Get ready for a Hallmark Christmas in Hill City

“Everything about Christmas in Hill City just feels kind of magical,” said Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Erin Loder. “I feel like we have our own little, unique Hallmark town.” 

With Thanksgiving just a week away, Hill City is quickly transforming into a winter wonderland minus the snow with Christmas wreaths, lights and boughs around every corner. 

This year, along with Hill City’s signature holiday proceedings, the chamber is introducing some new and old Christmas shopping events. 

“The purpose of that is hoping to drive people up here for early Christmas shopping,” said Loder. “It seems like all the stores on Main Street are participating at this point.”

Things kick off Nov. 22 with Pink Friday. This is a new nationwide celebration introduced to Loder by Kendra Heeb, owner of The Handbag Store. Basically, the event is designed to celebrate and support small businesses and boutiques before the Christmas shopping rush of Black Friday. 

“I think it’s a really unique idea. It’s just an event dedicated to celebrating and supporting small and local businesses of all kinds,” said Loder. “A lot of our shops and stuff plan to have sales.”

Wednesday, Nov. 27 is the first ever Holiday Town Night. Participating merchants will be staying open from 4-7 p.m. to allow for evening shopping sprees and will have event signs in their windows. With every $10 purchase, shoppers will be given raffle tickets. Then at 7:15 p.m., there will be a drawing at Turtle Town. Winners must be present to collect their prizes. 

“It’s a really good night. Most parents are dropping kids off for youth groups or sports and stuff. So we’re hopeful that we can have a purpose for them to hang out until their kids are done with their activities,” said Loder. 

Three more Holiday Town Nights will follow Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Each night, the drawing will take place at a new location like Mangiamo, ArtForms Gallery and The Pack Mule to drive traffic to different parts of Main Street. On the final night there will be an additional grand prize drawing. 

Some of the prizes include gift cards from participating businesses, a lodging and dinner package from The Alpine Inn, dinner for two from Mangiamo and a large meat bundle from Krull’s Market.

“We’re going to hopefully be able to build on it in the future and make it a bigger celebration. But we definitely want to go back to that old-time holiday town night feel. Eventually, the goal is to have music and stuff downtown and just bring everybody in and support local,” said Loder. 

Starting Friday, Nov. 29, Hill City’s Olde Tyme Christmas Celebration will begin with the Kris Kringle Craft and Vendor Fair. The event will take place at the Hill City Middle School Burden Gym and small gym from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 29 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 30. 

“We’re really excited to see all the creative vendors and all the other really fun things that people can start crossing their Christmas shopping list off with,” said Loder. 

A total of 42 crafters and vendors will be attending along with Wings and Thangs which will be serving a breakfast and lunch to guests. 

Organizer Stefanie Doaty said, “We will also have ‘Find the Elf.’ It’s a fun, interactive game we did last year that gets our guests going to different booths to find the elf. We have six elves we hide in the vendor booths, and guests have to find it and turn it in for a prize.” 

Before guests leave they can stop by the wrapping station to get their gifts ready to go under the Christmas tree. This is based on free-will donations and the proceeds will go to the Hill City Community Foundation.

“We’re just looking forward to supporting small businesses and small vendors and encourage people to just come shop, especially on that Friday. Shop and await all the excitement that’s going to be happening,” said Loder. 

From 2-4 p.m. Nov. 29 families are invited to head to the Hill City Center to have cookies and sweet treats with Santa and Mrs. Claus. 

“We will have some craft tables for the kids while they wait to take photos with Santa and a little mailbox for them to mail their wish list to Santa as well,” said Loder. 

And of course, children can climb on Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. 

The climax of the day is always the annual Olde Tyme Christmas Parade. Before the parade visitors can stop by the Alpine Inn for roasted chestnuts, cookies and hot apple cider served by Xi Alpha Chi Sorority members. 

Then, promptly at 6 p.m., the parade will begin with an anticipated attendance of around 1,500 to 2,000 people. The parade route starts on Museum Drive by Gypsy Rose Studio and Mangiamo. It will then head south down Main Street through the light at the intersection junction of Hwy. 16/385. 

“Vic (Alexander) will lead the parade as tradition has stood, and then our grand marshal this year for the parade is Miss South Dakota. So Joelle Simpson will be here for the parade as well,” said Loder. 

Loder connected with Simpson at the South Dakota State Railroad Museum’s (SDSRM) Octoberfeast. Since then, Loder said, “We’ve been trying to figure out all the ways that we can get her involved in any event in Hill City to promote Hill City.”

Since Hill City’s parade is early in the season, Simpson agreed to attend before going on to compete for Miss America. 

Loder said the parade would bring “just a whole lot of lights and fun. It’s a Hill City tradition, so we’re excited to welcome everybody and kick off the holiday season the right way with lots of smiles and excitement.” 

The parade is what Loder is most looking forward to as “it brings such a comforting sense of togetherness and just belonging with friends, family and our community.”

Finally, the evening will end at the SDSRM for the Trees and Trains Grand Illumination. 

“We’re encouraging people to go over immediately after the parade,” said Loder. 

Once as many attendees as possible are gathered outside the SDSRM, there will be a countdown leading up to the illumination of the Trees and Trains exhibit. This year there are 23 different exhibitors which is up from last year.

“We’re going to turn all the lights on and actually let people go through the museum and see all the trees and all the other decorations and the model trains and everything else. It’ll be fun. The chamber’s going to be over here and going to be giving away some things as people come through the door,” said SDSRM director and curator Rick Mills. 

All adults will get half-price admission that night and children under 10 are free. Children need to be accompanied by an adult. 

“Hill City has just so much to offer, and we’re really trying to keep the essence of old-time Christmas, the idea of togetherness and celebrating holiday traditions with loved ones,” said Loder. 

Finally, the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce is once again joining the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce for the annual Community Christmas Cash event. Chamber members will have a bag inside their shop to collect entries, and no purchases are required. 

On Dec. 6 and 13 there will be a drawing for six $50 winners, and Dec. 20 there will be a drawing for four $100 winners all awarded in chamber bucks from Hill City and Custer.

“Chamber bucks are basically a gift certificate for any participating businesses that accepts chamber bucks,” said Loder. “Once somebody turns that in, they send that receipt to us and we reimburse them.”

Drawings will be held on Facebook Live and winners will be contacted to receive their prize. 

Between the signature activities and the variety of shopping opportunities in Hill City, Loder said, “There’s just so much to offer, and I think that’s really what makes this unique.

“It really, truly is the ideal Hallmark town vibe for Christmas, and I love that so much. So I would love everybody to come and just enjoy that with us.”