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Outlaw Square: Family Fun in the town of No Rules and No Regrets

Deadwood is known for its shootouts, parties, and gambling, but its newest addition, Outlaw Square, hopes to give visitors and locals a different experience.


Located on the corner of Deadwood Street and Main Street, sitting on the site of the former Deadwood City Hall, Outlaw Square is an outdoor gathering space featuring year-round events.


The inspiration for the attraction came almost 15 years ago after the community recognized the need for a central gathering place to host events like concerts, parades, festivals, and historical reenactments.


Bobby Rock, the director of Outlaw Square, says he was excited to be involved in the building, fundraising, and planning process. Rock has lived in the Black Hills since 1998 and grew close to the Deadwood community when he began volunteering to emcee town events.

“I had left and moved back from Wyoming in 2018 and had heard about the concept,” said Rock. “I put my hat in the ring, and out of all the applicants they chose me. This gave me the honor of trying to bring everyone’s dream to fruition.”

The square is built entirely from sponsorships. Rock says there’s no citizen taxpayer money involved. The square was built with the help
of the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and through a partnership with the state of South Dakota.

The hope, Rock says, is that Outlaw Square will become a space for friends and family to come together.

"One thing we noticed about Deadwood is we don’t really have any family activities,” said Rock. “Deadwood is known for rough-and-tumble parties and gambling, and there’s really no place for Mom and Dad and the kids to go and enjoy.”

With more than 200 programs scheduled at the attraction, there’s something for everyone, even in the winter. Outlaw Square also features a Glice rink—a synthetic ice rink made from plastic that can be skated on year-round and primarily runs in the colder seasons.

“Since it’s a synthetic product, we’re able to skate on it in 90 degree weather if we decide to put it up,” said Rock.

The square opened in December, but the ice rink was closed early in March, due to the impact of COVID-19.

Deadwood reopened to the public on May 14, but Rock says they’re still taking precautions and creating spaces that allow for social distancing. This included moving its Deadwood Alive program from Main Street to the Outlaw Square stage.

Deadwood Alive is a performance group that provides entertainment to tourists and locals by recreating historical shootouts and the Trial of Jack McCall, perform musical numbers, and offer guests stagecoach rides.

“We wanted to give people a chance to spread out and get people used to giving their neighbors that extra six feet of space,” said Rock.

The Deadwood Alive reenactments took place at the square until June 20, when they returned to their original location.

“We’re beginning to roll things out slowly, and we’ve seen steady growth. We wanted to slowly open things up as people get more comfortable,” said Rock.

The Summer Concert Series started June 24. July acts include The Young Dubliners (July 8), Boogie Machine with Zoe Keehn (July 15), and Dakota Country with Lacy Nelson (July 22).

Outlaw Square is expected to bring visitors to the area, but more than that, organizers hope it becomes a place where locals can enjoy family friendly activities while still being in the heart of downtown.

“Everyone says that it was built for the tourists, but it’s not. It’s built for the locals,” said Rock.

He continued, “Here we have provided a place in central Deadwood for families to come down and enjoy. Come down with the kids or friends and grab a piece of lawn.”

Writing: Work
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605 Stops By: Jacobs Brewhouse and Grocer

“Expanding your tastebuds and refining your palate” is the primary goal of Jacobs Brewhouse & Grocer, a new restaurant and grocery store bringing a fresh take to Deadwood’s food and drink scene.

Jacobs Brewhouse is a destination for anyone looking for classic food and drink options with a twist. The concept was derived by owners Scott and Sharon Jacobs when they say they fell in love with the building, originally home to the J. Hattenbach & Bro. grocer in 1895.

Olivia Jacobs-Chrisman, daughter of Scott and Sharon, says the family has always been inspired by the beauty of old buildings. Originally from San Diego, she says she enjoys the array of history in the Deadwood community and is excited the new business is becoming part of it.

“Being able to give [the building] a facelift and bring back its beautiful characteristics was the most rewarding part for me,” she recalled.

Highlights include handmade railings, art from Scott Jacobs Gallery (also owned and run by the family), photography from Olivia, vintage guitars signed by world-renowned artists, and hand-painted murals.

“It’s an artistic place where the vibe is energetic and welcoming, and we want everyone to feel at home when they’re here,” said Olivia.


Scott says the goal of the restaurant’s offerings was to step outside of the box.

“Our mission was to build a place that not only we love, but that other people would love and gravitate toward because it’s so different from any other menu,” he said.

Jacobs said his favorite menu item is the Ahi Tuna, which is sushi grade and is lightly seared on both sides with a slice of cucumber. The tuna is smeared with a homemade wasabi aioli that sits on top of a homemade slaw with a sweet soy glaze around the edge and a sriracha center.

“It’s a beautiful plate that sells like crazy,” said Scott. “A lot of people that try it say it’s one of the best things they’ve ever eaten, which is a great thing to hear.”

