Archives

In partnership with Memorial Blood Centers, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) hosted a winter blood drive at Dakotah! Sport and Fitness in early December. More than 60 Community Members, employees, team members, and members of the public stopped by to donate a combined 61 units of blood, which has the potential to save the lives of 163 hospital patients. With a critical blood shortage going on in the United States, blood donation events like this one are crucial to ensuring that everyone has access to lifesaving treatments when they need it.

During 2022, the SMSC collected 215 units of blood, bringing the Community’s life-saving potential to 600 hospital patients in one year alone.

For information on future blood drives at the SMSC, please watch for updates at shakopeedakota.org.

Reservations for the 2023 season at Dakotah Meadows RV Park are now open can be made by visiting dakotahmeadows.com, calling 1-800-262-7799, or in person at the Dakotah Meadows office. Long-term/seasonal sites are sold out for the 2023 season, however, reservations up to two weeks in length are still available by calling the office.

New for 2023, campers will notice an enhanced shopping experience at the RV park’s mini convenience store, including a selection of branded apparel and RV accessories. Dakotah Meadows RV Park is tentatively scheduled to open for the season in mid-March.

“We are excited to welcome our guests for the 2023 season and have them enjoy everything our RV park and the area has to offer,” said Travis Lankin, who took over as manager in November after previously running Mazopiya, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s organic food market. “I’m looking forward to meeting all of our guests, both those who camp with us annually and those staying with us for the first time.”

2023 Season Pricing

Pull-Thru Sites
Sunday-Thursday: $45/night
Friday-Saturday: $50/night
Holidays: $70/night
Week: $255

Back-In Sites
Sunday-Thursday: $50/night
Friday-Saturday: $55/night
Holidays: $80/night
Week: $285

Conveniently located next to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and many of the Twin Cities’ most popular destinations for entertainment, shopping, and family fun, Dakotah Meadows is a premier RV Park in the Upper Midwest. Amenities include laundry facilities, RV wash with catwalk, and fueling station.

Visit dakotahmeadows.com for more information.

Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, an enterprise of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, is offering a discounted initiation fee of just $20.23 to new members who join between January 2-31, 2023. The club’s promotion comes at a great time, with many New Year’s resolutions often focused on health and fitness.

“We are excited to welcome new members to our facility,” said Director of Dakotah! Sport and Fitness Tad Dunsworth. “It is our hope that this promotion will make fitness more accessible to people.”

Dakotah! Sport and Fitness is a full-service fitness center located in Prior Lake, featuring an aquatic center, gymnasium, indoor track, ice center, Hydromassage beds, a café, and more.

Visit dakotahsport.com/membership/rates-reimbursements for more information and to become a member

From October to December, SMSC Members, employees, team members, and partnering organizations have worked five days a week to build a four-unit, two-story townhome complex in Prior Lake. In mid-December, the largest charitable undertaking in SMSC history came to a close. There were weather challenges, and many opportunities to learn new skills, or to try something outside of a typical comfort zone, but the process also strengthened employee relationships across departments and enterprises and enhanced bonds among friends and families.

Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Senior Engagement Associate Julia Schafer said, “I am so thankful for the SMSC’s dedication to finishing this build-out, even though it got pushed so far into winter!”

A huge thank-you to everyone who participated on the project! It has been a great opportunity to give back to the local community with the Dakota value of wóokiya, helping and generosity. Nearly 600 hours outreach time and service were donated to this project.

While the SMSC is officially done helping to provide volunteers, there is still more work to be done on this project and many more around the metro. Get involved and sign up today at tchabitat.org/volunteer.

From December 26-January 27, Scott County residents can bring holiday trees, garlands, and spruce tops to the SMSC Organics Recycling Facility to be composted, free of charge. Participants are asked to remove all decorations, wire, and non-compostable materials from trees, garlands, and spruce tops before bringing them to the facility.

Since 2013, the SMSC Organics Recycling Facility has offered a free Christmas tree recycling service and has taken in almost 2,300 Christmas trees from area residents and more than 23,000 trees from commercial businesses. This program diverts trees, garlands, and spruce tops from landfills and instead recycles this material into mulch and compost in an environmentally responsible way.

As a Native American tribe committed to being a good steward of the earth and a good neighbor, the SMSC is proud to not only offer organics recycling programs throughout the year, but to also offer them at no cost to the public.

Visit smscorf.com for more information on this program and others like it.

FREE Residential Christmas Tree Drop-Off
1905 Mystic Lake Drive South, Shakopee MN
December 26-Janury 27
Monday-Friday: 8am-3pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

The annual Waniyetu Art Market returns to Hoċokata Ṫi on December 8-10. The three-day event is open to the public and features artisans and vendors offering Native American handcrafted items that are perfect for the holiday gift-giving season. The market will take place from 10am-6pm daily.

Here’s just a sampling of items that attendees will find at the market:

• Beadwork
• Paintings
• Body care products
• Clothing
• Jewelry
• Pottery
• Home décor
• Woodwork designs
• Star Quilts
• And more!

Those in attendance can also check out Hoċokata Ṫi’s public exhibit, Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake, for just $8. More information about the market can be found at hocokatati.org/waniyetu-art-market/.

This past Veterans Day, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Members joined hundreds of Native American veterans in Washington, D.C., for a historic memorial dedication honoring the sacrifices of Indigenous people who served in the U.S. armed forces. On a rainy and humid day, attendees gathered for a ceremony recognizing the Native American Veterans Memorial, located on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

Since the Revolutionary War, Native Americans have served in every major U.S. military conflict, typically at one of the highest rates per capita of any ethnic group. Now, these veterans are acknowledged for their service on a national level.

The Native American Veterans Memorial opened on the grounds of the NMAI in 2020 and aims to educate millions of annual visitors about the remarkable contributions of Native American people. The impressive memorial has been in the works for decades. In 1994, U.S. Congress passed the Native American Veterans’ Memorial Establishment Act which authorized the NMAI to create a memorial. In 2013, the law was amended to allow the memorial to be placed on the grounds of the museum.

The memorial was created and installed thanks to the generous donations from individuals, organizations, and tribes who sponsored the project, including the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

Every couple of seconds, someone in the United States needs blood or platelets. In fact, there is currently a critical blood shortage, with Memorial Blood Centers issuing its second blood emergency of the season in October 2022.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC)—in partnership with Memorial Blood Centers— hosts periodic blood drives to help fulfill this need. The public is invited to make a lifesaving difference by participating in the Community’s winter blood drive on Thursday, December 8, from 9:30am-5pm at Dakotah! Sport and Fitness. All blood types and platelets are in demand, so every donation makes a difference.

Donors will receive a voucher for a free 16-ounce smoothie, redeemable at Dakotah! RECHARGE or Mazopiya’s reFresh Bar.

To sign up to donate, call the SMSC Health and Wellness Department at 952.233.2965 or visit mbc.org/searchdrives and use sponsor code 1637.

November is Native American Heritage Month! The month is a time to honor the rich traditions and histories of Indigenous peoples and to acknowledge their important contributions. Hear fromSMSCSecretary/Treasurer Rebecca Crooks-Stratton as she invites the public to join the SMSC in honoring native American Heritage Month. Additionally, follow the SMSC’s social channels all month long to learn more about the ancestry and lifeways of the Dakota people. For more information about the SMSC’s Native American Heritage Month events, visit hocokatati.org.