BROOKINGS, S.D. – Instead of boarding airplanes or planning weeklong vacations, many South Dakota families are spending summer weekends closer to home, filling festivals, community events and family attractions that offer affordable ways to make memories together.

That trend is showing up across the state, according to South Dakota tourism officials. And organizers of many local events say they’ve watched it evolve over decades.

“We did re-coin that term ‘staycation’ again this year,” said Shari Budahl Avery, publicity chair for the 55-year-old Brookings Summer Arts Festival. “If things are a little tight but you want to get away for a day, we can provide that experience.”

Families are redefining summer travel

Travel South Dakota has reported that many travelers are choosing more affordable destinations, taking shorter trips and staying closer to home because of continued economic uncertainty. The department said South Dakota is well positioned because many visitors already travel by car from nearby states.

According to the department, 58% of visitors travel within 150 miles of home, and affordability, scenic beauty and family experiences remain among the state’s strongest attractions.

Travel South Dakota reports that visitors rate the state highly for affordability and family experiences, with 87% saying they would recommend South Dakota to others and 90% planning to return.

Shawn Steward, public affairs manager for AAA South Dakota, said travelers look for ways to make summer vacations fit their finances rather than canceling them altogether.

“People still want to travel,” Steward said in an interview with South Dakota News Watch. “They’re just making different choices.”

Steward said many families are adjusting by taking shorter trips, traveling by car instead of flying or choosing destinations closer to home, trends that align with what tourism officials and local event organizers are seeing across South Dakota.

Local events become summer destinations

Budahl Avery said those statewide trends match what festival organizers have observed for years.

“We’re kind of dead center in a pretty good population center,” she said. “People can come on what one friend from Texas called a ‘tank trip’ – somewhere you can drive on one tank of gas and get home.”

The two-day festival features about 178 juried artists, live entertainment, children’s activities, food vendors and historical demonstrations. Budahl Avery said the goal is to create an experience where multiple generations can spend time together without needing an expensive vacation.

Affordable, convenient entertainment

During a recent stop in Brookings, the Cardin International Circus drew families from across the region. Ringmaster and comedian Rulito Videla said attendance varies from city to city, but he believes many families are looking for affordable experiences closer to home.

“If they are staying home, support your local events,” Videla said. “The circus is family-oriented entertainment. You create memories.”

Visitors interviewed in Brookings described making similar choices.

Erica Quam said her family often prefers several smaller outings over one major vacation.

“We live right near Brookings,” Quam said. “It’s close, there were some coupons that made it more affordable, and it’s just a fun, easy activity.”

Sienna Vanmeveren also chose to stay closer to home this summer to save money.

“It’s easier than traveling somewhere,” she said, adding that she would likely travel more if finances allowed.

Not every family is changing its travel habits.

Sviatlana Senchanka said her family recently completed a road trip from South Dakota to California and continues to spend time outdoors at local lakes. She said work schedules determine when her family travels more than travel costs.

For Budahl Avery, however, the value of community events extends beyond economics.

“What keeps families coming back?” she said. “Tradition. Joy. Making memories.”

Whether families travel across the country or simply across town, organizers and visitors alike say a memorable summer doesn’t always require going far from home.

South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, subscribe for free and donate at sdnewswatch.org. Amina Aidarkhanova received the 2026 Jeffrey B. Nelson Investigative Journalism Endowed Internship and the Chuck Raasch and Sandy Johnson Scholarship from the SDSU Foundation. Contact: amina.aidarkhanova@sdnewswatch.org.

South Dakota troopers have assisted in more than 204 immigration-related arrests, and state National Guard soldiers have helped process 807 deportations as the state continues to expand its partnership with federal immigration authorities.

The update came as Gov. Larry Rhoden announced that President Donald Trump’s administration has provided $150,418 to the state to recoup the costs associated with the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the terms of an agreement signed in the spring of 2025, state troopers are authorized to carry out some federal immigration enforcement duties.

The money will go toward payroll, and specialized equipment and technology for the Highway Patrol’s enforcement work. The state expects additional funding as operations continue, according to a news release from Rhoden’s office.

