Red Ribbon Week kicks off at Dinosaur Park

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City area students trekked to one of the highest landmarks in the city to declare their commitment to sobriety on Monday.

It’s an annual tradition to make the hike up to the brontosaurus in Dinosaur Park for the district’s Red Ribbon Week. Sponsored by the Rushmore Noon Optimists, the week serves as a drug, alcohol, tobacco, and violence prevention campaign. Each year in Rapid City, the week kicks off with area students tying a big red ribbon to the giant brontosaurus where the whole city can see.

President of the Rushmore Noon Optimist Club, Jordan King, says the strong showing by the students is an inspiration to the community.

“This shows a commitment to be a better community and it shows that a lot of the people in the community here have the same idea and the same values of what we want going forward for our vision of rapid city in the future,” said King.

The giant ribbon featured pledges from Rapid City students to be drug free. Red Ribbon Week events continue Tuesday with the unveiling of the winner of the billboard contest. The new billboard following the theme “Drug Free Looks Like Me” will be located on East Main Street behind the School of Mines Foundation Building.