Goodbye Brandon Valley Journal

By: 
Gracie Terrall, Journal Intern

Hello people of Brandon!

Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Gracie Terrall, you might have seen me running around town this summer with a big camera in my hand or at one of your community’s events. I’ve been interning here at the Journal with Jill since May 9 and today, Aug. 2 is my final day. I just finished turning in my last story (at 1 a.m. the day before deadline, like any good journalist would do) and I found myself looking back on my last three months with this paper.

I attend South Dakota State University and am currently the co-editor-in-chief for the campus newspaper, The Collegian. Going into this internship, I didn’t think there would be much of a difference between the two papers, we’re both a weekly that publishes on Wednesdays and focuses on our community. But boy was I wrong, the community, connection and care the people of Brandon have for this town and everyone living in it has astounded me. So far this summer, I have written 44 stories, totaling 28,111 words. (Now 28,113 words, 23,114…) I have gotten to talk with some of the most interesting people I have ever met and got to listen to them talk for hours about the things they find most passionate in life. I’ve interviewed haunted house enthusiasts, pipe organ builders, cemetery mappers, seventh graders dressed like kangaroos and so many wonderful people that call the city of Brandon home.

Jill has done such an incredible job cultivating a respect and appreciation for the local news here. I can’t count the number of people that have called or come into the office this summer looking for their copy of this week’s Journal or congratulating Jill on an article. I sincerely hope I can work for a paper again in my career that takes such consideration for its audience and puts so much care into their local content every issue. 

I won’t lie, this summer has definitely not been easy. Three days after I started with the Journal, a Great Depression-level derecho swooped through the state and has left quite a bit of headache for me. A hunting shed from a nearby tractor supply store blew into my apartment complex parking lot and damaged over nine vehicles, mine – new with dealer plates – included. The following weeks consisted of many trips to the repair shop, over $9,000 in damages, multiple unanswered insurance phone calls and my insurance still deemed it a total loss. So, here I am, four months later and back to searching for another car. I want to give a big shoutout to my mom and grandma for letting me use their vehicles to make the two-hour commute to and from Brookings everyday a little easier while I’m car-less. 

After a little car trouble, catching the viral virus and battling these gas prices, I’m ready for the summer to come to an end and start my last year of college. But I am very much not ready to leave this little community I’ve gotten to know. I’ll miss getting Kingbird donuts on my way into work, my lunch breaks at McHardy Park, but most importantly the faces I got to see and the stories I got to write this summer. 

Experiencing the love and optimism people have for this town has instilled a value for community journalism that will never be forgotten. No matter where I end up after graduation, I will always be grateful for the stories I got to hear and help share in the city of Brandon. 

 

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
(605) 582-9999

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