Download a photo of Colleen Frost.
Download a photo of Laura Marsolek.
Download a photo of Curt Piechowski.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS’s Postcards program will feature stories from a group restoring the historic opera house in Staples, a world traveling metalsmith from Ortonville and two commercial fishermen from Brown’s Valley on Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m. The episode will be rebroadcast on Sunday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. and on Monday, February 22 at 1:30 p.m. The stories will also be available for online viewing through the station’s website: www.pioneer.org/postcards.
Colleen Frost has a dream to fully restore the historic Batcher Block Opera House in Staples. Postcards interviews Frost, Staples Economic Development Director Melissa Radermacher and Board President Tim Rice for this story showcasing the history of the building and its unique architectural features. “I think people are going to fall in love here,” said Frost. “I mean, this is a magical place.”
Metalsmith and Art Historian Laura Marsolek got her first exposure to the art of metallurgy by taking a silversmithing class from Tom Johnson at the Milan Village Arts School. She travelled the world studying ancient jewelry traditions, observing the master goldsmiths and now has her own line of jewelry inspired by traditional Indian metalsmiths. From time to time Marsolek returns to her home town of Ortonville. “It gives me the time and the space to recollect myself and understand what I want to pull from my experiences abroad,” she said.
Curt Piechowski’s family first got involved in the commercial fishing industry out of Brown’s Valley in the 1940’s. In this story Piechowski’s shares the memories from 45 years of working to remove rough fish from area lakes and rivers.“ I did commercial fishing since I was 14 years old and every day was a joy,” Piechowski said. Today, Terry Miller of Browns Valley has continued this fishing tradition with modern equipment, including a robotic submarine.
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.
