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.