Town planning for Trump fireworks

A Keystone 250th planning meeting took place Oct. 14 and was led by Laura Schluckebier, director of tourism for the town. The meeting included town officials, business owners, Keystone Chamber of Commerce board members and Brad “Murdoc” Jurgenson from HomeSlice media, the town’s marketing company.

Schluckebier outlined the meeting as a way to learn what went really well in 2020, the last time Mount Rushmore National Memorial had fireworks and when President Donald Trump came to town. The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss marketing ideas and strategies for the 250th celebration that the fireworks are signifying. 

It was confirmed in the meeting that Trump will be present at the July 3, 2026 fireworks and that a lottery ticketing system, similar to that in 2020, will be held on recreation.gov sometime in the spring.

Schluckebier reminded meeting attendees that in 2020 the memorial was closed to the public all day with only ticketed individuals being allowed to enter. Over 25,000 people applied for the 7,500 tickets awarded. Schluckebier said most applications came from Minnesota, Colorado and California.

Keystone Town Board president Casey McNulty as well as Schluckebier are  part of a task force working with Wanda Goodman, deputy secretary for the South Dakota Department of Tourism, and expect to  know more about logistics including additional traffic lights in January. Schluckebier said the state is asking that any tourism initiatives get tied to the 250 celebration, joking that in 2026 a monster truck rally would be referred to as a “250th monster truck rally.”

Schluckebier referred to data from the South Dakota Department of Tourism that said the 2020 fireworks and president visit yielded $2 million in direct visitor  spending for the state.

Business owners at the meeting, however, did not seem to think the town’s bottom line was positively impacted by the event. Sandi McLain noted the police were in the state parking lot on Hwy. 16A as people entered town, giving a “poor rendition of when they enter town,” McLain said. 

Clay King said the town experienced “gridlock,” where no one else could come in. Karen Boland asked how many rooms were used for security last time, saying she remembers they took over entire floors in hotels last time. 

“Honestly, he doesn’t need to come,” said one business owner about Trump, with others noting it is a huge security issue. 

Parking and seating problems were noted as well. It was also suggested that food trucks might need to be brought in to accommodate the extra people in town.

The town has already budgeted for extra porta potties for the July 3 fireworks event. It is unclear what additional security and assistance the state might be paying for or providing.

Those present said a lot of the larger hotels are already booked for the event, while some vacation rentals have not yet set pricing or unlocked rooms for fear of accepting bookings with last-minute cancellations. 

Jurgenson suggested that if the town is planning on a concert for the July 4 time frame it needs to do so now. He said the town should be “cognizant of what events are gonna cost next year.” 

“You can easily lose your money on these deals,” he said, while reiterating the “250” theme for all the events Keystone already has and capitalizing on events it holds in the shoulder season like the Haunting of Keystone.

Jurgenson said the event   could have a “national footprint” and create a “huge shift” for the town’s tourism during shoulder season. There is already an americ

as250th.sd.gov website.

King said the town should strive to capitalize  on the fact that Keystone is the “most iconic” place to spend the 250th.

He suggested a 250th modification in the Keystone website to call it  “America’s hometown.”

“That way it’s kind of like making it, ‘Oh, if I’m going to the Black Hills, this is the one that owns patriotism in the Hills,’” King said, suggesting tourists staying even one more night at a hotel in town “would make all the difference in the world.”

Business owners also discussed ways in which to bring tourists to town post -Sturgis rally, with McNulty saying his properties have “staff galore” but fewer customers and Melody Heinis saying the last two weeks in August are “absolutely terrible.”

McLain suggested a new event, Rushmore Heritage Days, which she described based on ideas from business owner Tracy Harrison,  who was not present at the meeting.

Lisa Schaeffer stressed the need to make the town look nice next season. 

“Everyone else has beautiful flowers,” she said.

Heinis agreed that “beautification is a big thing.” 

Owners said they read reviews negatively commenting on the “filth” in the town. Schluckebier said she is ordering hanging flower baskets as well as flags for light poles for next season.