OK, we have a Deadwood Webcam up and ready for you to look at (while we get ours going — this one is thanks to the Rapid City Journal — thank you Todd)… so, we’ve made you wait long enough, here’s one to tide you over!

DEADWOOD WEBCAM!

If the link above does not work, go to: http://www.blackhillsdiscovered.com/siterun_data/web_cameras/

Enjoy!
Lee

There’s some true creativity on the streets of Deadwood this Halloween season!

Deadwood’s Deadweird brings out the Halloween spirit in revelers of all ages. And the 2008 event was no different. More than 300 participants in costume were judged, and hundreds more filled the Lucky Nugget Gambling Hall on Main Street in Deadwood to view the spectacle.

More than $5,000 in cash and prizes were handed out Oct. 25. The winners (click on each to see the pictures!):

First Place: Spider and the Fly; Desiree Glover, Spearfish, S.D.

Second Place: One Night Stand; Connie Rack, Casper, Wyo.
Third Place: Gorilla Holding Woman in Cage; Jamie Goodrich, Rapid City, S.D.
Scariest Costume: Peter Rottentail; Michael Dowding, Rapid City, S.D.
Best Group: Sweatin’ to the Oldies with Richard Simmons, a Minnesota group

What is a Webcam anyway? Just jokes folks.
Here’s the skinny on the Webcam situation on Main Street in Deadwood –
The hotel hosting the Webcam is in the process of installing new network lines — and while we all love the Webcams, I gotta tell you the truth — the property wants to work on making sure their accounting systems are up and running before tackling the Webcam issue. Sooooooo, we are doing all we can to get the cams up as soon as possible. We are also scouting new locations, just in case the problem simply can’t be fixed.
I appreciate your patience, and please know we are working on the Webcams!!!
Lee

Add cash prizes, costumes and, of course, Deadwood, and what do you get? Deadweird!

Get ready folks for the costumes soon to be seen all around Deadwood. Saturday is the day, Lucky Nugget Gambling Hall the place – and some of the most creative costumes anywhere. From a woman giving birth to an old man, Oompa Loompas, a living tree to the cast of Wizard of Oz and much, much more, entertainment certainly won’t be lacking this Saturday!

Deadweird gives costume-clad revelers a reason to come in character as the Deadwood Chamber has made it very lucrative for contestants who enter. Prize money is a whopping $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third with consolation prizes including cash for best group, scariest and most creative costumes. The event is sponsored by Budweiser, the Deadwood Chamber and Lucky Nugget Gambling Hall.

The Lucky Nugget will be the location for Deadweird, and judging will be held there too. Costumes aren’t required to join in on the fun, so come on down, as you are if you like, to the Lucky Nugget. Festivities start at 6 p.m., with the awards ceremony to be held at 10 p.m. Dancing, door prizes and much, much more await.

For more information, call the Chamber at (605) 578-1876 and we’ll fill you in. And if you can’t make it, stay tuned for pictures to be posted next week on www.deadwood.org.

Hello all: Just a quick update on those Deadwood WEBCAMS! Technicians have been out this week working on them. I’m not going to even pretend to be a technologically advanced person, but there’s a problem with the network lines running to the camera. Anyway, it is our hope they will be up and running this weekend. We have our fingers crossed … and thanks for your patience!
Lee

Welcome to my first entry into the Deadwood blog! I’m the new marketing director here in Deadwood, and I couldn’t be more excited. As you know, Deadwood is rich in history and culture, among other things, and it’s a great place to live, work and play. I look forward to sharing many more blogs with you!

OK, now down to the topic. This is a blog about the odds. The phrase “what are the odds” is pretty common in these parts. Now hear me out on this one. Saturday night, the Deadwood area received another couple of inches of snow – the heavy and wet kind. Roads weren’t icy and it was a great night to be in Deadwood. However, the weight of the snow on an old tree was a bit too much in one yard on upper Main Street, and this large tree did in fact fall early Sunday morning.

Now here’s where the odds come in. Of all cars parked on Main Street, it was my vehicle, with a moving trailer attached to it, which was parked underneath this tree. Yep, this big ‘ol tree came tumbling down, with its eyes on my car as a target.

The crack of the tree falling was enough to startle those inside the home, yet no one knew what had happened. One of Deadwood’s finest then knocked on the door, asking us to come and view the spectacle. This big tree had fallen between the back of my car and the trailer, landing perfectly between the two. The trailer did get a couple dings from the stray limbs, but my vehicle came out unscathed.

Odd odds. A tree and its branches landing perfectly between my car and a trailer. Talk about luck. And I’m hoping that luck stays with me here in Deadwood.

