Hold-out artists — From left, local watercolorist Jon Crane, ranch life and rodeo painter J.K. Dooley and bronze wildlife sculptor Peggy Detmers lasted out the snowy weather to finish out the Art Extravanganza on Saturday, May 9. All of these artists’ work is regularly displayed at the Jon Crane Gallery on Main St., Hill City. [PN Photo/KACIE SVOBODA]
By Kacie Svoboda
This weekend saw 2015’s total inches of precipitation nearly double with rain changing over to more than a foot of heavy snow on May 9 and 10.
The freezing rain and heavy snow took out power in Keystone for several hours on Sunday. In Hill City, the weather cut short the Black Hills Film Festival and drove off some of the artists who had planned to be involved in the Arts Extravaganza. Some artists did brave the weather, such as Jon Crane and the gallery’s other artists, painter J.K. Dooley and bronze sculptor Peggy Detmers.
However, according to Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce events coordinator Angela Raderschadt, many business owners were still pleased with the turnout — though they had extra flowers and treats to hand out to customers on Monday, May 11.
Several local Mother’s Day events were also cancelled due to the weather, such as the Mother’s Day Express at the 1880 Train and the Mother’s Day Brunch at Prairie Berry.