Dry weather douses beetle

By Esther Noe

It was the call no one wanted to make, but ultimately, it was made with the safety of the community in mind. After a winter with little snow, warm temperatures, dry conditions and record-breaking wind, the Burning Beetle Committee decided to cancel the torch march, burning of the beetle and fireworks for 2026. 
“As crazy as the weather has been this year, I just didn’t feel confident that we could really ensure the safety of the community by burning this thing,” said committee member Hank Fridell.
Fridell added that the Custer Volunteer Fire Department does a great job and was fired up to do it, but it did not seem worth the risk. 
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and when you’re faced with a tough decision, what I always do is I look at our mission statement. With the Burning Beetle, we have two things that we do. One is that we foster an appreciation for the forest, and the other mission is that any money that we raise goes to support the arts in Custer,” said Fridell. 
Even without the burn, Fridell felt the mission had been accomplished through the many successful Burning Beetle events that did occur. 
There was an educational forum at the library Jan. 15 titled Living in Community in Our Natural Environment where attendees learned about being fire-wise, weather, animals and insects in the Black Hills, including the Ips beetle which Fridell said might make a comeback this year due to the downed trees.
Then, Fridell said the variety show went really well, was well received and had a good turnout Jan. 17. 
“The variety show doesn’t draw many people from outside of Custer. It’s a local event, and it’s local people who perform, which makes it really fun,” said Fridell. 
Afterward, the streets of Custer were crowded for the bug crawl, and several participating locations were packed. 
“I thought it was a successful event, and we all had fun,” said Fridell. “And the beetle beer was great.” 
It was specially brewed by Lost Cabin Beer Co. for the event with s’mores ingredients. 
Nevertheless, the decision to cancel did come with a few things to juggle, including what to do with the beetle crafted for the event. The committee is working on arranging a storage location for the beetle, which is broken down into three eight-foot sections. It will be used next year, as will the fireworks that were purchased. 
Meanwhile, the city is going to take care of the trees left at Pageant Hill. 
There is also merchandise leftover that normally would have sold during the torch march. Anyone interested in purchasing something can stop by the Custer Chamber of Commerce or The Custer Wolf.
As for the torch tickets that were purchased in advance, the committee cannot logistically transfer them to next year. Thus, if anyone would like a refund, they can email custerburningbeetle@gmail.com. Otherwise, the funds will stay with the Custer Area Arts Council to further its mission of promoting and celebrating arts in the Custer community. 
This includes things like the Theatre 605 Tours production at Custer Elementary School Feb. 21, Kids Rock, programs at the library and more. 
“We would really appreciate that. Every little bit of that Burning Beetle money comes in handy,” said Fridell. 
First organized in 2012 by Fridell, Linde Manlove and myriad other community members, Burning Beetle was originally inspired by an art exhibit depicting the damage caused by the mountain pine beetles. Manlove thought it was a great way to help the community understand what had happened during the infestation through the arts.
Fridell has been leading Burning Beetle meetings ever since. However, this was Fridell’s last year doing so, although he still plans to volunteer his time and talents here and there. To commemorate his contribution, Mayor Bob Brown read a proclamation at the variety show declaring Jan. 17 Hank Fridell Day. 
“This is a great project for the community,” said Fridell. “In the last couple of years, we’ve had an influx of young people—people in their 20s, 30s and 40s—who’ve joined our leadership group. They’re taking an active role in it, and I thought we kind of need to turn this over. If we’re going to be sustainable, we’ve got to figure out how to do that.” 
Burning Beetle will return in January 2027.