Today, though, the weather is starting to look more like fall, and the snow is starting to melt. With the last week’s flurry of snow, I’m sure the Black Hills skiers and snowboarders were busy waxing their skis and boards, and snowmobilers may have even started up their machines in anticipation.

See you soon, and remember, when the weather forecast says major snow in the Black Hills, don’t rule a Deadwood trip out. State crews are up to task at the drop of a hat, so keep an eye on road conditions.

Oh, and one more thing, Deadweird is Oct. 25. Cash and prizes to participants, so put on your thinking cap and come up with a costume. Deadwood’s Main Street takes on a new face… come see for yourself.

Until next time,

Lee
www.deadwood.org

I’ve lived and worked in Deadwood for many, many years and I always say the same thing this time of year. “What happened to Summer?” One thing about living in the Black Hills is that you pack absolutely everything you possibly can into the Summer months. I mean EVERYTHING. If it’s outside, and the day is nice you HAVE to do it. You have no choice. Summer is too short in the Black Hills so you are required by some cosmic law to do anything you’re invited to as long as it’s outside and the day is nice.

Horseshoes? I’ve never tried it, but it’s nice outside, let’s give it a try. Fishing? You bet. Riding the Mickelson Trail. Absolutely. Thank God something like surgery isn’t a hobby you can do outside because believe me people would be lining up to give it a try if the weather is nice.
So I’ll quit whining about doing all of the great things Deadwood and the Black Hills have to offer and since I haven’t blogged in a while, I’d like to chat about the Summer I’ve had in historic Deadwood.

The last time we chatted the Days of ‘76 was just finishing up and the annual Sturgis Bike Rally was right around the corner. I know I’ve talked before about how much I love that event and even though the numbers were down a bit, it was still a blast. It still baffles me how you can pack a half million people into an area with way less than half that in population and not have more problems. Of all the events, bikers continue to prove that they are some of the nicest people (and best tippers, just ask the front line employees) anywhere.

During the rally I was fortunate enough to be included in the second annual Legend’s Ride that rose over $30,000 for children’s charities. The event ended at the Legendary Buffalo Chip with a concert by Sugarland and ZZ Top. Rod Woodruff and the gang at Buffalo Chip always throw the best party anywhere and this was no exception. I even got to scream “Sharp Dressed Man” next to a topless woman during the ZZ Top show. Seriously people, where else could you do that but at Buffalo Chip.

Just a week after the Sturgis Rally we had three different wagon trains meet on Deadwood’s Main Street. These folks drove covered wagons hundreds of miles from Ft. Pierre, SD, Cheyenne, WY and Sydney, NE following the same route settlers rode over a hundred years ago. I have to say it was very cool seeing all of those wagons and horses meet on Main Street…..although when they cleared off it took the street sweeper four trips to clean up all the crap.

Kool Deadwood Nites was one week after the Trail Ride. What a terrific event that was again this year. We had over 500 cars registered and two nights of unbelievable concerts. Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermit’s really stole the show on Friday and Saturday rocked with the Bay City Rollers. That event really wipes us out as a staff but it really is worth it when you see 15,000 people packed on Main Street singing along to the oldies.

And just two weeks after Kool Deadwood Nites we welcomed the 18th annual Deadwood Jam. The weather couldn’t have been worse for an outdoor concert but the folks who braved the weather were treated to some of the most eclectic music anywhere. The Wallflowers rocked the place, but I expected that. Each year there’s a band that I’ve never heard of that really steals the show and in my opinion this year it was Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Hillbilly country, rock couldn’t be more fun than these three excellent musicians. I danced so much I was actually sore in the morning. God I’m old. Seriously, when you’re sore from dancing you need to exercise a lot more.

So that was a short synopsis of my Summer in Deadwood. I may whine about being exhausted but where else can you sing “Sharp Dressed Man” next to a topless woman, watch Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers, Herman’s Hermits and the Bay City Rollers and still see pounds of horse crap being washed down Main Street. Only in Deadwood.

Until next time. Keep your boots clean.
George

Holy Crap ladies and gentleman, where has the summer gone!!

I can’t believe another edition of the Days of ‘76 has already come and gone. The event in 86th year was better than ever this year. I really love the event because when something’s been around for 86 years all your old friends want to come back because they remember the event when they were kids. It’s always good to see old friends, watch a couple terrific parades and one of the best rodeos in the nation. I want to say good job to the entire Days of ‘76 Committee and all the volunteers who made the event happen.

