Raggedy Ann Rally Archive
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Key: Flower icon ❁ events were free to attend. Dollar sign $ means there was a ticket cost, specifics in description.
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2025
Open
The 2025 Rally took place from June 5th through 8th.
Character theme: Uncle Clem. Artist: November Gorrell
Links
- 2025 Photo Gallery
- 2025-6-11, Arcola Chamber of Commerce: Raggedy Ann Rally 2025 News Segment: It's an Arcola Thing
- Rally organizer Kathy Ellis, along with RARE members Gwyneth Gaunt and Sarah Biernacki are interviewed by local press while celebrating at the Raggedy Ann Rally! Extra footage was taken during the RARE Cosplay Meetup and the Memorial for Joni Gruelle which both took place on Friday, June 6th.
Schedule
Thursday, June 5th
❁ 2:00 pm - Brooncorn Palace Walkthrough
- @ 201 E Main St, Arcola, IL
- A special sneak peek of the in-construction Broomcorn Palace and Raggedy Ann museum. The first 25 people in line get a free gift!
❁ 6:00 pm - Early Bird Supper
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Bring your own picnic
Friday, June 6th
❁ 11:00 am: RARE Cosplay Meetup
- @ the Johnny Gruelle memorial bench in Arcola, IL
- A meetup for revival effort members and fans of the musical. Come in cosplay if you have it, we'll be goofing around and taking photos, and getting pictures on the Raggedy Ann bench together!
❁ 12:30 pm: Joni Gruelle memorial
- @ the Johnny Gruelle memorial bench in Arcola, IL
❁ 1:00 - 4:00 pm: Nickel Auction
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Raggedy Rally attendees are invited to bring 1 or 2 items per family to be auctioned off. We provide the auctioneer - you receive the money that your item sells for.
$ 5:30 pm: Raggedy Ann Banquet & Silent Auction
- @ Yoder’s Kitchen, 1195 E Columbia St, Arthur, IL 61911
- Hear the opening announcements, chat with friends, and give out "happies" (little handmade trinkets based on this year's theme)!
- Arrive no earlier than 5:30pm to view & bid on auction items, dinner will be served at 6:00pm
- Children 3 to 10 are $25, adults $30. Tickets at the door have an additional $5 fee.
Saturday, June 7th
❁ 8:00 am: Raggedy Ann Read-Aloud
- @ the Arcola Public Library, 407 E Main Arcola, IL
- Storytime and coloring sheets at the library! A door prize will be drawn for one lucky Raggedy fan.
❁ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm: Raggedy Market
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- A market of Raggedy Ann goods and art, vintage and homemade!
❁ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Homemade Ice Cream and Cookies
- @ the Arcola Center
- From the Tuscola Candy Kitchen
$ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm: Raggedy Ann Lunch
- @ the Arcola Center
- A sloppy Joe sandwich, chips, and drink, all for $5! Sponsored by Arcola Seniors.
❁ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Bingo
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- Please join us to play and have some Raggedy Fun!!! Thanks, Raggedy Friends. We will need donations for the Bingo table. Please bring to Melissa's booth as soon as possible.
Sunday, June 8th
❁ 10:00 am: RARE Cracker Barrel Brunch
- @ 1101 Charleston Ave. E. Mattoon, IL
- End the weekend with friends at RARE! It's buy your own brunch but everyone is welcome at our table.
2024
Open
The 2024 Rally took place from June 6th through 9th.
Character theme: Cleety the Clown. Artist: November Gorrell
Links
- 2024 Photo Gallery
- Rag Dolly Revue photo gallery
- Rag Dolly Revue information page
- (PDF) Rag Dolly Revue Program
- Full recording of the Rag Dolly Revue
- 2024-6-11, The County Chronicle: Raggedy Ann Rally experiences a renaissance among young adults
- "Organizers of the Raggedy Ann Rally were surprised over the weekend by something unexpected: the turnout of youth."
- Read Ben Crane's article for The County Chronicle about our appearance at the Raggedy Ann Rally in Arcola IL.
- 2024-11-25, Raggedy Ann Revival Effort: Mac’s Speech, Three Years of Rare
- A clip from our 2025 Raggedy Ann Rally speech following the Revue performance earlier that day. Originally recorded 6/7/2024 at Yoder's Kitchen in Arthur, IL.
Schedule
Thursday, June 6th
❁ 6:00 pm - Early Bird Supper
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Bring your own picnic
Friday, June 7th
❁ 11:30 am - 12:30 pm: The Rag Dolly Revue
- Arcola Masonic Lodge 111 South Locust Arcola, IL
- The Raggedy Ann Revival Effort will be performing a showcase of songs from the Rag Dolly musical on June 7th, during the Arcola Raggedy Ann Rally. The Rag Dolly Revue will also be the public debut of new music arrangements and lyric revisions, with permission from the Raposo estate to use this performance as a test before discussing proper workshops. This is the first step towards our goal of a full revival.
❁ 1:00 - 4:00 pm: Nickel Auction
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Raggedy Rally attendees are invited to bring 1 or 2 items per family to be auctioned off. We provide the auctioneer - you receive the money that your item sells for.
$ 5:30 pm: Raggedy Ann Banquet & Silent Auction
- @ Yoder’s Kitchen, 1195 E Columbia St, Arthur, IL 61911
- Hear the opening announcements, chat with friends, and give out "happies" (little handmade trinkets based on this year's theme)!
