By all accounts, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally provided a welcome infusion of cash into our local economy, and while Rally revenue has tailed off considerably across the Black Hills in the past couple of years, local businesses will certainly take any boost they can get right now. If we’re truly honest with ourselves, however, we have to look no further than Custer to admit those who clamor “this community doesn’t do enough to attract Rally business” are justified in making the claim.
There are no bad guys here. Efforts have certainly been made, and plenty of local businesses have bent over backwards over the years to make sure Rally-goers know they are eagerly welcomed in their establishments. Despite those efforts, our downtown looks woefully vacant when compared to Custer, and that comparison tends to be unfavorable for our community throughout the summer tourist season.
It was hard to watch Newcastle Hardware close last month, and it is admittedly a bit cruel for us to compare Main Street in its current state to Custer’s at the height of the Rally.
But it’s not as cruel as the loss of the Old Mill Inn a few years ago because we, as a community, didn’t recognize the warning signs until it was too late, and we urge our readers to call upon the unpleasant memory of that historic building’s demise to embrace our admittedly struggling downtown and join a growing number of citizens who are committed to revitalizing this part of our community.
To begin, we ask you to develop a true appreciation for what our downtown still has to offer— it really is an attractive area that is rich in history— and realize that the best thing you can give it right now is you. We hope the eclipse event we are hosting on Main Street next Monday will encourage you to enjoy downtown Newcastle for a couple of hours and reconnect with that part of the community. We are inviting folks from neighboring communities to join us that day as well, and while we can’t offer the number of shops and businesses that other towns can at present, we can offer a pretty good day with some pretty good people in a pretty attractive place— and that’s often all visitors to this part of the country are looking for.
We thank the sponsors of the eclipse event— First State Bank, Black Hills Dental, Black Hills Energy, Dixon Brothers and Pinnacle Bank— for their investment in this effort to create a little spark on Main Street, and hope you’ll invest in it as well by simply making your way downtown to join the fun.
There’s no reason we shouldn’t bustle a bit more than our neighboring communities for a few hours on Monday, and maybe we can use it to get a little momentum going well in advance of next tourist season. They say, ‘you have to start somewhere,’ and a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse seems like as good a place to start as any. We’re excited to see you there.