Friends of Rapid City Parks is launching this site to keep you informed about what’s happening in our “ribbon of green.”

Whether news about city actions that affect the park, opportunities to volunteer, informative events, action alerts, or inspiring images from Rapid City’s greatest natural asset, you can find it all here.

• Journey Museum to observe flood anniversary June 9

  Friends of Rapid City parks devoted its annual Flood Memory Walk to a brainstorming session on how to contribute to citywide planning for the 50th anniversary next year.

  The Journey Museum will present a flood history program this week. Register here for either virtual or in-person attendance.

  Participants in the walk offered ideas and heard information on the City’s plans for organizing activities for the 50th observance, focusing on the legacies of the flood, beyond the tragedy. These included leadership and community solidarity, groundbreaking disaster response ideas that have become part of national best practices, and the green ribbon of park space along the floodway of Rapid Creek.

  Friends will continue seeking ideas for possible activities to commemorate the 1972 Black Hills Flood and the community benefits of the park system that grew in its wake.

  

• 10th Annual Flood Memory Walk SUNDAY, June 6

  10 a.m. at Memorial Park Bandshell

  

  

• Three ways to participate in the Ninth Annual 1972 Black Hills Flood Memory Walk

  In honor of the flood victims, and to educate those who are not aware that our legacy of parks was bought with a terrible price, Friends of Rapid City Parks holds an annual Memory Walk on the anniversary of the flood, June 9-10, 1972.

  This year’s event was to have taken place on Saturday, June 13, but like many local events, was canceled to avoid large gatherings during a pandemic. We hope you will take some time to learn about the history of the flood, its contribution to our park system, why preservation of the greenway along Rapid Creek is Friends’ top priority, and stop by the monument for a moment of remembrance of the 238 citizens who perished.

  The Black Hills Flood of 1972 was the third-deadliest in U.S. history. It was also one of the costliest, causing $165 million in damage. The flood forever changed the look of the city; Memorial Park, a greenbelt that cuts through the heart of town, now occupies what was once another thriving neighborhood. People lived along Rapid Creek—and people died. The park was conceived as a tribute to those who perished that night, and named for Leonard Swanson, who served as city engineer and public works director. After the devastation of the flood, Swanson made an emotional plea to the City Council not to allow rebuilding in the “suicidal flood plain.”   It’s a somber reminder of a night forever ingrained in the memories of long-time Rapid City residents…one that Friends of Rapid City Parks hope is never forgotten.

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• 1972 Flood Memory Walk

  Friends of Rapid City Parks’ annual Memory Walk to commemorate the city’s tragic 1972 flood will not take place this year because of city park measures to respond to COVID 19.

  The annual event to remember the 238 citizens who lost their lives and to celebrates the legacy of the park system that grew in its wake, will instead be observed virtually.

  The annual walk is made possible by Friends of Rapid City Parks members, and support from the Remembrance & Renewal Flood Anniversary Committee. The mission of Friends is to protect the land use policies that preserve the greenway, and remember those who lost their lives in the 1972 Black Hills Flood.

• EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TO SPEAK ON PREPAREDNESS AS FLOOD PREDICTIONS RISE WITH LOCAL CREEKS

  

  RAPID CITY ­— Jim Bussel, Rapid City Fire Department and Dustin Willet, Pennington County Emergency Management, will speak at Friends of Rapid City Parks’ annual Memory Walk at 10 a.m., Sunday, June 9, at the Memorial Park Bandshell. The event commemorates the city’s tragic 1972 flood and celebrates the park system that grew in its wake.

  Snow melt, heavy rains and local flash floods highlight the importance of remembering the conditions that gave rise to the disastrous flood nearly 50 years ago. Bussel and Willet will discuss the historic role of emergency responders in the 1972 flood, and how preparedness has changed since then.

  Following the talk, a loop through Memorial Park will include a stop for remembrance at the monument that records the names of the 238 flood victims.

  The annual walk is made possible by Friends of Rapid City Parks members, and support from the Remembrance & Renewal Flood Anniversary Committee. The mission of Friends is to protect the legacy of the city park system preserving the greenway, and remembering those who lost their lives in the 1972 Black Hills Flood.

  The first 50 participants in the walk will receive a commemorative t-shirt. All are invited to join Friends for a box lunch.

