Deadwood Blog

Wild Bill Days, Deadwood’s June 14-16 summer kick-off party, will feature two days of free Main Street concerts led by a pair of music legends. Jazz-rock icon Blood, Sweat & Tears and ’80s rock band Night Ranger will headline Deadwood’s Main Street Stage.

The free concerts are just part of Wild Bill Days. Other events include the national DockDogs Competition — a high-flying, high-splashing dog retrieval contest; the Cowboy Fast Draw Championships, exhibition shooting, an Old West Auction and Show – with antique and Wild West firearms and gear — and additional free concerts by regional acts.

Grammy-winning Blood, Sweat & Tears have been touring and charting hits since the late 1960s. They have been called one of the greatest horn bands in the history of popular music. Songs like “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” “And When I Die,” “You’re the One,” “Go Down Gamblin’” have been in radio rotations for decades. The veteran rockers continue to tour worldwide playing their collection of hits.

Blood, Sweat & Tears will headline the Wild Bill Days stage on Saturday, June 15.

Night Ranger is an American rock group with strong ties to the 1980s style rock of power ballads, memorable guitar riffs and strong hooks, with their famous hit “Sister Christian” reaching highest on the charts. Founding members Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy and Brad Gillis are part of Night Ranger today. The band’s original sound still reverberate with fans around the globe. Night Ranger’s catalog of hits include “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” “(You Can Still) Rock in America,”, “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Sentimental Street” and “Goodbye.”

Night Ranger will headline Wild Bill Days on Friday, June 14.

Wild Bill Days is sponsored and organized by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. Call the Deadwood Chamber at 1-800-999-1876 for more information, or visit www.deadwood.com.

Exciting events happening in Deadwood!

First off, I am writing my first post as the new marketing intern for Deadwood! My name is Brooke, and I currently attend college at Black Hills State University. I am so excited to be a part of this new team, and to be involved with all the fun events. I mean, it’s DEADWOOD!!

One of my favorite events is coming up quick! Only two weeks until our annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration! The party starts Thursday, March 14 and goes through Sunday, March 17.

Here is the schedule of events:

Thurs. March 14
8 pm: St. Panties Day at Saloon #10

Fri. March 15
5 pm-7 pm: Registration for the second annual LEPRECHAUN OLYMPICS
5 pm-10 pm: Open container
7 pm-9 pm: Leprechaun Olympics with awards to follow

Sat. March 16
12 pm-3 pm: Annual Pub Crawl Registration at the Franklin Hotel
2 pm-10 pm: Open Container
7 pm: St. Paddy’s Parade
8 pm: Pub Crawl Awards and St. Paddy’s Day Party

Sun. March 17
12 pm- 5 pm: Open container
3 pm: St. Patrick’s Day Parade

I will be celebrating St. Paddy’s Day Deadwood Style all weekend! Come help me celebrate along with the rest of Deadwood!

World’s premier snowmobile motocross, ‘snocross,’
racing series’ set for the Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds

DEADWOOD – AMSOIL Championship Snocross will race into the Black Hills in February. Deadwood’s Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds will be home to two days of high-speed, high-flying, high-octane snocross racing February 1-2. Tickets for the inaugural Deadwood Snocross Shootout, hosted by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, are on sale now.

AMSOIL Championship Snocross, presented by Traxxas, features snowmobile racing in a stadium setting, complete with massive jumps, berms and bumps – a man-made snow track identical to what you’d see dirt bikes race across. The Deadwood Snocross Shootout will feature 150 of the world’s top snowmobile racers from the United States, Canada and Europe, many of which compete at the annual X Games competition.

Custom sleds that produce auto-like horsepower will rip across the grounds of the Days of ’76 venue. It’s an apt venue, because these machines corner like barrel racers, jump high into the air and sometimes buck their unlucky riders off into the snow.

“AMSOIL Championship Snocross is pumped with the opportunity to line up and race at the historic Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds. We’ve heard nothing but great stories about the famous rodeo held in Deadwood over the summer and look forward to giving the good people of South Dakota an equally electrifying show in February,” said Carl Schubitzke, ACS President/Race Director.

