"Each item reflects the beauty of a simple, traditional holiday season." That line came from a placard beside the Minneluzahan Senior Center's tree at last year's Parade of Trees. The tree was built from heirlooms and antiques that the center's seniors and veterans brought in, and it had cookies set out for Santa. The Rapid City Journal photographed it with the rest of the 2025 entries.
Other trees in that room included a Coffee and the Cats tree covered in cat photos, a WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort tree marked with a rubber duck, and entries from Dolan Creek Senior Living, Liv to Give and Liv Hospitality, and the City of Box Elder. Further down the row were Hairy Cow Brewing, Happy Tails Haven, Catholic Social Services, the Black Hills Center for Equality, L&K Woodworking and Design, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 315, Douglas School District and the Mammoth Site from Hot Springs.
The Parade of Trees comes back to The Box Elder Events Center on December 1. Viewing is free, and so is the city's Winter Wonderland on December 10. The building around both events has an unusual funding setup. The city owns it, a private operator runs it without paying rent, and the bonds that built it are being repaid from fees on hotel room rentals. Box Elder's free December happens in a room that overnight visitors are paying for.
How the building on WaTiki Way gets paid for
The Box began with a partnership between LIV Hospitality and the City of Box Elder. In 2021, KOTA reported that the project was a response to the area's growth and a shortage of indoor space for youth sports, and that LIV planned to deed land next to its hotel site to the city for the building. The center's formal grand opening and ribbon cutting took place on October 21, 2023.
The details are in the city's 2024 financial audit from the South Dakota Department of Legislative Audit. The city issued special assessment debt to build an event center, and those bonds are repaid from Business Improvement District fees based on hotel room rentals. A private business guarantees any balance those fees don't cover. The city has to hold $725,000 in a reserve fund and keep Business Improvement District #2 in place for as long as the bonds are outstanding. The outstanding balance was $22,470,645 at the end of 2024.
The operating side is set up the same way. The audit describes a lease running from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2053, with no rent owed. The tenant covers all maintenance and utilities, and the city expects to make no upkeep payments. When the lease ends, the tenant can buy the property, furniture and fixtures for $1. The Box's own site lists LIV Hospitality as the company behind the operation.
So Box Elder has a public room of more than 60,000 square feet that can be combined into the Ellsworth Ballroom for anywhere from 20 to 3,000 people. Hotel stays pay down the building, and a private company keeps the lights on. That leaves the city free to fill the room with holiday events without charging admission.
The calendar from the comedy show to New Year's Eve
The first ticketed show is this Sunday. Here's how the rest of the year at The Box lines up, all at 631 WaTiki Way.
| Date | Event | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 22 | David Koechner comedy show | Doors 6:30 p.m., show 7:30 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Nov. 23–30 | Parade of Trees setup | Entrants decorate | — |
| Dec. 1–26 | Parade of Trees viewing and voting | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily | Free |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Winter Wonderland | 5 to 8 p.m. | Free |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | The Warped Band, New Year's Eve | Doors 8 p.m., show 9:30 p.m. | Ticketed |
The ticketed shows open and close the stretch, and the free events fill most of December in between. The two comedy and music nights are what a private operator books to make a large hall pay for itself. The trees and Santa photos are what the city puts on its own calendar.
How a tree turns into a donation
The Parade of Trees is a fundraiser shaped like a decorating contest. Here's how it works, according to The Box's event page and registration form:
- Local businesses, nonprofits and community groups sign up and decorate a tree inside The Box between November 23 and 30.
- From December 1 through 26, anyone can view the trees in person from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and vote for a favorite, either at The Box or online. Each person gets one vote.
- The Box gives $1,000 to the nonprofit chosen by the winning tree.
- Entrants can add their own money to the prize, so the pot grows as more groups join.
The event page showed the pot at $1,800 on November 2, which is $800 more than The Box's own $1,000, all of it added by participants. Each group that adds money raises the prize for whichever tree wins, including a tree that isn't theirs. So the senior center and the brewery are, in a small way, contributing to the same donation.
Voting closes two days earlier this year. In 2025, Box Elder Public Information Officer Rebecca Bader told KOTA that votes would be accepted "until the 28th." This year the window ends December 26. Anyone who usually waits until the quiet week after Christmas to stop by will need to come earlier.
Winter Wonderland, the trees' busiest evening
On Thursday, December 10, the city's free Winter Wonderland runs from 5 to 8 p.m. inside The Box. The lineup includes free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a holiday selfie station, cotton candy from Sweet Fluff, face painting by Pixie Dust and holiday crafts. Guests can also vote for a tree in person while they're there.
The city's 2026 events sponsorship packet lists typical Winter Wonderland attendance at 400 to 500 people. The same packet lists 2,000 to 3,000 for Monster Mash, the indoor trunk-or-treat held at The Box in October. Compared with that crowd, the December evening is a much quieter night in the same building.
Covering the December 11, 2025 event, KOTA reported hundreds in attendance, and Bader said, "We are excited this year that we have record attendance." The Parade of Trees opened that same night, which is why both events now share an evening.
The trees are up for 26 days and Winter Wonderland lasts three hours. One option is to walk the trees on another day during the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. viewing hours and save the December 10 visit for photos and crafts.
Same room, different nights
Without the holiday decorations, The Box is a sports and event building. KOTA described its main floor as more than 22,000 square feet, about the size of three basketball courts, with breakout rooms, concessions, a multipurpose room and a box office. The venue also lists a full-service catering kitchen and full alcohol service. That setup lets the same floor hold a tree display at noon, a family night with Santa on December 10 and a New Year's Eve band three weeks later.
Under the lease, the operator pays the utilities and maintenance for every one of those nights, and the building's bonds are repaid from Business Improvement District fees on hotel room rentals. Tree setup starts November 23, and the doors open for viewing at 8 a.m. on December 1.
If you're decorating a tree this year, or visiting The Box between errands, The Kahler Team is glad to be your neighbors on this side of Rapid City. When a December in Box Elder has you wondering what your own home here is worth, we'll handle your home. Get a free home valuation.