• We can pay tribute to our military and preserve the floodway: without endangering the community

  

  Get a graphic perspective on what happened at this site in 1972 by checking the height of the blue tape on the soccer field fencing.

  As we approach the anniversary of the 1972 Black Hills Flood, we wonder where things stand on the proposal to undo all the long awaited and fought-over storm water improvements in West Memorial Park and replace that open green space along surging Rapid Creek with surplus military equipment?

  The proposed park was tacked on to the end of the Vision Fund process in February, without any public dialog or debate. And there hasn’t been a peep about it since.

  In an op ed piece in the Rapid City Journal at the time , Friends of Rapid City Parks board president Chris Stover had this to say about the proposal to install large structures and equipment in the greenway.

  “Friends of Rapid City Parks respectfully opposes the plan, as proposed, for Mayor Allender’s Military Appreciation Park within Memorial Park. In 1972, homes and businesses lined Rapid Creek. When the flood waters came, no mercy was shown to those homes, businesses and people.

  “The greenway is not only the flood-zone for Rapid Creek; it, too, is a memorial to all who lost their lives that night in June. The aftermath of that disaster led to tough, solid leadership decisions by Mayor Barnett and others. The result? Parks and undeveloped open space that we enjoy today.”

  Read more here about the plans for West Memorial Park.

   

• Enjoy the colors of autumn

  

  Canyon Lake Park, by Amanda Wessels, Stevens High School

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Thanks to our sponsors!

  You can get one of these awesome t-shirts by showing up! Be one of the first 50 participants in the Annual Flood Memory Walk on Sunday, June 10, and get your shirt.

• Picture your pooch in the park

  

  Thanks to Linda at Healthy Paws for hooking up the Tanka. He is soooo fast!

  Want to win a $150 gift basket from Healthy Paws pet store? Well, post a photo of your pet in a Rapid City park, and you (or your fur child) could be a winner!

  Post a photo of your critter to Instagram or Friends’ Facebook Page using the hashtag #welovercparks or #petsinrcparks to be entered for a chance to win. Photos must be posted by 5 p.m. Saturday, June 9. The winning shot will be announced at this year’s Memory Walk, Sunday, June 10, at the Memorial Park bandshell.

• What’s happening at West Memorial Park?

  

       Friends have been getting a lot of questions about the earth-scaping along Omaha Street at the intersection with West Boulevard.

       During a big SD DOT project improving Omaha Street surface, sewer and storm water connections, the area has been used to stage equipment and materials.

       But the exciting work began in march: the West Memorial Park Improvements Project. Approved last year, the project is the final chapter in the long story of the Omaha Street Corridor Enhancement Project Master Plan, adopted in 2005, and carried out over a five-year period that saw beautification at Founders Park, Memorial Park, Roosevelt Park, and Pressler Junction. West Memorial was the last piece to be completed, but did not win funding in the competitive Vision 2012 proposal process.

       And languished until last year, when the city approved a multi-purpose project to finish the job.

       Not only will the project improve the view from one of the major entry points into the city, it will reconfigure two large drainage basins to manage storm water, debris, and silt that previously flowed into Rapid Creek during heavy rains. The project will contribute to storm water management and water quality. In addition, plans call for improvements to the bike path, landscaping and irrigation system in West Memorial Park. Read more here.

       Friends of Rapid City Parks has supported the completion of West Memorial Park, while standing against a proposal to turn it into a parking lot.
• 2017 Photo Contest Rules
  • PhotoContestRules 2017 (Download copy of rules)
    
  • Begins at the Annual Memory Walk, June 11, 2017, ends on September 8, 2017
  • Open to the public, limit one photo per participant.
  • Photos may be of any subject, color or black & white, as long as they are taken in the greenway along Rapid Creek, the Leonard Swanson Memorial Bike Path, or any of the following parks or recreation sites:
    Cliffside Park
    Braeburn Park
    Canyon Lake Park
    Meadowbrook Golf Course
    Jackson Park
    Storybook Island
    Sioux Park
    Chuck Lien Family Park
    Founders Park
    Memorial Park
    New York Street Park
    Pressler Junction
    Omaha Street Park
    Roosevelt Park
    Steele Avenue Park
  • Photos must be submitted by September 8, 2017.
  • The winner will be chosen by public polling through social media from September 8 through October 9, 2017.
  • A $250 prize will be awarded after the voting. Friends board of directors will resolve tie votes.
  • All photos must be submitted as .jpg files to friendsofrapidcityparks@gmail.com, with photographer’s name, where and when photo was taken.
  • Photos submitted will be used by Friends of Rapid City Parks on its website, publications, and social media with credit to the photographer.
• Picture the Rapid Creek Greenway

  

  2016’s grand prize award in our high school photo contest was made by Susanne Cambi, an exchange student from Italy attending Stevens High School.

