Events

Aug 20

Dakota fest is the Northern Plains' premier agriculture show, bringing farmers, ranchers, and great ideas together. 

This agriculture show takes place on over 45 acres of land, featuring 500+ companies and exhibitors. 

Aug 16

Entertainment, kids’ activities, egg education, rodeos, carnival and vendors.

Aug 20

Kool Deadwood Nites brings car lovers together for five days full of classic cars, classic music and classic fun. It’s a 50’s and 60’s sock hop – Deadwood style. Enjoy a parade, show and shine and FREE concerts on Main Street featuring the biggest names in rock ‘n roll history.

Cars must be a '73 or older to register for the event.

Aug 22

Threshing, truck and tractor pulls, parades, demonstrations, music, exhibits, food, church services and train and carousel rides. Featuring the International Cockshutt Club Inc Summer Show.

Aug 21

Carnival, food, vendors, exhibits and entertainment.

Mar 23

For over 600 years, stringed keyboard instruments have served as repositories for human imagination, science, technology, craft, artistry, and music. They are admired for their stature – and oftentimes stunning beauty – alongside their ability to play both melody and harmony. Keyboard innovation has continuously expanded throughout the world, throughout time.



Opening in March 2024, the special exhibition “High Strung: Five Centuries of Stringed Keyboard Instruments” will explore the form, function and development of keyboard instruments from early harpsichords to the modern piano. The special exhibition brings together nearly 20 keyboard instruments from the NMM’s collections - some of which have never before been on exhibit.



Instruments that will be on display include:


• An octave virginal (NMM 4660), from the same workshop as the NMM’s Neapolitan harpsichord, c.1530 (NMM 14408)

• A highly decorated harpsichord by Andreas Ruckers, 1643 (NMM 10000)

• Harpsichord by Nicolas Dufour, 1683 (NMM 5943, pictured below), made in Paris in a native style that fell from popularity by the first decade of the 18th century

• French grand piano, Clavecin à marteaux, (harpsichord with hammers) by Louis Bas (NMM 4653) from 1781. This instrument, the earliest surviving French grand piano, is exceptional, retaining much of its original action parts

• Downward-striking piano by Nanette Streicher und Sohn (NMM 10298), and a small trapezoid hammer instrument by Gottfried Maucher (NMM 4570) – an example of a lesser-known instrument type, similar to the tangentenflugel by Späth and Schmahl, built c.1784 (NMM 4145), which was once a favorite instrument type of Mozart

• Grand piano by Erard (NMM 5984) and Chickering & Sons (NMM 5413), built at a time in which America led the way in piano technology, not only with grand pianos, but also with the large ”square” pianos by makers such as William Knabe & Company (NMM 14447)



“High Strung: Five Centuries of Stringed Keyboard Instruments” will open to the public on March 23, 2024 in the NMM’s Jason & Betsy Groves Special Exhibition Gallery. It will remain open through the calendar year. Support for the exhibition is provided by generous grants from the Clayton and Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation and the City of Vermillion, SD.

Fee: $Included with Museum Admission

Aug 02

Join us as we celebrate Fructus et Flores, the latest experimental film magic of Mercedes Nelson, on Friday, August 3rd from 7 pm-9 pm.

The exhibit runs through Sunday, August 25th.

In the beginning, this series was about experimentation and learning; taking various fruits and flowers and seeing what sort of effects different ones would have on the 35mm film cooked with them. As models came and posed with these fruit and flowers, it began to evolve as a connection was formed between each model and their various materials. The process for pairing models and props became a sort of intuitive ritual and set the mood for the shoot, which became its own form of ceremony. These photos presented here today reflect not only the play and exploration of the chemical discovery, but also a raw connection formed in the moment between artist, model, and organic matter to create a unique and spiritual energy documented on film. Magical things happen when the creation process starts from a place of play and asking “what would happen if..”

Aug 21

Dance contests, rodeo, carnival, parade and other numerous events.

Aug 01

Make August awesome with our Arcade Special! Visit us August 1st – August 31st to get $5 in bonus cash for FREE when you buy a $20 Arcade Card. Buy online or in person.

Aug 22

Together, we strive to create a society of CURIOUS, SCIENTIFICALLY LITERATE, and ENGAGED problem solvers. You can be a critical part in fulfilling our vision by finding your volunteer focus below. Come in during volunteer hours to learn how you can help!