The livestock is out, and cleaning crews are in
The Monument cleans up the arena after the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The livestock is out, and cleaning crews are in, as the 2023 Stock Show and Rodeo finished last weekend.
Crews started the cleanup process at the Monument Saturday night in preparation for upcoming events.
“For us, it’s not a question, you can’t go about it slow, you have to make your next event,” said Craig Baltzer, executive director of the Monument.
A week before the show, 125 dump truck loads brought in the dirt. Now they must remove all of it from the arena. This dirt is taken to the city’s water reclamation site where it is stored and reused for next year’s event.
“As you can see after the dirt is gone there is still a lot of cleanup to be done. We have four crews, 15 people crews per day. I’s a 24/7 operation to get this ready for our next events,” said Baltzer.
Removing the dirt is just one step to cleaning the facility. Everything then must go into a detailed cleaning. This includes replacing all the HVAC filters in the building.
This is one of the largest events in South Dakota, it is estimated more than 300,000 people attend every year.
“This is what we were built for, I mean I can’t think of a better event. I believe this is the second largest economic impact driver of western South Dakota behind the motorcycle rally. It’s so important to our community, and what other venue could hold it,” said Baltzer.
The crews clean day and night, and the Monument rents out equipment to help the process.
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