T-R PHOTO BY SUSANNA MEYER —Carrie Grimes Barr, who wrote “Leonard & Mildred Play Hide-and-Seek at Grimes Farm,” poses with the stuffed versions of the characters in the book — Leonard the white-tailed deer and Mildred the deer mouse. Saturday was Leonard and Mildred Day at Grimes Farm, and these plushies were available for purchase.
After several months promoting her book “Leonard & Mildred Play Hide-and-Seek at Grimes Farm,” Carrie Grimes Barr was excited to see all of her efforts come together for one big event — Leonard and Mildred Day — at Grimes Farm on Saturday morning.
Starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, visitors to Grimes Farm could purchase their very own copy of the book and embark on a hike with a trail guide who could point out all the locations mentioned in the text.
The book, which Grimes Barr modeled after “Mudgy and Millie” by Susan Nipp, follows Leonard the white-tailed deer and Mildred the deer mouse, who play hide and seek at Grimes Farm. The two characters, whose namesakes are the original owners of Grimes Farm, visit notable sites on the property, allowing for an interactive reading experience.
Grimes Barr said seeing Leonard and Mildred Day come together had been wonderful, as the project had been a “labor of love” for her.
“It’s so fun. I just wish that the whole town could come out and see it all. That’s our goal is to get everyone to recognize how beautiful it is and to take advantage of the peace if they need it or the fun if they want it. Or just learning about nature and learning to love it,” she said.
The guided hikes were just one of the activities available. An art workshop with the illustrator of the book, Julie Bousum, was also set up. Bousum used paste paper collage to illustrate “Leonard and Mildred,” and she had the supplies and expertise handy for anyone who wanted to give that specific art form a try.
The art auction for Bousum’s original illustrations of the book also reached its final destination on Saturday. Throughout the promotion process, a silent auction has been ongoing, with the art pieces traveling to different locations and people bidding for the ones they wanted. Saturday was the last chance to bid on those pieces.
Plushies of Leonard and Mildred were also for sale, along with snacks and beverages, and live music was provided by Austin Chadderdon. All proceeds from the art auction, book purchases and stuffed animal purchases are being donated to Friends of Marshall County Conservation.
“I love to have people out and I love to introduce them for the first time to a trail or to a concept, so there’s so many different things. Grimes Farm is a hilly place, not great for farming so that means it has a lot of other things that are interesting,” Grimes Barr said. “There’s just so many things to learn out here and it’s always fun for me to introduce somebody to something new.”
Grimes Barr didn’t want people to just come out for Leonard and Mildred Day. Instead, she hoped the event would showcase the nature preserve to the community and show them that the park is a fun destination all summer long and beyond.
“We’re hoping that people will see it as a fun activity to do when everybody comes for Fourth of July and they have energetic little kids and everybody needs something to do after a big meal, come on out and take a walk,” she said. “I hope it’s a family event for a lot of people.”
Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or smeyer@timesrepublican.com.
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