Now it’s time to bring on the bikers! The noise, the leather, the people, the boobs. It’s all a part of the Sturgis Rally and Races and Deadwood is right in the heart of the action. Being only 12 miles away from Sturgis and having a reputation as a party town, we get to enjoy the sights and sounds for about 10 straight days. I spoke last year how the people complaining about the crowds or the noise should just sit back and enjoy your fellow residents making a darn good living off our very special guests. I for one, working for a chamber of commerce appreciate every single biker. You are always welcome in Deadwood.

I’ll be sitting on the Veranda enjoying the crowds many nights next week. Hope to see you all there.

Until next time. Keep your boots clean.
George

Hello again everyone. It’s the beginning of June and that means we here in Deadwood stuff absolutely everything possible into the next three and a half months of summer.

If it ever stops raining, (I’m turning into my father, constantly bitching about the weather) Wild Bill Hickok Days will kick off the summer June 13-15. I really enjoy this event because number one, people are ready to be outside and enjoy Deadwood for what it is….a party town. And number two; I get to see all my old friends back in town for the summer.

It’s Wild West. We host the Cowboy Fast Draw Championships with literally the fastest guns in the world competing for thousands of dollars in prize money. It can be a little weird. We host the first annual “Hippity Hop Horse Races” in which people ride air filled horses down Main Street to raise money for Relay for Life.

But it really is fun for the whole family. (Was it the Slinky that was fun for the whole family? Or was the Slinky fun for a girl and a boy?) Sorry, getting off subject a bit. We are also hosting the first annual Deadwood Fiddler Competition and host a free street dance on Friday night featuring the band Groove Daddy.

Saturday and Sunday we’ll have free concerts with some really cool music. We’ve got local favorite Brock Finn who plays everything from Johnny Cash to Elvis. He always asks me what song I want to hear and then plays something else……it’s hilarious (to Brock!). We have a great new country band called the Drew Davis Band and an old favorite to the area, Dustin Evans and Good Times.

Our headliners this year couldn’t be further apart musically but literally appeal to people of all ages. Saturday night we have the great Tommy Tutone. I don’t know a single person I’ve ever met who hasn’t heard and doesn’t love “867-5309 Jenny”. Can’t wait to hear a few thousand people singing “Jenny, Jenny, who do I turn to!” Should be a great night.

Sunday we have one of country music’s most popular bands, Lonestar hitting the stage at 2:30pm to help us celebrate Father’s Day. They’ll play all the hits including “I Pray”, “Amazed”, “Front Porch Looking In”, “Tequila Talking” and “No News” just to name a few.

So there you have it. The first big event of the year is just around the corner. If you get a chance, come on up and say hi during our annual Wild Bill Hickok Days, June 13-15 in historic Deadwood.

Until next time. Keep your boots clean…..and I’ll be watching the weather channel, chasing the neighbor kids off my lawn.

George

Well I had to open my big mouth. “It was 75 in Deadwood yesterday,” “I’m thinking about all the great things to do in Deadwood during the summer”. Why on earth do I jinx myself each and every year?

Of course just a short period of time after I wrote my last post, we received four feet of snow in Deadwood. You heard me right. Four feet of snow!!! Do I sound angry? Can you tell by my tone that I’ve had it with winter? You are correct. I’ve had it with the snow. I KNOW we need the moisture, but in my 41 years I’ve never, ever shoveled rain.

My arms hurt, I think I pulled a butt muscle and I have a headache. And that’s just from drinking beer and watching TV the whole time. Not to mention the pain from shoveling four feet of heavy wet snow. Now that I’ve vented a bit, I feel a little better. Everyone knows that’s what you get when you live in the Black Hills.

I’ve heard so many good snowstorm stories over the years it’s just very funny how everyone gets by. One good story dates back quite a few years. Over 20 to be sure. This was an early season storm, probably November. Three “old timers” from Lead (just three miles up the road) were out deer hunting and got caught in the snow. Back in the day, the “old timers” usually had plenty to drink when they were out hunting. (I know, not the epitome of safety, but hey, they’re “old timers”) At any rate, they got their truck stuck in a good sized drift. They decided to walk for help and within an hour they were picked up by a group of hunters who took them into town safe and sound.

Two days later when the snow subsided, the “old timers” decided they should probably head out and retrieve their truck. The only problem was they were so inebriated when they were picked up, they didn’t quite remember where their truck was stuck. To make a long story short, they searched for their truck for over a month when a Forest Service employee finally came across the truck, ran the plates and gave them a call.

In the mean time, a couple of squirrels decided to make the truck thier home and the inside of the truck was completely full of pine cones.

I love that story and it comes with a good moral. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t hunt and drink. And be very wary of squirrels.

It’s 65 degrees in Deadwood today. The snow is melting and things are looking up.

Until next time. Keep your boots clean.

George