Category Archives: News

It is time to start  thinking about putting a float together for the Parade of Lights.

The Winner Area Chamber of Commerce 17^th annual Parade of Lights will be held Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. on Main Street.

Mike Scott, executive director of the Chamber, encourages persons and organizations to enter  a float. The parade was a success last year with 25 entries. Scott would like to see that same number or even more his year.

There will be two categories–business and organizations.

There will be a first, second and third place in each division. The prize money of Winner Cash is $300 for first, $200 for second and $100 for third

This year there will be a people’s choice winner and that winner will receive $200 in Winner Cash.

A picture of all the floats will be put on the Chamber’s Facebook page. The float with the most likes will be the winner.

Persons who would like to enter a float can call the Chamber office at 842-1533 or e mail thechamber@gwtc.net

In addition to the Parade of Lights, there is a lot going on Saturday, Nov. 27 that persons and kids do not want to miss.

The Moon Lake Ranch Reindeer will be in the parking lot on 3^rd and Main St. from 1-4 p.m.

Persons can come and see Santa at 3^rd and Main St from 1-3 p.m.

A S’mores pit will be set up on 3^rd and Main St from  1-4 p.m.

Hayrides will be given from 2-4 p.m.

There will be a free movie at the Pix Theater at 4 p.m. The movie will be “The Santa Clause.”

Also on Nov. 27 will be Small Business Saturday. Scott asks everyone to support their small businesses.

The holiday promotions from the Chamber are just beginning. Over the  course of the holiday, there will be $5,000 in Winner Cash drawn.

This year the drawings will be on Friday instead of Saturday. Persons do not need to be  present in a business to win.

The first drawing will Nov. 26 with five $100 winners.

Starting Nov. 12 the green sheets for shoppers to pick up will be available in participating Chamber stores.

When the sheets are filled there are drop off locations to leave the sheets. These include True Value, Winner Food Center, Winner Super Foods, Frontier Motors, Chamber of commerce, Jeff’ Gun Vault, Runnings, Office Products Center, Grossenburg Implement, First Fidelity Bank and Marty’s.

Scott says the holiday promotion was very successful last year.

me to prepare float for Parade of Lights

Winner High School and middle school  band and chorus concert has been moved to Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Armory.

The concert was originally set for Nov. 11  but was moved due to the state football championship on Nov. 12.

The 9th annual Tripp County Prospect Show will be held at the Tripp County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Nov. 6.

This show has brought youth and their families to Winner from all over the state, Nebraska, and Minnesota.  Last year there were 66 youth exhibitors and approximately 125 head of cattle at the show.

New this year, the Tripp County Fair board will be hosting a vendor/trade/craft show the same day.  They will also be providing concessions for those attending the show and/or vendor/trade/craft fair.  This will add a whole new aspect to the event. 

The Tripp Co Prospect Show was started in 2013 after the Western Junior Stock Show in Rapid City was cancelled due to the Atlas blizzard.  In about two weeks’ time, a group of people rounded up a few sponsors, found a judge who was Miles DeJong, and put on a show for not only our local youth but anyone else who wanted to attend. 

Generous sponsors from our community have made this all possible.  The number of sponsors has grown over the years and are the backbone of this show.  Sponsors so far for this year include the following: 605 Sires, AgriMax, BankWest,  CC Photography, CHS, Covey Custom Application LLC, Covey Cattle, DeJong Ranch, DeJong Ranch North, DeMers Ranch, Elevate Agronomics, Engel Trucking, Farm Credit Services of America, Farmers Union Insurance, Fenenga Ranch Inc., Fidelity Agency, First Fidelity Banks—Winner and Colome, Frontier Motors, Gant Mineral Co., Grossenburg Implement inc., Hansen Mueller Co, Mathis Implement Inc., Pharmco, Runnings Supply Inc., South Central Livestock Supply, Southern Belle Cattlewomen, Statewide Ag Insurance Inc., Town and Country Sales Inc., Tripp County 4-H Leaders Corporation, Tripp County Farm Bureau, West River Ag Services and Winner Livestock Auction LLC.

