It is the Deadwood Social Clubs pleasure to announce our appearance on the Travel Channel Show Secret Eats with Adam Richman. Join Adam as he discovers the Deadwood Social Club and experiences Chef Caleb Storm’s signature off the menu dish Wild Boar Poppers. Episode airs February 1st at 11am mountain time.Check Local listings #secreteats

The George S. Mickelson Great Service Award honors businesses or organizations that have done an exemplary job of exceeding visitors’ expectations in customer service. It marks the culmination of a yearly hospitality program that involves hospitality training, customer comment cards, an employee recognition program, and an application for the Great Service Star designation.

Two George S. Mickelson Great Service Awards were presented for 2016.

In today’s social media world, a good or bad experience is rapidly communicated throughout online communities. That’s why it is more important than ever to create an environment focused on customer service and visitor experience. That’s why every year we recognize two partners who go above and beyond.
The Saloon #10 and the Deadwood Social Club, Deadwood, encourages every full-time and seasonal employee to explore the community and the surrounding area so they can pass along information to guests. Each employee is also given a one-sheet of common questions asked by visitors.

They also hold an annual meeting that includes customer service training and hospitality tips to help prepare them for the peak travel season. Monthly department meetings are held with the owners where employees are encouraged to discuss areas that need improvement, as well as share stories of success.

The Saloon #10 believes that by including employees in this part of the process, it not only boosts morale it also creates a culture of respect from the top down. Something, they say, that is the key to providing great customer service and keeping their employees long term – many have worked there at least 10 years, others have celebrated two decades at the establishment.

It is because they have great respect for each other and give great service that The Saloon #10 and the Deadwood Social Club was recognized this year.

(The Saloon #10/Deadwood Social Club is the non-corporate category winner. This category recognizes smaller hospitality businesses that do not have access to a larger corporate training program.)

Laughs, cheers and smiles were had in abundance on Saturday morning when the World's Smallest Rodeo took center stage in Rushmore Hall during the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo.
Kids ages 3 to 5 took turns barrel racing, pole bending and wild riding on stick horses with everyone, spectators and competitors alike, coming out a winner.
Tanse Herrmann of Sturgis said he, his wife, Tonya, and their daughter, Tayzi, attend rodeos in the summer and thought the World's Smallest Rodeo was a great chance for Tayzi to get into the ring and see what it's all about. Tayzi, 5, said her favorite event was the wild ride.
Three-year-old Ridge Lanka of Box Elder agreed, calling the wild ride "the best." Her father, Zach Lanka, said they have been coming to the Black Hills Stock Show for years, and their 5-year-old son, Retta, participated a couple of years ago, too.

A Nebraska bull that escaped from the Black Hills Stock Show on Sunday afternoon was able to take a scenic tour of downtown Rapid City before being captured.
The 1,200-pound bull, which will participate in the Chi-Influenced Show on Saturday, was being loaded into a stall at the Central States Fairgrounds when it bolted and took off down the bike path, said show General Manager Ron Jeffries.
It headed northwest, through Memorial Park and Rapid Creek, before stopping at the Executive Golf Course, where it was captured by rodeo cowboys. The chase covered 2.3 miles, and the entire episode was over within an hour, Jeffries said.
“The bull was running down the bike path at the same time that the rodeo finished, so there were some mounted Cowboys that took off after it and roped it,” he said.

In his 20 years with the stock show, Jeffries said he has seen about four other animal escapes, which can become a safety issue. Fortunately, he said, there are always a lot of ranchers around who are adept at handling such situations.Rapid City police also participated in the chase, as seen on a video on social media.

