DARLINGTON - After testifying at the Capitol about ATV and UTV use, it may have been bittersweet for Darlington Police Chief Jason King to get a call from a well-known all-terrain vehicle company wanting to do a story about it.
"It all evolved so quickly," King said, recalling how the project began. "They said basically do what you would do and we will take a video ... and make a commercial that will go on the Polaris website."
Polaris, an ATV/UTV manufacturer, will be rolling out their one-millionth Ranger soon, which the company wanted to commemorate by filming a commercial about people within communities throughout the United States who use the product in their daily lives. Darlington has the highest per capita Polaris ownership in the country.
Four other communities - Spring Creek, Nevada; Pinedale, Wyoming; Stephenville, Texas; and Corning, Arkansas - were also chosen to be a part of the commercial for Polaris. Representatives from The Brand Amp marketing company contacted King within the last few weeks about visiting Darlington to see how the Polaris Rangers are used in the community.
Material from an entire day of filming will eventually be used in a 90-second commercial for the company.
King took the crew to the Darlington Fire Department. There, the firefighters threw on their gear, pretending to go on an emergency call, and turned on the lights and sirens as the crew filmed. The camera crew then headed over to Stauffacher's Highway Dairy Farms on Wisconsin 23 to grab some footage of barn chores, like feeding cattle.
Some members of the Tri-County ATV club also joined in the fun, driving up and down the trail while the film crew used drones to capture different angles of footage. Once footage from each different community is compiled, the videos will be posted on Polaris' website where people can vote for who should win the title of Ranger Country, USA.
According to the film crew, whichever community wins could be awarded an unspecified amount of Polaris Rangers to use how they please. The community could also receive a concert by a country music artist, along with other festivities.
"It could be really good for Darlington if we did win," King said. "If we don't win, the notoriety is good for Darlington. It's just great knowing that we are on Polaris' radar. It's nice to showcase what we have."
Officials plan to have the videos available for public viewing Nov. 27.
"It all evolved so quickly," King said, recalling how the project began. "They said basically do what you would do and we will take a video ... and make a commercial that will go on the Polaris website."
Polaris, an ATV/UTV manufacturer, will be rolling out their one-millionth Ranger soon, which the company wanted to commemorate by filming a commercial about people within communities throughout the United States who use the product in their daily lives. Darlington has the highest per capita Polaris ownership in the country.
Four other communities - Spring Creek, Nevada; Pinedale, Wyoming; Stephenville, Texas; and Corning, Arkansas - were also chosen to be a part of the commercial for Polaris. Representatives from The Brand Amp marketing company contacted King within the last few weeks about visiting Darlington to see how the Polaris Rangers are used in the community.
Material from an entire day of filming will eventually be used in a 90-second commercial for the company.
King took the crew to the Darlington Fire Department. There, the firefighters threw on their gear, pretending to go on an emergency call, and turned on the lights and sirens as the crew filmed. The camera crew then headed over to Stauffacher's Highway Dairy Farms on Wisconsin 23 to grab some footage of barn chores, like feeding cattle.
Some members of the Tri-County ATV club also joined in the fun, driving up and down the trail while the film crew used drones to capture different angles of footage. Once footage from each different community is compiled, the videos will be posted on Polaris' website where people can vote for who should win the title of Ranger Country, USA.
According to the film crew, whichever community wins could be awarded an unspecified amount of Polaris Rangers to use how they please. The community could also receive a concert by a country music artist, along with other festivities.
"It could be really good for Darlington if we did win," King said. "If we don't win, the notoriety is good for Darlington. It's just great knowing that we are on Polaris' radar. It's nice to showcase what we have."
Officials plan to have the videos available for public viewing Nov. 27.