Happy Wednesday! Megan here.
Weather check: April showers, amirite?
đź©· A Little Help check: We've raised about $1,200 for Owen's Outfitters, and we really want to get to $5,000 by the end of the month. Can you help? This organization is filling a critical need for medical supplies in our community.
- Not ready to donate but still want to help? Share the stories we've been telling this month and spread the word about the awesome organization.
This week, you'll find a look at all 80 of the new SculptureWalk pieces, get smart about a new recycling app and learn how the zoo introduced two lions. Plus, don't miss some Super Simplified Stories and a round-up of local events.
And now, news:
CITY
Here's a look at this year's SculptureWalk pieces
Simplified: Sioux Falls City Council got a first look at the full line-up of 2025 SculptureWalk pieces Tuesday afternoon. Here's a look at the 80 sculptures that'll be installed throughout downtown in a couple of weeks.
Why it matters
- SculptureWalk has been bringing public art to Sioux Falls for 22 years now, and it's become the largest annual exhibit of public sculptures in the world. There will be 80 sculptures on display after between 150 to 200 submissions.
- The organization has grown beyond downtown to include sculptures in the Cathedral District and now the Steel District.
- Plus, the sculptures that were on display downtown in 2024 will be on display in a variety of spots around the region including Vermillion, Watertown, the University of Sioux Falls and Avera Health, according to Jana Anderson, lead curator for the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion, which oversees SculptureWalk.
- As of last year, the SculptureWalk also includes audio tours that can be accessed via QR code at any of the sculptures, Anderson said.
"SculptureWalk is truly one of those organizations that has put Sioux Falls on the map as a destination for arts and culture," Arts Coordinator Maren Engel said.
Show me the sculptures
SUSTAINABILITY
This app is simplifying recycling in Sioux Falls
Simplified: A new app from BINfluencer – the nonprofit arm of Millennium Recycling – will take the guesswork out of recycling for Sioux Falls residents by providing quick, clear answers about what goes in the recycling bin.
Why it matters
- Despite a growing population in the city, recycling rates have gone down 18% over the last decade, according to Millennium Recycling President Shannon Dwire.
- Folks can now use the BINfluencer app to search any item to see if it can be recycled curbside, snap a photo to identify an item, or, if it cannot be disposed of in the recycling bin, get instructions on where to take it.
- The app launched Tuesday in celebration of Earth Day. As part of that celebration, residents who use the app or web tool to solve a recycling riddle by April 30 will be entered to win a $250 Washington Pavilion gift card.
“This tool was made for our community,” said Stephanie Gongopoulos, BINfluencer board president, in a news release. “We’re just getting started, and we’d love to feature more local partners and grow the impact together.”
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Siouxland Libraries director to retire. Jodi Fick, who's directed the local library system since 2017 and worked in public service for four decades, announced her retirement this week. Fick's leadership helped increase early literacy programming, brought play spaces to all library branches, expanded how libraries use technology (i.e. self checkout kiosks and expanded access for rural branches). Her last day will be June 20, and the city is seeking applicants to fill her position. You can learn more about that here.
- Big money for school lunches. Hungry Hearts, a nonprofit arm of The Barrel House restaurant presented a check for $110,000 to the Sioux Falls School District Angel Fund, helping the fund reach its $200,000 goal. The nonprofit had promised match funds up to $100,000, and then when the district got to $90,000 raised, opted to go above and beyond to get the fundraising effort across the finish line. That money will help cover student lunch debt so no kids go hungry. Learn more here.
- More accessible government. Lincoln County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to hold one meeting each month in the evening in the hopes that more folks will be able to attend. Typically, commission meetings are held at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays, but there will now be at least one 6:30 p.m. meeting starting in May. The Dakota Scout has more details.
SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
How the zoo brought two lions together in the same habitat
This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium.
Simplified: Visitors to the Great Plains Zoo this spring may see both of the lions, Simba and Amahle, together in the same exhibit. Here's a look at how the zoo has worked to introduce the two animals together over the last several months, as well as some other big habitat moves you'll see this spring.
Why it matters
- The two lions came to the zoo last summer in a brand new habitat, but they've been kept in separate spaces to give them time to adjust to both a new living space and to each other.
- Their habitat is set up in such a way that the lions have been given lots of opportunities to both see and smell one another. That's given the zoo's carnivore team a chance to monitor how the two animals were responding to each other and watch for signals that they were ready to share the same space.
- Those signals could be things like the lions laying close to each other or calling back and forth for each other, Director of Animal Care Joel Locke said.
- On April 15, the zoo team recognized that Simba and Amahle were showing enough positive behaviors toward each other through their partition that they were ready to be together. They introduced them together in the same habitat, and the two lions have been together ever since. But that doesn't mean they'll always be together when you visit the zoo.
"We're still far from out of the woods," Locke said. "I can't guarantee tomorrow they’ll be together. Right now, it’s kind of day-to-day with us reading their behavior."
So, does this mean there will be lion cubs soon?
EVENTS
Stuff to do: April 23-29
- Rise up. The Compass Center and Conscious Connections are teaming up Thursday evening for an intimate showcase featuring fashion, poetry, modern dance and advocacy for sexual assault survivors. Learn more about the "Rise Up: Art as Resistance" event here.
- It is trivia. Love "The Office"? Test your knowledge of the beloved mockumentary show with "The Office"-themed trivia Friday night at Lucky's – hosted by FroGo Trivia, aka Zach Dresch and Becca Gehm (you might remember them from our Sioux Falls-themed trivia night!). It all kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday night. Details here.
- It's rummage sale season. You know what they say, one man's trash... find your new-to-you treasures during the Candlelight Acres Neighborhood rummage sales this weekend. Details here.
- It's Halloween in April. We're halfway to Halloween, and anyone who loves a good spook can celebrate this weekend at "Screams by Night: Halfway to Halloween Con." There will be cosplay, comics, special guest appearances and lots of chills and thrills. It's all going down Saturday at The Social. Details and tickets here.
- Be the change. A number of community action forums are taking place on a regular basis, giving folks an opportunity to learn how to make changes that make Sioux Falls better by being civically engaged. That includes forums Thursday evening and Friday morning at Good NAtured on 8th Street, as well as the ongoing "changemaker" series of events, also at Good NAtured.
- Build empathy. Could you hack it if you suddenly found yourself unhoused? Midwest Street Medicine is hosting an immersive fundraising event Saturday where participants will get some firsthand experience of what it's like navigating various community resources when you're living on the streets. It's part scavenger hunt, part escape room, and all in an effort to support the nonprofit helping to meet people where they are in providing healthcare. More details here.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Owen’s Outfitters is keeping literal tons of medical supplies out of the landfill
Owen’s Outfitters, a medical device lending library serving the Sioux Falls area, has saved more than 56,000 pounds – or 28 tons – of medical supplies from being added to the landfill.
Megan Raposa
How local groups are working to rescue food and reduce waste
A community effort to reduce food waste is expanding this year after initial successes, and new partnerships are keeping thousands of pounds of food out of the regional landfill.
Megan Raposa
Why the State of the City was a bit more staid this year
Sioux Falls didn’t get to be the community it is today by accident, Mayor Paul TenHaken said, and his address this week painted a picture of some of the challenges future leaders might face when it comes to keeping Sioux Falls growing and thriving.
Megan Raposa
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Thank you
Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc., Live on Stage, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.
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