Gold Discovery Days

Gold Discovery Days Celebrate Gold Discovery Days in Custer, SD! 🌟 Honoring the 1874 discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Don’t miss your chance to strike gold!

This fun-filled 3-day event features a thrilling parade, craft fairs, tasty food 🌮🍩, & games for all ages. In 1874, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer led the troops of the 7th Cavalry into the Black Hills and discovered gold near present day Custer. Custer and his men found wealth beyond gold in the bounty and the beauty of the Black Hills. To celebrate this event, the town of Custer has the annual Gold Discovery Days celebration.

✨ You're Officially Invited! ✨Gold Discovery Days may be over for this year, but planning for next year's celebration st...
07/27/2026

✨ You're Officially Invited! ✨

Gold Discovery Days may be over for this year, but planning for next year's celebration starts NOW! 🎉

Do you have ideas to make Gold Discovery Days even better? Comments about this year's event? New activities you'd love to see? We'd love to hear from you!

📧 Email Lacey at [email protected] to be added to our Gold Discovery Days Events Committee email list. Whether you're a longtime volunteer, local business owner, community member, or someone who simply loves Gold Discovery Days, your voice matters.

Together, we can continue building a fun, memorable, and community-focused celebration for everyone.

⛏️ Be part of the tradition. Be part of the planning. Be part of Gold Discovery Days!

07/24/2026

✨ What a GOLDEN Weekend! ✨

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who helped make Gold Discovery Days such a fun, safe, and memorable celebration! 💛⛏️

From our incredible volunteers, sponsors, vendors, entertainers, parade participants, car show entries, racers, royalty, city crews, first responders, businesses, and every single person who came out to celebrate—YOU are what makes this tradition so special. 🎉

Seeing our streets filled with smiling faces, laughter, and community spirit reminds us why Gold Discovery Days has been a Custer tradition for generations.

Now... who's ready to make next year even better? 🙌

Planning for the next Gold Discovery Days begins in January, and we'd love to see some new faces at the planning meetings! Whether you have fresh ideas, want to volunteer, or simply love this event, your voice and helping hands can make a difference.

Mark your calendars and join us this winter as we start creating another unforgettable weekend together!

💛 Thank you again for making Gold Discovery Days 2026 one for the books. We can't wait to celebrate with you all again next year!

07/20/2026

⛏️✨ What a Golden Night at the Annual Gold Panners Race! ✨⛏️
Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer on our racers, bid in the Calcutta, and support one of Gold Discovery Days' favorite traditions!
Because of your participation and generosity, $1,287 was raised for the Gold Discovery Days Royalty Scholarship Fund, helping support future leaders in our community. Even better, $1,287 was also paid out to the Calcutta winners and the top two finishing teams!
🏆 Race Results:
🥇 1st Place – Gold Diggers
David Lewis, Ayden Dooley & Keira Thorp
🥈 2nd Place – Gold Nuggets
Emily Lent, Aniston Morgan & Robbyn Feucht
🥉 3rd Place – Turn and Burn
Burke Williams, Drew Conzelman & Zayne Severyn
Congratulations to Jim Ashmore and Mark Nielsen, whose Calcutta bids proved to be the winning combination as they backed all three of the top-finishing teams!
A heartfelt thank you to all of the teams, volunteers, sponsors, bidders, and spectators who helped make this year's Gold Panners Race another exciting and successful event. Your support keeps this Gold Discovery Days tradition alive while investing in the future through the Royalty Scholarship Fund.
We can't wait to see everyone back at the starting line next year! 💛⛏️

🎉 Congratulations to Our 2026 Gold Discovery Days Parade Winners! 🎉A huge round of applause to this year's outstanding p...
07/20/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Our 2026 Gold Discovery Days Parade Winners! 🎉

A huge round of applause to this year's outstanding parade entries! Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the Gold Discovery Days Parade a memorable celebration for our community.

🏆 Commercial Division: Gold Pan / Calamity Jane
🏆 Reunion Division: Class of '76 Reunion
🏆 Organization Division: Wildland Fire
🏆 Historical Division: 1881 Courthouse Museum
🏆 Patriotic Division: Stars and Stripes by Steph

Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to every individual, business, organization, and volunteer who brought creativity, community spirit, and hometown pride to this year's parade.

