Sept. 10, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by the Minnehaha County Economic Development Association.

Shop local, grab a fantastic coffee and even bring your dog the next time you visit Brandon.

The growing community just outside Sioux Falls offers plenty of new reasons to pay a visit soon.

Brandon Farmers Market

From her acreage near Garretson, Julie Lanoue hoped to find a place to sell her bounty – and she ended up forming a farmers market.

“We found out Brandon didn’t have one,” said Lanoue, who co-owns Lanoue Gardens with her husband, Tony.

“And in talking to people, we found out there were vendors that wanted to come sell, and there was also a need in the community, and people wanted to have a farmers market here.”

So they started in 2018 in a parking lot at 509 N. Splitrock Blvd. with a half-dozen vendors. This year, that has tripled most weeks.

“And it’s just a great variety,” Lanoue said. “We have some vendors that have been in business for 20 or 30 years, some vendors that are third- or fourth-generation ones. They’re out here with their grandkids, showing them how to do it. And then we have vendors who started their business to come be at the market.”

Shoppers will find several produce vendors, and others selling meats, salsa, wine, handmade items and more.

“And then every other week, we have live music, and we have food trucks every week too,” Lanoue said. “And that’s kind of a variety of barbecue, Phillies, different types of things.”

The market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through October. Shoppers are starting to discover it from outside of town too.

“We actually had a gal this morning come from Sioux Falls specifically for items here,” Lanoue said. “So it’s great to see everybody coming out weekly.”

Kingbird Coffee

And just across the parking lot, your coffee will be waiting. Kingbird Coffee opened early this year. Owners Billy and Ellison Cutrer are coffee lovers and longtime Brandon business owners who own their retail center.

“And we always wanted a coffee shop or doughnut place to come in here, and no one would bite,” Billy Cutrer said. “So I got frustrated and said I’ll just open a coffee shop and we’ll go for it.”

They found a winning roaster in Duluth Coffee from Minnesota and slowly have incorporated more offerings, including smoothies and ice cream.

“You can get all the coffee drinks, blended, and we’ve slowly been working on simple foods – sandwiches, salads, we do a lot of different bagel options,” Cutrer said. “We’re looking at different ways to grow the menu while still being able to get the supplies we need.”

Eventually, the coffee shop would like to add comedy or local music. For now, though, they’re grateful for the support of customers through an unprecedented first year in business because of the pandemic.

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” Cutrer said. “When we actually closed our doors in March and April, they were still calling me at home to come in and give them gift cards that they can hold onto, just to help keep money coming in. And it allowed us to keep paying our employees while they were at home too. So they’ve been amazing. I wouldn’t have done this in any other community.”

Big Sioux Recreation Area

And finally head just a bit out of town and bring your dog for this last stop in Brandon – the 555-acre Big Sioux Recreation Area.

You’ll find about 50 campsites, three cabins, an archery range, an 18-hole disc golf course, two canoe-in campsites off the Big Sioux River, two canoe/kayak launch areas, 2.5 miles of paved trail, five miles of hiking trail and some mountain bike and horse trails.

And then there’s the dog-training area – a 20-acre place where dogs can run off-leash and even receive a little education.

“They’ll come out to this tall-grass area and have their dogs practice retrieving, and sometimes they’ll go out on the river and practice waterfowl retrieving,” park manager John Drummer said.

“And then in a nice mowed area, it’s more for people with dogs that are more indoors.”

And while this has been an especially popular season at the park, there are still reasons to keep coming back.

“We have playgrounds for kids, for adults the campgrounds are really popular, and even in winter we offer a place for people to go snowmobiling,” Drummer said. “So a little bit of everything year-round.”

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