Our Community

Longtime resident siblings are marshals

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 9:39am

The gold nugget doesn’t fall far from the wheelbarrow in Custer.
Thirty years after their parents were honored, siblings Gary Lipp, Margie Hutton and Mary Sires are being honored as Gold Discovery Days Parade Marshals for their many years of putting time, talent and labor into the festivities. 
All three siblings graduated from Custer High School in 1970, 1972 and 1974, respectively, and their oldest brother Jerry, a 1968 graduate, passed away in 1998. 

Down Memory Lane July 15

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 9:36am

10 YEARS AGO, 2016

Sheriff's Log July 2-5

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 9:19am

Custer County Sheriff’s Log
Call of the Week
Saturday, July 5
6:53 p.m.: Tempers flared between tourists traveling on a state highway near the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park near state-managed land. Allegations of middle-finger-waving, yelling, face-punching and door-slamming followed. The matter is under investigation and may result in charges.    

Black Hills Live July 15, 2026

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 9:03am

Wednesday 7-15

Men’s Breakfast Bible Study
The Little White Church
Hill City, SD 
7:30 AM

Driver’s License Exams
Custer County Courthouse 
Annex Pine Room
Custer, SD
8 AM - 5 PM

Seniors Fitness Class
Hill City Center 
Hill City, SD
8:30 AM

Seniors Bridge Card Games
Hill City Center 
Hill City, SD
10 AM

Excercise Class
Keystone Senior Center 
Keystone, SD
10-10:30 AM

Kids Belong Bike Ride July 25

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:55am
Experience the beauty of the Mickelson Trail while making a difference for foster and adoptive families across South Dakota. The Little White Church is partnering with South Dakota Kids Belong to host the 2026 Kids Belong Ride in Hill City Saturday, July 25. 

Hill City seeks Hallmark Christmas cinema

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:53am
Hallmark Channel is looking for the merriest Christmas towns across America, and Hill City could be one of them. 
In a nationwide promotion to celebrate Hallmark’s 25th birthday, the channel is in search of 25 towns that are known for making spirits bright. Communities can be nominated based on how well they embody the warmth, traditions and community spirit that define a classic Hallmark Christmas Movie, and one lucky winner will be featured in one.

Bicentennial quilt on display at VIC

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:47am
In 1976, Mildred Coates’ fourth-grade class at Hill City Elementary School created a patriotic quilt to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial. Now, 50 years later, it is on display at the Hill City Visitor Information Center (VIC) in celebration of this year’s semiquincentennial. 
The idea for the quilt came from Coates, according to Sue Anderson.
“My oldest daughter Michelle (Minnie), was in the fourth grade when we moved here. Her teacher Mildred Coates started this quilt,” she said. 

Down Memory Lane July 15, 2026

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:43am
5 YEARS AGO 2021
— The Pennington County Planning and Zoning Commission took a hard stance toward nightly vacation rentals by tabling a request for a conditional use permit for an application at 760 Bishop Mountain Rd. The move came at its July 6 meeting. However, a subsequent motion by Rollie Noem ultimately granted the application begging the question of “with the ordinances as they are right now, does this request violate them?” Noem went so far as to ask the commission if what they are really after is a moratorium, not a change in the town’s ordinances.

Rush of events for Gold Discovery Days

Published by admin on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 8:41am
One of the Black Hills’ favorite summer traditions returns as the 103rd Annual Gold Discovery Days comes to Custer July 17–19. This three-day celebration honors the discovery of gold in the Black Hills while offering a weekend packed with family-friendly entertainment, community traditions and activities for all ages.

Happy Scoops now open for business

Published by admin on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 10:17am

Maria Lyndoe is likely the newest self-taught barista in Custer.
One might say she began preparing for the job at a very young age, however.
Lyndoe, a naturalized American citizen from Mexico, recalls being on her mother’s back as her mother picked coffee beans  in her native Mexico. Later, she said, it was her that was picking the beans.
“Like I tell my customers, I grew up picking the beans,” she said with a laugh.
As a child, when the beans were at their ripest with a hint of sweetness, she would eat them.