Our 2013 travel schedule is beginning to unfold and we will soon be hosting our first trip.

On April 25, we will once again spend the day touring in Owatonna. The tour of the State School Orphanage Museum has generated much interest. One of the last residents, Harvey Ronglein, will be our tour guide.

Mr. Ronglein tells a very interesting story and will show a video of life in the late 30s. We will tour cottage 11 where he lived for nine years.

We will also have a tour of the Gainey Center property, plus the National Farmers Bank, which is highly widely recognized as one of the premier pieces of “Prairie School Architecture” in America. Lunch will be included at Famous Dave’s. Payment is due by April 9.

•May 3: The 78th annual Tulip Festival in Pella, Iowa. We will take a tour of the beautiful gardens and get reserved seating for the afternoon’s Grand Parade.

Costumed street scrubbers will prepare the way as they begin with royalty. A huge parade follows with many of the Pella’s families in costumes and  wooden shoes.  There will be a chance to visit the Verneer Windmill, a quilt show, tour historic homes and even purchase tulip bulbs from Holland.

•May 15: Old Log Theater in Excelsior, Minn., presenting “Mahaliia.” This production was written by the  theater owner and resident actor Tom Stoltz.

Beloved gospel singer Mahalia Jackson started her career  with humble beginnings and  moves on to entertain presidents and royalty.  See a powerful hand-clapping, foot-stomping musical based on her life as the legendary queen of gospel. We will choose from a selection of five items for our entrée with lunch on the patio, which you will choose when signing up. Departure time is 8:30 a.m.

•June 13: Orpheum Theater presents “War Horse.” This is one of the biggest productions of the year. “War Horse” takes you from the English countryside to the battlefields of World War I.

You will not believe the astonishing life-size puppets created that bring life-breathing and galloping horses strong enough for men to ride.

A touching and emotional story of a boy and his horse.

Only a few seats remain and fee will be due in early May.

•June 27: The resort town of Clear Lake, Iowa, lies just to the south of us and will be our destination.

A summer vacation all in one day will include a multitude of stops. The Surf Ballroom, which still has moving clouds overhead and a Buddy Holly story to tell, will be our first tour.

We must include a stop at their beautiful Community Gardens, before we board “The Lady of the Lake” for a relaxing ride and scenic lake view.

Then we will turn everyone loose to enjoy the downtown amenities, casual shops, food stands and music around the central park. Thursdays on Main has become very popular and we will be given a chance to take it all in.

These are some of the future outings we have scheduled :

•Oct. 13-19: Nashville, Tenn.

•Nov. 13-16: Branson, Mo.

Looking further, we will make plans for a Discover Panama trip on Feb. 4, 2014.