Kali Lingen

Pool work and JazzFest: Best summer options

Maggie Aldrich of Harrisburg, S.D., was an Orientation Leader throughout the month of June.

“Being an OL was superfun and I met a lot of people,” Aldrich said.

For the remainder of the summer, Aldrich spent her time as a lifeguard at the Tea Swimming Pool in Tea, S.D.

“The worst part of my summer was cleaning poop out of the pool,” the sophomore sociology major said.

Besides working all summer, Aldrich said she did make a trip to the Omaha Zoo in Omaha, Neb. She also went to JazzFest in Sioux Falls, on July 17 and 18. The Jazz and Blues Society in Sioux Falls sponsored JazzFest and admission was free.

“I don’t really know any good jazz performers, but JazzFest was totally legit,” Aldrich said.

Summer pizza-maker was anxious to return

Tom Brinker, a sophomore from Fergus Falls, Minn., spent his summer working at Papa Murphy’s Pizza in Fergus Falls.

“My favorite thing I did this summer was when I left Fergus Falls to come back to Brookings,” the media production major said.

In addition to working at Papa Murphy’s, Brinker said he hung out with his friends every day.

“My cousin got married, and that was kind of fun, but mainly I just hung out with my friends,” he said.

Brinker said he really likes being back in Brookings because there is always something to do. Also, he enjoys the independence of living in Brookings.

Travel and family time help pass the summer

Junior Ellen Nelson spent her summer in two entirely different places. For half of the summer, Nelson visited her father in Las Cruces, N.M.

“I volunteered at assisted living and retirement homes in New Mexico,” the global studies and journalism major said.

The other half of her summer was spent working on the family farm in Britton, S.D. Nelson is originally from Forest Lake, Minn., and said she missed being with her friends from Forest Lake.

Nelson also participated in a tri-loppet tournament. A tri-loppet is a race where participants canoe, run and bike in a race. She said the race was one of her favorite things she did this summer. The tri-loppet race took place in June around Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, Minn.

“It was my first one and it really was a laughing fest by the spectators,” she said.

Good summer memories created in Missouri

Senior math education major Michael Smith spent his summer meeting new people every day. Smith, of Branson, Mo., worked at the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson.

“I was a skillet cook and worked on a five-foot wide skillet,” Smith said.

Smith said Silver Dollar City’s motto was, “Create memories worth repeating.” He tried to incorporate that into everything he did over the summer. Although Smith had to work outside in a long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans, he still had a lot of fun.

“The uniform was authentic to 1880s pioneer homesteaders,” he said.