More Episodes

About Us

Season 1 - "Let's Go Minnesota!"

Episode 107

Join host Brenda Piekarski and guest artist Sharon Mansur as they explore the quiet backwaters of the Mississippi River near Winona, Minnesota.

Episode 106

We bike the Shooting Star Trail from Rose Creek to LeRoy with artists Jessica Prill & Matt Leister. Get a wildflower lesson from Kenny Hartwig, and take a break at Norwegian Hill.

Episode 105

We hike the Maple Trail with special guest Mark Hall and check out his glass blowing studio.

Episode 104

We feature artist Dawn Erickson on the Zumbro River.

Episode 103

We Climb Sugar Loaf high atop a bluff in Winona, Minnesota with host Brenda Piekarski and guest artist Layne Noser.

Episode 102

We hike through Whitewater State Park, checking out Chimney Rock and Inspiration Point with wood sculptor Curtis Ingvoldstad.

Episode 101

Paddling the Root River with jazz musician John Sievers.

Season 2 - "Let's Go Minnesota!"

Episode 207

Today we paddle the Cedar River, starting in Austin. We're joined by improv teacher Keren Gudeman; four members of the Wood family; and Tim Ruzek, James Fett and Paul Hunter from the Cedar River Watershed District. And we learn about turtles from Clarissa Schrooten of Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo.

Episode 206

Host Brenda Piekarski takes us up, up, and away in a hot air balloon. Joining us is Rochester artist Ayub Hajiomar. We're guided aloft by pilots Ed Chapman and Mark Spanier. Only the wind knows where we’re going.

Episode 205

The Mississippi River has many personalities as it winds its way across Minnesota. Up north, the headwaters are cool and clear, as we explore them with our guest artist Preston Lawing. We're guided on our adventure by Mark Morrissey of Bemidji State University. And we learn about the black bear from Clarissa Schrooten (Oxbow Park/Zollman Zoo)

Episode 204

From the bustling center of Bemidji to the quiet meditation of a bog, we're enjoying all that northern Minnesota has to explore. This adventure takes us biking on the Paul Bunyan State Trail from Bemidji to Lake Bemidji State Park. And we discover what it's like in a Minnesota bog. Guests include: Pete Harrison and Christa Drake - Lake Bemidji State Park Naturalists. Biff Ulm, artist and owner of MN Nice Enough. Biff is a classic maker who finds new ways to express his creativity. He then brings it to market for others to enjoy. And we learn about the Barred Owl from Clarissa Schrooten.

Episode 203

100-year-old pines, headwaters of the Mississippi River, and a thigh-burning climb keep you engaged in one of Minnesota’s oldest state parks. We’re joined by Park naturalist Connie Cox and watercolor artist Pam Luer. Plus, Clarissa Schrooten from the Oxbow Park/Zollman Zoo tells us about porcupines.

Episode 202

On this episode of Let's Go, Minnesota!, Brenda takes a hike on the Hay Creek Trails by Red Wing. We explore an abandoned pioneer homestead and learn about badgers from Clarissa Shrooten of the Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo. Brenda is joined by artist Heidi Bacon and guide Bruce Ause. Also along for the walk are Jim and Laurel Dicke.

Episode 201

This adventure takes you on the Blue Earth River, just south of Mankato. We paddle some white water, hike up a narrow canyon and get a sort of spa treatment or is it a rite of passage? We see some beautiful waterfalls, Big Mo and have some sparkling conversations. Joining us this trip is artist Michelle Kaisersatt.

Season 6 - "Off 90"

Episode 614

A look through the rear view mirror of our 6th season.

Episode 613

Explore a 100 mile Garage Sale, meet an abstract artist from Rochester, drop in on a music workshop for youngsters and learn how to get maple syrup the old fashioned way.

Episode 612

A Stewartville man took a talent for making salad dressing and turned it into a business. An Austin man demonstrates how to make homemade fishing lures. We take a look at a touring display of works by southeast Minnesota artists. And we talk to an Austin comic book writer.

Episode 611

We visit visit a farm that raises its own sheep and produces its own cheese in Nerstrand. We check in with the owner of a tiny house in rural Winona. We visit an exhibition of poets and painters in Zumbrota. And we see a display of artworks exclusively by women, in Rochester.

Episode 610

We visit a school that specializes in art and dancing in Winona. Also in Winona, we tour a display of finely detailed model ships. We check in on the city of Mankato and we attend an exhibit of textile art in Owatonna.

Episode 609

A new microbrewery in Rochester, a local pastor who is an artist, and an account of orphaned siblings whose story is now told.

