Department of Tourism
For Immediate Release:  November 22, 2002
Contact:  Lee Harstad, lee.harstad@state.sd.us
              Maureen Droz, maureen.droz@state.sd.us
              (605) 773-3301

SOUTH DAKOTA EVENTS RECOGNIZED

Two South Dakota events are featured in the American Bus Association's (ABA) 2003 Top 100 events in North America.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in De Smet in July and the Black Hills Pow Wow in Rapid City in October are included on the list.  The events were selected by the ABA's Top 100 Events Committee, which is comprised of motorcoach and tour operators.  The list, chosen from more than 500 diverse event submissions each year, includes festivals, exhibitions, fairs, sporting events and more. 

“Having events in South Dakota recognized by the American Bus Association is a great honor.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant and the Black Hills Pow Wow are top-notch events and are well-deserving of this award,” said Patricia Van Gerpen, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. 

Each summer, during the Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant, actors re-create scenes from the pioneering days of De Smet where Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up.  The pageant is historically based on Laura's life and is presented on an outdoor stage.  The pageants will be held July 11-13, July 18-20 and July 25-27. 

Held in the sacred Black Hills of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota nations, the Black Hills Pow Wow provides an opportunity to share in the history, culture and traditions of the Americas’ first inhabitants through dancing and singing.  More than 400 Native American tribes, each with its own language, customs, and spiritual beliefs, participate in the pow wow.  The Pow Wow will be held Oct. 10-12.

The ABA facilitates relationships between North American motorcoach and tour companies and all related segments of the travel and supplier industries and promotes travel by motorcoach to consumers. 

ABA represents approximately 950 motorcoach and tour companies in the United States and Canada.  Another 2,300 member organizations represent the travel and tourism industry and suppliers of bus products and services who work in partnership with the North American motorcoach industry.  Studies have shown that one overnight visit by a motorcoach group spends around $7,000 in a community.  Most motorcoach tours spend an average of six nights per trip. 

More information about the American Bus Association can be found at www.buses.org.  More information about the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant, Black Hills Pow Wow and general travel in South Dakota can be found at www.travelsd.com. 

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