Sioux Falls, South Dakota: –The Stockyards Ag Experience today launched its Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Community Appeal, co-chaired by Dana Dykhouse (First PREMIER Bank) and Mike Begeman (Sanford Health) with honorary co-chair Jim Woster. The capital fundraising drive set for November 2 – March 30, 2018 has a $1.2 million goal. Funds raised will support development of the 3.63-acre Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza on the southwest corner of what was once the Sioux Falls Stockyards. The Plaza is the second phase of the Stockyards Ag Experience project and is expected to open to the public in late summer 2019.
The Plaza plans call for a design to walk visitors from “pasture to plate” through four experiential areas: cultivate, raise, tend and celebrate. The conceptual design honors our community’s agricultural roots by interpreting the history of the Sioux Falls Stockyards while celebrating the impact of contemporary agriculture. Programming, activities and collaborations at the Plaza will highlight farming both past and present will provide educational opportunities for all ages. Planned structures include a public restroom and picnic shelter, both designed with farmyard thematic elements. The primary design & interpretative consultant on the project is Confluence of Sioux Falls.
“The Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza will have a transformative effect on Falls Park and the entire Sioux Falls Area,” said Dykhouse. “The destination is a quality of life enhancement and will provide educational opportunities for all ages that honor our community’s agricultural history while serving as an important gateway into one of Sioux Falls’ more cherished areas – Falls Park.”
The first phase of the project, the Stockyards Ag Experience Barn, opened to the public in March, 2017. In its first season the museum, which bridges the history of agriculture beginning with the Sioux Falls Stockyards to contemporary agriculture, has welcomed guests from 46 states and 8 foreign countries.
The total project budget for both phases of the Stockyards Ag Experience is $4.1 million. $1.2 million has been raised to date.
For more information, contact Jennifer Hoesing at 605-332-1917.
About the Stockyards Ag Experience
Stockyards Plaza Inc. (dba Stockyards Ag Experience) was founded in 2012 under the visionary leadership of former Stockyards employee and South Dakota icon Jim Woster. Stockyards Plaza Inc. incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2013. The Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza and Barn are being developed as regional attractions at Falls Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Stockyards Ag Experience communicates the story of agriculture in our economy and society – and showcase its impact on our region.