Tag: family fun

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Friendship Tower

By Rebecca Johnson

When my husband and I visited Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood last summer, we climbed the steep path to Seth Bullock’s plot facing Mount Roosevelt. I found the story of his grave intriguing. Bullock met Theodore Roosevelt during Roosevelt’s years on a North Dakota ranch. The two remained friends during his presidency and Roosevelt appointed Bullock U.S. Marshall. Shortly after Roosevelt’s death in 1919, Bullock and the Society of the Black Hills Pioneers built Friendship Tower on the mount as a memorial to his friend. Bullock died a few months after the tower dedication and, at his request, was buried 750 feet above the main portion of the cemetery with a view of Mount Roosevelt across the gulch.

Jeremy and I were in Deadwood again a few weeks ago and looking for an easy hike when we remembered Mount Roosevelt. There aren’t a lot of signs promoting its trail, but it is easy to find. You head north a little ways out of Deadwood on Highway 85, take a left on Mount Roosevelt Road and follow it for about 2 Ω miles until you reach the trailhead/parking lot. Josh from howtoenjoytheblackhills.com has even posted a video showing the route.

A well-maintained picnic area marks the trailhead to the castle-like tower. We hiked the half-mile path through oak and pine, skirting scree slopes and boulders. Raspberries even ripen along the trail in season. The trail and 31-foot tower atop the 5,690-foot summit are maintained by the Black Hills National Forest. New stone steps on the outside of the tower and a steep spiral staircase on the inside were added to allow an expansive view. There is also a little viewing deck just northwest of the tower for those who don’t want to scale the stairs.

It’s not strenuous, but I highly recommend this hike if you want to stretch your legs during a day in Deadwood. Bullock chose the location for its overlook of the plains beyond Belle Fourche and on into North Dakota where Roosevelt had his ranch. We could also just make out Bear Butte and Harney Peak. It’s cheap entertainment for your visit to the gambling town!

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Enticing the Oriole

By Rebecca Johnson

Now is a great time for birding in South Dakota — it’s the peak of spring migration. Baltimore orioles are a favorite for backyard birders in Yankton. I know many people who put out jelly to attract them. The couple we bought our house from had great luck simply spooning the grape variety onto small plates in the yard.

Ruth Steil, administrative assistant at the magazine, says orioles started coming to her yard just last week. She and her husband, Mark, keep a large stash of jelly just for the birds.”One time our kids came home to visit and found all the jars,” says Ruth.”They wondered what in the world we were doing with all that jelly.”

Ruth and Mark have a special feeder with two nails to hold orange wedges and two small cups for the birds’ favorite treat. And don’t think you can skimp on quality.”A friend of mine bought a whole bunch of grape jelly at the dollar store and they wouldn’t touch it,” Steil says.”I think it’s because it didn’t have as much real fruit juice.” Ruth recommends Welch’s.

If you’re wondering what other birds you might attract to your yard, South Dakota Game, Fish, & Parks department has a free booklet. Backyard Birds of South Dakota has color photos and descriptions of nearly 80 species you may find. You can contact SDGF&P to request a copy.

Terry Sohl’s web site, sdakotabirds.com, also has a great checklist showing what seasons birds can be expected and how common they are. You can also check out Terry’s table showing favorite foods of common birds.

I plan to put out some jelly tonight to see what I can attract. Hopefully I’m not too late. What are your tricks for attracting birds?

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2012 SDRRMA Induction Ceremony

Musicians came from all over the United States to perform at the 4th annual South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association induction ceremony on April 21st. The event was held at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls.

Inductees were The Bleach Boys, Chevelles, DJ and the Cats, Gemini 6, Gordon Bird & the Sting Rays/Original Sting Rays, Jay-Bee & the Kats, John McCormick & Something New, Kenny Miller, Scotty Lee & the Stingrays, Gestures, Dee Jay & the Runaways., David J Law, Ray Ford and KISD, Curt Powell, the Vivian Dance Hall, and Island Park Ballroom of Milltown.

