• How to celebrate Earth Month in Sioux Falls. The parks department has a couple of family-friendly festivals in April to help the community celebrate Earth Month and also enjoy local parks. Both events are free and open to the public.
    • The Earth Day Festival will take place 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18 at Great Bear Recreation Park. You'll be able to do a self-guided scavenger hunt along the trails, decorate tote bags and get a grow kit to start a garden at home.
    • Then, the following weekend is the Urban Arbor Day Festival at Pasley Park. That event, which runs noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, will feature multiple vendors to support your tree-planting projects. You can also enjoy live music, the bookmobile from the library and a birdhouse-building activity.
  • And, while we're talking sustainability... The city is also hosting an expanded Big Sioux River Summit, now called the "Big Sioux Stewardship Summit" – which, for the first time this year will be a two-day event April 16 and 17. The first day will include bus tours to visit places like the water reclamation plant, a local dairy plant, Cherry Rock Gardens and more. Then, the second day of the summit will include speakers and breakout sessions on topics including regenerative agriculture, water resources and urban stewardship. Learn more about that event here.
  • Jacobson Plaza opening delayed, but lodge to open soon. Downtown's newest signature park is not quite ready to open as initially planned, city officials said. But, The Lodge at Jacobson Plaza, a restaurant & bar in the warming house, is scheduled to open April 30. The restaurant will be operated by Washington Pavilion Management, Inc., and the menu will include smash burgers, sandwiches, cocktails and Parlour Ice Cream.
    • As for the rest of the park, it's on track to be open in July after some construction delays, according to parks department spokesperson Brianna Rykhus.