  Friends of Rapid City Parks are looking for great pictures from our park system.

  A high school photo contest last year produced some beautiful images of Rapid Creek and local parks. This year we are calling all photographers. The photo contest, open to the public, begins in conjunction with the walk and ends Sept. 8. There will be a public poll through social media to determine the winner, and a $250 cash prize will be awarded in October. Limit one photo per participant. Send files to friendsofrapidcityparks@gmail.com. Entrants agree to have their photos shared on all our social media platforms and our website. Full contest rules can be downloaded here.

• Public Library and Journey Museum Observe 45th Flood Anniversary

  Rapid City—The Rapid City Public Library and The Journey Museum will feature June events that tell the story of the 1972 Black Hills Flood.

  Sunday, June 4, Alexa White of Pennington County Emergency Management will talk about flood response in 1972 and today. Don Barnett, who was mayor of Rapid City in 1972, will describe the city’s actions during and after the June storm and flood. More information is available from The Journey.

  The Rapid City Public Library maintains an extensive archive of flood documentation, photographs, and written and oral history. This year the Library will observe the 45th anniversary of the flood with a talk by Mayor Don Barnett on Wednesday, June 7, and an evening program June 8, featuring a historical tour of Barnett’s most memorable locations from the flood. On Friday, June 9, the library will present a short film compilation of oral history interviews that staff have conducted with survivors.

• Friends of Rapid City Parks Board Members

  Chris Stover, who joined the Friends of Rapid City Parks board in 2015, was elected president at a recent board meeting.  Chris is an assistant fire management officer for fuels with the Forest Service’s Mystic Ranger District. Chris has supported and participated in Friends events over the years and we welcome his leadership and enthusiasm!

  We were disappointed to lose board member David Miller, who resigned to take up the worthy fight to save Spearfish Canyon and other public lands. We thank him for his participation and wish him success in his commitment to public parks and conservation.

  You can read profiles of our current board here.

• Meet Our Board Members

  

  Steve McCarthy

  Steve McCarthy founded Friends of Rapid City Parks in 2004 to defend the greenway along Rapid Creek from development. He has led citizens in actions to stop proposed developments at Braeburn Park and other sites along Rapid Creek. He served on a citizens committee to revise floodplain development policy for Rapid City. A supporter of the arts, historic preservation and other civic organizations, Steve is on the board of the Red Cloud School, served on the Rapid City Regional Hospital board, is a member of the Scenic Rapid City Committee, and is active in preservation and restoration of historic buildings downtown. He is the owner of McCarthy Properties, Inc. of Rapid City, and started MAC Construction of Rapid City. He received his Bachelor of Arts from St. John’s University in New York, and a Master of Arts degree from City University in New York. He came to Red Cloud in 1968 as a Red Cloud Volunteer teacher.  In 1999 he was named a Bush Fellow and obtained his Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University.

  

  Don Frankenfeld

  Don Frankenfeld has lived most of his 63 years in Rapid City. The 1972 flood killed some of his friends and neighbors, and destroyed most of the homes along what had been his newspaper delivery route a decade before. Don is a founding board member of Friends of Rapid City Parks and an ardent advocate for preservation of the memorial greenway along Rapid Creek.

  

  Hillary Dobbs Davis

  Hillary Dobbs-Davis has served on the Friends of Rapid City Parks board since mid-2009. As a walker, bicyclist, disc golfer, kayaker, hiker and rock climber, Hillary is committed to maintaining Rapid City’s parks and expanding the resources devoted to them. To support her outdoor habit, Hillary works for Black Hills Corporation as a senior communications coordinator, handling various community and media outreach initiatives and administering the company’s charitable giving through the BHC Foundation.

