NBC CT Responds received a dozen complaints from attendees who traveled from near and far to the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington for the “Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Tour.”
"Little House on the Prairie" is considered one of the most popular television shows of all time.
It continues to air today on Cozi-TV, which is owned by NBCUniversal Media.
But some celebrations of its 50-year anniversary this year have turned sour for fans and cast members alike.
And it all came to a head here in Connecticut.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
NBC CT Responds received a dozen complaints from attendees who traveled from near and far to the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington for the “Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Tour.”
“Very disappointing. Very disorganized,” said Ana Donlan, who flew in for the event from Wilmington, North Carolina.
“The overall dinner in general, all of it was a disaster,” said Eileen Almanzar, who drove to the event from Westchester County, New York.
NBC CT Responds
The Labor Day weekend event was filled with meet and greet events, and question and answer meals with cast members specifically hosted by Gravel Road Markets, just one of the companies organizing anniversary events this year.
“We couldn’t hear anything, the audio kept breaking up,” Donlan said.
“All in all am I happy? No,” said Tracey Kubis, who traveled from Houston, Texas.
Seven fans described to us the chaos they say they experienced, including hourslong lines for autographs and photos.
“They had promised shorter lines for VIP and that wasn’t a thing,” said Kubis, who paid extra for the VIP tickets.
They described to us overcrowded meals, and even dining in the dark.
“It was a complete fire hazard, you couldn’t move. To get to your chair, other people had to stand, it was a complete disaster,” said Almanzar.
“My daughter and I paid $108 per person to get one bagel and she got a slice of melon. I got two strawberries,” Donlan said.
And they said misrepresentations occurred too.
“I signed up to go because Melissa Gilbert was supposed to be there, and she usually doesn’t go to these types of events. Then she posted later that she had no intention of going, she had never signed up,” said Donlan.
The actress confirmed to "People" magazine that Gravel Road Markets advertisement of her as a coproducer of these events was “appalling” and not true.
Donlan and others told us after spending hundreds of dollars to attend, no one even checked their tickets.
Donlan said she was instructed by the event organizers to park in a nearby church parking lot while she was waiting in a long line to meet actress Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson in the show.
“Alison’s line was already a three-hour wait and while we were in line, they told us there was a wedding at the church and we needed to move our car.”
The lot was about a mile away.
Lori May, of Ellington, says the event changed locations four times after tickets went on sale.
“Torrington, Watertown, and it moved to the Convention Center in Hartford, and then it moved to Farmington three weeks before the event happened,” May said.
Gravel Road Markets sent a press release to NBC CT Responds that says in part: “We want to acknowledge the feedback we’ve received and assure all attendees that the safety and enjoyment of our guests remain our top priority. While we understand that some individuals have voiced concerns, we are grateful for the hundreds of positive messages and comments that continue to pour in from attendees who had a memorable experience.”
The company says the venue change allowed them to showcase wagons from the show and a costume display too.
Last week, many cast members released a lengthy statement on social media, that said following “poorly organized and executed events in Connecticut and Pennsylvania” it has sent a letter to Gravel Road Markets that they would no longer attend or support the company’s future events.
These cast members also wrote that Gravel Road Markets appears to be taking advantage of fans by not canceling upcoming events.
We reached out to Gravel Road Markets about this but haven’t heard back.
Fans we spoke to couldn’t be more appreciative of the cast they’ve grown up with, but they are maddened by the money they say they lost from a mismanaged event.
They say they are sharing their stories to protect other fans.
“To keep anyone else from being scammed by this man, that is why we contacted you. If we get our money back, that’s great. We are trying to stop him from continuing to do this,” said Jill Nichols, who flew in from Lexington, North Carolina for the event.
