Dr. Tyler Juhlin grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska in the northeast part of the state. He loves the great outdoors, so following graduation from University of Nebraska Medical Center, he decided to make the Black Hills his home. Dr. Juhlin provides general dentistry and Invisalign treatment to all age groups, and he’s eager to give his patients the best treatment available.
By Lauren Johnson; Photos by M Photography
By Lauren Johnson; Photos by M Photography
BLACK HILLS LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTORS
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Patty Stover 605-390-2617 | patty@michelscom.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Melissa Chinn
TEAM OF WRITERS
Dorothy Rosby, Lauren Johnson
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
M Photography
EDITOR
Margi Culhane 605-940-4724 | margi@michelscom.com
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING
Cory Johnsen 605-951-3567 | cory@michelscom.com
REGIONAL MANAGER / GSM
Kevin Culhane 605-661-8509 | kevin@michelscom.com
SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR
Stace Osthus 605-261-0437 | stace@michelscom.com
CHIEF OF OPERATIONS
Hanna Michels 605-760-4269 | hanna@michelscom.com
Every month Black Hills Lifestyle showcases local human interest stories along with beauty, fashion, family, home, career, health and nutrition information all with beautiful photography. Black Hills Lifestyle also feature businesses, men and women in the Black Hills region. Want to subscribe to Black Hills Lifestyle and receive a copy in your mailbox every month? One year subscription is only $40.
©Copyright 2025 Michels Communications Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication November be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the expressed written permission from the publisher. Black Hills Lifestyle does not necessarily endorse or agree with content of articles or advertising presented.
www.michelscom.com
P.O. Box 91606 Sioux Falls, SD 57109 | 605-332-0421
rapid City Fesitval of lIghts Parade
By Lauren Johnson
There’s no better way to start the Christmas season when crowds gather and children’s eyes glow with wonder as thousands of lights sparkle in trees, twinkle on buildings, and dazzle on floats at the 27th Annual Festival of Lights parade in Downtown Rapid City. From horse-drawn carriages to amazing displays on flatbed trucks, the Festival of Lights Parade delights crowds of over 30,000 and is the premier winter event in the Black Hills.
“The parade has really grown over the years with about 100 floats expected this year,” says Connie Olson, chief development officer for Youth & Family Services. “Last year was the largest ever. With Santa, the kids, and that sense of community that’s created, how could you not like that?”
Connie has worked with Youth & Family Services for 34 years and took over parade coordination about 12 years ago. “It began as a project of the Rapid City Chamber’s Leadership Class of 1996. Hats off to Carol Brown and Susan McCormick, who chaired it for 15 years. When they decided to step down, I asked, ‘How can I help to keep it going?’ I know if you take a year off, it’s almost impossible to get those things going again.” Carol and Susan stayed on for one year to help transition the process.
Connie emphasizes that it takes a lot of people to put on an event like this. “City volunteers are amazing, the Rapid City Police Department is phenomenal, and local businesses and sponsors are instrumental to the success of this event. Nighttime parades are especially challenging, city lights must be shut off, streets closed, and safety prioritized. Without Black Hills Energy, we couldn’t cover insurance, let alone marketing.”
The parade relies on 60 to 70 volunteers to secure the route and assist with crowd control and is a terrific opportunity to show your holiday spirit and leadership in the community. “We’re so grateful for the students from Western Dakota Tech’s juvenile criminal justice program who’ve volunteered for years. They’re perfect for this, with the demeanor and skillset we need to handle any situation that may arise.” More volunteers are always welcome!
“I really do think this event kicks off the Christmas season,” Connie says. “People come together with pure intentions to delight the community.” She recently met members of the Rapid City Rushmore Rotary Club, who will be the 2025 grand marshal. “It’s fun to hear them brainstorm float designs and how to convey their club’s message.”
Creating the floats is one thing, but having people there to cheer them on is what makes it special. “We need both the floats and the people,” Connie says. “I love seeing the community come together and seeing the kids so excited. The last float every year is Santa, and there is nothing like watching the kids as Santa arrives at the end. It’s like he’s a rock star!”
