Well Done: Freeman’s Chislic Celebration Honored By State
From Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan
https://www.yankton.net/community/article_bbf480bc-9ea7-11ed-9212-a7cdf4bda371.html
FREEMAN — When they started, the South Dakota Chislic Festival (SDCF) committee hoped a modest turnout of people would come to Freeman for the skewered mutton cubes.
Instead, thousands of visitors descended on the Hutchinson County community of 1,300 residents. The visitors came craving the grilled or fried meat cubes, designated by the 2018 Legislature as the official state “nosh,” or snack.
Food quickly ran out, forcing vendors and others “on the lamb” to replenish supplies. Parking quickly filled up, with overflow traffic backed up on nearby U.S. Highway 81.
“We were planning a party for 1,000 people, and 8,000 showed up,” SDCF vice president Abby Streyle told the Press & Dakotan. ‘We moved the next year to the Prairie Arboretum, which has given us much more parking and space for more vendors and entertainment.”
Last week, Gov. Kristi Noem presented the Peter Norbeck Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award to the community of Freeman in recognition of the chislic festival. This award recognizes an industry partner for innovative thinking in making their destination, business, event, or attraction even more appealing to visitors.
This year marks the fifth festival in six years, as one year was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Dakota Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen recognized what makes the event noteworthy.
“What started as a small festival to celebrate South Dakota and its cultural heritage has become a huge success,” he said. “The event has garnered state, regional and national attention, growing in size every year and drawing visitors to the small community of Freeman to experience our state’s official food — chislic.”
The SDCF committee was advised to attend the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Pierre, but the members didn’t know the reason. As Noem introduced the award winner, the SDCF committee realized the description fit their event.
The award provided both a proud and unexpected moment, SDCF president Andrea Baer told the Press & Dakotan. The honor reflects well not only on the committee but also the 300 volunteers and all the people who attend and support the festival.
“Our committee is over the moon excited about the award!” she said. “We don’t know who nominated the SDCF for the award. It was a great idea for an event, and the timing was right to celebrate our state nosh, everything just fell into place!”
A LOCAL FAVORITE
The state’s southeast region, primarily Hutchinson County, is known as the “Greater Chislic Circle.” Early German-Russian settlers introduced the food, often served with saltine crackers and seasonings and enjoyed with beer.
The SDCF came together when a group of people decided to celebrate chislic’s designation as the official state nosh, Baer said.
“Chislic has a long history of being a very social treat. People in the area have always gathered together to enjoy conversation and chislic,” she said. “I believe this is exactly why the festival has taken off. It’s always about friends and family getting together.”
A large, hungry crowd requires a great deal of food, Baer noted. While chislic remains the featured item, the festival also offers a wide variety of other delectables.
“About 10,000 sticks of chislic are served each year, along with all of the other favorite festival foods like cotton candy, donuts, corn dogs, popcorn and the like,” she said. “We also have other South Dakota favorites like kuchen (a pastry with custard filling and usually fruit toppings). We have had custom brews in past years, which went over incredibly well. It seems everyone loves that South Dakota craft beers.”
After calling off the festival one year because of COVID, the committee resumed the event, Streyle said. They implemented hand sanitizers and other precautions but didn’t know what to expect for turnout.
“We knew it could go 50-50,” she said. “People were really ready for the festival again. But we also worried if there would be a COVID outbreak that week in Freeman. In the end, everything worked out really well.”
The SDCF has literally grown to global proportions, Baer said.
“We have had people from literally all over the world come to the festival just to try chislic. A couple years ago, we had a couple of people from South Africa who came to the festival just to taste and learn about chislic,” she said.
“We keep hearing from those who have attended the festival that it feels like ‘home.’ They enjoy the atmosphere of the festival, and that it is a family friendly event.”
Streyle noted the emphasis on local vendors and entertainment, along with family-friendly events such as bingo, inflatables and bean bag toss. The festival has sought to offer adequate parking onsite along with shuttles to and from downtown businesses.
The chislic vendors have grown not only in numbers, Streyle said. They have also stepped up their creativity with offerings like buffalo chislic and buffalo beef tips and nacho cheese, along with chislic pizza. In addition, the festival offers other food as well as non-food vendors.
Beyond the food, the SDCF has become a major social event, Baer said.
“I believe the key is we have found a way to offer something for everyone,” she said. “It is always fun to hear from local shop owners that someone who attended the festival decided to come back to Freeman to check out what else our community has to offer.”
PLANNING THE FUTURE
Hagen commended the SDFC festival for its niche promotion and not resting on its laurels.
“The Chislic Festival has done a wonderful job of finding a local product and hook that is unique to their community and capitalizing on it,” he told the Press & Dakotan. “Every year, the festival has added additional activities and events to make the visitor experience at the festival even more special.”
The SDCF offers a tremendous example of what makes rural South Dakota so special, Hagen said.
“Events like the Chislic Festival drive interest and visitation to rural communities,” he said. “It lures visitors off the beaten path to towns and cities that have such rich history, heritage, culture, experiences and unique attractions to share with them.”
The South Dakota Chislic Festival fits well with the growing interest in ethnic and other celebrations, Hagen said. “Visitors are craving authentic experiences, so the future is very bright when it comes to local heritage and food,” he said.
Baer sees tremendous opportunities for using the SDCF as a major promotional tool for the region.
“Our philosophy from the beginning has been to give priority to those vendors and participants in the ‘Greater Chislic Circle.’ We have been blessed with an incredible local turnout,” she said. “Agritourism is so important to our area, and we are always looking ways to incorporate more local businesses into the festival. We are dedicated to using local providers for every single aspect of the festival.”
The festival succeeds because of the tremendous regional embrace, Streyle said. Volunteers and organizations from surrounding communities have played an important role, she added.
“It really shows the unity of the community and surrounding area. The chislic festival really showcases not only Freeman but the entire area,” she said. “The event brings such pride. People want to be part of it, and they’re willing to go the extra mile.”
The Peter Norbeck Award provides additional motivation for local events, Streyle said.
“In my opinion, this gives us another thing (to encourage us) to work hard and maintain the festival. We have such great volunteers, and it’s awesome getting acknowledged for the festival,” she said.
Planning for the 2023 event is under way as the festival marks a milestone, Baer said.
“We’re always working to make this the best event in the area,” she said. “I don’t want to share too many details until things are set in stone, but since it is the fifth anniversary of the festival, you can be sure we are working on something special for this year!”