The Chinook Fish sculpture prior to the bonfire .
Two to three bands perform each year at Chinook Days .
And finally , for the grand finisher on Saturday , January 25 , is the ChinookFest , which is a $ 5 general admission . “ It is the capstone event ,” John said . “ It is essentially an outdoor music and beer festival …. We have musicians and bands that we bring in – Last year we had three from around the region .” And within the ChinookFest is the Beer- Fest . “ We had 15 different breweries that came and represented their beers ,” John said , “ and several home brewers that brewed up beer with Chinook hops in them . It has grown substantially . Last year , we had 2000 + people that came out .”
And for those a little timid of the cold , there ’ s something for you , too . “ We had one of our friends hand-craft a bunch of burn barrels ,” John described , “ and we get a ton of firewood and have probably 12-15 burn barrels going . We have a big beer tent , and the stage for the music , and burn barrels with fires going all day .” Food vendors and kids ’ activities make this truly an event for everyone . “ If we get snow , we plow a big snow pile , and kids come in their snowpants and play in the snow all day while their parents are around the fires and listening to music .”
“ Right around dusk , we have a commemorative fish – a 10-foot sculpture shaped like a fish built out of bicycle frames we typically wrap in coffee burlap bags - that we light on fire and have a community bonfire , and more music to go into the night . The last several years , we ’ ve had the BHSU drumline come up to kick off the bonfire . They wind their way through the beer tent and get everyone outside and line up in front of the bonfire . We have an honorary spear thrower each year who throws [ a flaming ] spear into the fish to start the bonfire , so that ’ s a pretty fun spectacle .” He added , “ And we ’ re adding fireworks as well , so that will be a big end to the bonfire , which will be fun .”
“ Most of the things are free or donation based , but the BeerFest is the one thing that we really charge for , that brings in funds to help to do the rest of everything else ,” John said . Tickets for the BeerFest can be purchased online ahead of time for $ 25 , or are $ 35 at the door . “ We work with other groups in town – Spread the Tunes is a local nonprofit that deals with bringing music to the community and giving back to other nonprofits through the music they bring in , so they ’ ve always helped with the music . We have the Nordic Ski Club that helps out , and the Grooming Alliance of Spearfish that grooms the fat bike trails , they help out as well . The Matthews Opera house has always been a pretty integral part , so we have a lot of hands on deck that come together to make it happen .”
“ It is primarily locals ,” John said of the folks who attend , “ but we have talked to people that have travelled in from Gilette , Casper , Sheridan , around the Black Hills . It is fun to hear that word is starting to get out about it , going into year six .”
For more information , for the event schedule , or to purchase tickets , visit www . chinookdays . com myblackshillscountry . com
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