BUZZ

from Aberdeen Magazine March/April 2021

by McQuillen Creative Group

THE LEGACY OF SENATOR JAMES KYLE

 The movie theater inside the Aberdeen

Mall recently revealed an updated look with reclining seats.

The “Golden Ticket” For Movie Lovers

Movie lovers now have the chance to punch their “golden ticket” and enjoy the newest blockbuster releases in a totally revitalized setting thanks to the addition of Golden Ticket Cinemas at Uptown Aberdeen. The movie theater franchise took over the nine-screen theater previously run by AMC late last year—complete with reclining seats, updated cleaning procedures, and a whole new look for Aberdeen cinephiles to enjoy.

“The reception we’ve received so far has been really great,” manager Bryan Simpson said. “We’re focusing on giving a town like Aberdeen the theater it deserves.”

Simpson said that despite the new wave of movies going directly to streaming services, he’s been encouraged to see people still wanting to get out and enjoy the experience of seeing a movie for the first time on the big screen. It’s a trend he hopes continues as people get more comfortable being out and about again.

“We’re hopeful in how smooth things have been going,” he said. “We’re planning to keep improving and keep showing this place love.” // - Kaylyn Deiter  Golden Ticket Cinemas is open daily. For showtimes, visit aberdeen. gtcinemas.com.

 Jerry McGuire is adding signature dishes to the

Moccasin Creek Country

Club dining experience.

New Chef Brings Fresh Menu Items To Aberdeen

The restaurant at Moccasin Creek Country Club has a new executive chef as of this past October. Jerry McGuire (no, not of '90s rom-com fame), is a Missouri native who found himself back in South Dakota after visiting in his younger years. McGuire has worked as an executive chef for 32 years, deciding last year that it was time to get back into the country club world.

“Things have been going really great since I got here,” McGuire said. “I’m really happy with the response from the membership. It’s been fun to get to know them, and they’re very open and honest with me about what they like.”

McGuire has added a handful of new items to Moccasin’s menu since his arrival last fall, including his best-selling lobster ravioli, whiskey sirloin, Chilean sea bass, and towering filet mignon—a signature dish of his for the last 20 years. More revamps are also in the queue for this spring, such as a twopound stuffed Maine lobster and a sashimi platter.

“My approach to food is that I want every item on the menu to be a home run,” McGuire said. “The key is to buy the best ingredients you can and treat those ingredients properly. I’m always looking for some kind of ‘wow’ factor.” // - Kaylyn Deiter  Moccasin Creek Country Club is open for dining Tuesday through Sunday. To see their menu, go to www.moccasincreekcc.com/ banquets_dining.

Country Club Care For Your Canine Companion

 The Canine Country Club, 521 Production Street North, offers daycare, boarding, or grooming for your pup.

Hub City dog lovers rejoice! There’s a new option in town if you’re looking for daycare, boarding, or grooming for your four-legged best friend. Enter Canine Country Club—the Aberdeen location of the boarding and daycare franchise that first started in Brookings. Dogs can be dropped off Monday through Saturday during the Club’s morning hours and picked up again in the evenings. It’s a new take on pet care that locals have embraced whole-heartedly since the Club opened this past December.

“It’s going really well,” manager Ryan McCutcheon said of business so far. “We’re seeing new dogs every day and getting a lot of inquiries.”

McCutcheon said social media has been huge for drumming up new business and getting Canine Country Club’s name out there. As the company continues to grow, the high-quality care, flexible hours, and friendly atmosphere will undoubtedly remain trademarks of this new home-away-from-home for your pet. // - Kaylyn Deiter  Canine Country Club is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM for drop off and Monday through Sunday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for pick up. (Saturday pick up is from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.) To learn more, visit www.caninecountryclubsd.com.

 Andy Heinze of Gold N Gems shows an example of some collector items that will be on display at this year’s All Hobby Show.

Calling All Coin Collectors and Hobbyists!

Mark your calendars for the weekend of March 6 -7. For two days, the 53rd annual All Hobby Show will present some of the best coin, stamp, baseball card, and other collector hobbies at City Lights in Aberdeen.

