Hope on the prairie: ‘Little House’ actors to come to Greenfield in fundraiser events – The Daily Reporter

By Maribeth Vaughn | Daily Reporter

GREENFIELD — Stars from “Little House on the Prairie” will be in Greenfield in September, in fundraiser events that will help local children receive Christmas gifts.

Blue Angel Connect is hosting three consecutive events Sept. 5-6, featuring the actors who played “Ma” Caroline Ingalls; Almonzo Wilder and the quintessential bad girl, Nellie Oleson, in the television drama that ran from 1974-1983.

Blue Angel Connect is a nonprofit organization that works with public service agencies and local groups to help meet the needs of local families in Hancock and Henry counties. The popular Holiday Hope program brings Christmas gifts and Santa himself to families in need.

This isn’t the first time the nonprofit has reached out to ‘70s TV stars for fundraising support: in 2023, the stars of “CHiPS” came to Greenfield to sign autographs and take photos.

Brent Burris, event organizer, said this event is gaining even more traction, thanks to the timeless classic that has new generations enjoying reruns even to this day.

The “Little House on the Prairie” show is based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder about life in the American frontier.

Local events kick off Sept. 5: a comedy show featuring Alison Arngrim will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts in downtown Greenfield. Arngrim played “Nellie Oleson” in the show, the bully of Laura Ingalls. “Confessions of a Prairie B*tch” is the name of the show, and is also the title of Arngrim’s book.

While there will not be photographs or autographs at the comedy show, Arngrim will join the two other actors Sept. 6 in two additional events in Greenfield.

Arngrim, Dean Butler and Karen Grassle will sign autographs and take photos in a meet-and-greet event from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 6 at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Greenfield. Tickets are $10, plus additional pricing for pictures, signatures and memorabilia.

Butler played Almonzo “Manly” Wilder, the love interest of lead character Laura Ingalls in later seasons of the show.

Grassle played Caroline Ingalls, or “Ma.” Grassle also recently released a book about her experience on the show. Her appearance is special, Burris said, because she doesn’t come to many signing events. He has already heard from several fans who are excited to meet “Ma.”

“She doesn’t do this stuff hardly at all, and we ended up getting her, and we’ve had some people say that’s the only autograph they don’t have,” Burris said.

Dinner with “Little House on the Prairie” will conclude the trio of fundraisers; the $125 event will be at 5 p.m. Sept. 6 at Bradley Hall Events, 2 W. Main St., Greenfield. A private question-and-answer session with the actors will be at the event.

Tickets are available now at blueangelconnect.org.

Blue Angel Connect’s Holiday Hope program sponsored nine families in Hancock and Henry counties in 2023, and 10 families last year. Burris said the fundraisers also serve as an awareness initiative of the nonprofit agency, so more people hear about it.

“It’s more of an awareness — the bigger the fundraiser is and the more money we get, the more families we can help at Christmastime,” Burris said. “I don’t really have a target (fundraising goal) we’re setting it at. It’s just, we can help more families at Christmas.”