Part of the park · 2008
The picnic shelter and winter rink
Built for the centennial near the playground. The Friends' August potluck is held under it.
The story
The shelter was built for the 2008 centennial near the playground. It measures 22 by 22 feet, has electricity, and reserves online through the city. The Friends of McKennan Park hold their annual potluck and membership meeting under it on an August evening, with a decorated-bike parade for the kids.
In winter the city floods an unrefrigerated rink of nearly 40,000 square feet nearby and opens a warming house. Grass grows poorly on the rink ground in summer. The 2020 master plan proposes a refrigerated rink of about 20,000 square feet on a concrete pad, with a warming house, a fire pit and plaza use in summer; the city's 2020 to 2024 system plan did not identify refrigerated rinks, so it remains unfunded.
Photographs: Frame from The McKennan Park Historic District, City of Sioux Falls government-access television, 2010, via Internet Archive.
At a glance
| Built | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Size | 22 by 22 feet, with electricity |
| Reserve | Online through the city |
| Rink | Unrefrigerated, nearly 40,000 square feet, with a warming house, winter |
| Where | Mid-park, by the playground |
Questions: Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, 605-367-7060.
Keep walking
Next parts of the park.
The playground
An accessible playground in the middle of the park, with the McKennan bust beside it.
Horseshoe and shuffleboard courts
Pitched here for a century. The 1969 state tournament was played on these courts.
The wading pool
Free since 1929. The fourth pool on the site opened May 29, 2026, with a slide, sprays and a new bathhouse.