Notes from our Producer/Production Director

It was a Friday the 13th like no other. The day started out with a typical, “Thank God, it’s Friday!”, but I knew from the very beginning that Friday, March 13th, 2020, was going to be different. It would be a day to remember. I could just feel it. State Executive Director September Kirby served as my chauffeur for the day and we were off to my under-graduate alma mater, Dakota State University in Madison, to attend a special reception for Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020! The event was indeed special, for in addition to talking with Camille, we were favored with a live demonstration of her scientific skills which she also performed as a Talent at Miss America. The reception also provided us with an opportunity to spend time with Camille and take full advantage of a photo op with Camille and Shantel Krebs, Miss South Dakota 1997, now President of the Board, Trustee and CEO of the Miss America Organization. We all know there should be nothing but the very best for Miss America, and since Madison is known nationwide for its Blizzards, it was “Let’s all go to the Dairy Queen” – and we did! Our burgers and DQ Blizzards were delicious – very all-American and fun! Sadly, that afternoon things changed dramatically when Camille was informed that her national tour was being put on hold and she was instructed to go directly back home to Virginia. People were told to start wearing masks and social distance by standing 6 feet apart. The Coronavirus-19 had found its way onto American shores and was spreading rapidly. Little did I know or realize I had met up with two driving forces in one day: one being a world-wide pandemic and the other, Miss America! And thus began my 13 months of self-isolation. Like so many other annual events, both the Miss South Dakota and the Miss America Competitions were cancelled for all of 2020, and I couldn’t help but think, “Poor Amber!” Would she really have to wear her crown, sash and heels for another full year? Then again, Amber would have the honorable distinction of being the one and only Miss South Dakota to have her year of service placed under her official picture – TWICE! Nice! And so we FINALLY find ourselves searching in earnest for our 74th Miss South Dakota – the special young woman who will step into Amber’s well-worn shoes. What a rollercoaster ride it has been in a year plagued with postponements, cancellations, political upheaval, sickness and all-too-often, death. And because there have been so many negatives dominating our lives, as your Producer I have felt the need to bring you something uplifting and fun, and this year’s overall production theme promises to do just that! I do hope our talented performers’ energy and enthusiasm will provide you with a well-deserved escape from the doldrums of our so-called “new norm.” It’s only logical then that the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, with its world-wide devastation and gloom, would become a reality for me on a Friday the 13th. It was, however, our charismatic and inspirational Miss America who, on that very same day, became the driving force that showed me what it means to be happy and whose smile stayed with me daily throughout my isolation – setting my wheels in motion for the show you will see tonight. Oh, to have been so lucky on a Friday the 13th! Thanks, Camille! Enjoy the show!