at 2:30pm, on Saturday, July 31, at Crazy Horse Monument
RAPID CITY, SD (July 30, 2010) – As part of the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary, Black Hills area Scouts are inviting local residents to join in an all-day celebration at Crazy Horse Monument to participate in a historic broadcast of the Centennial Celebration Show from the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, an event at Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia, that attracts more than 40,000 Scouts and Scouting volunteers from across the country.
The event marks the first time in BSA history that the entire Scouting community—past, present, and future—will have the opportunity to join together to experience an inspirational and interactive jamboree arena show, which will be broadcast via satellite to select locations nationwide and Webcast worldwide via www.ustream.tv/shininglight.
The South Dakota “Shining Light” event will take place on Saturday, July 31, 2010, at Crazy Horse Monument, from 2:30 to 10 p.m., and will conclude with the inspirational “Shining Light” nationwide broadcast at 8 p.m. EST. The event will shine a light on Scouting with the help of several exciting activities for the entire community to enjoy, including:
A stage show featuring music, demonstrations, contests, and trivia
Activities including archery and Native American arts and crafts
A traditional Native American dinner
An overview about what it takes to become an Eagle Scout, the highest level of Scouting
A chance to speak with members of local councils to learn more about Scouting
A Shining Light Across America is truly a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Scouting friends and family, and the entire Black Hills Area community, to come together in celebration of Scouting, its rich heritage, exciting present, and bright future, said Liz Smith, Marketing & Events Administrator for the Boy Scouts. “We’re thrilled to bring this incredible experience to the Black Hills of South Dakota that promises not only to build pride in our current membership, but also to spark fond memories in former Scouts and alumni, and intrigue those who may be interested in learning more about our organization.”
Hundreds of “Shining Light” events will take place across the country in venues large and small on July 31 as part of the organization’s historic nationwide broadcast of the Centennial Celebration Show, which will be performed live in front of an estimated 60,000 Scouts, Scouters, and visitors at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia.
“A Shining Light Across America” is one of eight major engagement programs the Boy Scouts of America is undertaking as part of its 100th Anniversary Celebration. For a century, the organization has brought families and communities together to prepare America”s youth to live, work, and play with character and integrity. The unique 100-year activities, activated at the local level, aim to drive engagement, recruit new members and volunteers, and enhance the awareness of the value of Scouting in an inspiring, purpose-driven celebration.
About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 20, 1.1 million volunteers, and nearly 300 local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.
Native American and cowboy cultures shared the spotlight at Crazy Horse Memorial.
The memorial celebrated the 20th anniversary of its popular package deal: The Crazy Horse Stampede Rodeo and Gift from Mother Earth.
Anne Ziolkowski, director of the memorial’s museum and rodeo, created the art show to complement the rodeo. Dozens of artists and artisans annually fill the memorial’s visitor center with their unique and striking wares.
“I think it’s done well for people, the spectators and the cowboys and the artists,” Ziolkowski said in a release. “The American Indian and Western art blends well together. Some of the people have been coming here for all 20 years.”
Lulu Red Cloud of Pine Ridge has showcased her handcrafted jewelry at the show for 15 years.
She said she’s always impressed by the quality of vendors’ work.
“I’ve seen a lot of talent here,” she said.
The rodeo and art show and sale debuted in 1991. The idea came at the request of a group of Native Americans who proposed Memorial officials host a rodeo in the spirit of reconciliation. They thought it fitting that such an event should unfold in the shadow of a memorial that honors all Native Americans in North America.
The art show recognized outstanding artists by awarding first, second and third place ribbons to various categories of arts and crafts.
Liz Anderson took home a third place ribbon for her beadwork. The honor came as a surprise because the Sisseton woman was without her intended submission.
“I forgot the bag at home,” she said.
So she improvised. She pulled out her wallet and gave it to the judges. The intricate beadwork features a buffalo against a rainbow on one side and paw prints and her initials and on the other.
Anderson said she only does such intricate projects upon request because they take so much time and effort to complete.
This weekend’s art show proved a family affair. Anderson’s son, Walter Chanku, sold his jewelry from a booth adjacent his mother.
