STURGIS, S.D. – The Lamphere Ranch Campground in Sturgis donated $2665 to the Sturgis High School Rodeo Booster Club’s new rodeo arena, east of Sturgis.
For many years, Lamphere Ranch Campground has asked for donations for the annual commemorative beer banners hung in their store, restaurant and Stump Beer Garden. Local distributors Quality Brands of the Black Hills (Budweiser) and Fisher Beverage Company (Miller/Coors) print and hang the banners to celebrate the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
“Our campers started offering us money for the banners many years ago, and we thought—this would make a good fundraiser,” explained Logan Lamphere, co-owner of the campground.
Past recipients have included a diversity of local groups and causes including the Crisis Intervention Shelter Service, Rural Ambulance District, Sturgis Animal Shelter, Sturgis Police Athletic League, South Dakota Honor Flights and Bear Butte Creek Historic Preservation Council.
Employees of the campground, who are mostly area teachers and coaches, make a list of banners and suggest a donation amount for each. Banners that include “Sturgis,” the date, and have official logos are the most popular. As campers leave, the banners are taken down and bundled for their ride home.
The Full Throttle Saloon also recently donated $5,500 to the Sturgis High School Rodeo Boosters.
