The Historic Homestake Opera House
  • Welcome
  • EVENTS & TICKETS
    • Event Cancellation Info
  • News & Media
  • DONATE
  • Tours
    • History
    • Accessibility
    • Free Parking Spots
    • Bus & Group Tours
    • Interpretive Exhibit
    • Audio Tour
    • Art Center
    • Indoor Shooting Range
    • Lead Lodging & Restaurants
  • Gift Shop
  • Volunteer
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Mission and Values
    • Public Organizational Documents
    • HHOH Board Calendar
  • Community Theatre
  • Rental Venue
    • Smart center
    • Corporate Events
    • Weddings

Highlights of the Epiphany Concert: Angels Project featuring the Black Hills Symphony Chamber Orchestra

1/7/2018

 
On Sunday, January 7, 2018 more than 225 people attended to enjoy the acoustic treat of the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra on the stage of the Historic Homestake Opera House for the Epiphany Concert: Angels Project.
The name for the concert came from the January 6 date of the Epiphany which means "the manifestation of spiritual beings.” The elaborate original plasterwork to be restored includes the 1914 angels that grace the top of the opening of the stage.
​Please enjoy viewing these images, courtesy of the Homestake Opera House.
Donate to the Angels & Stage Restoration & Support
“This is a very important time in this building’s life,” says Sarah Carson, HHOH executive director. “This project is an important milestone in South Dakota history, Lead history, and Homestake Gold Mine history, and it’s important also for our community members and people who worked on this building before us. People now see the inspiring changes, and that progress is a reward for all of us.”

The Epiphany Concert: Angels Project kickoff event will help support the large project ahead, which involves restoring the large intricate plasterwork opening of the stage, called a “proscenium”, in which the plasterwork will be repaired and replicated to look as it did in 1914 based on research, photography, and paint samples. 

Carlson adds there has been a series of special events in celebration of restoration projects every step of the way in the last 7 years, and especially thanks the City of Lead, loyal HHOH annual members, and the Adams-Mastrovich Family Foundation for their ongoing support.

Repertoire:
Vivaldi – Sinfonia Al Santo Sepulchro in B Minor, RV 169

Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047
Warlock – Bethlehem Down
Respighi – Ancient Airs & Dances Suite 3
Hovhaness – Prayer for St. Gregory
Corelli – Concerto grosso in G minor, Op 6 No 8 Fatto per la note di Natale
Handel – Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon HWV 67

This event is supported in part by KEVN Black Hills Fox TV, the City of Lead, and the SD Arts Council by the SD Dept. of Tourism through the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Black Hills Symphony Orchestra (BHSO) is a community orchestra located in Rapid City, SD with the mission to provide the finest in orchestral performance and symphonic music education for the people of the Black Hills region. The orchestra has grown substantially, now employing approximately 90 musicians. Each year, the BHSO presents a program series of symphony concerts and has collaborated with other Black Hills area arts organizations to present larger productions.

Video highlights! 2017 Black Hills Cowboy Christmas

12/23/2017

 

Black Hills Cowboy Christmas photos

12/15/2017

 
The 8th year of Black Hills Cowboy Christmas Concerts and Dance brought in 1,039 people to Lead and Deadwood on Saturday, December 9. Thank you to our performers, and volunteers (26!), sponsors, Northern Hills Dental, Black Hills Fox TV, First Gold Hotel & Casino, and Black Hills Badlands Tourism Assoc., and to our annual members, and the City Of Lead and the Adams Mastrovich Family Foundation. And a big thanks to our talented friend and partner, Paul Larson amazing cowboy musician and his family.
#blackhills
#MyLead

The following photos belong to Historic Homestake Opera House. Please credit accordingly, and thank you.

November 11th, 2017

11/11/2017

 

We've almost hit our goal to replicate the 1914 theater wall sconces!

Picture

350 people attend final Black Hills Opry performance

10/23/2017

 
We thank Aces & Eights Kim Bachman, Harland Allen, and Carrie Orr for a fantastic show series of fun, down-home classic country concerts since June, and their welcoming and positive attitude in sharing music and the stage with specials guests each month. This last show featured popular Wyoming solo performer and award-winning Americana musician Jalan Crossland, who has many Black Hills fans. We had a great party on Saturday night.
Extra special thanks to our Black Hills Opry sponsors –
​we could not do this without you and your generosity!