The event is sponsored locally by First Gold Hotel, Recreational Springs Resort, Cadillac Jack’s, Silverado-Franklin Hotel and Gaming Complex and the Lodge at Deadwood – and more sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact the Deadwood Chamber at 800-999-1876 for information on sponsorships.

The AMSOIL Championship Snocross round at Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds features the three main snowmobile manufacturers – Arctic Cat, Polaris and Ski-Doo – and their factory teams of racers. The lineup includes defending Pro Open class champion Tim Tremblay (Ski-Doo), the winningest snocross racer of all-time. Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert and Polaris’ top racer Ross Martin will compete as well. Racing will also include amateurs and top women racers, featuring numerous local snocross racers from the Deadwood area and Dakotas region.

“These are the highest caliber racers in the world, and we are excited to host them in Deadwood. Snowmobiling is quite the popular winter activity in Deadwood and the Black Hills, so these guys and gals will fit right in,” said George Milos, executive director of the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce. “The Deadwood Snocross Shootout is a perfect match for a Deadwood winter, and it’s our hope this family friendly event will land on the top of many must-see lists.”

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Who: 150 of the world’s top snowmobile racers.
What: Deadwood Snocross Shootout, rounds seven and eight of the 2012-‘13 AMSOIL Championship Snocross circuit.
When: Feb. 1-2. Times: Practice starts each day at 8 a.m., amateur racing begins at 9:30 a.m., pros at noon.
Where: Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds.
Host hotel: First Gold Hotel.
Tickets: General admission advance tickets are $10 for Friday and $15 for Saturday and $20 for a two-day pass. Children 5 and under are free, kids 5-12 are $5. Gate prices are $15/$20/$30. Advanced reserved seats are $15 for Friday, $20 for Saturday, and $30 for a two-day pass. Gate prices are $20/$25/$30.Tickets are available by calling 1-800-344-8826; at www.deadwood.com/events or at the gate.

More information: www.isocracing.com. The AMSOIL Championship Snocross events air on the CBS Sports Network on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. EST. AMSOIL Championship Snocross – as an added bonus – will also air in an evening repeat of each show during the week.

About ISOC Racing
The International Series of Champions (ISOC) is the premier snowmobile race sanctioning organization in North America and sanctions national AMSOIL Championship Snocross, presented by Traxxas, in addition to affiliating with nine regional circuits. Visit www.isocracing.com for more information, fan and racer memberships, schedule details and more.

Sturgis, SD (8/2/2012) – The Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s annual Biker Belles will again celebrate the passion, diversity and spirit of women in motorcycling during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The Biker Belles celebration, presented by Harley-Davidson, begins Wednesday, Aug. 8, with festivities and a symposium at The Lodge at Deadwood, followed by a guided ride through the beautiful canyons of the Black Hills to the Sturgis Buffalo Chip where a reception, catered meal, entertainment, fashion show, auction and more await, including a concert by country music star Eric Church.

This year’s ride will include Black Hills native and avid motorcyclist Jessi Combs, a top motorcycle and automotive fabricator who has found success on television with programs such as Mythbusters, Xtreme 4×4, Full Metal TV along with current television hits like All Girls Garage, Overhaulin’ and The List: 1001 Car Things to do Before You Die. Combs is an innovator and passionate about empowering women in the automotive, motorcycle and industrial arts industries.

Combs will join fellow celebrity film and television actress Kristy Swanson on the Biker Belles Ride. Swanson has held roles including Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; The Chase with Charlie Sheen; Big Daddy with Adam Sandler; as well as countless television roles, most recently in Psych, One Tree Hill and 3Way.

Ride contributions from the Biker Belles go to benefit local South Dakota charities, The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Helping with Horsepower, a program to help young women and girls who are at-risk or are victims of abuse. The 2012 Biker Belles participation fee is $150 per person, with 100 percent going directly to charity.

Sponsors of Biker Belles include the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, Harley- Davidson Motor Company, the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, Knology, Bic 4 Good, Interstate Batteries, Motorcycling USA, Pepsi and Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys.

A Day of Real Women. Real Stories. Real Fun. Tickets are available at www.BikerBelles.com or by calling (605) 347-9000.

