Black Hills Stock Show on the books after first year at The Summit Arena

RAPID CITY, SD — The Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo is now in the rearview mirror.

Official figures are still weeks away from being calculated, but officials at The Monument say they are already seeing positive results.

As cleaning crews work in and around the facility 24/7 to remove all dirt and debris, The Monument’s executive director Craig Baltzer says he’s noticing patterns at up in several categories.

“Everyone was working really, really well to make this the biggest and best year ever,” Baltzer said. “Everything from marketing to weather has been very helpful this year. Some excitement around the new arena helped create some of that excitement. So, yes, I think we had one of the best historic years ever in the building. I’m pretty sure he broke all the records.

Planning for next year’s event is already underway. Stock Show general manager Ron Jeffries plans to meet with Monument staff to find out how the event went this year.

“Planning happens the whole time we’re doing the show,” Jeffries said. “Now my staff will take a few days to catch their breath. We have events starting here this weekend. The Monument is also hosting events this weekend, so everyone is going to be busy. But we’ll all do a wrap-up meeting where we can go over everything we’ve seen and how we can make improvements for next year.

Events at the Monument are set to resume this week with the return of the Rapid City Rush after a long road trip.