Jun. 26—STICKNEY, S.D. — It’s time for small-town summer festivities.

As summer gets in full swing, rural South Dakota comes alive with vibrant festivals. Many communities face challenges of maintaining their populations, but through these lively celebrations they aim to attract visitors and potential new residents. This weekend is a prime example of two small towns showing off to stay as relevant as possible.

The fourth annual “Leap to Lane” festival, set for Saturday in Lane, originated from the creative minds of three neighbors: Ed Gray, James Linn, and Loree Gaikowski. Their vision was to breathe new life into their tiny town, which boasts a population of just 51 residents.

Located 36 miles south of Lane, Stickney, is also home to its own community tradition — Donnie Days. The now three-day festival honors the legacy of the late resident Donnie Hoffman, who for nearly 20 years hosted a simple fireworks display as a way to preview the fireworks he sold out of his garage every summer.

What began as a simple idea to clean up and improve Lane has blossomed into a beloved local tradition. The event now serves as both a celebration of Lane’s spirit and a fundraiser for town improvements, featuring activities such as live music, a car show, and various competitions that draw visitors from the surrounding area.

“We decided that we needed to fix the direction the town was headed in,” Gray said. “We’ve had 40 years of deterioration and we don’t need to see it happen anymore.”

Leap to Lane is more than just a festival; it has evolved into a non-profit organization dedicated to the town’s improvement. The name “Leap to Lane” was inspired by an annual dance held in the old school from the late 1980s into the 1990s.

“The town does not have enough funds to do all this. So we cost share a lot of stuff with the city, with the town,” Gray said. “The improvements need to be done somehow.”

The organizers of this year’s festivities have made a significant change by focusing exclusively on local food vendors. In a departure from previous years, they have sourced meat locally, purchasing beef from Bob Hine, a farmer in the area and will be grilling hamburgers.

Adding to the local flavor, Sheriff Jason Weber will be contributing his culinary skills by smoking a whole hog for the event.

“Bringing in food trucks never seemed to work out well for us,” Gray said. “Involving local producers keeps it community-centered and boosts the local economy.”

A major draw that keeps attendees coming back year after year is the cornhole tournament. This competition consistently attracts 30 to 40 teams of enthusiastic participants, transforming it into a phenomenon of its own. The tournament’s popularity extends far beyond casual players, drawing a dedicated group of cornhole aficionados. Among the loyal participants is a notable contingent of 13 players who make an annual pilgrimage from Chamberlain to take part in the festivities.

The Fireman’s Challenge has helped attract attendees from nearby communities as well. Firefighters from Wessington Springs, Alpena, and Woonsocket use their water hoses to push a barrel back and forth on a cable running between two pieces of firefighting equipment.

The event’s organizers view the festival as more than just a day of fun; it’s a strategic effort to showcase Lane’s potential and attract interest in its future.

“Hopefully by enhancing the town’s appearance, it will help attract people,” Gray said. “Lane has a lot of history and a lot of memories for a lot of people. And I want to keep that going.”

Last year, Donnie Days expanded into an even bigger celebration, with a wide variety of new attractions and events held, growing from its initial one-day fireworks display-only event.

The festival now features live music and entertainment, classic car and antique tractor shows, a 5k run, and both softball, volleyball and bean bag tournaments. Attendees can also enjoy a pancake feed and even a rodeo performance.

The goal of an expanded festival was to help raise money alongside the city, who is in the process of repairing and upgrading the city pool.

“The city unfortunately doesn’t have the kind of funds needed to get the pool fixed,” said Donnie Days organizer Andy Hoffman. “We’re talking roughly a quarter of a million dollars.”

Hoffman, along with other concerned citizens of Stickney, formed a community foundation dedicated to improving the town. The foundation’s primary goal is to enhance the community. Following last year’s celebration, the foundation was able to present $25,000 to the city for the pool project. Once the pool is completed, which is expected to take another 2-3 years, the group plans to utilize funds raised from Donnie Days to support future projects that arise.

“We just want to ensure the continued betterment of Stickney,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman estimates that each day of the event attracted approximately 500 visitors to town last year. With a population of only 320, Hoffman definitely feels the event was successful in drawing positive attention to the town.

“We need to show people that we have something else to offer — that we are a small town and we have that small town feel, we support each other and are friendly,” Hoffman said. “We have to expose our town.”

One way the event is fostering a sense of community and support this year is by honoring the memory of 5-year-old Brey Van Gorp, who died in a farm accident this spring. The celebration kicks off on Thursday night with an outdoor movie screening of Sing 2, Van Gorp’s favorite film.Gray and Hoffman are content with their towns remaining small and not growing as large as Mitchell or Sioux Falls, but they also don’t want to see their communities decline and disappear.

“You need a forward progression of growth,” Hoffman said. “If you’re not getting bigger, you’re getting smaller.”