FAQ

Rental fees ($1,100 for Thursday, $1,600 for Friday, $2,000 for Saturday, and $1,600 for Sunday) include use of tables (round, rectangle, and 10 cocktail tables), black padded chairs, white linens, white table skirts, black pipe and draping in the buffet area (side room), white fabric and icicle lights hanging from ceiling in main hall, one-time set up, tear down, and cleaning. 

Note: we do not provide catering services, staff for table/water service, or have dishware for your food/drinks outside of our bar service. You will need to coordinate with a caterer and/or rental company for these services.

Additional Fees:

• Manager Service Fee                       $100
• Maintenance Fee                               $150 
• *Holiday Fee                                       $500    
• **Ceremony Fee                               $150    

*All events on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday of a holiday weekend will be charged this additional fee.

**All weddings having both ceremony and reception will be charged this additional fee. Renter is responsible for the physical switchover between ceremony and reception.

Sales tax (8%) is not included in pricing.

Bar Service Fees:

• Bar License Fee                             $100
• Bartender Service Fee                   $125

Sales tax (8%) is not included in pricing.

Our facility is beer and wine only. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased through the Museum. Renters and/or their guests caught with outside alcohol (including hard liquor, beer, and wine) will be given two warnings. Each occurrence following will result in a $150 fine.

Optional Fees:

• Additional Hour                               $75
• Day-Before Decorating Fee          $150    

The day-before decorating fee allows you to move part of your 12 hours included in the rental fee to the day-before. The day-before can only be booked within 30 days prior to your event date if that day is not already booked for an event.

• Backdrop                                              $125 
• Water Station                                    $50
• Sound System                                    $100 

The sound system rental is only available for: speaking engagements, ceremony music, toasts, and background dinner music. No dance music allowed.

• *Atrium TV                                        $50
• **Drink Hosting                               $???
• Head Table Champagne Pour:     Minimum Purchase of 4 Champagne Bottles
• Podium                                                  Free
• Bar Glassware                                     Free

Sales tax (8%) is not included in pricing.

*Pictures for the atrium TV should be 1920x1080 pixels in order to be full screen.

**Dependent upon how much is hosted. Beverage services may be hosted by the renter, otherwise all beverages are cash. Pop and bottled water are $2.00, house wine is $6.00 a glass or $20 a bottle, box wine $75/box, champagne is $6.00 a glass or $20 a bottle, Domestic Kegs are $400 and Specialty Malt Kegs are $450. Typically, a full keg will provide 140 glasses, a box of wine will provide 24 glasses, and a bottle of champagne will provide 8 glasses. If you are unsure about how many kegs you may need, you can order a reserve keg. If it is not used, you will only be charged $50 for restocking.

You are welcome to view the space during our business hours, which are 9:00am-4:00pm Monday-Friday (except for holidays). Please check our online calendar to ensure a private event is not taking place. Our museum is not staffed on nights or weekends outside of events. Any staff present during the night or weekends may not be able to answer questions regarding facility rental. Interested renters are encouraged to contact the museum staff during normal business hours or by email. To set up your event at the museum, please contact our Event Coordinator at 605-271-9500 or email.

For a sit-down event, the maximum is 232. Our tables are 5’ round tables with 8 chairs per table. A guest count above 175 will usually take up part of the dance floor space, depending on the area you want for a dance. If tear down is required, the renter is responsible for coordinating assistance. The Museum does not staff a crew to assist with any change-over.

Yes! We do charge a ceremony fee of $150 if you have both ceremony and reception at the Museum. Depending on your guest list, we can have both the ceremony and reception set up at the same time. If your guest list is more than 128 people, we may not be able to set out all of the tables and chairs. If a change-over is required, the renter is responsible for coordinating assistance. The Museum does not staff a crew to assist with any change-over from ceremony to reception.

For a typical wedding event, the head table is along the north wall of the main hall. The entertainment set up is on the northwest corner with the dance floor using the space from the 2 pillars on the west side to the west wall. The buffet area is in the small room to the south of the main hall, and is draped off by black draping as the museum equipment and displays are moved into this room during events. The cake table is the round table in the southeast corner of the main hall. The gifts and punch/coffee table is the northeast corner of the main hall. In the main entry/atrium area, the bar service takes place in our kitchen area at the east end of the building. The entry has a table for a guestbook, place cards, and cocktail tables. If a ceremony is also held in the space, this is usually set-up facing the west wall. You will discuss your layout with the event coordinator during your finalization appointment two or three weeks prior to the event. For other ideas on layout, please visit our Wedding & Private Events gallery page.

