What's happening in Brookings, South Dakota.https://brookingsview.com/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-64367/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-64367/Teen Graphic Novel Club meets September 23 at the library, discussing "Delicious in Dungeon" by Ryoko Kui. Registrants receive a free copy of the book.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:58:05 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-64366/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-64366/Brookings Public Library's Teen Book Club meets September 23 from 3 to 4 p.m. to discuss "Under the Same Stars" by Libba Bray. Registrants receive a free copy of the book. Sign up through the library's event page linked with this listing.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:16:30 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-4088/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-4088/The Brookings Regional Growth Alliance hosts a New Resident BBQ on Tuesday, September 15, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Hillcrest Park. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the event moves indoors to Hillcrest Elementary School, 304 15th Avenue. At least four City Council members may attend, but no official city business will be conducted there. It's a chance for newer residents to get acquainted with the area.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:16:21 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-3160/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-3160/Fall Music Makers, a rhythm-and-movement class for caregivers and their children ages 5 and under, meets at Brookings Public Library starting September 14 from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. It's a multi-week class, and a music kit will be checked out to participants at the first session for use throughout the series.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:27:23 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-72/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-72/A team puzzle competition takes place at the library on the evening of September 10. Teams of four or fewer compete to see who can finish their puzzle fastest while enjoying pie, with a prize going to the winning team. Registration opens September 3, and each team only needs to sign up once.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:57 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-70/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-70/A Book Nook Tins craft class runs September 8 at the library, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Participants create a small bookshelf nook contained in a tin. The class is for ages 13 and up. Those who have already taken this craft session are asked not to register again.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:52 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-65/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-65/A life-size version of the classic Oregon Trail game comes to the library on September 2. Teams of 6 or fewer can register starting August 24; it's open to families and adults, though children 12 and under need to be accompanied by an adult.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:45 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1313/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1313/Downtown at Sundown happens Thursday, August 27, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Main Avenue in Downtown Brookings. At least four City Council members may attend, but the city notes no official council business will be acted on there — it's simply a public notice of quorum. Residents heading downtown that evening may see several council members out and about at the event.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:48:56 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-57/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-57/Brookings Public Library's Spice Club continues on August 24, featuring Herbes de Provence and a recipe for Oven Ratatouille with Eggs. Kits are available at the library while supplies last. It's a way to try a new seasoning blend without buying a full jar.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:31 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-2428/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-2428/A quorum notice has been issued for August 21: at least four Brookings City Council members may be present at the Meet State 2026 event, held from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at South Dakota State University. No official city business will be acted upon at the event. The notice is being posted to comply with state open-meetings law given the possible overlap of council members.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:58:22 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-56/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-56/A hands-on class on water bath canning takes place August 20 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the library, with participants making their own salsa to practice the technique. The session is open to ages 18 and up. Registration details are available through the library's event listing.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:29 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1314/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1314/Downtown at Sundown happens Thursday, August 20, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Main Avenue in Downtown Brookings. At least four City Council members may attend, but the city notes this is a notice of quorum only — no official city business will be acted upon at the event. Residents heading downtown that evening may simply see council members among the crowd.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:48:59 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-55/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-55/Brookings Public Library's Teen Graphic Novel Club meets August 19 at 6 p.m. This month's pick is "Shangri-La Frontier" by Ryosuke Fuji, and registrants receive a free copy of the book. Registration is available through the library's event page.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:25 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-54/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-54/Brookings Public Library hosts Teen Book Club on August 19 from 5 to 6 p.m., discussing "Stalking Jack the Ripper" by Kerri Maniscalco. Registrants receive a free copy of the book.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:21 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-52/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-52/A felt pennant craft class for ages 13 and up runs August 17 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the library. Participants can personalize their own felt pennant. Registration details are available through the library's event listing.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:18 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-51/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-51/Tween the Pages Book Club meets August 13 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at the library, with this session (Group 2) reading "What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon" by Henry Clark. It's for kids going into grades 4 and 5, and includes a copy of the book plus pizza while the group discusses it. The library offers two sessions each month for the same book, so sign up for just one date. Copies can be picked up at the circulation desk ahead of time.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:14 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1315/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1315/Downtown at Sundown runs Thursday, August 13, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Main Avenue in Downtown Brookings. At least four City Council members may attend, but the city notes no official council business will be conducted there — it's simply a quorum notice tied to the event. Residents heading downtown that evening may see council members among the crowd.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:49:01 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-63268/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-63268/A grilled cheese cooking session for teens, "Teens in the Kitchen," happens August 11 at the library. Registration opens August 4. The event teaches how to upgrade a basic grilled cheese sandwich.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:19:48 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-49/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-49/A beaded plant craft class happens August 10 at the library, running from 6:00 PM. Participants make a plant using beads. The class is for ages 13 and up, and the library asks that those who have already taken this craft not register again.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:09 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-63265/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-63265/Teen Snack Club opens for sign-ups on August 3, with bags of international snacks and goodies available for pickup starting August 10 at the library. Registration is required before picking up a bag. Details and sign-up are available through the library's event page.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:19:46 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-1503/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-1503/A Postage Stamp Magnet Workshop at the Library runs August 8 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Participants paint and assemble a set of magnets cut on the Library's laser printer. The workshop is for ages 13 and up, and registration opens August 3 on the Library's website or at bit.ly/regbpl.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 22:40:35 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-48/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-48/Tween the Pages Book Club meets August 6 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at the library, for kids going into grades 4 and 5. This month's title is "What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon" by Henry Clark, and participants get a copy of the book, pizza, and a group discussion. Books can be picked up ahead of time at the library's circulation desk. This session is one of two offered for the same book each month, so sign up for just one date.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:05 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1316/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1316/Downtown at Sundown runs Thursday, August 6, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Main Avenue in Downtown Brookings. At least four City Council members may attend, but the city notes this is not an official meeting and no city business will be acted on. It's simply a heads-up in case you spot a majority of the council out enjoying the evening downtown along with everyone else.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:49:05 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-4094/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-4094/A number of Brookings City Council members may turn up at the 2026 Brookings County 4-H Achievement Day BBQ on Thursday, August 6, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dacotah Bank Center, 824 32nd Avenue. City officials note that even if enough members attend to form a quorum, no official city business will be discussed or acted on — this is just a public notice required by state law. Residents attending the BBQ may simply see some familiar faces from the council in the crowd.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:16:24 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-62195/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-62195/Teen Boba & Origami takes place at Brookings Public Library on August 4 from 6 to 7 p.m. Attendees can sip bubble tea while learning the art of origami. The event is free and open to teens.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:09:27 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-2842/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-2842/The Brookings County Planning & Zoning Commission meets August 4 at 8 p.m., sitting as the Board of Adjustment to review four requests tied to the same property in Lake Hendricks Township. An applicant is seeking a conditional use permit (case 2026cu008) for an accessory building exceeding the district's size limits, plus three variance requests (2026var010, 2026var011, 2026var012) related to lot density, area, and yard rules in the Lake-Park District, including one after-the-fact variance. One of the properties is located at 106 N Lake Hendricks Drive, Hendricks, MN. Variance requests need approval from two-thirds of the full board, while conditional use requests need a majority of members present.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 21:58:00 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-47/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-47/A Barn Quilt Canvas Class runs August 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Brookings library. Participants design and paint their own geometric "barn quilt," with all materials provided. The class is open to ages 13 and up.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:04:01 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-4042/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-4042/The Brookings County Commission meets in a special session on July 30 at 8:30 a.m., with two main items on the agenda. Commissioners will consider Resolution #26-29, which would approve a construction and operating permit for a solid waste facility in Brookings County. They'll also canvass the results of the July 28 gubernatorial run-off election and vote on whether to approve those results. Also on the county calendar: Brookings County 4-H Achievement Days runs August 3-6 at the Dacotah Bank Center, and National Night Out takes place August 4 from 5-8 p.m. on Kasan Avenue in Volga.