Philip, SD

*Due to the weather forecast, this has been postponed to the rain dates of May 9 and May 10.*

The City of Philip will host a “Free Dump” weekend to City residents Saturday, May 03, and Sunday, May 04, 2007 for rubble site acceptable items.

The Rubble Site will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on these dates.

(Rain Date: Friday, May 09, and Saturday, May 10, 2008)

Citizens are responsible for transporting their items to the Rubble Site and all loads to the Rubble Site should be sorted prior to delivery to the rubble site. Any questions can be directed to the City Finance Office at 859-2175 during regular business hours.

Congratulations to Monna Van Lint - the random winner of the fourth drawing!

Round five will be beginning shortly - keep the GREAT comments coming!

Join Healthy South Dakota in recognizing National Turn Off the TV Week, April 21-27. 

According to The Television Project, by age 18 the American child has seen 350,000 commercials and spent more time watching television than any other single activity. Participate in National Turn off the TV Week and take the challenge to turn off the TV, video games and computer for seven days.  Listen to the radio for alternative activities to TV viewing happening in your area!

• Purpose: To re-think the role and assess the impact of television.

• How: Simply switch off or unplug your TV for seven days and participate in life.

• Who: South Dakotans of all ages.

• Where: Homes, schools, worksites, etc.

• What: Walk to work or school; Play with your pet; Take a nature hike; Plant a flower, vegetable or herb garden; Play together as a family

For the past few weeks in story time we have been tending to our seedlings. A while ago I sent out the call for supplies to help transplant our seedlings and received a wonderful response.

We have really enjoyed learning about seeds, plants, and gardens through stories and activities. This summer, keep an eye out for these “sunny” plants!

Please join us to play chess at the Haakon County Public Library.

Whether you know how to play or not, if you would like to teach or just play, if you are young or old. All Abilities Are Welcome at Chess Club!

Chess Club meets in the Community Room of the Courthouse on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesday’s of the month.

Here are the upcoming dates:

April 29

May 6 and 20

June 3 and 17

July 1, 15 and 29

August 5 and 19

If you have any questions, please contact the library at 859-2442.

Celebrate National Library Week with a trip to the public library. This year marks its 50th Anniversary. Started in 1958 by the American Library Association, it is a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries and librarians across the nation. The theme for this year is, “Join the circle of knowledge @ your library®.” Have you visited your library this week?

Congratulations to Linette Donnelly - our third $100 winner!!

Stay tuned for Round Four!!!

Keep the comments coming - everyone loves to hear your voice!

Click to enlarge and see that comment #11 - Linette - was our random winner.

Recently, four of us took a field trip to Min-Kota Fisheries to watch a group of people vaccinate fish. Yep, that’s right. Fish!

The fish, tilapia, fly into Rapid City from New Mexico. They are about six weeks old, weigh in at .25 grams and measure around 1″ to 1½” in length. In Philip, they are vaccinated with the streptococcus vaccine and then spend twenty-one days in nursery tanks. By the time they are ready to ship out to Minaqua Fisheries in Renville, MN, they have grown to 20 times (10 grams) their arrival size in Philip.

After they grow even larger at the fisheries in Minnesota, they are shipped to fish markets and groceries stores around the US that sell live fish.

This Friday was the second weekend that the crew vaccinated fish. A couple of weeks ago, they ‘worked’ 52,000 of the tiny critters. (Can one call a fish a critter?) This week, the total is 40,000.

Right now, everything is in a testing stage. But should it work out - Pat will be driving into Rapid City every week to pick up the flying fish. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun.)

Pat has a method to determine approximately how many fish he is dealing with. This bucket is marked and once filled to the line, he guesses that bucket to contain about 1200 fish!

Look at how precisely they work! The needle must be placed carefully to be sure that the vaccine goes right where it needs to!

Congratulations to Brigitte Brucklacher! Her comment number, 6, was chosen by the online generator to receive the $100 for this round!

