South Dakota Republicans will hold several Independence Day celebrations over the Fourth of July weekend. Some will feature the fireworks at Mount Rushmore for those without tickets to the event.
Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender asks that people wear face masks to prevent from spreading COVID-19.
There are several weekend fundraisers surrounding President Donald Trump’s visit for the fireworks show at Mount Rushmore.
The Pennington County Republican Party hosts three events. Two on Friday and one on Saturday.
A watch party at Main Street Square in downtown Rapid City will provide a live feed of the fireworks show at Mt. Rushmore. That event features guests like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and conservative talk radio host Scott Hennen. Donald Trump Jr. and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway were scheduled to attend, but cancelled. The Fort Hays Chuckwagon outside of Rapid City will host a similar event.
Jeff Holbrook is chair of the Pennington County Republican Party. He anticipates thousands of people.
“I think there’s a tsunami of people that are fixing to hit this town,” Holbrook says. “We’re doing something about it. Not everybody’s is going to be able to get a ticket. There will be thousands that don’t, but still want to participate in one way shape or form.”
On July fourth, American Priority hosts an event at the Black Hills Speedway. It will feature so-called “MAGA Celebrities.” American Priority is a for-profit company that says it supports the principles of Liberty, Integrity and Equality.
A joint fundraising committee composed of Donald Trump for President, the Republican National Convention and various state republican parties will also hold retreats in Montana and South Dakota.
Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender says it’s a challenge to provide resources to support all these events. He says a priority will be protecting the health and safety of the community.
“It’s obviously an apparent health risk,” Allender says. “But I’ll let you know in a couple of weeks after if it really was a health risk. Between that and the other special events we have here, if in fact it’s going to cause infection, we should be seeing those results within a couple of weeks.”
Allender says it makes good sense to wear masks in public places - especially events that are indoors or where social distancing is not possible.
