Even though the annual Quarry Days was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis, Dell Rapids was able to have a pair of successful gatherings at the city park on the same weekend.
Quarry Days was originally scheduled for June but was postponed until Aug. 7-9 due to the pandemic. But after coronavirus numbers continued to stay consistent in Minnehaha County throughout the summer, the Dells Chamber of Commerce canceled the event for 2020.
But the Dell Rapids Farmers Market and the Blast from the Past car show remained on the same weekend, and organizers were happy with the turnout.
The Farmers Market met on Saturday, Aug. 8 at the city park. That market was one of five scheduled for this summer. Even without Quarry Days on the schedule for the weekend, market organizer Katy Hendrickson said the turnout was strong. She said in the long run, losing Quarry Days didn’t hurt the market. Instead of losing any vendors, Hendrickson said they actually picked up two more.
“We were going to move forward regardless,” Hendrickson said. “We had a lot of vendors relying on us to open. The community as a whole was expecting us to have a market. It went off without a hitch, just like it does every time.”
The car show was no different, according to organizer Nolan Clark. That event on Sunday, Aug. 9, filled the park with vendors, participants and area residents.
Clark said he wasn’t sure what to expect when Quarry Days canceled. But after working with the city of Dell Rapids and the chamber, Clark said they secured a separate insurance policy and moved forward. After setting up sanitation stations and offering face masks, everything went off smoothly.
“It’s been a year of unknowns, but we put it out there that we’re all responsible for our own health and well-being, so we just thought we’d provide some entertainment and gave people an option if they wanted to come,” said Clark, who’s been organizing the event in Dell Rapids for six years. “The people that were there seemed to be having fun. We got a lot of positive feedback and people saying, ‘Thank you for having this.’”
Clark said the event was a true collaborative effort between organizers, the city and the chamber. He said even though Quarry Days was canceled, he got tremendous help from both the city and chamber to make sure the car show happened.
“Car shows have been social distancing before it became a hashtag, so it worked out perfect for us,” Clark said. “We’re grateful for it, and we had a great day. I’m nursing a sunburn, but that meant I was outside enjoying the sun.”
Papa’s Pub & Eatery is scheduled to host a band outside of its establishment on Main Street on Saturday, Aug. 29. That outdoor event permit has already been approved by City Council.
But the next big event for Dell Rapids is the Downtown Trick or Treat celebration hosted by the chamber on Friday, Oct. 30. That event highlights downtown businesses with interactive games and candy for children in the area.
Although that’s still a couple of months off, it’s something Chamber president Dan Ahlers said they’re already discussing and preparing for. City administrator Justin Weiland said the city council has not approved an outdoor event permit yet, but said he doesn’t anticipate the council saying no when the request comes in.
“We’ve said yes to everything else,” Weiland said. “We haven’t denied a permit yet. It’s been the organizations themselves that have canceled.”
Downtown Trick or Treat is traditionally held the Friday before Halloween and brings hundreds of children to the area.
Ahlers said they are discussing what the event could look like at the next chamber meeting. He said there is a chance it could look similar to the Easter Egg Hunt earlier this year, where people dressed in costumes and handed out candy in the city park.
“It’s really going to come down to the input we get from the community and where we’re at with all COVID,” Ahlers said. “We want their input on this. We’ll be consulting with all of them to get a sense of what we will do.”
If the Farmers Market and car show can serve as a blueprint for how to handle such an event, the chamber may be able to salvage Downtown Trick or Treat.
“We decided to go ahead with it, and we’re so glad we did,” Hendrickson said of the Farmers Market.
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'We had a great day': Car show and Farmers Market successful in city park - Argus Leader
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