Good morning, Rapid City.

Families gathered at Main Street Square on Oct.

8 to mark its 15th birthday with face painting, balloon animals, mini golf and magic shows — Tito delighted the crowd.

The 38th annual Black Hills Powwow brings dancers + singers to Summit Arena at The Monument through Sunday, with over $200,000 in record prizes and cultural sessions like Wacipi 101 for newcomers.

A downtown parade will follow on Main Street Saturday at 10 a.m.

The South Dakota Board of Regents announced a free application period for all public universities until Nov.

30. Students from South Dakota and surrounding states can apply and explore hundreds of degree programs (no fee to apply) to find the best fit for their future.

This week, Rapid City and county teams cleared overgrown vegetation and litter along Rapid Creek between West Boulevard and the Central States Fairgrounds – they aimed to enhance safety and beautify the area and finished the work Friday.

South Dakota’s Department of Revenue clarified that, effective immediately, only agricultural producers holding a valid exemption may use red dyed diesel for on-road use while non-agriculture users must pay state taxes (the Highway Patrol will not conduct fuel checks).

The South Dakota Game & Parks Commission approved a 10-year contract with Xanterra Travel Collection for Custer State Park, replacing U.S. Hotel and Resort Management.

Xanterra will manage lodging, dining, retail, and guide services while sourcing local ingredients and retaining resort employees.

At Hart Ranch, the VanDeest siblings won titles at the Black Hills Conference Cross Country Championships on Thursday.

Peyton finished the girls race in 18:05 and Rylan won the boys race in 15:38.4.

Native American rodeo athletes from South Dakota and other states will compete in the 50th annual INFR (Indian National Finals Rodeo) at South Point Arena in Las Vegas from Oct.

13-17. The event celebrates 50 years of Native rodeo tradition with competitions, pageants, and Hall of Fame inductions.

The Rapid City Stevens Raiders led day one of the AA Girls Tennis Tournament with 300 points, with Sioux Falls Lincoln just 10 points behind and O’Gorman and Mitchell following.

Semifinal and championship matches are held today in Rapid City.

Rapid City Central’s competitive cheer and dance teams won titles at the Sturgis Invitational Thursday night in Sturgis.

The cheer squad led with 272.5 points, while Rapid City Stevens scored 258 and the Scoopers scored 244.