Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
First things first: This issue is brought to you by The Sioux Falls Mom Connection.
- The Sioux Falls Mom Connection is hosting the inaugural Mother + Son Superhero Party on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Scavigo Events. Break out your capes and gather for a fun-filled event with activities, treats and special surprise guests. Grab your tickets for one of two available time slots here.
Weather check: Some rain on the horizon
Last call
Our annual 'A Little Help' give-back campaign ends today. The goal is to help local nonprofit Bread Break raise $5,000 to support their mission to prevent food waste while feeding the hungry. Learn more about Bread Break here, and consider tossing a few bucks their way if you're able.
This week, stories come from a lot of good ol' fashioned community gathering, and I love to see it. You'll also find a whole bunch of important Super Simplified Stories and a whole bunch of events.
And now, news:
COMMUNITY
This haunted house shows what happens when you don't vote
Simplified: A grassroots get-out-the-vote effort is taking a unique approach at encouraging civic engagement with a haunted house in a 130-year-old barn northwest of Sioux Falls. Here's what you need to know about "The Town That Went Silent" event happening Saturday, Oct. 16 (just three days before the voter registration deadline).
Why it matters
- Only about 1 in 4 registered voters turned out to cast a ballot in the mayoral election this June, which means the vast majority of people who live here choose to have no say in who governs the city.
- That doesn't quite sit right with community organizers like Jordan Deffenbaugh, who said the haunted house idea was born from a casual conversation about civic engagement at Full Circle Book Co-op where sixth-generation South Dakotan Liz Renner suggested her family's homestead dairy farm in Crooks as a venue for the spooky scene.
- "The Town That Went Silent" isn't just about encouraging people to vote, Deffenbaugh said. It's about the "horrors" that arise when people stop showing up for their community entirely.
"We want to get people thinking beyond just voting," Deffenbaugh said. "This is an every day kind of thing. This isn't a once-every-two-years kind of thing."
Tell me more
COMMUNITY
Smoe's back for s'more: Revived historic bar opens downtown
Simplified: There's 65 years of community in the walls of Smoe's Bar, and when the bar opened Tuesday night for the first time since 2011, that vibe picked right back up, said co-owner Pat Nelson, sitting in one of the olive-green booths lining the wall of the newly renovated space on Eighth Street.
Why it matters
- Smoe's originally opened in that exact location – 921 E. 8th St. – in 1942. For context, at that time the city had just over 40,000 people, and the interstates were still about two decades from being completed.
- For Nelson, the vision was to create a casual, approachable, "regular-ass place," and when the location became available, he knew there was no way he could open a bar there and not call it, "Smoe's."
- It's not about trying to be an exact replica of the Smoe's of yore, Nelson added, but there is a vibe of camaraderie and community that felt apparent on day one.
"There's something in these walls," Nelson said, noting the building's 65-year history as Smoe's. "People just seem really happy that it's back."
Tell me more
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
Calling all disrupters: Share your ideas in this one-of-a-kind event
This is a paid piece from Disrupt HR - Sioux Falls.
Simplified: Do you have an idea on how to make work better, more efficient, more engaging, more productive, more fun? Are you someone who likes to challenge the status quo? It's time to share your thoughts with a broader audience. Disrupt HR - Sioux Falls is now accepting applications for speakers to share their unconventional ideas in a fast-paced, high-energy professional event this spring.
Why it matters
- Disrupt HR was founded in 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as an event to exchange ideas among human resources professionals. It's since expanded to hundreds of cities globally – including Sioux Falls in 2018 – and the mission is to energize, inform and empower people when it comes to talent, culture or tech in the workplace.
- The format is unlike other conferences or professional events in that each speaker is given only five minutes to present on their topic. They're limited to 20 slides, which advance automatically, so they've got to keep up.
- Ultimately, it's about creating a platform for people to talk about difficult topics, challenge conventional wisdom and find innovative ways to make a difference, said Paul Rann, Disrupt HR board member and speaker co-chair for the event.
"People want to work in environments where they can make an impact – to be able to spark an idea that really challenges people," said Jackie Payne, Disrupt HR board member and speaker co-chair. "It makes a difference when people are given a platform to do that, and it also can drive innovation."
Tell me more about Disrupt HR - Sioux Falls
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Council seeks community input on data centers. Members of the Sioux Falls City Council's Regulatory Oversight Committee are meeting several times over the next couple months to put together regulations and ordinances related to data centers. And they want to hear from community members along the way.
- Meetings will be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 9, Nov. 30 and Jan. 4, with the goal to present final recommendations to the full council on Jan. 12.
- "We’re trying to make sure that people can understand where we came from and what exactly the guardrails are that we’re putting in place," Councilor James Oppenheimer said. "So this is really an exercise in transparent governance."
- There's also an opportunity to share feedback online on the city's website.
- It's also unclear if any of these new ordinances or changes would impact the proposed Gemini data center in northeast Sioux Falls. Merkouris said the council has asked the city for a legal opinion on that.
- Smithfield, take two. After having its initial conditional use permit overturned in court, Smithfield is going to re-apply, a Smithfield executive told The Dakota Scout this week. Find the full story here.
- Erickson names next parks director. Mayor Christine Erickson on Tuesday announced the appointment of Brett Kollars as the city's next parks director. Kollars currently serves as the assistant director for the parks and recreation department, and has been interim director since Don Kearney retired this spring. His appointment now goes before the City Council for final approval.
- Remembering Katherine Frank. Minnehaha County Sheriff's Deputy Katherine Frank, 26, died Monday after being shot in the line of duty on Friday night. The Sheriff's Office has established a memorial in her honor at the Law Enforcement Center on 4th and Minnesota, for those who wish to pay their respects. There's also a GoFundMe from the Minnehaha County Deputies Association that's raised more than $73,000 as of Tuesday night.
- Frank's friends and colleagues shared memories of her life with Sioux Falls Live and Dakota News Now, and The Dakota Scout provided some important context on just how rare these types of incidences are in our community.
EVENTS
Stuff to do: Oct. 14-20
- Watch the stars dance. Empire Mental Health Support is hosting the annual "Dancing with the Sioux Falls Stars" at The District on Saturday night. Six local celebs will team up with six seasoned pros for a night of fun, dancing and support for mental health in our community. Learn more and get your tickets here. (P.S. I hear the emcees are really cool this year)
- Check out some seeds. Stockyards Ag Experience is hosting "Abundance: A Seed Art Workshop" celebrating the intersection of Midwestern agriculture and fine arts. The series kicks off Thursday evening with a virtual crop art workshop. More details here.
- Get spooked at the zoo. The Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium is hosting the annual ZooBoo event all weekend long with events for the whole family at the Great Plains Zoo campus. See an hour-by-hour breakdown of all the excitement on the Facebook event page.
- Craft with a cupcake. Oh My Cupcakes is teaming up with The Wildflower Den for a "Cupcakes and Creations" event Saturday afternoon. You can come make your own beaded keychain and, of course, grab a sweet treat while you're at it. It's all happening at The Bridges from 1 to 4 p.m. Details here.
- Do yoga with puppies. MAT Fitness in Tea is hosting a puppy yoga class Saturday morning with some bulldog puppies from Gemstone Bulldogs. Details here.
- Trunk-or-treat. Western Mall is hosting a truck-or-treat event from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot near Scheels. Details here.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Michaela Ramm
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.
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. ❤️
Special thanks to The Sioux Falls Mom Connection!
Don't miss your chance for some SUPER mother-son bonding at the Superhero Party on Saturday, Nov. 14. Get tickets on the Sioux Falls Mom Connection website.
