Girlfriends flock for weekend fun in Hill City

]Girlfriends from close and far descended into Hill City this weekend to experience the 12th annual Girlfriends Weekend. 

Lynn Schlesser came all the way from Morris, Iowa, north of Le Mars, Iowa which Schlesser says proudly is the ice cream capital of the world.

Schlesser says she has wanted to come out to Girlfriends Weekend for a long time and brought her daughter in law and a friend with her. 

“I love to shop at Jewel of the West, either online or in person,” Schlesser said, and decided this time to coincide a shopping trip with the weekend event. Schlesser could be seen in the front row at the Friday evening fashion show. 

“We hope to make it an annual event but this is our first time trying it out,” Schlesser said. Schlesser came to the Diamond Spur Events Center Sip N See prior to the show,  giving women an opportunity for an exclusive venue preview. 

“It’s a beautiful venue,” Schlesser said. The trio of women were staying at a local AirBNB on Deerfield Road. “We love it. Four bedrooms, each with a queen bed. It’s a great place.”

Schlesser’s plans were to spend all day Saturday shopping and doing the Girlfriends Weekend scavenger hunt and to Prairie Berry Winery.  The women were driving back on Sunday. 

“Next year we may have to rework that,” she said. Schlesser enjoyed the Sip N See and called the fashion show “one of the best events she has ever attended.”

The fashion show was a packed house and featured not only fashion but a variety of door prizes. Co-emcee Angie Ross encouraged winners to put on their best “Price is Right” excitement as they picked up prizes ranging from gift certificates to gift baskets. 

“When you get your name called I want you to stand up. I want you to scream,” Ross said, adding, “I want you to be excited.”

Ross also announced  the evening’s special visitor, Joelle Simpson, Miss South Dakota.

Simpson wore her crown and sash as she modeled designer Olivia Moe’s fashions carried by Homestead Studio on Main Street.

MacKenzie Swanson, Homestead Studio owner, was a first-time participant in the fashion show.

“I loved being part of the fashion show. It was great fun and truly showcased not only what our merchants carry in their unique shops, but also their love of our community. The show is a huge undertaking that took a ton of work and resources. It is clearly a labor of love on behalf of our town.”  

Swanson saw the fruits of her labor the day after.

“It was a delight to visit with the women who saw one of my pieces in the show and came to my store. I had several good laughs with girlfriends over the weekend and it was a wonderful boost in the off season for my business,” Swanson said.

Besides showing women all the cool trends, clothes and quilts to be found on Main Street in Hill City, the Girlfriends Weekend fashion show raised close to $1,000 for the FoY Foundation.  FoY stands for Focus on You and was founded by a woman out of Rapid City who faced financial hardship as she battled breast cancer. FoY assists people in the Black Hills area and helps all cancer patients, primarily through housing assistance. According to Hill City’s Jessica Jacobs FoY is currently assisting seven individuals with hopes of raising between $7,000 and $31,000 in the next few months. 

“They have a list of people waiting for help,” Jacobs told attendees who encouraged people to contribute and help locally.

Businesses around Hill City reported increased foot traffic for the weekend event.