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This month's news from Alison...
actually from
Alison's hubby
Mr. Bob
Alison Arngrim Home Page
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Nellie Newsletter
5/1/25
May Day!! May Day!! No, I’m not in trouble. (That I know of!) I’m just trying to celebrate May Day. I remember when I was a child, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we used to celebrate May Day at school. There was a May Pole, and streamers, and we would dance around the May Pole and wind the streamers up around it. Very vague, foggy memories.
Anyway, here we go. Trying to get back on schedule. First off, let me welcome our new readers who signed up at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Welcome!! But beware, if you signed up with a work e-mail that has a language filter, we may get blocked. Oh no, we don’t cuss up a storm. (Except for Sock Monkey, of course!) It’s just that we occasionally use the word “Bitch”. (Hard not to, it’s in the title of her book and her show!) Oh well, forewarned!
Speaking of Cherry Blossom, Alison just got home. They had a blast! She was there with Dean Butler Charlotte Stewart, Jennifer Donati, Pamela Roylance, Wendi Lou Lee, Jennifer & Michell Steffen, and many others. There were many, many stories of various shenanigans that went on. One of my favorites had to do with that old song, “Say A Little Prayer For You!”, and some dancing. Check this out: Nellie Dancing Yep, even Sock Monkey was amazed at that one!
If you missed this mega cast get together, fear not, there’s another huge Prairie gang reunion June 6 - 8! The cast are returning to the place in Northern California where many of your favorite episodes were filmed. Even Hester Sue is coming! Both Baby Carries!! (See below in the “schedule” section for how to get tickets to the Little House Cast Reunion in California Gold Country!)
Right before that Alison presented “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch” in Atlanta. Once again, a wonderful show and a great time for Alison. And of course, right before that she had just returned from spending what felt like forever in France. (“Me, too!”, said Sock Monkey.)
Anyway, she’s home now, and that’s what counts. So, how about that rundown of Alisons’s activities?
1. Daily Book Readings – The daily readings are currently on hiatus for an indefinite period. But she has recently been appearing from time to time, sporadically. Stay tuned!
2. Bonnets, Etc. - Bonnets, t-shirts, books, photos, Alison sells them at her online store, 'Not Your Mothers Mercantile'. Everything autographed. Here's the link to the store: Mercantile New items have been added. (To see the complete selection, click on the “Shop Now” button.) Be sure to specify how you want them signed. The Mercantile is open once again and accepting orders.
3. Cameo - You can have your favorite cast member record a personal video greeting - Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Get Well Soon, you name it! Check it out: Cameo Webiste Or... cut to the chase: Alison Cameo Her Cameo is back on as of today, and Mother’s Day is approaching!
4. Radio Show / Podcast - The Alison Arngrim Show is on every Tuesday at 5:00 pm Pacific Time. The best way to catch the show live is to go to the UBN Radio page on FaceBook: UBN FaceBook. If you have any ideas for who you would like to see interviewed by Alison, pass them along, and we’ll see what we can do! If you miss a show, or want to catch any of the past episodes, go to her FaceBook page for the show: Past Episodes
5. Who's Going To Do The Cooking? - Alison will be appearing on her FaceBook page, cooking something with instructions, whenever she can find the time. And she has not found the time for quite a while now, but she’ll be back! She has made many incredible dishes. You can find all of these on her YouTube Channel: Who's Cooking??
So, how about some schedule??
This is brand new. This coming Saturday, May 3rd, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Alison returns to Simi Valley (the scene of the crime?), for the Simi Valley Street Fair. She will be there with Dean Butler, and both will be signing copies of their books. Michell & Jennifer Steffen (Toddler Rose Wilder) will also be there. Check out their FaceBook page: Simi Valley Street Fair Sock Monkey and I will also be there. This is gonna be fun!
