Howdy Deadwood Fans! Wild Bill Days is just a hop, skip and jump away from now. I can’t wait for the celebration to start. Most of all I am looking forward to the free concerts. Below is the full schedule of events better check it out!

2011 Wild Bill Days Schedule of Events:

Friday, June 17
10am – Firearms and Old West Auction Preview and Show • Lodge at Deadwood
- DockDogs Big Air Competition • Historic Main Street
11am – March of Dimes and First Gold Celebrity Shoot-Out Fundraiser • Deadwood Pavilion • Call (605) 717-7171 to register! No experience needed!
5pm – Texaco & Dana Dental Arts Country Showdown • Historic Main Street stage
6:30pm – FREE concert featuring Brock Finn
8pm – FREE concert featuring Bellamy Brothers

Saturday, June 18
9am – Cowboy Fast Draw Championships • Deadwood Pavilion
- Firearms and Old West Auction Preview and Show • Lodge at Deadwood
10am – DockDogs Big Air Competition • Historic Main Street
3pm – DockDogs Speed Retrieve Competition
4pm – Free concert featuring Country Showdown Winner • Historic Main Street stage
5pm – - Free concert featuring Startz N Endz • Historic Main Street
Speed Retrieve Finals • Historic Main Street
5:30pm – DockDogs Big Air Finals
6:30 – Free concert featuring Brock Finn
8pm – Free concert featuring Joe Diffie

Sunday, June 19
9am – Cowboy Fast Draw Championships • Deadwood Pavilion
10am – Firearms and Old West Auction Preview and Show • Lodge at Deadwood

Dear Friend of South Dakota Tourism,

This is a quick email to let you know that despite the flooding crisis facing the river cities of Pierre/Fort Pierre and Dakota Dunes in South Dakota, the rest of the state is in great shape to welcome visitors who are making South Dakota their family vacation destination. Please click on this link to view a tourism video message from South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv293g5xQrs

As our Governor stated a few days ago, we do not want to minimize the impact of the flooding in the river cities of Pierre/Fort Pierre and Dakota Dunes. We are facing a significant challenge with flooding along the Missouri River in these areas. But we have had inquiries from folks wondering if it is okay to continue with their vacation plans to South Dakota and our answer is, ‘Absolutely’! Our major highways and interstates are not affected by the controlled flooding, and the state is open for tourism business!

Fishing and boating is as good on the river and on our lakes as it has been and hundreds of campsites are available. All boat ramps and campgrounds north of Pierre/Fort Pierre on Lake Oahe remain open, and the same is true for Lewis and Clark Lake in Yankton. We encourage visitors who have questions about any vacation plans along the Missouri River to check the websites of the South Dakota Departments of Tourism (www.TravelSD.com) and Game, Fish and Parks (www.gfp.sd.gov) for the latest information. Please contact your hotel/motel, campground or fishing resort before leaving on your trip to check on the latest information.

Our visitor industry is geared up and ready to welcome our visitors with the flair of friendship and hospitality that only South Dakotans can provide. From Sioux Falls to Sisseton, Aberdeen to Akaska, Mobridge to Murdo, and throughout the northern and southern Black Hills, our visitor attractions and events are ready to roll out the red carpet for our guests.

All the best,

Jim

James D. Hagen, Secretary

Department of Tourism

Do to a break out of Equine Herpes Virus 1 the Showdeo has been canceled. This disease is fetal in horses and cases have been tracked to Western States and Canada.

Sorry to anyone that was interested in going to the Showdeo! Hope you can enjoy the other festivities in Historic Deadwood during Wild Bill Days June 17-19.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Attention Deadwood Fans, there will be a FREE performance of the Trial of Jack McCall. The Deadwood Alive group re-enactment is normally held between Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day at the Masonic Temple, but the group is going to hold a free performance of the Trial of Jack McCall on May 27 beginning at 7 pm.

Jack McCall cowardly assassinated Wild Bill Hickok in the Saloon No. 10. Starting on May 28 this legendary trial starts with the capture of Jack McCall at 7:30 pm in front of Saloon No. 10 on Historic Main Street Deadwood. The trial follows at the Masonic Temple.

This is a great chance to see the epic tale. If you can’t make it to the free performance make sure you go to another show. Below is schedule of daily performance. Let us know what you think by commenting on this blog! Have a great day and a wonderful summer!

