Introduction
“Mary Ingalls – Her Journey” world premiere Pageant is coming to the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton, Iowa at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, August 1 and 2, 2014. This production has received the endorsement of the Ingalls Wilder Heritage Trust. Seating will be by general admission and the cost of attendance at each performance is $10.00. Make plans to get your tickets now. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of an historic event, held at an historic site.
You will see Mary’s journey from young girl full of dreams to a blind adolescent who believed those dreams were lost. Learn with her about the school in Iowa that would allow her to continue her education and give her tools for an independent life but at a cost nearly impossible for a family struggling for daily survival. Follow her from the day she arrives at the Iowa College for the blind through graduation. See her life in DeSmet, South Dakota until age 63 when she died.
You will walk the same halls Mary walked for 8 years in the building where she lived and attended classes and listen to the bell at the top of Old Main that rang for Mary’s graduation and every graduation from 1877 up to the last one in June 2011. There will be displays of historic photos, tools used in the education of the blind and in their daily life, and copies of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” books in print and Braille.
A major roofing and repair of Old Main made necessary by the 2011 wind storm is just coming to an end so the grounds are not as tidy and well-manicured as usual, but you will see the majesty of the campus as you stroll over the grounds or join an organized tour.
