The Harrisburg Times H om e of the Tig er s
N ove m b er 20 18
Gratitude Reframes our Past, Present, & Future
ADRIENNE MCKEOWN, PRESIDENT, HARRISBURG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Author Melody Beattie says that “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” In a month devoted to giving thanks, I couldn’t say it any better myself. So instead, I’ll apply her words of wisdom to our local community. Gratitude makes sense of our past. You may remember that I took some time earlier this year to visit with a group of longtime Harrisburg residents. They told me stories of the glory days of the past—when Harrisburg had multiple grocery stores, entertainment options galore, and was a thriving small town. And then it all went away. Being on the front lines of our fast-paced growth today, it’s easy to forget about the struggles Harrisburg faced just a couple of decades ago. Nevertheless, I am grateful for those lessons from the past because they help us to remember that we have to support our local businesses or run the risk of losing them again. As the height of the retail year approaches, I encourage you to participate in Small Business Saturday by shopping our local Harrisburg businesses. Gratitude brings peace for today. It certainly does. I’ve recently found that my days go so much smoother if I start by giving thanks to God for my many blessings instead of focusing on all of the work that the day brings. Maybe it’s really about that “one day at a time” mentality. It’s easy to look at all of the development opportunity here in Harrisburg and get bogged down by what could or should be done. If we step back and give thanks for what we currently have, it helps reset our frame of mind. I am so thankful for the 120+ Chamber members we currently have. (They are listed in this issue and on our website.) These businesses and organizations are building an amazing community here in Harrisburg, and they are committed to giving back to our
residents and being good corporate citizens as well. I am grateful for the board of directors who are taking on additional work and responsibility and stepping out in faith, believing that by taking some calculated risks now, we can continue to grow and develop beyond what we thought possible even just three years ago. Thank you to Adam Walsh, Courtney Lens, Lucas Lorenzen, Codi Nincehelser, Amber Steinberg, and Derick Wenck for the numerous hours and the heart you put into serving on the HEDC board. (And of course, I am abundantly grateful to our volunteer extraordinaire, Dale Thorpe, who is willing to lend a hand wherever he can.) Gratitude creates a vision for tomorrow. I am so grateful to be living in a community that is facing growth “problems” rather than trying to figure out how to deal with population decline. As we celebrate the 125th year of the Harrisburg School District, we now have a vision for the future that includes our citizens supporting the need for additional schools to educate our young people. We continue to watch dirt move from one corner to another in preparation for new homes and retail spaces that will appear in 2019. And this year, we “cut the ribbon” and celebrated 12 businesses that were brand new, in new locations, or celebrating major milestones. (Look inside for photos from these ribbon cuttings.) Being thankful for the blessings we have today certainly helps us to look forward to our vision of tomorrow with optimism. At the risk of sounding cliché or repeating myself from past columns, we really are blessed to live in Harrisburg. Yes, we have and will continue to experience some growing pains, but if we look at our past, present, and future with grateful hearts, we can see that Harrisburg truly is a great place to call home.
Presorted Standard ECRWSS US Postage Paid Permit #1 Harrisburg, SD 57032 To Current Resident
TONYA HOVALDT
Fantastic Finish for Harrisburg High School Marching Band HARRISBURG, SD -- The Harrisburg High School Marching Band wrapped up their competition season with their best finish of the year, placing second in a field of nine Class A schools at the Youth in Music (YIM) Marching Competition at the U.S. Band Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. They also received the award for best wind section in their division. Braden Culp (Senior, Alto Saxophone) was also recognized with a YIM scholarship. He was one of nine recipients from just over 90 applicants. This is the second year a Harrisburg student has been the recipient of this scholarship (Megan Yee was last
year’s recipient).
This year’s show concept was based on the Irish folklore, The Children of Lir: The story begins with a widowed husband and his children as they celebrate his new marriage. Shortly after the wedding, the father’s new bride reveals her magical powers and an evil intent. In a display of jealousy and greed, she casts a spell on the children, turning them into swans. The father then confronts his new wife and after emerging victorious, the spell is broken and he is reunited with his children. The Youth in Music competition includes almost 30 bands from
There’s an App for That. We're excited to announce the launch of our new website and app! These two systems work in conjunction with one another and most of what is provided on the website is easily accessible on the app. The website and app will provide many more ways to get information out the community. The app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices. Search for "Harrisburg, SD" (not Harrisburg School District - the old app). While you are able to download the app now, the website will be launched near the Labor Day holiday weekend. What can you do with the app? All of the latest news, Live Feed (Twitter-type posts) can all be found on both the app and the website.
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and South Dakota in four divisions and approximately 4000 student participants. This was their final competition of the season which also included performances at Pursuit of Excellence in Marshall, MN; Starfest in Sioux City, IA; and Festival of Bands in Sioux Falls, SD. Additionally, the band has performed at every home football game. The Harrisburg Marching Band is under the direction of Jason Groon, Tim Stockman, Elizabeth Ennenga, Lora Egan, and Ellie Rohlck.
Any sort of documents normally created as a link on the website will now be housed in the Documents folder of your school's website. Our goal was to clean up the clutter and streamline finding information. Another neat feature is that parents can subscribe to their children's particular buildings and the district to receive notifications about upcoming events and other important information. Students at the high school and middle schools can subscribe to HS Students, NMS Students, and SMS Students. Those notifications are geared more towards the student-related events and information. Although we are working to build content into our website, we are excited for this new opportunity to share information with parents and the community in a variety of ways. Download the App today!