Judy Busack was beaming after hearing her daughter took home first place in crafts for her pottery. The Chamberlain woman makes and sells handmade jewelry. Her daughter, Deb Burckhard, crafts horsehair pottery out of her Rapid City studio and displayed her creations at the show.
“I’m always trying to do something different,” she said.
The final day of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association competition begins at 2 p.m. today. Tickets can be purchased at the memorial’s entrance or at the rodeo grounds. Rodeo tickets cost $10 for adults and $4 for children ages 6 to 13. Children under 6 get in free. Admission to Crazy Horse Memorial is free with the purchase of a rodeo ticket.
The Gift from Mother Earth Celebration art show and sale runs through 5 p.m. today. Weekend admission for the show is three cans of food per person for the KOTA Care and Share Food Drive.
Jomay Steen, Journal staff | Posted: Sunday, May 30, 2010 10:00 am
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL – Ron and Clara Nelson of Turlock, Calif., stood at the Crazy Horse Memorial’s Welcome Center’s entrance Saturday afternoon as rain poured down while a spring squall moved through the valley. It was a return trip for the couple, who were two of the thousands of people attending programs during the Memorial Day weekend at the mountain.
“We’re not disappointed at all,” Clara Nelson said about the weather.
“We try to return to see how the mountain is coming along,” her husband said.
A combination of affordable gas prices and an improved economy brought the Californians to Crazy Horse to view the mountain, tour the theater, studio, cultural center and gift shop, as well as stay a few days in the Black Hills, they said.
Jay Citron, an official greeter at the memorial, said the open house was one of the busiest Saturdays in his 20 years working at the mountain.
“We’ve had people here today from Africa, Israel, Portugal and Ontario, along with people all over the United States,” he said.
Citron and staffers at the information desk estimated that 10,000 people would walk through the doors of the memorial’s welcome center over the three-day holiday weekend. On a good summer day, the visitor center will host 5,000 people, Citron said.
“July 4, 2009, was one of the busiest days we ever had,” Citron said.
Jadwiga Ziolkowski, executive president of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, said they have been gearing up for the summer tourism season. The staff of 70 year-round employees has swelled to 200 with seasonal help adding to the ranks.
This season, the addition of a new school helps showcase the dreams of Jadwiga’s father, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.
On June 6, 21 Native American students from Oklahoma, Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming will arrive at the Summer University Program at Crazy Horse Memorial. They will begin a 10-week program in math, English and Native studies. After orientation, the students will begin their studies as well as their internships in business, comparable to a work-study program on most campuses.
“It’s a very emotional program for me. I see it as an important part of my father’s dream. He would be so proud of Mom and what she’s accomplished,” Jadwiga Ziolkowski said, referring to her mother, Ruth.
This season will also feature the return of some favorite annual events.
The 25th Annual Volksmarch on June 5 and 6 is expected to bring in crowds of marchers.
“It’s massive. It all depends on the weather, but my guess is that it will have as many as 12,000 people,” she said of the volksmarch.
The memorial has begun its local food drive, where three cans of food per person will be accepted on Saturdays and Sundays for admission to the mountain until June 13, Ziolkowski said. “We generally think that Sundays and Mondays are good days for local people to visit,” she said.
The 20th Crazy Horse Stampede Rodeo welcomes cowboys and cowgirls to the Heartland ProRodeo series, Korkow Rodeos, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Great Plains Indian Rodeo Association on June 18-20. A Gift from Mother Earth Celebration — a Native American and Western art show and sale — will also be a part of the rodeo celebration that showcases area and national artists.
Lula Red Cloud of Hermosa, who sells jewelry at Crazy Horse, has noticed a lot of people coming through the art galleries. They’re curious about her life and her culture.
“They want to know about the Lakota people, about Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph,” she said. “It surprises me the questions they ask.”
A fluent speaker in the Lakota language, she grew up in Pine Ridge, attended the Red Cloud school and received her master’s degree from University of South Dakota.
“This is a microcosm of the world. There might be two people standing here talking to me, and they’ll discover that they come from the same country, the same city and the same neighborhood,” she said.