Stay tuned to tomorrow for Round 3!

Philip’s school district had its annual Science Fair a few weeks ago. Kids turned out in force with some really great projects. Here’s a taste of what was there:

5th Grader Brett did a project on mathematical probability.

Tristen’s project was called DO THE DEW! He had 3 similar math tests and he, along with 2 friends, took the tests. The first test with no caffeine, the 2nd with 1 can of Mountain Dew and the 3rd test with 2 cans of Mountain dew. He was trying to figure out if caffeine would help with accuracy and time it took. Tristen received 1st place for the 5th grade.

Amanda bought the lab coat with her own money for the science fair.  She had her grandma embroider her last name on it, so her sisters could wear it, too, when they are bigger.  Her experiment was making concrete bricks with different aggregates (sand, gravel) to see which is stronger.

Mandi researched eyeshine in animals.  She can identify animals in the headlights by their eyeshine color.  She waited a whole year to present this project, as she had it all ready for last year, and she was too sick to present it.

Anna Belle challenged three adult men to a shoot out (who will remain anonymous because she out shot them!) to see which of the .22 rifles they have is the most accurate.  It was a tie, so if you here gunshots out their way, it is all in the name of science!

THANK YOU to the moms and friends who supplied us with this info and the photos!

What would you do if your doctor told you that you had only six months to live?

If you haven’t seen Professor Randy Pausch’s inspiring last college lecture at Carnegie Mellon you need to watch “THE LAST LECTURE: A Love Story for Your Life” on ABC on Wednesday night. It might change how you live your life.

Spring has sprung,

the grass is riz.

I wonder where

the flowers is?

Bright springtime flowers can be found on main street in Philip.

Daffy-dils (not to be confused with daffodils) have appeared in the front windows at Jones’ Saddlery and the Bottle ‘N Vet.

Big city department stores might have their window dressers decorating front windows to entice customers into shopping there, but they are not alone. Philip has our own window dresser, Alice Jones, who decorates their store windows to entertain us and make us smile. Every month, new displays appear - many appropriate to the holiday happening during that month.

Handmade quilts, mannikin’s made out of nylons and other crafty things have all made appearances throughout the years -  these ladies were in the windows during the month of February.

Congratulations to our first $100 winner - Roberta Vaughan!

Thank you for all your wonderful comments - keep them coming! (Be sure to check out all the great comments!)  The next $100 question will be posted on Wednesday, April 9th.

Below is a screenshot showing the online site that generated comment number 13 - Roberta! Click to enlarge.

From our librarian....

Hello all,

In story time we have been doing some science activities.  I need your
help with one of them.  We have been growing seeds in small cups so the
children can learn more about plants and seeds and the process of how
things grow.  We will soon be at the point where we need to transplant
the seeds to larger containers so they can grow more.  I need about 30
containers about the size of a cottage cheese or large yogurt container
(butter/margarine and sour cream containers will also work well).
Please make sure they are very clean before donating them.  Also, I will
accept a donation of soil if anyone has some extra or would like to
purchase a bag for this project.

If you can help, please drop off any supplies you can give at the library.

Visit the blog and win!!! Here’s a teaser….

Starting shortly, you’ll be able to enter yourself for a chance to win $100 Philip Bucks! It’s EASY!

We will post a question about Horizons and our community - all you need to do is answer that question in the comments section! At the end of each contest, we will randomly choose an entry and that person will receive $100 Philip Bucks. While your answer will NOT be judged, only relevant comments will be entered into the drawing. It’s a win-win situation! Philip wins because we get to hear your thoughts, and you win because you get $100 to spend in town!

Watch the blog carefully - contests will be clearly marked and will only be open for limited amounts of time. There will be multiple contests and multiple chances to win! (If you can’t post, but wish to, please get your answer to us and we’ll post it for you!) And while you’re here - please feel free to comment on any posts!