Shows daily except Mondays, Memorial Day through Labor Day
1:00 p.m.: The Assassination of Wild Bill- inside the historic Old Style Saloon #10. A re-enactment of Wild Bill Hickok’s final, and fatal, card game. FREE!!!

1:30 p.m.: An Old West Card Game with the Deadwood Gunfighters- in front of the Tin Lizzies. Kids can play their favorite card games with Deadwood’s famous gunslingers. FREE!!!

2:00 p.m.: The Deadwood Gunslingers- An historical gunfight in the streets in front of the 4 Aces/Hampton Inn. True and exciting western drama at its finest. FREE!!!

2:30 p.m.: The Dover Brother’s Hoedown directly in front of Mustang Sally’s. Old thyme musical family fun where kids can play in the band! FREE!!!

3:00 p.m.: The Assassination of Wild Bill- inside the historic Old Style Saloon #10 A re-enactment of Wild Bill Hickok’s final, and fatal, card game. FREE!!!

3:30 p.m.: Old West Card Game with the Deadwood Gunfighters- in front of the Mineral Palace. Kids can play their favorite card games with Deadwood’s legendary gunslingers. FREE!!!

4:00 p.m.: The Deadwood Gunslingers- An historical gunfight in the streets in front of the historic Fairmont Hotel. True western drama at its finest. FREE!!!

4:30 p.m.: The Dover Brother’s Hoedown directly in front of Mustang Sally’s. Old thyme musical family fun where kids can play in the band! FREE!!!

5:00 p.m.: The Assassination of Wild Bill- inside the historic Old Style Saloon #10 A reenactment of Wild Bill Hickok’s final, and fatal, card game . FREE!!!

5:30 p.m.: Mark Anderson’s “ Acoustical Deadwood”- on the steps of the historic Franklin Hotel. FREE!!!

6:00 p.m.: The Deadwood Gunslingers- An historical gunfight in the streets in front of the Silverado/Franklin. True and exciting western drama at its finest. FREE!!!

6:20 p.m.: Advanced Ticket Sales for the legendary “Trial of Jack McCall” inside the historic Mason’s Hall. Tuesday-Sunday at 8:00. Just south of the Silverado, across from the Deadwood Elementary School. Don’t miss it!!!

7:00 p.m.: The Assassination of Wild Bill- inside the Old Style Saloon #10. A re-enactment of Wild Bill Hickok’s final, and fatal, card game. FREE!!!

7:30 p.m.: The Capture of Jack McCall- in the street in front of the Old Style Saloon #10/Bodega following the “Assassination” inside the #10 . FREE!!!.

7:45 p.m.: The Dover Brothers “Pre-Trial” show- inside the Mason’s Hall, just south of the Silverado. Small admission fee.

8:00 p.m.: “The Trial of Jack McCall”- inside the Mason’s Hall, south of the Silverado. The legendary trial of the man who assassinated Wild Bill! Small admission fee.

Hey Y’all I have some fantastic Deadwood news. Historic Deadwood’s slogan has been The West Doesn’t Get Any Wilder Than Deadwood South Dakota. Well I am here today to tell you that the West is going to be Xtreme on July 8.

Deadwood Mountain Grand officially announced today that country stars Big & Rich along with Gretchen Wilson will perform in the new entertainment center on July 8. They will help launch the opening of the Deadwood Mountain Grand entertainment center, casino, and restaurant. The hotel will open in the fall.

Deadwood gets a chance to be a stop on the Xtreme Muzik tour after they hit the road on June 18 on a multi-city tour. These powerhouse performers are bringing along with them Cowboy Troy and Two-Foot Fred.

“You’re going to see me come out and sing on Big & Rich songs; you’re going to see John and Kenny sing on my songs, and there’s no telling where Two-Foot and Cowboy Troy will be!” Gretchen said.

Tickets go on sale at ticketmaster.com Thursday, May 19 or you can call 800-745-3000.

I know that I will be there, How about you? Hope you have an Xtreme day!

Howdy Partners, I hope everyone missed me. It is finally Friday and I am very glad that it is. It has been on heck of a week. It was finals week at Black Hills State University, but I only had one final. Tomorrow is commencement and I get to walk and I am super excited. Have no fear my faithful reads I am still here at the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce at the least until August. I need to finish up some credits then I get my BS!

