Museum featured on upcoming episode of 'Backroads of Montana'

Viewers across the state can grab a stool at a charming diner on Montana's Hi-Line and dig in the dirt near Ekalaka when the newest episode of "Backroads of Montana" airs on Montana PBS at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26.

Longtime producer John Twiggs hosts the episode, "Diners & Dinos," from the Madison County Fair in Twin Bridges. The program will have subsequent airings at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29; 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1; 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2; and 2:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3.

In the new episode, viewers will learn about a local diner that has quite a history. The Sugar Shack Diner is currently located in Rudyard, but it's moved all around the area impacting each small community it's served. Since the 1950s, there's more than just food that makes it special.

Near Troy in northwest Montana, the program takes viewers across the Kootenai River – without getting wet. See what it's like to stroll across an iconic swinging footbridge with a spectacular view.

A Blaine County woman's collection gives new meaning to the term "excess lighting." The show takes stock of the expansive array of fragile finds in Turner to reveal why this collector's love for oil lamps just keeps burning.

And celebrate the planet's reptilian past at Carter County Museum's annual Dino Shindig in Ekalaka. Join local dinosaur enthusiasts and international paleontologists to uncover the past along the Montana Dinosaur Trail, with some family fun and dancing in the streets in between.

In addition to tuning in on TV, Montanans can watch the broadcast on PBS Passport or online at https://www.montanapbs.org/live/.

This episode's producers include Twiggs, Ray Ekness, Breanna McCabe and Stan Parker. The University of Montana Broadcast Media Center produces the program for Montana PBS. Additional program producers include Anna Rau and Gus Chambers. Montana PBS is a joint service of UM and Montana State University.

Now in its thirty-first year of production, "Backroads of Montana" is made possible with support from the Greater Montana Foundation, a Big Sky Film grant and UM. The program has received multiple awards, including being named the Montana Broadcasters Association noncommercial television program of the year numerous times. To watch previous episodes, visit https://www.montanapbs.org/backroadsofmontana/.