As an artist who has had one of her quilts displayed in the Smithsonian Institution, she frequently talks about Native American crafts.
“I’m happy to be able to answer their questions,” Red Cloud said.
Jadwiga Ziolkowski said this was the very goal that Korczak had wanted to accomplish with his dream of the mountain.
“Dad wanted people to have an interest in the Indian culture,” she said. “It has been a great spring, as far as visitors coming to the mountain.”
The 11th annual Crazy Horse Native American Journalism Workshop adjourned Friday, honoring Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation president and chief executive Ruth Ziolkowski and three college scholarship winners during closing ceremonies.
The recipients are: Zachary Meier, 18, Fort Washakie, Wyo., who plans to attend the University of Wyoming at Laramie; Michelle Two Hearts, 17, of Northwestern High School, who is accepted at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D.; and Dylan Tymes, 17, of Pine Ridge High School, who is considering the University of South Dakota and the University of Oklahoma.
Each of them received certificates from Memorial executive vice president Jadwiga “Viga” Ziolkowski for $1,000 scholarships that will be paid to their schools. The awards are given annually in memory of workshop graduate Lem Price, mentor Peggy Sagen of the Rapid City Journal and the Memorial’s longtime media director Robb DeWall.
The workshop involves volunteer educators and professional journalists who seek to excite the students about pursuing higher education and media careers. The mentors also coach the students on the basics of asking questions, writing stories, taking photographs and recording audio and video segments.
Every student successfully completed the weeklong course, earning a certificate from workshop sponsors and one hour of college credit from the University of South Dakota.
The South Dakota Newspaper Association began the workshop and remains a co-sponsor. The Freedom Forum Diversity Institute funds and helps to organize the annual workshop. Other co-sponsors are the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, and the journalism programs at the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University.
Sixty years ago while helping carve the famous faces at Mt. Rushmore, a man named Korczak Ziolkowski was approached by Lakota leaders and asked to create a memorial that could represent the history of the American Indian. Korczak has since passed away, but his dreams of carving Crazy Horse are living on through his family.
Peeking through the rocks and trees that cover the Black Hills, there’s an image of a Lakota legend named Crazy Horse; pointing to ‘the lands where his dead lie buried.’ The depiction was dreamed up by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski six decades ago. It’s since become the world’s largest monument, drawing around a million visitors each year.
“To start from pioneering like that and then stand here and look and see all these buildings and to see the work that’s been accomplished on the mountain, there are times it seems like a dream and you don’t believe you’ve really done it, but it’s been an amazing life and I have loved all of it,” Ruth Ziolkowski, Korczak’s wife, said.
Ruth Ziolkowski met her husband when she was 13. Until his death in 1982, Ruth’s work revolved around her husband and their ten kids. Now, it revolves around carrying out his vision.
“He always said that if the project stopped just because he died, his life would have been wasted. None of us wanted that,” Ruth Ziolkowski said.
No one’s letting that happen. Seven of the Ziolkowski children still work in various capacities at the memorial. Casimir Ziolkowski is one of the chief sculptors high atop the mountain. Lately, his main focus has been on shaping the horse’s head.
“I told my dad that I would. And he said if you pick it up and you take it on, don’t ever let it down. It’s kind of like getting married. You get married, you stay married,” Casimir Ziolkowski said.
That perseverance has paid off. Casimir says within the next decade crews should be onto finishing work on Crazy Horse’s hand. Though there’s plenty of work to do between now and then, the Ziolkowskis say it doesn’t matter when the carving gets finished.
“We’re working faster than we have in the past but you still have to remember what Korczak said; go slowly so you do it right. So you try to balance those two things because you have to do it right,” Ruth Ziolkowski said.
The progress continues every day. Crews are up on the mountain year-round no matter the weather. And while it’s obvious to most that this project is indeed a family affair, the Ziolkowskis aren’t quick to take credit for that ongoing progress.
“It’s the regular people that come in from day to day, they’re the ones who built it. They built it sixty years ago and they’re building it today. I think that’s extremely important and I hope that never gets lost,” Casimir Ziolkowski said.
He says those visitors will carry on the goal of finishing Crazy Horse, even if one day, his family cannot.
