Dennis, Kelley, Kothe are parade marshals

Three longtime Custer residents are being honored with the role of parade marshal in the 102nd Gold Discovery Days celebration, including Diane Dennis, Jim Kelley and Donna Kothe. Each marshal has made a golden mark in the community and has special memories of helping with Gold Discovery Days in the past. 
Diane Dennis said she was very surprised to hear she had been named a parade marshal. 
“I wanted to be one, but I didn’t expect to be,” said Dennis. “It’s quite an honor.”
In past years, Dennis was on the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce board and served as a representative to the Gold Discovery Days Committee. Through this role, Dennis answered questions and served as an intermediary between the chamber and the committee. 
“I just liked being on the committee,” said Dennis. She served in this capacity for over 15 years. 
For a time, her children were in the Pageant of the Paha Sapa as well. 
Dennis moved to Custer in 1972. Besides being on the chamber board and the Gold Discovery Days Committee, Dennis also volunteered at Monument Health Custer Hospital as well as the Custer County 1881 Courthouse Museum. In 2024, she was selected to be honored by the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program.
When asked what Gold Discovery Days means to her, Dennis said, “It’s a time for everyone to come back, and you get to see people you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s just fun.”
Her favorite part is the Gold Discovery Days Parade and the carnival. She is looking forward to “being in the parade and seeing all of the people.” 
For years, Jim Kelley said he has been expecting to be named a Gold Discovery Days parade marshal. So when his children invited him to come to the Spring Fling, “I thought, ‘Oh, heck, something’s going on.’ That’s when I first knew about it, but I kind of expected it before then, because my time was coming up.” 
Aside from his time in college, Kelley has lived in Custer for all 89 years of his life. From his earliest memory, Kelley said he has seen the Gold Discovery Days Parade every year. Even in college, he always came home for the summer and enjoyed the parade and carnival. 
“Early in my days, I participated in the pageant and in the parade, rode horses. I’m just kind of an icon in Custer. I’ve been here all my life and had a drugstore here. It was called Kelley Drug,” said Kelley. 
Kelley was born at the Heidepriem Building, graduated from Custer High School, played on the state basketball team in 1954 and ran his drugstore for 33 years. 
Among his accomplishments in the community, Kelley was a founding member and president of the Custer JACEEs and was charter president of the Southern Hills chapter of the South Dakota Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Ducks Unlimited of the Southern Hills. Kelley was also a shriner for a time and became the Past Potentate in 1984. In 2024, he was selected to be honored by the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program.
Way back when, Kelley said his very favorite part of Gold Discovery Days was the Pageant of Paha Sapa. As a child, Kelley was a skunk in the pageant. Then, in later years, Kelley rode a horse as part of the cavalry that chased the Indians. 
“That was my highlight,” said Kelley.
When asked what Gold Discovery Days means to him, Kelley said, “It’s very important to me. It’s not as colorful as it was back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and of course, we don’t have a pageant. But there have been other little functions every year that I attended. I was very active in attending after I got old enough where I couldn’t ride a horse.” 
Kelley said being named a parade marshal means people have recognized his involvement in the community. 
Although he admitted, “It would have been more important to be that marshal if it had happened when my wife, Patty, was there, because she was quite active, too.” 
Donna Kothe was in the hospital after having surgery when she was named a Gold Discovery Days parade marshal. 
“I was a little surprised, and pleased and honored, of course,” said Kothe. 
Kothe moved to Custer at the end of 1962 and participated in the Pageant of  Paha Sapa in the sunflower. After having her second child, she did not participate for a while. When she returned, Kothe was in charge of the rainbow for eight or nine years. 
Her favorite part was the first episode of the pageant featuring the creation of the Black Hills. At one point, her daughter was a sunbeam and a dawn maiden, and her son was a skunk. 
Later, she was also in the flag with the rest of the ladies in town. 
As for her involvement in the community, Kothe has led Bible school and Sunday school at Custer Community Church, did Brownies while her daughter was little, was a guardian of Job’s Daughters, gave twirling lessons and marched in the Gold Discovery Days parades among many other things. She has also been substitute teaching for 20 years, primarily at Custer Elementary School. In 2023, she was selected to be honored by the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program.
When asked what Gold Discovery Days means to her, Kothe said, “It’s a beautiful tradition. When I moved here, I had not experienced anything like that,” said Kothe. “It was really special, and you just wanted to be a part of it if you could.” 
Kothe said she was glad that new and younger people have taken over the Gold Discovery Days celebration. 
“That’s good for the community, because you need to keep things going. Older people aren’t going to live forever. You keep needing younger people to participate,” said Kothe.
Kothe said that she was honored to be a Gold Discovery Days parade marshal. 
The 2025 Gold Discovery Days parade marshals were named at the Custer Area Chamber of Commerce Spring Fling April 10. They will be individually honored in the Gold Discovery Days Parade July 19 at 10 a.m. down Mt. Rushmore Road.