To comment, just click on the comments link below the post. Please be sure to leave a valid email address so that we may contact you if you win!!!

These contests are open to all community members - whether you’ve been directly involved with Horizons or not! All age groups are encouraged to submit comments!!!

Philip High School enjoyed their prom this past weekend. Other than some stiff wind, the weather held out for the kids’ special evening out. I believe approximately 50 couples attended the Grand March. The family of Jennifer Nelson donated the Queen’s crown and the family of Dalles Brucklacher provided the King’s crown. Thank you to those families for their touching gesture. After the dance, prom-goers attended an after-prom party at Rock N Rolls Lanes, then headed to Gem Theater for a showing of Awake, and finally ended with breakfast at the Philip Ambulance Hall.

And here’s a neat tidbit - a few Philip kids escorted dates from several other Horizons communities. I think ALL of Dan’s communities were “represented”. We had 2 from Hot Springs, at least 2 from Murdo, 1 from Newell and I believe there was 1 from Faith. Fun!

Here’s just a snipit - lighting was poor and the camera-operator is not very skilled.

Stacy (a senior) with her parents and her date

Some of the Senior Boys straighten themselves up…

Prom Royalty - Zane & Bradi

South Dakota Magazine editor Bernie Hunhoff travels the state visiting communities and meeting interesting people. Read what he had to say about his stop in Philip.

http://www.southdakotamagazine.com/editors_notebook.php?p=2116

She’s here - and it’s serious business.

Horizons will pay your registration if you would like to attend the 2008 Governor’s Economic Development Conference in Pierre, SD  on April 8th and April 9th.  You MUST register with Karla no later than March 28th.  I’ll list her contact info below.

Visit this site to learn more and see the agenda for this year’s conference.  If you would like to attend, please let Karla Trautman know right away.  Do not use the register link on given site.

http://www.sdreadytowork.com/2008conf/agenda.asp

Contact Karla at:   605-688-4790  or via email at  karla.trautman@ces.sdstate.edu 

Due to very popular demand, South Dakota State University’s Horizons project will host a REPEAT seminar on the steps of applying for community grants.

At the seminar, Pat Johnson and Mindy Hubert, SDSU Cooperative Extension, will walk you through the steps of applying for grants and focus on helping communities and individuals develop the skills needed to successfully write and receive a grant for community development.

The Northwest Area Foundation in St. Paul, Minn., funds the Horizons project, which is a 20-month grant project, aimed at reducing poverty and building leadership in rural communities.

The free seminar starts at 1:00 p.m. and concludes at 3:00 pm. The seminar will be held on Tuesday,  ^{April 1st}  at the West River Ag Center located at 1905 Plaza Blvd in Rapid City, SD.

Registration is required. Call Carolyn Hendricks, 605-347-2436 or email her at carolyn.hendricks@ces.sdstate.edu to register. Participants are asked to register by March 28th since space may be limited.

WE’VE ADDED ANOTHER CLASS! This one will run on Monday nights beginning on April 7th. Location is yet to be determined. Starting time will also be at 6:30. This will be the last chance until we open our final class in the fall.

Each class consists of a lesson taught by Dave via DVD. He’s entertaining and funny - but mostly he’s got some really great things to teach about many different aspects of making the most of your money, now and for the rest of your life. I think you’ll really enjoy his “lectures”. After the DVD lesson, will be some group discussion and the chance to ask questions.

The class is completely FREE to each couple/individual. This is really a great opportunity - if you were to take Financial Peace University elsewhere, it would cost approximately $150 for the materials plus any fees the instructor might charge. Horizons has provided enough kits to offer this to approximately 34 couples/individuals. Once this class if full, I will start a list for the next one, which will be determined a little later. Reserve your seat right away…you won’t want to miss out on this!

Call Britni (859-3511) or email me (britniporch@hotmail.com) to reserve your spot. I *must* have pre-registration from you in order to have materials on hand for you.

To read more, scroll down to see the Adult Education post awhile back - and check out www.daveramsey.com.

