October 19th from 10am - 3pm......we'll be hosting a special event with Dean Butler. He'll be at the Wilder Farm to celebrate the publishing of his new book, Prairie Man, My Little House Life & Beyond, which came out this summer. Come chat with Dean and get an autographed copy! Special appearance of Morgan horses from the Wm. H. Miner Institute,
Get a selfie with Dean and a Morgan!
Enter the pumpkin carving contest! Get a Wilder Farm mug and take home your pumpkin! You bring your favorite carving tools and we'll provide the pumpkin!
Prizes! $15. per family or individual.
Self guided tours of the Wilder buildings with guides on hand. Fiddling & food!
Reduced admission for this this special event: Adults, $10; Youth 6-16, $5; 5 and under are free. Link to advance ticket sales is below.
An illuminating, insider’s journey through the world of Little House on the Prairie and beyond, from Dean Butler, who starred as Almanzo Wilder, the man Laura “Half Pint” Ingalls married—on the iconic show still beloved by millions of fans as it reaches its 50th anniversary.
With a foreword from Melissa Gilbert (Laura) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie)!
Cast just before his twenty-third birthday, Dean Butler joined Little House on the Prairie halfway through its run, gaining instant celebrity and fans’ enduring affection. Ironically, when the late, great Michael Landon remarked that Little House would outlive everyone involved in making it, Butler deemed it unlikely. Yet for four decades and counting, Butler has been defined in the public eye as Almanzo Wilder—a role he views as the great gift of his life.
Butler had been cast as a romantic lead before, notably in the made-for-TV movie of Judy Blume’s Forever, opposite Stephanie Zimbalist. ButLittle Housewas, and remains, one of the most treasured shows in television history. As the eventual husband of Laura “Half-pint” Ingalls—and the man who would share actress Melissa Gilbert’s first real-life romantic kiss—Butler landed as a central figure for the show’s devoted fans.
Now, with wit and candor, Butler recounts his passage through the Prairie, sharing stories and anecdotes of the remarkable cast who were his on-screen family. But that was merely the beginning of a diverse career that includes Broadway runs and roles on two other classic shows—Moondoggie in The New Gidget and Buffy’s ne’er-do-well father, Hank, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Coming of age during a golden era of entertainment, Butler has evolved along with it, and today enjoys success and fulfillment as a director and producer—notably of NBC Golf’s Feherty—while remaining deeply loyal to Little House.
The warmth, heart, and decency that fans of Laura and Almanzo fell in love with on Little House echo through this uplifting memoir, a story, in Butler’s words, about “good luck, good television, and the very good—if gloriously imperfect—people who made it so.”
Save time and purchase your admission to this special event in advance!