GRANITE FALLS, Minnesota, Feb. 27, 2026 — This March, Pioneer PBS premieres an all-new original special from the Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award-winning Postcards team. “From Nesna with Love” follows host Dana Conroy on a journey to uncover the story behind a pair of “lobben boots” passed down through her family. The original special airs Thursday, March 5 at 8 p.m. on Pioneer PBS.
The felted wool footwear, gifted to her ancestors and given to Dana during the filming of “Knit with Love,” became the thread that led Conroy to Nesna, a small municipality of 1,800 people in northern Norway, where her great-great-grandparents once lived. Conroy discovers that her Norwegian relatives sent the boots to her ancestors as a thank you for the support her American family offered prior to and after World War II. The lobben boots themselves were made in the 1950s in a Nesna factory that produced thousands of these durable boots.
The Postcards crew also visited the RAUS Bryggeri brewery, now housed in the former factory; the Zahl Museum, where they unearthed details about Conroy’s family and the early handmade lobbens; and the church her ancestors once attended before traveling to the nearby island of Tomma, one of three that make up the Nesna municipality.
Upon returning to the Midwest, the trio visited chief curator Laurann Gilbertson at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, to decide the fate of Conroy's Nesna lobbens and learn about the process that goes into gifting items to museums. They also went to Norland Lutheran Church in Paynesville to visit the graves of Lydia and J.B. Johnson, the people whose journey inspired "Built with Love,” Knit with Love” and now “From Nesna with Love.”
What began as a search for the history of a single pair of boots became a heartfelt exploration of heritage, craftsmanship, and the enduring connection between Norway and the American Midwest.
“From Nesna with Love” has two encore presentations Saturday, March 7 at 9 p.m. and Monday, March 9 at 11:30 a.m. with two more airings Tuesday, March 24 at 9 p.m. and Thursday, April 30 at 8:30 p.m.
How to Watch
Viewers within the viewing area can watch the live program on 10-1, 20-1, 8-1, Dish, DirecTV and Mediacom.
In addition to station broadcasts, viewers in Pioneer PBS’s viewing area can also stream the premiere live at pioneer.org/live, on YouTube TV, Prime Video, Hulu Live, or via the “Live TV” button on the PBS app and pbs.org.
Additionally, all specials are also for on-demand viewing at: pioneer.org/specials, the PBS app, Pioneer PBS’s YouTube channel (organized in a curated specials playlist) and on pbs.org/show/pioneer-ptv-specials/.
Support
Due to recent funding cuts to Pioneer PBS and other PBS stations across the nation, shows, particularly the local programming you love, are in jeopardy. Consider becoming a member of Pioneer PBS to support the shows you love. For more information, including how to support Pioneer PBS, visit pioneer.org.
About Pioneer PBS Specials
These programs are made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and members of Pioneer PBS.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing stories from rural Minnesota with the world. For more than 60 years, Pioneer PBS has amplified local voices and reflected the people, places, and issues that matter most to our region.
Headquartered in Granite Falls, Minnesota, with towers in Appleton, Worthington, and Fergus Falls, Pioneer PBS reaches more than one million viewers across western Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas, and northern Iowa. We are honored to be your television station—the only station in western Minnesota telling your stories. As we celebrate 60 years of storytelling, we invite you to help ensure these stories continue for the next 60 years and beyond.
Learn more at pioneer.org or call 800-726-3178.
