Risen Savior Seniors

Risen Savior Seniors is a small group that meets at the Risen Savior Church off Dakota County Road 42, which is only a few miles from my place. When Geneva (Speiker) Meives, a long-time friend from the Farm Country Neighborhood where I grew up, asked me to do my Farm Heritage Show for the group, I was delighted to comply. They provided a nice big room, a big pull-down screen, a friendly audience, and a pot-luck lunch. It can't get any better than that!

After mass, a short  business meeting, and lunch, Geneva gave me a better introduction than I deserved before I started my 35-minute show.

Before and after the show, group members checked out the farm photos we had on display and my books, which we had for sale at a reduced "Event" price. 

The photos are farm photos from the early to the middle of the last century which have been submitted by farmers and former farm-kids from throughout the Midwest in response to our request for harvest photos and other farm photos to put in our upcoming books.

Geneva and her husband Everett pose for a picture with me after the show.

I want to thank the Risen Savior Seniors for inviting me to speak, especially Geneva, who arranged the event, and Connie, who helped organize my setup. We also thank all of those people who bought books, shared their stories with me, or had kind words for me after the program. Nancy and I had a fun time and we hope you did too.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

G-E-T Schools in Wisconsin

Back in January of 2012, Sandy Ravnum, the Elementary Library Media Specialist for the Galesville-Ettrick-Tempealeau Schools in Wisconsin, invited us to visit the three elementary schools to speak about my process of creating books.  She said the entire school district was planning a "Young Authors' Event" in April where every student in the school would become an author by writing, illustrating, and assembling his or her own book.
 I was intrigued with the idea and immediately booked the event for April 19th.

At Trempealeau Elementary, Sandy greeted us at the door and then showed us the hundreds of books the students had written. Topics included family vacations, hobbies, biographies, death in the family, pets, farms, and almost anything imaginable. One student whose book was on the 4K-2 (4 years old through 2nd grade) table, wrote of her father's struggle with cancer before he passed away.  

Throughout the Trempealeau School, mounted animals and birds are displayed, inviting every student to learn more about the natural world.

The first group at Trempealeau included 4-year-olds, Kindergartners, and second graders. 

After the show a student named Paris gave me a card she had made especially for me.

The second group included first and second graders.

Deb and her dog Gus from Coulee Region Humane Society watched with the second group. Gus serves as a therapy dog that students can read to. Deb says the program is both popular and successful.

I projected a picture of 12-year-old Brad Simon onto the screen because he is the illustrator for my newest book, What I Saw on the Farm,  which will be out in May. Since the last half of my program focused on my writing process, I thought I would go over the steps in creating my new book, and I thought it especially appropriate to discuss Brad's work with these young authors and illustrators that made up my audience. 

Since all students in both groups were authors, they asked some serious questions: 

"How long does it take you to write a book?"

"Did you get mixed up working on two books at a time?"

"When did you get the idea that you wanted to write?"

And many more.

Next we followed Sandy in her car through the beautiful farm country about seven miles to Galesville Elementary School, where I was scheduled to do two programs for grades 4K, K, 1, and 2. The programs included my story, If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure, followed by an explanation of the process I followed writing my newest book, What I Saw on the Farm.

The enthusiasm of the students and staff made us feel really welcome as we met them in the library. They started to explain their gardening projects. They grow the seeds (see the lighted shelf in the background), plant them, and Jean Wallner, the school's head cook who is also a master gardener, prepares the fresh food to serve in the cafeteria. A boy explained. "We plant the seeds now and I will get to eat the tomatoes next fall when I am in the first grade!" 

A young girl exclaimed, "I Love tomatoes!"

The garden is on a tennis court that would probably cost thousands of dollars to resurface. Since it is fenced in, it presents a perfect set-up for an above-ground garden where the children help grow onions, lettuce strawberries, carrots, peas, corn, and other fruits and vegetables. Of course, a lot of work has to be done in the garden yet this spring, but in the picture above you can see the raised areas where the perennials are growing. The gardening experience is valuable for students. It presents the opportunity to raise food, eat vegetables, try new things, and share that experience with friends at school. Many of the kids probably work with their parents in gardens at home,  but for those who do not have a garden at home, the school experience gives them something really unique. For those students who have gardens at home, the school gardening experience may help them learn about some new plants to grow and eat.

First and second grade students in the first group at Galesville (above) and

The cover of my newest book (below).

4K, K, and grade 1 students in the second group at Galesville raising their two fingers to help me demonstrate how to teach a calf to drink from a pail.

After Galesville we have to hustle because we have about 45 minutes to pack up, drive eight miles to Ettrick, and set up for a program that is scheduled to start at 2:15 PM. 

But once again, we follow Sandy through the beautiful countryside.

 That's Sandy in the car ahead of us. I don't think we would have found our way through the short cuts without her help.

We arrive at Ettrick to a group of enthusiastic students in 4K, K, and first grade,who assemble early and patiently watch as we finish setting up.

Above, the students watch and listen as I begin my story, and below, they hold up two fingers as I demonstrate the craft of teaching a calf to drink from a pail.

After listening to me explain the process of writing the story, students giggle as I read the last page, which has an illustration showing cats playing ball and a one cat batting while holding one bat with its tail and one with its paws. 

Nancy and I thank all teachers, administrators, custodians, cooks, and all office workers for making us feel so very welcome. For example, even as we walked from our car to the Trempealeau school at  7:30 AM, a man cleaning the sidewalk greeted us with enthusiasm and a smile. 

It is the enthusiasm of everyone that carries through to the students, making their school experience more productive and fun. It is also what enables me to do the best job I can when I perform my program. 

Nancy and I thank Mrs. Ravnum for inviting us to the schools, arranging our visit with all three schools, and spending much of her busy day guiding us from school to school, and giving us tours of each school. We enjoyed talking to her throughout the day, and we learned a lot about the schools and the area around them.

We thank Terry Thompson, from the Trempealeau County Times, for taking pictures and visiting with us.

We especially thank all teachers and administrators and others who stopped to thank us or say a kind word or two.

And to the students, the focus of my visit, I say "Thanks so very much!" for your warm reception, your honest enthusiasm, your questions, and your kind remarks of approval. Keep writing! You are making your parents and teachers proud, and you are learning skills and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

All Saints Catholic School, Madison Lake, MN

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

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

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

Credit River Antique Tractor Club

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: