After four years, the Pepin Depot Museum reopened last weekend to an amazing crowd of visitors. There will be more news as we add railroad, Steam boat and other artifacts of the era. A number of railroad retirees who worked out of the depot back in the day have been very helpful with items and information we can pass along to our visitors.

​Check the slideshow below for a few of the many scenes during Laura Days 2018!

For more information visit www.LauraIngallsPepin.com/depot

​​My name is Annika Angelo. I am from a small town in northern Wisconsin named Phillips, and my family has always had a fantastic time in Pepin at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Days. When I was seven, my family made our first three-hour trip to Pepin. This was ten years ago. The wonderful John and Jeanie Nelson took us under their wings, blessing us with shelter, food, and fun at their cabin we all called "The Pink House" for the following six years. I competed in the Little Laura Contest all four years I was able to, and finally, at age eleven, I won Little Laura. Little did I know that this contest was just the start of my passion to learn about our past.

Flash forward to this year, 2017. I competed for the title of Miss Czech-Slovak Wisconsin State Queen at the Phillips Czech-Slovak Festival this June, and I was blessed to win. However, the title is much more than simply a title. As queen, I travel to various festivals around both Wisconsin and other states to encourage this generation to become engaged with the past. The Czech-Slovak Festival, along with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, is a wonderful opportunity for girls of any age to explore more about their past and ancestors. Since both of the festivals in Phillips and Pepin are so close to my heart, I knew I wanted to combine the events in some way. 

After speaking with the wonderful contest director, she was overjoyed to have me read the questions on stage to the girls competing for Little Laura this year. It was a blessing being on the other side of the contest and watching the girls' excitement about their past. Pepin surely has a beautiful community, with every single person banding together to keep the memory of Laura and her adventures alive. The past is such an important part of our lives. And with that, thank you. May we continue to remember our history and celebrate our ancestors.

Come try your hand at our old-time Spelling Bee! There will be four age categories for our competitors:

• Second Grade

 

• Third Grade

 

• Fourth Grade

 

• Fifth Grade

 

• Champion Round (winners of rounds 1 – 4 will compete)

 
The rules will be reviewed prior to the competition.  Prizes will be awarded in each category, along with a grand prize for the Champion. Certificates for a free chicken dinner (prepared on the Laura Days grounds) will be given to each person who enters.
 
Come join the fun!
 
www.LauraDays.org

Traditional Crafts demonstrators are featured at Laura Ingalls Wilder Days on September 10th and 11th in Pepin, Wisconsin. This year we are adding scheduled 20-30 minute presentations so visitors can get a more complete overview of the crafts on display.
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Sponsored in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, demonstrators include two blacksmiths, wood carvers, potters and more. Wool and flax spinning, candle-making, 1800-style camp cooking, seed saving, sewing, and flint-knapping will also be demonstrated. How would you carve a chair or make a tin cup? Both will be presented during the two-day festival located at Laura’s birth site, Pepin, Wisconsin.

Quilting and other activities are featured at the Cabin wayside seven miles north of Pepin. Located on Highway 35 in western Wisconsin, the festival is a celebration of Laura’s contribution to history, literature, education, and entertainment.
More details about the Traditional Crafts Demonstrations can be found at http://goo.gl/z1nFot

Among the many things to do and see at Laura Ingalls Wilder Days (September 10th and 11th this year) is the “Laura Contest”  -- where we select four girls (ages 8-11) who most closely identify with Laura.

Contestants, dressed in 1867-1875 “prairie girl” attire, fill out a written questionnaire, do a one-on-one interview, and make an appearance on stage before an enthusiastic audience. 8 and 9 year-olds should be familiar with Laura’s first book, Little House in the Big Woods, while 10 and 11 year-olds should possess a knowledge of the first book as well as Little House on the Prairie.

The girls are judged on the basis of accuracy of their answers, poise under various conditions, and their general appearance. All who compete receive a gift bag containing a T-shirt and other items.


All of the many activities are on our website: www.LauraDays.org.

Rules and guidelines can be found here:

​In its 26th year, the festival is something of a throwback to a previous time, featuring the area’s largest fiddle contest, traditional 1800’s craft demonstrations, great entertainment, and much more.

Our “Laura Contest” is designed to select girls (in four age categories) who most closely identify with Laura.There are various activities in the village and at the Cabin Wayside, seven miles north of Pepin. Laura Ingalls Wilder Days is a celebration of Laura’s contribution to history, literature, education, and entertainment; her stories continue to enthrall people of all ages and her popularity is undiminished.

The publication of her original autobiography in 2014 (six weeks on the New York Times best-seller list) has renewed attention to the pioneer spirit demonstrated by the Ingalls family. Author Pamela Smith Hill will be appearing at this year’s festival, giving numerous presentations during the two-day event. Check out all the activities at www.LauraDays.org.