This info comes from Kari’s Friday Findings email - but since our community has big dreams of renovating the baseball and softball fields, I thought I’d call special attention to this opportunity.

In 2008, the Twins Community Fund will distribute approximately $600,000 to promote and improve youth baseball, softball and education in the Upper Midwest, southwest Florida and Latin America.

Grant/Scholarship Applications

• Fields for Kids: Help to renovate or construct youth baseball and softball fields throughout the Upper Midwest, Southwest Florida and Latin America.
• Tournament Grants: Support Upper Midwest regional and national youth baseball and softball tournaments.
• Youth Baseball/Softball Camp Scholarships: Provide economically-disadvantaged youth the opportunity to attend baseball/softball instructional camps, including Minnesota Twins Baseball and Softball Training Camps.

Recreational Programs

• Play Ball! Minnesota Youth Clinics Presented by the Minnesota Twins Community Fund: Designed to teach basic fundamentals including hitting, fielding and throwing, while also providing participants with positive messages about staying in school and away from drugs and alcohol. No registration is required to participate in a clinic, and applications to host a clinic between April and August 2008 are being accepted now.
• Rookie League and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI): The Twins Community Fund provides funding to the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to assist in the organization and execution of summer youth baseball and softball programs.
• RBI Academy: Provides advanced baseball and softball skills training for RBI participants.
• RBI Central Regional Tournament to be held in Minneapolis and St. Paul in July 2008, and host more than 400 RBI participants from across the Midwest, including three Twins RBI All-Star teams.

Educational Programs

• Diamonds and Dreams Scholarships Provides $1,000 scholarships to Upper Midwest and Southwest Florida high school seniors in their pursuit of post-secondary education. (Visit twinsbaseball.com/community for program guidelines and a scholarship application.)

Recognition Programs

• Carl R. Pohlad Award: Recognizes the outstanding community involvement and on-field performance of a current Twins player each season.
• Kirby Puckett Award: Recognizes a Twins alumni player or coach who best exemplifies Kirby’s legacy of community service and involvement.

Ticket Donation Program

• TwinsCare: Donates Twins home game tickets to economically-disadvantaged families and youth. (Call 612.33.TWINS or 800.33.TWINS for more information or a ticket donation application.)

Visit twinsbaseball.com/community for program guidelines, printable grant/scholarship applications and additional information.

***PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE***

Awhile back, I mentioned Dave Ramsey’s Financial Planning course titled Financial Peace University. Well, we’re finally ready to kick off the first class! We can take up to 12 couples OR individuals this time around. The course is 13 lessons, with one each week.

We are going to begin the classes on Tuesday evenings starting April 8, 2008 at 6:30pm at First National Bank in Philip. The classes will last between 1 and 2 hours - never to exceed 2 hours. Each class consists of a lesson taught by Dave via DVD. He’s entertaining and funny - but mostly he’s got some really great things to teach about many different aspects of making the most of your money, now and for the rest of your life. I think you’ll really enjoy his “lectures”. After the DVD lesson, will be some group discussion and the chance to ask questions.

The class is completely FREE to each couple/individual. This is really a great opportunity - if you were to take Financial Peace University elsewhere, it would cost approximately $150 for the materials plus any fees the instructor might charge. Horizons has provided enough kits to offer this to approximately 34 couples/individuals. Once this class if full, I will start a list for the next one, which will be determined a little later. Reserve your seat right away…you won’t want to miss out on this!

Call Britni (859-3511) or email me (britniporch@hotmail.com) to reserve your spot. I *must* have pre-registration from you in order to have materials on hand for you.

To read more, scroll down to see the Adult Education post awhile back - and check out www.daveramsey.com.

(Due to a fundraiser the high school music students are hosting, we are going to bump the classes back a week. We may be able to watch 2 lessons in one evening at some point to get back on track.)