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:09:24 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-2320/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-2320/The Brookings City Council meets July 30 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. On the agenda: a public hearing on Resolution 26-041, a resolution of intent to lease city real property to RTI, LLC, and a second reading of Ordinance 26-022 authorizing Budget Amendment No. 5 to the 2026 budget. Council will also hold a public hearing on Resolution 26-043 to annex Outlot F and Outlot G near Section 20, Township 110 North, Range 49 West in Brookings County. Two zoning-related ordinances get first readings, with public hearings set for August 11: one covers a conditional use permit for off-street parking at 816 and 820 9th Avenue, the other rezones several lots in the Third Addition from Business B-4 to Business B-2. The meeting also includes a report on the 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and Audit Summary, and a proclamation for Americans with Disabilities Act Day.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:11:13 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1317/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1317/Downtown at Sundown happens Thursday, July 30, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Main Avenue in Downtown Brookings. At least four City Council members may attend, but the city notes no official council business will be conducted there. The gathering is separate from regular city council meetings.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:49:06 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-46/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-46/A screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark pairs with a brick-building project on July 28 at the Brookings Public Library, running 5:30-7:30 p.m. Popcorn is provided, and registration gets attendees a building kit to assemble while they watch. Kids 5 and under will receive coloring sheets instead of a kit. Those who'd rather bring their own project or simply watch the film can attend without registering.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:57 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/editorial-2026-07-28/https://brookingsview.com/s/editorial-2026-07-28/Brookings has a transparency problem, but not the kind anyone wants to hear about. The city isn't hiding anything. If anything, it's disclosing too much, too often, in language so repetitive that it risks teaching residents to stop reading the very notices meant to keep them informed. Look at the summer calendar. A quorum notice for the 4-H Achievement Day BBQ on August 6. Another for the New Resident BBQ on September 15. Three separate notices for Downtown at Sundown, on July 30, August 6, and August 13. A fourth for Meet State at SDSU on August 21. Each one says essentially the same thing: several council members might show up, a quorum might technically form, but no city business will be discussed or acted upon. This is boilerplate required by state open-meetings law, and the city is right to file it. But six near-identical notices in six weeks, all announcing that nothing will happen, train residents to read “quorum notice” as a synonym for “ignore this.” That's a problem, because not every notice this summer says nothing will happen. On July 30, the same night as a Downtown at Sundown quorum notice, the actual City Council met and took up real business: a public hearing on leasing city property to RTI, LLC, a second reading on a budget amendment, and a hearing to annex two outlots into city limits. These are the kinds of decisions that shape how land gets used and who profits from it. They deserve scrutiny. But they were surrounded, that same week, by a cloud of routine notices about barbecues and street festivals, all using the same civic language, the same format, the same “no business will be conducted” reassurance. A resident skimming the public notices could be forgiven for lumping them all together and moving on. This is not an argument against the law. Open-meetings statutes exist because quorums have a way of becoming informal decision-making sessions if nobody's watching, and South Dakota is right to require disclosure whenever enough council members might be in the same place at the same time. The problem isn't the law. It's that the city is applying the letter of the requirement without much thought to how the requirement is communicated, and the result is a kind of notice fatigue that works against the law's purpose. Some will say this is a minor gripe, that residents who care about local governance will read the agendas regardless of how many BBQ notices clutter the calendar. Maybe. But most people don't parse city communications for a living. They skim headlines, and if six headlines in a row say “nothing to see here,” the seventh gets the same treatment by default, even if it's the one about an actual land deal. There's a simple fix, and it doesn't require changing any law. The city could distinguish, in format and framing, between notices tied to substantive meetings and notices tied to purely social gatherings. A single seasonal notice, filed once, could cover all the summer's Downtown at Sundown dates and community BBQs where council presence is expected but no action is planned. That would satisfy the legal requirement without repeating the same non-event announcement five or six times across a summer. It would also free up attention, both the city's and the public's, for the notices that actually matter: hearings on annexation, leases, rezoning, budget amendments. Transparency isn't just about filing the right paperwork. It's about making sure people can tell the difference between a barbecue and a decision. Right now, Brookings is technically compliant and functionally noisy, and noise is its own kind of obscurity. If the city wants residents to keep paying attention when it counts, it needs to stop asking them to pay the same attention to everything.Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:12:20 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/culture_essay-2026-07-27/https://brookingsview.com/s/culture_essay-2026-07-27/Five times this summer, the City of Brookings has published a notice to inform residents that members of the City Council might be spotted having a good time. Not at a hearing. Not in Council Chambers. On Main Avenue, at Downtown at Sundown, the weekly summer gathering of food trucks, live music and lawn chairs that has nothing whatsoever to do with municipal government. July 30. August 6. August 13. August 20. August 27. Each notice says essentially the same thing: at least four council members may attend, no city business will be conducted, this is simply a heads-up in case you see a majority of the council enjoying the evening downtown along with everyone else. A sixth notice, for August 21, extends the same courtesy to a gathering at SDSU's Meet State event. It would be easy to read these as administrative debris, the kind of thing a city clerk generates to keep the lawyers satisfied and that no one actually reads. That would be a mistake. Taken together, the sundown notices are one of the more revealing documents Brookings has produced this year about what it actually means to govern, and be governed, in a town this size. South Dakota's open-meetings law exists to prevent exactly the kind of thing these notices are announcing: a quorum of elected officials discussing public business outside the public's view. The law doesn't care whether the setting is a boardroom or a beer garden. If four of the nine council members are standing near each other with a hot dog in hand, the law wants a paper trail, just in case. That is sound legal reasoning, and no one should want it weakened. But apply it to a town of roughly 24,000 people, where the mayor buys groceries at the same store as half the electorate and the council members' kids play on the same summer league teams, and something almost comic happens: transparency law starts requiring the city to formally document the ordinary physics of small-town life, which is that everyone keeps running into everyone else. Compare this to the council's actual business this stretch. On July 30, the same body that needs a quorum notice to attend a street festival held public hearings on leasing city property to RTI, LLC, on annexing two outlots into the city, and on a budget amendment, plus a first reading on rezoning land in the Third Addition from B-4 to B-2. These are the decisions that shape what Brookings looks like in five years, and they happened in a chamber, on the record, broadcast on the Government Channel, exactly as the law intends. The sundown notices are the negative image of that process: proof that the same officials also exist as private citizens who like brisket and cover bands, and that the law, in its caution, cannot quite tell the two modes apart from a distance. There's a useful way to think about this split, borrowed loosely from the old distinction between the public square and the agora, the place of deliberation and the place of appearance. Hannah Arendt argued that a genuine public life requires citizens to show themselves to one another, not just to vote on things in private. Brookings, almost by accident, has built a civic calendar that stages both halves of that equation on the same street. Main Avenue on a Thursday evening in summer is where the council appears as neighbors; the Government Center three blocks away is where they act as officials. The quorum notice is the seam between the two, made visible only because the law insists on stitching it shut in advance. There's also something worth noticing about scale. A city the size of Sioux Falls would never need to issue this kind of notice, because a quorum of its council could vanish into a crowd of any size without anyone clocking it. Brookings can't do that. Four council members at a food-truck rally are a statistically significant fraction of the whole. The town is small enough that its officials cannot disappear into anonymity even when they try to, and that, rather than being an inconvenience, is close to the definition of a functioning small democracy. You know who represents you because you might stand next to them in line for a taco. The sundown notices will keep coming through August, dutifully filed, almost certainly unread by most of the people they're written for. But they are quietly doing something more interesting than covering the city's legal bases. They're recording, week by week, a town too small to let its government and its social life fully separate, and choosing, sensibly, to write that fact down rather than pretend otherwise.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:40:03 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/weekly-2026-w31/https://brookingsview.com/s/weekly-2026-w31/This week brings a full slate of public business, plus a runoff election result and a downtown gathering. The Brookings County Commission meets Thursday, July 30, at 8:30 a.m., with two items that carry real weight for residents. The commission is set to act on Resolution #26-29, which would approve a construction and operating permit for a solid waste facility in Brookings County. Letters from Dakota Recycling and the City of Volga are part of the record on that item. The same meeting includes the canvass of the July 28 gubernatorial run-off election, where the commission will review and act on the official results. The City Council has two meetings this week. On Monday, July 27, the council's agenda is largely procedural, including a report from the SDSU Student Association, with no major action items listed. On Thursday, July 30, the council takes up more substantive business: a public hearing on Resolution 26-041, a resolution of intent to lease city-owned real property to RTI, LLC, and the second reading of Ordinance 26-022, which would authorize Budget Amendment No. 5 to the 2026 city budget. The council will also hear an informational report on the 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and audit summary. Separately, the city has given notice that at least four council members may be present at Thursday evening's Downtown at Sundown event on Main Avenue — a quorum notice only, since no official city business will be conducted there. Looking a bit further ahead, the commission's posted notices flag several dates worth knowing: Brookings County 4-H Achievement Days run August 3–6 at the Dacotah Bank Center, National Night Out happens August 4 on Kasan Avenue in Volga from 5 to 8 p.m., and city offices will close September 7 for Labor Day. On the lighter side, the library's Bricks and Flicks series screens "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on Tuesday, July 28, at 10:30 p.m., paired with a small brick-building project. Registration is required for anyone who wants a building kit; kids five and under will get coloring sheets instead. Those who just want to watch the movie or bring their own project can attend without registering. For residents who want to weigh in, the solid waste facility permit and the gubernatorial run-off canvass are both on the commission's Thursday morning agenda at 8:30 a.m., open for public comment ahead of any vote. The council's Thursday evening public hearing on the RTI, LLC lease is also open for comment before the council acts. And if you're downtown Thursday evening for Downtown at Sundown, you may see several council members among the crowd — just not conducting city business.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:51:23 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-3989/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-3989/The Brookings City Council meets July 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The agenda includes approval of meeting minutes and a report from the SDSU Student Association, with no public hearings or ordinance items listed. Residents can speak during Open Forum, with public comment limited to three minutes per person, or submit comments in advance by email to the City Clerk. The meeting will be broadcast live and rebroadcast on the Government Channel throughout the week.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:33:36 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-45/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-45/Spice Club meets July 27 at the library to make a Lavender Peach Gallette, this month's featured spice being lavender. Details and registration are available through the library's event listing. The session runs as part of the library's ongoing Spice Club series.