PBS Reno hosts of 'Wild Nevada' will be 2023 Nevada Day Parade Grand Marshals
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 9:59am
The Nevada Day, Inc. Board of Directors announces the Grand Marshals for the 2023 Nevada Day Parade taking place October 28, 2023. This year’s Grand Marshals are the hosts of PBS Reno’s travel-adventure series "Wild Nevada," Chris Orr and Dave Santina.
“With Home Means Nevada as this year’s theme, we wanted our Grand Marshals to not only live here but really love Nevada. Chris and Dave know this state better than most of us, and you can tell in every episode, there’s no place they would rather be,” stated Bobby Bean, Nevada Day, Inc. President. “They are a great fit to be our 2023 Grand Marshals.”
Nevada has one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes of any state in the nation, and home to just about any type of adventure you can imagine. Few people know this better than Chris Orr and Dave Santina, who have been staples of local television since 2000 when Wild Nevada began on PBS Reno.
This year marks their 6th season as they drive, hike, bike, ride horseback, kayak, dune buggy, even take camels across the Silver State. This team has brought us adventures from Elko to Tahoe, Red Rock Canyon to Winnemucca, and so many places in between, always experiencing Nevada and encouraging us to do the same.
“What perfect timing to have Chris and Dave serve as the Grand Marshals for the Nevada Day Parade this year, as PBS Reno celebrates its 40th anniversary of service to our region!” said Kurt Mische, PBS Reno President and CEO. “Wild Nevada is seen not only locally but on 138 other PBS stations across the nation, sharing the great stories of our state for so many to see and enjoy. We are honored and excited by this choice.”
Besides hosting Wild Nevada, Chris Orr is PBS Reno’s Director of Art and Digital Marketing and has developed multiple local-national websites, led numerous design projects, launched the station’s social media platforms and leads a team that develops and maintains the station’s online, social media and print branding. She has been at PBS Reno for more than 23 years.
Orr is a Nevada transplant but is proud to call Nevada home. She grew up in rural Idaho and moved to Reno with her family while she was in high school. She is an alum of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. An enthusiastic outdoorswoman, Orr hikes and runs and is usually in training for some upcoming race. She loves to travel but is always happy to get home and spend time with her dog, Reba.
Dave Santina has over 30 years of experience in broadcast production, currently serving as Director of Local
Content at PBS Reno, overseeing the station’s nationally recognized content. His first hosting gig was for a PBS Reno quiz show that didn’t last very long but led directly to Wild Nevada. Although he doesn’t consider himself very “outdoorsy,” Santina is grateful for the opportunity Wild Nevada has given him to experience places that he otherwise would never have seen.
Santina’s work as producer of The Work of Art in 2011 received an Emmy nomination. Over the years he has contributed in various capacities to productions with ESPN, the University of Nevada Athletic Department, and FLF Films among others. Born and raised in Sparks, Santina is an alumnus of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. He lives in Sparks with his wife Jessica and their daughter.
More about Chris, Dave and Wild Nevada can be found on pbsreno.org and their stories will be featured in the Nevada Day Parade program distributed on parade day. For a digital copy this year, for the first time, there will be QR codes available on Nevadaday.com and CarsonNow.org.
