Girls just wanted to have fun

The 11th annual Hill City Girlfriends’ Weekend showed that girls just wanna have fun. The ’80s- themed event featured the always popular Friday night fashion show, Saturday night karaoke and a sold out Sunday brunch bingo.

Event organizers changed some details this year to keep girlfriends intrigued. Gone were the many workshops and classes held at various places throughout town on Saturday and the inspirational speaker on Sunday morning. Instead girlfriends were treated to tons of merchant discounts and lots of free food and drinks up and down Main St. Although organizers try to tweak things to change up the feel each year, the staple of the weekend, the runway fashion show, was, as always, a runaway hit.

“We always come to the fashion show to see all the things we’re gonna buy tomorrow,” said Sherri Rystrom of Lead. Rystrom was in town with 16 friends who had rented a cabin for the weekend. “It’s so much fun. The comraderie and enthusiasm of the models is over the top.”

Merchants who participate in the fashion show know how important the event is to draw women into Hill City.

“It brings people in on Friday nights,” said Angie Ross, who owns Gypsy-Soul Boutique.“It gives them something to do.” 

Ross knows it’s unique to Girlfriends’ Weekend and to Hill City. As far as she knows a free fashion show isn’t ever offered anywhere else in the Black Hills.

Erin Burmeister, who owns Doc and Alice in Rapid City, agrees on the importance of the fashion show. While most women have an interest in fashion they don’t necessarily know how to put an outfit together to create a full look.

“It helps inspire you,” says Burmeister.

It also gets women to go to the store to buy the whole outfit. Women express themselves in what they wear and sometimes seeing someone else wearing a certain look or outfit can help take away the fear of how they might look.

“We need to take styles and make it work for us,” Burmeister said. “Life is short, so wear what you want.”

The Hill City Girlfriends’ Weekend models who help inspire the fashion show attendees are real people. Some are high school volleyball players. Some are family or friends. Some are store owners or employees.

“We’re not trying to have tall humans or skinny hangers. We’re showing real people,” Burmeister said.

Mark Rafftery is one such real person. This is his sixth year modeling for Granite Sports. He used to dance in high school and now uses his hip hop background to showcase how outdoor clothing can be fashionable.

His girlfriend Peyton Hinn, a sales associate at Granite who also models in the show, loves that there are a “plethora of outfits” that can be seen all in one night. This year the fashion show made its way back to Sick n Twisted Brewery giving it a more casual and intimate setting from years past. As always, attendees are given fake money to hand to models. When the fake money is gone they are encouraged to hand over real money. This year’s fashion show charity, Hill City Youth Athletics, will receive $700.

The Sunday Bingo Brunch also raised money for what was dubbed feeding Hill City. The $500 raised via the sale of bingo cards will be split three ways benefitting the Hill City food pantry, the Hill City Boys and Girls Club and Meals on Wheels.