Next up, Alison makes her annual pilgrimage to New York City for Mother’s Day. She will be presenting Confessions of a Prairie Bitch at The Cutting Room, 44 East 32nd Street New York City, on Sunday, May 11th. Check out the Club: Cutting Room . The show is now up on their website, with a link for ticketing. Tickets are $25 for General Admission, and $36 for VIP. Alison has not been at the Cutting Room for several years now, but she’s always had a good time there. And this will be the Mother’s Day Show, so all bets are off. (I remember one time a few years back, they had to throw out an entire table of drunken revelers because they LITERALLY STARTED A FIGHT AT BRUNCH! ON MOTHERS DAY! Seriously, who does this??) So, make plans early, take Mom out for a show, and remind her how much better you turned out than that Prairie brat! And a heads up to all of our east coast friends. Spend Mother’s Day with Alison.
Then she will tear herself away from New York City and head south to Club Play – Nashville on Thursday, May 15 at 8pm. Play Nashville is at 1519 Church Street between 15th & 16th Aves Nashville, TN 37203. Here’s the link to their website: Play - Nashville Then, the very next day, she will be at Club Play – Louisville, Friday, May 16 at 8pm. Play Louisville is at 1101 East Washington Street at Buchanan Street Louisville, KY 40206. Here’s the link to their website: Play - Louisville (You know, it’s actually the same website!) For tickets for these shows, and the rest of her Spin Cycle shows, you can go here: Spin Cycle Nellie Tour Tickets are $22 General Admission and $35 for VIP.
On Saturday, May 24th, from 9 am to 5 pm, Alison will be appearing at the Pasadena Comic Con, at the Convention Center in Pasadena. Check out their FaceBook page: Pasadena Comic Con This is a one-day event. Tickets are $15 General Admission or $25 for Early Admission. What do I always hear from people? “When will she be in Southern California? When will she be in Southern California?” So, here’s your answer. I’ll see you there! (“So will I!”, exclaimed Sock Monkey.)
This is the big one: Alison and many of her Prairie friends will be heading to Columbia California for the Little House on the Prairie Cast Reunion at Columbia State Historic Park in California’s Gold Country, June 6–8, 2025. This is very close to Sonora, where the show filmed many of their location scenes, including all of the ones with trains. This will be a large gathering, with 10 or 12 cast members confirmed thus far. Here is their website for Tickets and more info: Little House Gold Country Ticket prices range from $29 for a one-day child’s ticket to $218 for a VIP pass. (At this point, all of the VIP passes are sold out!) This is sort of returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak. The very first cast reunion was held many years ago in Sonora. And I was lucky enough to attend. You can bet I’ll be there for this one! And as you can see, tickets are going quickly. You snooze, you lose, I’m afraid! Order early! And here’s a marketing piece on this event that you might find interesting: Gold Country Marketing
Next, she heads back up north to Chicago where she will present Confessions of a Prairie Bitch at Lips Chicago, a new club located at the Motor Row Show Palace, 2229 South Michigan Ave on Historic Motor Row Chicago, IL 60616. Here’s the website for the club: Lips - Chicago And the link for their FaceBook page: Lips - FaceBook As usual, get your ticket link at the Spin Cycle website: Spin Cycle Nellie Tour The show is on Thursday, June 12 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $24 General Admission and $36 VIP. This is a new club in Chicago, and Alison has always had a good time in Chicago.
One week later, Thursday, June 19th, she will be at Lips San Diego, 3036 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104. (Seems like this Lips Club is going nationwide!) Here’s the link for the Club’s website: Lips - San Diego Tickets are now on sale on the Spin Cycle Nellie Tour website (above). And this one is so close to home we might just drive down and make a weekend of it!
Then, after all that, Alison will be returning to The Red Room, 258 Commercial Street, Provincetown MA 02657 for four shows, July 10, 12, 13, and 15. Tickets are $35 for General Admission and $50 for VIP, and are available on their website: Red Room And this is once again Bear Week in P-Town! This should be outstanding!
That should be enough schedule to hold you for a while.
Rumour Control
- Does it really not rain in Indianapolis in the summertime?
- And San Francisco? We love San Francisco . . .(Sourdough, Dim Sum, yum!!)
