Friday night events included a ribbon cutting, a car show, model trains, a cornhole tournament, live music, food, and a glow paddle, encouraging folks to have fun in a multitude of ways.
Jesse James Days kick-off events
FFA Fishing Derby 2023
Jesse James Road Race 2023
Recognition awards for the Jesse James Days Road Race! There were 45 participants, plus two in a stroller and a couple of cute little finishers with mom or dad, and absolutely perfect weather conditions for the race.
Congratulations to the following for their accomplishments:
1-mile placers: Talon Miller and Noah Schotzko sprinted in, each attempting to get first place and finished in a tie with a time of 9:20. Zach Hermanson wasn't far behind, finishing in 10:10, and is still the fastest, youngest 1-miler in Garretson!
5k placers: Evan DeBates did 3.10 miles in 20:52. Emma Tidemann and John Ditto came in at 24:40. Youngest 5k runner, with a time of 31:10, was 8-year-old Maddox Evans! Mitch Coburn, Terry Stoterau, and Tim Nelson all proved they've still got jet fuel in their blood, despite the grays in their hair!
10k placers: Josh Ryan came through the finish line at 48:58 on his 10k, In second place was Derrick Mead, who also traveled from Kansas to visit Garretson for the first time! Third place was Jennifer Evans, who ran the first leg with Maddox and still finished with a great time!
Most determined is split between Lauren Stoterau, who accomplished the 1-mile with two in a stroller; and Ciara Hoogendoorn and Madison Hage- for one of them, it was their first 10k ever, and they both finished despite one of them deciding in the middle of the run that she was never running again (that's a lie and we know it)!
Youngest overall participant was 7-year-old Olivia Hartfiel, who finished the 1-mile in 14:15. She's got a chance of taking the mantle from Zach if she keeps this up!
Letter to the Editor: One last hurrah
To the Editor: Due to conflicting schedules this spring, we were unable to get together for my annual senior girls’ volleyball and basketball appreciation supper. I was going to leave it at that; no supper, no write up. But after looking over my notes (what I would have said to them had we gotten together), I feel their accomplishments are worth being mentioned.
At the close of the evening, I always propose a toast. It would have gone something like this:
To the only graduating seniors that have a resume of a trip to a State Volleyball Tournament with a second place finish as well as a conference and regional championship along the way, and a basketball conference championship. And for good measure, the first ever team to crack into the SoDak16 since its conception. So, I think they deserve one last hurrah!
I am very proud of the fact that I transported these girls beginning in their 7th grade year, all the way through their Senior year. That adds up to approximately 80 trips. They were always gracious and respectful.
For personal reasons, I am stepping aside as the designated driver for girls’ volleyball and basketball. I will drive occasionally just to stay in the loop.
I want to encourage the players to continue its winning ways in the two sports.
For me, it was a fun ride. No pun intended!
- Tom Godbey
County Historical Society enjoys Splitrock Park
by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
Last Thursday, the Minnehaha County Historical Society hosted an "Ice Cream Social" in Garretson's Split Rock Park. The social is held annually, and this was the first time they were in Garretson.
"This is a really historical area up here," said Rick Lingberg, President of the Minnehaha County Historical Society, as he introduced everyone to the gathering of approximately 50 people. Pie and ice cream were provided by the hosts, Ken and Jean Barber, extraordinarily giving folks who plied the few child attendees with extra servings of ice cream.
The featured speaker was Bruce Rekstad, who has been well-known in the community for the USS Jesse James Pontoon Tours, which have been going for over 30 years. Because of that, and because Rekstad has been teaching Native American Studies at Washington High School for quite some time, he was a good resource to present on the history of the area, which is steeped in Native American lore.
Rekstad began by introducing the audience to the native peoples who had occupied the Garretson and Sioux Falls area prior to the pioneers, the Dakota (the Lakota are found West River). He pointed out that the name, Sioux, actually means "snake people" or "little enemy," and is a derogatory name.
However, he said, it was the Dakota's word for "falling waters" that became the name of our county, Minnehaha. And the Dakota name for Split Rock Creek was "Wak-pah-kianta-iah," (phonetic spelling) or "River Splitting Rock" on the old maps, according to Rekstad. (Some sources have "Eminija" as the original name, which means the same.)
Rekstad admitted that beyond the amount of information he gives out nearly daily during the summers on his pontoon tours, he was relying on the majority of his information for his speech from a book called, "The Split Rock Influence," by Jeanne Schulte Richardson.
The "Split Rock Influence" was published in 1996, and is out of print, but is a valuable resource on the history of the towns along the creek. Richardson pointed out that despite its unfamiliarity (it was neglected on maps for years), it was worthy of recognition.
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Jesse James Days Parade 2023
Jesse James Days 2023 was a wild ride this year and we took thousands of photos of the events. The parade, as usual, was a hit! We couldn't fit all of our favorite photos in the printed edition, and have posted more below.
