Hydrant parties have been seen throughout South Dakota as a great way to connect with the community. When Lindsey Myers, Rapid City, S.D., Parks and Recreation specialist, was looking for new events that had never been done or had not been done in a while, she began looking at other local parks and recreation departments. She saw the success Sioux Falls had with hydrant parties and decided to pursue the idea for Rapid City, teaming up with other local departments to put a smile on children’s faces and give families some free family fun.

In order to have a hydrant party, one of Myers’ first connections and partners was the local fire department. Once she got the fire department on board, she began reaching out to other local departments that have outreach programs. These included the police department, solid waste department and public library with its bookmobile. The solid waste department has had fun activities for the children to help teach about recycling and what goes in the landfill. There were also reusable water balloons, water guns and fun games along with activities for the younger children while the water is being sprayed. The parks and recreation department is now in the third year with hydrant parties.

One difference between the Rapid City hydrant party and other hydrant parties is that, in Rapid City, firefighters will simply spray water from the truck for the party as opposed to actually using a hydrant. Myers feels it may be slightly safer for the children with the water spray and also helps to make finding a location easier. While other cities may have to find a parking lot or block off an intersection in order to hold a hydrant party, Rapid City can hold a party wherever the truck can fit. This way, Myers also doesn’t have to worry about figuring out how much water may be used and ensuring they have the right hookup for a hydrant. She also tries to ensure the fire department is set up so that the water sprays onto the grass of the park. Myers has learned through trial and error the best locations to fit the fire truck over the years.

The hydrant parties are marketed primarily through social media. While the parks and recreation department does not have its own marketing employee, Facebook has been a huge asset. The department also receives assistance from the employee in charge of communication for the rest of the city departments. They help to schedule press releases and put the parties on community calendars. Departments mention the events when possible during interviews or interaction with the public.

In 2023, the parks and recreation department had three hydrant parties at three different locations. In 2024, there were also three locations planned, but the final one was canceled because of weather. Traditionally, the department held hydrant parties once a month in June, July, and August.

“We try to space them out so they are weeks away from each other,” Myers explained. “May has such tricky weather, and you never know what you’re going to get.”

This year there were only two events planned, with the parks department skipping the month of August, which gets busier with school starting and other activities planned within other departments. Moving forward, the plan is to keep just the two yearly events in June and July. The event is open to the public from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

In January or February each year, Myers begins setting up a timeline of days to present to all the other departments to see what works well for them. It is then modified so that it works well for all the departments involved.

“We have a great collaboration with everyone,” Myers emphasized. “We work with everyone else’s schedule. They get to take three hours out of their day to have some fun and still make sure they get their work done.”

In 2023, the event was held on Fridays. However, they soon realized that on many Fridays people were traveling, and so it was thought the middle of the week might be better for both families and volunteers. For the last two years, the event has been held on Wednesdays. Another item for discussion has been the location of the events. “Does the location work? Is it big enough to hold hundreds of people?” The Sioux Park location has been used for two years, and College Park has been used all three years. Each year, there seems to be an increase in participation.

Volunteers arrive at the park early to prepare, request that any cars in the parking lot be moved and ensure the area is properly blocked off. The bookmobile and solid waste activity area are moved as far from the water spraying as possible. In the first year, the department saw 20 children at the first location, 70 children at the second location and 50 children at the third location. Last year, there were 50 children at the first location and 70 children at the second location. This year, there were roughly 200 children at the event at Sioux Park.

“We know we would have seen an increase in the second event this year also, but weather had different plans,” Myers stated.

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