Last night at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center was absolutely packed for Cody Johnson with special guests Kip Moore and Emily Ann Roberts. From the pit all the way to the top seats, the building was full before Cody even hit the stage, and Sioux Falls showed up in a huge way for every artist on the lineup.
Emily Ann Roberts opened the night with the kind of classic country sound that immediately grabs attention. A lot of people know her from The Voice, but songs like “He Set Her Off” and “Whole Lotta Little” have helped her build a strong following of her own. Kip Moore came out next and completely shifted the energy in the room with that gritty, road-tested style he’s known for. The second “Somethin’ ’Bout a Truck,” “Beer Money,” and “Last Shot” started, the crowd was locked in. Then Cody Johnson took over and turned the PREMIER Center into a full country singalong with songs like “’Til You Can’t,” “Dirt Cheap,” and “The Painter.” The production was massive, the crowd stayed loud all night, and it felt like one of those shows where every section of the arena was fully engaged from start to finish.
Really fun night to photograph in Sioux Falls.
A week ago, I spent a full Sunday with Pastor Adam Weber, documenting a day that so many people experience—but rarely get to see from beginning to end. The day started early at his home—quiet, intentional, rooted in family—before shifting into something much bigger. By the time the first service begins, there’s already been hours of preparation. Messages refined, details reviewed, and a full team operating with precision behind the scenes.
Adam delivers the same message six times throughout the day, and somehow it never feels repeated. Each one carries the same sincerity, the same presence, and the same belief. The message is simple: this isn’t about money—it’s about impact. And you see that impact everywhere—between services where people line up to talk, not casually but intentionally, sharing real conversations and real moments.
And then there’s baptism. On that Sunday alone, 258 people were baptized across Embrace campuses, each one met with genuine celebration—cheering, emotion, and moments that feel more like victory than routine. It holds the room. What stands out just as much is everything working together behind the scenes. The people, the preparation, and the consistency all add up to something that reaches far beyond a single Sunday.
By the end of the day, it all comes back to where it started—home, family, and a quiet walk through the neighborhood. This video is a look into what that day felt like. For the full story, take a look at the photo post here on Facebook/Instagram.
The first WNBA game ever played in South Dakota happened tonight at the Sanford Pentagon. Phoenix Mercury vs. Chicago Sky—and it ended up feeling a lot more competitive than you’d expect from a preseason game.
Nate Tibbetts coming back to this region as the head coach of Phoenix gave the whole night a different tone. You could feel it early. The Mercury had real support in the building, and it carried throughout the game. Add in the SDSU connection on the coaching staff, and Sioux Falls showed up for them in a big way—hundreds of miles from Phoenix, but it didn’t feel like it.
From a photography standpoint, this was one of those assignments you stop and take in for a second. A lot of these players are people I’ve watched on TV for years, and now they’re right in front of me in a gym like the Pentagon where you don’t miss much. As for the photos—I hope you like them. Don’t stop scrolling until you see the K-9 that can detect bombs and firearms with his nose.
Phoenix controlled most of the game and came away with the win.
Big thank you to Ian and my friends at KELO for the invite—really cool to be part of a night that’s a first for South Dakota.
Yesterday’s groundbreaking for the new men’s prison in Sioux Falls marked a real turning point in a project that’s been building for years. The wind was relentless all afternoon, which made it hard to ignore what was happening visually. A massive American flag was suspended from a crane with the South Dakota flag hanging beneath it, and the way they were moving in that wind—especially knowing the state flag was completely hand-stitched by a local company—gave the whole site a sense of weight before anything even started.
What stood out most in the remarks wasn’t just the scale of the project, but the direction behind it. Governor Larry Rhoden acknowledged the amount of work it took to get here—years of discussion, planning, and alignment to even reach a day like this. Mayor Paul TenHaken took it a step further and focused on what happens after incarceration, talking about reform and the responsibility to serve people in a way that actually helps them reenter communities like Sioux Falls in a better position than when they left. It wasn’t just about building something new—it was about doing something better. And across the board, there was a clear recognition of the level of effort it took from the state, the Department of Corrections, and the construction teams like Henry Carlson and JE Dunn to move something this complex forward.