“I think if every Ziolkowski died today, this will still be finished. It’s a worthwhile enough cause it’s not going to stop, no matter what happens,” Casimir Ziolkowski said.
“The important thing is that we never stop. That’s the main thing. And if you looked at it as strictly a view of being finished, you could get awfully distracted waiting for that day to come. This way, you’re pleased with every little step of progress that you make,” Ruth Ziolkowski said.
And each little step toward completion is a step closer to realizing Korczak’s dream.
Crazy Horse has never taken a dime of government money, but a significant matching donation by T. Denny Sanford will help shape the horse’s head. Memorial officials have until 2011 to match the $5 million he gave; so far, they have around $3 million.
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South Dakota is home to the world’s only two mountain carvings; Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial attract millions of visitors each year. Officials from those tourist attractions are now teaming up in hopes of increasing traffic at both sites.
The four Presidents are no doubt the Black Hills’ most famous faces, but just 17 miles away, there’s another mountain carving that represents the Native American heritage of the region. While you may think the tourist attractions compete for business, they’ve actually teamed up.
“Each of the memorials tells a part of history and both sides need to be told,” Ruth Ziolkowski at Crazy Horse said.
To help visitors learn both sides, staff members at Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse are handing out the same rack card, promoting both attractions, aptly titled ‘Facing History.’ The proximity and likeness of the sites made the collaboration an obvious choice.
“There are no other places in this country where there are two other memorials of this scale so close together,” Nav Singh at Mt. Rushmore said.
Around 3 million people come to see the famous faces each year; three times as many visitors than at Crazy Horse. Officials say this type of cross promotion will help increase traffic at both places.
“It’s going to help everybody because what’s the only thing that South Dakota has that nobody else has? That’s two mountain carvings. And that will help the entire state, it really will,” Ziolkowski said.
Helping attract more tourists to both mountains by reminding them of how close they are.
A crew from the PBS program, History Detectives, visited Crazy Horse Memorial on Wednesday, January 28 to film a segment on Crazy Horse. Although it was cold and windy, the New York City based-crew braved the weather and started their day with a trip to the top of the mountain.
History Detective host Elyse Luray spent the day learning about Crazy Horse the man and investigating an image that someone believes to be Crazy Horse. They are trying to crack the mystery of whether a photograph of Crazy Horse actually exists. The show is tentatively scheduled to air in July, 2009. The crew’s day ended with the surprise chance to witness progress on the mountain carving, with a 2000 ton blast.
Promising a holly jolly Christmas for children facing a bleak holiday, Crazy Horse Memorial and the Ziolkowski family, friends and contributors will deliver more than 100 gifts to the students living at the Pine Ridge School dormitories on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Last week, Jadwiga Ziolkowski, who coordinates the Crazy Horse Christmas Fund and gift collection, and her daughters, Ashley and Alisha Schultz, both 15, finished shopping for the 104 students, grades 1-12.
For the at least 15 years, it has become an annual holiday tradition for the Ziolkowski family to deliver gifts to the Pine Ridge School students. “It’s a lot of work, but if you could see the joy in their faces. It’s incredible,” Jadwiga Ziolkowski said.
Crazy Horse earns Connecticut’s seal of approval on 60th
Gov. M. Jodi Rell has proclaimed June 3, 2008, as “Crazy Horse Memorial Day” in Connecticut.
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell
In her official statement, Rell notes highlights from the history of Korczak, Ruth, and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear that led to dedicating Crazy Horse on June 3, 1948.
“…Crazy Horse was remembered by his people as a fierce warrior and visionary leader who was committed to preserving the traditional Lakota way of life; and …Korczak was inspired to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians, and thus designed a metaphoric tribute to the spirit of Crazy Horse and his people,” the statement says in part.
Montana governor commends family
HELENA, Montana – Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is among state and national officials celebrating Crazy
Horse Memorial and its diamond jubilee.
“I commend you for your efforts to remind Americans about Korczak Ziolkowski and the
monumental sculpture he worked on for so many years. His commitment to honor North American Indians is legendary,” Schweitzer said in a letter to Ruth Ziolkowski.