Enough about me! I need to tell you something very important about Wild Bill Days. I know I know I keep talking about it, but it is good for both of us. Once again I am going to remind you that Deadwood will celebrate Wild Bill Days is on June 17-19. This time I am going to talk about something that I haven’t mentioned yet, the All-Cowgirl “Showdeo.” Which be held on Saturday June 18 at the Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds. This all-girl extravaganza starts at 8:45am and goes until 7pm. One of the festivities of the “Showdeo” involves a historic cowgirl style show. The show is at 5pm and it honors the cowgirls of the old west.

Admission for the day for horse and rider (including both clinics, all workshops and games, 2 meals, 2 drink tickets, a gift bag and complimentary T-shirt) is $269 if booked on or before June 3; $299 after June 3. Admission for the day for Auditors (without horses – includes watching both clinics, participating in all workshops and games, one meal, one drink ticket and complimentary T-shirt) is $99. General admission is $5.00 at the door.

To find out more information or register please call Black Hills Central Reservations at 1-888-838-2855.

Sometimes a cowgirl has to do what a cowboy can’t. Come celebrate the cowgirls of the old west. Thank you my Deadwood fans have a great day!

Deadwood fans nice that you stopped by again and if this is your first time reading this lovely blog Bonjour! I am here to tell you about Historic Deadwood and everything that is going on. In my most recent blog I touched base about the event that celebrates the most infamous resident Wild Bill Hickok. On June 17 and 18 there will be a DockDogs competition. Not sure what a DockDogs competition is? Well it is a good thing I am here to tell you.

All breed of dogs are allowed to enter into this competition. Dogs will be judged on retrieving, jumping and speed. How it works is the dogs will be chasing after toys that the handler throws in a large pool in the middle of Historic Main Street Deadwood. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog” quoted by Dwight D. Eisenhower. If you think your adored dog as the fight to win DockDogs or just want to have fun then visit www.dockdogs.com and find the Will Bill Days event. If you just want to sit back and watch some dogs fly come find the pool in the middle of Historic Main Street Deadwood on June 17 and 18.

In other events Historic Deadwood will be celebrating 21 years of amazing music. On September 16-17 the Deadwood Jam will bring another great music selection to you. To get your tickets to Blues Traveler and Grand Funk Railroad call 1-800-344-8826. If you get your tickets now you will get the Early Bird special. It is $40 for two full days of music.

In the History of the Deadwood Jam musical acts such as The Wallflowers, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Alison Krauss, Mat Kearney, The Young Dubliners, Robert Cray, Big & Rich, George Clinton, Koko Taylor, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have taken the Historic Deadwood stage.

There will be more bands to be announced for this year’s Deadwood Jam, so stay tuned to this wonderful Deadwood blog!

What a lovely day here in Deadwood! The sun is shining and the temperature is up in the 60’s. I hope all of my Deadwood fans are enjoying the good weather. If you have not yet taken in your share of the warm weather you have plenty of chances to do that here in the Historic Deadwood area. First off I would like to tell you about the Cinco de Mayo Salsa Contest and Mexican Food Fiesta. I bet you can guess what day this is on, but I will tell you anyways. On May 5th at the Lead Library you can enter your especial salsa in the contest. If you win the contest your salsa will be given the Hot Pepper Award. You can try all of the salsas enter in the contest and enjoy a Mexican dinner thanks to the Lead Library and Lead Deadwood Arts Center Board of Directors. This shindig will be held from 5-7 pm. Adults are $5 and students (K-12) are $3.

For you wino’s out there and I mean the ones that really enjoy wine. Deadwood Gulch Resort is hosting the Black Hills Wine Festival Sip & Shop. At this festival you can taste wine from the local South Dakota wineries. Californian, Australian, and other wines will be available for tasting as well. Local merchants will bring a unique taste to the festival. Door prizes will be given out along with entertainment provided by Kristi Lake and Dave Webb. As Benjamin Franklin said “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.” On Saturday May 7th from 1-6 pm make your day by going to the Black Hills Wine Festival Sip & Shop.

Now it is time to get your schedules out and mark on your calendar Wild Bill Days. Better yet let’s pick up the phone and dial 1-800-344-8826 for Black Hills Central Reservations to get a hotel room for Wild Bill Days on June 17-19.

