Custer State Park, SD -(Ammoland.com)- More than 14,000 people attended the 49th annual Buffalo Roundup on Sept. 26 at Custer State Park, matching crowd records from the previous six years.
“This has grown to an awesome event, and we are happy to share a little piece of the Old West with those guests who come from around the world to witness it,” said Craig Pugsley, visitor service coordinator at Custer State Park.
Pugsley a 37-year veteran of the Buffalo Roundup remembers his first roundup when about 200 visitors watched in awe as the Buffalo were driven across the prairie and into the corrals.
“For many of our guests it truly is a once in a life time opportunity and we hear over and over, ‘this was on my bucket list.’ It is an event that rekindles people’s passion and interest in the American West,” Pugsley noted.
Today a lot more planning goes into organizing the event which now includes the Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival.
“This year we decided to start the Arts Festival on Friday afternoon, so those in the area would have more options to pursue following the Roundup,” said Custer State Park Superintendent Matt Snyder. “We had good numbers on Friday and Saturday but crowds thinned out a bit on Sunday. All in all attendance was up slightly as compared to last year.”
The annual Roundup serves as a tool to help manage the park’s buffalo herd. About 270 buffalo will be sold at the park’s annual auction on Saturday, Nov. 15. For additional information on the auction, contact the park at 605-255-4515 or email CusterStatePark@state.sd.us.
Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup. The American Bus Association has named the Roundup its top event for 2015.
Upcoming Buffalo Roundups will be held on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, and Friday, Sept. 30, 2016.
About The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP)
The purpose of the Department of Game, Fish and Parks is to perpetuate, conserve, manage, protect, and enhance South Dakota’s wildlife resources, parks, and outdoor recreational opportunities for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the people of this state and its visitors, and to give the highest priority to the welfare of this state’s wildlife and parks, and their environment, in planning and decisions.