Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Mountain lion crashes Deadwood woman's hot tub soak


Morning hot tub session turns into close encounter with mountain lion similar to image.

By Tim Velder, Lawrence County Journal Saturday, December 08, 2007

DEADWOOD -- Despite sitting in a hot, bubbling Jacuzzi on her deck Thursday morning, Marlene Todd froze. She had just eased into in the hot tub a little after 7 a.m. on the deck of her Spring Street home when she heard some rustling beside her. There was a mountain lion, crouching less than a foot away.

The lion must have been equally surprised. It was cornered somewhat because the deck stairs blocked its retreat. It would have to go up and over the hot tub."It just took a leap. It jumped on the side of the hot tub," Todd said. "We locked eyes, and it kicked off of the hot tub and ran away.

When it jumped, it flipped my robe into the hot tub."Todd immediately cut short her soak and wrapped herself in her wet robe, slipped on her shoes, secured the lid on the hot tub and went inside her house.

She summoned Deadwood police, who surmised that the lion was stalking some deer that were in the neighborhood. Police also speculated that the mountain lion was staying near the warmth of the hot tub on the frosty morning. "I didn't need caffeine this morning, I know that," Todd said.

This was Todd's third brush with a mountain lion in the past two years. The first time, she saw a one near her neighbor's car early one morning. One night in April, her husband awoke to the sound of their dog barking and looked outside to see something dash away -- something that left big cat prints in the snow on the front steps. Todd was shaken by the intimate encounter and the possibility she could have been hurt. "I'm freaked," Todd said later. "Now that it's said and done,

I've gotten a close personal look at a lion. It could have been way bad, if it would have slipped and fell in the tub with me. Todd said her husband was not home at the time, and she doesn't plan to go near the hot tub without a companion."I'm not going to go out there for a while," she said.

Todd said she left her office in the Lawrence County Courthouse early Thursday, wanting to go home before dark. Another reason Todd was so shaken by the close call is that she lives in one of the older neighborhoods of Deadwood. "We live in the city limits. We're in town, and this is the third time," she said. "I now know what a goldfish feels like in a bowl when the cat is looking at it."

You can contact Tim Velder at 642-8822, ext. 17.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

From Bob Heller another Vern Clark Picture



HELLO TO EVERYONE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS. HELLER

HI DICK. I FOUND THAT OTHER 1968 PICTURE OF VERN CLARK. I DON'T KNOW WHERE BUT IT MIGHT BE AT THE CANYON LAKE CLUB IN RAPID CITY AS I THINK BILL TURGEON WAS THERE ABOUT THAT TIME OR IT WAS AT CENTRAL CITY. ANY WAY I TRIED TO BLOW IT UP AND COULDN'T KEEP IT THAT WAY. HOPE YOU CAN. I'M GOING TO PUT IT ON BLACK HILLS MUSIC NETWORK TOO. BOB HELLER


Bob included his own picture on roller skates too. The lady with Vern is unidentified.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Now you know . . .


Thursday, December 6, 2007

Vintage Theater Seats


The first picture is the Deadwood Theater around the early 1900's. This theater was across the steet from the Franklin Hotel and burned down in 1952. Do you remember the name of the James Cagney movie that was playing?

In the second picture, Martha and Ernestine (stage names) try out the antique theater seats that are in active use on the top floor of the Deadwood Masonic Temple Building. These seats were salvaged from another old theater (Bella Union?) on lower Main Street and are available for public viewing. The old stage backdrop from the DHS Auditorium was also salvaged, restored and installed on the stage that these seats face.

Picture Credits: The Deadwood Theater is from John Korneman. The seats are from Bill Beshara.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

New - Black Hills Live from Rapid City Journal

See Deadwood news: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/entertainment/news_viewer_complete.php?category=104 .

Select "Home" and view many venues of the Black Hills Area.