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:54 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/culture_essay-2026-07-26/https://brookingsview.com/s/culture_essay-2026-07-26/Between now and the end of August, Brookings City Hall will issue six separate public notices warning that a majority of the City Council might be in the same place at the same time. Five of those notices concern Downtown at Sundown, the Thursday evening concert series on Main Avenue. The sixth concerns Meet State, the annual welcome event for South Dakota State University students. In every case the notice says the same thing: at least four council members may attend, no city business will be conducted, this is not a meeting. It is simply, as the language goes, a heads-up. Read once, this is bureaucratic housekeeping, the kind of thing that exists because South Dakota's open meetings law defines a quorum by proximity rather than intent. Read six times over six weeks, it starts to look like something else: a town narrating its own transparency so insistently that the notice becomes more visible than the substance it's meant to safeguard. Consider what else happened on the council's actual agenda during this same stretch. On July 30, the council held a public hearing on leasing city property to a private company, RTI, LLC. It passed the second reading of a budget amendment altering the 2026 city budget. It voted to annex two outlots into city limits, extending Brookings's boundary a little further into the county. It reviewed the 2025 financial audit. These are the decisions that shape what the city taxes, owns, and controls going forward. None of them generated a repeated public notice. None of them recurred weekly across the tenure of a whole summer. They happened once, in the standard Thursday-evening format, filed alongside a proclamation for ADA Day and a first reading on rezoning near Third Addition. The quorum notices, by contrast, are relentless. Every single Thursday in August, without variation in language, the city reminds residents that council members might be standing near a beer garden. The repetition is not evidence of any particular event's importance. It is evidence of a legal reflex: once a councilmember's attendance at a public gathering becomes routine, the notice must become routine too, regardless of whether anything is actually at stake. There is a version of this story that is purely comic, a small-town parody of sunshine law where the most heavily documented civic activity of the season is elected officials listening to music. But there's a more serious point underneath it, one that matters for how residents relate to their own government. Open meetings statutes were written to prevent quiet, coordinated decision-making outside the public record, the classic fear being officials working out a deal over coffee before ratifying it later in front of cameras. That fear is legitimate. But the law, applied literally to a city the size of Brookings, cannot distinguish between four council members conspiring in a back room and four council members standing twenty feet apart from each other at a street fair, one buying a bratwurst, another watching a cover band. The statute has no mechanism for scale. It treats a town of thirty-five thousand the way it would treat a much larger municipality where council members genuinely might not otherwise cross paths, where any gathering of four is more likely evidence of intention than coincidence. In a place like Brookings, the opposite is closer to the truth. Council members turning up downtown on a Thursday night isn't a suspicious convergence, it is what living in a small city looks like. They are there for the same reason everyone else is: because Main Avenue on a summer evening is one of the few places the whole town actually shows up. The notice, technically accurate, misrepresents the nature of the event it's attached to. It frames an ordinary act of civic presence, elected officials being residents among residents, as something requiring legal disclosure. None of this means the notices should stop. The law is the law, and erring toward disclosure is safer than erring away from it. But it's worth naming what the accumulation of these notices actually communicates to a reader scanning the city's public calendar: that compliance can be performed so thoroughly it becomes its own kind of noise, one that risks drowning out the parts of governance that actually deserve scrutiny. A resident who wants to know what the city intends to do with a leased outlot, or how a fifth budget amendment changes municipal spending, has to sort past a stack of nearly identical notices about a concert series to find it. Transparency, taken to its logical extreme, doesn't always illuminate. Sometimes it just repeats itself until the outline of what matters gets harder to see. Brookings isn't unique in this, but it is small enough that the pattern shows plainly: the loudest notice on the books this August isn't about a lease or an annexation. It's about the possibility that the council might, like everyone else in town, enjoy a Thursday night out.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:27:19 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/alert-45077/https://brookingsview.com/s/alert-45077/An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect for Brookings County until 9 PM CDT tonight, July 26, with heat index values expected to peak between 105 and 115 degrees. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls says heat-related illness risk rises sharply in these conditions, especially for anyone working or spending time outdoors. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in air conditioning when possible, and check on relatives and neighbors. Never leave children or pets in a parked car, and limit strenuous outdoor activity to early morning or evening.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 14:58:16 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/alert-23435/https://brookingsview.com/s/alert-23435/A Heat Advisory covers Brookings from noon Saturday, July 25, until 8 PM Sunday, July 26, with heat index values expected up to 102. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls warns that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illness, and that car interiors can reach dangerous temperatures within minutes, so don't leave kids or pets in vehicles. Stay hydrated, limit strenuous outdoor activity to early morning or evening, and check on relatives and neighbors during the advisory.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 18:13:12 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/alert-39752/https://brookingsview.com/s/alert-39752/A severe thunderstorm watch (number 513) is in effect for Brookings County until 11 p.m. CDT this evening, July 25. Residents can monitor conditions through the Brookings County Alert Center. Watches mean conditions are favorable for severe storms to develop, so it's worth staying weather-aware through the evening.Sat, 25 Jul 2026 21:45:28 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/kvick_essa-2026-07-25/https://brookingsview.com/s/kvick_essa-2026-07-25/There is a particular genre of civic prose that Brookings has, this summer, elevated nearly to art form: the quorum notice that insists, with the gentle firmness of a librarian shushing a toddler, that nothing is happening here. Four City Council members might be at Meet State on August 21. They might be at Downtown at Sundown on July 30, and again August 6, and 13, and 20, and 27, in a kind of civic residency. And each time, the notice arrives like a chaperone at a dance: yes, they'll be in the room, but no, nothing official will occur. No motions. No votes. Just elected officials, standing near each other, enjoying a bratwurst. One appreciates the diligence. South Dakota's open meetings law is not interested in vibes; it cares about bodies in space, and if four-sevenths of the council happens to cluster near the same funnel cake stand, the state wants a paper trail proving that clustering isn't legislating. Fair enough. Democracy has been undone by cozier things than a shared appetite for sweet corn. But there is something wonderfully absurd about a town so orderly that it must formally announce, in writing, that its leaders are allowed to have a nice evening without accidentally rezoning anything. Imagine explaining this to a visitor. “Are they meeting?” No. “Are they doing city business?” No. “Will they be in the same three-block radius on Main Avenue, holding lemonade?” Yes, six Thursdays running. It reads like a fugitive being tailed by his own alibi. The council isn't hiding; it's pre-confessing. And yet the joke, once you sit with it, has a spine. These notices are the small print of self-government, the unglamorous scaffolding that keeps public trust from getting wobbly. It would be easy, elsewhere, for four officials to “run into each other” at a bar and quietly settle next year's budget between rounds. Brookings instead requires that any such gathering be flagged in advance, like a controlled burn. The result is faintly comic, sure, a summer calendar dotted with disclaimers about the absence of business, but comedy here is doing the work of transparency. The notice is boring on purpose. Boring, in municipal governance, is usually a compliment. Meanwhile, actual business does grind forward, at actual meetings, with actual votes. On July 30 the council will hold hearings on leasing city land to an outfit called RTI, LLC, and on annexing a couple of outlots that sound like a very small nation seeking UN recognition. There will be budget amendments, zoning first readings, an audit report, and a proclamation for ADA Day. This is the unphotogenic marrow of local government, the stuff that never gets a quorum notice because it's the whole point of the meeting rather than an accidental side effect of a summer stroll. Nobody writes a wistful little paragraph about Resolution 26-041. But it's Resolution 26-041, not the funnel cake, that decides who leases what land and where the sidewalk ends. Out in Lake Hendricks Township, the Planning and Zoning Commission is wrestling with a rather more concentrated drama: one property, four separate requests, including an accessory building larger than the rules allow and a variance filed after the shed, evidently, was already standing. There's a certain folk-tale quality to the after-the-fact variance, the zoning equivalent of asking forgiveness rather than permission, then discovering the county keeps a very detailed ledger of forgiveness requests. Two-thirds of the board must approve the variances; a simple majority will do for the conditional use permit. Somewhere in Lake Hendricks Township, an accessory building is currently living what lawyers call an “unresolved legal status,” which is a fancy way of saying the shed doesn't know yet if it's allowed to exist. Set the two storylines side by side and Brookings' civic character comes into focus rather nicely. It is a place that will tolerate a shed built first and justified later, but will not tolerate four council members standing near lemonade without a disclaimer. That is not hypocrisy so much as proportion: the shed affects one lot; the council affects everyone. The paperwork scales to the stakes. So when Thursday rolls around and Main Avenue fills with music and popcorn smell and, yes, probably a majority-adjacent cluster of your elected representatives, go ahead and enjoy it exactly as intended: as a street party, not a session. The notice has already done the worrying for you. That's rather the point of good government, come to think of it. It should be so quietly competent that the most exciting thing on the agenda is the weather, and the biggest scandal in town is a shed that filed its paperwork late.Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:39:12 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/alert-25598/https://brookingsview.com/s/alert-25598/A Heat Advisory is in effect for Brookings County from noon Saturday, July 25, through 8:00 PM Sunday, July 26. Combined heat and humidity are expected to reach levels that can be hard on the body, especially outdoors. Residents are advised to stay hydrated, limit prolonged time outside, and check on neighbors who may be vulnerable to heat. Updates are posted on the county's Alert Center.