Jesse James Days Parade
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City Council decides to step up code enforcement
by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
Last Monday, June 12, the Garretson City Council heard concerns from the new code enforcement officer on whether he was being too strict, or not strict enough.
Doug Winstead took on the mantle of Code Enforcement Officer earlier in the year, and questioned the council on how much he should be pursuing violations.
"I wasn't sure about how detailed I should be, whether I should report every stray cat to you," he said in opening. "Things got busy in April, May... the ratio has been about 50-50 on call-ins versus surveillance."
Then, he asked the council, "How aggressive do you want me to be as far as looking for violations?"
He pointed out the largest violations he had seen so far this summer were stray and loose animals and a tendency by some to ignore the length of their grass.
Councilor Bill Hoskins said he'd prefer to start with a public service announcement in the areas the city can promote such things, such as Facebook, utility bills, and the newspaper. Councilor Bruce Brown concurred, stating that combining the three would likely be the most effective.
"We could remind the citizens that grass is supposed to be 8 inches or less in height, not waist high," Hoskins said. He then suggested enforcement could be stronger after the PSA's went out.
Dreckman said that posting common ordinances on the City of Garretson Facebook Page was something she was hoping to do, but hadn't gotten around to it yet.
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Judge pauses Minnehaha County petition collection site rules
by Stu Whitney,
South Dakota News Watch
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction that prevents Minnehaha County from enforcing designated areas and check-ins for petition circulators as part of what opponents called an overly restrictive policy at the county’s administration building in central Sioux Falls.
The petition policy, recommended by County Auditor Leah Anderson and passed unanimously by the Minnehaha County Commission on May 2, came in response to what some county employees and customers characterized as increasingly aggressive behavior from circulators and counter-protestors as signatures are sought for a proposed ballot amendment to enshrine the right to abortion in the South Dakota Constitution.
The rules restricted petition circulation to two designated rectangular areas: one about 50 feet from the main entrance to the building in the parking lot off Minnesota Avenue, and the other southeast of the main entrance to the courthouse.
The policy mandated that circulators check in at Anderson’s office prior to conducting political activity “to permit the placement of safety markers and to verify space availability within the designated areas.”
Dakotans for Health, the organization behind the proposed abortion amendment, responded with a lawsuit in U.S. District Court and was granted a temporary restraining order May 11. The group claimed that the new policy “prohibits speech in 99.3% of the outdoor space that was available for First Amendment activity before the new policy was implemented.”
In his June 13 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Roberto Lange wrote that Dakotans for Health representatives “have shown a likely violation of their First Amendment rights, and the public interest is served by protecting these rights.” He added that his ruling restrains the county from enforcing any part of the policy that requires “check-in” with Anderson’s office or restricts petition circulators to “designated areas.”
The ruling does not prevent the county from enforcing its previous policy’s rules regarding the behavior of petition circulators, Lange wrote, noting that the county already had provisions in place requiring signature gatherers to conduct themselves in a “polite, courteous and professional manner” and not “obstruct individuals as they enter and exit the building.”
“The public … has an interest to enter and leave the county buildings without undue traffic flow problems that overly aggressive petition circulators or those protesting these petitions might create,” Lange wrote. “But enforcement of the prior policy should blunt such behavior by petition circulators.”
Judge Lange wrote that the county could “develop a different policy that passes constitutional muster if they wish.”
Another option would be to appeal the decision to the Eighth Circuit within the next 30 days. Anderson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from News Watch about the ruling.
The legal tussle over the county’s petition policy was viewed as crucial to the battle over South Dakota’s abortion ban and whether reproductive rights should be decided by voters in 2024.
“This is a very important decision,” Jim Leach, the Rapid City lawyer who represents Dakotans for Health, told News Watch. “It recognizes the people’s First Amendment right to circulate petitions and recognized that the government has severe restrictions on what it can do to try to impair those rights. While Dakotans for Health brought this case, it’s significant for everyone in South Dakota who might want to sign a petition or have the opportunity to vote on these issues.”
Dakotans for Health needs to collect a minimum of 35,017 signatures to place the abortion constitutional amendment on the ballot, and the goal is to submit 60,000 or more to ensure that ballot access isn’t foiled by invalidated signatures or other technicalities. The deadline to submit signatures is May 7, 2024.
Called the “gold standard” of petition circulation by groups soliciting signatures for ballot measures, the county administration building features a steady flow of foot traffic from the parking lot to its main entrance, where circulators are often stationed with clipboards and requests for support of their political cause.
Some of the petition circulators have clashed with volunteers from the anti-abortion Life Defense Fund, whose founders call the proposed amendment “a grave threat to life in our state.” The group aims to thwart petitioners through its “Decline to Sign” campaign.
