RAPID VALLEY, S.D. — The Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department and Rapid Valley Fire Protection District will honor longtime firefighter and former Chief Don “Kobie” Kobes with a memorial dedication ceremony on Aug. 2.
Kobes, a founding member of the department in 1966, served as fire chief from 1972 to 1992 and remained a respected figure in the local fire service until his death in 2016.
The ceremony will unveil a permanent memorial recognizing Kobes’ decades of service. The project was created through a partnership involving department members, the Kobes family, local artist James Van Nuy and community supporters.
The public is invited to attend the event, which will include remarks from Rapid Valley Fire Department Chaplain Brent Woodard before the memorial is revealed. Members of the Black Hills fire service are encouraged to wear yellow wildland firefighting attire in tribute to Kobes.
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