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 21:58:03 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/vetenskap_kronika-2026-07-24/https://brookingsview.com/s/vetenskap_kronika-2026-07-24/On Friday, July 17, the National Weather Service posted a Heat Advisory for Brookings County, warning that the heat index would climb to 100 between 1 and 9 p.m. If you checked a thermometer that afternoon, though, you might not have seen triple digits at all. The actual air temperature that day was likely somewhere in the upper 80s or low 90s. So where did the 100 come from? That gap between what a thermometer says and what a body feels is the whole point of the heat index, sometimes called the “feels like” temperature. It is not a measurement in the way degrees Fahrenheit is a measurement. It is a calculation, one that tries to capture something thermometers cannot: how humidity interferes with the body's main cooling system. Here is the mechanism. When it is hot, the body sweats, and as that sweat evaporates off the skin, it carries heat away. This is basic physics, the same principle that cools a glass of water wrapped in a wet towel. Evaporation is what does the work. But evaporation depends on the air's capacity to absorb more moisture. Dry air is thirsty, so sweat evaporates fast and cools efficiently. Humid air is already saturated, so sweat lingers on the skin, doing little. The heat index tries to translate that reduced cooling efficiency back into a temperature number, essentially answering the question: if the air were dry, how hot would it have to be to feel this oppressive? The formula behind it traces back to work by physicist Robert Steadman in 1979, who modeled a hypothetical person, roughly 5-foot-7, 147 pounds, walking outdoors in the shade, and calculated how various combinations of temperature and humidity would affect that person's perceived heat load. The National Weather Service still uses a regression equation built on Steadman's model today, an approximation refined over decades but still, at its core, an estimate rather than a physical constant like temperature itself. That is worth sitting with for a second. A heat index of 100 is a modeled judgment, not a direct reading. Two locations at the identical air temperature can carry very different heat index values depending purely on moisture in the air. This is why South Dakota summers can feel deceptively brutal even when the mercury seems unremarkable. A humid air mass moving up from the Gulf, common in mid-July, can push the heat index well above the actual temperature, sometimes by ten or fifteen degrees, even though nothing about the sun's intensity has changed. It also explains why the advisory had a defined window, 1 to 9 p.m., rather than covering the whole day. Heat index calculations shift constantly as both temperature and humidity move throughout the day. Peak heat typically overlaps with peak humidity in the mid to late afternoon, which is why warnings cluster there rather than at dawn. There is a broader, more tentative thread here too. Climate researchers have been tracking whether heat index events, as opposed to raw temperature extremes, are becoming more frequent across the Midwest. Warmer air holds more moisture, a straightforward property of physics, which some scientists argue could make humid heat spikes more common even in years when peak temperatures themselves are not record breaking. This remains an active and evolving area of research, not a settled conclusion, and any single advisory like the one Brookings saw in July says nothing on its own about long term trends. One hot, humid afternoon is weather. Patterns across decades are climate, and untangling the two takes careful, ongoing analysis. What the heat index does offer, reliably, is a translation service between raw meteorological data and lived experience. It is the National Weather Service's attempt to answer a very human question with a number: not just how hot is it, but how hard is your body having to work right now. The next time an advisory mentions a heat index well above the actual air temperature, that gap is not exaggeration. It is humidity, quietly making the case that not all heat is created equal.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:49:18 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/vardagsmiddag-2026-07-23/https://brookingsview.com/s/vardagsmiddag-2026-07-23/Green beans are hitting their peak right now across eastern South Dakota, and if you've got a garden or a CSA box overflowing with them, this is the dinner that uses up a real pile at once. It's a one-skillet meal, done in under 40 minutes, and it doesn't ask you to run to three different grocery aisles. Smoked sausage, potatoes, and green beans is a combination that's been feeding farm families around here for generations, and there's a reason it stuck around. This version leans on a hot skillet and a lid, so the potatoes actually cook through instead of staying crunchy while the beans turn to mush. Feel free to swap the kielbasa for smoked bratwurst or even leftover ham if that's what's in the fridge. Serves 4 Ingredients: - 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces - 1 pound smoked kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced into 1⁄2-inch coins - 1 pound baby red or yellow potatoes, cut into 3⁄4-inch chunks - 1 medium yellow onion, diced - 3 cloves garlic, minced - 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided - 2 tablespoons butter - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika - 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste - 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper - 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Instructions: 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage to a plate. 2. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to get some color on them, then stir and cook another 3 minutes. 3. Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, until it starts to soften. 4. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender. 5. Add the green beans and garlic on top of the potatoes. Cover again and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the beans are tender-crisp, not mushy. 6. Return the sausage to the skillet. Add the butter and red pepper flakes if using. Stir everything together and cook uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked down and everything is glazed and coated. 7. Remove from heat, stir in the apple cider vinegar, and taste for salt. Serve straight from the skillet. This holds up fine as leftovers for lunch the next day, and it reheats well in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen things back up.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:06:21 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1203/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1203/The Dacotah Bank Center Advisory Board meets July 23 at 12:00 PM. The agenda covers an events and operations review, a financial report, and strategic updates for the venue. Meeting materials are available through the city's Legistar site, and assisted listening systems can be requested ahead of time by calling (605) 692-6281.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:04:16 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-209/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-209/The Brookings Disability Awareness Committee meets July 23 at noon in the Community Room at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St. The agenda includes discussion of access issues around voting in Brookings and temporary parking for events, plus work on an ADA Proclamation set for July 30. The committee also plans to discuss a social media campaign and business stickers recognizing accessibility. The next meeting is scheduled for August 27 at noon. Those needing an assisted listening device or other accommodations can contact the City ADA Coordinator at (605) 692-6281 at least three working days ahead.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:39 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1202/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-1202/The Brookings Public Arts Commission meets July 23 at 12:00 PM in Room 202 of the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St. Enough members may be present to form a quorum, but the meeting is a kickoff for rubric planning, with no formal action or votes taken. Residents needing assisted listening systems or other accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act can request them by contacting the city at (605) 692-6281 at least three working days ahead.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:04:13 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-43/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-43/The Teen Graphic Novel Club meets July 22 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the library. This month's read is "Divine Incursions" by Kouya Ashitaka, and registrants receive a free copy of the book.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:43 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-42/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-42/Teen Book Club meets July 22, 5–6 p.m. at the library to discuss "Lovely War" by Julie Berry. Registrants receive a free copy of the book. More details and registration are available at the library's LibCal event page.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:40 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/media_recension-2026-07-22/https://brookingsview.com/s/media_recension-2026-07-22/Christopher Nolan has never been shy about scale, but The Odyssey finds him working at a size that even Oppenheimer and Dunkirk didn't quite prepare audiences for. This is a three-hour epic shot largely on IMAX film stock, built around practical sets, real oceans, and a cast of actors who look genuinely exhausted by the elements Nolan threw at them. That exhaustion, as it turns out, is the film's greatest special effect. Matt Damon plays Odysseus as a man who has stopped believing his own war stories even as he tells them, and it's the smartest choice in the movie. There's none of the swaggering hero-king posture you might expect from a studio epic. Damon plays him gray, hollowed out, quick to anger in ways that feel earned rather than dramatic. Anne Hathaway, as Penelope, gets less screen time than the marketing suggests, but she makes every scene count, particularly a long dialogue sequence midway through the film that plays almost like a stage play, all long takes and unbroken tension. The rest of the ensemble is where Nolan's ambitions occasionally outrun his script. Tom Holland and Zendaya bring real chemistry to a subplot that deserves its own movie, while Robert Pattinson, cast against type in a role that trades on his gift for controlled menace, nearly steals the film outright in his limited scenes. Lupita Nyong'o and Charlize Theron, playing figures out of Greek myth rendered here with more restraint than spectacle, are given striking introductions that Nolan then doesn't quite know what to do with. Samantha Morton's role is small but haunting, the kind of performance that lingers after the lights come up even though it barely occupies ten minutes of runtime. Visually, this is Nolan at his most disciplined and most indulgent simultaneously. The ocean sequences, shot for real rather than composited, have a tactile menace that no digital ocean has managed in years. But Nolan's signature nonlinear structure, so effective in Memento and Dunkirk, works against Homer's story here. The Odyssey is fundamentally about a journey home, a line pulled taut by distance and longing. Chopping that line into fragmented flashbacks dilutes the very tension the poem is built on. Audiences unfamiliar with the source material may find themselves reconstructing the plot rather than feeling it. The score, dense and percussive, pushes hard in moments that might have benefited from silence. Nolan has always trusted sound to do emotional work that his images and editing leave unfinished, and that habit resurfaces here more than in his last few films. What ultimately saves The Odyssey is Nolan's refusal to modernize the myth into easy commentary. There's no wink at the camera, no contemporary political gloss layered over Homer. It trusts its audience to sit with an ancient story about grief, patience, and the cost of survival, told at a scale few directors would attempt and even fewer could pull off with this much craft. This isn't Nolan's tightest film, and it isn't his most emotionally direct. But it's a serious, handsomely made attempt at translating one of the oldest stories in Western literature into blockbuster terms, and it mostly succeeds on the strength of its cast and its images rather than its structure. Worth seeing on the biggest screen available this week, and worth a little patience with a story that takes its sweet time getting home.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:27:32 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/culture_essay-2026-07-20/https://brookingsview.com/s/culture_essay-2026-07-20/Five times this summer, the city of Brookings has issued nearly the same sentence: Downtown at Sundown runs Thursday evening on Main Avenue, at least four City Council members may attend, and no official business will be conducted. July 30. August 6. August 13. August 20. August 27. The wording barely changes. Read together, the five notices form something unusual: a small bureaucratic liturgy, repeated weekly, announcing in advance that nothing is going to happen. It would be easy to file this under civic trivia, the kind of item that exists only to be skimmed past on the way to the county road closures. But the repetition itself is worth sitting with, because it says something true and slightly strange about how democracy works in a town the size of Brookings, where the distance between “the government” and “everyone else” is often about the length of a block of Main Avenue on a summer evening. The notices exist because of open meetings law, the general principle, codified in South Dakota and nearly every other state, that a quorum of an elected body cannot discuss public business outside of a properly noticed meeting. The law was written with a particular image in mind: officials in a back room, a deal struck over coffee, decisions made before the public ever gets a seat at the table. It is a Watergate-era instinct, formalized into statute, meant to prevent power from doing its real work somewhere other than where citizens can watch. Downtown at Sundown is about as far from a smoke-filled room as a public gathering can get. It is food trucks and folding chairs, kids with balloon animals, a band on a temporary stage. And yet, because at least four of Brookings' council members might plausibly be standing within earshot of each other at the same street festival, the law technically applies. So the city does the responsible, slightly absurd thing: it tells the public, in advance and in writing, that yes, you may see a majority of your council members enjoying kettle corn together, and no, this does not constitute a meeting. There is something almost comic about the excess here. A different city, a bigger one, would never bother. In a city of a few hundred thousand, the odds of four council members ending up at the same summer concert are low enough not to worry about, and even if it happened, nobody would think to ask. Brookings is small enough that the coincidence is not just possible but expected, week after week, all summer. The notice is not overcaution so much as an honest description of scale: this is a town where the people who govern it and the people they govern share the same six blocks of downtown on a Thursday night. That proximity is usually described, correctly, as one of the advantages of small-town life. It's also the thing that makes the mechanics of accountability slightly more delicate here than in a state capital. When power and the public share a physical footprint this small, the safeguards meant to keep them separate start to look, on paper, almost fussy. A five-week string of nearly identical disclaimers can read like institutional throat-clearing. But the alternative, a city that simply stopped noticing when its council might gather in public, would be a quieter kind of failure. The value of the notice isn't in what it prevents (nothing was going to happen at Downtown at Sundown regardless) but in what it keeps alive as a habit: the assumption that residents are owed a heads-up any time the appearance of collective power shows up in a public space, even a folksy one. There's a second, less legal reading available too. The quorum notice is really a map of where the town's elected officials will be standing on a given Thursday. In a media environment saturated with meetings that happen behind screens and packets nobody reads, Downtown at Sundown offers the opposite: a fully public, fully informal encounter with the people who set the budget, argue about zoning, and vote on the things that shape Main Avenue itself. The law's job is to make sure that encounter doesn't quietly turn into governing. What it doesn't regulate, and what residents are free to do with it, is what happens if someone walks up to a council member between the food truck line and the band and says something about the crosswalk on 22nd Avenue. The notice guarantees the evening is legally empty of business. It doesn't have to be empty of consequence. That part is still up to whoever shows up.Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:10:36 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/editorial-2026-07-21/https://brookingsview.com/s/editorial-2026-07-21/Every Thursday this summer, the city of Brookings has issued the same small notice, week after week, ahead of Downtown at Sundown: at least four City Council members might show up. No official business. No votes. Just a heads-up that if you're out on Main Avenue between 5:30 and 9, you might spot a majority of your elected representatives enjoying a bratwurst alongside everyone else. Five weeks running now, the notice has landed with the same dutiful, unremarkable wording. It would be easy to read this as bureaucratic overkill, a legal department covering its bases for an event that is, by any reasonable measure, just a street party. That reading is wrong. This weekly quorum notice is exactly the kind of quiet, unglamorous transparency that keeps small-town government honest, and Brookings residents should recognize it as a model rather than roll their eyes at it. Here is the logic behind the notice. South Dakota's open meetings law, like similar statutes across the country, exists because a quorum of elected officials gathered in one place creates the possibility, however incidental, of informal deliberation happening outside public view. It doesn't matter that the setting is a summer festival instead of a council chamber. If four or more members of a five-or-seven-person body are standing together listening to music or eating a taco, in principle a conversation could drift toward policy, and the public would have no record of it. The law doesn't assume bad faith. It assumes that informal proximity is exactly the condition under which real business quietly gets done, and that citizens deserve a heads-up when that condition might arise. The easy objection is obvious: nobody actually believes four council members are going to hash out the next budget resolution between bites of a funnel cake. Isn't this just legal theater, a box checked for the sake of checking it? That skepticism misses what the notice is actually protecting against. The danger was never a single dramatic backroom deal at a street fair. It's the slow normalization of officials treating public proximity as private space, one casual gathering at a time, until nobody thinks to ask whether decisions are being shaped somewhere other than the council table. The notice is not evidence that Brookings has a problem. It's evidence that the city is keeping a habit alive precisely so the problem never gets a chance to start. There's also something worth admiring in the sheer repetitiveness of it. Five weeks of nearly identical language, publishing the same disclaimer for the same low-stakes event, is not exciting news. It won't drive traffic or spark debate. But that's the point. Good governance is rarely dramatic. It looks like routine, procedural steps taken so consistently that they become invisible, until the day someone actually needs them. A city that bothers to file this notice even when the stakes are this low is a city that will almost certainly file it when the stakes are higher, when a quorum happens to gather somewhere less charming than Main Avenue on a Thursday evening. Compare this to the alternative, which residents of larger cities know all too well: officials who mingle informally, make decisions in hallways or fundraisers or golf outings, and leave constituents piecing together after the fact what was actually discussed. Brookings is not immune to that risk simply because it's small. Small towns can be more vulnerable to it, in fact, because everyone already knows everyone, and the line between “neighbors talking” and “officials deliberating” blurs easily when the neighbors happen to hold public office. The quorum notice draws that line deliberately, every single week, whether or not anyone reads it. So when the next notice arrives before Downtown at Sundown, don't file it under civic trivia. File it under the kind of unglamorous discipline that keeps local government accountable in a town too small and too familiar for accountability to be automatic. The council isn't hiding anything by showing up to enjoy the evening. They're doing something better: telling you exactly where they'll be, and why it matters that you know.Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:25:49 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-40/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-40/Teens in the Kitchen meets July 21 at the library, where participants will learn to make s'mores pudding cups and then enjoy the results. The session runs from 5 to 6 p.m.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:37 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-34/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-34/The Brookings County Commission meets July 21 at 8:30 a.m. with a public hearing on Ordinance 2026-04, which would set requirements, fees, and regulations for alcoholic beverage licenses in the county. Commissioners will also consider a resolution to buy two generators, including installation, through Sourcewell, and three resolutions authorizing grant applications for bridge improvement funding on five structure numbers. Other items include an appointment to the Brookings Human Rights Commission and a first look at the 2027 budget. Also on the calendar: a special commission meeting July 30 to canvass results of the gubernatorial runoff election, and National Night Out on Kasan Avenue in Volga on August 4 from 5 to 8 p.m.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:07 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-211/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-211/The Human Rights Commission meets July 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St. (Conference Room 241). The agenda includes updates on commission membership and budget, discussion of an International Ice Cream Social, and a community concern item, along with reports from liaisons covering the Brookings Police Department, Brookings School District, and SDSU. Public comment is on the agenda for residents who want to weigh in. Those needing assisted listening systems or other accommodations can contact the city's HR department at (605) 692-6281 at least three working days ahead.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:47 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-210/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-210/A Target Ribbon Cutting is set for July 21 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 801 Lefevre Drive. At least four City Council members may attend, but the gathering is a ribbon-cutting event, not an official council meeting — no city business will be acted on there. It's a chance for residents to see the new store location mark its opening.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:42 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-38/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-38/A craft class at the library on July 20 lets participants create a bookshelf nook contained in a small tin. It's for ages 13 and up, running from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Registration details are available through the library's event listing.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:35 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/weekly-2026-w30/https://brookingsview.com/s/weekly-2026-w30/The biggest item on the county's plate this week is a public hearing on alcohol licensing. The Brookings County Commission holds a second reading and public hearing Tuesday, July 21 at 9 a.m. on Ordinance 2026-04, which would set the requirements, fees, and regulations for issuing alcoholic beverage licenses countywide. Residents can weigh in during the hearing before commissioners vote. Later in that same meeting, commissioners are set to act on Resolution #26-26, authorizing the purchase of two generators, including installation, through the Sourcewell purchasing cooperative, and Resolution #26-25, which would establish three-year terms for members of the Brookings County Extension Board. A representative from NextEra Energy is also scheduled to give a project presentation to the commission. Elsewhere in county and city business, the Brookings County Outdoor Adventure Center Advisory Board meets Monday, July 20 at noon for its regular business, including a director's report and a 4-H youth advisor's report; its next meeting after that is set for September 21. The City Council itself is not holding formal business this week, but a notice of quorum flags that at least four council members may attend the Target Ribbon Cutting on Tuesday, July 21 from 5 to 6 p.m.; no official city business will be acted on there. Several city boards and commissions are also meeting this week, mostly on reports and planning rather than binding votes. The Human Rights Commission meets Tuesday, July 21, with agenda items covering commission membership, budget, and an International Ice Cream Social, plus liaison reports from the Brookings Police Department, Brookings School District, and SDSU. On Thursday, July 23, the Dacotah Bank Center Advisory Board reviews events, operations, and finances; the Brookings Disability Awareness Committee discusses access issues including voting in Brookings and temporary parking for events, along with plans for an ADA proclamation on July 30; and the Public Arts Commission holds a meeting to kick off rubric planning, with no votes taken. For accessibility, assisted listening systems are available at city meetings upon request, and accommodations for any meeting can be arranged by contacting the city's ADA coordinator at least three business days ahead. On the community side, the Brookings Public Library has a full slate for teens and craft-lovers. Monday, July 20 brings a Book Nook Tins craft class for ages 13 and up, making a small bookshelf scene inside a tin. Tuesday, July 21 features Teens in the Kitchen, where participants make s'mores pudding cups. Wednesday, July 22 offers two book clubs: the Teen Book Club, discussing "Lovely War" by Julie Berry, and the Teen Graphic Novel Club, reading "Divine Incursions" by Kouya Ashitaka -- both give registrants a free copy of the book. Thursday, July 23 has a Cricut Certification Workshop for ages 18 and up in the library's Maker Lab, a prerequisite for reserving the Cricut cutting machine on your own later. Residents wanting a say in county alcohol licensing rules can attend Tuesday's commission hearing, and those interested in library programming can find sign-ups for the teen classes and clubs running throughout the week.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 23:43:53 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-66/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-66/The Brookings County Outdoor Adventure Center Advisory Board meets July 20 at noon at the center, 2810 22nd Ave. S. The agenda covers approval of minutes from the May 18 meeting, a financial report, and updates including a director's report and a 4-H youth advisor's report. Residents wanting to raise an item not on the agenda can sign in before the meeting starts, though any requested action would move to a future meeting. The board's next regular meeting is set for September 21 at noon.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:36 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/alert-220/https://brookingsview.com/s/alert-220/A Heat Advisory is in effect for Brookings County from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 17. Heat index values are expected to reach up to 100 degrees during that window. The advisory covers a broad region including parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:55:34 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-36/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-36/An intermediate-level embroidery class at the library teaches new stitches to build on basic skills, set for July 16 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Materials are provided for use during class. It's geared toward those with at least some embroidery experience, and is open to ages 13 and up.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:31 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-35/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-35/Tween the Pages Book Club meets July 16 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at the library, for kids going into grades 4 and 5. This month's book is "All the Best Dogs" by Emily Jenkins, with copies of the book waiting for pickup at the circulation desk. Participants discuss the book over pizza. This is Group 2's session; the club runs two sessions per book each month, so sign up for one date.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:28 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-214/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-214/The Library Board meets July 16 at 12 p.m. in the Historical Room. The agenda includes a financial report, the librarian's report, a review of library policy, and an informational item on Hoopla funding. The board's next meeting is set for August 13 at 12 p.m., also in the Historical Room.