Stretch's Custom & Auto Glass, Central City
ReMax© Gold, The Keene Team, Lead, SD
South Dakota Arts Council
Executive Lodging of the Black Hills, Deadwood
​KEVN Black Hills Fox TV

Authors' Reception at the Homestake Opera House Kicks Off the 2017 South Dakota Festival of Books

9/21/2017

 
The South Dakota Humanities Council pulled out the stops to welcome the official authors of the 2017 South Dakota Festival of Books tonight at the Historic Homestake Opera House at 313 W. Main Street, Lead, SD.
​Special thanks to Dr. David Wolff and to Cyndie Harlan and staff of the Phoebe Apperson Hearst/Lead Public Library, neighbor to the Opera House. More than 90 people attended the event expertly catered by Dave Brueckner and staff from Cheyenne Crossing of Lead.

Restoration Celebration of Theater Lower Walls 1 & 2

9/17/2017

 
Picture
ABOVE: Major donors to the 2017 Wall #1 & 2 present at the Reveal Concert Event, from L to R: Diane & Dan DesLauries, Jennifer Young and mother Mary Beth (Dunn) Mallow representing the $10,000 Jim & Betty Dunn donation, Bob Morcom, Leona Ruffatto and son Rob Ruffatto, Maxine Morcom, Fred and Sherri Thurston, Connie Hyde, Betsy Ross Brown and her four family members representing the $10,000 Harold Edward Ross donation, and Karen and Tim Raben. Many other donors gave generously to this project, and the work continues. If you would like to contribute to this project, please contact Sarah Carlson at 605-584-2067 or opera@rushmore.com.

Interior theater lower wall #2 almost complete

9/13/2017

 
HUGE thanks to these very talented and generous local artists Jerry Aberle, Dennes Barrett, Chad Aberle of Avid Painting, Kaylee Linn, Lynn Namminga, Ericka Merchant, Tim Peterson of Flat Earth Art Co., Mike Ryan, and (not pictured) mascot Darby Aberle.

Ed Ross north wall #2 theater plasterwork is primed

8/22/2017

 

Happy 103rd Birthday, Homestake Opera House!

8/19/2017

 

It's UP: The Ed Ross Wall - north wall #2

8/16/2017

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
The transformation of plasterwork within the theater has continued with the Homestake legacy carrying it on. The second lower wall project is underway, nicknamed the "Ed RossWall." A $10,000 kickoff donation was made for this special project in memory of longtime Homestake electrical engineer and Wyodak mine manager Harold "Ed" Ross. Other donors have also given to the project.

The generous donation was made by Ed & Teen Ross' family, whose Homestake roots run deep. Ed's wife, Teen, was a dancer and performed several times on the Homestake Opera House stage. The Ross Shaft in Lead is named after Ed's uncle Alec Ross, who was superintendent of the Homestake mine for more than 25 years. Ed installed the communications system within the mine that allowed hoist operators to talk with miners in the cage. He was injured in a work-related explosion in 1946 and lost most of his vision, but even though he was legally blind, he went on to manage the Wyodak power plant and coal mine for 25 years until retiring in 1973 and returning to Lead. Other donors have also stepped forward to see this lower wall restored. The north lower "Ed Ross wall" project is slated to be completed in September 2017. 

Photos courtesy Historic Homestake Opera House.

Thank you, $500+ donors to the Ed Ross Wall

8/9/2017

 
In Memory of Harold Edward Ross
Edward & June Pullen 
In Memory of Jim & Betty Dunn
In Memory of Marjorie Morcom
Wayne & Kelly Klein
Maxine Morcom
Connie Hyde
Tim & Karen Raben
In Memory of Barney Ruffatto
In Memory of Delores Ghere
In Memory of John & Anna Zupet
Lead High School Class of 1962 In Memory of Lance Picore and John Holso 
Dale Berkebile & Donnabelle Talty
Mary Lerdal & Patrick Badiuk
Jerry Aberle
Dennes Barrett
Scott Hertl of Koala Electric

Sanford Lab Neutrino Day

7/8/2017

 
Fleming to kick off Neutrino DayBonnie T. Fleming, a Professor of Physics at Yale University, was a Lederman Fellowship at Fermilab working on the MiniBooNE experiment.