  

  Aaron Costello

  Aaron Costello was born and raised in the Midwest and moved to Rapid City in 1997. He is a graduate of SDSMT and holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked as a research scientist at the School of Mines, in the R&D department for a mid-sized corporation, and as an engineering consultant.  In addition to establishing a public speaking career, he and his wife Rebekah currently operate their own health and wellness business.  Aaron served on the Rapid City Common Council from 2008-2011. An avid outdoorsman and adventurer, he is committed to maintaining and preserving the park system as an asset to enhance the quality of life in Rapid City. He joined the Friends board in fall 2012.

  

  Jennifer Eaton

  Jennifer Eaton was named to the Friends board in February 2013. A native of Minneapolis, she enjoys running, biking, and, in the winter cross country as well as downhill skiing. In 1997 she moved to Rapid City with her husband, Bruce. “It is because of the beauty of the parks, bike path, trails, and roads around Rapid City that I still enjoy my time outdoors.  As I grew up in an active, outdoorsy city, I have found it important to raise my family in an area that values green space.  It is a privilege to live here, and I am committed to doing what I can to preserve and protect the parks in Rapid City.” Jennifer has engaged more young people in the work of Friends.

  

  Chris Stover

  Chris Stover, an assistant fire management officer for fuels with the Forest Service’s Mystic Ranger District, is an avid outdoorsman, cyclist, hiker and dog walker. He is a frequent speaker at events to educate students and the public about the role of fire in the forest, as well as fire management policy and prevention. Chris has supported and participated in Friends events over the years and we welcome his voice on the board.

  Read More

• High school photographers picture our parks

  

  The grand prize award in our high school photo contest was made by Susanne Cambi, an exchange student from Italy attending Stevens High School.

  As a way to reach the next generation with our message of protecting Rapid City’s parks, our intern suggested we sponsor a photo contest with prizes.

  

  Memory Walk intern Isabel Anderson designed this year’s t-shirt.

  We did, and we share the results with you here. A weekly winner was chosen during May based on “Likes” on our Facebook page, and a grand prize winner was selected by a group of talented photographers who are also members of our board of directors.

  Susanne Cambi, 17, was an exchange student at Stevens High School and has this to say about her grand prize photo: “I’m an exchange student from Italy. I lived here for almost ten months and now the time came for me to leave. I got to experience the culture and to see the beauty of this place I now call home. Especially in the spring, I was so surprised by how amazing the nature can be, by the contrast between green and blue. I took a photography class at Stevens and I’ve always taken too many pictures. I took this one right after my last track meet of the year, I was standing on the track, happy and amazed by the spectacular view I had in front of me. It was a shot I could not miss.”

  

  Canyon Lake Park, by Amanda Wessels, Stevens High School

  

  Bridge to Old Storybook Island by Amanda Wessels, Stevens High School.

  

  Goose at Canyon Lake by Kelli Bonser, Rapid City High School

  

  Raindrops on Rapid Creek, by Isabel Anderson, Stevens High School.

  

  A park as civic space, political rally by Caitlyn Speier of Stevens High School.

  

  A view of the goal from a different perspective, by Susanne Cambi.

   

   

   

   

   

• Greenway Photo Contest invites pictures from high school students

  

  See. Point. Shoot. Win.

  On April 1, Friends is kicking off a photo contest to promote our annual Memory Walk, set this year for June 12.

  Open to high school students only, the contest will award prizes for photos that illustrate the natural beauty, recreational value, wildlife habitat, and just plain fun of parks, trails, bike paths and recreation facilities along Rapid Creek.

  For the month of April, two winners each week will be chosen through voting on social media (our Facebook page, with additional contacts via Instagram). Winners of the weekly contest will receive gift cards, water bottles, or a special Friends of Rapid City Parks Earth Day T-shirt. A panel of judges will choose a grand prize winner who will receive a $100 cash award.

  The contest goal is to increase awareness among young people of the benefits of Rapid City’s parks and their origins in the aftermath of the 1972 Black Hills Flood.

  Download contest details and rules.

  PhotoContestRules

   

• Friends add two new board members

  Friends of Rapid City Parks is pleased to welcome two new board members, Chris Stover and David Miller, who were recently named to fill vacancies left by the departure of Kerri Severson and Sandra McNeeley.