Olivia says they aim to take traditional items and elevate them with a unique twist, like the Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad and the Rosemary Brie Apple Wedge.

“It’s things like taking a classic dish and adding an egg on top or using a special aioli instead of your typical ketchup and mustard,” she said.

In addition to the food, the craft cocktail list at the Brewhouse also has its own (fresh) twists. The Brewhouse uses homemade simple syrup, for example. A favorite concoction of Olivia is the Lavender Lover martini, which comes with edible flowers.

“We’re taking that extra step to make sure people know we care about what we’re serving,” explained Olivia

Along with the restaurant, patrons can find an artisanal grocery store connected to the space.

“You aren’t going to be able to get your staples here, but for us we have all American-made food or European imports,” said Olivia. “It’s all small-batch.”


The grocer sells fresh meats and cheeses made in Mitchell, as well as bison meat from farmers in the state. Additionally, there is also a full- service bakery. All the artisanal breads and desserts for the restaurant are baked fresh every morning.

The atmosphere at the brewhouse focuses on refurbishing the building’s original features with a European influence.

“My sister started painting a mural of southern France [in the grocer section], and the grocery store makes you feel like you are in an old European market,” said Olivia.

The Jacobs family began renovations with a “sledgehammer party” to knock down walls and expose original windows.


“For me as an artist it’s easier to start with a blank canvas, and that goes for buildings as well,” said Scott.

Olivia says they reused and repurposed elements like the old crates they sanded and stained for displays. The outdoor patio walls were built using antique bricks that were cut away to build archways connecting the restaurant to the bakery. An old elevator was updated into an interactive wine cellar presentation.

“The history and the age of the building is proudly displayed. They’re not covered up, and buildings built long ago are still being used,” said Olivia. “To have that feel here I think really ties in with the original Deadwood.”

Writing: Work
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Behind the scenes of ‘Rhinoceros’: Putting a production together | The Volante

Before a production is ready for an audience, its cast and crew puts in an immense amount of time and effort to perfect the show.

Work for “Rhinoceros” began last semester. The design process for a production this size can take eight to 12 weeks, said technical director Scott Mollman.

The crew has multiple production meetings where they discuss the director’s vision, as it’s their job to bring that vision to life, he said.

Kiah Schaeffer, a junior theater major with an emphasis in costuming, has worked on the wardrobe crew for many productions, but this is her first show as costume designer.

“The director sets parameters, then I take those ideas and get to be creative,” Schaeffer said. “We have production meetings to check up and make sure we are headed in the right direction.”

Each theater student in the costume department is the designer for one show.

Professors assign shows to each student based on their interests and skill sets.

“At the end of last semester, one of my professors approached me and asked if I would like to design the costumes for ‘Rhinoceros,'” Schaeffer said.

“The costumes for this show are more modern and that is typically what I like to design.”

Certain actors are only on stage for one scene, but a few actor’s costumes transition into rhinos throughout the course of the play. Although the costumes for this show are relatively simple, they require a lot of time because they’re handmade, she said.

“The actors do not transform into literal rhinos, more of a rhino concept, so bringing that idea to life was a little challenging,”

Schaeffer said. “All 26 costumes must be the same color scheme, so instead of using costumes from previous shows we have to make them all from scratch.”

Schaeffer is also in charge of designing the production’s makeup sketches. “Rhinoceros” will include basic stage makeup and makeup transitions during each show when actors transform into rhinos off-stage.

Since the makeup for this show is rather simple, actors will apply their own.

The set

In addition to makeup and costuming, students must also design and build the production sets. Certain theater classes have a lab that requires students to work in the shop anywhere from two to 10 hours each week. Graduate students and practicums also have a set number of shop hours.

Ryan Stewart, a first-year graduate student, is one of the carpenters for “Rhinoceros.” His role includes building sets and teaching students how to work the various tools in the shop. He said he’s put in 20 hours a week working on this production since the design process began.

“The hardest part for me personally as a graduate student, I feel like leadership has been thrust upon me,” Stewart said.

“Getting used to the responsibility of being a student leader, coming from undergrad having younger students looking up to me for guidance has been hard getting used to.”

Stewart said he’s enjoying his role in the theater department.

“My favorite part of technical crew is getting to be part of the realization of a dream,” he said.

“The designers dream it up off the blueprints and it’s quite a labor and work, but sitting out in the audience and seeing what you built and how all the elements of the theater come together is an amazing feeling.”

Mollman has worked on more than 300 plays in his professional career, and has been the technical director at USD for 14 years. As technical director, he’s in charge of work safety, building sets and figuring out how to budget for the show.

“The set for this show is smaller, but there is a lot of moving parts and engineering work that takes a long time to work on,” Mollman said.

As the show grows closer, the crew has to do even more work to prepare for the production.

“Rhinoceros” will play at Knutson Theatre in the Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 and from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8.

Writing: Work

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