About a dozen property owners were at the Dell Rapids City Commission meeting room Monday night for an informational/input meeting regarding the 7th Street Project. Those property owners had received information about the project and estimated costs for each individual home owner. At the meeting, the general consensus was ‘it was too costly’ for the homeowners and the majority of those involved with the ‘future project’ do not want sidewalks. Three commissioners were on hand plus 2 representatives of the DGR engineering firm that had preliminary estimates and City Administrator Justin Weiland. The next step for this project will be to relay the information supplied by the home owners, their reactions and feelings, to the full council at a future meeting while the city is determining the budgets for next year. No decision or action was taken as this was not an official meeting of the council, but as Weiland told the audience this is a project that will be undertaken at some time in the future.
DQ Days Wraps Up with iPad Give-Away
The Dairy Queen in Dell Rapids wrapped up it’s DQ Days celebration Sunday evening with 10-cent ice cream all day and door prize give-aways. Numerous people were winners of various items ranging from t-shirts, beach towels, coolers and lawn chairs. The big drawing was for a brand new iPad, which was won by Mallory Mergen. The parking lot was full of people waiting to hear the name drawn out for the new iPad, while children filled the inflatables. Kids could still be heard jumping on the inflatables right up to closing time.
Special Council Meeting Monday
On Monday, July 30th, a special meeting at the Dell Rapids City Hall will take place at 7:00 p.m. Justin Weiland, City Administrator, says there will be a “proposed 7th Street project meeting with property owners”. City commissioners were told that it will be an informal meeting, but legal publication of the meeting would occur just in case enough commissioners showed up to represent a quorum. This Monday meeting will be an opportunity for property owners to gather input and give ideas or suggestions to this project.
Relay for Life, July 27-28
July 27-28, 2012 will mark the 11th annual Dell Rapids RELAY FOR LIFE, which will be held at the Dells City Park.
What is the Relay for Life? Sponsored by the American Cancer Society and local communities, the Relay is a fun-filled, overnight event which celebrates survivors, remembers those who’ve lost the battle, and raises funds for our local American Cancer Society. The concept of the Relay began in 1985 in Tacoma, Washington by Dr. Gordy Klatt who was inspired to raise funds for his local American Cancer Society and to show support for his patients who had battled cancer.
The local Dell Rapids Planning Committee consists of Alice Majeres, Elaine Hoftiezer, Aggie Randall, Jamie Randall, Jean Rave, Barb Zorr, Stacy Tisher, Erica Fersdahl, LuAnn Heidebrink, and Lindsey Holmquest (ACS Rep). These women spend countless hours making sure that everything is organized and executed for the day of the event, from recruiting and motivating teams and sponsors, to procuring the evening’s entertainment and setting up the event day track.
With the sound system monitored by Joel Clark, Deb Henriksen will again be the Master of Ceremonies along with several spectacular local entertainers. The event kicks off with Survivor Registration starting at 5:15pm, and at 6:00pm the Survivors walk a lap together to remember and celebrate the victories over cancer which have been achieved. At the most recent count, there are over 80 local cancer survivors. And, for the first time this year, the loving and dedicated caregivers will be recognized and thanked!
Not only will attendees be able to listen to the evening’s entertainers (please see schedule below), but the Boy Scouts will have a Whopper Feed beginning at 5:00pm, Dilly Bars will be for sale, and you can play BUNCO at 8pm or Plinko throughout the evening. There will also be a Fish Pond set up for the kids or the young at heart!
But the focal point of the evening will be the lighting of the Luminaria bags when it gets dark. The many decorated Luminaria bags will line the City Park pathways to light the way for those walking through the night. Last year, over 1,000 bags were lit in memory of a loved one, in honor of a survivor, or in hope for those currently fighting the battle.
The hope this year is to surpass the $24,000 raised in 2011. How can you help? Purchase a $5 Luminaria bag to decorate the pathway or just make a donation. Call either Elaine Hoftiezer (428-3679) or LuAnn Heidebrink (428-5392) for more information.
Entertainment Lineup for Friday, July 27:
5:30pm Whopper Feed by the Boy Scouts
5:30pm Concessions by Cancer Crusaders until 10pm
5:30pm Survivor Registration
6:00pm Nat’l Anthem by DRHS Quartet: Jordan Stone, Nikki Rice, Ben Hinricher, Jackson Gleason
6:05pm Survivor Walk
6:30pm Stacy Horst
7:00pm Bette Huss
7:25pm Tami & Libby Clark
7:45pm Heidi Moen
8:00pm Bunco
8:15pm Cindy Sherrill & 5 Count Rest Band
9:00pm Samantha Mathis
9:30pm Jacob Shoup
10:00pm Julie Eddy
10:30pm Danielle Schuch
Saturday, July 28:
12:00am Zumba with Julie Eddy
6:00am – Closing Worship with Pastor Andy Wright, River Community Church, officiating
DQ Days!
