Happy Wednesday! Megan here.

Weather check: Six more weeks of winter? OK, groundhog...

🎂 Cool thing: The first-ever Sioux Falls Simplified email newsletter hit inboxes Feb. 3, 2021. That means, this week marks FIVE YEARS of smarter, easier local news empowering Sioux Fallsians. I'm still in the "this is too surreal, gonna compartmentalize and cry about it later" stage of processing, but what I really want to convey is just: THANK YOU.

  • Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring about this community enough to want to know what's going on, to want to be a part of influencing change, to want to support local, independent news. Thank you for all of it. This is the best job I've ever had. Cheers to five more!
  • OH! And P.S. Thank you for buying 192 News Burgers!! 🍔 That's $1,600 that'll go straight to funding our local election coverage. You guys are the best!

This week, it's super duper arts-y. You'll learn the latest on how the city's arts and culture master plan is progressing, and then you'll hear from our friends at The Premiere Playhouse about artist development. Plus, catch a whole bunch of Super Simplified stories and a whole bunch of events happening this week.

And now, news:

CITY

Survey: Most Sioux Fallsians support city money for the arts

Simplified: A recent survey related to the city's ongoing arts and culture strategic plan found that as many as 9 in 10 Sioux Falls residents support the city allocating public funds for arts and culture programs. It's all part of the findings an Arizona-based consultant shared earlier this week.

Why it matters

  • The Sioux Falls City Council on Monday got its first update on the first-ever city-led arts and culture plan. So far, it's been a lot of information gathering, including a citywide look at public art, performance spaces, museums, galleries and all things creative.
  • The presentation came on the same day the city approved the first of its contracts as part of the new Community Partners Program – allocating a combined $135,000 for Levitt at the Falls and SculptureWalk.
  • Consultant Alex Keen told councilors the plan, which is expected to be finalized later this spring, will help the city make decisions and guide strategy about supporting the arts. Keen said the arts are infrastructure, and, like any other infrastructure, it requires planning.
"You have strong support in this community for arts and culture," Keen said. "The community wants more."

Tell me more

SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS

This theatre program empowers emerging artists

This is a paid piece from The Premiere Playhouse.

Simplified: The Premiere Playhouse' mission centers on empowerment. One of the ways the nonprofit community theatre group emphasizes that empowerment is through its Artist Development Series, which is designed to help new and emerging artists learn the tricks of the trade.

Why it matters

  • The Artist Development Series is a series of courses and performance opportunities designed to educate through hands-on experiences with various aspects of theatre – from writing to set design to cabaret singing.
  • The series also includes several opportunities for burgeoning artists to showcase their work in small-scale productions. That includes the annual Premiere Premieres happening later this month, which will feature original works from local artists.
  • New this year, the Playhouse also offers memberships, which include access to workshops, lessons and discounted rates for additional classes. Members can also get discounts on renting the Premiere Playhouse space in the historic Rock Island building.
"We can give you high-caliber training that you would get at a conservatory elsewhere in the country," Executive Artistic Director Oliver Mayes said. "But it's also in a community setting. It's not about being graded or being 'good enough.' Everyone's welcome."

Tell me more

TL;DR

Super Simplified Stories

  • Council approves parks plan. The Sioux Falls City Council on Monday evening voted 5-1 to approve the Falls Park master plan (background here.) Councilor Curt Soehl was the lone opposing vote, objecting to the lack of funding and lack of a specific time-table included in the plan. The plan is, instead, essentially a wish list for what the city would like Falls Park to look like in the future.
  • Lallycooler headliners announced. The Lallycooler music festival is coming back to Sioux Falls this summer, and this time headliners will include Darius Rucker and Jason Derulo. It's all going down July 10 and 11 at The Birdcage. See the full lineup here.
  • Community Partner Program grants rolling out. The city changed up how it supports nonprofits this year – including less money overall and nixing support for the Multi-Cultural Center. But, there is still city money supporting specific nonprofit initiatives, and councilors approved the first of those contracts this week.
    • That includes $88,500 for Solace to support at-risk populations; $70,000 for the Levitt to support culture, arts and community programming; and $65,000 for SculptureWalk, which also falls into the arts category.
  • 🍎📚It's time to register for kindergarten. Enrollment is now open for the 2026-27 school year. The Sioux Falls School District is accepting enrollment for all first-time students, including anyone new to the district, kindergarteners, junior kindergarteners and those who want to participate in the Learning Adventures early childhood program for 3- and 4-year-olds. Learn more and register here.
  • This week in Pierre...I'm gonna be honest. There are so many bills, I don't know how anyone is keeping all of this straight. But, here's my best attempt at catching the highlights, 100% courtesy of my friends at South Dakota Searchlight who are out in Pierre so we don't have to be. Stuff to watch this week includes: soda bans, the "data center divide," upholding Medicaid expansion, a discussion on whether ambulances are 'essential', and college kids still need a permit to carry a concealed firearm.