By: Seth Tupper
Rapid City Journal
1-29-2016

LANTRY | The fate of endangered wild horses in north-central South Dakota has been resolved with a settlement allowing an embattled nonprofit organization to keep 20 horses with the 520 others transferred to a new owner and put up for adoption.
The settlement agreement forestalled a two-day hearing last week on a motion by state and local authorities to seize all the horses from the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
The horses had been impounded at the society’s small and overgrazed ranch near Lantry since October, where they were being cared for by local authorities after a state-employed veterinarian determined the horses had been neglected.
The settlement prohibits the society from allowing its 20-horse herd to grow beyond 40 horses during the next five years and says the horses will be seized if that happens. Among other conditions, the settlement requires the society to undergo, for the next 18 months, quarterly veterinary inspections and other inspections as scheduled by the sheriffs of Dewey and Ziebach counties (the county line is straddled by the society's ranch), and to pay the counties a total of $10,000. 
The 520 horses taken from the society's ownership will be transferred to the ownership of Fleet of Angels, a Colorado-based nonprofit that provides crisis management and transportation for horse-related emergencies in the United States and Canada.
Fleet of Angels and another nonprofit, Return to Freedom, of California, said in a joint release they would work to find suitable placements for the horses at approved homes, sanctuaries and rescue facilities.
“The settlement sets the stage for one of the largest known equine rescue and adoption efforts in U.S. history,” the release said.
The agreement allows the rescue organizations to keep the horses at the society’s ranch for up to 60 days while conducting the adoption campaign. The release from the rescue groups also said they may relocate their 520 horses “to a more suitable adoption hub.”
When the horses were impounded in October, they numbered 810. Some were thin and others had various physical ailments, and a former society employee alleged that some horses had died of starvation-related causes while the cash-strapped society struggled to acquire hay.
Fleet of Angels stepped in to arrange adoptions of 270 of the horses in the past few months, leaving 540 whose fates were determined by the settlement agreement.
Fleet of Angels and Return to Freedom reported that the current health of the horses varies from good to underweight, and some suffer from blindness or vision impairment.
The rescue groups said they face feed costs of $40,000 per month for the 520 horses, and additional costs are anticipated for veterinary care, hoof care and transportation.
Dewey and Ziebach counties predict their impounding-related costs from the past few months will reach $200,000 when all the bills are tallied, but Dewey County State’s Attorney Steven Aberle said the counties will be reimbursed for most or all of those expenses.
Through Dec. 29, the counties had spent $156,735.53 but had been reimbursed $52,000 by the society, $11,714.14 by donations from the public and $15,000 by a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals, leaving $78,021.39 yet to be reimbursed. Aberle said Fleet of Angels agreed to pay that amount.

The counties are still compiling costs incurred since Dec. 29. Aberle said the $10,000 paid by the society as part of the settlement will be applied to those bills, and Fleet of Angels has agreed to pay the rest.Fleet of Angels reported that the Humane Society of the United States, the Griffin-Sofel Equine Rescue Foundation and “another national equine welfare organization,” which was not identified in the release, contributed money to reimburse the counties.
“Without the efforts of the many concerned people who are helping with this mission in a variety of ways, a massive emergency rescue like this could never be possible,” Elaine Nash, executive director of Fleet of Angels, said in the release.
The International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros also issued a release, summarizing some provisions of the settlement. One provision requires that “none of the parties to this action will make disparaging remarks, comments or statements about another party.”
Aberle, the Dewey County state’s attorney, said he is “very pleased” with the settlement and called it positive for everyone involved – the rescue groups, which saved the horses from being auctioned and potentially sold to foreign slaughter plants; the society, which gets to keep some horses; and the counties, which will recoup their costs.
The society and its president, Karen Sussman, who lives at the ranch, still face other difficulties including some pending lawsuits from hay suppliers.
In one of those suits, a judge ordered $90,004.95 to be released from a society bank account Jan. 5 after the Spearfish-based plaintiff, who is owed money for hay deliveries, had legally garnished the account.
In another suit, a court clerk issued issued a document known as an “execution” Jan. 4, directing the sheriff of Dewey County to collect $30,322.96 that the society still owes to a Lantry hay supplier after the supplier had won a judgment against the society in May.

