Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center

07/03/2025

This Neutrino Day, dive into the science behind the spectacle of aerialist silks! 🤸‍♀️
This unique performance, at the Historic Homestake Opera House, pairs gravity-defying movement with live commentary from a SURF physicist who unpacks the physics of force, motion, and balance that make aerial acrobatics possible.

07/02/2025

We’re bringing new entertainment to the garden this Neutrino Day! 🌿✨

Immerse yourself in the rhythm of culture and community at Čhaŋgléška Wakȟáŋ, SURF’s ethnobotanical garden.

From 9 AM–1 PM, enjoy performances by Starr Chief Eagle Lakota Artist, Educator, & Hoop Dance Extraordinaire who brings tradition to life through movement and song.

From 1–3 PM, catch The Wake Singers, a family band from Rapid City, performing their powerful, original music.

To experience these performances at the garden, catch a shuttle from the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center!

07/01/2025

Visiting for the 4th of July weekend? 🇺🇸 We hope to see you at this year's 99th Gold Camp Jubilee Celebration! For the most up-to-date schedule, check out www.leadmethere.org/goldcampjubilee

The Visitor Center will be OPEN all week long from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.!

06/30/2025

Registration for the 2025 Physics Photowalk ends tomorrow, July 1! 💥 Register at https://sanfordlab.org/photowalk-registration

Last chance to enter the 2025 Physics Photowalk! Registration ends tomorrow, July 1.
👉 https://sanfordlab.org/photowalk-registration

06/27/2025

This Neutrino Day, we’re bringing BIG energy to the Historic Homestake Opera House!

Join the award-winning Professor Sko for a science show like no other. With robot sidekicks, mind-blowing demos, and a whole lot of audience interaction, Professor Sko makes science unforgettable for all ages!

📍 Homestake Opera House
🕘 Shows at 9 AM & 4 PM
📅 Saturday, July 12
🎟️ Free and open to the public!

06/24/2025

For the first time since 2019, SURF and Lead community volunteers came together for Cleanup Day—planting 216 native plants in our flower beds and adding 420 plugs of buffalo grass at Čhaŋgléška Wakȟáŋ, SURF’s ethnobotanical garden.

Special thanks to South Dakota State University- Native Plant Initiative for helping us source locally adapted plants that thrive in the Black Hills!

Want to explore the Čhaŋgléška Wakȟáŋ? Sign up for a garden tour on Wednesdays at 11 a.m.!

Read more about SURF’s renewed Cleanup Day at https://sanfordlab.org/news/surf-brings-back-cleanup-day-tradition

06/23/2025

There’s still time to get your tickets for the best 4th of July fireworks view in town! 🇺🇸
Enter to win VIP admission for your family to watch the Gold Camp Jubilee fireworks from our patio at the Visitor Center.
Raffle tickets are just $5 and available for sale at the Visitor Center. Winners will be announced at 5 p.m. on July 4!

06/20/2025

Last chance to get a FREE t-shirt when you sign up to volunteer for Neutrino Day!
👉 Sign up at https://neutrinoday.com/volunteer/signup

06/19/2025

Thank you to Dale Curran, creator of our dewatering exhibit, for stopping by earlier this week to replace a pump. Just like the real system underground, our displays need a little maintenance now and then!

And thank you to 2025 Artist in Residence Chris Combs for capturing the moment. Chris himself creates interactive sculptures that blend metal, wood, and digital components. We’re excited to see what he creates during his time at SURF!

06/18/2025

Join us tomorrow for this week's Pub Talk & Trivia at Dakota Shivers Brewing! 🍻

Join us tomorrow from 5–7 p.m. at Dakota Shivers Brewing for another round of CETUP* Pub Talk & Trivia!
Last week’s session with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory packed the house with a fun and quirky presentation: “Physics Experiments You Can Do When You’re Bored at a Baseball Game.”
Don’t miss what’s on tap this week—science, trivia, and great brews!

06/17/2025

Photographers—don’t miss your chance to go behind the scenes at Neutrino Day!

SURF 2018 Photowalk finalists (from left) include images by Matt Kadlick, Bonny Fleming, Chris Yushta Home 2025 Physics Photowalk 2025 Physics Photowalk Join photographers from around the world for a unique opportunity to document the excitement of Neutrino Day and go behind the scenes at the Sanfor...