Rapid City Youth Skate Free at Spooky Skate

Local kids received free admission, skate rentals and pizza at the Roosevelt Park Ice Arena event closing Red Ribbon Week.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Substance Abuse

Wide view of an empty indoor ice rink under cool overhead lights, with fresh ice, wooden boards, and metal bleachers in soft shadow. — Rapid City youth skated free Saturday at Spooky Skate at Roosevelt Park Ice Arena, which closed out Red Ribbon Week with free rentals and pizza. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Rapid City youth took to the ice Saturday at the Roosevelt Park Ice Arena's Spooky Skate, which offered free admission, free skate rentals and free pizza. The event marked the end of Red Ribbon Week, an annual national campaign focused on youth drug and alcohol prevention.

Why it matters

The event tied a free community activity to the drug and alcohol prevention focus of Red Ribbon Week in Rapid City. It came as South Dakota youth substance use trends have been shifting statewide.

State health data shows youth e-cigarette and over-the-counter drug abuse trending down over the last decade in South Dakota, though tobacco and vapor products remain prevalent among teens. The source does not provide specific prevalence percentages or the exact size of the decline.

The players

Roosevelt Park Ice Arena

The Rapid City ice facility hosted the Spooky Skate event for local youth.

Central High School Junior ROTC

The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps unit from Central High School in Rapid City provided face painting at the event.

The details

Rapid City's Roosevelt Park Ice Arena hosted Spooky Skate on Saturday, offering local kids free admission, skate rentals and pizza. Junior ROTC cadets from Central High School provided face painting as part of the event closing Red Ribbon Week.

Red Ribbon Week runs for seven days each October and is an annual national campaign.
Saturday, October 31, 2026: Spooky Skate was held at Roosevelt Park Ice Arena in Rapid City.
Over the last decade, youth e-cigarette and over-the-counter drug abuse has trended down in South Dakota.

Big Picture

The event closed Red Ribbon Week, a national youth drug and alcohol prevention campaign observed each October, by pairing its prevention message with a free community activity in Rapid City. South Dakota's declining youth e-cigarette and over-the-counter drug abuse trends over the past decade sit alongside persistent teen tobacco and vapor use.

Families in Rapid City can use the Red Ribbon Week messaging as a prompt to talk with children about substance use and its risks. The event's free admission and rentals show one low-cost option for keeping youth engaged in supervised, sober community activities.

The takeaway

Community events that pair free recreation with prevention messaging can reach young people directly. Parents can reinforce the same message at home by staying involved in their children's activities and conversations about substances.