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:53 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-213/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-213/The East Central Communications Council (E-911) meets July 16 at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St., Room 300. The dispatch center serving the area is now fully staffed following a recent academy graduate. Members will also review a proposal for radio system consulting services and discuss a recent power outage in which the City of Volga directed calls to the dispatch center, raising call volume and affecting dispatch operations. Other items include a review of allowable expenses for the dispatch center and a report on emergency siren testing. The next meeting is set for October 15.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:50 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-33/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-33/A cooking program for elementary-aged kids happens July 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the library. Participants will stir together some treats together. Kids age 7 and under need a grownup helper to join in.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:14 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-32/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-32/Brookings Public Library hosts its Teen Workshop on Wednesday, July 15, from 5 to 6 p.m. This month's project: making a pressed flower candle jar. The session is free and open to teens.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:03:10 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-215/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-215/The Brookings City Council approved a construction contract for the Main Fire Station on July 14, along with amendments to the architect's and owner's representative agreements. Council also approved rezoning Block 2 of Northern Plains Addition to a Planned Development District and signed off on an initial development plan for that block, plus updated subdivision design standards under Ordinance 26-017. On the licensing side, the council approved a 10-year liquor operating agreement for Mamacitas LLC and renewed wine agreements for the Dacotah Bank Center and Mosaic Wine Bar. The council also approved drainage fee abatements for three parcels in the RR Addition and the Dakota Service Property, and appointed Isabel Dalton to the Brookings Human Rights Commission. Mayor Niemeyer proclaimed July as Parks and Recreation Month.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:00 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/weekly-2026-w29/https://brookingsview.com/s/weekly-2026-w29/The City Council met Tuesday, July 14, for its regular meeting, where most business moved through without much debate. Council approved its consent agenda, including drainage fee abatement of $132.72 for a parcel listed as Dakota Service Property (Parcel #40490-00100-000-00). A Brookings Municipal Utility Board update was given during ex-officio reports, while the Brookings Health Systems Board of Trustees report was not presented this time. Public safety coordination was on the table Thursday, July 16, when the East Central Communications Council, which oversees the area's emergency dispatch center (PSAP, or public safety answering point), met to review quarterly numbers. The board noted the dispatch center is now fully staffed following a recent academy graduate joining the team. Members also discussed a proposal for radio system consulting services, clarified what counts as an allowable dispatch-center expense, and reviewed emergency siren testing for system reliability. Notably, a recent power outage led the City of Volga to route its calls through the shared dispatch center, which significantly increased call volume and strained operations during and after the event -- a reminder of how connected the region's emergency response really is. Also Thursday, the Library Board held its regular meeting, covering routine business including a financial report, the librarian's report, a review of library policy, and an update on Hoopla funding, the library's digital lending service. The board's next meeting is set for August 13 at noon in the Historical Room. The Brookings County Housing & Redevelopment Commission and the Utility Board (meeting Friday, July 17) also held sessions this week. On the community side, the library kept busy with programming for kids and teens. Wednesday, July 15, brought three rounds of a cooking program for elementary-aged children -- at 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. -- where kids stirred together simple treats; children age 7 and under needed a grownup helper. That same evening at 5:00 p.m., teens gathered for a workshop making a pressed flower candle jar. Thursday, July 16, offered more for young readers and crafters. The Tween the Pages Book Club, for kids heading into grades 4 and 5, met at 4:30 p.m. to discuss this month's pick, "All the Best Dogs" by Emily Jenkins, over pizza; copies are available at the circulation desk, and a second session is offered each month for those who can't make this date. Later, an intermediate embroidery class, "Embroidery: Leveling Up," was offered twice -- at 6:00 p.m. and again at 11:00 p.m. -- for those age 13 and up with some prior stitching experience, with materials provided. Residents looking to get involved can attend any of the public meetings, most of which include an open forum for public comment, or drop by the library's ongoing kids' and teens' programs throughout the week.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 23:26:59 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-30/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-30/Teen Snack Club opens for pickup on July 13 at the library. Sign-up starts July 6, and each bag includes international snacks and goodies. Details and registration are on the library's event page.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:57 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-28/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-28/A color-changing vinyl cup workshop happens at the library on July 9 at 6:00 PM. Participants prep and apply color-changing vinyl in a bookish design to a glass cup; vinyl colors are randomly assigned. The workshop is open to ages 13 and up.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:54 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-27/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-27/Tween the Pages Book Club meets July 9 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at the library, for kids going into grades 4 and 5. This month's pick is "All the Best Dogs" by Emily Jenkins, and participants get a copy of the book, pizza, and a discussion. Copies can be picked up at the circulation desk ahead of time. Since the club runs two sessions each month for the same book, sign up for just one date.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:49 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-216/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-216/The Brookings Historic Preservation Commission meets July 9 at 6:00 PM in the Chambers Room at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St. The agenda includes a recap of Brookings Bonanza, updates on trolley rides prep and the basement storage taskforce, and planning for the Mayor's Awards, including a possible new landscaping award for 2027. Commissioners will also review state case reports for properties at 816 4th Street and 324 Main Avenue. The next meeting is scheduled for August 13.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:02 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-35/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-35/The Brookings County Commission holds a special meeting July 9 at 8:30 AM, with a single item of regular business: approval of Agreement #26-45, a Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program Grant Agreement between the county and the Build America Bureau at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The same day, a 765kV Subcommittee Meeting is set for 7:00 PM in the Community Room (300) at the Brookings City & County Government Center. Also on the calendar: a special Commission meeting July 30 at 8:30 AM to canvass results of the Gubernatorial Runoff Election, and National Night Out on Kasan Avenue in Volga, August 4 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:11 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-26/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-26/A Vintage Afternoon Tea is set for July 8 at the library, running for one hour. Attendees can expect a variety of finger foods and teas provided at the event. It's a chance to experience the tradition of afternoon tea right here in Brookings.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:47 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-217/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-217/The Sustainability Council meets July 8 at 4:00 PM at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St., Room 300. The agenda includes updates on rabbit control, Pollinator Day, Adopt-A-Park, and the Make America Beautiful program, along with reports from subcommittees covering education & outreach, climate, waste, energy, and local foods. A budget update is also on the agenda. Residents may request time during the open forum portion of the meeting to raise items not otherwise listed.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:05 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-40/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-40/The Brookings County Board of Adjustment meets July 7 at 8 p.m., following the joint meeting with the Planning & Zoning Commission. Two land-use requests are on the agenda: an applicant in Preston Township is seeking a variance (case 2026var009) from area regulations in the county's agricultural land district for a property on 462nd Ave near Bruce; and The Tower, LLC is seeking a conditional use permit (case 2026cu007) to build a wireless telecommunications tower on agricultural land in Medary Township. A variance allows an exception to standard property rules, while a conditional use permit allows a specific use not automatically permitted in that zoning district. Approving the tower permit requires a majority of members present, while the variance needs approval from two-thirds of the full board.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:33 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-218/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-218/The Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment meet July 7 at 5:30 PM in the Planning Commission Chambers. On the agenda: rezoning several lots in Block 1 and Lot 7 of Third Addition from Business B-4 Highway District to Business B-2 District, and annexing Outlot F and Outlot G in Section Twenty. Also up for action are a conditional use permit for off-street, off-site parking requested by the South Dakota State Foundation, and a side-yard setback variance for properties at 309 & 315 Thunder Lane. The meeting streams live on Channel 9 and the city's website.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:09 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-39/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-39/The Brookings County/City of Brookings Joint Board of Adjustment meets July 7 at 8:00 p.m. to consider a variance request affecting a property at 517 58th Ave. The application, filed by an applicant, seeks relief from aquifer protection performance standards under the joint zoning ordinance's Zone A regulations. Approval of a variance requires a two-thirds vote of the full board. Comments on the request, including a letter from BMU, have been submitted for the board's review.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:27 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-36/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-36/The Brookings County Commission's July 7 agenda includes several road and infrastructure items affecting residents. Commissioners will consider bids from Holloway Bridge and Culvert for two bridge structures — $453,937.43 for structure #06-240-123 and $1,708,552.50 for structure #06-240-141. Also on the agenda: closing 476th Avenue (County Road 23) in Aurora, from Front Street North to Pine Street, from 5 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 1 a.m. Sunday, August 2, for Aurora Gala Days. The commission will also hold a first reading of Ordinance #26-04, which would set requirements, fees, and regulations for alcoholic beverage licenses in Brookings County; a second reading is set for July 21.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:17 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-24/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-24/A beaded plant craft class happens July 6 at Brookings Public Library, starting at 6:00 PM. Participants will make a plant made entirely of beads, designed to last. The class is open to ages 13 and up.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:43 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-219/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-219/The Brookings Radio 42nd Annual 4th of July Parade steps off Saturday, July 4 at 11:00 a.m., with lineup starting at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Brookings Police Department. The route runs east on 3rd Street to Medary Avenue, north on Medary to 6th Street, west on 6th Street to Main Avenue, then south on Main back to 3rd Street. At least four City Council members may be on hand for the parade, though no official city business will be conducted.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:11 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-220/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-220/At least four City Council members may be at Uncle Sam Jam this Saturday, July 4, from 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm at the Larson Ice Center. That's just a heads-up on numbers — no official city business will be conducted, so it's not a council meeting. Come enjoy the event knowing city leaders might be in the crowd too.