On the Road in South Dakota

By Sen. John Thune

Like many South Dakotans, I spend a lot of summer days on the road. The longer state work period gives me the chance to spend more time traveling our state far and wide and doing one thing I find very rewarding: listening to you. This summer took me everywhere from Leola to Brookings to Fort Pierre, my hometown of Murdo, and many places in between.

Of course, there’s no better place to spend a South Dakota summer day than at a fair. I look forward to fair season all year. It’s a pleasure to see familiar faces, hear from people about what’s happening in their community, and get some great food too, like my favorite: the Tubby Burger at the Brown County Fair.

Traveling the state also provides me an important opportunity to hear from farmers and ranchers. I enjoyed joining the Aberdeen Chamber’s Agribusiness luncheon at this year’s Brown County Fair. Each year the South Dakota Farm Bureau also hosts a congressional update at Dakotafest in Mitchell, and I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from members of the agriculture community about the need for Congress to pass a farm bill. I share their deep frustration that Congress will likely simply extend the current farm bill instead of passing an updated law, but I’m committed working hard until the job is done.

It was great to be in our West River communities this summer and see how they are supporting military families. I visited the Liberty Center in Box Elder, which offers year-round indoor exercise and recreation space for Ellsworth airmen, their families, and the local community. And I had the privilege of joining service members and their families in Rapid City for the annual Military Appreciation Barbecue. I’m proud that South Dakota not only punches above its weight in military service, but our communities go the extra mile to support those who serve.

Summertime travels also give me the chance to meet with some of the people who keep our communities and their local economies going. I visited Ricky’s Restaurant in Roscoe, met with homebuilders in Sioux Falls and health care professionals in Howard, and I learned about some of the great things happening at South Dakota State University and Black Hills State University among other visits and meetings.

And what would the summer be without a few celebrations? I had a blast at the Fort Pierre Fourth of July parade seeing South Dakotans at their patriotic best, and it was great to be back in Murdo to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Pioneer Auto Show and remember longtime museum owner, David Geisler.

Exploring our state is wonderful any time of year, but there’s something extra special about South Dakota in the summertime. The sunshine on the open prairie, the smell of the Ponderosa Pine, and the people I get to meet along the way remind me how lucky I am to be a South Dakotan and what an honor it is to represent our state in the U.S. Senate.