Much of the debate focused on the yellow-striped rectangular box in the parking lot that was a designated area under the new policy. Dakotans for Health claimed it would force circulators to shout at potential signers to go out of their way and potentially walk through parking-lot traffic to engage in conversation.
“All we’re saying is that people should have an unimpeded right to decide whether to sign petitions and then to vote on issues that affect them,” said Leach.
If passed, the abortion measure would enshrine the right to abortion in the South Dakota Constitution and supersede a 2005 state trigger law that took effect when Roe vs. Wade was overturned and made it a Class 6 felony to perform an abortion except to save the life of the mother.
— This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at sdnewswatch.org.
County commissioners look at possible opt-out for future budgets
By Dave Baumeister
County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – While there wasn’t much time spent on other business at this week’s Minnehaha County Commission meeting, a good deal of time was spent on looking at the 2024 budget.
During the presentation, commissioners and Finance and Budget Officer Susan Beaman discussed the necessity of taking property tax opt-out money to balance next year’s finances.
Specifically, they talked about taking the remainder of the $6.5 million set aside in a 2019 opt-out. Some of that money has been used, but $2.1 million sill remains.
Looking just at 2024, it is figured another $1.5 million will be needed to balance the budget.
And with projections Beaman had through 2029, it seems that extra money will be needed each year.
Taking $1.5 million for 2024 will leave the county a bit short in 2025. While there will be another $600,000 available from previous opt-out money, it is estimated the county will still need to come up with another $1.2 million to bring that year into balance.
Much of this shortfall is coming from the ending of availability of ARPA and SDCARES money left over from Covid funds.
But the discussion was just that, a discussion, as no action could be taken, since Commissioner Gerald Beninga was not present.
However, the commissioners did need to indicate some sort of direction for Beaman to take.
And at the heart of that discussion was talk about whether or not to take a new opt-out, even though plans for that won’t be firmed up until their July 11 budget meeting.
Commissioners knew they wouldn’t need a new opt-out for next year, but, likely, they will for 2025, and to be proactive they discussed the possibility of opting out of the state’s property tax freeze now, rather than wait until the last minutes.
They could opt-out, but not take the money for another year, keeping the increase from affecting people’s tax bill in 2024.
That way, also, if the opt-out is not approved, it will give them a much greater window to make the budget work before it is needed.
The overall opt-out for six years is estimated to be around $9 to 10 million.
The main reason for doing this is so money could be spread out with lower amounts, and people could plan for it, as opposed to taking one large lump sum later.
More talk will be had on this on Tuesday, July 11, but commissioners did say they were still looking at ways to cut back.
The problem, as they have said before, is that the state leaves them very few ways to raise revenues.
During comments on the matter, former Minnehaha County Commissioner Bob Kolbe pointed out that county commissions are the only governing body in Sioux Falls that needs to come up with its own budget.
While he didn’t mention the Sioux Falls School Board, he did say, “At the state level, the budget is prepared by others and given to legislators to approve.
“In Sioux Falls, the mayor’s ‘minions’ just make a budget and present it to councilors.”
The next meeting will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27, on the third floor of the Minnehaha County Administration Building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
Garretson 14U has trouble overcoming Chargers
by Carrie Moritz and staff reports
I-29 League 14U Garretson fell behind early and couldn't come back in a 2-7 loss to the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers White team last Friday at Tandberg Field in Garretson.
Garretson started off strong, keeping the Chargers from scoring in the first inning. Unfortunately, the Chargers returned the favor, striking one batter out and tagging the other two in three plays.
The Chargers began cracking the bat in the top of the second, sending two over home plate before the home team cracked down, tagging three players out while they chased the bases.
Garretson looked for a comeback in the fifth inning, after having trouble getting their balls past the opposing team. At that point, the score was 0-6, but Garretson sent two over home plate as they crowded the bases at the bottom of the fifth. Isaac Stoterau successfully stole home, and Ty VanHolland scored when Connor Smith singled on a fly ball to the pitcher. Though the bases were now loaded, Caiden Maack's grounder was picked up by the shortstop and tagged the third out.
The Chargers finished the game with one more point in the 7th inning while the Garretson team struck out, ending the game 2-7.
Dylan Knecht got the start for the Chargers. The ace allowed three hits and two runs over seven innings, striking out eight.
Collin Olson pitched the game for Garretson. The bulldog allowed 13 hits and seven runs over seven innings, striking out seven and walking zero.
Isaiah Coburn, Vanholland, and Smith each collected one hit to lead Garretson.
The Chargers racked up 13 hits in the game. Dylan Knecht went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Chargers in hits.
The team next played at West Central on Tuesday (results not available at press time), and against Flandreau on Wednesday. They'll be at home tomorrow (Friday) taking on Dell Rapids at 6:30 p.m.
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