- So, you think anyone might be writing another book?? Hmmm . . .
Miscellaneous
Alison in France – She’s back now. Here are a few more peeks into her French adventures:
Alison’s show in Saint-Usuge: Saint-Usuge
Someone made her a Mercantile Cake: Mercantile Cake
This was her very last show in France for this tour: Last Show
If you read Alison’s book, you’ll remember a little opossum: Eggy
And remember that mouse?: Bianca Mouse
OK, that’s enough of France until October. (Yes, she’s going back!)
Jack Lilly – It’s been 50 years since they did the show, and time goes on. One of the cast favorites among the crew was Jack Lilly. Jack was also an actor, and appeared in dozens of episodes, usually as a stagecoach or wagon driver, or one of the people in the town, usually uncredited. He also worked on Blazing Saddles and many other westerns. Well, Jack passed away last month at the age of 91. Here are a couple of articles, both tributes from Melissa Gilbert: ABC News and 2) Closer Weekly It's always hard when you lose a family member.
Michael Landon – OK, I’ve included this one before. But it came up recently in my FB feed, and it’s just too good to pass up. Here is Michael’s final appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: Landon Tonight Show
Chris Landon – Speaking of Landon, here’s an article about Chris Landon. Turns out he just happens to be the Director of the horror movie “Drop”. Enjoy: Chris Landon
Eric’s Emporium – Remember Eric Caron? Long time friend and collaborator, we shone the spotlight on him in the newsletter last August. Eric is responsible for much of the design of the Little House facades and interior sets that were at the Simi Valley reunion back in March of last year. Anyway, Eric has a new online store, Eric’s Emporium. He has a selection of illustrated maps of Big Sky Ranch, albums of paper dolls of the various characters from the show, and books on the process of designing the sets for Simi Valley, among other things. All of his products are produced by hand and are fully sanctioned by Friendly Family Productions. Here’s the link: Eric's Emporium Enjoy!!
Forgotten Hollywood – Here’s an interview with Alison on a Podcast called Forgotten Hollywood. This aired on April 17, 2025. Enjoy! : Forgotten Hollywood
FanX Salt Lake City – OK, this may be another rerun, but I like it! Besides, we have a lot of new readers this month! Here we have a panel consisting of Alison and Melissa Gilbert (and Secret Agent Sock Monkey!). And they do have fun! Enjoy: FanX Salt Lake
Maintaining our lives in the age of COVID-19 – Well, this got a little personal this month. I was at work, not feeling great, but not that bad either. So, I drove home. (I have a long commute!) By the time I got home, I was coughing, sweating, and sneezing, at which point Alison broke out the thermometer, and yup - 102! Well, you know what came next, swab up the nose time and indeed, I was positive for Covid. Alison called the doctor, at this point I wasn’t exactly in a mood to chat, so she explained the situation and I started Paxlovid the next morning. It works well, but the only drawback that I find is the metallic after taste when you take each dose. (I recommend crispy Cheetos! Luckily Alison bought the super jumbo bag!) By the end of the week, I was feeling better and testing negative. And I went back to work on Monday.
OK, the CDC is now recommending that adults get an additional vaccine in the spring. Hey, it’s spring now! Ah, but since I just got over COVID, I need to wait two to three months before I get my next shot. (You can bet I’ll be in line that day!)
The latest variant going round is LP.8.1, a descendant of Omicron. The changes in the virus are small, with symptoms staying the same, and the vaccines are expected to work. And precautions are, of course, the same. And I will be wearing my mask a lot more going forward.
And now for our Fauci moment: "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care for other people." But we must.
Direct messages from various cast members:
Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder) - On April 24, 2025, at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield, MO, director Jonathan Parker premiered his documentary love letter to Little House entitled, Little House Homecoming. The film was shot throughout the summer of 2024 all over the country at Little House 50th Anniversary events and features members of the Little House cast. Little House Homecoming also features Michael Landon Jr., Leslie Landon Matthews, and has been endorsed by Michael Landon’s estate. Little House Homecoming was produced by Parker along with Alison Arngrim, Karen Grassle, Trip Friendly, and me.
