Oh No! Raffle Items Stolen For Sioux Falls Downtown Riverfest

People are unbelievable. They sometimes don't think about the consequences of their actions. After a robbery over the weekend, a major Sioux Falls event could be in trouble.

This year's Downtown Riverfest is on Saturday, August 19th. There's usually a raffle held each year. Unfortunately, items for this year's raffle have been stolen. Some criminals broke into the Friends of the Big Sioux River's storage unit where the raffle items were being stored. 

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Friends of the Big Sioux River is an organization that strives "to protect and restore the Big Sioux River and its watershed, improve the water quality, and educate our community to build a conservation ethic." They want to encourage the community to use the Big Sioux River as a recreational activity and preserve it for future generations. For this year's Downtown Riverfest raffle, the organization donated a brand-new kayak, paddle, and life jacket. Our news partners at Dakota News Now and a Facebook post from Friends of the Big Sioux River detailed what the stolen items look like and the value of this prize.

The Facebook post from Friends of the Big Sioux River explains the picture is the "exact style and color of the stolen goods. They are a Pelican Sweep 100X Kayak, Bending Branches Whisper Paddle, and a Stohlquist Spectrum Life Jacket." The value of this prize is just over $500. Looks like this theft really wanted to journey down the Big Sioux River.

Anyone with information on the potential suspect is encouraged to contact Managing Director for the Friends of the Big Sioux River Travis Entenman at director@friendsofthebigsiouxriver.org or by calling 605-679-6973.

Downtown Riverfest is almost a week away! There are still opportunities to volunteer during this year's event. More information about volunteering and the 2023 Downtown Riverfest can be found here.