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:13 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-23/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-23/Brookings Public Library's Teen Summer Reading Program, "Unearth a Story," runs July 1 through August 7. Teens who sign up can stop by the library for a prize and a tracking sheet, scratching off a circle for each week they read. Weekly reading offers a chance to win a prize, and everyone who participates is entered into one of three grand prize drawings. Extra challenges listed at the bottom of the tracking sheet count toward additional prizes.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:38 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-22/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-22/A screening of Jurassic Park paired with a brick-building activity happens at the library on June 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Popcorn is provided, and registration gets attendees a building kit -- kids age 5 and younger will get coloring sheets instead. No registration is needed for anyone who just wants to watch the film or bring their own project to work on.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:36 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-21/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-21/A three-day puppet workshop at the library runs June 30, July 7, and July 14 at 2pm, for students entering 5th grade and up. Sessions cover puppet locomotion, staging, and voices, wrapping up with participants building their own puppets. Find details and registration at brookingslibrary.libcal.com.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:32 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-19/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-19/Brookings Public Library's Spice Club meets June 29 to feature coriander seeds, with participants making harissa potato salad. Details and registration are available through the library's event listing.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:17 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-222/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-222/Brookings PRIDE in the Park takes place at Pioneer Park, at 6th Street and First Avenue, Saturday, June 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A City Council notice flagged that at least four City Council members or six Human Rights Commission members may attend, but the notice makes clear no official city business will be acted upon there. The gathering is open to the public.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:16 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-223/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-223/The 111th Annual Firefighter's Street Dance takes place Saturday, June 27, from 7 p.m. to midnight in downtown Brookings. City Council members may be among the crowd, since at least four could attend, but the city notes no official council business will be conducted there. A separate City Council meeting is also scheduled for June 27 at 7 p.m.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:19 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-224/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-224/The Brookings Disability Awareness Committee meets June 25 at noon in the Community Room at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St. On the agenda: access issues around e-scooters and voting in Brookings, an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Proclamation and awards under the committee's work plan, and plans for a social media campaign, including merchandise like refrigerator magnets and spinners. Members who can't attend in person may join by phone through the HR Department. The committee's next meeting is set for July 23, also at noon.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:22 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-18/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-18/Brookings Public Library's Teen Graphic Novel Club meets June 24 from 6 to 7 p.m. This month's pick is "Blue Flag." The discussion is open to teens who want to join in.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:15 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-17/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-17/Brookings Public Library's Teen Book Club meets June 24 at 5 p.m. to discuss "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo. The session runs one hour. Registration is available through the library's website or at bit.ly/regbpl.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:11 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-15/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-15/A ceramic painting session for kids entering 4th and 5th grade runs June 23 from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. at the library. Participants will paint a ceramic dinosaur and create a prehistoric habitat. Details and registration are available through the library's event listing.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:05 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-14/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-14/Teens in the Kitchen meets June 23 at the library, where participants will learn how to make strawberry crisp and then sample what they've made. Registration opens June 16. The event is held from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:02 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-225/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-225/The Brookings City Council accepted the Brookings Area Transportation Plan and adopted Resolution 26-039, putting in place the Brookings Area Safety Plan and the 2050 Vision Zero Safety Goal, at its June 23 meeting. Council members also awarded the Dakota Nature Park public art installation project to DJR Design Studio and gave first reading to an ordinance rezoning Block 2 of the Northern Plains Addition from a Business B-2A Office District to a Planned Development District with a Business B-2A underlying district; a public hearing on that change is set for July 14. During open forum, a resident raised concerns about water issues and a change in ownership at Western Estates. The council's next regular meeting has been moved from July 28 to Thursday, July 30.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:25 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-227/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-227/The 7th Annual Juneteenth Celebration takes place Friday, June 19, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Pioneer Park, 6th Street and First Avenue. Enough City Council and Human Rights Commission members may attend that a quorum could technically be present, so the city has issued formal notice — but no official city business will be conducted at the event. It's a community celebration, not a council meeting.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:30 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-12/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-12/A Laser Printer Certification Training session at the library's Maker Lab runs June 18 from 6 to 7:45 p.m. The training is required before using the Maker Lab's XTool Laser Printer, and it's open to ages 18 and up. Registration opens June 11 at bit.ly/regbpl.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:02:00 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-11/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-11/Tween the Pages Book Club meets June 18 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at the library, for kids going into grades 4 and 5. This month's book is "Once Upon A Tim" by Stuart Gibbs, with a copy provided and pizza served during the discussion. The club runs two sessions per book to fit more kids in, so sign up for one date each month; your copy will be waiting at the circulation desk.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:56 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-228/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-228/The Airport Board meets June 18 at 3:30 p.m. at the Brookings City & County Government Center, 520 3rd St., Conference Room #241. The agenda includes an update on the Airport Manager's report covering monthly operations, SDSU operations, the SRE building project, and the rent and fee study timeline, plus reports from the FBO and SDSU. Board members will also review and update the Airport Board by-laws and elect a vice-president. The next meeting is scheduled for July 16.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:32 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-3/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-3/A Teen Workshop at the library on June 17, from 5-6 p.m., focuses on making a beaded plant that needs no watering. Registration opens June 10. Details and sign-up are available through the library's event page.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:41 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-2/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-2/The Brookings Public Library's Teen Summer Reading Program, Unearth a Story, runs May 18 through July 1. Registering earns a prize, and participants stop in at the library for a tracking sheet, scratching off a circle for each week they read. Prizes come from stopping in at the library, and completing extra challenges on the tracking sheet unlocks more.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:01:38 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-71/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-71/Craving a fun, hands-on afternoon? Head to the library on September 8th for the Book Nook Tins Craft Class, where you can create your own miniature bookshelf scene inside a small tin. It's for ages 13 and up, so gather the teens and give it a try. If you've already made one at a past session, organizers ask that you let someone new register instead. Find the details and sign up at brookingslibrary.libcal.com.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:13:05 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-220/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-220/Heads up, Brookings — a Heat Advisory is in effect Friday, July 17 from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM CDT, with heat index values reaching up to 100. This covers Brookings County and surrounding areas across the region. Stay hydrated, limit time outdoors during peak hours, and check on neighbors who may be sensitive to the heat.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:13:08 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-221/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-221/Heads up, Brookings drivers: 32nd Street South between 22nd Ave South and Main Ave South closes tomorrow morning, Thursday 8/24, due to construction. There's no set reopening timeline yet, but crews will get it back open as soon as they can. Plan an alternate route for now, and stay tuned for updates.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:13:09 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-222/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-222/Brookings County Highway Dept is performing shoulder work west of Sinai on 217th StreetSat, 18 Jul 2026 10:13:13 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-223/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-223/Heads up, Elkton drivers: railroad crossbucks are going in on Cornell Avenue (Brookings County 33/486th Avenue) starting September 20. Expect minor one-lane closures while crews work, though the job is expected to wrap up quickly. Plan for a short delay if you're heading that way.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:13:15 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-34/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-34/Get ready to whisk, stir, and taste! Brookings Library hosts "Cooking #3" on July 15, 2026, from 1:30–2:30 PM, a fun kitchen program made for elementary-aged kids. Little chefs age 7 and under just need a grownup helper along for the ride. A tasty way to spend an afternoon at the library!Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:12 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-31/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-31/Cooking is happening at the library on July 15! This fun session is aimed at elementary aged kids, and stirring up some yummy treats is on the menu. Just a heads-up: kids age 7 and under need a grownup helper along for the fun. Check out the library's link for more details.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:09 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-29/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-29/Color Changing Vinyl Cup WorkshopSat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:04 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-25/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-25/Fancy something a little different this summer? The Brookings Public Library is hosting a Beaded Plant Craft Class on July 6, open to ages 13 and up. Come make a plant that will live forever, no green thumb required! Check the library's event page for details and registration.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:59 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-20/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-20/Looking to mix up your summer plans? The Brookings library is hosting a Summer Mocktail Mixology Class on June 29, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. You'll learn about seasonal mocktails, sample a few, and take home some fun recipes to recreate for your next summer hangout. Check the library's event page for details on registration.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:57 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-16/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-16/Teens in the Kitchen returns to the library on June 23, where young cooks can learn to make strawberry crisp — and then taste-test their own creation. Registration opens June 16, so mark your calendar if you want a spot. A fun, hands-on way for teens to spend part of the summer.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:55 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-13/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-13/Want to try your hand at laser printing? The Brookings Public Library is offering Laser Printer Certification Training on June 18, teaching residents how to use the XTool Laser Printer in the library's Maker Lab. This certification is required before you can use the laser printer yourself, and it's open to ages 18 and up. Registration opens June 11 at bit.ly/regbpl.