This is one of those giveaways that’s going to bring your childhood rushing back to you — particularly if you were a HUGE fan of Little House on the Prairie, like I was. We’re giving away two tickets to the opening night performance of Little House on the Prairie, The Musical at Walton Arts Center on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. We’re pairing the theater tickets with a free dinner at nearby Flying Burrito, too. And get this! Melissa Gilbert, the actress who played Laura Ingalls in the famous television series, is starring in this production as “Ma”!
When this musical first opened in Minneapolis last year, it shattered all the box-office records and sold out for 12 straight weeks. It’s directed by the same director as Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
ABOUT THE SHOW: Just in case you’re not a child of the 70s or haven’t read the books that this musical is based on, we’ll fill you in on the basic story line of Little House on the Prairie. It’s about an 
American family living in America’s newly settled heartland and about all the challenges, heartbreaks and joys they experience there. It’s also a love story that tells us how young Laura Ingalls grows up and begins her life as a young woman, finding purpose and finding love.
I read the entire Little House series and couldn’t race through the books fast enough to find out what would happen next. My small hometown didn’t have a bookstore, so my mother would drive me 45 minutes to the nearest larger town that did. She’d get so frustrated on the way home because I was already reading as fast as I could through the next book in the series, so she knew it wouldn’t be long until I was begging to go back to the bookstore and get another one.
There are so many scenes from the books I still remember so vividly — the blizzards, Pa playing his violin while the girls dance, the Christmas holidays, Mary’s scarlet fever, the grasshopper plague, Laura getting her first teaching job, and Laura falling in love with Almanzo — I could go on and on.
This is one of the Walton Arts Center’s biggest shows this season, and tickets range in price from $30.50 to $58.50 each. When you add in the free dinner at Flying Burrito, this package is about a $150 value! Even better, it will be one of those nights at the theater you’ll always remember.
Melissa Gilbert, who plays Ma in the musical, has starred in more than 40 movies for television and has appeared in more than a dozen television series, including “Nip/Tuck” and “Sweet Justice.” She is also a best-selling author who recently published her autobiography called Prairie Tale — A Memoir.
Show dates begin Tuesday, January 5th and run through the Sunday, January 10th. Click here or call 479-443-5600 for more info on tickets and specific show times.
ABOUT THE FOOD: If you haven’t been to Flying Burrito yet, well…. why not? The food is awesome, 
and it’s fun to watch it being made just the way you want it. Even if you’re a super picky eater or a total control freak, you’ll LOVE this place because you basically get to dictate exactly how your burrito is put together and what goes into it. Your kids will also love getting to call the shots at this burrito bar that specializes in large, California-style burritos made to order. (Yum. I’m hungry just writing about it.) Also, kids eat FREE all day on Mondays through Wednesdays!
The Flying Burrito Company began in Fayetteville in a little storefront close to the Walton Arts Center parking lot, a block off Dickson Street. It has been so popular that it has grown into new locations 
and new cities, including locations on North College Avenue in Fayetteville, one in Springdale, one in Little Rock and its most recent addition in Bentonville. This is a locally-grown, locally-owned restaurant chain with great food and a cool, fun atmosphere. Try it once, and we bet you’ll be hooked, just like we were.
HOW TO ENTER: To throw your name in the hat for the theater tickets and dinner at Flying Burrito, click the “comment” button below and tell us about one of your favorite books you read as a child. If you read the Little House series or watched the television show, tell us what you remember most about it.
You can also e-mail your entry to us at giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com. Enter by 10 a.m. on Friday!
As always, you can increase your odds of winning by helping us spread the word about the giveaway. Simply send an e-mail to your friends/family about it and be sure to put us in the CC line of your note so we can give you proper credit. We’ll enter your name in the drawing again for every friend you tell. (10 friends means 10 extra chances to win.)
Good luck, and thanks to Walton Arts Center and Flying Burrito for the great giveaway!
My favorite childhood books were the books in the Anne of Green Gables series. I was also a big fan of the Little House TV series. I loved Laura’s braids.
I loved Little House on the Prairie – books and TV series. I have very vivid memories of the series. One night I read a chapter about someone having a birthday party near a creek (I can’t remember exactly). The next day when I watched the series – it was the exact same story. For some reason, my young mind was amazed.
