Download a photo of Sara Brouwer.
Download a photo of Doug Peterson.
Download a photo of Arnie Anderson.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS’s Postcards program will feature stories from a berry farm in Raymond, a painter from Lac qui Parle County and a violin maker from the Brainerd lakes area on Thursday, February 25 at 7 p.m. The stories will also be available for online viewing through the station’s website: www.pioneer.org/postcards.
Sara and Dan Brouwer and their five children have been raising strawberries for 22 years on their farm near Raymond. They relish in their commitment to soil health, natural farming techniques and the fact that their farm is a destination for generations of families to get together and pick wholesome fruit.
Former State Representative Doug Peterson was a high school art teacher before he became a politician. After a long career as an elected official and then president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, Peterson now basks in the opportunity to paint pictures of the fish he loves to catch and experiments with the Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing known as batik.
Arnie Anderson is a living legend with a storied career. As a young man touring Europe, his life took an unexpected detour when the Six Day War of 1967 changed his original travel plans from Israel to Cremona, Italy, the home of famed violin maker Antonio Stradivari. There, Arnie fell in love with the art of violin-making. With 4 ½ tons of high quality Italian maple and spruce in tow, Arnie returned to the US as an accomplished craftsman, building and selling instruments across Minnesota and beyond. Now living in Brainerd near where his Swedish & German grandparents settled, Arnie spends much of his time leading his own orchestra, writing music, teaching violin, and handing down his violin making knowledge to many of his students, including high schooler Natalie Thorson. Arnie says, “The ones that are serious about it, they're playing, studying violin playing, and I thought, ‘Wouldn't it be neat if they could make their own violin?’"
About Postcards
The award-winning Postcards is produced by Dana Conroy with videography and editing by Kristofor Gieske and Ben Dempcy. The program is made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Production sponsors for the program include Shalom Hill Farm, Explore Alexandria Tourism and the Lake Region Arts Council.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org.
