Upcoming Events
Book Launch
Gibbs Farm Opening Day
Saturday, May 28, 10:00–4:00
Gibbs Farm historic site
2097 Larpenteur Avenue W., Saint Paul, MN
Join us to celebrate the publication of Grasshoppers in My Bed at the place where Lillie Belle Gibbs grew up more than 150 years ago. Talk with the book's creators, author-historian Terry Swanson and illustrator Peggy Stern, who started their collaboration while working at the Gibbs Farm historic site just north of Saint Paul. Enjoy the site on its summer season kickoff day. Read more in the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
​
-
Author-illustrator presentations at 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30
-
Buy Grasshoppers in My Bed and have it signed
-
Tour the historic site with a costumed guide
-
Stroll the paths and see farm animals
-
Enjoy family friendly activities
-
Browse the Gibbs Farm gift shop
​
Site Admission
Adults $8.00
62+ $7.00
Children 4–16 $5.00
Admission is free for RCHS members.
​
Registration for book launch
recommended but not required.
Meet the Author and Illustrator
at Art in the Hollow
Saturday, June 4, 10:00–5:00
Swede Hollow Park, Saint Paul
Free parking at Saint Paul Brewing
688 Minnehaha Ave E., Saint Paul
Meet author-historian Terry Swanson and artist Peggy Stern at the Ramsey County Historical Society booth at this festive event. They'll sign your copy of Grasshoppers in My Bed, for sale on site. Swap ideas with them on using local history to engage young readers.
Through her career as a Twin Cities–based public historian, Terry Swanson has brought her creative teaching approach to Gibbs Farm, the American Swedish Institute, and summer-enrichment programs for youth. Peggy Stern is an artist whose drawings, paintings, and sculpture have been shown at Twin Cities locations including the Northern Lights Exhibition. She also served as a site interpreter at Gibbs Farm, where she and Terry started their collaboration.
​
Also at the Art in the Hollow festival:
-
Art for sale from over 100 artists
-
Live music from the TAP
-
Central stage run by Indigenous Roots
-
Plein Air Painting, noon to 4 pm
-
Find hidden treasures in art, history, and nature
​
For details, visit ArtInTheHollow.org.
History Revealed
Thursday, June 16, 7:00–8:30
Online event
Tonight's theme: Creating historical fiction for young readers in words and images. Meet the creators of the new book Grasshoppers in My Bed: Lillie Belle Gibbs, Minnesota Farm Girl, 1877, published by Ramsey County Historical Society.
Author-historian Terry Swanson and Illustrator Peggy Stern show how they created an imagined diary in the voice of the youngest daughter of the Gibbs family, whose homestead is now a Ramsey County historic site. The book is for readers age eight to eleven.
Presented by Ramsey County Historical Society in partnership with East Side Freedom Library and Roseville Library. Free. Register for Zoom link using this button.