The Legendary Sturgis Buffalo Chip® has been offering campers and rally goers the Authentic Sturgis Experience™ for more than 30 years with world-class entertainment and a premium 580 acre camping resort. Make your reservations now and get passes for some of the biggest names in music including Eric Church, Journey, Zac Brown Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Sublime with Rome, Sugarland, BOSTON, Candlebox, Buckcherry, Saving Abel, Loverboy, Shinedown, Aaron Lewis, Adelitas Way, and many more. Reservations can be made at BuffaloChip.com or by calling 605-347-9000.

Largest rodeo field ever set for Deadwood’s 90th annual Days of ’76
Award-winning event is July 24-28; features PRCA rodeos, historic parades

www.daysof76.com

Deadwood’s award-winning Days of ’76 event continues to grow. This year’s rodeo field will feature more than 700 of the best cowboys and cowgirls competing for a coveted Days of ’76 buckle, July 24-28 in the historic Black Hills community. The rodeos will also feature 10-time PRCA Announcer of the Year Randy Corley, and clown and barrelman Keith Isley, who has won Clown of the Year, Coors Man in the Can (Barrelman) and Specialty Act of the Year four times, including in 2011, a feat no one else has ever managed.

The Days of ’76 has been named a PRCA Rodeo of the Year 12 times, including a Midsize Rodeo of the Year annually since 2004. The Days of ’76 committee was also inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2011. The five-day event will feature more than 700 of the nation’s finest rodeo stars competing in bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. All of the competitors are PRCA card holders, and many will be seen at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

The event includes historic parades on Deadwood’s Main Street. The mile-long historic parades will be 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 27, and 10 a.m. Saturday, July 28.

Deadwood’s Days of ’76 evening rodeo performances will be 7 p.m. Thursday, July 26, Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28. There will also be an afternoon performance at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day is Friday.

Days of ’76 week kicks off on Tuesday, July 26, with PRCA steer roping at 10 a.m. Tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping slack will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, with more timed-event slack on Thursday, also at 8 a.m. Barrel racing slack will be held after the timed-event slack on Thursday. Stock is provided by Burch Stock Company, with help from Sutton Rodeos and Brookman-Hyland Rodeo Company.

Days of ’76 competitors will compete for a total purse of more than $170,000, including the Committee’s Purse, which in 2012 will be over $53,000.
The rodeo is a nonprofit event made possible through sponsors, previous ticket sales and the city of Deadwood. The Days of ‘76 Rodeo Committee plans and organizes the rodeo. Also, a 20-person board of directors and countless volunteers help make the event memorable.

Visit www.daysof76.com or www.deadwood.org for more information. For tickets, contact Black Hills Central Reservations at 1-888-838-BULL, or purchase online at blackhillsvacations.com

90th Annual Days of ’76 Schedule of Events

Tuesday, July 24
10 a.m. PRCA Steer Roping

Wednesday, July 25
8 a.m. Timed Events Rodeo Slack

Thursday, July 26
8 a.m. Timed Events Rodeo Slack. WPRA Barrel Racing Slack following Timed Events Slack
7 p.m. PRCA Rodeo Performance

Friday, July 27
1:30 p.m. Deadwood Main Street – Historic Parade
7 p.m. PRCA Rodeo Performance

Saturday, July 28
10 a.m. Deadwood Main Street – Historic Parade
1:30 p.m. PRCA Rodeo Performance
7 p.m. PRCA Rodeo Performance

Lots of our Deadwood Chamber members have received awards for their excellence in multiple categories. To start, three hotels received honors along with a few other establishments.

The Best Western Hickok House was mentioned in the May/June issue of AAA’s Home & Away Magazine as one of S.D. Governor Dennis Daugaard’s favorite hotels to stay at. Also, the Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort earns 2012 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Approximately 10 percent of accommodations listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award. To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

“We are incredibly pleased to receive a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Tracy Island, General Manager at Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort. “We strive to offer our customers the best customer service we can and this is evidence that our hard work is paying off. “

“TripAdvisor is pleased to honor exceptional businesses for consistent excellence, as reviewed by travelers on the site,” said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives highly rated establishments around the world the recognition they deserve. From exceptional accommodations in Beijing to remarkable restaurants in Boston, we want to applaud these businesses for offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience.”

