It’s going to be another busy weekend for summer events in southwest Minnesota. Starting tonight, festivities kick off at Coming Home Days in the city of Cottonwood, teams of draft horses thunder into competition in Slayton, and the 47th annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant opens in Walnut Grove.

Event organizers in Cottonwood and Slayton said there should be lots of fun for people of all ages.

“It’ll be good, fun entertainment,” said Joe Biren, with the Murray County Classic Draft Horse Show.

About 100 massive horses, including Clydesdales, Belgians and Percherons, will be competing in the show Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Murray County fairgrounds in Slayton. This year, the show schedule on Saturday and Sunday has been rearranged a little, to give more people a chance to see the six-horse hitch competition, Biren said. The event, with groups of six draft horses pulling wagons, is a favorite with spectators.

“It used to be our grand finale, but now we’re kicking off with that,” Biren said.

On Saturday and Sunday, the gates for the show open early, so visitors can see the draft horses in the barns as they get ready for the show.

“If you haven’t been here, it’s definitely worth a trip,” Biren said.

Coming Home to Cottonwood

Community events are at the heart of Cottonwood’s Coming Home Days festival. Coming Home Days kicks off tonight with events like bingo night at the Cottonwood Community Center. While people enjoy the fun, students in Lakeview’s FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) group will be serving food. Later in the evening, people can enjoy a karaoke night with Livin’ Rich, and a fireworks display over Cottonwood Lake.

Another way to share some family entertainment during Coming Home Days will be Lakeview Community Summer Theater’s production of “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.” at the Lakeview School auditorium. The 60-minute musical follows Alice’s adventures with a cast of curious characters. Performances will be Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door.

Saturday will be the big day for Coming Home Days events, starting first thing in the morning with a 5K run/walk benefiting the Lakeview cross country team. As the day goes on, where will be volleyball and beanbag tournaments, a splash dance and pedal tractor pull for kids, and the Coming Home Days Parade at 4 p.m. The evening culminates in a street dance, featuring the band IV Play.

Cottonwood emergency responders will be serving up meals on Saturday, with two different annual fundraisers. First, it’s the Cottonwood Ambulance Service hamburger feed at lunchtime. Then the Fire Department will hold its annual pork supper starting at 5 p.m.

The weekend will close out with events like an ice cream social at Lake Park, and a round of cow pie bingo. Both events will help raise funds to build a community splash pad in Cottonwood.

‘Dream Fulfilled’ at Walnut Grove

The 47th annual Wilder Pageant at Walnut Grove opens its season Friday night, with a new episode in the expanded “Fragments of a Dream Trilogy.” Starting in 2023, the Wilder Pageant began presenting a revised version of the play, which includes more of the history of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and life in Walnut Grove.

This year, visitors will see “Episode Three: Dream Fulfilled.” This portion of the trilogy focuses on the years 1877-79. The Ingalls family returns to Walnut Grove from Burr Oak, Iowa, and faces new events and challenges. The play ends with the Ingalls family leaving Walnut Grove for the Dakota Territory.

Pageant gates open at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, events like the annual Family Festival will also be going on in Walnut Grove during the day.

The weekend of July 19-21 will be a special one for the pageant, with several cast members of the “Little House on the Prairie” TV show coming to Walnut Grove for a reunion. More details on cast reunion events are available online at https://walnutgrove.org/2024-cast-reunion/.

Schedules of events

Coming Home Days, Cottonwood

FRIDAY

1 p.m. – Country Club golf scramble

4 p.m. – Broberg Bakery pop-up store at 60 East Main Street

6:30 p.m. – Bingo at the Community Center

7 p.m. – “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” performance at Lakeview School

9 p.m. – Livin Rich karaoke at LeRoy’s

10 p.m. – Fireworks over Cottonwood Lake

SATURDAY

7:30 a.m. – 5K walk/run fundraiser at Lake Park

8 a.m. – Broberg Bakery pop-up store at 60 East Main Street

9 a.m. – Volleyball tournament at Lake Park

9 a.m.-2 p.m. – Macrame hat bar make-and-take craft event at Rlee’s Emporium. Cost is $40.

10 a.m – Beanbag tournament

11 a.m.-2 p.m. – Ambulance burger feed

Noon – R.C. air demonstration at golf course

1 p.m. – Splash dance

2 p.m. – Lakeview Booster Club kiddie pedal pull

4 p.m. – Parade

4:30 p.m. – Firemen’s pork feed

7 p.m. – “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” performance at Lakeview School

8 p.m. – Street dance featuring IV Play at LeRoy’s

SUNDAY

1 p.m. – Ice cream social at Lake Park

1 p.m. – Cow pie bingo at Lake Park

2 p.m. – Soccer scrimmage at Lakeview School

Murray County Classic Draft Horse Show, Slayton

FRIDAY

Show time is at 6 p.m. at the Murray County fairgrounds.

SATURDAY

Show time is 2 p.m. at the Murray County fairgrounds. Gates will open at 8 a.m.

SUNDAY

Show time is 12:30 p.m. at the Murray County fairgrounds. Gates will open at 8 a.m.

47th Annual Wilder Pageant, Walnut Grove

Pageant: Dates are July 12-13, 19-20, 26-27. Pageant gates open at 7 p.m., with an 8:00 performance by the Pageant Singers. Pageant starts at 9 p.m. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. on July 19 and 20.

Family Festival: held July 13, 19, 20 and 27 at the Wilder Museum and Walnut Grove City Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Little House on the Prairie” TV cast reunion: Events will be held on July 19-21. More information on autograph sessions and photo opportunities with “Little House” stars can be found online at https://walnutgrove.org/2024-cast-reunion/.