Our Prairie Legacy Productions team ( prairielegacyproductions.com ), under license from Friendly Family Productions, is hard at work in partnership with the Columbia Chamber of Commerce to produce The Little House on the Prairie Cast Reunion in Gold Country on June 6-8, 2025. (See above) Fourteen of our Little House cast members are scheduled to "go on location” that weekend, joined by Little House fans from 30 states and 3 countries…so far. Go to Gold Country Tickets for tickets and more information. It’s going to be an amazing weekend.
Along with Little House events, the Little House 50th Anniversary Podcast ( LittleHouse50Podcast.com ) is well into its second season and I am hard at work on my second book, Living the Prairie Way for Kensington Publishers, in which I will share my impressions of the themes and values that have made Little House such an enduring classic. The book is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2026. Little House Forever!
Thank you, Dean!!
Prairie Tidbits
Charles Bloom (Perley Day Wilder) – Charles portrayed Almanzo’s brother, Perely Day, in one episode in 1980, Wilder and Wilder. He also had roles in Battlestar Galactica, Quincy ME, Lou Grant, and Eight is Enough. He went on to become a Composer and Lyricist. Here’s a link to his website: Charles Bloom Good job, Charles!!
Marcus Chong (Samson) – Marcus played Samson in two episodes in 1978, Blind Journey (Part 1) and Blind Journey (Part 2). He also had roles in Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie, Dallas, Facts of Life, Chicago Hope, Burn Notice, and most notably, he played Tank in The Matrix. In his most recent acting role, he played Harry Belafonte in “Not 4 Sale” in 2013. He was last seen at The Hollywood show in Burbank in January 2025. Nice going, Marcus!
Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle) – Charlotte and hubby Michael Santos are off on another set of Gem Shows. They are the only Museum Level Meteorite vendors West of Tucson AZ. Here are their next few shows:
- 2025 GOLD COAST GEM SHOW - May 24 & 25 Ventura County Fairgrounds- 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001 ( Gold Coast Gem Show )
- Culver City Rock & Mineral Club - June 28 & 29 - 62nd Annual Fiesta of Gems - Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium - 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90230 ( Culver City Rocks )
- Roseville Rock Rollers - Gem, Jewelry, Fossil Mineral Show – August 2nd, 2025 – 700 Event Center Drive, Roseville, CA95678 ( Rock Rollers )
- Carmel Valley Gem & Mineral Society- September 20 & 21 - Monterey County Fairgrounds- 2004 Fairgrounds Road, Monterey, CA 93940 ( Carmel Valley )
Way to go, you guys! (We may see you in Culver City!!)
The Saga of Sock Monkey (Chapter One Hundred Forty-One)
Sock Monkey held his breath. Well, at least she didn’t snap at him again! “So”, he asked, “where are we going?" “Away”, said Alison. “Ummm . . Away to, or away from?” “Away from, you silly Monkey!”, she snapped. So, she was snapping again. He decided to let it ride for a moment. He sat back in his seat and looked around. He had no idea where they were. The sun was beating down on them, and they were kicking up a long trail of dust as they sped along. (If anyone was looking for them, they would not be hard to find!) Off in the distance he saw a herd of large animals moving along at an even pace, not hurrying but not wandering along either. They were moving in a strange fashion, sort of bobbing up and down as they went. It reminded him of something, but he couldn’t place just what. “Alison", he began, "Just where are we, anyway?” “Welll . . .”, she replied, “You might say we’re a little Down Under, so to speak.” Aaaah!! He remembered where he had seen those animals before! They were in Australia, and that was a mob of kangaroos. HE HATED KANGAROOS!!
(To be continued . . . )
There you have it. The fourth Nellie Newsletter for 2025. Stay safe, mask up, wash up, get your booster shots, and be good to each other. And hug someone you love today!
See you in Sonora!!
As usual (Comme d’habitude), be good bonnet heads, and I’ll talk to you next month.
- Bob
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