Coffee Talk

By: South Dakota Education Association

Published: February 12, 2024

Date	Community	Leg District	Location	Time	Sponsoring Groups (If available)
1/25/25	Aberdeen		NSU Barnett Center	10-Noon	AARP, Borns Group, Health Care Plus Federal Credit Union, Helms & Assoc., Mark Mehlhoff Insurance, NorthWestern Energy, NSU, State Farm ABerdeen Dev Corp.
2/8/25	Aberdeen		NSU Barnett Center	10 - Noon	AARP, Borns Group, Health Care Plus Federal Credit Union, Helms & Assoc., Mark Mehlhoff Insurance, NorthWestern Energy, NSU, State Farm ABerdeen Dev Corp.
2/22/25	Aberdeen		NSU Barnett Center	10-Noon	AARP, Borns Group, Health Care Plus Federal Credit Union, Helms & Assoc., Mark Mehlhoff Insurance, NorthWestern Energy, NSU, State Farm ABerdeen Dev Corp.
1/25/25	Belle Fourche		Branding Iron Steakhouse & Saloon	1pm - 3pm	Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce
2/8/25	Brandon	2	Bethany Meadows Community Room	9:30 - 10:30	Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
2/1/25	Brookings	7	City-County Government Center	9am	Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce
2/22/25	Brookings	7,8	City-County Government Center	9:30 AM	Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce
2/1/25	Canton		TBD	12pm
1/25/25	Clear Lake	4	Municipal Building	9am
3/1/25	Deadwood		Deadwood Gulch	10am	Spearfish Area Chamber of Commerce
1/25/25	Highmore		West Wing of Hyde Coutny Auditorium	9:30am
2/1/25	Huron		City Hall	9am - 10am
2/22/25	Huron		City Hall	9am - 10am
3/8/25	Huron		City Hall	9am - 10am
1/31/25	Mitchell	20	Chamber Board Room	8am - 9 am	Governmental Affairs Commitee (Michell Area Chamber of Commerce)
1/25/25	Newell		Newell City Hll	9:30am
1/31/25	Onida		Sully Area Library	1pm
2/15/25	Piedmont	29, 33	Piedmont Valley American Legion Post	2pm - 4:30pm	American Legion Post 311, Dakota Rural Action (Black Hills Chapter), and Prairie Hills Audubon Society
2/1/25	Pierre	24	Chamber of Commerce Community Room	10am - 11am	Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce
2/1/25	Rapid City	30,31,32,33,34,35	Western Dakota Tech	9am- 11am	Elevate Rapid City
2/15/25	Rapid City	30,31,32,33,34,35	Western Dakota Tech	9am - 11am	Elevate Rapid City
3/8/25	Rapid City	30,31,32,33,34,35	Western Dakota Tech	9am - 11am	Elevate Rapid City
2/17/25	Redfield		C&NW Historic Railroad Depot	1pm
2/8/25	Selby		Sebly Community Center	10:30am
2/22/25	Sioux Falls	12, 14	HUB Auditorium (Southeast Technical College)	10am	Sioux Falls League of Women Voters
3/1/25	Sioux Falls	13, 15	HUB Auditorium (Southeast Technical College)	10am	Sioux Falls League of Women Voters
2/8/25	Spearfish		TBD	10am	Spearfish Area Chamber of Commerce
2/1/25	Sturgis	29	Meade County Erskine Building	9am	City of Sturgis South Dakota
2/15/25	Vermillion		City Hall	9am - 11am
3/1/25	Vermillion		City Hall	9am - 11am
2/15/25	Watertown		Sale Ring @ Winter Farm Show (Codington County Extension Complex)	8am	Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce
1/18/25	Yankton	18	City Commissions Room at CMTEA	10am - 11am	Yankton Thrive
2/22/25	Yankton	18	City Commissions Room at CMTEA	10am - 11am	Yankton Thrive
3/15/25	Yankton	18	City Commissions Room at CMTEA	10am - 11am	Yankton Thrive

How to get involved with a Legislative coffee or cracker barrel

Legislative coffees or cracker barrels are time-honored gatherings that allow citizens to question local legislators on the issues of the day. Generally, local community service groups host these one to two-hour town hall meetings on Saturdays during the legislative session. This is prime back home access to your local legislators during the session. So, how should you get involved?

Don’t go it alone: Organize your colleagues and friends to attend with you. There is strength in numbers.

Do your homework: Who is hosting the local coffee/cracker barrel? Local Chamber? Kiwanis? What are the format and rules?

Be Prepared: Have questions prepared ahead of time. Know what you are going to ask.

Prioritize: Time is limited. What is the most important question that you want to have asked of the legislators? Have more than one person prepared to ask or submit the same question to the moderator.

Be Respectful: Respect the moderator and the time limits. Ask your question and allow the legislators to respond. Do not interrupt; even if you don’t agree.

Look Unified: This is a great opportunity for you to join the #RedforEd movement. Have everyone wear the same color. Buttons or stickers are also a great way to look to unified.

Be Social: Live tweet any responses to education questions. Share photos of your group on Facebook and Instagram. Let others see you in action to inspire others to get active. Use #SDLeg or #SDLegCoffee so others can follow along.

Follow Up: After the forum concludes take a moment to introduce yourself to the legislators or send an email. Ask them to clarify any answers you didn’t understand.

Host a Coffee: There’s no legislative coffee in your community? Consider having your local host a coffee during the legislative session. Work with are legislators to coordinate a weekend date.

Give Feedback: You can help the SDEA Lobbyist by sharing what you are hearing from your local legislators. You can find the feedback form at sdea.org