I’ve finally come to the week in which I’ll begin my South Dakota journey.
To prepare for being away from my home for 11 days and to organize myself for three Beauty & Grace Presentations/Signings, one lecture and two book signings I’ve created a check list of chores.
This list details outfit choices and a “dry-run” packing of my suitcase, taking care of my bills for the first week of the new month, putting my house and gardens in order, getting laundry done to ensure I don’t run out of socks and underwear, touching base with various South Dakota individuals to confirm my participation in my non-book fest events and writing this daily blog.
There’s also researching and planning my activities for the five days between my South Dakota Women’s Prison Book Club Presentation and the South Dakota Festival of Books. Last week I wrote about some of those plans, including my interest in attending the Custer State Park Annual Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival.
As I gave thought to the spectre of this annual roundup of 1300 Buffalo for medical check ups to maintain a strong and healthy herd, my storytelling muse began chattering in my head, reviving up my writer/reporter’s adrenaline.
In short order I knew that I didn’t want to just witness this roundup, I wanted to professionally share the adventure of what I saw on my website and social media posts.
I called the Roundup and Arts Festival Organizers. Using my best Irish charm, I shared my expansive journalist/writer’s background and coupled that with my dairy farm family heritage and my farm manager experience in breeding, training and exhibiting horses. I then asked for media credentials to be able to get up-close-and-personal to the buffalo roundup and tell the story.
The response of the person who’d answered the phone and listened to my presentation was direct and simple. “You need to talk to the person who issues those credentials. Let me put you through to his voicemail.”
Undaunted, I repeated my relevant resume and my quest for media credentials and asked for a return call.
The next day, I tempered my patience in waiting for a return call until mid-afternoon. At that point I redialed the event organizer’s phone number. This time I simply asked to be connected to the person in charge of media relations. (Old dog….new tricks!)
That’s how I met the lovely Lydia. She affirmed that, while my request was late by festival standards, it could be honored pending the completion of a roundup application. It was at this point my storytelling muse ramped up my adrenaline into a bolder request than just media credentials.
In watching videos of the roundup, I’d noticed pickup trucks riding alongside the horses and riders as they guided the buffalos from the plains to the pens. In the bed of those trucks there were people riding and taking photos.
I wanted to be one of those people. And that’s what I blurted out to Lydia.
Holding my breath and hoping, I waited for her reply. It came in a simple ten-word statement. “You’ll have to call South Dakota Tourism.”
Inspired by my storytelling muse once again, I Googled the tourism department, dialed the number and chatted for a few moments with the receptionist. In short order, she graciously transferred me to Katlyn Richter, possibly the most personable individual to ever work for a tourism agency.
Not only did Katlyn listen to my review of my journalist’s background and storytelling experiences, she commented and asked questions about my varied career, as if she found it interesting. I really liked this girl!
I followed up by stating that roundup organizers were granting me media credentials (ok…maybe my muse overstepped her boundaries a bit on that one, but we were on a roll.) I then made the big ask for a space in one of the roundup truck beds.
Continually-charming Katlyn explained that journalists from around the world attend this buffalo event for the chance to film, photograph and write about it. She added that most request their media credentials and special viewing privileges months ahead of the September event date. Sweetly apologizing, she proclaimed that due to my tardy timing, there were no places left in any of those truck beds.
As my muse comforted my disappointed heart, she also went to twirling around in my brain, trying to think of an angle that might somehow get me onboard a truck.
A cancellation list!
Those were the words that flew out of my mouth as I asked Katlyn to please create a list where she could put my name at the top of those ready, willing and able to answer a 5 am phone call that one of the truck bed riders was unable to make the roundup and I could now climb onboard. Not missing a beat, Katlyn cheerfully agreed and we said our good byes.
The next day, I received confirmation of my press credentials. I immediately emailed Katlyn with the approved application and thanked her for her time in chatting with me. I also expressed my appreciation for adding me to the 5am Roundup Morning/Last Minute Call List. Not surprisingly, she responded with a thanks for the follow up and a hope to meet me, one way or the other, on roundup morning.
The great Walt Disney is credited with saying, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Here’s hoping between my muse’s dreaming and Katlyn’s kindness, as the sun rises on Custer State Park this Friday morning, I’ll be climbing into a truck bed, ready to do it….experience the adventure of a lifetime.