I loved so many books! Little House on the Prairie was one of my favorites! I also read the Wizard of Oz series. At our church growing up we would have a founders day and my mom would always dress me up like Laura Ingles! I loved it!
Please, please pick me! I love Little House on the Prairie
As a girl who grew up “on the prairie” in SD, I was a huge fan of the books and the tv show. There is even a Laura Wilder Elementary in my hometown. I loved to hate Nellie Olsen and Mrs. Olsen. And whenever Michael Landon as Pa started to tear up it was like someone opened the floodgates for me too!
Little House on the Prairie was my all time favorite when I was a little girl. I would love to take my girls!
Hi! What a wonderful gift these tickets would be. I have 4 girls and I would love to take my two older ones (ages 10 and 9) to see this beautiful musical. Little House on The Prairie is such a treasured piece of true Americana art. The show was so wholesome, had such integrity and taught such important values. Please pick me so that I can share this treasure with my little “Half-pints”!!!
Loved the show & books growing up.I used to race off the bus and get home to see it on old t.v.
My Grandma bought me the book series which I still have,
I have introduced my neices to
The series. I remember an old one room school
House we took field trips, we dressed up like the “Laura Ingalls-Wilder”
As I called and of course I had “Laura’s” braids.
Jaymie
Who didn’t want to punch Nellie Oleson in the face!?!?! 😉
You ladies are amazing for doing this giveaways. It would be awesome to win this night out with my hubby.
Thank you for all you do!
I can’t remember the name of it, but I read the book about Laura getting married over and over and over as a girl. Its the only one I owned and I don’t know why i never got any others?!?! But I loved it and look forward to reading them to my daughters.
i watched Little House for years. I loved the life lessions it tought. And the dad was soooooooooooooooo cute. I never did read any of the books. But i wathed the show every day. I still love it
who didn’t love little house on the prairie? I loved the books and the show, and I would love the chance to introduce my son to these characters!!
I read all of the Little House books as a child and also watched the show regularly. I still love to was reruns often. My son has even enjoyed watching the show with me and he likes reading the books. My favorite episode would have to be the one where Nellie Olsen had pies thrown at her.
I loved all of the Beverly Cleary books, like Ramona the Pest, and loved the Little House books as well. I watched Little House every day after school and would watch it again in the evening if my mom would let me. 🙂 I even have the series on DVD.
I loved the Ramona Quinby series, and the Anne of Green Gables series. I also read every one of the Little House on the Prairie books as a child & loved them!
I read all the books about fifteen times and watched every episode except for “a very special episode” with a guy with a mask. My mother would never let me watch that one. Re-runs were on at five o’clock every night and I couldn’t stand to go eat my supper until the closing music ended with Laura running down the hill. I think at some point, I started to feel like Ma and Pa were MY parents. OH PLEASE PICK ME. (Also, I wore pigtails until I was in 7th grade.)
I loved the Ramona books! My sisters and I loved watching Little House on the Prairie on TV! I would love to go to this musical with my sister!
My 23yr old daughter grew up watching over and over the reruns of Little House on the Prairie. She read the books and all were her favorite. She found comfort in that world- when life was simple. I would love to take her- A Mother Daughter thing-
It was fun this Christmas by daughter her first Little House book. Watching another generation fall in love.
I used to love the “Little House” books. I remember my Grandmom made me an outfit just like Laura’s. I loved Nellie, probably because we all had a Nellie in our lives then and loved to see her fail in her attempts to ruin Laura time after time.
I loved the Little House books when I was in elementary school. I remember reading Little House on the Prairie when I was in the 3rd grade. I think this was probably one of the first chapter books I read all by myself. I read all of the books several times and loved the t.v. series too. I read the books to my own children when they were young. Now I love to read Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie to my kindergarten students.
My favorite childhood books were the Box car Children, and the Babysitters Club!
When I was younger, it was a weekly date for my Aunt and I to watch Little House on the Prairie together and cry. My uncle would always tease us because no matter what happened we would be tearing up. I would love the chance to take her for her birthday which is in January. Also I have bought every book for my daughters.
I actually re-read the Little House on the praire book (the first one) as an adult. I would read it while I was trying to get my 2year old to sleep in her own bed. Sitting in the hallway, with the nightlight on, I remembered how great the books were! It brought back lots of good memories…especially those of my grandmother watching the t.v. show with me.
