Download a photo of Tala Burnes.
Download a photo of Isaiah Tuckett, Cheri Tuckett and Dan Tuckett.
Download a photo of Benny Bonnema.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS’s Postcards program will feature horse riding youth from Morton, cooks and Santa lovers from Madison, and a tattoo artist from St. Cloud on Thursday, February 11 at 7 p.m. The episode will be rebroadcast on Sunday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. and on Monday, February 15 at 1:30 p.m. The stories will also be available for online viewing through the station’s website: www.pioneer.org/postcards.
Instructor Gianna Eastman and students Tala Burnes, Leah Mckee and Aiyana Redday are participants in the Ṡuƞkṭáƞka Wic̣ayuhapi (They Care for the Horses) program sponsored by Dakota Wichohan in Morton. Its mission is to nurture the vision and potential of Native youth through academic enrichment, leadership development and the Dakota horse tradition. “We’re reclaiming our connection with the horses because to the Dakota people, Lakota people, all the Plains Indians, the horses were very vital to our ancestors,” Eastman said.
The Tuckett family of Madison loves to cook. Cheri has fond memories of cooking with her mother which she passed to her 15-year-old son Isaiah, who turned his love for making cupcakes into a business that earned enough to take his whole family to Disney World. Isaiah’s father Dan was inspired in the art of meat grilling by his mother and now has a side gig of his own as an award-winning rib master in his adopted hometown. “It’s a fun way to be together in the kitchen and just enjoy each other's company,” said Cheri Tuckett.
Licensed body artist Benny Bonnema grew up in New London and now lives in St. Cloud where he creates highly detailed, custom-made tattoos. “It's opened up my eyes,” Bonnema said of his 16-year career as a tattoo artist. “It's not the same kind of clientele coming in every day. It's not a certain group of people that get tattooed. Everybody's getting tattooed.”
The final segment of the program is a tour of Santaland, which has been a seasonal attraction located upstairs of Heather Nursery in downtown Madison since 1986. Karin Moen, Christmas Committee co-chair of the Madison Chamber of Commerce, tees up this tour of the fantastical world of Christmas in its current incarnation as envisioned by Nate Kells back in 2010.
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.
