By John Andrews

It's citywide rummage sale weekend in Yankton, so our plans are set. If you're in town, stop by our magazine's sale at 422 Broadway. We're raising money for Relay for Life and have plenty of good merchandise, including furniture, an air hockey table, lots of small kitchen appliances and baby stuff.

Not everyone will be rummaging this weekend, but if you're still looking for something to do, here are a few ideas from around the state:

• Ribfest runs through Sunday at the Sioux Falls Arena. Sample some of the best barbecue you'll ever eat. Hear Kory and the Fireflies tonight and country musician Jason Michael Carroll Saturday night.


• The Red Cloud Indian Art Show opens Sunday at the Heritage Center of Red Cloud Indian School. See paintings by the top Native American artists in the country. The show runs through Aug. 9.


• It's your last chance to catch Dick Termes' "Thinking in the Round" exhibit at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City before it ends Sunday. His Termespheres are unique works of art.


• Try your hand at Irish Road Bowling in Aberdeen Sunday afternoon. Get to the end of a mile long course with the fewest throws. Click here for contact information.


• Finally make that trip to Winner you've been planning for months to visit your recently discovered long-lost cousin, twice removed, who by sheer happenstance just came into a significant amount of money.

By John Andrews

We got a note from Troy McQuillen today. He's one of the organizers of the South Dakota Film Festival (Sept. 18-20 in Aberdeen). They are searching for a celebrity actor or filmmaker to attend their kick off event Friday, Sept. 18, and then participate in a seminar the following morning. Ideally the person would have ties to South Dakota and a current project, but of course the organizers are flexible. They've got $25,000 for an honorarium and travel expenses are covered too.

Two years ago John J. Kelly, executive producer of "Into the Wild," attended. That movie, directed by Sean Penn, told the story of Chris McCandless, a college student who hitchhiked across America on his way to Alaska and spent time in Carthage, S.D. Part of it was shot in South Dakota and used locals as extras.

The South Dakota Film Festival screens movies made by people from the Great Plains or shot in the area, although it's open to other films too. They are screened in Aberdeen's historic Capitol Theatre downtown.

Since this year marks the 20th anniversary of filming Dances with Wolves in western South Dakota, they invited Kevin Costner, but he unfortunately declined. So if you're a big-time actor or filmmaker interested in coming, or if you just have a suggestion, e-mail  troy@mcquillencreative.com.

By John Andrews

It's tornado season, but so far the weather has been relatively quiet. That's not to say it hasn't been rainy, cold or windy. In fact not too long ago we got all of that in one day. But other than a handful of reports, no major tornadoes have spun across the South Dakota prairie yet.

When they do, though, the crew of VORTEX2 will be ready.  VORTEX2 is the most ambitious tornado research project yet. They have a fleet of 40 cars and 80 scientists using the most advanced technology to answer seemingly basic, but elusive, questions: How do tornadoes form? How do they strengthen? Can they be better predicted?

I've always been fascinated with severe weather. I've never seen a tornado, but I did manage to snap this picture north of my house in Yankton last year. Seconds later the KELO Storm Team raced by. I interpreted that as a sign that no good would come from me standing on the deck any longer, so I high-tailed it for the basement.

The team is covering 900 miles across the Great Plains. They have ventured into South Dakota once, but if the weather shapes up they could be back before their field season ends June 13. For you voyeurs who want to follow the action from the safety of your basements, you can follow their blog.

By John Andrews

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about Lake Poinsett, which is featured in our May/June issue. As is usually the case during the spring, lake residents were worried about the low water levels and opened a flood gate, letting in flood water from the nearby Big Sioux River, much to the dismay of local law enforcement and the governor.

But this week's issue of the Hamlin County Herald Enterprise carries good news for Poinsett people and the vacationers who flock there every summer weekend. The local conservation officer reports the lake is full for the first time since the summer of 2002. Its current level is 1650.5, up three feet since November. Why? Because there's an abundance of water coming in from the west, through places like the spillway between Lake Norden and Lake Mary (pictured), which was full to the brim in early April.

Now that summer is unofficially under way, families will be heading to the big lake, and they'll find lots to do. Poinsett is full of walleye, yellow perch and bass for anglers. The Dakota Sportsman's Fishing Tournament, a longtime tradition, will be June 13-14.