The Deadwood Super 8 has been recognized by the Super 8 hotel brand as one of the top eight properties worldwide in the brand’s portfolio of more than 2,200 hotels. To be eligible for the award, a hotel must have demonstrated itself to be a leader in the Super 8 system over the course of the last year, particularly in the areas of quality assurance, customer evaluations, TripAdvisor ratings and overall market performance.
“The Deadwood Super 8 represents every aspect of what a Super 8 hotel should be,” said John Valletta, president of the Super 8 brand. “I congratulate the hotel and its staff on this momentous achievement and thank them for their continued dedication to brand.”
“This is a great honor for our hotel and a testament to the hard work of our wonderful staff,” said Lori Logan, the hotel’s general manager. “We look forward to continuing to serve our loyal guests and sharing with all travelers the quality accommodations and outstanding value that have become the hallmarks of the Deadwood Super 8.”
The Super 8 hotel brand, a member of the Wyndham Hotel Group family of lodging brands, is a chain of economy hotels located throughout the United States, Canada and China.

Lewie’s Saloon & Eatery has one of the top hambergers in the nation in the latest Midwest Living Magazine.

NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources received a NewighborWorks American District Grant for National NrighborWorks Week, June 3-9, 2012. The grant of $5,000 is in memory of Bill Kitchen, a former employee of NeighborWorks America in Kansas City, MO. Bill was a champion of NeighborWorks Week. NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources is able to sponsor a number of activities during NeighborWorks Week thanks to this grant and their many other partners.

Weapon Concepts, LLC dba Deadwood Jake’s Gun’s & Ammo is now accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Weapons Concepts is operated by Gregory Vecchi.

We at the Chamber of Commerce in Deadwood could not be more excited and proud of these members for all of their accomplishment.

Mentioned is that from Custer State Park to Wild West Deadwood, families can enjoy themselves with many activities and some seriously good fishing! Trout-filled streams cover the Black Hills along with fish filled lakes. The lakes offer everything from yellow perch to jumbo lake trout. Also Game&Fish claims that Mount Rushmore is a must-see spot!

To read more of the article, visit http://tinyurl.com/79awwj9.

To plan a Black Hills Vacation, check out www.deadwood.org. Rain or shine, there is always entertainment throughout the Black Hills and especially in Historical Deadwood.

Mount Moriah was established as a Masonic cemetery around 1878 and is visited today by 80,000-100,000 people every year including tourists and natives of the Black Hills. Records indicate that around 3,600 people are buried there but there may be more that we are unsure of due to lost or incomplete information.

Famous people like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny, Preacher Henry Weston Smith, and Seth Bullock are buried at Mount Moriah and it was these people’s lives that added to the story of Deadwood, SD.

Mount Moriah is listed as one of the top spookiest cemeteries to visit although most know it as a historical landmark. If you are visiting Historical Deadwood, make sure Mount Moriah is on your list of destination to see. You will not be disappointed. To see other cemeteries listed as spooky, visit http://tinyurl.com/bn4vtpr .

For more information on Mount Moriah or Historical Deadwood, visit our website at www.deadwood.com!

DEADWOOD (5-9-2012) — Rock icons, Top-40 hit makers and a Rockabilly all-star will share the Deadwood Jam stage Sept. 14-15. The long-standing musical festival will feature headlining acts never before seen at the Deadwood Jam.

Styx, the 1980s rock powerhouse, with the hit contemporary band Augustana and The Stray Cats’ Lee Rocker, have been booked for the 22nd annual Deadwood Jam.

The Deadwood Jam has featured the nation’s top bands in all music genres, and this year’s headliners are brand new to the Jam stage. Also this year, the volunteer Jam committee will host the first annual Jam Wine & Brew Fest, featuring South Dakota-made wines and beers inside the Jam complex.

Styx has multiple platinum albums to their credit, having sold well over 12 million albums in their storied musical career. The band released four consecutive albums that were certified Multi-Platinum. Their style of progressive rock and rock guitar, along with a string of hit ballads, has earned Styx fans world-wide. Hits from the powerhouse band include “Lady,” “Babe,” “Come Sail Away,” “The Best of Times,” “Mr. Roboto,” “Show Me the Way,” “Too Much Time on My Hands,” “Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man).” Styx will perform Saturday, Sept. 15, during the Deadwood Jam.

