LEAD — For the 18th consecutive year, Neutrino Day transformed downtown Lead into a hands-on science fair where families, students and researchers mingled across multiple venues to explore physics, engineering and Earth science tied to the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
Hands-on exhibits, campus partners and underground access
The festival returned Saturday with organizations from across the region setting up demonstrations and activities aimed at sparking curiosity in visitors of all ages. Exhibitors included South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State University and outreach groups from Colorado State University. The event also made use of venues such as the Homestake Opera House and the Homestake Visitor Center.
One of the festival’s longstanding draws is the opportunity for the public to tour parts of the underground complex. Organizers offered tours of the Yates Hoistroom — the hoisting facility used to lower people and equipment nearly a mile below ground — providing an uncommon peek into the infrastructure behind underground physics experiments.
Learning together — kids and adults
Volunteers and university students led stations where participants could perform simple experiments, interact with demonstrations and play with devices that illustrate scientific principles. Children were a constant presence at the tables, but organizers said adults often joined in, too, making the day a family learning experience.
"There's something really beautiful about that. Interacting with things and watching those discoveries be made, and you know, it's not just the kids' mind that's blown; it's the parents as well,"
The quote came from a Colorado State University outreach participant who emphasized the value of shared discovery between children and adults.
- Event: Neutrino Day (18th year)
- Location: Lead — Homestake Opera House, Homestake Visitor Center and Sanford Underground Research Facility
- Participants: Sanford Underground Research Facility, South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State University, Colorado State University outreach teams
Why it matters to South Dakota
The festival highlights the role Lead and the Sanford facility play in major international science projects. Outreach events like Neutrino Day serve two purposes locally: they give residents direct access to scientific facilities they would otherwise seldom see, and they support science education across the region by connecting classrooms and families with universities and research programs.
| Activity | Who ran it | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-on physics demonstrations | Colorado State University "Little Shop of Physics" | All ages |
| Exhibits and campus outreach | South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State University | Students, families |
| Yates Hoistroom tours | Sanford Underground Research Facility | Public (tour participants) |
Neutrino Day is free to the public, and organizers typically schedule activities across several locations so visitors can choose workshops and tours that match their interests. The event offers local students exposure to career paths in STEM fields and gives the community a better sense of the research infrastructure beneath the Black Hills.
As more institutions partner on outreach, the annual festival continues to be one of South Dakota’s largest free science events, drawing visitors who want to see how experiments are conducted and what life looks like inside one of the nation’s deep underground laboratories.
