Governor Daugaard Tours Local Businesses When Milbank is Capital

On Thursday, Milbank hosted Governor Dennis Daugaard, First Lady Linda Daugaard and several state officials as South Dakota’s Capital for a Day.

Governer Daugaard started the day in Milbank meeting with members of the city council and area legislators, then greeted residents at the Milbank Visitor Center. Executive director of the Grant County Development Corporation Bobbie Bohlen introduced the governor prior to his remarks regarding the current state of the state at the Visitor Center, presenting him with an engraved baseball bat commemorating Milbank as the home of American Legion Baseball.

Following his remarks, the governor took part in the ribbon cutting for the new Sculpture Garden in Flynn Park behind the Visitor’s Center, which will have its official unveiling on June 13.

In an effort to increase understanding of the needs of rural businesses as well as state resources to assist them, the governor and his staff toured several Main Street businesses including Triple Dip Lodge, VPD Studio, Street Graphex, Linda’s Fashions, Lewis Drug and Valley Queen Cheese then took a driving tour to Dakota Granite, the school, the new hospital site and the industrial park.

Governor Daugaard’s visit coincided with a scheduled meeting with six South Dakota State University School of Pharmacy professors and Dean Dennis Hedge along with Lewis Drug pharmacist Paul Sinclair to discuss rural pharmacies and Lewis Drug’s participation in the pharmacy residency program. Meanwhile, the First Lady hosted story reading to children at the Grant County Library.

The governor’s tour wound up at Lake Farley, with lunch and visiting area residents at the 25th Annual Valley Queen Cheeseburger Day.