Michael Landry keynote speakerMichael Landry is a physicist with the California Institute of Technology, and the Head of the LIGO Hanford Observatory in Richland, Washington.

http://www.sanfordlab.org/feature/2017-neutrino-day-speakers

Make plans to see The Black Hills Opry June-October

6/25/2017

 
Saturday night, June 24: The opening night of Black Hills Opry was a hit. The crowd hooted and hollered and applauded Aces & Eights trio with featured guest artists Gumbo Lily of the West. There were lots of laughs, and guests enjoyed taking photos and talking with the musicians after the show. Thank you all for attending. 
​The next show is July 29 at 7:00 pm with Paul Larson and Allen & Jill Kirkham!
Picture
Picture
Picture

Timelapse video of lower South Wall #1 restoration dubbed "The Jim & Betty Dunn Wall"

6/23/2017

 
Restoration consultant (and former Homestake engineer) Jerry Aberle works diligently with restoration sidekick and HHOH facility manager Dennes Barrett, (formerly Black Hills Power serviceman) with special paint work by Chad Aberle of Avid Painting. All three men are from Lead, SD. This project was funded and completed because of an anonymous donation in honor of Jim Dunn who worked for Homestake for 38 years, and his sweet wife Betty, both of Lead, SD. The project was also supported by an Outside of Deadwood grant from Deadwood Historic Preservation. Thank you all so much.

The Opera House is wearing its summer costume

6/8/2017

 
Picture
Thanks to our annual 2017 members who keep our building going, and to our Facility Manager Dennes Barrett and our Custodial Expert Kaylee Linn for making sure the building always looks good for our visitors, tenants, families and friends.
Thanks to FastSigns for banner printing in front and back. There's more updates to come, so stay tuned. Thank you all for your love for this important place.
Picture

Come and visit the theater and visual exhibit

6/1/2017

 
Picture
Picture

May 26th, 2017

5/26/2017

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Hi friends! We've got special tour times through Memorial Day Weekend.
Our exciting plaster theater wall restoration is still in progress. Come and visit the Theater Built by a Gold Mine and the new exhibit upstairs.
Our regular 30-minute tour will be available after Memorial Day, Monday through Saturday, 11:00 to 2:00 pm. $5 admission, and kids 10 and younger are FREE. Thanks for your support!
Tours with the 1914 swimming pool included are $15 admission, open to groups of 12 people or less.
For more information or to schedule your tour this weekend, please call Sarah Carlson, HHOH executive director, at 605-920-0717. Thanks!

Tours available – limited basis due to exciting work

5/16/2017

 
Picture
Picture
The Historic Homestake Opera House theater entrance and Interpretive Exhibit are open during events and free to enjoy for event patrons.
But because of restoration construction within the theater, our regular 30-minute tours are available by simply calling ahead for the next available time slot to keep the environment safe for visitors and also keep our construction going.
Tour admission is $5 per person and kids under 10 are free. Tours with the swimming pool included are $10 for groups of a dozen or less only.

The HHOH business office hours are 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Monday-Friday and the office is located in the rear of the building on Julius Street.

The building, theater, and Interpretive Exhibit is wheelchair accessible. Tourism helps support the fundraising operation of this historic building. Find out more about the building at HomestakeOperaHouse.org.

Call 605-584-2067 to schedule your tour. Thank you for your support of saving America’s historic places!

Gold Camp Players spring musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat a HIT!

5/15/2017

 
Nearly 750 patrons attended this high energy musical performed by the Gold Camp Player community theatre group at the Historic Homestake Opera House during the weekends of May 5-7 and 12-14. Directed by Dave Scherer with musical direction by Shelley Dragoo, the commitment to making this show a spectacle takes hundreds of hours by all involved as a team. Thank you to all the cast, crew, and costumers; plus our sponsors listed below. BRAVO!

Generous Sponsors:

Picture
Picture
Picture

Cast Bios and Program:

Picture
Picture

Photos courtesy Historic Homestake Opera House / Dennes Barrett.

Be a part of the success of this organization.
Become a member today!
CLICK HERE

Hosting Lead-Deadwood High School Prom

4/23/2017

 
The theater was full with 312 patrons and 51 student couples. Thank you to the staff and chaperones of LDHS: Tony Biesiot, Kip Mau, Tim & Kim Hansen, Rhonda Brightzman, (and more) and the Prom Committee: Gary Linn, Eva Thompson, Lori Aberle, and Claussen Photography, and also to Nick from Colt 45 DJs. 