Augustana made a musical name for themselves in 2005 with the release of the “All the Stars and Boulevards” album, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart. The hit single “Boston” was at the top of many Billboard and Top 40 charts. Since then, the band has produced three more albums, all through Epic Records. All of their Epic albums were at the top of U.S. Indie charts. Other Augustana hits include “Sweet and Low,” “Steal your Heart” and “Stars and Boulevards.” Augustana will take the Jam stage on Friday, Sept. 14.

The Stray Cat Lee Rocker is a Rockabilly, giant-upright bass man. His style of slap-bass helped pave his way into mainstream music, including a Grammy nod. Rocker helped form The Stray Cats, and has been performing solo since the mid-1990s. Hits such as “Rock this Town,” “Stray Cat Strut,” and “Sexy + 17” are part of Rocker’s repertoire. The Stray Cats sold nearly 10 million albums and garnered 23 gold- and platinum-certified records worldwide. Rocker also joined the cast of Broadway’s hit musical “Million Dollar Quartet” in 2011. He will play the Jam on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Tickets are now on sale at a discounted rate of $60, which is good for both days, Sept. 14-15. Individual day tickets are $25 for Friday, Sept. 14, and $50 for Saturday, Sept. 15. Tickets are on sale at www.deadwoodjam.com or at 800-344-8826. Deadwood Jam ticket holders will also have access to the Wine & Brew Fest. Those looking to just attend the Wine & Brew Fest can purchase that entry separately.

The 2012 Deadwood Jam is funded in part by South Dakota Department of Tourism’s Matching Dollar Challenge program. This is a cooperative marketing partnership, which awarded the Deadwood Jam funding to be used in cooperation with the Department of Tourism’s planning and implementation efforts.

FOR MORE INFORMATION or to SCHEDULE INTERVIEWS:
Lee Harstad
Deadwood Chamber of Commerce
605-578-1876
lee@deadwood.org

CarsTravelFood is a blog that aims to celebrate and encourage travel within our great country, by spotlighting communities, its eateries and upcoming events. The blog was created in an attempt to help encourage traveling within the U.S. and to celebrate and support the economy.
On CarsTravelFood’s blog post, Mount Rushmore is the big tourist stop mentioned for South Dakota however they didn’t forget to add in Deadwood as being on the list of “places to stop if you want to channel the real Wild West experience”.
Check out the article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carstravelfood/explore-america-deadwood-_b_1472723.html.
CarsTravelFood talks about the history of Deadwood and claims everything we are about, doesn’t just make good TV. They claim that exploring our Old Wild West Town is quite the experience and is a place where you can “channel the past”.
Historic Hotels like The Bullock, which was built in 1890 and was Deadwood’s first hotel, is talked about throughout the article. Deadwood’s first sheriff, Seth Bullock, built the hotel himself. It is said that his ghost makes lots of appearances throughout the entire hotel on daily basis. CarTravelFood however isn’t the first to captivate Seth Bullock. The popular Travel Channel show “Ghost Hunters” did a special on the Bullock Hotel recently. Guest frequently write to The Bullock, sharing their encounters they had with Seth. To see photos of The Bullock or other historical hotels in deadwood, visit www.deadwood.org.
The article goes on to say that not only is the Wild West aura that Deadwood offers appealing to tourists but also the fact that famous people like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and mentioned earlier Seth Bullock lived here one upon a time.
CarsTravelFood says that Deadwood is “still a thriving town” and that shops here are unique unlike many other city’s today. Gaming is big here in Deadwood, as it once was one of the few places where one could go to gamble. It was first legalized in Deadwood in 1989 and has thrived since according to CarsTravelFood.
Broken Boot Gold Mine is mentioned and is said to be a place where visitors can follow the path of old ore carts underground in the old shafts. Other landmarks like Chinatown and Mount Moriah Cemetery are mentioned also.
Make sure to check out the Historic Deadwood’s facebook page where you will hear about all the latest events going on in Deadwood. Follow this link http://www.facebook.com/historicdeadwood.