OFFICIAL 2022 PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S.D. Chislic Festival returning to Freeman Prairie Arboretum July 30
Fourth celebration of the official ‘state nosh’ runs from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; food, beer, non-food vendors, music and special programing to mark the day
Freeman, S.D. — Chislic will once again be the star of the show when one of the state’s most popular and fastest-growing festivals returns later this month.
The 2022 South Dakota Chislic Festival will take place on the grounds of the Prairie Arboretum, located on the southeastern corner of Freeman, on Saturday, July 30. The all-day event begins with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m., and food, music and special programming will be featured throughout the afternoon and evening hours. Official event hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Festival guests will be treated to a county fair-like atmosphere on the beautiful green space of the arboretum, with 14 food vendors offering chislic and other concessions, and more than a dozen non-food vendors featuring something for everyone. The Menno Fire Department will staff a beer tent not far from the food stands and, on the other side of the festival grounds, a family-friendly Kid Zone will entertain the youngest guests. That will feature representatives from the Miss South Dakota Organization, including title holders, and will include a special programming at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. — story time with Darrel Fickbohm.
South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson will be among the honored guests and one of the judges of the chislic competition, which honors both traditional (mutton and lamb) and non-traditional iterations of the “state nosh.”
Live music from the stage of the Prairie Rose Amphitheater will provide a lyrical backdrop to the activities. The lineup is as follows:
10:30 a.m. – Uncle Roy & The Boys
12 p.m. – Elliott Graber & The Family Vines
2 p.m. – Devon Sants
4:30 p.m. – The Wildcard Band
6:30 p.m. – Maggie in The Meantime
Other features at this year’s festival include:
• A bingo stand operated by the Parker FFA from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
• Helicopter rides from 10 a.m. until dusk.;
• Two bean bag tournaments organized by the Menno Pink Ladies Dart League, which raises funds for cancer patients. All proceeds will go toward that cause. The first tournament begins at 11 a.m. (10:30 a.m. registration) and the second starts 3 p.m. (2:30 p.m. registration). Cost is $30 per team and there will be a 50% payout to the top two teams;
• South Dakota Chislic Festival board member and chislic expert Ian Tuttle will be joined by Marnette Hofer, executive director of the Heritage Hall and Museum & Archives, in presenting the program, “From Russia With Love: The History of Chislic at 11a.m., 1p.m., 3p.m. and 5p.m.
There will also be a number of auxiliary events in conjunction with the festival.
• Heritage Hall Museum & Archives, which is home to thousands of items and features unique and engaging collections, is adjacent to festival grounds and will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• The Freeman Lions Club will host a community barbecue inside the Freeman Community Center (224 S. Wipf Street) Friday, July 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. A free-will donation will be accepted.
• The Salem Mennonite Home, an assisted living facility, will host a 5K/10K/1-mile run/walk Saturday morning at 8 a.m. (day-of registration at 7:30 a.m). The event will start and end at the facility located at 106 W. 7th Street and end at the Prairie Arboretum. Preregistration and payment may be completed at salemmennonitehome.com.
• Hootz Bar, located one block east of Freeman’s Main Street, will host an alley dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday night.
• Festivalgoers are also encouraged to explore Freeman, but to also be aware of the major construction project downtown that is seeing the main business district roadway completely rebuilt. Please excuse the mess!
The 2022 South Dakota Chislic Festival is being presented by Premiere Sponsor Merchants State Bank and Gold Sponsors CorTrust Bank, Hootz Bar and the South Dakota Retailers Association.
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The South Dakota Chislic Festival debuted in 2018 after the state legislature voted to name chilslic the official “state nosh.” The response that first year overwhelmed organizers and prompted them to move the festival from the Freeman softball field complex to the much larger Prairie Arobertum in 2019.
After a year off in 2020 because of Covid, it returned in 2021 to an enthusiastic response that drew an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 guests.
For more about the festival, visit sdchislicfestival.com.