Wall #1 Project: KEVN Black Hills Fox TV interview

4/21/2017

 
Picture

2017 Volunteer Appreciation Reception, Presentation & Awards Party - Our thank you to you all!

4/20/2017

 
Thank you, Volunteers, for making this building a priority in your lives.
On Thursday, April 20, 2017 the Volunteer Committee and the staff and board of directors of the Homestake Opera House hosted the past, present, and future volunteers for the Volunteer Appreciation Reception, Presentation & Awards Party. Dr. Helen Usera of Aspiring Business Consulting of Rapid City, SD gave an inspiring presentation on volunteerism, encouraging all those who volunteer to encourage young people to get involved – bring someone with you next time who has never volunteered before. She also quoted Ghandi:
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." 
Awards were given to 14 generous community members, including DIANA MATHISRUD who received the WHOA Award for a whopping 132.5 recorded volunteer hours for lights/sound and acting onstage, and also the Crescendo Award going to SPENCER ROSSI for 98 hours for the 2016 Crescendo Gala in which she helped to raise $15,500 for the Homestake Opera House programming, building projects, and operations. 

"Jim & Betty Dunn Wall #1" almost complete

4/2/2017

 
Picture
This beautiful plasterwork is the first in the theater to be restored. Huge applause to Jerry Aberle and Dennes Barrett and Chad Aberle for their close attention to historic detail, respect for accuracy, and for hundreds of hours put towards this very important project – and to Deadwood Historic Preservation for their Outside of Deadwood grant funding that helped this project along. This project also wouldn't be possible without the legacy of longtime SD Senator Jim Dunn and his wife Betty for which this initial project was funded by an anonymous donor. Their legacy is bringing the color back into this beloved building.
This wall is a 100% replication of 1914 color and plasterwork, and the remaining work to be done is the installation of the original sconce light and the baseboard near the bottom of the wall. We are so very honored to show that this work can be done right here in Lead, SD.
This project also could not be completed without the support of an experienced, energetic, and enthusiastic staff and board of directors who provide the strategic planning to continue this important work. This year also features a full schedule of music and theatre programming, concerts, and large events while restoration and other special projects are planning and completed throughout the building this year and into next year. Thank you to all involved. Stay tuned to find out what's happening next.
Picture
Dennes Barrett, HHOH Facility Manager (at left), retired Black Hills Power serviceman
Picture
Chad Aberle, Avid Painting, Lead, SD and son of Jerry Aberle
Picture
Jerry Aberle, former HHOH restoration project lead 1999-2002, former engineer for Homestake Mining Company, currently in mining exploration. We have much gratitude and respect for his hand in sharing the lost art of historic plasterwork for this project.
Picture

​$$$$$ Keep this work going! Donate online easily by clicking here. 

Welcome, Black Hills Area Community Foundation & Black Hills By Choice

3/8/2017

 
We were honored to host the board of the Black Hills Area Community Foundation for their board meeting, and also the Black Hills By Choice group for a complete tour of the building (including inside the old swimming pool) plus a plasterwork replication presentation and also tasty social provided by Jamie Heupel of Lotus Up Catering.
<<Previous
Forward>>


    Archives

    February 2019
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    RSS Feed

​​Office  
605-584-2067
313 West Main Street, Lead, SD

​
Office Hours  
Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Located at the back entrance at
​308 Julius St., Lead, SD

​Mailing Address  
​
PO BOX 412, ​LEAD, SD 57754

Tours

Winter Tours:  Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Our special tours of the theater and lobbies also include the Interpretive Exhibit. Tour length is 45 minutes.
Group Tour rates are $5 per person.
FREE TOURS to current Members - CLICK HERE

Picture


​Management

Development Director
SARAH CARLSON sarah@homestakeoperahouse.org
Operations Director
KATE SCHLENKER
kate@homestakeoperahouse.org

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Click here to read our full statement.
  • Welcome
  • EVENTS & TICKETS
    • Event Cancellation Info
  • News & Media
  • DONATE
  • Tours
    • History
    • Accessibility
    • Free Parking Spots
    • Bus & Group Tours
    • Interpretive Exhibit
    • Audio Tour
    • Art Center
    • Indoor Shooting Range
    • Lead Lodging & Restaurants
  • Gift Shop
  • Volunteer
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Mission and Values
    • Public Organizational Documents
    • HHOH Board Calendar
  • Community Theatre
  • Rental Venue
    • Smart center
    • Corporate Events
    • Weddings