One of late summer's more popular and growing events in South Dakota took place in Ellis County on the first weekend in September.

The 9th annual White Trash Pasture Party ran Friday, Saturday and Sunday at a location about a half-mile south of Fargo.

The event was started to help honor Chris Albert, who died in an oil rig accident in Elk City on Nov 17, 2009 at age 25. Albert left a wife and two young daughters.

Steve and Debbie Stewart started the event the next year to keep the memory of their son-in-law alive for their daughter and grandchildren.

Since its start in 2010, the event has become a must attend for many in the area.

All proceeds go to the Chris Albert Memorial Fund, which, with proceeds from the 2017 event, provided assistance to six families directly affected by oilfield accidents - three fatality accidents which directly affected three wives and eight children, and three injury accidents which directly affected the injured, their spouses and four children.

The fund sponsored six children at Christmas time and donated 267 pounds of can tabs to the Ronald McDonald House in a "Tabs for Saige" Drive.

Besides helping families affected by oilfield accidents, organizers’ goals include providing children an opportunity to enjoy the outdoor life of fishing, playing ball and hunting. Also, a goal is to promote the educational safety program "Get Rid of the J.A.M. (Just About Me) Attitude." The program covers how workplace accidents don't just affect you and what are the consequences and ramifications of not considering safety and what those actions can lead to.

Events included ATV mud bogs, 4x4 mud bogs, tuff trucks, kids and adult dash for cash through the mud pit and 12-volt battery race car races for the little kids in their own mud pit. There was also the Battle of the Badges Mug-O-War with area emergency departments competing in tug-of-war.

On Sunday a church service with the Christian Motorcycle Association was followed by ATV and motorcycle dirt drags and motorcycle bike games.