Margaret Ashmun Events
2026: The annual Waupaca Strawberry Fest has been a time when there is special attention to Margaret Ashmun’s life in the area and her writings, often set in Chain O’ Lakes settings. Stop into the library or local bookstore and you may find some of her work on display. The small village of Rural has held at Margaret Ashmun Day on the same weekend, although it is not scheduled every year. The Rural Historical Society includes displays about Margaret’s life and work, and the annual Historic Homes Tour will take you by Ashmun family residences.
September 17, 2026: The Waupaca Historical Society will hold a program on Margaret Ashmun with Connie Haack-Hurlbut, who wrote her thesis on Margaret and continues to collect her writings and ephemera. Watch their website for details.
In 2014 the Rural Historical Society held its Sundaes on Saturday on June 21. Margaret Ashmun fans and her grand niece and great great nephew were in Rural to hear Connie Haack-Hurlbut talk about recent interest in Margaret. This included the April 2014 article by author Amy Wilentz in the LA Times, “Childhood, Made Perfect on the Page.”
Click on the link for photos from the day with Ashmun sites in Rural, the area of Wisconsin that inspired many settings for Margaret’s books and poems. The event is also noted on the Crystal River Inn website.
In 2012 the event was held on June 16. Dr. Connie Haack Hurlbut, a retired professor from Mid State Technical College, discussed how the digital age has affected the legacy of author Margaret Ashmun. This past year, many of Ashmun’s unpublished works were discovered. A posting about the event was on the Waupaca Now website.
In 2011 the event was held on June 18 in Rural. Strawberry sundaes were sold at the Rural Historical Society’s museum on Main Street. Connie Haack Hurlbut, a professor at Mid-State Technical College, spoke about Ashmun’s legacy. An announcement was on the Keeping It Rural website.
Honors
In 2009 an RR Donnelley Literary Award included Margaret Ashmun as a Notable Wisconsin Author, selected by The Literary Awards Committee of the Readers’ Section of the Wisconsin Library Association. A notice appears on the Cybrary Reviews blog (see 3rd paragraph).
Margaret Ashmun's Poetry 