The bands all were formed in the late ’50s to late ’60s with members reuniting to play one more gig. Photos by Ron Nelson of Spectrum Photography in Lake Preston.

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South Dakota’s Other Big Hunt

By Lee Schoenbeck

National publications write about fall hunts in South Dakota. But those writers are missing the big hunt story. There is one hunt that doesn’t draw the hundred thousand out-of-staters, fill our hotels or dictate land use practices that is as important in the hearts of our youngest hunters — the Easter Egg Hunt. While our outdoor High Holiday is the third Saturday in October, for the 10-and-under crowd the”opener” is that special Saturday right before Easter Sunday.

Growing up in Webster, more than a hundred of us would descend on the City Park for the appointed hour of the official start of the Jaycee-sponsored Easter egg hunt. Like a horde of locusts, when the Jaycees announced”go,” we scoured the park in search of colored eggs. There are a couple of rules in these hunts. Parents have to at least try to stay out of the way; never, ever show up late — the hunt start waits for no mortal; and an April blizzard won’t stop an Easter egg hunt (I have seen eggs hidden in snow banks in that park.)

Years later, as an adult Jaycee, I saw the hunt from a taller perspective. Volunteers hard-boiling and dyeing hundreds of eggs was a serious commitment. But the biggest challenge was to hide some of those eggs in the park in places where you were sure no little hunter could ever find them. You needed to think kind of dastardly and very un-Easter-like to really add challenge to the hunt. You needed to put those eggs up high where the three and four footers could never, ever get them. But every year, after the locusts cleared from the park and you went back to check, your most diabolically placed egg was found and gone. These kids can hunt.

Years later I married into and raised egg-hiding crazies.

Each year the Easter Bunny I married hides a basket for each child — the oldest is 23 and still this goes on. This particular hunt takes place on Easter morning. Saturday night I heard sawing in the kitchen, after the kids had gone to bed! There was the Easter bunny, sawing rolls of paper towels with a bread knife — to perfect another perfect hiding place with a false front in a kitchen cabinet!

This Easter Bunny, egg-hiding thing is genetic. This year my daughters invited a dozen great-nieces and nephews and neighbors’ kids to an Easter egg hunt in our yard. The temperature was a balmy 45 degrees — but the hunt still happened. Kids smile and shake with excitement at the prospect of the hunt — but the parents are at least as much fun to watch. A good hunt doesn’t last long. The eggs were hidden over more than an acre, none of those little bunnies was over four feet tall, and still the Easter bunnies work was compiled in bags and baskets in about fifteen minutes time.

No matter how short the hunt, it remains an important tradition in our Judeo-Christian, and South Dakota, culture. The Easter egg hunt connects the best memories of parent to child, bridging the joy and hope for the new life we’ve brought forth on our little piece of the earth — a simplified version of the resurrection message.

But…. if we could just get those eggs up in those trees a little higher, and maybe add camouflage coloring??

Lee Schoenbeck grew up in Webster, practices law in Watertown, and is a freelance writer for the South Dakota Magazine website.

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Governor’s Snowmobile Ride

By Rebecca Johnson

I spoke to Diane Hiles of De Smet yesterday while she and her husband, Greg, headed to the Hills for the 32nd annual Governor’s Snowmobile Ride. Hiles is the secretary of the Town and Country Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club, hosts of this year’s ride. The event takes place at Hardy Camp, a Forest Service station in Lead. Winter weather has been unseasonably warm but Hiles says the trails are in excellent condition for the 200 people expected to attend. She and Greg were able to snowmobile the Black Hills trails last week to test them.

