Happy Friday! Megan here.
First things first: This issue is brought to you by Live on Stage.
- Live on Stage has been bringing world-class music to Sioux Falls at an affordable price for nearly a century. There's still time to snag tickets to tonight's performance of "Bachelors of Broadway," which will feature three of New York City’s top theatrical performers singing songs from both classic and modern musicals. Get your tickets here.
Weather check: A little more rain before the sun comes out this weekend
đź©·A Little Help check: Thank you to everyone who's reached out and shown support to Owen's Outfitters over the last few days! There are lots more stories to tell, and I can't wait to share more of the amazing work this organization is doing in our community. In the meantime, you can help us reach our goal of raising $5,000 for this nonprofit.
This weekend, I'll keep things pretty short and sweet for ya. You'll learn about a once-in-a-lifetime opera performance happening in Sioux Falls later this month. Whether you're into music/symphony or not, this is a story you won't want to miss about how Sioux Falls is making history. You'll also find a LOT of Super Simplified news, and a look at progress on the county's plans to add a new housing option.
And now, news:
COMMUNITY
How the South Dakota symphony is saving an opera from oblivion
Simplified: When the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra performs "Giants in the Earth" – an opera based on the book about Norwegian settlers in South Dakota – later this month, it'll be the third time in history the opera has been heard by an audience. It's also the first time in history it'll be recorded for future generations.
Tell me more
Delta David Gier's experience with the opera's source material dates back to his very first day on the job about 20 years ago. He was handed a copy of "Giants in the Earth" by a former symphony board member and told casually that there's an opera based on the book.
Why has no one heard of this opera?
It wasn't until years later that Gier read the book and later discovered the opera was written by a well-known 20th century composer, Douglas Moore.
- Moore won the Pulitzer Prize for his "Giants in the Earth" opera in 1951, and five years later debuted his most-known opera "The Ballad of Baby Doe."
It's unclear exactly why one opera is so renowned and the other almost lost to history, though Gier has a theory.
"I’m fully convinced that the only reason this opera’s not been done over the last 70+ years is that people have never heard it," Gier said of "Giants in the Earth."
How did the South Dakota Symphony get to play this?
COUNTY
Minnehaha County residents could soon have another housing option
Simplified: Minnehaha County Commissioners unanimously passed the first reading of an ordinance to allow Accessible Dwelling Units (ADU) in the county, as well as in the parts of the county governed by both the county and the city of Sioux Falls.
Why it matters
- ADUs can help fill the need for "middle housing" (i.e. something between a single-family home and a large apartment building). Other examples of middle housing include duplexes, four-plexes, etc.
- Folks can build an ADU that's attached or detached from their home and use it as an apartment for a relative, a short-term rental property, a place for a full-time caretaker to live, etc. Think of it like an apartment above the garage or a tiny house in the backyard.
- ADUs initially came up in discussion during the county's comprehensive planning process, and now they're nearly a reality.
"I think there are a lot of people that are ready to go as soon as the ordinance is adopted to put their ADU up in the backyard," said Kevin Hoekman with the county planning department.
What happens next?
Commissioners will hold a public hearing on April 22, after which they're expected to hold a final vote on the ordinance.
TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- A new weather warning. If you hear an outdoor weather alert siren (or see an alert pop up on your phone) it doesn't necessarily mean there's a tornado coming, but you should still take shelter. City officials this week announced they've added an additional severe weather type: "Destructive, severe thunderstorm warnings." That means a storm with 80 mph winds and/or baseball-sized hail.
“The addition of this weather type does not mean your phone is going to be buzzing constantly with alerts,” Emergency Manager Regan Smith said. “These destructive thunderstorms are rare but are as dangerous as tornados, which is why the NWS (National Weather Service) determined they warrant an outdoor siren activation and WEA (wireless emergency alert).”
- Fire is OK now. Minnehaha County Commissioners have lifted a burn ban in the county due to dry conditions. With a good amount of rain/snow over the last week, that burn ban was lifted on Wednesday.
- Southeast Tech sees surge in healthcare, trades students. Southeast Technical Institute saw record enrollment this fall, a 50% increase in enrollment in healthcare programs since 2019 and currently has about a dozen programs so full that students are on waitlists. That's according to information shared with the City Council Tuesday afternoon by college President Cory Clasemann. Up next: The school is in the midst of a large fundraising campaign and will start a master planning process this fall to look at accommodating the increasing demand for education in healthcare and trades.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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.
Oh, by the way
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Special thanks to Live on Stage!
Don't miss "Bachelors of Broadway" kicking off tonight at 7 p.m. Can't make tonight's show? See a full lineup of the rest of the season here.
