GRANITE FALLS, Minnesota, April 11, 2024 - The next episode of Postcards features Robbie LaFleur, a writer and weaver of Norwegian-inspired tapestry, and a legendary lutefisk eating contest in Madison, Minnesota. ”Norwegian Weaver and Lutefisk Eating Contest” airs on Pioneer PBS Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. and repeats the following Sunday at 7 p.m. and Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Robbie LaFleur is a weaver and writer who has a fascination for textile arts, in particular Norwegian billedvev, also known as tapestry. She is the editor of the Norwegian Textile Letter, a quarterly publication about Scandinavian fiber crafts. Before joining the world of weaving, LaFleur was a librarian at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. LaFleur still enjoys research and investigation as well with one notable case involving a famous tapestry made by the Norwegian artist Frida Hansen, which was thought to be lost in the 1930s.
“You can choose to study history through food, architecture or other types of art. For me, textiles are the material culture that I find so interesting to use to examine history,” LaFluer said.
Around 1982 is when the Madison, Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce chose to declare themselves as the “Lutefisk Capital of the USA.” Since then, to defend that title, they’ve hosted an annual lutefisk eating contest, where participants gather to chow–or choke down pounds of the once common food of dried cod cured in lye before being steamed. Postcards captures the 50th anniversary of this contest with over 50 contestants new and old–including long-time champion Jerry Osteraas.
“People [who] haven’t tried it, they’re sometimes surprised by the taste and the texture of it all, and the smell,” Maynard Meyer, an organizer of the contest, said. “I promote lutefisk, but I do not eat lutefisk myself.”
Tune in next week as Postcards captures the lives of local artists and relives the cultural history of our viewing area.
Credits: Executive Producer Dana Conroy, Videographers/Editors Ben Dempcy, Kristofor Gieske
About Postcards
Postcards is an award-winning art, culture and history program, 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 theArts and Cultural Heritage Fund. The 2024 season is made possible by funding from Shalom Hill Farm, Explore Alexandria Tourism, Lake Region Arts Council, KRAM 96.7, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies 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. Pioneer PBS is headquartered in Granite Falls, Minnesota, with towers in Appleton, Worthington and Fergus Falls. Pioneer PBS reaches more than a million people in rural areas and small towns in western Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas and northern Iowa. Pioneer PBS is honored to be your television station—the only station in western Minnesota telling your stories and raising your voices into the media landscape. For more information visit pioneer.org or call 800-726-3178.