The ride starts at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday with brunch, registration and introduction of special guests. Hiles says Governor Dennis Daugaard and his advisory council are expected to attend, as well as U.S. House Representative Kristi Noem. Invitations are extended to all state legislators and at least 12 plan to participate from Sioux Falls, Baltic, Mitchell, Big Stone City, Rapid City, Spearfish and Lead. SDSA provides snowmobiles for the invited guests with help from Yamaha Motor Corporation and Arctic Cat.

The large crew of snowmobilers will split up with experienced riders designated as group leaders through the Black Hills trails maintained by Hardy Camp. The day culminates with a meal and social gathering for riders to visit about their experiences of the day. “The ride was started by the South Dakota Snowmobile Association (SDSA) as a way to showcase the trail system in the Black Hills,” says Hiles. “SDSA works for the good of the snowmobiling sport, trying to make sure the trail system continues to operate both East River and West River.”

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Beresford’s Chilly Race

By Rebecca Johnson

Winter road races are few and far between in South Dakota, but runners have been able to count on the Beresford Frostbite Four since 1999. The fundraiser for the Beresford Booster Club, featuring a four-mile run and a two-mile run/walk, starts tomorrow at 11 a.m. Unofficial race director, Kevin Nelson, says this is a record year for participants.”As of today we have 370 pre-registered in the two races,” says Nelson.”That is a far cry from our first year with about 70 total.”

Three potential courses are marked in advance. Weather and wind direction on race day determines which one is used. Runners are bussed to whichever start gives the best chance of wind at your back. When I ran the four-mile race in 2009 I bundled up expecting the weather to live up to the race’s name, but it was practically balmy with temps in the high forties. Last year’s participants were treated to rain and ice, but the unpredictable conditions are part of the fun.

After the race is over, red-faced runners and walkers gather for a free chili and soup feed at the Bridges at Beresford golf course. The ceramic figurines of snowmen, penguins, polar bears and moose presented to the winners are highly coveted. But many participants are just as delighted to hear their name called for a door prize like a free t-shirt or box of golf balls. There’s still time to register at allsportcentral.com if you want to get in on the fun.

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Tubing Rocks

By Rebecca Johnson

Looking for a unique activity this holiday season? Rock out on the slopes in Lead at Ski Mystic Deer Mountain‘s Zero Gravity Tube Park. You can tube under the stars on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Local bands perform in the lodge and the music is pumped outdoors.

“We just wanted to created a venue with a lot of action,” says co-owner, Mark Brockman.”When you combine the thrill of tubing in the park at night with live music, it’s just awesome.” The cost is $25 or $20 with college ID. Tonight (Dec 22nd) features Letta People, the rock/blues band from Rapid City, and on the 29th you can hear Don’t Touch Me from Spearfish.

The Zero Gravity Tube Park is new this season. Tubing was always a popular attraction at Ski Mystic so Brockman and co-owner Alicia Salas decided to expand to what was formerly a beginner’s ski slope. “It’s probably one of the biggest [tube parks] in the country,” says Brockman.”We have a 1,000 foot tube lift with a 250 foot vertical drop.” The park is also open during normal ski hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. And it’s family friendly — children ages three and up are welcome.

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Painting Dinosaur Park

The seven prehistoric creatures at Dinosaur Park have stood above the Rapid City skyline since 1936, but even the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex hasn’t caused a lick of trouble.

Rapid Citians are accustomed to them, but one grouchy tourist showed up, took a look, and grumbled,”They’re fakes!” Thank goodness for that, because if they were real, we’d have to build a very tall fence.

Kids are delighted by these sturdy concrete and steel fakes, which were designed by Emmett Sullivan as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. Nobody cares if you climb on the back of the stegosaurus or balance on the tail of the Apatosaurus.

The Rapid City dinosaurs were concrete gray until 1960, when they were painted green with white bellies. Last Saturday, Circulation Director Jana Lane visited Dinosaur Park and saw the 75-year-old beasts get a touch-up courtesy of volunteers from South Canyon Baptist Church of Rapid City. Photos by Jana Lane.