BrandonInfo.com

By Jonnie Taté Finn
jtatefinn@argusleader.com

PIERRE - It’s about 10:15 Wednesday morning and 20 Brandonites have made the
230-mile trek here for the first-ever Brandon Day at the Legislature.

Awake since before 5 a.m., the city and business leaders are now armed with
Brandon brochures, legislative handbooks and gallons of caffeine. Led by the
Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, the group’s purpose today is to
enlighten lawmakers about one of the state’s fastest-growing cities.

Deanna White, chamber coordinator, said the chamber’s legislative committee
has worked since July to get to today.

“We want to leave people with a positive image of Brandon,” White prepped
bus passengers a few miles outside of Pierre. “Tell them we’re a growing and
thriving community, one that will potentially be one of the three largest
cities in South Dakota.

“A lot of people don’t know a lot about Brandon except that we’re outside of
Sioux Falls and have a good school district,” White said. “Those things are
definitely true but there’s a whole lot more to Brandon than that.”

In addition to chatting up Brandon, the group will offer cookies and fruit
during the legislative breaks in the Senate and House lobbies until 10:30
a.m. Members will then get a chance to sit in on committee meetings and
visit with legislators.

At 11:30 a.m., the group will serve lunch. After cleaning up, members can
attend Wednesday’s legislative session, which begins at 2 p.m.

“Usually that’s about as interesting as watching paint dry,” White told the
group before arriving in Pierre. “ But I know today they’re talking about
the Sutton issue, which I know many people find interesting.”

The tentative departure time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. After a supper stop
in White Lake, the group plans to arrive back in Brandon around 9 or 10 p.m.

“I wanted to come pretty much just for the overall betterment of Brandon,”
said Darrell Vander Esch, owner of the Brandon Pizza Ranch. “But this is
also an educational experiment for me. I think I’ll learn just as much as I
help here. And networking is invaluable. You don’t know what kind of seeds
you’ll lay down here today.”

Reach Jonnie Taté Finn at 331-2320.