Welcome to the Association of South Dakota Museum annual Conference! 

We are excited to partner with the Goss Opera House to bring the annual ASDM conference in a beautiful, historical location. 

Our host for this year is the wonderful Codington County Heritage Museum, who has worked hard putting together an amazing conference. The conference schedule is as follows:

Sunday, September 25

6:30 – 8:00 pm Opening Reception – Relax and meet with friends while enjoying appetizers at the Hampton Inn conference room, 2720 9th Ave SE, Watertown

Monday, September 26 Note: All sessions on Monday and Tuesday will be held at the Goss Opera House at 100 E Kemp Ave except evening reception.

8:00 am – Registration/Check-in – Coffee, rolls,  and fruit. Silent Auction begins

8:45 am – Welcome – Ronette Rumpca, ASDM President

9:00 am –– Community and Donor Engagement with Cammie Mengwasser, Development Director at Watertown Community Foundation

9:45 am – Break – Silent Auction Bidding

10:00 am The 3 R's of Volunteers - Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition with Miranda Fenning, Director of the Watertown Volunteer Center

11:00 am – Creative Fundraisers on a Penny with Ali Tonsfeldt, Park Manager at Fort Sisseton Historic State Park.

12:00 pm – Lunch on your own

1:30 pm – Always Have a Plan: "What are the benefits of having a Long Range Plan?" with Patricia Kendall, Director of the Dacotah Prairie Museum, Aberdeen. 

2:30 pm – Digitizing Cultural Heritage Collections with Michele Christian, Archives and Special Collections Librarian at SDSU

3:15 pm Break – Silent Auction

3:30 pm History Detectives: A Classroom Exercise with Gwen McCausland, Director- SD Agricultural Heritage Museum, Brookings

4:00 pm – Panel Discussion – What things do you want to see from ASDM?

4:45 pm - End Silent Auction

6:00 – 8:00 – Evening Reception at Codington County Heritage Museum 27 1st Ave SE, Watertown

Tuesday, September 27

8:00 am – ASDM Breakfast Business Meeting. Ticket required $15 for food, but not for attendance

9:00 am Bringing the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street to South Dakota with Ann Volin, PhD, Executive Director at South Dakota Humanities Council

9:45 am – Break

10:00 am –Renovating the Cultural Heritage Center with Dr. Ben Jones,  South Dakota State Historical Society Director

11:00 am – Promoting National History Day with Sarah Jacobs, Education Coordinator, Ag Heritage Museum, Brookings and Kevin Gansz, Educator, Siouxland Heritage Museums, Sioux Falls.

12:00 pm – ASDM Board Meeting

If you don’t have to get on the road we will be offering a tour of Mellette House, the Goss Opera House and the Redlin Center after lunch on Tuesday at 1:00 pm.