📸 If you snapped photos during the parade, we'd love to see them! Share them in the comments below.

🎉 Thank You for an Incredible Corn Hole Tournament! 🥇🥈🥉A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to play, cheer on the t...
07/20/2026

🎉 Thank You for an Incredible Corn Hole Tournament! 🥇🥈🥉

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to play, cheer on the teams, volunteer, and support this year's Corn Hole Tournament during Gold Discovery Days!

Because of your generosity and enthusiasm, $700 was raised for the local Meals on Wheels program! ❤️ Your support helps ensure our neighbors continue to receive nutritious meals and friendly visits throughout the year.

Congratulations to our top finishers:

🥇 1st Place: Abe Robb & Angela Harding
🥈 2nd Place: John Nelson & Jade Harding
🥉 3rd Place: Darin Logue & Tyler Barta

Thank you to all of the teams who competed and everyone who helped make this tournament a success. We truly appreciate your support and can't wait to see you back next year for another great Corn Hole Tournament!

🚜💙 A Heartfelt Thank You to the City of Custer & Our Incredible City Crew! 💙🚜The Custer Area Chamber of Commerce would l...
07/20/2026

🚜💙 A Heartfelt Thank You to the City of Custer & Our Incredible City Crew! 💙🚜

The Custer Area Chamber of Commerce would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the City of Custer and every member of the city crew who worked tirelessly before, during, and after Gold Discovery Days.

From setting up barricades, preparing streets and parks, managing traffic, hauling equipment, keeping public spaces clean, and helping with countless behind-the-scenes tasks, your hard work made it possible for thousands of residents and visitors to safely enjoy this incredible weekend.

Events like Gold Discovery Days take a true community effort, and we are grateful for your partnership, dedication, and willingness to jump in wherever needed. Your work often happens behind the scenes, but it never goes unnoticed.

Thank you to every City employee who helped make Gold Discovery Days a success. We appreciate all that you do for our community—not just during special events, but every single day.

Please join us in thanking the City of Custer and our outstanding city workers for everything they do! 👏💙

💛 THANK YOU, GOLD DISCOVERY DAYS VOLUNTEERS! 💛Gold Discovery Days wouldn't be possible without the incredible volunteers...
07/20/2026

💛 THANK YOU, GOLD DISCOVERY DAYS VOLUNTEERS! 💛

Gold Discovery Days wouldn't be possible without the incredible volunteers who give their time, energy, and smiles to make this weekend a success!

From the Car Show to the Arts & Crafts Fair, parade, Kids Zone, bounce houses, information booths, wristband sales, setup and tear down, parade, entertainment, contests, registration tables, and everything in between—thank you for showing up, pitching in, and helping create an unforgettable experience for our community and visitors.

Whether you volunteered for an hour, a day, or the entire weekend, your dedication made a difference. Every task—big or small—helped keep the event running smoothly and made Gold Discovery Days a success.

To every volunteer who gave their time, talents, and heart—thank you. Your commitment to our community is what makes Custer such a special place.

Please help us show our appreciation by giving all of our amazing volunteers a big 👏 in the comments!

💦🎯 Some people volunteer behind the scenes... and some volunteer to get SOAKED! 😂A HUGE thank you to Jared Slagle and Ma...
07/20/2026

💦🎯 Some people volunteer behind the scenes... and some volunteer to get SOAKED! 😂

A HUGE thank you to Jared Slagle and Mayor Bob Brown for being such great sports and taking a seat in the Gold Discovery Days Dunk Tank! Your willingness to get splashed (again and again!) brought plenty of laughs and helped make the event even more memorable for everyone who stopped by.

From the big smiles to the perfect throws, you both proved that community leaders aren't afraid to make a splash for a great cause! 🌊👏

Thank you for donating your time, your sense of humor, and maybe even your dry clothes! 😄

Help us give Jared and Mayor Bob a big round of applause in the comments! 👏💙

Also Custer VFD for filling the dunk tank for our fun!

The Bob Plaisted Memorial Car Show was a huge success. Best of Show Car (Stock) was awarded to Duane Schuh and his 1965...
07/19/2026

The Bob Plaisted Memorial Car Show was a huge success.

