City launches program to ‘figure out how we co-exist with COVID-19 over the winter’
Sept. 24, 2020
A new program championed by the city of Sioux Falls called Sioux Falls Alive aims to give people safe programs and events during the fall and winter months.
“We have to figure out how we co-exist with COVID-19 over the winter,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said.
“We have to continue to look at ways to give our community, give our families, give people in Sioux Falls ways to stay engaged in the community, ways to stay involved in activities to do but doing so in a very safe and socially distant fashion … believe it or not those things can co-exist.”
Sioux Falls is “going to demonstrate how that can be done,” he added.
The Sioux Falls Alive program was put together in partnership with Experience Sioux Falls, the Washington Pavilion and ASM Global, which manages the Denny Sanford Premier Center complex. Those facilities have put together initial events, and the hope is other organizations will add more.
On Oct. 10, for instance, the Sioux Falls Canaries Birdcage will hold BeerFest at the Birdcage, where a standard ticket comes with 30 drink tickets that can be used at any vendor.
There’s also a drive-in concert coming in October and a Halloween-themed masquerade dance event.
The Washington Pavilion will host free family festivals on Saturdays.
“This really isn’t something we’ve ever done, but our team is very excited about it,” Pavilion CEO Darrin Smith said.
Here are the first themes:
- Oct. 17, 10 a.m.: Spooky Science. Spooky (not scary) programs and experiments to explore science and art with a Halloween theme.
- Oct. 24 11 a.m.: Autumn Festival. Pumpkin decorating, chalk drawing, leaf rubbings, science experiments and a visit from Radley Rex.
- Oct. 31, 11 a.m.: Halloween Festival. Mask decorating, a costume parade, vendor booths and seasonal snacks.
All Saturday events will include vendor booths and fair food, Smith said.
After Thanksgiving, themes will include a festival of lights, a snowflake festival, festival of cultures and Santa Claus, and New Year’s.
“We really think it’s going to be a big hit with families,” Smith said.
Businesses are encouraged to debut their own events or build on existing ones that can be promoted under the Sioux Falls Alive umbrella, said Teri Schmidt, executive director of Experience Sioux Falls.
“We want businesses to think outside the box. This is a strategy that is above and beyond what you are normally doing,” she said.
“What can you do to make it bigger and make it a new event and draw people in and get people in Sioux Falls out.”
To be part of the Sioux Falls Alive program, events must take place in Sioux Falls, be open to the general public and be designed for both residents and visitors.
“We’re going to innovate, we’re going to be entrepreneurial, and we’re going to come up with new ways to keep that flame burning in our community,” TenHaken said.