DEADWOOD | A local family is mourning the loss of its beloved dog this week after a mountain lion snatched it from their backyard in broad daylight, killed it in seconds, then dragged its limp body into the forest and disappeared.
Kerry Ruth said she had followed Brodie, her small 10-year-old Lhasa Apso-Maltese mix into the backyard of their home off U.S. Highway 14A on Deadwood’s south side at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, just as she had done countless times before.
“When I took him out, he was normal, he peed, and then went around the corner of the house,” she recalled on Wednesday. “I was waiting for him and I thought, 'He’s so slow.' Then I heard him barking, which he’ll do at deer or rabbits or other dogs. Then suddenly his barking turned to this terrorized yipping, and my heart just dropped. I knew something bad was happening.”
Ruth watched as her pet raced back around the corner of the house toward her with what she estimated was a 150-pound mountain lion close on his heels. She said the cat came within 15 feet of her.
“I started yelling, 'No, no, no,' and then the mountain lion had him and killed him instantly,” she said. “There was no noise. At that point I knew he was dead, and there was nothing I could do, and I knew not to get in the way of a mountain lion and his next meal. It was a big lion, and he just carried him up the hill like he was nothing.
“In less than a minute, he had disappeared up the hill. I felt so bad. He was trying to get to me, and he just wasn’t fast enough, my little guy.”
Ruth’s husband, Dave, a Deadwood city commissioner, said the family of four was devastated by the loss of their treasured pet. Brodie had been Dave’s father’s and stepmother’s dog, and when they died, the “little guy” was passed along to the Ruth family about four years ago.
“He was part of the family, a smart dog who knew to stay away from the highway,” Dave Ruth said. “But he got ambushed. It’s been tough on our family because he was one of our last connections to my father and stepmother.”
Kerry Ruth echoed her husband’s sentiments and said Brodie was the kind of house dog who loved people.
“He was the sweetest dog ever,” she said sadly. “What I’ll miss most is his happiness every time we walked through the door. He was always happy to see us, and he always did a little dance on his hind feet for a treat.”

Cognizant of the possibilities when living in the highest reaches of the Black Hills, where deer and mountain lions roam, the Ruths said Brodie was equally attuned to the potential dangers.“We almost always went out with him because we knew mountain lions were in the area,” Kerry Ruth said. “At times he would go outside, sniff the air and come right back in, like he knew something was there. There were times when he was scared of something.”
State Game, Fish & Parks Regional Wildlife Manager Trenton Haffley said Wednesday that the Ruths had followed every precaution to ensure the safety of their pet by not leaving it unattended when it was let outside.
Alerted to the mountain lion attack shortly after it occurred, a GF&P “wildlife damage specialist” based in Custer went to the scene Sunday and spent the better part of two days tracking the big cat through the forest with a pack of trained hounds, eventually canvassing areas of nearby Maitland Road near Central City.
When the houndsman encountered the tracks of two mountain lions that had crisscrossed in the forest, “it got to the point they couldn’t be certain which animal was involved,” and the search for the killer cat was called off, Haffley said. He added that when the agency receives calls and documents mountain lions' killing domesticated pets, they do what they can to identify the mountain lion and euthanize it.
Following a flurry of mountain lion sightings last fall, January has witnessed relatively few reports, Haffley said. Besides the Ruths' loss last weekend, one mountain lion was reportedly sighted earlier this month near Miller, and the GF&P had received a belated report of a mountain lion attack on a pet in Rapid Valley, he said.

Photo: John Hanson
Hibbert ready for repeat gold at X Games
By Staff report on Jan 23, 2017 at 1:17 p.m.


Pelican Rapids' Tucker Hibbert took home a fourth place finish and a win at rounds seven and eight of the ISOC National Snocross tour in Deadwood, SD. Photo: John HansonTucker Hibbert took home a fourth place finish and a win at rounds seven and eight of the ISOC National Snocross tour in Deadwood, SD. Despite missing the podium Friday, Hibbert had impressive runs both nights on the tight, rough track – something the sold-out Deadwood crowd has come to expect from the 10-time champion.
“I’m really happy with my rides in the main events,” said Hibbert. “Obviously, I wish I could have won Friday night but moving through the field, I felt good. Saturday night’s main event went about as smooth as it can get. I got a great start, made the pass for the lead on the first lap and was able to pull a big lead. Overall, I’m happy with my performance but disappointed in my qualifying results. Since the qualifiers have bonus points to win, I really need to start winning those races. That’s something I’m focused on turning around.”
In Friday’s 14-rider, 24-lap race, Hibbert was buried off the line, rounding lap one in 11th place.
Battling heavy roost, he moved around the track, searching for new lines to make clean passes. He charged hard but ran out of time to get to the front, finishing in fourth place.
Saturday night’s final was a drastically different race for Hibbert. He took the holeshot, momentarily got shuffled back to fourth place in turn two’s split lane corner but by the time he exited the next corner, he regained control of the race. With a clear track in front of him, he quickly pulled away and by lap 16 of the 24-lap race, he had a jaw-dropping 16-second lead. He rode the remaining laps smart and in control to take his 124th career win.
Next up for Hibbert is X Games Aspen where he’ll compete for his 10th consecutive gold medal.
“I got in a solid week of testing in Colorado and feel really dialed-in with my sled,” he said. “I’m riding as good as ever right now and feel really confident heading into X Games this week.”

