RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — In Western KELOLAND, a group of SDSU Alumni gather for watch parties while also raising money for future SDSU students in the area.
During football season, Thirsty’s in downtown Rapid City is packed full of Jackrabbit fans, and for March Madness, it’s no different.
“And the neat thing about it is we were here last Saturday when the Jacks won their first opening game, which was cool. And there were people here from Harrisburg, from Sioux Falls, from Woonsocket. So a lot of people when they’re traveling from East River out here, they look up the place to go, and Thirsty’s is the SDSU spot,” West River Jacks Chairman Craig Pugsley said.
“Go back to, you know, 45 years when I was in college, but we didn’t have anywhere to go off-season. Or after we graduated there was no place to watch the game. So here we’ve got a position that for the most part the reception is great,” Former Chairman Joe Norman said.
West River Jacks also holds several events and raffles each year to raise money for scholarships.
“To foster relationships with SDSU Jackrabbits and our Jackrabbit friends. And our other primary goal is to raise scholarships for West River students,” Pugsley said.
“Getting back to the scholarships is why we raise our money. It’s for West River students that are going to attend South Dakota State. So we kind of cater to that and the nursing program out here is tremendous. So yeah, it’s a good thing all around.” Norman Said
These watch parties bring people together for the love of the Jackrabbits but look to help out the next generation along the way.
The West River Jacks still have a few more events lined up before summertime, you can find that information here.
