Leavenworth, WA -  

Arlene Wagner founded the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, a National Heritage Foundation in 1995. Her collection now houses over 5,000 nutcrackers dating back to Roman times and is the world's largest collection.  When the post office came out with their greeting cards and postage stamps in 2008 they contacted Arlene. She wrote The Art & Characters of Nutcrackers.

 

CBS Morning News came to Leavenworth with their crew and interviewed Arlene. In the special Rita Braver takes a look at nutcrackers of all shapes and sizes. Braver travels to Richmond, Virginia to speak to the Nutcracker man himself, Glenn Crider who has handcrafted his own Nutcrackers for 25 years, one of which was even turned into a U.S. Stamp.  Braver then pays a visit to Arlene Wagner, known as the Nutcracker lady, who started the Nutcracker museum in Leavenworth, Washington and tracks the history behind each Nutcracker in the collection.

SUNDAY MORNING, anchored by Charles Osgood is broadcast Sundays (9:00-10:30 AM EST, on KREM at 7:00 am and KIRO at 7:30 am. (Check local listings). Rand Morrison is the executive producer.