KOTA TV
1/24/17

DEADWOOD, S.D. (KOTA TV) - Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates from Deadwood, SD will be in the 59th Annual GRAMMY® Awards Presenter and Performer official gift bags.
The rare Fortunato #4 chocolate from Peru, thought to be extinct and just recently rediscovered will be part of Music’s Biggest Night®! Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates has created a most delicious gift.
The GRAMMY talent will receive two delectable bars made from Fortunato No.4 dark chocolate, produced by Maranon Chocolates. This is truly the world’s rarest rediscovered “Pure Nacional” chocolate from Peru.
“The goal of Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates is to provide the most decadent confections anyone will ever experience. We offer moments of chocolate heaven, where any problem is instantly forgotten as our delicacies are savored. If we can give our customers a few moments of blissful decadent enchantment, we have done our job!” ~Chip Tautkus~
Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates product specialties are also hand-dipped gourmet truffles (more than 50 flavors) as well as delicacies they create using their own butter rich toffee and caramel.
The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12, at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

By: The Associated Press on Jan 15, 2017 at 2:38 p.m.

RAPID CITY (AP) — A Ski Patrol member from Terry Peak in the Black Hills remains hospitalized with a severe spinal cord injury after falling from a chairlift.
The Rapid City Journal reports 24-year-old Drew Stephens was in fair condition at Rapid City Regional Hospital.
According to a GoFundMe page that's raised nearly $18,000 for Stephens as of Saturday, he was finishing his last sweeps as an emergency medical technician and wilderness first responder when the accident happened last Sunday.
Stephens' family says on his CaringBridge page that he's undergone surgery, and that the next step will be moving him to a rehabilitation hospital.
With a summit at 7,100 feet, Terry Peak bills itself as offering the highest lift service between the Rocky Mountains and the Alps.
The accident remains under investigation.

If you cast your mind back many years ago, before Game of Thrones, Westworld and True Blood, you’ll remember that HBO first made an impact on the television landscape with shows like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire and, of course, Deadwood. It only lasted three seasons, but the Western was one of the most critically acclaimed series of its time and amassed a small but incredibly loyal fanbase. Unfortunately though, the ratings just couldn’t justify the cost to produce the show and it was ultimately given the axe.
However, creator David Milch has always promised us that there’d be more. It’s been well over a decade now since Deadwood left television, but every so often a small update pops up on the proposed movie, which has been in development for a very long time. Said to wrap up the stories of the various characters in a satisfying manner, fans have been holding out hope that it’ll eventually see the light of day. While we wouldn’t expect it to arrive any time soon, it seems that HBO is still intent on making it.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour this weekend, Programming President Casey Bloys told Variety the following when they asked him about the Deadwood film:
“David Milch is still writing. I believe he’s writing a ‘Deadwood’ movie that I have not read… When it’s ready we will take a look at it.”

While it’s encouraging to hear that Milch is still hammering away at the script, we imagine that the project is probably not a priority for HBO at the moment. Despite the show’s loyal fanbase, the feature film would still only appeal to a very small audience and certainly wouldn’t be a big moneymaker for the network.
Honestly, they might be better off trying to revive it for a limited series, or something similar, rather than putting a movie into theaters. Then again, with most of the main cast now busy with multiple other projects, doing something like that would no doubt be quite difficult. If they could pull it off, however, it might be the wiser option.
Either way, we definitely want to see more of Deadwood. It was a show that never really caught on like it should have and be it on the big or small screen, another chance to revisit this world and its colorful cast of characters would be very welcome. Let’s hope that HBO feels the same way.
Tell us, are you still holding out hope to see more of Al Swearengen, Seth Bullock and the rest of the gang, or were you never really a fan of the show in the first place? Take to the comments section and be sure to let us know!
Source: Variety