In addition to sponsors, there are several families who helped start this show and continue to do the leg work to keep it going. These include the Craig Covey Family, Lou DeJong Family, Miles DeJong Family, Ross DeMers Family, Jeremy Schroeder Family, and the William Vogel Family.  On top of these families, there are several other volunteers from the community who have helped in many, many ways. 

The Tripp County Prospect Show is sanctioned by the South Dakota Junior Points Association.  Youth can accumulate points determined on their placings at these sanctioned shows.  There are approximately 15 shows throughout the state that youth exhibitors can attend.  The dates of these shows run from October – August.  There is an awards event each year at the South Dakota State Fair where those accumulating the most points are given awards. 

This show not only provides an opportunity for youth to learn about beef cattle and give them an opportunity to show, but it also brings people to Winner.  Several families choose to come in on Friday night before the show due to the distance they travel.  This gives them an opportunity to see more of what our community has to offer.  Hosting this show gives us an opportunity to show off our community and our fairgrounds.

We invite the community to come out to the fdairgrounds to watch the show and take in the vendor/trade craft show.  The schedule for the day is:

Tripp Co. Prospect Show – starts at 11:30 a.m.

Tripp Co Fairboard Concession – open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Vendor/Trade/Craft Show – runs from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

By Keenan Knutelski

Community Connections

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and  Community Connections would like to take this opportunity to celebrate with the community. It is self-evident that employment is a significant component to a person’s life. Whether employment is a means to a living or a method of self-expression, employment is an important part of a person’s identity. At its core, there is a great deal of satisfaction that emerges from a person’s ability to meaningfully contribute to the society in which they live.

At Community Connections, we strive to help facilitate opportunities for our participants to find meaningful employment and join the workforce around Winner. Historically, people with disabilities have been marginalized and excluded from employment opportunities which has led to persistent poverty and below average living standards. While some issues still exist, great strides have been made to improve the working conditions and opportunities for those with disabilities; most notably the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is important to highlight the importance of employment for those with disabilities, and thank the employers who provide these vital opportunities to our community members living with disabilities.

We would like to extend a grateful appreciation to:

Winner Food Center, Pharmco, Kucera Electric, Lil Feller, Winner Pharmacy, Black Lab, Holiday Inn, Kay’s Day Care, South Central Livestock Supply, Winner Airport, Harry K Ford/ NAPA, Dan Clark Realty, and The Elk’s Club. Please join us in celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month and thanking these wonderful employers.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

The Highway 18 and 44 reconstruction project in Winner is in the home stretch according to the Department of Transportation.

A highway update meeting was held Oct. 27 in the city building. Doug Sherman, area engineer for DOT and Conner Christensen of T&R Contracting Inc. Sioux Falls, gave updates on the project.

T &R is the prime contractor for phase I of this project.

The main area of the project features new concrete highway from 7^th to just west of Monroe Street.

Sherman says the big push now is to open side streets like 4^th and 5^th St that have been closed due to the construction work.

Sherman thanked the public for being patient through the whole project but especially when so many side streets have been closed.

Morris Inc., Ft. Pierre, was to be in Winner on Oct. 28 to start doing the asphalt tie-ins on the side streets. Once this is done the street can be open again

Muth Electric of Mitchell is in Winner doing electrical work and placing the traffic light footings.

Big O Concrete is working on sidewalk getting the ready for pedestrian traffic.

Sherman added that most of the big concrete pour on the highway is finished. He hopes that by  Thanksgiving traffic will be allowed on the new concrete.

The DOT reported there have been some close calls and minor accidents as the traffic is going to head to head while construction crews work on the south side of the highway. “Please be careful, slow down and give motorists room,” said the DOT.

“We are in the home stretch and we thank the public  for being patient with us,” said Sherman.

Persons who want to follow the progress of the construction can follow on Facebook.

The public meetings of the DOT and T&R are live streamed for the public to view.