Historic Deadwood is all systems go for the celebration of the most infamous resident Wild Bill Hickok. Deadwood is going to launch summer in a suitable fashion with gunslingers, dockdog competitions, and free concerts. Below is the full schedule of events for Wild Bill Days. Once again hope to see you there and have a great day Deadwood fans!

2011 Wild Bill Days Schedule of Events:
Times approximate/tentative – call the Deadwood Chamber at 1-800-999-1876 for the latest info!
Friday, June 17
10am – Firearms and Old West Auction Preview and Show • Lodge at Deadwood
- DockDogs Big Air Competition • Historic Main Street
11am – Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center Grand Opening • 150 Sherman Street
- March of Dimes and First Gold Celebrity Shoot-Out Fundraiser • Deadwood Pavilion • Call (605) 717-7171 to register! No experience needed!
5pm – Texaco & Dana Dental Arts Country Showdown • Historic Main Street stage
6:30pm – FREE concert featuring Brock Finn
8pm – FREE concert featuring Bellamy Brothers

Saturday, June 18
8:45am – All cowgirl “Showdeo” begins (continues until 7pm) • Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds
9am – Cowboy Fast Draw Championships • Deadwood Pavilion
- Firearms and Old West Auction Preview and Show • Lodge at Deadwood
10am – DockDogs Big Air Competition • Historic Main Street
3pm – DockDogs Speed Retrieve Competition
4pm – Free concert featuring Country Showdown Winner • Historic Main Street stage
5pm – - Free concert featuring Startz N Endz • Historic Main Street
Speed Retrieve Finals • Historic Main Street
“Cowgirls of the West” style show begins • Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds
5:30pm – DockDogs Big Air Finals
6:30 – Free concert featuring Brock Finn
8pm – Free concert featuring Joe Diffie

Sunday, June 19
9am – Cowboy Fast Draw Championships • Deadwood Pavilion
10am – Firearms and Old West Auction Preview and Show • Lodge at Deadwood

Hello Deadwood fans! It has been a while since the last time I blogged. The reason is not that Deadwood has nothing exciting going on, but it is quite the opposite with too much going on. Here in Deadwood we are ironing out the details for our summer events and gearing up for all of you great people that come with the warm weather. Through out the summer I will give out the nitty-gritty on the events and the happenings here in Historic Deadwood.

I am now going to turn the wheel of information to a new subject. There is a new Hotel, Casino, and Convention Center being built here in Historic Deadwood. Speaking of Historic this new business is going to be housed in a 1906 Homestake Mining plant, but I think it is time for me to reveal the name of this new establishment. Deadwood Mountain Grand is located at 1906 Deadwood Mountain Drive. It is under heavy construction, but is moving very fast to bring Deadwood a new Convention Center and Casino in July. Opening in July as well will be The Aught Six Grille. This restaurant will offer a fine dining experience for Deadwood and its visitors. The Aught Six Grille will be accessorized with a dining patio viewing the Historic Deadwood and it is placed above the Whitewood Creek so you get a different dining experience. For what I see every time I pass the construction there is always something new and they are moving at phenomenal speed. The hotel part of Deadwood Mountain Grand will be open in the fall of this year. The hotel will have 98 contemporary rooms over looking Historic Deadwood.

One fun fact about Deadwood Mountain Grand is one of the partners is Big Kenny Alphin. Many of you might know him as Big from “Big & Rich.” I think it is time from me to put a conclusion on this blog. If you are still wanting more information on Historic Deadwood’s newest addition check out Deadwood Mountain Grand’s website which is www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com.

Hope everyone is planning a summer trip to Historic Deadwood! Have a Grand day!

With the cardboard box sled races held last weekend at Mystic Miner (a GREAT time, something I suggest!), that marked the close of Mystic’s runs (formerly Deer Mountain). Terry Peak Ski Area remains open until Sunday, April 3. So there’s still a few days to get a few more turns in!

But looking ahead to next year, Mystic Miner is having their annual dynamite ski season pass sale going on now through April 7 – what’s the dynamite sale you ask? For $149, you can ski all year long!!! $149 for the entire ski season. Not a bad deal! Check out http://skimystic.com/ for more info.

Now let’s bring on the spring!