Stock show cleanup begins at The Monument in Rapid City as more events prepare to come to town

February 6, 2023

Christina Holiday,

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Like clockwork every year, the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo comes to a close and gives way to more events coming to town. Operations Manager for The Monument in Rapid City Nathan Kleinschmit explains how officials get the place ready in such a short amount of time.

When cleanup started

According to Kleinschmit, officials from The Monument and stock show vendors started at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night, just as the final night of the rodeo kicked off. Employees are working 24/7, he adds, to make sure that Sports Show vendors will be ready to set up in the different venues by the time they arrive, which could be as early as Wednesday. “We have close to 10 to 15 employees on each shift. And then we also have our trades department that, you know, they’re kind of more responsible in the Summit area right now,” he said. “The dirt move-out is going to be Monday. Then once that’s out, there’s dust and dirt and everything like that you’re looking at. So our crews are going to be, you know, fully busy for the 24 hours over the next few days.”

People helping to clean up after the stock show
Shovels used to help clean the Barnett Fieldhouse at The Monument
Structures used during the livestock sales that have been disassembled
Gates used during the stock show that have been disassembled
Mats used during the stock show removed from where they were and stacked together
An employee with The Monument helps lay a tarp over seats in the Summit Arena
Chutes from Rodeo Rapid City preparing to be packed up until next year
A truck loaded up with chutes and other materials used during Rodeo Rapid City
A pile of dirt waiting to be removed from the civic center parking lot
Materials that have been packed up after the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo

Making the dream work

In The Monument, the dirt alone equated to over 100 loads that had to be trucked in and packed down to accommodate the animals coming to the arena. Teamwork, he adds, is crucial to making sure everything is ready in time. “It’s a lot of teamwork with all departments and operations right now. You know, we are pretty well and fully staffed. That is going really well. But it takes a lot of logistic planning too, you know, of working with the vendors and try to work efficiently as possible because we are very short of time. And as soon as they are out– as soon as stock show vendors are out, basically, the new ones are moving back in.”

What is after the sports show?

After the Sports Show, which opens on Friday, concerts and Rush hockey head into town. The ice arena was among the first areas Kleinschmit and many other employees were clearing out on Sunday, which takes a lot of time to prepare. “Right now we are working where we can in areas. We’re going to start on the glass now. We still have vendors on the floor, but once that’s done, the next step would be getting the decking up and getting onto the ice,” he explained. “So it kind of just all goes into sequence. You know, hockey is a later event than the sports show in the week. But we are in this area first, it is just getting cleared out first. So we are just working where we can in those areas.”

Categories: Local News, South Dakota News, Stock Show and Rodeo

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