Stargazing in Walnut Grove

Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder in the “Little House on the Prairie” TV series, signs a book for a fan in Walnut Grove on Friday. Photo / Per Peterson

It may have only been a little after noon last Friday, but the stars were out in Walnut Grove’s City Park.

Fans young and old of the Little House on the Prairie television series and books flocked to Walnut Grove on Friday for autographs and photos of and with the stars of the hit TV show.

Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder), Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), Charlotte Stewart (Eva Beadle) and Sidney Greenbush (Carrie Ingalls), along with other stars from the TV show were greeted with applause and cheers as they entered the large tent in the park on Friday. They were in town to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic TV series, and didn’t disappoint, as they mingled with fans while signing autographs on books and photos, both Friday and Saturday as a prelude to the second weekend of the “Fragments of a Dream” pageant.

See more in this week’s paper!