Each year is a new beginning and what a great “beginning of 2007” we enjoyed by attending the Annual BBISD Conference which was hosted by the BHB&L region and held in Keystone. Our accommodations were comfortable, our meetings were productive, and the warmth and friendships shared among us could only be compared to the sunshine and warmth provided by “Mother Nature” that weekend. Each year, following the conference, we put our heads together and ask ourselves, “How can we relay to our other members, the warm feelings of connecting and bonding we experience?” Attending the BBISD conference is a very vital way to meet other innkeepers, share ideas, put a face with a name, and to feel like you are part of our great association.

Chair: Carla & Ron Kaaz, Foote Creek B&B, Aberdeen
Vice Chair: Linda & Jim Steele, Eagle’s View B&B, Ft. Pierre
*Secretary: Joyce Jobgen, Homestead B&B, Scenic,
Treasurer: Eileen Rossow, Peregrine Pointe B&B, Rapid City
*Membership and Historian: Bob & Pat Meakim, Custer Mansion B&B, Custer
Marketing: Judy Parker The Barn B&B, Geddes
Regional Directors:
*Black Hills & Badlands: Marilyn Oakes, Buffalo Rock Lodge, Keystone
*Great Lakes: Jim & Linda Steele, Eagle’s View B&B, Ft. Pierre
*Glacier Lakes: Ron & Carla Kaaz, Foote Creek B&B, Aberdeen
Southeast: Ila Rumbolz, der Rumbolz Platz, Ethan
*Newsletter Editor: Nancy Roth, Apple Annie’s B&B, Rapid City
*Notice the * mark in front of 6 of the board positions! These are specific positions on the board which need to be filled by election or appointment. Joyce Jobgen, Secretary, has closed her B&B. Other board members have “termed out” or are doing double duty. If you are interested in serving on the BBISD Board, please contact Carla or Ron Kaaz at ftcrkbnb@nrctv.com Serving on the board is rewarding and fun!

Hi fellow innkeepers, As I write this, we’re receiving a light dusting of snow and the outdoor thermometer is registering +10 degrees, no wind. What a beautiful day for sledding and snow angels.

We had a wonderful turn-out for the BBISD Annual Conference held in January at the K Bar S, just outside of Keystone. A beautiful location, great food and many great ideas were exchanged. Thank you again to the committee for all their fine work. Next year’s conference will be held in the Glacial Lakes area following the South Dakota Tourism Conference.

BBISD has received a gift of four motivational tapes to begin a reference library. The audio tapes, published by PAII, are titled “A Preview of Emerging Lifestyles and Travel Trends”, by Dr. Peter C. Yesawich, "Inn Your Gift Shop”, by T. Wilk & V. Hunsberger, and a set of two tapes “Beyond Guest Service in Cyberspace: B&B Technology Strategies and the Answers You’re Looking For”, by Glen Christopher. If you are interested in “checking out” the tapes, please give me a call or e-mail me and I’ll send your choice (877-922-1716 or ftcrkbnb@nrctv.com). Some of you may recall that Dr. Yesawich was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s SD Tourism Conference. He’s worth the listen. Thank you, Betty & Larry Swick, for sharing these tapes.

Marilyn & Art Oakes have graciously agreed to host the BBISD Board Retreat on March 30 & 31 at Buffalo Rock Lodge. At this meeting we will be discussing the marketing plan for the association, reviewing the by-laws, electing board positions, and taking care of other business. We’re asking attendees to bring a sack lunch. The meeting will start Friday at 12:30 p.m. Mountain Time. We’ll work until around 5 p.m. then stop for dinner (we’ll pick a restaurant – Dutch treat) then reconvene the meeting at 9 a.m., MDT, on Saturday morning. We’ll adjourn at noon and send everyone on their way. The meeting is open to all membership, and we’d appreciate your presence and input. Just let us know your desire to attend. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we’ll be holding the meeting via conference call.

We have quite a few openings available on the BBISD Board, and as they say “Many hands make light work.” We’ve cut down on traveling by doing the conference calls for our meetings. BBISD is picking up the cost, so it costs nothing for a member inn to be included in the call. If you are busy, you’re the one we need. Please consider becoming involved in helping to promote the bed and breakfast industry in South Dakota. Apple Annie's, Flavia's, Vixie's Victorian Villa and the Steever House were all elected to the Board and positions will be determined at the retreat at Buffalo Rock Lodge on March 30 and 31.

We’d like to welcome Talk of the Town (new owners Mary Beth & Dan Sutton, Flandreau), Clark’s Prairie Gold (E. Clark Edwards, Letcher), Vixie’s Victorian Villa (Dennis & Vixie Miller, Rapid City) Smiling Bear (Sam & Linda Brown, Hill City) and Victoria’s Country B&B (Victoria Johnson, Wall) to BBISD. Please stop by these inns if you’re in the area, or give them a call, and let them know that we appreciate them.

Thank you to all of our members for your continued commitment to increasing awareness of the B&B industry in South Dakota. Give us a call or e-mail us with your comments, questions or concerns. Hope to see you in March at the retreat.

Carla & Ron Kaaz, BBISD Chair, Foote Creek B&B, Aberdeen

The 2007 BBISD Annual Conference was a big success, with 27 inns participating and almost 50 innkeepers…that is over 50% of our membership. BBISD members arrived at the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone shortly after noon for the annual meeting.*(Minutes sent separately). In the evening we gathered in the dining room for a delicious meal followed by an interesting and informative presentation on “Niche Marketing” given by Robert Sharp, advertising and marketing company owner in Rapid City *(Notes sent separately). Following the dinner, guests were treated to delicious, decadent chocolates and spirited wine tasting. BBISD members Eldon and Sherry Nygaard of Valiant Vineyards Winery at Buffalo Run Resort B&B of Vermillion graciously provided the wine.

Saturday morning, members gathered in the gazebo lodge for a buffet style breakfast. Area BBISD members, Holly House, Double Diamond, Custer Mansion, Ghost Canyon, Emerald Pines, Peregrine Pointe, Jenny Gulch, The Anchorage, Buffalo Rock Lodge, Apple Annie’s, and Vixie’s Victorian Villa, prepared delicious dishes and shared their tasty recipes. Following breakfast, Eldon Nygaard, who is also a legislator, gave us some insights on the proposed liquor license for serving only South Dakota wines. We then broke into groups for round-table discussions. *(Comments sent separately).

The group then retreated back to the meeting room and enjoyed presentations by three of our BBISD member inns. Darla Loewen of Possibility Farms B&B near Huron shared her experiences hosting staff members of “Midwest Living” publications. Write ups, recipes, and pictures of their wheat harvest and buffalo herd have been featured in a special vacation issue of “Midwest Living” magazine, a Taste of the Midwest feature book, and a documentary on Iowa PBS-TV. Darla and Harold are members of their area Chamber of Commerce and work with SD Tourism.

Larry and Betty Swick spoke on their Wakpamni B&B, situated on land purchased by Larry’s family in the 1920’s. Guests from all over the world stay at their B&B and are very interested in our Native American culture (their niche). They are members of BBISD and PAII. