors saw as they came in the gate. To their right were several hard-working Credit River Club members (pictured below) selling raffle tickets to win an Allis Chalmers, which was restored by club members.

Parked next to the trailer was the raffle tractor, below.

Across from the raffle ticket trailer was our tent, where we sold books and tee shirts.

A variety of vendors offered food and crafts at locations throughout the park.

Weather was warm but pleasant and lots of visitors turned out, giving me ample opportunity to sell and sign some books.

Club member Joe Gallagher (right) drove around our most honored and eldest club member, Myles Mares.

Restored antiques on display included tractors of all colors, trucks, cars, and lawn tractors, and club members offered a free tour of the grounds before and after the short parade.

Part of the daily parade of antiques during Sunday's show.

Thanks to all of the members of the Credit River Antique Tractor Club for their hard work in preparing for this show. It's a show the whole family can enjoy. Hope to see you here next year!

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

For more pictures of the parade and the displays, click on Read More below:

Hope to see you and your family here next year!