- Arrive no earlier than 5:30pm to view & bid on auction items, dinner will be served at 6:00pm
- Children 3 to 10 are $25, adults $30. Tickets at the door have an additional $5 fee.
Saturday, June 8th
❁ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm: Raggedy Market
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- A market of Raggedy Ann goods and art, vintage and homemade!
- Door prizes will be drawn once an hour from 10am - 3pm! Sign-up for door prizes is at the front table, anyone can fill out a form, tickets for the drawing are free. Prizes will be on display.
❁ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Homemade Ice Cream and Cookies
- @ the Arcola Center
- From the Tuscola Candy Kitchen
❁ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Bingo
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- Please join us to play and have some Raggedy Fun!!! Thanks, Raggedy Friends. We will need donations for the Bingo table. Please bring to Melissa's booth as soon as possible.
❁ 5:00 pm: RARE Cosplay Meetup
- @ the Johnny Gruelle memorial bench in Arcola, IL
- A meetup for revival effort members and fans of the musical. Come in cosplay if you have it, we'll be goofing around and taking photos, and getting pictures on the Raggedy Ann bench together!
❁ End of the day: Rag Dolly 1984 ESIPA watch party
- @ Best Western Hotel
Sunday, June 9th
❁ 10:00 am: RARE Cracker Barrel Brunch
- @ 1101 Charleston Ave. E. Mattoon, IL
- End the weekend with friends at RARE! It's buy your own brunch but everyone is welcome at our table.
2023
Open
The 2023 Rally took place from June 8th through 10th.
Character theme: Wooden Willie
Links
- 2023 Photo Gallery
- 2023-6-12, Raggedy Ann Revival Effort: Revival Effort Speech at Raggedy Ann Rally Banquet 2023
- Gwyn Gaunt and Brooklyn Williams were asked to give a speech about the musical, RARE-- how we began and our goals, at the Raggedy Ann Rally Banquet in Arcola, IL.
Schedule
Thursday, June 8th
❁ 6:00 pm - Early Bird Supper
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Bring your own picnic
Friday, June 9th
❁ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm: RARE Cosplay Meetup
- @ the Johnny Gruelle memorial bench in Arcola, IL
- A meetup for revival effort members and fans of the musical. Come in cosplay if you have it, we'll be goofing around and taking photos, and getting pictures on the Raggedy Ann bench together!
❁ 1:00 - 4:00 pm: Nickel Auction
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Raggedy Rally attendees are invited to bring 1 or 2 items per family to be auctioned off. We provide the auctioneer - you receive the money that your item sells for.
$ 5:30 pm: Raggedy Ann Banquet & Silent Auction
- @ Yoder’s Kitchen, 1195 E Columbia St, Arthur, IL 61911
- Hear the opening announcements, chat with friends, and give out "happies" (little handmade trinkets based on this year's theme)!
- Arrive no earlier than 5:30pm to view & bid on auction items, dinner will be served at 6:00pm
- Children 3 to 10 are $25, adults $30. Tickets at the door have an additional $5 fee.
Saturday
❁ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm: Raggedy Market
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- A market of Raggedy Ann goods and art, vintage and homemade!
- Door prizes will be drawn once an hour from 10am - 3pm! Sign-up for door prizes is at the front table, anyone can fill out a form, tickets for the drawing are free. Prizes will be on display.
❁ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Bingo
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- Please join us to play and have some Raggedy Fun!!! Thanks, Raggedy Friends. We will need donations for the Bingo table. Please bring to Melissa's booth as soon as possible.
❁ 6:00 pm: RARE Cracker Barrel Dinner
- @ 1101 Charleston Ave. E. Mattoon, IL
❁ End of the day: Rag Dolly 1984 ESIPA watch party
- @ Best Western Hotel
2022
Open
The 2022 Rally took place from June 9th through 11th.
Character theme: Freindly Fairies.
Links
Schedule
Thursday, June 9th
❁ 5:00 pm - Early Bird Get-Together
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Bring your own picnic
Friday, June 10th
❁ 2:00 - 4:00 pm: Nickel Auction
- @ the covered Pavillion near 135 N Oak, Arcola, IL
- Raggedy Rally attendees are invited to bring 1 or 2 items per family to be auctioned off. We provide the auctioneer - you receive the money that your item sells for.
$ 5:30 pm: Raggedy Ann Banquet & Silent Auction
- @ Yoder’s Kitchen, 1195 E Columbia St, Arthur, IL 61911
- Hear the opening announcements, chat with friends, and give out "happies" (little handmade trinkets based on this year's theme)!
- Arrive no earlier than 5:30pm to view & bid on auction items, dinner will be served at 6:00pm
- Children 3 to 10 are $25, adults $30. Tickets at the door have an additional $5 fee.
Saturday, June 11th
❁ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm: Raggedy Market
- @ the Arcola Center, 107 W Main St Arcola, IL
- A market of Raggedy Ann goods and art, vintage and homemade!
- Door prizes will be drawn once an hour from 10am - 3pm! Sign-up for door prizes is at the front table, anyone can fill out a form, tickets for the drawing are free. Prizes will be on display.
❁ 2:00, 3:00, & 4:00 pm: Meet the Gruelles Cemetery Walk
- Boarding @ the Best Western
- Board the train and head to the cemetery to see living history, as actors playing the Gruelle family tell stories of Raggedy Ann's origins.