A wonderful day at Mt Rushmore memorial

It was a great day up at the Memorial yesterday, even without fireworks. Our community stepped up and provided their own!

We saw Tim Giago and Dr. DD Edwards promote the Year of Unity in our State as a tribute and continuation of Gov Mickelson's Year of Reconciliation twenty years ago.

We also saw a group about about twenty new recruits to the Air Force sworn in by the commander of Ellsworth.

And a really cool tribute to the last surviving Native American WASP (woman army pilot), an amazing woman, Millie Rexroat, who had a wonderful and inspiring story.

After that, the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra played to a packed amphitheater, and although they had to take breaks twice because of rain, the crowd only grew. It was a wonderful patriotic concert featuring classical and pops musical numbers, including the well-loved Armed Forces Salute, God Bless America, the National Anthem, and America the Beautiful.

They received a standing ovation and the audience demanded an encore of George M Cohan tunes.

Here's hoping they get invited back-- it was really great.