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Garrison Keillor retires: A look at his 1998 performance in Durango

For Jackson Clark, it all started with a strange phone call.

“I was on a business trip and I ended up in Green River, Utah, in a motel overnight, and I called the office and they said somebody had called me and wanted me to call,” he said. “So I called, and we just started talking, and I didn’t really know (what she wanted) ... it was just kind of a joking sort of conversation.

“We just rambled on there for about five minutes, and she said, ‘I think you’ll do.’ And I said, ‘I’ll do for what?’ I had no idea who she was.”

Turns out, he was being considering for the “town guest” on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” that, thanks to an application sent in by radio station KSUT, was going to be performed live from Durango on June 13, 1998.

With Keillor, 73, set to host his last episode of “A Prairie Home Companion” on Friday, handing the reins over to new host Chris Thile, it’s been fun to look back at when the production brought its beloved funny sketches, musical guests and Keillor’s updates from his fictional community of Lake Wobegon to the Fort Lewis College Field House almost 20 years ago.

Not only was Clark, a fifth-generation Durangoan who owns Toh-Atin Gallery, invited to be in the show, the Durango Children’s Chorale, under the direction of Diane VanDenBerg, performed as well.

In a story by Charlie Langdon in the April 17, 1998, edition of The Durango Herald, VanDenBerg said Keillor had personally invited the Children’s Chorale to sing on the show after hearing a recording of them.

“It was such a fantastic event; the whole town was buzzing,” said Stasia Lanier, who was music and communications director for KSUT, the host radio station for the event. “The community was very involved. There was a lot of community pride; people were really proud.”

The show

At first, Clark wasn’t sure he’d fit the bill.

“I said, ‘You know, there are some great people out there like Bob Beers, and some other distinguished, well-spoken people I think would be a lot better, and she said, ‘No, no, I want you.’ And I said, ‘OK.’”

But he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I was supposed to be up there early that morning to do a rehearsal, so I went up there and I had to sign all these artists’ releases and things – they sent me $250 for doing this,” he said. “You’re kind of in the back room, under the stairs at the gym and they’d call you up one at a time; they were going through the whole show, but you’re back in the back room, so you didn’t really know what was going on.

“They called me up on the stage and said, ‘Say your name into the microphone’ and the guy asked a couple of questions. Garrison Keillor was there, and he said ‘OK, that’ll do.’ And I thought, ‘Really? Because they hadn’t talked about anything they were going to talk about.

“It was basically a sound check,” he said.

And was Clark nervous for the actual show?

“I figured they knew what they were doing; they’ve obviously done it a lot before,” he said. “I had no idea (what to expect) – it just surprised me when I showed up for the show later in the afternoon; the entire gym was packed with people.”

In fact, the show in the Field House was sold out – 2,800 tickets. It also reached 2.5 million listeners on more than 400 public radio stations worldwide.

“They introduced me, and I came up on the stage and we just talked back and forth for a little bit, and that was it,” Clark said. “It was fun. I think the amazing part of the deal was how quick that guy is on his feet. ”

According to a story about the show by Stephanie Spear in the June 14, 1998, Herald, the two chatted, with Keillor discussing Durango’s history and pointing out how we had made a national worst-dressed list, adding that “every day is casual day” here.

So while Keillor will host his last show Friday at the Hollywood Bowl, the effect of his visit here in 1998 is still felt.

“KSUT was very proud to host the live broadcast of ‘A Prairie Home Companion from Durango,’” said Lanier, who still is music director at KSUT. “It was such a memorable and joyful event for our community and really captured the essence of the town and lifestyle, while poking fun at its idiosyncrasies.”

katie@durangoherald.com

Hear Keillor’s last ‘Companion’

The last “A Prairie Home Companion” hosted by Garrison Keillor will be aired on KSUT from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Find the station at:

Durango/La Plata County: 90.1 FM

Central Durango: 89.3 FM

Farmington and Northwest New Mexico: 88.1 FM

Pagosa Springs: 88.1 FM

Cortez, Mancos/Montezuma County: 100.1 FM

Silverton: 91.1 FM

Dolores: 91.9 FM

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