Submitted photo
A promotional photo of Joe Bonson, of Reedsville, features his autograph.

REEDSVILLE — If you haven’t caught a show by Joe Bonson and his band, Coffee Run, lately, you can get your fix of the local country singer on Wednesday. That’s when his new television show, “A Country Life,” will debut in Mifflin and Juniata counties.

Bonson, of Reedsville, says he’s realizing a lifelong dream with the 12-week series that will feature three episodes, filmed in 2015 at Laurel Rock Farm in Mifflintown, by Media X, of Lewistown.

He’s also hoping it will take off to the extent that he can eventually leave his local construction company to his son to operate, while he goes on a world tour, and continues to film more seasons of “A Country Life.”

Those are Bonson’s hopes and dreams for the future; his own television show came about because of past hopes and dreams.

Bonson, songwriter and musician, has been performing locally for about 24 years, although the band’s shows have taken him all over the country, as well as Canada and Sweden.

But that hasn’t been enough. “I’ve always had the idea to have my own show,” he said.

Expressing that dream led to a local sponsor, Aumiller and Associates, which led to filming by Media X and a commitment by Cozi Television WGCB Harrisburg to air the episodes locally.

The half-hour shows will each feature five original songs written by Bonson and/or various family members, and interviews with the musician. During the interviews “I talk about the songs, I talk about life and the things that I did,” Bonson said.

“It’s about family and life, my faith in God, and I always include a gospel song. It’s going to hit everybody in a lot of different ways,” Bonson said.

“God has been really good to me. He’s given me an opportunity of a lifetime, so I talk about faith,” Bonson said.

The show “should touch people’s lives and tug on their heart strings,” he added.

Filming the music for the shows was done in September 2015, before a live audience of 50 people. Crews also followed Bonson and his band for six months to gain extra footage and interviews.

“A lot of the footage was shot right here in the valley,” he said.

There are three episodes that will run at 8:30 p.m. starting Wednesday. After the third show airs, the three episodes will repeat, for a total of 12 weeks.

The show will actually start airing this weekend on WWCP-TV (Fox 8), the Fox affiliate for the Altoona-Johnstown-State College market, Bonson said, before and after the NASCAR race on Sunday “because country music and NASCAR go together.”

Once it’s available on Harrisburg’s WPMT-TV (Fox 43), which is the Fox station for most of the Juniata Valley, “the show will go into one and a half million homes right off the bat,” Bonson said.

A television director who saw the show was impressed, stating that it’s unlike anything that’s been on before, Bonson said.

“The television people have given me a five-star rating,” he said. “That’s the highest that they give.”

Bonson said, “I hope the American people grab onto it,” because his dreams keep growing.

“My eventual goal would be to have Nashville artists, such as Connie Smith, Gene Watson and Daryle Singletary on the show,” Bonson said. “It would still be my show, but I would have special guests on — people who other people know — and I would talk to them.”

Joe Bonson and Coffee Run consists of Bonson, who sings and plays acoustic guitar; his wife, Wendy, who does solos and harmony background; Mike Carr, of New Jersey, on lead guitar; Craig Kulow, of New Jersey, on fiddle; Alan Roth, of Carlisle, on bass; Roy Peterman, of Muncy, steel player; and Bill Matlock, of Allentown, drummer.

For more information, visit www.joebonson.com.