  We thank Kerri, who was on the original board for Friends, for her contributions and continuing volunteer service. Sandra helped steer Friends through development of a new strategic plan and other organizational efforts and we wish her every success in her ongoing support of Rapid City’s volunteer organizations.

  David has made both a career and avocation of understanding, teaching, and advocating for the conservation of renewable natural resources. He has been a history teacher at both high school and college levels, including Rapid City areas schools, Black Hills State University and Oglala Lakota College. He is an active member of the Norbeck Society and participated on the South Dakota Wild Grasslands Committee.

  Chris Stover, an assistant fire management officer for fuels with the Forest Service’s Mystic Ranger District, is an avid outdoorsman, cyclist, hiker and dog walker. He is a frequent speaker at events to educate students and the public about the role of fire in the forest, as well as fire management policy and prevention. Chris has supported and participated in Friends events over the years and we welcome his voice on the board.

  You can read more about our board here.

• Newest park demonstrates sustainability

  Trinity Eco Prayer Park sowed the seeds and plants for a better Rapid City and greener planet with a volunteer planting day on Wednesday, May 6 at downtown Rapid City’s newest green space. The event at the corner of 4th and St. Joseph Streets occurred exactly one year after the park’s groundbreaking ceremony.

  “Thanks to the generosity of community donors and Trinity Lutheran Church members in 12 months we have been able to transform a dismal vacant lot into a downtown oasis,” said Park Director Ken Steinken. “We are grateful to all who supported the vision for this park to become a reality.”

  Volunteers placed more than 300 plants provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Material Center in Bismarck, N.D. Background on the project and its origins with the Green Cities Task Force were reported in an earlier story on this blog.

  

  Trinity Eco Prayer Park

  Tate Lantz with the NRCS office in Rapid City arranged the acquisition of the plants from the regional facility. Lantz also helped compile the plant list for the park which features nearly 100 native western South Dakota species.

  “The USDA-NRCS is available for technical assistance for these types of projects,” said Lantz. “We are happy to work with the Plant Materials Center in Bismarck to put native plants in the park and raise awareness about the possibilities of using them in landscaping.”

  Black Hills Power donated $3,000 for the purchase of trees for the park.

  “Our partnership with the Trinity Eco Prayer Park committee along with the Black Hills Power ‘Energy-Saving Trees’  program offers us the opportunity to promote the cleaner air, energy savings and other valuable benefits you gain by planting the right tree in the right place,” said Black Hills Power vice president of operations Vance Crocker.

  Black Hills Power also assisted with the design of the park’s innovative solar hybrid power system. During the day when the park uses very little electricity, the solar panels on the park shelter supply power to the park. But when the panels generate more power than the park needs, the excess energy flows into Black Hills Power’s grid to be used by other consumers.

  “There’s much more to the Trinity Eco Prayer Park than meets the eye,” said park director Steinken. “It’s not just a pretty place. We have intentionally included many elements in the park design that reflect ways for us to take care of the planet we live on so it can continue to take care of us.

  “Solar power makes clean electricity. Native plants don’t need a lot of watering. And the park protects Rapid Creek by collecting and holding polluted stormwater runoff .”

  GROW 2015 is an effort to get the park’s new plantings established as well as raise $300,000. Ninety percent of the funds will pay off the nearly-completed Phase 1 park construction. The other 10 percent will provide Phase 2 seed money, which will allow the park to reach full bloom by putting finishing touches on construction and establishing a sustainability education outreach.

• Give the parks a little love before Valentine’s Day

  

  Site of Founders Park North

  The Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking public comment on proposed improvements to Founders Park North.

  Comments must be received by Friday, February 13.

  This area north of Rapid Creek, across from Founders Park, is slated for development to enhance a variety of uses, interpretation, connectivity to bike paths and trails, and improvements to vegetation.

  Friends of Rapid City Parks has provided comment in the past, and we urge members to weigh in on this important public space. It includes historically and culturally significant sites, and plays a crucial role in the ecosystem services provided by our greenway, as well as providing recreation for cyclists, hikers, walkers, anglers and rock climbers.

  You can see a presentation on the project, and download a questionnaire here.

   

  

  The dotted line encompasses the area proposed for development.