Episode 608

How Minnesota got its shape. Storytelling from the Cotters. The Wild Wild West: The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra performs with the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Episode 607

The Polish culture. An almost blind artist. And the Druids

Episode 606

Meet an artist in Rochester with a unique vision for her sculptures. Learn about a business that has been family owned for over a century in Stewartville. Visit a museum in St. Louis Park, dedicated to the history of broadcasting in Minnesota. And finally peruse a distinctive collection in Owatonna.

Episode 605

Learn what it takes to keep a small-town newspaper alive. Join in the birthday celebration of Owatonna Arts Center.
Attend a CD release party in Rochester. And attend a celebration of green living and clean energy in Austin.

Episode 604

A maritime disaster on Lake Pepin. A Christmas classic rewritten by Minnesota writers. Also a family musical, performed in St. Cloud.

Episode 603

We meet the producers of an Internet series about art in culture in Rochester called The Local Experiment.Come with us to an outdoor market of art and crafts in Northfield. Learn about a program that helps develop the writing skills of prison inmates. Also, take a ride in a parade of utility cars in Austin.

Episode 602

Join us for a festival in Rochester that took place in and around a whole city block; learn about a program in Austin that’s turned graffiti into art; pay a visit to historic Old Frontenac; and take a ride in the sky from the airport in Albert Lea.

Episode 601

Head to Winona to do some horsing around. Join us for an evening of painting and revelry in Rochester. The Austin ArtWorks Festival returns, bringing with it, a celebration of art, music & fun; and attend a festival in Rochester that celebrates the legacy of the Irish.

Season 8 - "Off 90"

Episode 826

This week Off 90 featured writer Nicole Helget, wood carver Thomas Blahnik, artist Rory Mattson and the 100 Mile Garage Sale.

Episode 825

This week Off 90 featured Main St. Program in Lanesboro, Jimmy's Salad Dressing, Irish Fest Rochester and The Whalen Stand Still Parade.

Episode 824

This week Off 90 featured Poetry Slam, Faribault Woolen Mill, author Dr. William E. Lass and artist Lynette Yencho.

Episode 823

This week Off 90 featured artist Dana Sikkila, National Famers Bank, Rochester Famers Market and a profile of Rochester, MN.

Episode 822

This week Off 90 featured world explorer, Aaron Doering, the beginnings of Hollandale, artist Dee teller and Spring Valley Methodist Church Museum.

Episode 821

This week Off 90 featured the Commonweal Theatre's Ibsen Festival in Lanesboro, the Riverside Concerts series in Rochester, and the Big Island Rendezvous in Albert Lea.

Episode 820

This week Off 90 featured 2 New York Artists visiting Lanesboro, Kinney Creek Brewery, Spring Grove Soda Pop and the Viola Gopher Count.

Episode 819

This week Off 90 featured square dancing in Rochester, an artist and studio furniture maker, Jamie Schell, Austin Symphony Orchestra performing with Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, an avant-gard country band, and a visit to the Vintage Band Festival in Northfield.

Episode 818

This week Off 90 featured the builders fashion show event: Studs, Struts & Stilettos, John A. Latsch, a conservationist from Winona and Cy Thomson, a felonious visionary from LeRoy.

Episode 817

This week Off 90 featured a couple who are both artists, a newspaper in Blooming Prairie and author, Joel Peterson who wrote about growing up in a small town.

Episode 816

This week Off 90 featured a veteran's museum in Adams, old town baseball in Minnesota, and Ken Wells, a chainsaw wood carver.

Episode 815

This week Off 90 featured Pavek Museum of Broadcasting, Mike Ekkers and his book, "Colors In the Air", and The Tendermaid burger stand in Austin.

Episode 814

This week Off 90 featured a metal sculptor from Hastings, the historic town of Old Frontenac and the Owatonna Orphanage.

Episode 813

This week Off 90 featured encaustic artist, Beth Sievers, the Polish Cultural Institute Museum in Winona, the Book, "Bad Blood" which focuses on the history of teacher's strikes in Minnesota, and toaster collectors in Rochester.

Episode 812

This week Off 90 featured Rochester artist Paul Walech-Roth, Minneapolis photographer Timothy G. Piotrowski, a Northfield group called the Reformed Druids of North America and a study of the history of women's gowns.

Episode 811

This week Off 90 featured the History Center of Olmsted County, a Norwegian Rosemaling artist from Harmony, we learn what it's like to be a Freethinker, and we visit a gallery show at the Albert Lea Art Center.

Episode 810

This week Off 90 featured a silent movie created by a group of local filmmakers, an evening of painting and revelry in Rochester, and we learned about prisoners of war working in Minnesota during World War II.

Episode 809

This week Off 90 featured a music video created by the Off 90 crew, an Austin comic book writer, an over-the-road truck driving class at Riverland Community College, and Rochester artist Nicole Havekost.

