On Saturday, December 5, four of Spearfish's holiday traditions happen within about nine hours of each other. The Holiday Market opens at 9 a.m. The D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery & Archives wraps up its Hatchery Holidays that day. The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center has a 2 p.m. matinee. The Holidazzle Light Parade leaves the Spearfish High School parking lot at 6 p.m.
Each one keeps its own hours, and they barely overlap. The market closes an hour after the matinee starts. The matinee ends an hour before the parade begins. Those two one-hour margins are what make it possible to get to all four.
The warm-up comes two weeks early, at the Tretheway Pavilion
The first holiday date on the calendar comes before December. The Zonta Club's Festival of Trees is back at the Tretheway Pavilion from Wednesday, November 18, through Saturday, November 21. This year's theme is "Christmas in Emerald City," according to 605 Magazine. Guests walk through rooms of decorated trees and wreaths and vote for their favorite display.
Here's how the four days break down, per the Visit Spearfish listing:
- Wednesday, Nov. 18: Opening day and school tours.
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Open to the public.
- Friday, Nov. 20: Open to the public during the day. Auction Night tickets are $30, with doors at 5:30 p.m., a social hour with food and drinks until 7, and then a live auction of the decorated trees and wreaths.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Free photos with Santa from 9 a.m. to noon.
Families who miss the November photo session can still see Santa on December 5, the only date on this list with two Santa appearances.
December 5, laid out by the clock
| Time | Event | Where | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Holiday Market | Spearfish Rec Center, per 605 Magazine | 100+ vendors plus food trucks |
| Final day of a Dec. 2–5 run | Hatchery Holidays | 1905 Booth House, D.C. Booth Hatchery | Saturday adds s'mores and Santa |
| 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Nuncrackers matinee | The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center | Also plays Dec. 4, 6, 11, 12, 13 |
| 6 p.m. | Holidazzle Light Parade | Starts at Spearfish High School lot | Tree lighting happens as Santa passes |
The first two events are the flexible ones. The Spearfish Parks and Recreation Holiday Market runs six hours, and 605 Magazine describes handmade crafts, gifts, holiday décor and specialty foods from more than 100 vendors. The city posts updates on its Holiday Market page, so check there for final details before you head out.
Hatchery Holidays runs Wednesday through Saturday at the decorated 1905 Booth House. Visitors can stop in for hot chocolate, festive treats, seasonal music and holiday shopping. Saturday is the only day with s'mores and a visit from Santa. If you have kids and want to make every stop, put the market first and the hatchery right after. That gets the Santa-and-s'mores visit done before the Matthews matinee fills the middle of the afternoon.
The matinee sets the rest of the afternoon
The Matthews is staging Nuncrackers: A "Nunsense" Christmas Musical for two weekends. The Little Sisters of Hoboken tape their first TV special on a convent-basement cable access set, with numbers like "Twelve Days Prior to Christmas" and "We Three Kings of Orient Are Us." The Matthews event page shows a 7 p.m. opening on Friday, December 4, at $25, with afternoon shows on December 5 and 6 from 2 to 5 p.m.
The Saturday matinee is the anchor of the day. It ends at 5, the parade starts at 6, and that hour in between is the only open stretch you have for dinner and finding a spot along the route.
If one big Saturday sounds like too much, the show runs again December 11, 12 and 13. That second weekend gives you a quieter way to see it.
Spending the hour between the curtain and the floats
Downtown has plenty of options packed close together. 605 Magazine counts about 60 restaurants and eateries in town, three breweries, twelve local coffee shops, and downtown cocktail bars pouring holiday specials such as a classic Hot Toddy.
Visit Spearfish director of marketing Phoebe Caldwell recommended two sweet stops in the same article. Ally's Eats is a new bakery that works for gluten-free diets. Leones' Creamery rotates its ice cream menu every week, and Caldwell says many of the flavors are festive. Either one is easy to fit in before the parade.
Where the parade goes, and when the tree lights up
According to the Visit Spearfish Holidazzle listing, the parade leaves the Spearfish High School parking lot, turns right onto Hillsview Road, turns right again onto North Avenue, continues straight to Main Street and finishes off Grant Street. The community tree lighting doesn't run on a set clock. It starts when Santa rolls past. That makes the end of the route the place to stand if you want to see both Santa and the tree. It's also Santa's second stop of the day, after the hatchery.
Anyone who wants to take part in the parade can email [email protected] for a sign-up form.
Caldwell told 605 Magazine the evening reaches past the parade itself:
"Even as a kid it was a highlight for our family to attend every year, participate in the free community chili feed, and go around town to see the other holiday light displays in the residential areas."
Her memory points to the last stop of the night, a drive past the lit-up houses around town on the way home.
After Saturday, the calendar spreads back out
The rest of December is easier to pace. Spearfish Parks and Recreation runs the Winter Wonderland Light Display at the Spearfish City Campground on December weekends from 5 to 8 p.m. You can drive through or walk it, and visitors are encouraged to bring hot cocoa and warm clothes. The Nuncrackers run wraps up December 11 through 13 at the Matthews.
Still need a tree? 605 Magazine lists two options. You can pick one out at Beck's Nursery, or cut your own in the Black Hills National Forest with a permit from the Northern Hills Ranger District. The same article suggests a slow drive through Spearfish Canyon to see frost on the trees and spot wildlife. For something more active, there's fat-tire biking, snowshoeing when there's enough snow, and hikes up Spearfish Mountain, Lookout Mountain and Crow Peak.
"None of the local events is like the other, and all have their fun spin to the holiday season," Caldwell said in the same piece.
If questions about your own home come up somewhere between the hatchery and the parade, The Kahler Team is happy to talk, and a free home valuation is always available whenever you're ready for one.
