The city of Lead, along with Black Hills Vision and the Lead Area Chamber of Commerce, is throwing a party and you're invited.

The free picnic celebrates the SUSEL, the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, that will, if the party's organizers have anything to say about it, replace the Homestake gold mine in Lead one day.

The picnic will be held Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Manuel Brothers Park in Lead. There will be free entertainment by the popular band D.D. & the Fayrohs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"We are finally and properly celebrating the announcement made earlier this summer by the National Science Foundation that Lead, Homestake and South Dakota will be the official home of the proposed deep underground laboratory," a Black Hills Vision official said.

All the groups who collaborated to make the SUSEL a reality for Lead will be represented at the picnic, and many of the individuals who helped win NSF funding for the Homestake proposal are expected to attend.

All the usual dignitaries are supposed to be there, including the man for whom the laboratory will be named, T. Denny Sanford, who pledged a $70 million donation to help fund it. Gov. Mike Rounds, Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Sen. John Thune and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin also plan to attend.

Even Sen. Tim Johnson's name is on the list, but Johnson will be busy in Sioux Falls at his first public appearance since recovering from a life-threatening brain hemmorhage and surgery in December of 2006.

Many other citizens of Lead's extended family will be there though, and seating will be limited, so bring something to sit on, organizers say.

And, if you like, you can bring a little something with which to toast Lead's past patience and its future possibilities.

Open container restrictions against alcohol consumption have been lifted in the park for this event.