Grills, Games, and Guarding Your Gold: Watertown Prepares for a Busy Summer
- Steve Jurrens
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - As the South Dakota sun begins to warm the prairie, the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce is shifting into high gear. In a recent local broadcast, Chamber representatives and partners from Midwest Bank unveiled a packed summer schedule designed to bring the community together, support local businesses, and protect the town’s financial assets.
The Return of “Cookin' on Kampeska”
The crown jewel of the summer calendar, Cookin' on Kampeska, is set to return to Stokes-Thomas Lake City Park from July 16–18. While the event has historically been a competitive barbecue circuit, this year focuses on community engagement and education.
Nyberg’s Ace will be on-site all weekend, providing samples, while Friday (July 17) will feature hourly adult cooking classes from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM. These hands-on sessions are limited to ten participants each. On Saturday, the focus shifts to the younger generation with kids’ cooking classes from 10:00 AM to noon.
The Saturday lineup is particularly dense, featuring:
· The Little Miss and Mr. Kampeska Pageant (ages 3–8).
· A high-stakes Bean Bag Tournament starting at 12:30 PM.
· Pedal Tractor Pulls for both kids and adults.
· New for 2026: Outdoor Bingo and a “Touch a Truck” exhibit.
Music fans can expect a diverse soundtrack, starting with IVplay on Thursday, 3 Hour Download on Friday, and a grand finale by South Dakota rock legends Ivory on Saturday night.
Fighting Fraud in the Digital Age
While the July festivities are about fun, a June event aims to address a more serious “nuisance”: financial crime. On Thursday, June 11, Midwest Bank and the Chamber will host a Fraud Prevention Seminar at the Watertown Regional Library from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Watertown Business Fraud Seminar
Andrea Spilde of Midwest Bank’s cash management division emphasized that the event is an educational outreach, not a sales pitch. “Business accounts hold a different liability than consumer accounts,” Spilde warned. “Your return window for fraudulent activity is very short.”
The seminar will feature Detectives Sig Sivertson and Jeremy Bjerke from the Watertown Police Department, who will share local case studies on check fraud, email compromise, and wire spoofing. The event is free, and attendees are encouraged to RSVP to ensure enough Downtown Donuts and coffee are provided.
“Weekend Wander” Rummage Sale
To kick off the month of June, the Chamber is finally answering the age-old question: “When is the city-wide rummage sale?”
The inaugural Watertown Weekend Wander is officially scheduled for June 4–6. The Chamber will act as a central hub, collecting sale locations and dispersing a master map to the public. Organizers hope this “Inaugural” event will streamline the previous chaos of neighborhood-specific sales into a single, citywide treasure hunt.