This also marks the beginning of a bigger shift—moving away from the current prison and toward a new facility on the northeast side of Sioux Falls. After years of conversations around location, cost, and necessity, it’s no longer theoretical. It’s happening.
And in the middle of all of that, the governor hopped into an excavator for the official groundbreaking and was a good sport about letting me slow things down for a minute and grab a few frames. Those are the moments I’ll remember—right in between the speeches and the structure of the event, when it becomes something a little more human.
Big project, big opinions, but yesterday was one of those days where you could feel the weight of it moving forward—wind, flags, machinery, and all.
I spent a full Sunday with Pastor Adam Weber, documenting what people don’t see—to tell this story.
What happens behind the scenes at Embrace Church is hard to fully explain until you’re inside it.
The day started at 5:45am at Adam’s home—quiet, intentional, and rooted in what matters most—before shifting into something much bigger. By the time the first service begins, there’s already been hours of preparation. Messages refined. Details reviewed. A full team operating with precision behind the scenes.
And then it all comes to life.
Adam delivers the same message six times throughout the day—and somehow, it never feels repeated. Each one carries the same sincerity, the same presence, the same belief.
The message is simple: this isn’t about money—it’s about impact.
And you see that impact everywhere.
Between services, people line up to talk with him—not casually, but intentionally. Real conversations. Real moments.
And then there’s baptism.
On this particular Sunday, 258 people were baptized across Embrace campuses. Every single one met with celebration—cheering, emotion, moments that feel more like victory than routine. It’s powerful. It holds the room.
What stands out just as much is everything you don’t see. The people behind the scenes—the ones running cameras, managing audio, coordinating every detail. It’s all done with care, consistency, and purpose.
By the end of the day, it all comes back to where it started—home, family, and a quiet walk through the neighborhood.
What started with a single handwritten sermon has grown into something that reaches thousands. Not by accident, but through faith, consistency, and a life built with intention.
There’s a lot more to this story.
Full post is live on Facebook.
Video to follow.
Last night at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center felt less like a concert and more like controlled chaos in the best way possible, and Bailey Zimmerman wasted no time making that clear—literally launching himself up through the floor of a second-tier stage with smoke, pyro, and fireworks all hitting at once before swinging Tarzan-style across the arena to the main stage like it was just part of a normal intro. From there, it never really slowed down. He leaned all the way into who he is, openly talking about his ADHD in a way that felt honest and unfiltered, bouncing from moment to moment with a level of energy that’s hard to fake and even harder to sustain, while also making it clear throughout the night how much his faith matters to him, bringing up God and Jesus between songs in a way that felt personal, not scripted.
What stood out just as much as the production was how often he broke the barrier with the crowd—moving into the audience, popping up in unexpected spots, constantly finding ways to make a massive room feel smaller. Having Hudson Westbrook and Blake Whiten come back out during his set for a couple songs tied the whole night together, especially after they had already set the tone early, and by the time it wrapped with a message that hit more like a conversation than a closing speech, followed by a full drop of white confetti, it felt like one of those shows where the details didn’t just support the performance—they were the performance.
Every year, Denny Sanford PREMIER Center pulls off a full reset—ice out, dirt in, and suddenly it’s PBR weekend again. One night this place is hockey or a concert, the next it’s chutes, gates, and bulls that clearly didn’t come here to cooperate, and it’s one of those setups where every seat in the building works—you’re never far from the action. I don’t last long in the venue if I’m being honest… I’ve got a severe allergy to bulls, so I pick my spots, get what I need, and get out. This year though, the bulls felt a little extra—pacing, turning back toward the chutes, almost baiting the riders before the gate even cracked. It’s quick, it’s chaotic, and it’s over in seconds, but when you’re that close you realize how much is actually happening in that short window.
Nebraska vs. Iowa State at the Sanford Pentagon isn’t something you expect to see in Sioux Falls, and that’s exactly what made this stand out. Nebraska handled business and came away with the win, playing clean and in control throughout. Aimee and I were there to photograph the venue and the play!
A great local angle in this one with Sioux Falls native Bergen Reilly running the offense for Nebraska. Getting to see her on that court, in front of a home crowd inside the Sanford Pentagon, is a rare and meaningful moment for the city and for anyone who’s followed her path.
Appreciate the opportunity to be there and capture it. Thanks to Ian Sacks and the team at KELOLAND News.