Best of Show Car (Stock) was awarded to Duane Schuh and his 1965 Chevy Impala SS

Best of Show Car (Modified) was awarded to Duane Wamsley with his 1927 FordT-Roadster

Best of Show Truck (Stock) was awarded to Terry and Jean Downing’s 1933 Dodge Model HC.

Best of Show Truck (Modified) was awarded to Mike Peacock from Pringle and his 1972 GMC.

Best of Show in Progress was awarded to Wayne Davis with his 1951 Ford F1 Panel Van.

Best of Show Convertible was awarded to Bobbi Scott Hindle and her 1969 Ford Mustang.

The Mayor’s Award went to Tom Hofer and his 1956 F100.

The Sheriff chose Kurt Sandine’s 1968 Chevy K10 to receive his award.

The Bill Naugle Award went to the 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle owned by Jim Ashmore.

The Alan Trask Award for the Best 80-90’s Vehicle was won by Paul and Jackie Heinert and their 1999 Pontiac Trans Am.

The Spectators' Choice award went to Haylee Vershure and her 1974 Chevy K5 Blazer.

Carol Plaisted chose Paul Cox and his 1956 Chevy as her award’s recipient.

🇺🇸 Thank You to Our 2026 Fifty Flags of America Sponsors! 🇺🇸One of the most moving moments of this year's Gold Discovery...
07/19/2026

🇺🇸 Thank You to Our 2026 Fifty Flags of America Sponsors! 🇺🇸

One of the most moving moments of this year's Gold Discovery Days Parade was the return of the Fifty Flags of America, proudly carried on horseback in honor of America's 250th Anniversary (Semiquincentennial).

Leading this patriotic display was the 250th Special Edition South Dakota State Flag, commemorating America's Semiquincentennial. This beautiful flag was proudly sponsored at auction by Kenneth Kuper VFW Post 3442 and the VFW Auxiliary. Thank you for your commitment to honoring our nation's past while inspiring future generations.

Following behind were the fifty state flags, made possible through the generosity of our incredible community sponsors:

⭐ Starr Insurance
⭐ NXTLAW
⭐ American Family – Ronni Calvirdi
⭐ Pizza Mill
⭐ Raphael Murillo
⭐ Tanya & Pete Shattuck
⭐ Jim & Pat Hattervig
⭐ Dale Christensen & Mary Burns
⭐ Skogen
⭐ Donna Talley, Vice Regent, Harney Peak Chapter, NSDAR
⭐ Andy & Leah Kainz Family
⭐ Weather Tite Exteriors
⭐ Juliann & Brian Gramkow
⭐ Claw, Antler & Hide
⭐ Mark & Lynn Cirbo
⭐ Nielsen Enterprises
⭐ Grizzly Gulch Adventure Golf
⭐ Wanda
⭐ Beecher Rock Storage
⭐ Cynthia Nelson, Regent, Harney Peak Chapter, NSDAR
⭐ The Black Hills Bakery
⭐ Tim & Kelly Kinnamon
⭐ Scuba, Cindy & Grant
⭐ Margie Kainz
⭐ Stars & Stripes by Steph
⭐ Custer Chronicle
⭐ Barb Miller
⭐ Black Hills Parks & Forests
⭐ Bob & Joan Olson
⭐ NavX Realty
⭐ Kingdom Scapes
⭐ T&M Ag Supply
⭐ Brandon & Jessica Elletson
⭐ Leslie Massa Sutherland
⭐ Rocket Motel
⭐ K2 Masonry & Concrete, Inc.
⭐ Custer Care & Rehab
⭐ Buglin' Bull Restaurant
⭐ The Juanice (Shearer) Paulsen Families & Lavon Shearer Families
⭐ Wayne & Lori Rheault
⭐ Mayer Plumbing
⭐ Carole Johnson Boos
⭐ Scot & Mary Hoscheid
⭐ Linda Zachow
⭐ Salt Creek Show Cattle

A very special thank you to Custer Ace Hardware for generously donating the flagpoles and to Custer's Last Chance Campground for allowing our riders to practice in their field before parade day.

To every sponsor, volunteer, rider, and supporter—thank you for helping create an unforgettable tribute to our nation. Because of your generosity, thousands of parade spectators were reminded that while we come from fifty different states, we stand together as One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All. 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙

Address

Custer, SD
57730

Telephone

+6056732244

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