Keystone Christmas
Dec 1, 2020
Keystone has a very different feel when the throngs of summer visitors to Mount Rushmore fade away. We recently paid a visit to the Pennington County town to enjoy the wintry mountain peace and community spirit. Photos by Bernie Hunhoff.
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When the roads to Keystone and Mount Rushmore empty of traffic, a lot of small businesses close and local people are without their regular income. -
That’s when the holiday spirit envelops the town. This year, the fun began with a Victorian Christmas event in the Keystone Community Center. Kelli Luxem was perfectly dressed for the occasion. The event, hosted by the Holy Terror Days Association and the Keystone Chamber, includes a craft fair, silent auction, festival of trees and turkey bingo games. Proceeds help families who might be without regular work in the off-season. -
Mike Trike erected a model train around the Christmas tree displays. Trike, who delivers the holiday baskets and gifts, keeps his Keystone Trading Post open all winter. “What the heck, I’m there anyway,” he says. A toy train track circles the store’s perimeter. BaRLees, a nearby restaurant, also remains open in winter along with the famous Rushmore Taffy Shop (open every day but Christmas), a rock shop and a handful of other establishments. -
Jennifer Greene demonstrated aromatherapy at the Victorian Christmas. She worked as a designer in China and became involved in helping exploited women while overseas. She met her husband Rick and they moved to the Black Hills, where he operates the Rushmore Express Inn. They also helped to start the Keystone Project, a nonprofit that helps fight poverty through leadership development. -
Keystone has less than 400 full-time residents — an amazingly small number considering that they play host to 2 million visitors to Mount Rushmore every year. Among the newest are Rick and Sherry Smith, southerners who also sampled life in California before falling in love with Keystone. They took time away from restoring an old house to play Mr. and Mrs. Santa at the Victorian Christmas. -
Cameron Conway, 12, helped Mike Trike run the train at the holiday party. His engineer’s hat is the real deal. “My sister had a boyfriend who worked at the 1880 Train,” he says. “When he went to the Army he gave me all his train stuff.” -
Sandi McLain of the legendary Big Thunder Gold Mine displayed an unusual mirror at the Christmas party. Created by Rapid City artist Julie Wishmeyer, the collage incorporates historic photographs of Keystone's rollicking past. McLain, one of the originators of the Victorian Christmas says the income also supports the town’s library, -
South Dakota Magazine also visited Keystone for our Nov/Dec 2015 issue. Revisit that story here.
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