EVENTS
605 EVENTS Brookings SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL The Brookings Summer Arts Festival (BSAF) is a testimony to what a good idea and a lot of hard work can do, says Shari Avery. As a board member and the committee publicity chair of the event, Avery is one of many volunteers who come together to put on the largest two-day arts festival in South Dakota every year at Pioneer Park . “We collectively want to bring an experience, and I think the festival has done exactly that for over 54 years,” said Avery. “There's art, food, entertainment, and everything in between.” During the 2025 event, one of the founders, Dave Huebner , could be found in booth 170 with his pottery art business, Dakota Stoneware Pottery . Huebner had just celebrated his 80th birthday and was still very much part of the nonprofit event as a vendor, board member, and committee chair with parking—a daunting task with nearly 75,000 visitors pouring in throughout the weekend. “I don't know of another festival anywhere where the founder is still actively participating this long,” said Avery. “He's been doing this since the early ‘70s.”
WRITTEN BY ALANA SNYDER AND PHOTOS BY ALANA SNYDER AND KAYLA JOHNSON
ROAD TRIP ISSUE may 2026
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