RAPID CITY, S.D. – A collection of 28 items reflecting life in Rapid City in 2026 will be sealed in a time capsule and buried in a public ceremony Friday, May 29 at 1:30 p.m. at Founders Park.

City officials announced the items Monday, saying the capsule is intended to be opened in 50 years when Rapid City marks the bicentennial of its founding and the nation observes its tricentennial in 2076.

“The level of community response to what items should be placed in the community time capsule was impressive,” said Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun. “Many who responded gave great thought to the items they wanted in the time capsule for future generations to view, as well as sharing perspectives and forecasts for what they believe life in Rapid City may be like in 50 years.”

Residents were surveyed in March and April on what items should be included. Several of the selected items will be displayed in the City Hall lobby this week.

Top vote-getters included a fact sheet on the average cost of goods in 2026 at 71% support, a Rapid City demographics and population fact sheet at 67%, a community drone photo to be taken May 22 at Main Street Square at 64%, and Native culture items from Prairie Edge Trading Post at 57%. Newspaper clippings from the Rapid City Journal and Rapid City Post, a 2025 penny – the last produced before the U.S. Mint halted production – and a mid-2020s smartphone were also selected.

Additional items include a Storybook Island keychain, a Dinosaur Park Triceratops squeeze item, a Rapid City Rush hockey puck, a Rapid City Post 22 baseball, a 250th Challenge Coin marking America’s 250th birthday celebrations, items from The Journey Museum, and a 2002 booklet commemorating the 50th anniversary of Rapid City’s devastating 1972 flood.

The capsule will also include citizen predictions for 2076, ranging from Rapid City’s population reaching 100,000 to more than 300,000, to concerns about overcrowding and strained resources, to hopes for expanded parks and new cultural centers.