The annual sailboat regatta is scheduled for June 13 and the always fun Wind Festival, featuring a wide array of aircraft, is June 19-21.

By John Andrews

Fern Kaufman of Vermillion stopped by our office earlier this month with a newspaper clipping from the old Castlewood Republican. When her aunt, Ethel Shaw, turned 90 in 1975, she wrote her memories of growing up in Hamlin County. Shaw's father, Hugh Ching, emigrated from England in 1881 and homesteaded near Castlewood. The article appeared in a 1976 issue of the Republican.

Shaw noted two harsh winters. Months after her family homesteaded, an early snow covered everything for the winter. "The neighbors passed around a hand coffee mill to grind wheat to make bread," she wrote. "Mother had no sugar, coffee or tea in the house. A neighbor passed by on horseback and said he was going to Watertown. Mother asked him if he would bring her some sugar, tea and coffee. He said he would so she gave him a dollar. He came back later and said the train hadn't come in yet so he was unable to get any of it. She said she was never so disappointed in all her life."

Shaw also remembered the severe 1888 blizzard. "When the weather cleared Father helped Rowe (her brother) out the window to clear away the snow from the door so they could get out. The sod barn was entirely covered with snow, and they shoveled down where there was a dark spot in the snow to find it. In the barn were four oxen, one cow, two pigs and a few chickens. All were safe and sound."

Shaw spent most of her life around Castlewood and died in 1994 at age 108.

Photo: Ethel (Ching) Shaw and her classmates at a rural Hamlin County school. She is seated in the front row on the left in a light colored dress.

By John Andrews

Go ahead. Try to find an activity that doesn't have a culminating event called its "Super Bowl." There a Super Bowl of World Business Plan Competition, a Super Bowl of Indexing and a Super Bowl of Birdwatching.

Now we learn that the Super Bowl of retriever testing is coming to a field near Alexandria in Hanson County. The Hunting Retrievers Club's Spring Grand Hunt, the organization's most elite event of the year, starts Saturday and runs through Wednesday. Only the top 300 retrievers from the United States and Canada will compete. They will be tested to flush and retrieve decoys on land and water courses. There won't be a winner. Instead dogs are judged against the HRC's exacting standards.

Read here about a Brandon couple whose two Labradors will compete this weekend.

Photo: Barry Lions and his dog prepare for this weekend's competition. Photo by the Mitchell Daily Republic.

Three men in their early 60s are following the Lewis and Clark Trail by bicycle and blogging each leg of the trip. They are currently traveling through South Dakota - and according to their blog they might accept a ride if you offer - so keep your eyes on the road.

The men, from New York, Virginia and Switzerland, met in 2002 on an Adventure Cycle Association Tour. Visit their blog oldmensbikeride2009.blogspot.com to read some of their South Dakota adventures, which often go beyond the daily biking. Here's an excerpt form yesterday's post - after finishing a great ride to Platte and before a grueling ride to Pierre.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty detail of today, we just want to say WOW! It was a great day cycling. We had a tail wind most of the time as we headed northwest to where we are camping on the Missouri River bank. Yes Lewis and Clark purists, we are at a location they may have also camped.

Now, to the detail of our day: We had breakfast at Shorty’s Café in downtown Platte. It was a good breakfast and an interesting time. A couple of days ago, some women tried to entice Joe to go to a casino and this morning Joe tried out for the bartenders job at Shortys. Joe failed, not because of his bartending skills, but rather because he ate all the pies.

Thanks to Paul Lloyd-Davies for telling us of the biking adventure.

By Bernie Hunhoff

In all my years of poking about in South Dakota, I've never seen a honey bee swarm. But our Circulation Director Jana Jonas Lane and her husband, Jim, photographed this huge one near their farm on the northern outskirts of Yankton. The bees swarm as part of their natural reproduction. A swarm is a temporary "gathering place" as the queen and her followers search for a permanent hive. We're told that bees in a swarm are in a loving mood, and seldom present any great danger to passers-by. However, if they swarm in your kitchen or front porch it may seem less romantic.
Click on photos to enlarge the swarm.