In 2008, Visit Spearfish, Inc. began to help bring visitors to the various attractions in the area and highlight what makes the town special.
“They were looking for one organization to bring synergy among all of the community-leading organizations to work toward a better Spearfish,” said Mistie Caldwell.
Caldwell shares a handful of the reasons she loves her town.
Capturing Community
My office is the former Bank of Spearfish from the 1920s and is on the Spearfish Historical Society’s walking tour. That in itself makes it the coolest place to be every day. My prized possession inside the office is our Termesphere. We have one in the visitor’s center and one on the clock tower outside of the building. Dick Termes is a Spearfish icon, and his gallery is a must see.
Constantly Caffeinated
You will rarely see me without a cup of coffee in hand; Spearfish is home to 10 coffee shops, currently. I never turn down a cup of good coffee, but I do have a daily date with the oldest coffee shop in Spearfish, Common Grounds. I’m a bit partial to the owner, my cousin Corey Brost and his wife, Kelli. I hear they come from good stock.
Nibs, Nobs, and Nature
My other daily date is with Spearfish Canyon. I start and end my day with a “decompression drive” to Bridal Veil Falls. It’s only 5.8 miles from town. I go up just after sunrise, play a couple of games of cribbage on my phone, listen to the sound of the water echoing off the canyon walls, and hope to see my mountain goat friends, if they are feeling social. I take my cribbage and my canyon drives seriously.
Raise a Glass
Coffee isn’t the only brew I choose. I’m a sucker for a Raspberry Kolsch at Sawyer Brewing, and am equally a sucker for their patio seating overlooking Spearfish Creek. The Canyon Cream Ale is my go to from Spearfish’s original brewery, Crow Peak Brewing [Company]. And I’ll never turn down a Yellow Jacket Light Ale from Spearfish Brewing [Company]. Afterall, it’s the official beer of Black Hills State University Athletics.
5 Random Facts
+ I bake and decorate cookies all the time (at least a couple of thousand a year). I rarely start a batch of cookies before 8 p.m. I’m an insomniac.
+ We have two daughters. Phoebe just graduated with a degree in business and marketing currently operates as the Visit Spearfish office and visitor information coordinator. Sophia is a sophomore in college pursuing a degree in civil engineering and plays college softball.
+ I can write backwards in cursive almost as fast as I can forward—one perk of being left-handed.
+ Marching band drum cadences give me goosebumps. Marching bands generally make me choke up. I have no idea why.
+ I love grocery shopping. On Saturday mornings, I go to every grocery store in Spearfish and usually at least one of the local farmers’ markets. I go down every aisle, literally.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
We are a bat-and-ball sport family. In our free time, you can find us cheering on Black Hills State University Softball; I have a crush on one of the volunteer assistant coaches (who might be my husband, Jeff). [We also are frequently] spending the day at a Spearfish Sasquatch baseball game.
Game Day Grub
Speaking of athletics, the Stadium Sports Grill has my go-to game day food—marinated beef tips. The more rare, the better. If I’m looking to mix things up, I either want a Frickle Burger from Lucky’s 13 Pub, or some freshly sourced pork carnitas nachos from Barbacoa’s Burritos and Wraps.
Can’t-Miss Meal
The Farmhouse Bistro and Bar is a great date night choice. If you’ve never had their Mediterranean Plate, you should; it’s fantastic. It features Margie’s Blue Cheese dressing as one of the condiments. When Meredith Pangburn opened the restaurant, she called me and asked if she could have our Ainsworth-family recipe from the former Spearfish staple, Margie’s Dinner Club. The Ainsworth family was humbled to be asked and thrilled to share the recipe.
