Last Wednesday at the American Legion Post #23 Dugout, South Dakota Public Broadcasting had a public pre-screening of an episode of Dakota Life that features Garretson. The episode will air, tonight, at 8 p.m. central, 7 p.m. mountain time on SDPB 1, as well as being livestreamed on SDPB.org.
“We really enjoyed filming this episode and getting to know the people of Garretson,” said producer and host of the show, Tim Davidson. “It was back in April of last year that we started hosting meetings and finding out who to talk to about both the history and current events, and what it’s like to live here in Garretson. We really met some amazing people and some very unique stories. Filming the segments of this show was an absolute joy. If you didn’t know this, Garretson is a very pretty community with some amazing geography. It’s matched by some pretty amazing people.”
Davidson addressed the crowd of locals who’d gathered at pre-screening.
“Now, I’m not perfect, and neither is the film or editing process, so watch this episode and take notes. Let me know what we got wrong so I can get it fixed and correct for when it airs next Thursday. This is your episode, and all about you, and I see many people in the crowd who’re in it, so I want it to be exactly right.”
Not to give away any spoilers, but the episode was excellently well done and very well received by the audiences, to a loud round of applause. The crowd present did have a few minor corrections, but only minor ones. Generally, it was well received and thoroughly enjoyed.
“The only problem that I have with it, is that we can only cram so much into a 30-minute episode and TV spot!” said Davidson. “There was so much fun and so much excellent content that we simply had to leave out. But part of the whole process of this, is us developing relationships with people in Garretson, and already some of those stories have been told on other programs, like Lori Walsh’s In the Moment or on our radio newscasts. And more of those stories can be told in future as well, and I’m excited to see them and see what shape they take. We know who to talk to and we’re eager to show the people of our state more of what Garretson has to offer, and the fun and interesting things about it. I can’t stress enough about how much fun this was to do, and I can’t wait for the rest of the state to see it.”
