One of the most anticipated country music concerts in Sioux Falls was Riley Green. But before the stage lights came on, Riley Green was doing some practice under a different set of lights.

Riley Green had his eyes on the prize when he took a little batting practice with the Sioux Falls Canaries at The Birdcage. He might just be a secret weapon for future games!

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Sioux Falls Canaries (via Facebook), Canva
Sioux Falls Canaries (via Facebook), Canva

Did Riley Green Really Spend Time With The Sioux Falls Canaries Before His Show?

This is not a drill...well kind of (haha). Riley did get some batting practice in with the Sioux Falls Canaries before his "Country As It Gets Tour" to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Besides being on stage, Riley looked at home throwing some pitches and being on a baseball field.

Riley Green grew up playing football and was the quarterback for Jacksonville State University in Florida. He was part of the Division I program from 2007-2009 under a football scholarship. Riley did leave college to pursue his country music dreams, but did earn an honorary degree from the university. I think his music career deserves an A+ so far!

Jason Kempin, Getty Images
Jason Kempin, Getty Images

The Sioux Falls Canaries posted some action shots and videos on its Facebook page to give fans a glimpse of Riley's afternoon as a Canary.

It looks like Riley could add being a baseball player to the list of his many talents!

Country music fans at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Friday night noticed that Riley Green supported the local team by wearing one of their hats on stage. It's clear Riley embraced the Sioux Empire while he was in town!

Thanks for visiting South Dakota, Riley! Hopefully, you'll ride back in the Sioux Empire soon. And break a leg as the new coach on NBC's The Voice!

32 Things to Do in Sioux Falls This Summer That Are Absolutely Free!

Sure, there are tons of things to do in the Sioux Empire every summer, but if your entertainment budget is small (or zero), we have the solution - actually, we have lots of solutions.

Here is a list of family-friendly (and some, just adult-friendly) events happening this summer in the Sioux Falls area that you should check out. Oh, the best part, everything on this list is FREE.

Gallery Credit: Karla Brown

The 10 Most Redneck Towns in South Dakota

Are you a 'Redneck?' I guess to some people, all of us in South Dakota are rednecks.

If we use the Jeff Foxworthy Scale of Redneckeness, I have, in fact, been too drunk to fish. So by definition, I am a redneck. And so are many people I know.

Not that being from the country is a bad thing, and it can be fun to poke fun at ourselves.

With that in mind, we found that the folks at RoadSnacks put together a list that claims 'These Are The 10 Most Redneck Cities In South Dakota.'
What is a Redneck?

The dictionary says that a redneck is someone "...who lives in a small town or in the country, especially in the southern U.S., who typically has a working-class job, and who is seen by others as being uneducated and having opinions and attitudes that are offensive."

Well, a few things. First, South Dakota isn't THAT kind of 'south.' We're to the south of North Dakota, but to the north of 'The South.'

Plus that definition sounds awful mean and serious. I thought we were having fun here.

RoadSnacks leaned into the funny, Jeff Foxworthy-based version of a redneck. Then they rounded up select data on places in SD to determine their rankings. RoadSnacks Redneck Criteria:

  • Small towns
  • Least amount of high school graduates
  • Number of bars per city
  • Number of mobile home parks per capita
  • Number of tobacco stores per city
  • Number of places to get fishing gear
  • Number of guns and ammo stores per city
  • Walmarts, Bass Pro Shops, and dollar stores nearby

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

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