Kid's Activity Day

September 16th Big Green Tractor! Make a shape tractor and try out our combine cab.

October 21st Apple Harvest Learn about harvest and create a colorful apple tree!

Siouxland Heritage Museums Board
September 2nd and October 7th at 11:30 a.m.
Siouxland Heritage Museums Alliance Board
September 9th and October 14th at 5:30 p.m.
Sioux Valley Genealogical Society
September 2nd and October 7th at 7 p.m.
Minnehaha County Historical Society
September 16th and October 21st at 7 p.m.

32nd Annual Homesteader Day Harvest Festival 2010
Sunday, September 12th 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Beaver Creek Nature Area

Dying to Know Sioux Falls Haunted History?
Have you ever wondered what type of unexplained activities occur in some of Sioux Falls popular but possibly haunted locales? If so, the annual Haunted Sioux Falls Tours return again this October. Tickets go on sale in the Old Courthouse Museum Store on September 11th for SHM Alliance members and September 18th for the public for $10 per person. Buy your tickets early because this popular tour sells out fast! Believe it or not!

Learn to Swing Dance at the OCM!
David Bradford and Kathie Erdman will teach beginning swing dance lessons from 1-1:30 p.m. with open dancing to follow until 4 p.m. on September 19th & October 17th.  Admission is free, beginners are especially encouraged, all ages, and no partner is needed.  Call Kathie Erdman at (605)359-4127 or email kerdman@siouxvalley.net to learn more.

Bring your kids to the Free Old Courthouse Museum Halloween Party October 31st 1-4 p.m. for Trick-or-Treating, Costume Contests, a Scavenger Hunt & More!

Photo Preservation Program
October 7th
The Old Courthouse Museum will host a Photo Preservation Program on Thursday, October 7th at 3 p.m.  The program will include the identification of the different photographic processes from the invention of photography to the present, photograph handling and storage techniques, and things that should be avoided in order to properly preserve your images. Parti- cipants are encouraged to bring photos for preservation advice. Space is limited, call 367-4210 to register in advance.

Author Rod Evans Brings Palaces on the Prairie to the Old Courthouse Museum
October 14th
Author Rod Evans will present a program based upon his book, Palaces on the Prairie, at the Old Courthouse Museum on Thursday, October 14th at 7 p.m.  Books will be available at the program for those interested in purchasing a copy.

Palaces on the Prairie takes you on a journey through the past to experience the hope, struggle, victory, and sometimes defeat of communities, large and small, as they fought to survive difficult times during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the fascinating ways community leaders went about that daunting task was to construct palaces, some gigantic, others more modest, decorated with the grains or minerals that would best promote the businesses and products of their region. This book tells the story behind thirty-four of those palaces built in twenty-four towns and cities throughout North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. Some were short-lived while others stood for years, but all provided excitement and a sense of accomplishment for those involved.

Ghosts and Graves
Tour of Mount Pleasant Cemetery in October
Experience Mount Pleasant Cemetery as you never have before!  Stroll through a local cemetery by lantern light and meet some of Sioux Falls’ most interesting characters.  Learn some of the famous and infamous tales from Sioux Falls history as local actors bring the stories to life.  Join us in October to tour the oldest cemetery in operation in Sioux Falls.

Tours will be on Friday, October 22nd and Saturday, October 23rd, with five tours each night.  Tours begin every 20 minutes starting at 6:30, 6:50, 7:10, 7:30, & 7:50 p.m. and will last approximately one hour.  We can accommodate 15 people per tour.  Tickets cost $10 per person.  Tickets go on sale to Museums' Alliance members on Saturday, September 18th and to the general public on Saturday, September 25th.  This tour is not intended for children under 12.  Some stories may be slightly risqué or scary, and tours are conducted after sunset with limited lantern light.