In May, Rhoden issued a press release saying the federal government had committed to reimbursing the state $165,000. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a question about the total cost of immigration-related enforcement for the state patrol.

Rhoden’s immigration enforcement push, which also loops in the state Department of Corrections and the South Dakota National Guard, is part of a law enforcement undertaking dubbed “Operation Prairie Thunder.” It features periodic saturation patrols by state troopers, 14 of which have taken place in 11 cities across South Dakota since last July. Initial operations focused on Sioux Falls.

“Our partnership with ICE has delivered strong results, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the Trump Administration as we work to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said in the press release.

The governor’s office said 40 Highway Patrol troopers are participating in the program. That’s more than double the number trained in mid-May,

when Rhoden announced plans

to fold more troopers into the program.

The 204 trooper-assisted apprehensions of people who reportedly lacked legal status is a jump from May, when

the state said Highway Patrol

reported 150 arrests.

The Corrections Department, meanwhile, has paroled 25 people into ICE custody for deportation. Four more people incarcerated by the state were approved for release into federal custody by the parole board in June, Rhoden’s office said, and the board will consider four more cases in July.

Each person released from state custody saves the state an average of $34,000 per year, Rhoden’s office said.

Seven South Dakota National Guard soldiers have also remained deployed in Sioux Falls and Rapid City since the fall to help ICE process deportations. National Guard-assisted deportation processing starting in May 2025

rose from 664 through mid-May

to 807 as of Tuesday.

The state Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for the total number of people deported from South Dakota since the state began coordinating with ICE.

Some of the people whose ICE deportations were aided by the state National Guard may not have been living in South Dakota, Rhoden spokesperson Josie Harms told Searchlight, as they could’ve been apprehended while traveling through the state.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the total number of people deported from South Dakota since Trump took office.

— This story was originally published on southdakotasearchlight.com.

FARGO — Energy companies plan to build a 150-mile power line that stretches from northwest of Fargo into South Dakota.

Otter Tail Power Co. and Xcel Energy introduced on Monday, July 6, their Big Stone South to Hankinson (North Dakota) to Bison transmission line to the Cass County Commission. The 345-kilovolt line will run from the Bison Substation about 15 miles northwest of Fargo, or 5 miles north of Mapleton, North Dakota, to the Hankinson Substation to the Big Stone South Substation about 60 miles northeast of Watertown, South Dakota, said Craig Steingaard, senior transmission project developer at Otter Tail.

The line will be made of single-circuit, self-supporting monopoles between 120 and 160 feet tall, spanning 700 to 1,200 feet between each other, Steingaard said. The right-of-way is expected to be 150 feet, he said.

The companies are in the process of determining the final route and seeking permits for the project, Steingaard said. Construction is slated to begin in mid-2030, with operation beginning in late 2033.

Otter Tail and Xcel are studying a corridor west of Fargo and along Interstate 29, according to a slideshow presented by Steingaard. The line will go through Cass and Richland counties in North Dakota and Grant and Roberts counties in South Dakota, Steingaard said.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission and North Dakota Public Service Commission need to approve the projects. Otter Tail and Xcel also need to get building permits from the counties they cross.

The project is one of five high-priority projects in what is called the Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue, according to Otter Tail. The project seeks to “optimize interconnection” along the seam of the Southwest Power Pool and Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Otter Tail said.

SPP covers a region that includes north Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and parts of South Dakota and North Dakota. MISO also covers parts of North Dakota and covers much of the Midwest, including Minnesota and Iowa.

“It (the transmission line) helps relieve pressure on transmission lines that are currently overloaded,” Otter Tail spokeswoman Stephanie Hoff told The Forum. “Overall, it strengthens the electric system across the region, making it more reliable and better able to recover during emergencies or high-demand situations today and into the future.”

Xcel and Otter Tail have held open houses this year to gather input from the public. It also has reached out to landowners to assist in narrowing down the potential corridor, Steingaard said.

It’s unclear how much the project will cost or how many jobs it will create.

Otter Tail is also involved in a

160-mile power line

from near Fargo across the Red River into central Minnesota. That project is expected to begin in 2029 and could be operational in 2033, according to Otter Tail.

That line is in partnership with Great River Energy and Minnesota Power.