My family always watched Little House together. I remembering dressing up as Laura one Halloween, but coming down with the chicken pox and having to stay home. The pox really just looked like Laura’s freckles to me and I just couldn’t understand why I had to miss out.
I loved watching the Little House of the Prairie TV shows and my favorite book of hers was the first one… I think it was called “The Big Woods”. I love the Judy Blume books growing up too! My favorite show was about her trying to get closer to God and so she climbed that mountain to get closer and Pa lost her… she ended up finding God but just in a different way. It was such a great show!
I did watch the Little House television show and loved it. I never read the books, but I read just about everything else, and some of my favorites were the Chronicles of Narnia, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, anything by Beverly Cleary or Judy Blume…
I loved watching Little House on tv as a child. I loved Laura’s braids! This would be a wonderful outing with my little girl!
I have read all of the books and watched the shows a dozen times. My mother loved Little House growing up so watching the shows together was special time just for us. If I won the tickets I would take her to see the show!
I loved the “young
laura” episodes
because I wanted so
badly for laura to
punch nelly’s lights out!
The most memorable character
Was nelly! Who could forgot
Her authentic mean-ness!
I loved Little House on the Prairie growing up! It was one of my favorite shows. My 2 sisters & I would watch it together. I never read the books, but one of my favorite books was Little Women.
I loved the books and the show. I remember going to the library in elementary school and checking out those books over and over again. I just bought the series for my daughter last year. This would be a great mother-daughter event with my daughter. She starts kindergarten next year and I feel I spend more time with my one year old than with her. I hope whoever wins has a great time!
I love Little House on the Prairie! I wish they had it on these days.
I love Little Women!
Loved the books and the show. I remember watching the show with my family and crying at nearly every episode.
I love that time period in history! I was born too late!! I read all the books when I was younger.
My favorite part of the TV show was watching them gather around the table for a meal.
OH MY GOSH! I read all these books growing up and my daughter has just started reading them (my old books:-0) I would LOVE to take her to the show!!!
Loved the books and the show!
Like many others, I loved the books and the show. Laura Ingalls was the “Harry Potter” of my generation. I remember reading the first book, Little House in the Big Woods, and being so excited about reading that I couldn’t wait to go to the library and check out the next one. My favorite book was The Long Winter due to the fact that they didn’t let circumstances/conditions ruin life experiences (having their Christmas dinner in May). I also loved the show. I thought the actors did an excellent job of representing family values, and how their courage and laughter got them through the rough times.
I read all of the Little House on the Prairie series, but if I had to name my favorite book, it would still be Anne of Green Gables.
I watched that show every chance I got and I have read all the books. I would love to win these awesome tickets.
My sister and I watched the show all of the time, and we loved the books too. When the musical was in Little Rock a few weeks ago, my sister and her husband went and loved it. I still wish I had joined them. Hopefully, I still get a chance to see the musical!
I loved watching the show as a child! So many of the “lessons” I still remember today!
I was reading Little House on the Prairie to my 5-year-old daughter the other night, and when she fell asleep, I couldn’t stop and read ahead 2 more chapters! One of my favorite parts is the one of the Ingalls’ first Christmas on the prairie.
i always liked how morally sound these shows were and how they build character. much differnt than the shows these days. so very wholesome and family friendly
I loved reading as a child. My daughter is just starting to take off with her reading and I can’t wait to share The Little House on the Prarie series with her. I loved the books and I am sure she will too!
Not as a child, but the mother of children, I watched the Little House series on tv. I was always impressed by all the characters, but mostly by Maw. She always showed great courage even in the face of life’s most devastating events,i.e. death of a grandchild, blindness striking her daughter, drought, blizzards, missing husband, not counting all the adventures of settling a new land.
I can remember my mom getting the books from the library for me and I would wake up before anyone else and watch it on tv every single day!! Now my four year old loves the show (she calls it Little Prairie in the House-ha) would love to take her to WAC!!
I never really read any of the books (I was more into books like CLUE. ha!) but I loved the show! My neice would LOVE to go & I would LOVE to be able to take her! Great giveaway!
My family would love to go to this show! I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie! Sounds like a fun evening!
I adored the Little House books when I was little. Maybe I should read them again! Also loved the series. The relationship between Michael Landon as Pa and Melissa Gilbert as Laura seemed very genuine.