Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
Weather check: Another roller-coaster weather week
This week, we've finally got a full picture of who's running for city offices (including a couple last-minute additions that surprised even me!) You'll also get a peek at this year's SculptureWalk pieces and the TL;DR on Mayor Paul TenHaken's final State of the City address.
And now, news:
CITY
Here's the final list of who's running for mayor, city council
Simplified: Tuesday marked the deadline for candidates to submit signatures to get on the June 2 ballot in this year's municipal election. At the end of the day, Sioux Falls residents will have quite a few options for the next four years of city leadership.
Why it matters
- The next election will determine who leads the city through the next four (and potentially eight) years. That'll include decision-making on things like continued growth, public safety, and the future of downtown as Smithfield Foods moves to the northwest side of town.
- Sioux Falls is also a much different city now than it was the last time the community elected a new mayor. Paul TenHaken took office in a city of about 190,000 people, and the next mayor is stepping at the helm of a nearly 225,000-person city. That's a difference of about the population of Aberdeen.
- In addition, the city historically has seen low voter turnout in municipal elections – meaning as few as 1 in 4 registered voters determining the mayor, per turnout results in the last mayoral election. The numbers are even lower for standalone city council races – with a turnout below 8% in 2024.
So, who's on the ballot?
COMMUNITY
Get a look at the 2026 SculptureWalk pieces
Simplified: The Sioux Falls City Council this week got a first look at the pieces selected to be featured in the annual SculptureWalk. Here's a glimpse at some of the 80 sculptures that will spend the year downtown and around the community.
Why it matters
- The SculptureWalk is one of the largest annual exhibits of public sculpture in the world, as Arts Coordinator Maren Engel told councilors on Tuesday afternoon.
- This year's pieces come from 54 different artists, including 11 from South Dakota and others from numerous states across the U.S. and as far as Canada. Each year, one sculpture is selected as "Best in Show" and purchased by the city.
- SculptureWalk is also expanding some programming this year – thanks, in part, to support via the city's Community Partners Program. There'll be opportunities to find information on tours, request tours and even take virtual tours on the website.
"There's lots of wonderful little stories that are really fun to tell when you're walking around and experience them in-person," said Jana Anderson, lead curator of both the Washington Pavilion's Visual Arts Center and SculptureWalk.
Show me the art
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
Cat people, this event is purrfect for you
This is a paid piece from the Sioux Empire TNR Coalition.
Simplified: A new event is bringing CatCon vibes to Sioux Falls while also sharing information about adoptions, trap-neuter-return programs and other animal-friendly resources in our community. Here's what you need to know about the upcoming Sioux Purr Cats event on April 11 at the Sioux Falls Arena.
Why it matters
- Sioux Purr Cats is an event put on by the Sioux Empire TNR Coalition. TNR is short for "trap-neuter-return," which is one of the most humane ways to control the feral cat population. The coalition formed in 2022 and has since neutered hundreds of cats in the community and helped at least another 500 cats get adopted.
- The Sioux Purr Cats event will give folks a chance to meet adoptable cats, learn about rescues and volunteers in the community, support local vendors and even enter for a chance to win a Litter-Robot self-cleaning litter box.
- Coalition board Vice President Mychelle Garrigan said she hopes the event can help educate the community and, ultimately, garner more support for the important work the TNR Coalition is doing to address cat overpopulation in the city.
"About 75 to 80% of kittens born outside die," Garrigan said. "It's not just a matter of reducing the numbers. It's reducing suffering."
Tell me more about the event
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- The mayor's Eras Tour. Mayor Paul TenHaken gave his eighth and final State of the City address Monday afternoon – recapping the highs and lows of the last eight years under his leadership, how the city has changed, major weather events, surviving the pandemic, growing, adding new parks and seeing more than $79 million in private donations to support various city projects.
- His recap also featured several of his own iPhone photos from his tenure – and an incredible mustachioed headshot from soon-to-retire Planning Director Jeff Eckhoff.
- The community turned out to send the mayor off in style in a packed-full ballroom at the Canopy hotel downtown. Attendees included Gov. Larry Rhoden, Attorney General Marty Jackley, representatives from the South Dakota Congressional delegation and a number of public officials from state, county and city government. You can find the full video here.
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- More than $120,000 for local nonprofits. The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation supported 11 local nonprofits with its latest round of Community Fund grants. Those include: Center of Hope, LifeScape, Midwest Street Medicine, Minnehaha County’s Human Services Department, The Premiere Playhouse, Scouting America – Sioux Council, SculptureWalk, Sioux Falls Noon Sertoma Club, Sioux Falls School District Community Learning Centers, Solace and the Sioux Falls Family YMCA. Learn more about the grants here.
*Denotes a paid partnership
EVENTS
Stuff to do: March 25-31
- Swap kids clothes. Little Layers, a curated, donation-forward children's clothing exchange, is hosting an event Sunday morning at Wynn + Wonder in Tea. Participants can bring clean, gently used clothes and earn shop credits to swap for other clothes that folks have dropped off. Find more details here.
- Do some shopping for you. It's the spring edition of the Sioux Empire Closet Sale on Saturday at the Canopy hotel in the Steel District. Shop thousands of items with prices starting at $1. Details here.
- Learn about wine. Get all the insider tips from the experts at Gist Wine Shop's "Wine01 Know-How" event on Sunday afternoon. Owner and sommelier Mel Guse will teach you how to order with confidence, serve like a pro, and talk wine the way sommeliers do. Details and tickets here.
- Get on your boots. Orion Pub is goin' country for the inaugural Rootin' Tootin' Best Boot Bash boot contest and country music night – including a number of drink specials and chances to show off your boots. Details here.
- Break out the PJs. Several businesses at Nordic Hall are banding together to collect donations for The Foster Network. Donate pajamas at their Pancakes and PJs event Saturday, and you'll be entered to win prizes. Plus, businesses like Midnight Spark, reCreate by Zenith will donate a portion of proceeds back to the nonprofit. Details here.
- Last call for Mash Madness. Downtown Sioux Falls' Mash Madness event wraps up next week with a variety of drinks including beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. Here's a look at the lineup.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Council approves $90M financing plan for Smithfield
The City Council on Tuesday night voted to approve a nearly $90 million tax-increment financing plan to offset the costs of construction for a new Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in northwest Sioux Falls.
Megan Raposa
How artists are banding together to ‘Stand Up Against ICE’
Audacious Hearts, a new community-focused art group, will host its first show later this month as a way to raise money for South Dakota Voices for Peace and support neighbors in knowing and protecting their rights when confronted by federal immigration enforcement officers.
Megan Raposa
How dedicated housing vouchers are helping the homeless
Last spring, Sioux Falls Housing decided to set aside a portion of Section 8 housing vouchers to help chronically homeless people not only find housing, but keep it. Here’s what you need to know.
Megan Raposa
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Thank you
Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including SafeSplash Swim School, Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center, Startup Sioux Falls, 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.
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