David Lias

Before the actors took to the outdoor stage Thursday night, June 18, in Prentis Park to present William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” Rebecca Bailey, artistic director of the South

Buy Now Rebecca Bailey, artistic director of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival (SDSF) embraces Greg Huckabee before the Thursday, June 18 premiere of the 2026 SDSF production of “Much Ado About Nothing” in Vermillion’s Prentis Park. Dennis Nelsen, president of the organization’s board of directors, is also present, holding a bouquet of flowers to present to Greg’s wife, Sue, but she apparently was so busy at the time that she never made it to the special presentation.

“That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she brought me up, I likewise give her most humble thanks: but that I will hang my bugle in an invisible baldrick, all women shall pardon me. I will live a bachelor,” Benedick (Ronan Melomo) says early in the first act of Shakespeare's ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ performed June 19 in Vermillion’s Prentis Park. His witty, misogynistic banter takes place after his return from the wars. The characters Don Pedro (Roberto Tolentino) and Claudio (Benjamin Rakow) are also pictured in this scene.

Katie Hunhoff was a Yankton first grader when she held the very first edition of “South Dakota Magazine” in her hands.

The 2025-26 terms of the Vermillion School Board ended Monday and Ryan Johnson and new board member Philip Terwilliger took oaths of office to begin new terms on the board as Carol Voss-Ward, who chose not to seek re-election, stepped down.

The 2025-26 terms of the Vermillion School Board ended at approximately 7:30 p.m. Monday and that made necessary a virtual session of musical chairs.

Don Blankenau shared this photo of people of the Zimba District of Zambia repairing a well. He said in the eight different villages in which he and other volunteers worked, “we'd have somewhere between eight and 12 people that really wanted to learn how to fix their own wells. That training was very successful.

The Vermillion summer tradition of “Thursdays on the Platz” began late in the afternoon of Thursday, July 16 at Ratingen Platz with music by Blue Rune and booths featuring many of the community’s nonprofit entities. Beverages and a fountain for youngsters to play in were welcomed refreshments and helped visitors to the Platz beat the heat.

The contingent of Vermillion citizens who helped Ratingen, Germany celebrate its 750th anniversary also made the short drive to Cologne to visit the Cologne Cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996.

For Vermillion Group, Music Played Major Role In Sister City Celebration EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part one of a two-part series.