EVENTS

Stuff to do: Feb. 4-10

  • Support Standing Proud.* Sioux Falls Pride will host its annual gala on Thursday, Feb. 12. Funds raised at the event benefit the Standing Proud scholarship supporting post-secondary education for LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit students. Learn more about the scholarship here, and get your tickets for the gala here.
  • Catch a show. Monstrous Little Theatre Company is celebrating 10 years of bringing professional, thought-provoking stage productions to Sioux Falls, and you can help them celebrate by buying a ticket to their latest production, "Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons." The show will run Thursday through Saturday at Last Stop. Snag your tickets here.
  • Watch the winter (zoo) olympics. The Great Plains Zoo is getting in the Olympic spirit with a winter games event on Saturday. Watch animals participate various enrichment activities inspired by the winter games. More details here.
  • Celebrate an early Galentine's. Who needs romance when you've got the gal pals? Celebrate Galentine's Day this week with a couple of different events, including a Sip & Shop at Couture Luxury Flooring & Design Studio on Saturday. Or find a bunch of Galentines-inspired vendors at Yakkity Yak Coffee Shack on Saturday afternoon (bonus: $5 childcare for busy moms).
  • Show some homemade love. Want to give your partner something homemade? You can create your own Valentine's Day card at ReCreate by Zenith on Saturday. And, if that's not crafty enough for ya, you can also make a date and paint your partner with A.L. Art & Prints on Monday evening.
  • Hang with a fungi. Sioux Falls Science Pub is bringing another night of learning to Severance Brewing Tuesday evening focused on the topic of fungi. You'll learn not only how delicious they can be (with a cooking demonstration) but also the role they play in the ecosystem. Details here.

*Denotes a paid partnership

THIS AND THAT

What I'm falling for this week:

ICYMI

More Simplified Stories

How Lincoln County is looking to get out ahead of data center debates
The Lincoln County Commission will hold a public hearing next month to discuss a proposed moratorium that would prevent data centers for the next year while the county figures out its planning and zoning requirements.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
These draft proposals aim to make public meetings more accessible
The Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday got its first look at draft ordinances that aim to help make it easier for the public to connect with the city’s dozens of public boards and commissions. Here’s what we know so far.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
How you can help plan future school facilities – including Whittier Middle School
The Sioux Falls School District is looking for volunteers to serve on a task force looking at needed facility improvements across the district.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa

WANT TO HELP MORE PEOPLE FEEL THIS SMART?

Support Sioux Falls Simplified

Here are a few ways to ensure this smarter, easier local news outlet is here to stay:

  • Forward this to a friend. Sharing is caring, and the best gifts are the ones that make your life easier – like this smarter, easier local news.
  • Become a member. Consider buying into a smarter Sioux Falls by becoming a member and offering financial support to the no B.S. journalism you've been reading here.
  • Give a one-time gift. Not ready to commit to a membership? That's OK! If you want to help in a smaller way, you can give a one-time gift here.
  • Advertise with us. Tell the "simplified" story of your business to your target audience. Want more info? Reach out to megan@sfsimplified.com.

Thank you

Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including SafeSplash Swim School, Dakota State University, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center, Startup Sioux Falls, Redmond Prime Cuts, Encompass Mental Health, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, The Premiere Playhouse, The Good Night Theatre Collective and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.

Oh, by the way

Your feedback is extremely helpful – hit the reply button and send any news tips, typos, complaints, compliments or cups of coffee my way. ❤️