Dancing dinos and more at summer theater for kids

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A staple of summer has made its return to the bandshell at McKennan Park in Sioux Falls.

Another week of Storyland Children's Theatre is coming to a close at McKennan Park.

"Storyland Children's Theatre is a program from Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation We've been doing theater here at McKennan Park at the band shell for 30-some years. We celebrate birthdays with the kids, we sing silly songs to get warmed up, and then we put on a show," Storyland Children's Theatre Director Michael Smith said.

Dance, Dino, Dance is one of seven productions on this summer's schedule, and was written by the longtime director Smith.

"This is a show I wrote because a fan of Storyland, a seven-year-old girl, said she wanted a dinosaur show," Smith said.

"My son is a huge dinosaur fan, so he thinks this is like for him," Sioux Falls resident Sheila Diercks said.

Diercks is a teacher in Sioux Falls and brings her kids to Storyland Children's Theatre at least once a week.

"The crew over there does a great job with the shows and really keep it entertaining and engaged for the kids, too," Diercks said.

She has an additional motive this week.

"It's actually my son's birthday tomorrow, and so one of his favorite parts is being able to go up on stage and have everyone here sing happy birthday to him, so he thinks that's pretty special," Diercks said.

Smith says there's a new show every week.

"It is a bit of a challenge in that we have to memorize, we have to costume, we have to block it all out and have rehearsal. At the same time, we're a bunch of theater people, it's just what we do," Smith said.

And the crowds keep showing up.

"Leif Ericson came this week because they were flooded out, so we saw all those kids, it's always a different group of people but every week hundreds and hundreds of them come and we just it, it's a good tradition here in Sioux Falls," Smith said.