Connie invites everyone to come early, dress warm, and come with the intention of celebrating the season. Main Street is closed to parking between 5th and 7th and St. Joseph after 4 pm, and the parade begins at 6 pm. “Everyone’s in a good mood and excited for the season. We look forward to seeing you at the Season’s Brightest Event.”
Saturday, November 29, 2025 6:00pm • Downtown Rapid City www.festivaloflightsrc.com
Sunday, January 18, 2026 • 12pm to 3pm
Sioux Falls Convention Center
• Wedding inspiration & trends
• Live fashion show - tuxedos & gowns
• Food and dessert tasting
• Complimentary signature cocktail
• Thousands of dollars in giveaways
By Dorothy Rosby
My husband and I recently spent two days helping a relative move her belongings out of her apartment and into a storage unit. In case you’re wondering, we are still on speaking terms. But barely.
I don’t dare use my family member’s name in this column, so from here on out I’ll call her Talulla which is Celtic for lady of abundance. Abundance is a word that often comes to mind when you help someone move.
As we packed boxes, I hinted that the move might be a good opportunity for Talulla to gather up everything she doesn’t need. Then she could have a garage sale and sell it to other people who probably don’t need it either.
I hinted that when it comes time to move her belongings out of the storage unit and into her next home, it would sure be nice if there were fewer of them to move.
I hinted that my back hurt.
Talulla remained strangely silent during all of this. Maybe she thought if she argued with me I’d quit helping. And she might have been right.
But her silence did not deter me from discussing the merits of downsizing and minimalism all day long, inside my own head where I make my most
persuasive arguments. I can be very clever when I’m unencumbered by opposing opinions. Below are just a few of the excellent points I made during my one-sided debate.
I reminded Talulla several times that she’d traded money for pretty much everything she owns. And if she hadn’t traded quite so much of it, she’d not only have fewer belongings to move, she might be able to afford a moving company to do it for her. She couldn’t argue with that logic—especially since she couldn’t hear it.
Nor did she hear me point out that if she’d actually used all the exercise equipment she’d spent good money on she might be tough enough to help carry it to the U-Haul. It was mean and uncalled for and I’m glad I didn’t say it out loud. I hope I didn’t anyway.
At least a dozen times Talulla told me she needed to keep something because she might need it someday. And at least a dozen times I told her under my breath that unless she downsized considerably, she wouldn’t be able to find it when the time came. “After all,” I pointed out wisely—and silently—”it is easier to find a needle in a hay bale than in a haystack. But your chances aren’t good either way.”
And whenever she explained why she couldn’t part with something for sentimental reasons, which was often, I repeated a brilliant adage I heard once: “If everything is special then nothing is special. Besides, if it’s so darn special, why haven’t you ever dusted it?”
I’m glad I didn’t ask that out loud because I’m not big on dusting myself and she’s been to my house so she knows it.
I asked many other thought-provoking questions that I think would have helped Talulla in the sorting and packing process if I’d asked them out loud. “Shouldn’t you give these clothes to someone who can fit into them?” “Have you ever heard of Marie Kondo?” And “Isn’t it time for lunch yet?”
But mostly I asked, “Why on earth do you keep this? And this? And this?” She never answered, mainly because she didn’t hear me.
I had some positive thoughts too, sort of. But I kept them to myself because I didn’t want to encourage her hoarding habit.
“This is adorable! I bet it would look really cute in the landfill.”
“Amazing! You still have VHS tapes.
And “It really is remarkable how much you’ve been able to cram into this apartment.”
Obviously packing and carrying boxes was bringing out the worst in me. But I’m proud and a little amazed at how well I kept my thoughts to myself. I’ll admit that a few times they boiled over into an audible but unintelligible grumble. And I may have crammed a few things into boxes with more force than was absolutely necessary. But generally I kept quiet which isn’t easy to do when you’re right and the other person is so clearly wrong.
In the end, Talulla only managed to part with a few things. As persuasive as my lecture was, it was not successful at convincing her to downsize. Still I think it was every bit as effective as saying it out loud would have been.
