Welcome, one and, all to Gold Discovery Days

It’s Gold Discovery Days time again here in Custer. Can you believe it? Where does the time go? It seems like we were just covering graduation, and now, here it is, the middle of July. From all of us here at the Custer County Chronicle, welcome to Gold Discovery Days! This is truly one of the most magical weekends of the year in Custer, if not the entire Black Hills.
Gold Discovery Days is always a special time of year, and this year is sure to be no exception. This year marks the 101st celebration, which commemorates the discovery of gold near Custer by the expedition led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer in 1874.
We, of course, will have the event covered from start to finish. The weekend unofficially kicks off tomorrow when the carnival opens, which will usher in three days of activities that wrap up Sunday afternoon. In between will be plenty of fun, food and drinks (please drink responsibly).
There is some important information to note from the chamber. Again, this year, the open container area for Gold Discovery Days will stretch from Washington Street to the north side of Mt. Rushmore Road between 8th and 2nd Streets.
Some important street closures to note include Washington Street—8th to 6th along with 7th Street from alley to Washington Street now through Tuesday, July 23 for the carnival. Washington St—6th to 4th closed Thursday, July 18 at 8 a.m. through Sunday, July 21 at 7 p.m. Washington St—4th to 2nd closed Friday, July 19 at 6 a.m. through Saturday, July 20 at 4 p.m.
The chamber will be utilizing the county’s gravel lot to the south of the Custer Beacon for vendor parking and there may be some additional parking room available there. A portion of the parking area near the Custer County Library and old elementary school will be closed Monday, July 15 through Tuesday, July 23 to accommodate the carnival personnel.
During the parade, all side streets intersecting with Mt. Rushmore Rd. and around Pageant Hill area will be closed from 9:45 to 11 a.m.
As always, a big shoutout to the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce and the Gold Discovery Days Committee for all of its hard work on organizing the weekend and making sure it goes off without a hitch. We know it’s a lot of work, and you are the unsung and unseen heroes that allow all of us to have so much fun over the course of the weekend.
Be sure to check out this week’s Western Trader for a schedule of events for the weekend (and/or our front page) and for a look at all of the wonderful local merchants who are welcoming you either to town or back to town. We look forward to another exciting weekend, and we trust you feel the same. Let’s have some fun!

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