Winona Historical Society

Winona County Historical Society hosts a monthly "Food for Thought" series during lunchtime at the new wing of the Winona County Museum, which was dedicated last fall during a visit by Governor Pawlenty.
Jennifer Weaver, assistant director at the Museum, invited me to speak for an hour and I eagerly scheduled April 20, 2011, at noon.
The facilities were beautiful and the people were really enthusiastic about rural history and the history of their city. It was a fun group.

Nancy set up our book display below a fine grouping of historical details.

We arrived early as did a number of people who introduced themselves and visited with me and Nancy before the show. In the picture above I am showing Orlin Brommer the illustrations in the original Christmas book that I wrote. 

Orlin lives in Wisconsin and writes a column for the Winona Daily News.

He is pretty humble about it and calls it his "Ramblings," but after Nancy and I returned home, I read a number of his articles and I found them fascinating. His articles display details from routine things of the past and his style is a special cross between fiction and memory that you don't want to miss. To find the articles, just google his name.

The audience enjoyed the show on a big screen. After the hour program, many stayed to ask questions, buy books, and tell stories. Their enthusiasm made the day fun and the knowledge they shared was educational for all.

Allan Aldinger (left) gave me some copies of photos and stories from his childhood after I signed a book for him. I love to see these photos and read the stories. I am always looking for information to put in my shows.

I thank Jennifer Weaver for inviting me to speak and for purchasing books to have available to sell at the museum's fine gift shop. Nancy and I plan to return sometime soon to check out the museum more thoroughly.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Spring Valley Historical Society

Doing my 55-minute show about farm heritage at Spring Valley Historical Society on April 17 was a bit like preaching to the choir. Nothing I said was new to the audience, but I could tell from the laughter and head-nodding that they loved hearing it anyway. Since it was their annual dinner, I was assured of a good crowd of people ready to have some fun.

Members were avid historical buffs, and before and after the show they shared many stories of their lives on and off the farm. 

Although the banquet was open to members only, my show as open to the public and a few parents brought young people.

I'd like to thank Spring Valley Historical Society Secretary Julie Mlinar, forefront on the right in the picture above, for inviting me to the banquet. Nancy and I enjoyed the great food, the lively conversation, and the stories many people willingly told us. 

Many audience members purchased books and kindly told me how much they enjoyed the show. This kind of feedback means a lot to me because it lets me know they understand that the small farm heritage belongs to all Minnesotans.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Hector Historical Center, a Fundraiser

What's different when we do a show to kick off a fund-raiser?
Probably the only difference you would notice is that you won't see Nancy selling the books; instead, a member of the sponsoring organization is collecting the money, and the organization pays us about what a bookstore would pay us for the books they sell.
A relevant question here is, "Why would we do this?"

First, our goal is to tell the local story of rural America with accuracy and humor. We believe that preserving stories of the true heritage of the small farm is important and to do so we need to get the books out there.
Well, who better to sell "heritage" to people than people who are already focused on preserving heritage, like museums, historical centers, or people involved in creating the farm heritage of the future, like FFA, 4-H, or elementary students.
Like most of you, Nancy and I buy a number of items from students for fund-raisers: magazines, cookie dough, wreaths, wrapping paper, more magazines, and coupons. I'm not knocking any of these items for any reason at all, but I can say that none of these items represent the rural heritage like our books do.
Our books are collector items that are meant to be passed on from generation to generation. I don't think most other fund-raisers sell those kinds of products.