The All Hobby Show is hosted by the local Ringneck Coin and Stamp Club, a nonprofit that has been meeting since just after World War II. Andy Heinze is the club president and owner of Gold N Gems on Main Street. He said collecting coins can have a dual-purpose. “Some people do it just for a fun hobby, and others do it for an investment, similar to collecting guns.” 2021 will be a larger Hobby Show than in years past, as it will be held in partnership with the South Dakota Coin and Stamp Association. Heinze said visitors can expect to browse 25-35 different collections from hobbyists across the state. // - Jenny Roth  The All Hobby Show is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday and 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Sunday. Admission is 50 cents for children and $2 for adults. For more details, call 605.262.0952.

 A staff member at Avera St. Luke’s receives the COVID vaccine in January.

Photo courtesy of Avera St. Luke’s.

COVID Vaccine Clinics Are Underway Zapoya Delivers More Choices For Dining At Home

Aberdeen hospitals began administering COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. Tess Moeller, COVID vaccine coordinator and vice president of operations at Avera St. Luke’s, said vaccine distribution is directed by the CDC and South Dakota Department of Health.

“Area hospitals are simply a vehicle to get the vaccine to the folks that need it and have been prioritized by the DOH.”

The DOH released a timeline for who can receive the vaccine and when. Aberdeen area residents can visit www.avera.org/covid-vaccine or www.sanfordhealth.org to stay up to date on eligibility phases and get the latest instructions for receiving the vaccine in town.

Sanford and Avera both started by administering a COVID vaccine by Moderna. It is a two-part shot with 28 days between doses. Moeller said they can’t confirm if it will be a yearly vaccine, as research is still ongoing. According to the CDC, “Based on evidence from clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 illness in people who received two doses who had no evidence of being previously infected.”

There are no out-of-pocket costs to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Moeller added, “We highly recommend getting vaccinated and trust the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness very much.” // - Jenny Roth  For the most current updates on the COVID vaccine in South Dakota, visit www.doh.sd.gov.

 Zapoya brings local restaurant food to you. Pictured L to R are team members and drivers Daniel Ayers, Cami Dudley,

Carissa Larson, Erin Dudley, Anastasia

Hoven, and Malerie Henschel.

Did you know Aberdeen has a locally-owned restaurant food delivery service? If you’ve seen vehicles zipping around town with the Zapoya logo, that’s them! Zapoya Delivery has been in the Hub City since 2018, first launching as Zip Dish. The South Dakota-based company also has locations in Brookings and Watertown.

Owner Erin Dudley said they partner with 14 (and counting) locally-owned restaurants and franchises in Aberdeen to bring hot, fresh food to your home or office. Patrons can visit their website at www.zapoya.com to browse menus and place an order. Zapoya delivers between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM for lunch and 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM for dinner. Since the pandemic, they’ve added a contact-free delivery option as well.

Erin talked more about how COVID-19 has impacted their business in Aberdeen. “When restaurants had to close for dine-in, we were able to hire servers, hosts, and bartenders as drivers because delivery requests increased.” She said some of those drivers are still with the company today. “The advantage of us being a locally-owned delivery service is that we are just a text away to help our restaurant partners or customers with anything they need.”// - Jenny Roth  A complete list of lunch or dinner options that can be delivered by Zapoya is available at www.zapoya.com.

Local Online Infant and Children’s Boutique Opens

Julie Fischbach, owner of Mainstream Boutique in Aberdeen, recently launched an online shop featuring baby and children’s clothing and accessories. The new venture, called Trendy Littles Boutique Co., came from frequent customer requests and inspiration from Nikki Reigle, a new mom and buyer at Mainstream. Reigle said, “We are passionate about finding the cutest pieces for all the adorable littles in your life and strive for quality items that are unique and affordable.”

Trendy Littles Boutique Co.’s sizes start at newborn and run through youth XL. Gifts and accessories are also available, including teethers, bibs, swaddles/ blankets, nursery decor, and much more. Everything can be purchased through their website or private Facebook group, with free pick up available in Aberdeen.

If you have a trendy little in your life, keep an eye out for Trendy Little Boutique Co.’s new affiliate program, where customers can earn compensation for the use of photos with their child in the shop’s attire! // - Josie Clemens  To shop Trendy Littles Boutique Co., head to www.trendylittlesboutiqueco.com or find them on Facebook.

