The week ahead: Oct. 17-23

The Week Ahead is our hand-picked event guide to the next seven days in Sioux Falls and slightly beyond. For guaranteed placement or to promote your event ahead of time, email [email protected] about a featured event listing.

Oct. 17: Stories of suspense

Fear Falls Radio Theatre will perform at the Washington Pavilion’s Live & Local series at 7 p.m. Thursday. A small ensemble of actors will bring classic suspense stories to life, reading the stories and creating immersive sound effects. They’ll be followed by Bangers & Mash, bringing a mix of rock and heavy pop to the stage. Tickets cost $20; you can purchase them here.

Oct. 17-29: City Halloween offerings

Different departments in the city of Sioux Falls will host free events for residents looking for seasonal activities. The inaugural Sioux Falls Public Service Trunk or Treat will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot south of Sioux Falls Stadium. Parking is available at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. It will include candy, public service vehicles and more.

Siouxland Libraries is hosting activities for those 18 or older who love the horror genre. You can join the waitlist for the Which Witch is Which Mystery Kit on Thursday, Friday Night Frights: Adult Lock-in on Friday and Investigate a Crime Scene: Crime or No Crime? Oct. 29 at the Downtown Library. Opening are still available for the Midwest Paranormal Files at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Downtown Library and Shelf Care: Horror Edition at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Ronning Branch.

Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation will host a Not So Scary Trail or Treat at McKennan Park that includes treats, games, a photo shoot and crafts while listening to Halloween music. There’s a separate Woof or Treat trail for pets, dressed up or not. That’s at 6 p.m. Oct. 25.

Oct. 18: Adults Night Out at Thunder Road

Those 18 and older are invited to take over Thunder Road from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday, with unlimited indoor and outdoor attractions for $36 per person. Attractions include go-karts, mini golf, slick track, Euro Bungy and Waterwars outside, plus the full arcade inside, mini bowling, HyperBowling, 7D Theater, Spin Zone Bumper Cars and laser tag. There will be food and drink specials throughout the night.

Oct. 18: Owl-themed show

Ipso Gallery at Fresh Produce will present “Mystic Hollow,” an owl-themed art show, opening this Friday. A reception, free and open to the public, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at 400 N. Main Ave. Nine South Dakota artists and a wildlife educator and raptor handler from FARE — The Falconry and Raptor Education Group — will offer a glimpse into the nocturnal world of owls. Ipso Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, excluding holidays.

Oct. 18-19: Fright night

The Birdcage will transform into an outdoor haunted house for the return of Fright Nights at the Creepy Cage! This year, the Sioux Falls Canaries offer a self-guided tour through eerie sights and spooky encounters, set against the unique backdrop of the stadium’s very bones. It will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 25 and 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 26. Purchase tickets online and save $2. Tickets are valid for two trips through the haunted tour. For a more child-friendly scare, arrive before 8 p.m. You can purchase tickets here. The event also includes a beer garden.

Oct. 19: Floating Pumpkin Patch

Head to EmBe’s downtown location at 300 W. 11th St. from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday for pumpkin picking, Halloween games and snacks. EmBe has teamed up with Mazing Acres Pumpkin Patch of Yankton to bring a Floating Pumpkin Patch to the pool. Jump into the pool, swim to pick your pumpkin, then decorate it as your favorite sea creature. A lifeguard will assist those who cannot swim on their own. Click here to register. 

Oct. 19: Make a snake

Head to the Switchgrass Room at Prairie West Library, 7630 W. 26th St., for a free all-ages fall craft event. Participants will make weighted sensory snakes with provided materials. Come anytime between 10 a.m. and noon Saturday. You can register here.

Oct. 19-20: Pumpkin festival

Riverview Christmas Tree Farm’s Pumpkin Festival will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. New this year are a giant pumpkin cannon and apple cannons, plus a mining sleuth adventure. You also can enjoy pumpkin picking, sip on local South Dakota wines and fall brews at the beer garden and meet farm animals. There’s also pumpkin painting, inflatables, train rides, duck races, games, caramel apples, cotton candy and foods. Riverview is at 48392 278th St., northeast of Canton.

Oct. 22 and beyond: Creepy art

A Creepy, Spooky, Eerie and Strange Art Exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Serendipity Studio Gallery & Gifts, 230 S. Phillips Ave. The free display will bring together a collection of works that play with themes of the dark, the supernatural, the bizarre and the otherworldly. Additional dates are Oct. 23-26 and Nov. 12-16.

Coming up: Oct. 24-27

The Sioux Empire Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show, Obedience Trial & Rally Trial will run for four days in the Expo Building at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. It will open at 8 a.m. Oct. 24. Conformation and obedience shows will begin at 8 a.m. all four days with a meet-the-breeds event Oct. 26. Admission is free. Find details at siouxempirekennelclub.org.