Jan 08 Thursday
Curious about the research happening a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility? Have a question about neutrinos, dark matter or extremophiles, but you’ve never known who to ask? This is your opportunity to ask a SURF scientist your questions about research happening deep underground!
Join us for "Ask a Scientist" to discover more about America's deepest underground science laboratory! This session features Gavin Cox, a research scientist at SURF, who is working on the LZ experiment—the world’s most sensitive dark matter detector.
Join us for the next Deep Talks as Mark Hanhardt, an experiment support scientist at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) and a Ph.D. candidate in physics at South Dakota Mines, dives into The Compact Accelerator System for Performing Astrophysical Research (CASPAR).
The fusion reactions that occur in different types of stars make up most of the matter we know in the universe today. But scientists don’t yet fully understand the processes various stars use to forge the elements we see all around us. Mark Hanhardt will discuss how CASPAR, located nearly a mile below the surface at SURF, helps researchers decipher this complex stellar recipe.
How to attend:Deep Talks will be held at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center (160 W. Main Street) in Lead, South Dakota. The event begins at 5 p.m. MT with a social hour, featuring beverages from Crow Peak Brewing Company (21+ only) and light refreshments. Speaker presentations will begin at 6 p.m. MT.
Deep Talks is made possible by Crow Peak Brewing Company, Edward Jones Financial Advisor – Chris Mitchell, RCS Construction, and Charles & Jolene Lichtenwalner.
Jan 09 Friday
Step into the magic of the season at our Nordic Yule Market, open October 11 – January 10 at the South Dakota Art Museum Shop! Inspired by traditional Nordic and German holiday markets, this festive shopping experience features:• Handcrafted gifts from Nordic and local artists (50 new vendors!)• Special events including live music, sip & shop, and family-friendly activities• A cozy reading corner• Meet & greets with your favorite characters• Free gift wrapping on select days Every purchase supports museum exhibitions and programming—thank you for making a difference with your holiday shopping! Mark your calendars for extra-special dates:• Nov. 20–22: Gifting for Good Holiday Sale (with area cultural institution stores!)• Dec. 4: Sip & Shop with Nordic band Project Constellation & free gift wrapping• December 13, 10 – 12: Meet Anna and Elsa at Community Art Day!• Open until 7 on Thursday's in November and December Follow us on social media for updates, sneak peeks, and event details! Event Dates/Times:Open October 11th – January 10th• Saturday’s 10 – 4• Sunday’s 12 – 4
• Monday – Friday’s 10 – 5
• Open until 7 on Thursdays in November and December
• Open until 8 on Friday, October 24th• December 18th 5 – 7, Santa Meet and Greet Closure dates:• October 13th
• November 11th
• November 27th
• November 28th
• December 25th
• December 26th
• January 1st
• January 4th
Jan 10 Saturday
Jan 13 Tuesday
The Vermillion Public Library is partnering with the University of South Dakota (USD) Libraries to host a special session dedicated to preserving and digitizing history. On Tuesday, January 13th, at the Vermillion Public Library’s Kozak Room, the public is invited to learn how to become a volunteer digital archivist in a session titled, "Transcribing History With 'FromThePage' Digital Archives."
The free event will teach attendees how to use FromThePage, a leading crowdsourcing platform utilized by archives and libraries to transcribe, index, and describe historic documents. By participating, community members will join a growing network of detail-oriented volunteers helping to make USD Libraries’ valuable archival collections accessible to researchers worldwide.
The session will be facilitated by Anne Hinseth, Library Technology Librarian at the University Libraries, University of South Dakota.
A light lunch will be provided for all attendees.
What: Transcribing History With “FromThePage” Digital Archives
Who: Facilitated by Anne Hinseth, USD Library Technology Librarian
When: Tuesday, January 13th, 12:00 PM
Where: Vermillion Public Library, Kozak Room
Cost: Free (Light lunch provided)
The community is encouraged to attend and help bring the region's history to life.
Jan 15 Thursday
Stay updated on the latest legislature impacting businesses through this online preview. The South Dakota Legislature is set to hold the Governor's Budget Address on December 2nd and begins their two month legislative session on January 13th, 2026. Interested in knowing what’s on the table that could impact your business or organization? SD CEO East and SD CEO West welcomes back Julie Johnson, who will go through what small businesses and workplaces need to know for the upcoming legislative session.
Jan 16 Friday
Our January 16th program, presented by Tim Velder, will be “Neva Esmay: A prairie girl who reached new heights.”. Neva was born in Draper, SD, in 1918 and attended rural schools in the prairies north of the Black Hills before finishing high school at Newell. She got a teaching certificate at Spearfish Normal School, but later became a licensed pilot for Clyde Ice at the Spearfish airport in the WWII years. She married Cliff Pluimer and later served as Butte County Superintendent of Schools in the early 1950s, and worked at the Butte County courthouse in various roles.
Our February History at High Noon will be Friday, February 20th, but we don’t know for sure what the program will be. Watch for details as we finalize it. History at High Noon is a program on the third Friday of the month (October and November, January through May). We meet at noon in the Community Room of the Sturgis Public Library.
We are always looking for ideas. If you would like to tell your family’s history or have something history-based, please contact Richard Moeller ([email protected], 605-939-3789), Ross Lamphere ([email protected], 605-490-3110), or Diana Hayes (605-347-3007). History at High Noon is co-sponsored by the Sturgis & Meade County Historical Society.
Jan 18 Sunday
The day includes short videos about the properties of ice and the unique way in which water freezes, as well as information when the next Ice Age may occur.
Families will also do an experiment to create frost on a can.
There will be a drawing for the book, “Explore the Ice Ages!” and everyone will receive a free take-home workbook of information about the science of ice and the Ice Ages.
Refreshments will be served.
Jan 20 Tuesday
A memory café is a social opportunity for caregivers along with their loved ones with memory loss to come together to enjoy camaraderie with others in a similar situation, without the common pressures of daily life with dementia.
Please join us for a fun and engaging program with occasional entertainment. Resources and educational information available. No one needs to travel the dementia journey alone.
Jan 26 Monday
The public is invited to dinner and bingo hosted by the Sioux Falls American Legion Auxiliary Unit 15. The schedule is:5-6PM Social6-630PM Dinner. Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Veggie and Desert is $10. Reservations and payment for the meal is due the Thursday prior by calling 605 682 1222. No reservation is needed for bingo6:30PM Bingo begins. 12 cards for $5
