RAPID CITY, SD — “I think a lot of us have such great memories of being a part of the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo over the years. Even me growing up and bringing my kids here, and now you see other generations as well, and so that’s what I always think of it’s very nostalgic. There’s something nostalgic about this, and it’s really, really, really special,” said Mayor Jason Salamun in a ceremony this afternoon commemorating the official start of the 100th annual Black Hills Stock Show.
The event, by far the largest gathering of the year centered in Rapid City and South Dakota’s second largest event (beaten only by the Sturgis Motorcycle Festival brings over 330,000 ranchers from around the nation and beyond to our city, featuring over 1200 events, including various indoor rodeo offerings, making the event the largest indoor rodeo in North America.
However this year the stock show is even more special than usual, as this year marks the intersection of three significant anniversaries – In addition to the Stock Show’s 100th Year, the ceremony acknowledged the 150th anniversary of Rapid City (occurring on the fifth of February) and the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. “Rapid City is a premier destination to celebrate the best of America in 2026 and this event is our kickoff” said Mayor Salamun
The Mayor was not alone in celebrating the festivities on this momentous occasion however, as he was joined by both Deb Hadcock of the Pennington County Board of Commissioners, who made an additional proclamation dedicating the days of the Stock Show as well as Governor Larry Rhoden who spoke on his past with the event, recounting a year where he, along with former Governor Kristi Noem rode into the event on a stagecoach. “I was sitting there and they had the driver had Kristi sit next to him, and she was asking him questions,” said Rhoden, “And sure enough, she kept asking questions, and he said, ‘would you like to drive Ma’am?’ I knew what the answer’d be, because I know Kristi, she’s real sure. We all about lost our lives at the end of the night until she relinquished, the reins to somebody that was more experienced”.
Celebrations of America’s 250th in Rapid City are set to take place all year, with particular focus on programming during the 1-4th of July, featuring concerts, a festival at Memorial Park, and fireworks shows occurring throughout those days. The Stock Show is set to be open to the public from January 30th to February 7th.
