You win some and you lose some.

Since the founding of Friends of Rapid City Parks in 2005, this little organization with a big vision has proven the truth of the saying: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

Organized originally to stop erection of the Civic Center’s electronic sign in Memorial Park on Omaha Street, Friends has stopped development of state offices and an apartment complex in Braeburn Park (known as “the dog park,”), received concessions and changes in plans to expand Central High School into the park, joined the successful fight to change the way Rapid City governs the use of billboards, and engaged hundreds of citizens in the civic conversation about the green ribbon that runs through our city. We have not always been successful, especially in the fight to stop paving areas of the greenway for parking, but we are not discouraged from fighting another day.

Friends hasn’t just been about “stopping” or “opposing” actions related to parks. The organization has thrown its support and resources behind creation of new parks, the urban orchard project, the Fat Tire Festival, and has fielded volunteers for park clean up days. We have co-sponsored six annual city candidate forums, as well as public events on the history of conservation and to increase awareness of the history of the 1972 flood and its role in reshaping Rapid City’s future.

In the coming year, leading up to the observance of the 40th anniversary of the flood, we hope you will join us in our work to ensure that Rapid City area parks are managed in a way that preserves this legacy for future generations.

Won’t you join us by filling in the membership information on the right side of this page?

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 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. A dedicated walker and occasional hiker and cyclist, Don is a particular fan of little-known Mary Hall Park and of the Braeburn dog park at the western edge of Rapid City. Don has been a board member and supporter of community organizations including United Way, Wellspring, Center for Restorative Justice, Rapid City Regional Hospital and Equality South Dakota.  A forensic economist, Don testified more than any other person on behalf of claimants to the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Even though she has lived in the Black Hills nearly all her life, Kerri Severson Stover can’t imagine being anywhere other than here. As children, she and her sister spent hours running, playing, ice skating, and swimming in Rapid City’s parks.  Her love for green spaces never left her, and Kerri still enjoys walking, splashing with her dogs in the creek, and even practicing yoga in the park.  After several years teaching high school English and leading a non-profit mentoring agency, Kerri is currently a high school guidance counselor. Occasionally she will teach a yoga class or two at the Yoga Studio in Rapid City, and logs miles on her road bike, particularly to raise pledges for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis.

Jim Olson can be seen riding his bicycle along the scenic by-ways of the Black Hills or up and down Sheridan Lake Road on the way to Wilson, Olson & Nash where his law practice focuses on Real Estate, Business Planning and Organization, Estate Planning and Probate, Land Use and Development Law, and Contracts. Jim worked as the City Attorney for the City of Rapid City after graduating from law school and passing the South Dakota Bar.  Jim enjoys singing with the Shrine of Democracy Barbershop Chorus and skiing with his grandsons. He also serves on the Rapid City Library Board and has served other community organizations including the Rapid City YMCA Board, Allied Arts Fund Drive Board, Black Hills Symphony Board, Rapid City Board of Education and the Rapid City Public School Foundation.

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.