Already Saturday afternoon, the number of cars that had been parked in the parking lots next to the Game Lodge was running well ahead of last year. The Arts Festival started the day with a pancake breakfast, some cowboy poetry and country music throughout much of the day.

      There was also the Dutch Oven Cook-off and lots of unique paintings, sculptures, beadwork, leatherwork, and dozens of other crafts on sale in dozens of booths and stands. Craig Pugsley says, "A gorgeous day. And hey, if they get tired of doing all this wonderful shopping, the colors are starting to change. And it's a great day to be out and drive like the Needles Highway or Iron Mountain Road. The colors are really bursting out. So just a wonderful day to be out in the Black Hills."

     Sunday is the day for the Buffalo Wallow Chili Cookoff, in which dozens of the Black Hills best chili cooks compete for the top awards. Cooking starts at 11 A. M. Public tasting starts at 2 in the afternoon.