RAPID CITY, SD—Drivers may do a double take Friday evening into the weekend if they look towards Dinosaur Park and notice Dino has taken on a purple hue.
No, Dino hasn’t gone through a permanent makeover and it’s not a tribute to the dinosaur of the same color from ‘The Flintstones’.
The iconic symbol of Dinosaur Park is turning purple Friday in recognition of Military Kids’ Day and Month of the Military Child. Mayor Jason Salamun will be signing and sharing a proclamation at Ellsworth Air Force Base Friday recognizing the day as ‘Purple Up! For Military Kids’ Day and Month of the Military Child.
Included in the major renovations at Dinosaur Park completed last year is the ability to provide special lighting of Dino for specific occasions. Friday’s purple lighting of Dino will mark just the third time the dinosaur will take on a colored hue. Last October, Dino turned red in observance of Red Ribbon Week and was turned blue the weekend of April 5 in observance of Diabetes Incorporated.
Friday’s mayoral proclamation encourages citizens to wear purple in support of the strength and sacrifices of military children in the Rapid City area and across the country. For many military children, they are the new kid in school, they bear the strain of being separated from a deployed parent, live in uncertainty and fear. Gold Star children know the sacrifice all too well, having lost a parent in military service.
“Many children have a parent serving on active, reserve or guard military duty and each April we make a special effort to applaud military families and pay tribute to the resilient nature of military children,” Mayor Salamun states in the proclamation. “It is important to recognize the outstanding courage and strength of our area’s military children and their families that demonstrate the patriotism, bravery, and dedication that keep Box Elder and Rapid City, South Dakota and America strong.”
Dino will remain lit in purple throughout the weekend and will return to its normal lighting next Monday.