Episode 808

This week Off 90 featured composer Theodora Cormontan, author Michael Resman, and the Assisi Heights Spirituality Center.

Episode 807

This week Off 90 featured the Giant Museum in Blue Earth, the Sea Wing disaster on Lake Pepin, and a historical film about Cologne, Minnesota.

Episode 806

This week Off 90 featured artist Patricia Dunn-Walker, the International Owl Center, a glider regatta, and the Owatonna orphanage.

Episode 805

This week Off 90 featured the city of Winona, artist Paul Walech-Roth, the home of W.W. Mayo, and the Chatfield Music Lending Library.

Episode 804

This week Off 90 featured "300 Miles 4 Freedom", W.P.A. murals, and author Mike Ekkers.

Episode 803

This week Off 90 featured the Rochester Rowing Club, artist Bruce Loeschen, and the National Eagle Center.

Episode 802

This week Off 90 featured Smithsonian's Water/Ways, Hal Leonard Corp; Author, Daniel C. Munson and comedian & artist, Trace Beaulieu.

Episode 801

This week Off 90 featured eggshell carving artist Nicholas Poleschuk, Pickwick Mill, Shepherd’s Way Farms and St. Augustine Church.

Season 7 - "Off 90"

Episode 713

This episode includes a dramatic and touching story about a tornado in Steele County; a profile of Rochester's talented fiber artist, Amara Vercnocke; a discussion with a JFK researcher, and we visit with Rochester sculptor, Karl Friedrich.

Episode 712

In this episode, we speak to a Minnesota author who wrote a book based on his own life. We visit a studio furniture maker in Winona. We go over the road with the truck driving program at Riverland Community College. And we browse the Rochester Farmers' Market.

Episode 711

We visit the Tendermaid Sandwich Shop in Austin; we talk to Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi, the first female elected sheriff in Minnesota; we learn about POWs working in Minnesota during World War II; we visit Martin Grabau of Spring Valley, a collector of eclectic objects.

Episode 710

We visit a soda pop maker in Spring Grove; we talk to Timothy G. Piotrowski, a Minneapolis photographer who prefers old-fashioned techniques; we learn about teacher strikes in Minnesota; and we visit outdoor movie night in Lanesboro.

Episode 709

We visit a reptile zoo in Owatonna; we revisit wedding traditions at an exhibit in Owatonna; we talk to Allen Eskens, a mystery writer from Mankato; and, from Mike Ellingsen, we learn about the old-time art of quilting.

Episode 708

We attend Feast, a Rochester event for craft food producers; we learn a little about how fashions have changed for women since 1800; we take in a community concert in Rochester; and we talk to comedian Trace Beaulieu about his artistic side.

Episode 707

We reminisce about the glory days of town baseball, we meet Henry Wang, a young piano virtuoso from Rochester; we learn about the history of Minnesota state hospitals; and we travel to Viola to take in one of the oldest town festivals in Minnesota.

Episode 706

We visit with Dee Teller, a Faribault artist famous for her Asian brush painting and calligraphy. We talk to John O’Rourke, an Austin man recently inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. We learn what it means to be a Freethinker. And we watch a Day of the Dead poetry slam in Rochester performed by poets who have passed on.

Episode 705

International Owl Festival in Houston; Benson Family Music, Winona Municipal Band 100th Anniversary; Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Spring Valley.

Episode 704

In this episode, we discover one man's goal to drain a wetland and create a town; we meet a wildlife artist in Albert Lea; we learn about the past, present, and future of Rochester; and we tour an art gallery in Albert Lea.

Episode 703

In this episode, we learn the history behind the dramatic rise and fall of a felonious visionary in southern Minnesota; we meet a renaissance artist in Owatonna; we chat with some young filmmakers in Rochester; and we take in the fall colors at Forestville State Park.

Episode 702

We learn the history behind the elegant architecture of a bank in Owatonna. We stop in St. Charles to meet Thomas Blahnik, an artisan who works with wood. We attend a bluegrass festival in Houston. And we watch a performance by the Tamburitzans dance troupe in Zumbrota.

Episode 701

We visit the Faribault Woolen Mill, which has been in business since the Civil War; we attend a gallery opening in Rochester with artist Cassandra Buck; we learn about John A. Latsch, an early Winona conservationist; and we go spelunking in Mystery Cave near Preston.

Subcategories

KSMQ Channels

Channel 15 Dish Network, Direct TV, MetroNet or Antenna.

Channel 779 Charter.

Channel 8 Mankato Charter.

And Other local Cable Systems.

Support KSMQ

Make a Contribution & Select Your Thank-you gift!