TRIPP, S.D. — Dennis and Jodi Fuerst sit in a cozy living room space at the Circle F Farmhouse and reflect on the changes all around them in the former rural Tripp farmhouse.
And there have been plenty over recent years. There were additions to attach and flooring to replace. There was HVAC work to keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
There was furniture to move in and spaces like the kitchen to remodel. ADVERTISEMENT It’s been a lot of work, but efforts the couple have embraced and enjoyed as they labored to change the former working farmhouse into the Circle F Farmhouse, a place of respite for groups and families looking for a place away from home for reunions, classes and other group activities. It was an idea born out of a love of creativity and gathering with friends and family.
“I love to craft and create, and I love antiques,” Jodi Fuerst told the Mitchell Republic during a recent interview. “I have friends that love those things, too, and they’re almost therapeutic when you get together with women.” The property was once a home to their neighbors who lived in the older section of the house.
After the Fuersts purchased the house from them, their daughter and son-in-law decided to move back to Tripp from Yankton. So they sold the house to them, which kicked off the initial remodeling effort. They added a garage and breezeway and made several updates.
But they soon moved into Parkston to be closer to work, and they sold the property back.