Golf, art, fundraisers, food and friendly competition bring community together
There was a little bit of everything happening around Wessington Springs during Foothills Days Aug. 7-8, as a collection of community events filled the weekend with golf, art, food, music, fundraisers and friendly competition.
The weekend got underway Friday morning with the X-Mayor’s Classic Golf Tournament at Springs Country Club. Jay Ball and Craig Kludt carded a 60 to claim the championship flight and lead a field of golfers competing across four flights.
By Friday afternoon, attention turned to Main Street as the inaugural SACOTA Community Art & Photography Showcase opened at The Art Loft. Artists and photographers of all ages filled the space with paintings, sketches, photography, sculpture and other works. A reception and open house Friday evening gave the community another opportunity to view the entries, with the exhibit continuing into Saturday. SACOTA thanks the community for such incredible support. The show boasted 104 entries and over 100 community members viewed the art and photos. SACOTA thanks the judges from Huron, who were impressed with the talent in our community: Craig Lee, Linda Marcus and Nita Sitterley.
Friday evening also brought one of the weekend’s longtime traditions as the Wessington Springs Volunteer Fire Department welcomed the community to the fire hall for its ninth annual Fun Fest. Burgers and brats were on the grill as supporters gathered for an evening of food and fellowship.
The evening continued with a showing of “Jurassic Park” during Movie in the Park, hosted by the Hasty family and Wessington Springs Area Chamber & Development with popcorn and drinks sponsored by BankWest.
Saturday morning brought activity throughout town. Rummage-sale shoppers were out early searching for treasures during the citywide rummage sales, while Rhaelyn hosted Sweets for a Cause on Main St. The morning bake sale raised more than $1,000 for the Old Grade Trail and City Park Improvement project.
Meanwhile, smoke was already rising near the tennis courts at Wessington Springs City Park, where cooks began preparing their entries for the annual Rockin’ Ribfest.
By afternoon, the park became the center of Foothills Days activity with food, a beer garden, cornhole competition and, of course, ribs. Blake, Bailey and Randy Willman claimed first place in the rib competition, followed by Scott Miller and Brian Kolousek in second and Holden Jackson and Rylan Fagerhaug in third.
Cornhole players competed in social, competitive and blinddraw divisions. Tobi Peterson and Alex Engbarth won the social division, Travis and Austin Kleinsasser topped the competitive division, and Travis Kleinsasser and James Linn teamed up to win the blind draw. Live music from Brett Miller and Bad Habits carried the celebration into Saturday evening, wrapping up two days that showcased a little of everything Wessington Springs has to offer.