“Americans are grateful for your effort to fulfill Korczak’s legacy and I wish you well as
you commemorate an important milestone in the history of Crazy Horse Memorial.”
Callers and e-mailers from around the country congratulated Crazy Horse Memorial officials on Monday for “priceless” publicity the nonprofit, educational project garnered in a live nationally televised report.
In starting its series about “dangerous jobs,” the NBC “Today” morning news show sent anchor Ann Curry to Crazy Horse.
During four cut-in live reports broadcast around dawn Monday, May 19, Curry reviewed the 60-year history of the world’s largest mountain carving. She also climbed atop the 90-foot-high carved face of Crazy Horse, rappelled down part of the granite sculpture and set off a blast that removed 1,100 tons.
The outcome? Curry, her TV crew and the Crazy Horse mountain carvers finished the day’s work safe and unharmed.
Despite the potential risks, Curry maintained a lighthearted mood, with help from carving foreman Casimir “Cas” Ziolkowski and “Today” co-anchors Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer back at the studios in New York.
A million-dollar satellite truck that Peak Uplink brought to Crazy Horse from New Castle, Colo., enabled the live two-way conversations.
Curry yipped a high-pitched “yikes” as she and her climbing companions backed off the edge of the carving’s arm to scale down the rider’s chest area.
“Annie, is that scary to you?” Vieira asked.
“You know, going over the edge is scary, that’s the one moment. Now that you are on (the ropes and bracing legs against the mountain), you’re pretty secure,” Curry replied.
She credited Crazy Horse mountain crewman Rich Barry with training and safety monitoring. His helmet camera helped record the movements of Curry and Ziolkowski as they inspected the high wall for potentially deadly loose rocks.
Although he’s worked on the mountain since age 7 and done extensive rope climbing, Cas Ziolkowski confided, “I don’t like heights at all.”
The high wall of the rider’s chest drops more than 100 feet, and that part of the mountain extends more than 400 feet. That height is risky enough; Curry and the men inspected the mountain by walking down it backwards and in pre-dawn shadows, lighted by floodlights ringing the mountain.
“Do you think you will live to see it (the mountain carving) finished?” Curry asked.
“Depends on how long I live,” he quipped.
He is one of seven children of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and his wife, Ruth, to continue working on the mountain carving. Two grandsons also have briefly worked summer jobs on the carving.
Whether his children and other members of the third generation join the work on the nonprofit, education project is entirely their call, Casimir told Curry. “They have their own lives. They have a choice to do it, just as we did.”
Why does he continue his father’s work 60 years later?
“It needs to get done. I made a commitment to him and I said I’d do it.”
To the inevitable question of when the carving will be finished, Casimir repeated his standard “Monday” reply, which is open-ended because he hasn’t said which Monday.
In her “Today” interview, Memorial President-CEO Ruth Ziolkowski said she and Korczak never emphasized a deadline, which is influenced by weather and the rate of private contributions that fund the project.
“I just think that the important thing, and so did Korczak, is that the work should never stop,” Mrs. Ziolkowski said.
Curry provided an exclamation point to continuing the work, pushing the detonator button to remove 1,100 tons from the front of the horse’s face.
Watching their colleague’s report and work impressed Vieira, who called Crazy Horse “an amazing monument.’’ Lauer succinctly summarized, “That’s cool.”
NBC “Today” has been the country’s most-watched morning show for 12 years running. That kind of exposure for one of South Dakota’s leading attractions drew applause from visitor industry officials and others immediately after the broadcast.
“It was VERY COOL. This PR is priceless,” said one Rapid City marketer in an e-mail to memorial Development Director James Hagen.
Publicity is expected to continue for the Memorial as it celebrates its 60th anniversary this year of the June 3, 1948, dedication of the project by Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear.
The “Today” show report continues to publicize the Memorial and its efforts to honor Native Americans. Two video clips from the live broadcast are posted on “Today” web site, http://today.msnbc.msn.com/
“He always said that if the project stopped just because he died, his life would have been wasted. None of us wanted that,” Ruth Ziolkowski said.
He says those visitors will carry on the goal of finishing Crazy Horse, even if one day, his family cannot.
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