FAMILY FRESH SUSHI

KEN’S DELI IN ABERDEEN

NOW OPEN

Special Orders & Trays Available Upon Request

605.225.6671

Ask for the deli department for sushi orders

Made Fresh DailY

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

MON-SAT 6 AM-11 PM • SUN 6 AM-11 PM

 Trendy Littles Boutique Co. features online shopping for baby and children’s clothing and accessories. Photo courtesy of Trendy Littles Boutique Co.

 Natasha Valnes-

Jorgenson opened her new business, Vibrant

Life Spa, at 415 South

Main Street, Suite 305.

Reiki Spa Offers Energy-Enhancing Services

In a time when stress and uncertainty are arguably at an all-time high, it’s helpful to know there are places out there where managing that stress and tapping into positive energy is not just a nice bonus but the main focus. That’s the case for Natasha Valnes-Jorgenson, owner of the newly opened Vibrant Life Spa and a medical reiki master. Valnes-Jorgenson’s job is to provide her clients with ways to remove and/ or block negative energy from their bodies and minds, leaving them instead with healing energy both for themselves and those around them.

“Our entire body is made out of energy,” Valnes-Jorgenson said. “The energy that surrounds us impacts us in positive or negative ways. Within a reiki session, I connect on an energetic level with my client—most of the aliments we have stem from our energetic system.”

Vibrant Life offers a variety of energy-based services to clients, including reiki energy work, halotherapy, holistic life coaching, polychromatic light therapy, ionic cell cleanses, and sound and vibration therapy. Clients can book an appointment through the spa’s Facebook page. Valnes-Jorgenson hopes she can provide services that will help get her clients back on track, physically and emotionally.

“We need to be empowered to get our bodies back working the way they can and the way they deserve,” she said. “We all deserve to work on an energetic, emotional, and physical level, but we often underestimate what our own bodies can do.” // - Kaylyn Deiter  Vibrant Life Spa is open by appointment. Clients can book online at www.facebook.com/vibrantlifereikispa or by calling 605.742.4183.

 The Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has moved to the

Malchow Plaza. Pictured is CVB administrative assistant, Cindy Beard.

A True Welcome Center For Aberdeen

The Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau invites everyone to stop by their new location at the Malchow Plaza, 506 S. Main Street, Suite 1. Executive Director Casey Weismantel said the CVB moved over the New Year holiday.

“We packed up on December 30, took the weekend to settle in, and hit the ground running by opening on January 4.”

Weismantel said the Malchow Plaza will be a focal point for Aberdeen locals and visitors alike, making it a perfect fit for the CVB. “The Plaza is going to be the meeting place for Aberdeen and a true welcome center. We’re glad to be a part of it because we want to be more accessible to residents looking for help hosting an event and to people traveling to this area.”

If you’re holding an event or convention in town, the CVB is here to help you plan and find the best location, and their services are free of charge. They also promote area tourism and assist visitors in getting the most out of their trip to Aberdeen. // - Jenny Roth  You can check out the new CVB headquarters during their regular hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For more information, head to www.visitaberdeensd.com.

5G in Aberdeen? Not So Fast…

Did you get one of those 5G phones for the holidays? Well, we checked in with City Manager Joe Gaa on when 5G would actually be available here in Aberdeen. He told us we were “ahead of the curve” and that he didn’t really have a timeline yet. He said the city had begun doing some background research but wasn’t able to discuss it until they learned more.

If you’re not familiar, 5G is the fifth generation of cellular mobile communications. It will ultimately replace where we are now with 4G LTE. Carriers began rolling out 5G in a handful of cities in 2018 and mobile 5G in 2019.

Implementing 5G within a city requires new infrastructure, ordinances, zoning, and a host of new considerations. It’s a massive step-change in increased speeds, bandwidth, and low latency. Yet, once we have it, they say 5G will rock our world. When fully implemented, experts claim 5G will be more significant than the Internet in changing how we entertain, travel, work, and communicate.

All we need right now is a little patience. // - Susan Scrupski