Oct. 10, 2026 ยท 6 min read
A full library on a Friday night
Neighbors packed the Downtown Library for a scavenger hunt, Quarry sketches and a brand-new ice cream flavor. They also had a lot to say about what our neighborhoods need.
On Friday evening, I walked into the Downtown Library and found it full of neighbors.
Not for a book club or a story time. For each other. It was Night at the Library, a neighborhood mixer, and it was one of the best community nights I've been to in a while.
A few things stood out.
The library, after hours
Most of us think of the library as a daytime place. A quick stop to return a book or grab a study room.
Friday night showed what else it can be. A free, central, welcoming room where neighbors can show up after work and actually meet the people who live a few blocks away. Holding it in the evening brought people in at a time many of them don't usually think to visit.
There was even a scavenger hunt that sent neighbors all over the building. It was a fun way to get people exploring corners of the library they might never visit, and talking to each other along the way.
Neighbors working together
This wasn't one group's event. Several neighborhood associations came together to make it happen, including the Sioux Falls Downtown Residents Association, Whittier and All Saints.
That matters. These neighborhoods share streets, parks, businesses and challenges. When their associations plan together, neighbors get more than one meeting. They get a network.
A local business was part of it too. The night was the debut of Downtown Turtle, an exclusive flavor from Katz Creem, the small-batch ice cream maker here in Sioux Falls. Downtown neighbors voted on the flavor at an event earlier this year. Friday, they got to taste it.
That's a small thing. It's also exactly how this is supposed to work. Neighbors have a say, a local business listens, and everybody gets something to share.
The city came alongside
Confluence, the team leading the planning for The Quarry, was there too. They brought the same tools from the kickoff: this-or-that boards, maps and crayons so neighbors could sketch what they want to see.
Neighbors voted with dots on what they want at The Quarry, from walking trails to a boardwalk and an overlook.
I wrote about The Quarry last week, and how the right order is to listen first and build second. Friday was a good example. Instead of asking neighbors to come to the city, the city came to where neighbors already were.
Missed it? You can still share your ideas for The Quarry. Take the Quarry survey.
What I heard: neighborhoods need more support
The best part of the night was the conversations. And the more I talked with neighbors and association leaders, the clearer one thing became. Our neighborhoods want to do more, and many of them need more help to do it.
Sioux Falls has 24 registered neighborhood associations. That's a lot of good work. But it also means much of our city doesn't have one yet.
A few things kept coming up:
- People don't know where to start. Many neighbors want to organize but aren't sure how, or who to call.
- People don't know the money is there. The city runs a neighborhood grant program for things like block parties, signs, gardens and cleanups. This year, it had $135,000 to give, and requests topped $220,000. The next round usually opens in late fall.
- Not every association starts from the same place. Some have websites, newsletters and a deep bench of volunteers. Some are brand new and still building their structure. Others are longtime associations with new boards working to bring them back to life.
Each of those groups needs something different. But they all need the same basics: a way to find their neighbors, a way to be found, and a clear path to the help that already exists.
Something I've been working on
That's why I've been building a Sioux Falls Neighborhood Guide. It has a map of every registered association, how to reach them, and a simple guide to starting one where you live.
It's a work in progress, and I want it to be useful to the people doing this work. So I've reached out to as many association boards as I could to ask what they need and what I got wrong. I'd love to hear from you too.
How to get involved
- Find your neighborhood. Check the map to see if your area has an association, and go to their next meeting.
- Don't see one? Start one. You don't need a title or a budget. A handful of neighbors and a phone call to the city is enough to begin. The guide walks you through it.
- Tell me what you're seeing. Running an association, or wish your block had one? Share it with me.
Friday reminded me that the best civic work doesn't always happen at City Hall. Sometimes it happens at a library table, over a map and a box of crayons, between people who live a few blocks apart.
It's always been our city, and now is our moment. Let's rise together.
Photos by Rising Together. Cover map by Rising Together, using City of Sioux Falls data.
Sources
- From city's smallest park to emerging neighborhoods, grants will fund improvements citywide, Pigeon605, April 27, 2026
- Neighborhoods, City of Sioux Falls
- New ice cream option in Sioux Falls, KELOLAND News, 2026
- The Quarry at the Falls: share your ideas, Confluence and the City of Sioux Falls
- Sioux Falls Neighborhood Guide, Rising Together
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