Mark your calendars for March 26, 2008 for a “Marketing Your Community” Seminar that will take place right here in Philip!

The Heartland Center for Leadership Development from Lincoln, NE will be here to help local leaders respond to current and future challenges in their community by bringing people together to learn how to become better decision makers.

Milan Wall, Co-Director of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, is a management and communications expert with more than 30 years experience in dealing with the critical issues facing American society and culture. Milan will work with SD
communities to discover strategies useful for marketing their areas to future residents and businesses.

Here are the details:

When: March 26, 2008
Supper at 5:30, with seminar to follow at 7:00pm

Where: -73 Saloon

This event is free and is open to the public. Please RSVP to Kari at least 3 days in advance so she can make sure a place is set at the table for you.

To contact Kari:

Kari Fruechte
138 Ag Hall, PO Box 2207D
Brookings, SD 57007

Phone: 605-688-4946
Email: Kari.fruechte@ces.sdstate.edu

We’ve had lots of questions about the action teams and where they are at, where they are going, who the members are, and when the meetings are.

In the posts below, each action team is outlined. Take a look and refresh yourself with which teams you volunteered for and what the goals are. If there is a team you’d like to join, please let us know! We don’t want ANYONE excluded. We welcome anyone to any team at any time! I’ll do my best to keep the next meetings updated on here as well.

Comments are welcome!!

Committee Members:
* Mary Burnett
* Diane Fitch
* Becky Brech
* Glenn Parsons
* Codi Vallery
* Fay Hauk
* Jennifer Henrie
* Britni Ross

Goal:  To establish and communicate a marketing program for the Philip community

* Objective 1 - To add signage/billboards promoting available services

* Objective 2 - Develop a brand to promote Philip

* Objective 3 - Maintain an electronic web/blog presence

A free seminar on Affordable Housing was held in Kadoka at Jigger’s Restaurant on February 25, 2008. Individuals represented several communities to learn about issues and possible solutions regarding housing situations in rural South Dakota.

A representative of the Rural Housing Collaborative in Howard gave a presentation titled “Flipping the Switch – Why We Need to Rethink Rural Housing”. After summarizing the research findings, Rita discussed how rural communities need to come together as a whole village and “swim together” to solve complicated issues.

She provided a link with some interesting information: www.rethinkruralhousing.com. They also hope this site will become a useful tool to help communities avoid reinventing the wheel.

After a short break, we heard from an informed panel of speakers on various services and programs available to western South Dakota.

Marlene Knutson, executive director of the South Dakota Central Enhancement District shared her experiences with a successful house project in Lemmon when she was the Economic Development Coordinator there. She also discussed the Governor’s House program.

Mark Lauseng, executive director of the South Dakota Housing Authority, expanded on the Governor’s House program. The current price for a 1008 square foot home (delivered) is $33,000. He also discussed several different programs that assist low and moderate-income individuals/families obtain quality housing. Below-market interest rates, home improvement loans, down payment programs and the Governor’s House program are all programs that can help South Dakotans become homeowners. More information can be found at www.sdhda.org.

Joy McCracken, executive director of Neighborhood Housing Services of the Black Hills, discussed several interesting programs in their “Campaign for Home Ownership”. Some of those programs are Plant the Town, Paint the Town, Revolving Loan Funds and Block Clubs. They also offer many different education classes including homebuyer education courses, post-purchase classes which provide how-to and hands-on maintenance courses, and credit counseling to educate participants on living within their means. This organization originally began to benefit Black Hills communities, but now reaches most of western South Dakota. A plethora of information can be found at www.nhsblackhills.org.

Connie Gerard, rural development specialist with the USDA Rural Development Rural Housing Service, gave information on some different loan and grant programs. The 504 Home Repair Loan and Grant Program assists eligible, very low income home owners with repairs to their home. The Direct 502 Home Ownership Loan Program provides loans to low and very low income families to purchase an existing home, build a new home, purchase a new manufactured home from an approved dealer/contractor, or purchase and set up a Governor’s House. The Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program guarantees loans made by private lenders which allow eligible applicants to purchase a new or an existing home. All of these programs can be seen at www.rurdev.usda.gov/sd.

