The Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department will honor the legacy of longtime firefighter and former Chief Don “Kobie” Kobes with a memorial dedication ceremony on August 2.
The event will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Rapid Valley fire station, where a permanent memorial recognizing Kobes’ decades of service will be unveiled.
Kobes helped found the department in 1966 and served as fire chief from 1972 to 1992. After retiring, he continued supporting wildfire aviation operations across the region through South Dakota Wildland Fire.
The memorial was created through a partnership involving firefighters, the Kobes family, local artist James Van Nuy, and community supporters.
The ceremony is open to the public.
