South Dakota Public Broadcasting has been featuring communities across the state of South Dakota in its Dakota Life specials, and for the 2024-25 season, Garretson has been selected as a community to feature.
"We at South Dakota Public Broadcasting are constantly striving to tell the stories of the people and places of our state through a variety of means," Julie Overgaard, Executive Director, wrote. "One of those vehicles for telling great South Dakota stories that we've been using for the past 26 years is Dakota Life. If you're unfamiliar with Dakota Life, it focuses on stories about interesting South Dakota people, places, and things and recently shifted towards a community-centric focus for our episodes."
To accomplish this, the team from SDPB will gather with different community leaders and residents of Garretson over the next several months. The team normally spends around 50 hours in the community to build its story, and the visits will begin with a community roundtable on Tuesday, April 9. The roundtable is open house style, and will be available between 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
"The first step for our team is to come to your town to connect with those who call this area home," said Overgaard. After the roundtable, the team will conduct interviews and film footage on future dates.
Once the episode is ready, SDPB will announce a premiere date, which will allow community members to view it together.
"Your home deserves to see their story told first," said Overgaard, "and we want to come back to share it with a Dakota Life Premiere for everyone to enjoy."
Everyone is encouraged to stop by on April 9 and share their stories for the SDPB team.
"We are grateful we get to tell your story to South Dakota and look forward to getting to know everything that makes your home special," Overgaard finished.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting has been a vital community resource for 50 years, producing and broadcasting high-quality, commercial-free programs and valuable community outreach projects that educate, enlighten, and entertain. The roundtable will be held at The Gulch Bar & Grill on April 9 between 2:00-4:00 p.m. or 5:00-7:00 p.m.
