SDPB affects people in different ways. For Janet Kahler of Rapid City, it was her inspiration to travel. This year, she traveled across the state to stop in towns and find hidden gems after being intrigued by SDPB's segment Dakota Life. After a conversation with SPDB's Director of Entertainment Content, Brad Van Osdel, Janet took out her atlas, circled 17 towns, and visited every single one of them. Over nine days, Janet hit the road and saw some of the things that make South Dakota so special. "I love road trips," says Janet. "This is my third one in less than a year and a half. I just find it refreshing to find these little nooks. Everyone thinks you need to go out and see the big things, which are still gorgeous, but these small towns are unique."
One of the joys of a road trip is that it might inspire a pit stop somewhere you never expected, which is exactly what happened with Janet. While traveling through Mobridge, Janet stumbled across something exceptional at the Klein Museum.
"I was driving along, and I came across the Klein Museum. I thought, 'Well, that isn't on my list, so I will check it out.' I met a lovely lady named Diane. At one time, I sold my Wild West Wax Museum in Wall, SD, in 1998. I was walking through the museum, and I saw that they bought nine of my wax figures because the businesses in Wall had closed. They had the plaques and everything, so I knew they were mine. I just said, 'Oh my gosh!" That was just an enjoyable thing to discover.
Along with all of the art and landmarks, Janet says one of the most significant takeaways from her trip was everyone she met. "One thing to mention is how many friendly and wonderful people are in South Dakota. No matter what, everyone is willing to help. I met a young man at a gas station who helped me with directions. Now he's my new Facebook friend."
Janet was married to her husband for almost 55 years before he passed away about five years ago. One of the stops she decided to make on her road trip was Springfield, where her husband went to a teacher's college in 1959. Janet wanted to tour the Springfield Teachers College Museum, but when she arrived at the building, it was locked with a number on the door. Janet recalls one of the most memorable moments of her journey with someone from the town named Matt Huisman, who answered her call and gladly came to unlock the building for her.
"He had a cane. He said he was 85 years old. In fact, there is an interview with him in a past episode of Dakota Life about Springfield. He gave me a tour of the building and told me what to look for, including all the yearbooks. I found the yearbook from when my husband was there; his picture was in it. After Matt gave the history, he said he would go home and said, 'When you get done, call me; I'll come back and lock it up.' Only in a small town would they trust you enough to take your time and tour the building. I find that just so refreshing that they would do that."
Janet has been named SDPB Ambassador, and because of her love for Dakota Life, she visited Buffalo and Custer National Forests, Ludlow, Lemmon, Timber Lake, Mobridge, Leola, Aberdeen, Webster, Sisseton, Brookings, Sioux Falls, Garretson, Vermillion, Yankton, Springfield, Dimock, Parkston, Menno, and Wagner. "It's amazing what each episode of Dakota Life can cover in 20 minutes about one town. I'm thinking one day, maybe next year, I'll cover some of the little towns I didn't catch and more."
We look forward to hearing more about Janet's travels in the future and are grateful for her love of SDPB programming.