As we are a LEED certified, green building, we have a few rules and restrictions on what is allowed at the museum. We take pride in this historic building, and we ask that you do your part in following a few simple rules so that others may continue to enjoy the Museum. The following list is not all-inclusive; always check our Rental Contract page for the most up-to-date information:

• Outside coolers or alcohol is not allowed. We cannot have hard alcohol on the premises. The renter or caterer is able to bring in coffee, punch, or juice (Museum sells beverages in cans and bottles).
• Disposable dishware is allowed but recyclable or biodegradable materials are preferred. No styrofoam is allowed in the facility. If styrofoam materials are brought in, you will be asked to pack the items up and will not be allowed to use them for your event. 
• The following items/decorations are not allowed: confetti, popcorn, fireworks (including sparklers, rice, sand, birdseed, Silly String, glitter, tape, glue, nails, pins, spray paint, spray of any kind, Play Dough, or animals (including fish). You cannot staple, nail or glue anything to our building or equipment. If something needs to be hung, we recommend using zip-ties, twist ties, wire, or fabric.
• Candles are only allowed if the flame is surrounded by a glass receptacle at least two (2) inches over the flame.
• The white fabric and icicle lights hanging from the ceiling are free to use, but will not be removed for any event.
• Artwork will not be removed from the walls. The featured artist is changed every two (2) months. We cannot guarantee a certain type of art will be hung during your event.
• Liability Insurance of $500,000 must be provided to the Museum ten (10) days before the event by the renters. This can usually be obtained by contacting your homeowner’s insurance agent. Catering and entertainment must provide $1,000,000 of coverage for liability. For more information, check our Rental Contract page.

Unfortunately, due to our small space, we do not have extra cooler space for items like cakes, ice cream, ice rings, etc. However, at the end of the night, we are usually able to accommodate some leftover food from your catering into one of our coolers in the basement. If you want to take this home, just let our Event Manager know to get it for you. Otherwise, we are happy to call St. Francis House to have it donated to them.

Each event varies, but what we see most often are hosted kegs, boxed wine (served out of decanters), or drink tickets. With drink tickets, they can be handed out by the host/hostess to each person as they enter the reception or placed at each place setting. Drink tickets are valued at the price of the redeemed beverage. Our bartender will total the redeemed tickets at the end of the night and charge you the price of the item selected. The total hosted bar will need to be paid the night-of your event. For the most up to date prices, see our Rental Contract page.

Typically, a full keg will provide 140 glasses ($400 for Domestic and $450 for Specialty), a box of wine will provide 24 glasses ($75/box), and a bottle of champagne will provide 8 glasses ($20/bottle). If you are unsure about how many kegs you may need, you can order a reserve keg. If it is not used, you will only be charged $50 for restocking.

We will finalize with you two to three weeks before the event.

You are able to come in during the exact times you set with the Event Coordinator on the day-of your event. The rental fee is for 12 hours total. The hours chosen must fall between 8:00am and midnight. The typical time for decorating is 8:00am – 12:00pm and the typical event time is 4:00pm - 12:00am for a Friday or Saturday event, but this will vary by client and will be discussed during your finalization meeting. We cannot allow anyone to stay or enter outside of these times (i.e. cannot lock-up when done). All rentals and decorations need to be cleared out the night of the event to allow our staff to come in to change over the space.

Your vendors are able to come in during the 12 hours you set with the Event Coordinator on the day-of your event. You are responsible for communicating the scheduled access time with your vendors. We cannot allow vendors to stay or enter outside of these times (i.e. they cannot lock-up when they are done). All vendors and decorations need to be cleared out the night of the event to allow our staff to come in to change over the space.

There is parking available on the south and west sides of the building, but as a Downtown building, parking is never guaranteed. Public parking is not metered on the evenings and weekends. The large parking lot to the south of the Museum is available after 5:30pm on Fridays and on the weekends. 

Cancellation can only happen by written notice to the Museum Director by the contact/signed renter of the event space. The initial deposit is nonrefundable. If an event is cancelled within six (6) months of the scheduled date, the renter will be obligated to pay an additional cancellation fee of $200. If an event is cancelled within three (3) months of the scheduled date, the renter will be obligated to pay an additional cancellation fee of $400. If an event is cancelled within seven (7) days prior to the scheduled date, the renter will be obligated to pay the full amount of the rental fee.