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:52 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-10/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-10/Triassic Trek Escape Room- Slot 7Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:50 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-9/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-9/Triassic Trek Escape Room- Slot 6Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:45 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-8/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-8/Triassic Trek Escape Room- Slot 5Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:39 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-7/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-7/Dinosaurs on the loose (sort of) at the library! Brookings Public Library's Triassic Trek Escape Room challenges teams of six or fewer to reset a failed security system by solving clues and puzzles in 20 minutes. This slot runs June 17 from 5:30–5:50 p.m., open to participants 12 and up. Sign-ups open June 8 — register each teammate individually for your group's spot.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:34 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-6/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-6/The Brookings Library is hosting a Triassic Trek Escape Room this June! Teams of six or fewer will have 20 minutes to find clues, solve puzzles, and reset a failed security system at a dinosaur park. This slot runs from 5-5:20 pm on June 17, 2026, and sign-ups open June 8 for participants 12 and older. Be sure to register each member of your team individually.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:32 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-5/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-5/Get your team together for the Triassic Trek Escape Room at the Brookings library! The dinosaur park's security system has failed, and you'll have 20 minutes to solve puzzles and reset it before time runs out. This evening slot is open to groups of six or fewer, with participants required to be 12 or older. Sign-ups open June 8, and remember to register each team member individually for a spot.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:27 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-4/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-4/Triassic Trek Escape Room- Slot 1Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:24 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-37/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-37/Ready to level up your stitching? The Brookings Public Library is hosting "Embroidery: Leveling Up" on July 16, an intermediate class for folks who already know embroidery basics. Materials are provided for in-class use, and it's open to ages 13 and up. Head to the library's event page to save your spot.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:14 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-226/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-226/The Utility Board meets Monday, June 22 at 11:45 AM, with the option to join via Microsoft Teams. In-person attendees can head to the Brookings Municipal Utilities Building at 525 Western Ave. As always, the meeting is open to the public if you want to see what's on the agenda for our local utilities.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:17 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-221/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-221/The Brookings Health System Board of Trustees will meet Monday, June 29 at 5:30 PM in the Board Room at Brookings Health System. Stop by if you'd like to see how decisions about local hospital and health services get made. Meeting agenda is available online for anyone wanting to review the details beforehand.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:14 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-212/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-212/The Utility Board meets July 17 at 1:00 PM, with the option to join via Microsoft Teams or in person at the Brookings Municipal Utilities Building, 525 Western Ave. If you have questions about local utility services or upcoming decisions, this is a good chance to tune in or attend. Check the city's Legistar page for the full agenda details.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:11 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-38/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-38/The Brookings County Housing & Redevelopment Commission has a meeting scheduled for July 16, 2026. This commission works on housing-related matters for county residents. The full agenda is available on the county website for anyone wanting details on what's up for discussion. Check back after the meeting for minutes covering what was decided.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:08 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-37/https://brookingsview.com/s/meeting-37/Heads up, neighbors: the Brookings County 765kV Transmission Line Advisory Committee meets July 9. If this project affects your area, it's worth keeping an eye on. Check the county's AgendaCenter for the full agenda and details once posted.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:06 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-1/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-1/Heads up, Brookings — a Heat Advisory is in effect until 9 PM CDT this evening, with heat index values expected to reach 95 to 102 degrees. If you're heading outside, take it easy: drink plenty of fluids, take breaks in the shade or AC, and never leave kids or pets in a parked car. Good time to check in on elderly neighbors or relatives too. Stay cool out there!Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:11:19 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-39/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-39/Craft lovers, mark your calendars: the Brookings Public Library is hosting a Book Nook Tins Craft Class on July 20, where you can create your own miniature bookshelf nook inside a small tin. It's for ages 13 and up, so grab a teen and get creative together. Registration details are available on the library's event page.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:16 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-41/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-41/Teens, get ready to cook! Brookings Library's "Teens in the Kitchen" is back on July 21, where you'll learn to whip up s'mores pudding cups—and then get to enjoy your tasty creation. A fun, sweet way to spend an evening at the library.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:19 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-44/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-44/Want to get crafty? Brookings Library's Maker Lab is hosting a Cricut Certification Workshop on July 23, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. (times shown in local scheduling). This hands-on class teaches you how to use the Cricut Electronic Cutting Machine, and once certified, you can reserve the Maker Lab to use it on your own. It's open to ages 18 and up — check the library's event page to sign up.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:22 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-50/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-50/Fancy a craft night? The Brookings Public Library is hosting a Beaded Plant Craft Class on August 10, where you can make your own everlasting beaded plant. It's for ages 13 and up, so grab a spot if you haven't made one before. Register through the library's event page to join in.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:24 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-53/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-53/Get crafty at the Brookings Public Library with a Felt Pennant Craft Class on August 17! Personalize your own felt pennant at this session for ages 13 and up. It's a fun, low-key way to make something unique to take home. Check the library's event page for time details and to reserve your spot.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:27 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-58/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-58/Get ready to hit the trail — literally! The library is turning the classic Oregon Trail video game into a life-size experience, and you can register your team of 6 or fewer starting August 24. This family and adult event welcomes kids 12 and under as long as they're with an adult. Don't die of dysentery along the way!Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:32 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-59/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-59/Head to Brookings Public Library for a life-size Oregon Trail game! Gather your team of 6 or fewer and travel the treacherous trail from Missouri to Oregon—just try not to die of dysentery along the way. This slot runs 5-6 pm on August 31, 2026. It's a family and adult event, and kids 12 and under need an adult with them. Registration opens August 24, so mark your calendar.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:35 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-60/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-60/Get your wagon train ready! Brookings Library is bringing the classic Oregon Trail video game to life with a life-size game experience. Gather a team of 6 or fewer and try to make it from Missouri to Oregon without falling to dysentery along the way. This family and adult event welcomes kids 12 and under with an adult, and registration opens August 24 for the August 31 session.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:37 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-61/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-61/Head to the Brookings Public Library for a life-size Oregon Trail game experience! Gather your team of 6 or fewer and travel the treacherous trail from Missouri to Oregon—just try to avoid dysentery along the way. This family-friendly event (kids 12 and under need an adult) runs September 1 from 12:00 to 12:45 pm, with registration opening August 24.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:41 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-62/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-62/Get ready to hit the trail—right here in Brookings! The library is hosting a life-size Oregon Trail game experience on September 1, with teams of up to 6 people traveling from Missouri to Oregon (and hopefully avoiding dysentery along the way). It's a family and adult event, so kids 12 and under just need an adult along for the ride. Registration opens August 24, so mark your calendar and grab your team.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:46 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-63/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-63/Head to the library for a life-size version of the classic Oregon Trail video game on September 1! This family and adult event lets teams of 6 or fewer travel the trail from Missouri to Oregon — just try to avoid dysentery along the way. Registration opens August 24, and kids 12 and under need an adult with them. Check the library's event page to sign up your crew.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:48 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-64/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-64/Ready for some good old-fashioned trail trouble? The Brookings Library is bringing the Oregon Trail to life with a life-size version of the classic game! Gather a team of 6 or fewer and try to make it from Missouri to Oregon without succumbing to dysentery along the way. This one's for the whole family—kids 12 and under just need an adult along for the ride. Registration opens August 24, so mark your calendar and get your team together.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:50 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-66/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-66/Head to the Brookings Library for a life-size version of the classic Oregon Trail video game! Gather a team of 6 or fewer and travel the treacherous trail from Missouri to Oregon—just try not to catch dysentery along the way. This family and adult event is set for September 2, 2026, and registration opens August 24. Kids 12 and under need an adult along for the journey.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:53 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-67/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-67/Get your team together for a life-size Oregon Trail game at the library! Race the treacherous trail from Missouri to Oregon (and try to dodge dysentery) in this fun event for families and adults. Slot 2 runs 2026-09-02 from 5:00–5:45 p.m. Teams of 6 or fewer can register starting August 24, and kids 12 and under need an adult along for the journey.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:56 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-68/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-68/Ready to head west? The Brookings Public Library is turning the classic Oregon Trail video game into a life-size experience, and this is your shot at Slot 3, running September 2, 2026 from 6:00–6:45 p.m. (that's the time in the source, converted to local scheduling). Gather a team of six or fewer and try your best to avoid dysentery along the way. It's open to families and adults, though kids 12 and under need an adult with them — registration opens August 24.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:12:59 GMThttps://brookingsview.com/s/event-69/https://brookingsview.com/s/event-69/Head west without leaving Brookings! The library is turning the classic Oregon Trail into a life-size game experience on September 3, and this session has a spot open for one more team. Gather up to 6 players — it's a family and adult event, so kids 12 and under just need an adult along for the ride. Registration opens August 24, so mark your calendar and try not to die of dysentery.Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:13:02 GMT