The Harrisburg Times
Presorted Standard ECRWSS US Postage Paid
H om e of the Tig er s
Decem be r 2 0 1 7
Permit #1 Harrisburg, SD 57032 To Current Resident
PHOTO CREDIT: ALYSIA SIMUNEK
Chamber President, Adrienne McKeown meets with longtime Harrisburg community members to talk about the good olds days. L-R: Adrienne McKeown, Sherry Davis, Richard Slack, Dean Axtell, Arlen Thomsen, Doris Noordermeer, and James Hill.
Harrisburg Had What?
Lessons from the Past Lead to Advice for a Roaring Comeback
ADRIENNE MCKEOWN, PRESIDENT, HARRISBURG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. AND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
We’ve probably all heard some variation of the philosopher G e o r g e Santayna’s famous line, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s sage advice, to be sure, yet all too easy to ignore. He penned that statement in his 1905 book, “The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress.” As we come to the end of 2017, we see signs all over town of exciting progress about to unfold. But what if I
3,000 Reasons to Be Thankful
Many thanks to the Harrisburg and southern Sioux Falls Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Eagle Scouts for the fantastic food drive held in October. More than 3000 pounds of food was collected for the Harrisburg Area Food Pantry of Lincoln County. Thank you to all who donated the food! Thanks to all of the people from the community who showed up to help unload, sort and put away
told you that once upon a time Harrisburg already had not one but two grocery stores, a hardware store, and a collection of other businesses that made up a thriving business district? Given the population boom of Harrisburg over the past decade or so, it’s probably safe to assume that many of you—like me—are transplants to this community and don’t remember the Harrisburg of decades past. And I’m also probably not alone in feeling retrospective as the year draws to a close. So with Santayana’s advice in mind, I decided to call
in some assistance to help me understand Harrisburg’s past and reflect not only on recent history but also on the decades that came before. Gratefully, a group of seven life-long Harrisburg residents (one has been in the area since 1937) willingly met with me to share their memories of a Harrisburg that we newcomers would find hard to believe. Six of the seven graduated from Harrisburg High School, and some of them are now watching the fourth generation of their families follow in their Tiger paw prints.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6, SEE HISTORY
2017 Prairie Christmas Concert Features Carols from Around the World JANE KLEMME
A longstanding holiday tradition, the 2017 rendition of A Prairie Christmas returns to Harrisburg High School on Saturday, December 16th, at 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM. This will be the 8th annual Prairie Christmas Concert, which serves to ring in the Christmas season with melodies of merriment intertwined with thoughtful stories and creative choreography. The concert is a fundraiser for Tiger Nation, a parent volunteer group that promotes extracurricular
activities at the high school level. Composed of 20+ songs and performed by nearly 200 HHS students, this year the concert features Christmas carols from around the word Each year the Prairie Christmas Concert has a flavor as unique as the individuals who perform it. Both choral directors at HHS, Mrs. Libby Gould and Mrs. Kari Vosburg, work together to produce the program. “We review various music sites,” states Mrs.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5, SEE PRAIRIE
PHOTO CREDIT: JON KLEMME
Students perform in the 2016 Prairie Christmas.
The Story Behind the Shield JANE KLEMME
the donated items. It was a cold morning but all the warm hearts and helping hands kept the frost away.
Tigers Team Up to Give Back
Wednesday, November 1, Harrisburg Alternative High School Students sorted and shelved donated food! They will be helping at the Food Pantry on the first and third Thursday mornings. We are blessed to have such great helpers!
Patiently, the entire Harrisburg community has watched a cornfield be transformed to the city’s first full-service grocery store since Spomer’s Market in the early 1980’s. Hundreds of trips
past the job site, on the way to stock the pantry in another zip code, Harrisburg residents have wondered just exactly what has been going on behind that Fareway shield. Open Interview Event
PHOTO CREDIT: JANE KLEMME
Alongside brick and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6, SEE FAREWAY