The Dairy Queen in Dell Rapids will be holding their annual DQ Days July 27, 28 and 29. Dairy Queen owner Charlie Pleskac has plenty of events planned for the 3-day celebration. They will have inflatables, outdoor music, Coke products, and door prizes, with one of the door prizes to be given away being a new iPad. On Sunday ice cream will be 10 cents all day long. Why 10 cents? Well, back in 1938 two men (father and son) were experimenting with a new recipe for a soft-frozen dairy product. They were manufacturers of hard ice cream at the time in Illinois. They knew that Ice Cream frozen at -10 degrees did not taste as good because it froze the tastebuds. They concocted a recipe for a soft-frozen product and partnered with one of their customers, Sherb Noble to try the new product in his ice cream shop in Kankakee, Illinois. On August 4th 1938 they held an all you can eat sale on the new soft-frozen product for 10cents. In two hours, they served 1200 people. And as they say, ‘the rest is history.’
Below is a schedule of events for 2012 DQ Days:
Friday 7/27
- Inflatables: including waterside
- Outdoor Music
- Doorprizes
- Outdoor Movie at dusk
Saturday 7/28
- Inflatables
- Outdoor Music
- Doorprizes
- Free Coke Products All Day!!!
Sunday 7/29
- Inflatables: including waterside
- Doorprizes
- Outdoor Music
- 10 cent ICE CREAM ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!!
- FREE iPad 3 TO ONE LUCKY PERSON!!!! *Must be present to win iPad3, drawing will be held at 7pm. Register anytime fri-sun.
Thursday is Miracle Treat Day
Thursday, July 26th, is Dairy Queen Miracle Treat Day. Proceeds of $1 or more from every blizzard sold at participating DQ stores will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Stop by the Dell Rapids Dairy Qureen and see Charlie and the gang for a blizzard or blizzard coupon.
Dell Rapids Replacing Water Meters
Dell Rapids will be replacing all existing water meters currently in homes and businesses within the city according to City Administrator, Justin Weiland. The city council had approved a plan to upgrade and replace meters as many had surpassed their life expectancy and new technology allows for the reading of meters through radio transmission. Dakota Supply Group, who will supply the meters for the project, has contracted with Midwest Testing LLC to complete the installation of the new meters. They will need to gain access to each property and location where your meter is located to remove the old meter and install the new one. All repairs to valves will be the responsibility of the property owner. Installation is expected to begin next Monday, July 30th between 9:00 am and 8:00pm. Completion should be done by mid-August. Midwest Testing employees will have name badges, a marked vehicle, and it should take approximately 20 minutes to complete the job. Any residents or businesses with questions should contact city hall.
Dell Rapids Featured in New Book
Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series will be releasing a new book Dell Rapids by local authors Teri Fiegen and Luke Tatge. This 128-page book is a pictorial history of Dell Rapids that has more than 200 images. Big Sioux Media had the opportuntiy to preview this book, and it’s a wonderful book that depicts Dell Rapid’s history as a town. This book is interesting for both new and long-time residents alike. The authors were assisted by the Dell Rapids Society for Historic Preservation, as well as by many other supportive individuals, organizations and groups. Images of America Dell Rapids will be available for purchase starting Monday, August 6th.
Dell Rapids, $21.99, Arcadia Publishing. Available at local retailers, online bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.
Dell Rapids School Board Meeting
The Dell Rapids Board of Education will have their regular meeting Monday night (July 23rd) beginning at 7:00 p.m. There’s not a lot of items on the agenda so the meeting itself won’t take long before the board goes into executive session.
Water Restriction Not Needed Yet
As the scorching hot weather continues in July, Dell Rapids has some things to be thankful for such as water. Big Sioux Media spoke with City Administrator Justin Weiland about the extreme dry conditions that our region is experiencing, and he told us that the city buys its water from MCWC has not been notified of any shortage. The city does have an ordinance regarding water usage or watering restrictions that was passed by the city council of 2000 (which is listed below). If the heat continues, with no rain to help matters, and a ban of any kind should be needed, Weiland said that the first step will be to inform residents of “a common sense” approach. Dell Rapids residents would be made aware of the situation and to take the necessary steps without city government enacting any type of policy or regulation.