Finally, a representative of the New Underwood area talked about ways they developed housing and attracted individuals to their town by becoming a bedroom community to Rapid City. Brett had many interesting things to say and had words of wisdom on how things could be accomplished more easily than when they took on their first project.

The meeting ended with wide discussion on the problems facing several of the represented communities. While all the communities face the housing crisis, each situation is very unique and will require completely different procedures. It was reiterated that the housing problem could not be solved immediately, but that it would take lots of hard work and dedication to completing one project at a time.

Those representing Philip at the seminar were Kent Olson, Shirley Chin, Michelle Butler and Britni Ross.

Housing is one of our most widely discussed topics when it comes to things Philip needs. I don’t think anyone disagrees that Philip is in a crisis situation when it comes to quality housing.

The SDSU Extension Service Horizons Project will conduct a seminar on affordable housing right here in our area. We need to get as many representatives there as possible!

Here are the details:

February 25, 2008

Kadoka – Jiggers Restaurant

6:30 p.m. - Supper

7:00—9:15 p.m. - Seminar

Presenters: The Rural Learning Center of Howard will present their thoughts and findings from research in South Dakota and the region.

A panel made up of agency resource people that deal with housing issues and financing in South Dakota will give their perspectives on possible programs and ideas that could work in rural communities.

Communities that have been successful with housing projects will be present to talk about their experiences.

Please mark your calenders to attend! Supper is free - but please RSVP to Kari at least 3 days prior so she can make sure enough food is on the table!

Here is her contact info:

Kari Fruechte
138 Ag Hall, PO Box 2207D
Brookings, SD 57007

Phone: 605-688-4946
Email: Kari.fruechte@ces.sdstate.edu

This comes from Kari’s last Friday Findings mailing - I thought it was interesting, though I can’t say I’m surprised!

95 of the 100 highest (county) child poverty rates are rural counties.  Nine of the highest rates belong to us, right here in South Dakota.  This may be useful for grant applications, or just as an explanation. Check out the link below.

Child Poverty Rates

This topic was so popular in strategic plans that five locations are offering this seminar. We are fortunate that one will be held right next door in Wall, SD.

The content will be very specific to our region, and should give communities food for thought about retaining current businesses, attracting new ventures, and supporting entrepreneurial efforts.

The seminars are FREE, including supper, and ANY community can come.

FEBRUARY 12th - - WALL COMMUNITY CENTER
Supper is at 6:30, with the seminar following from 7-9:15pm.

This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP for a supper count to Kari at least 3 days prior to the seminar.  She can be contacted using any of the methods below.

Kari Fruechte
138 Ag Hall, PO Box 2207D
Brookings, SD 57007
605-688-4946
Kari.fruechte@ces.sdstate.edu

Friends of the Haakon County Public Library recently sponsored a contest for Mrs. O’Connor’s freshman English class.

Students were paired together and given their choice of posters from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. These posters have an almost eerie Twilight Zone feeling to them. Treasurer of the Friends’ group, Britni. R., presented the winners, Shelby B. and John S., with their gift certificates. In addition to winning the certificates, their story The Immortals, will be published in the local newspaper.

Tuesday night, December 11th, the Haakon County Public Library entertained 19 youngsters and 12 adults. The evening started off with Alison K., our librarian, reading THE POLAR EXPRESS (Chris Van Allsburg) to a very attentive audience.

Then Marianne F. entertained the group with music and story books. The children danced with sticks to WE GOT THE BEAT and even some of the adults kicked up their heels to JUMP JIM JOE.

The children learned about typewriters from CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE (Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin). They also learned what SNOWMEN AT NIGHT (Caralyn & Mark Buehner) do.

Hot chocolate and muffins were served as refreshments. Thank you to all the women who helped to entertain that night.

There are only TWO days left!

Get your nominations in for the holiday lighting contest! Judging will take place on Sunday, December 16th. The list is very slim yet - let’s beef it up and have a REAL contest! If you haven’t been out and about to see the lights, consider doing it tonight and then call Janice F with your nominations.

Click on the photos to make them larger.  Makes it easier to have a good look!

Tate says….

“The football field needs to somehow be fixed up. It would be nice if the bare spots had grass.”

“Not very many towns have a Kiddie Park as nice as this one!”

“This is the old museum. I think they should do something with this building. Either reopen it or put it to use in some other way.”

“Not very many towns have a movie theater!” (This is Philip’s very own Gem Theater!)

“Very few towns have as nice of a hospital and nursing home as we do!”

Thank you Tate!!!

My name is Michelle and I’m learning how to blog. We have a good teacher, so we should do well!

I’m learning how to blog as a member of the Horizons team. Let’s see what happens?!

Hi!
This is Deb Smith. I will be blogging for Philip High School. Just learning right now!

After defeating the Wall Eagles 3-2 at the Regional Tournament last week, the Lady Scotties will travel to the State Volleyball Tournament this week!

Listen for state volleyball game scores, stats, highlights and live interviews on webcast http://www.kdsj980.com/ or station 980AM in Deadwood November 15,16,&17.
The Scotties first round play happens on November 15 @ 6:00pm CST.

As part of our Visioning process, we asked Mrs. Wheeler’s 2nd grade class what they thought. Here’s what they had to say:

November 13th - 16th there will be a blizzard of books at the library. The annual Scholastic Book Fair will transform the Community Room into a winter-y reading wonderland. Plan to check out the new releases and old favorites you will surely find at the Scholastic Book Fair.

Check out the website: Haakon County Public Library Book Fair

Philip, SD launched its redesigned website in June 2007 before the Centennial Celebration. The website is a source of information both for and about the community. Content is contributed and updated by Philip Chamber of Commerce, The City of Philip, Horizons II Steering Committee and many volunteers. While wrapped in a dynamic, new look it forms a site that provides online visitors with dramatic improvements in navigation and accessibility to complementary information on community resources and everyday life in this friendly, peaceful and growing town. 

The online visitor has immediate access to the web site’s major topic areas that allow browsing and searching through information about history, attractions, recreation, business community services and resources, statistical data, events calendar, city council minutes, Chamber of Commerce bulletins and meeting notes and everyday life of Philip, SD.

Enhancements to the web site include:

*  Improved Navigation - Web pages work in intuitive and consistent ways, making it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for and know where they are within the web site.

*  Improved Look and Feel - Enhanced graphics and the new page layouts provide visitors with an improved user experience.

*  New Features - New features on the web site include print-friendly versions of the web pages, news and events notices, a drop-down box providing direct access to web pages, a site index, and an FAQ page.

*  Information Sharing – new website offers several RSS feeds for use in news readers and Web logs (blogs). These feeds include headlines, summaries and links back to philipsouthdakota.com website.

By utilizing this popular content syndication technology news from Philip, SD can be easily imported and published by other media or private websites.  While the appearance and high-level organization of the web site are enhanced, the information will constantly be updated by a forming team of editors who will assure that consistency, credibility and currency of the content is maintained at all times.

Since it’s release the website was visited over 500,000 times.

—
For additional information, please contact Philip Horizons II Steering Committee by e-mail (philip-horizons@ukiwebdesign.com). Visit the Philip South Dakota Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://philipsouthdakota.com

(Thank you to Lukasz for providing this release!)

…a hit with the teachers AND students! 

Our Horizons group was contacted by the Haakon Education Association to assist in assembling and installing a brand new playground at the elementary school.  Donations were received throughout the school year, and many new pieces were ordered.  Several Horizons volunteers spent a 13-hour day at the playground getting it ready in time for the start of school.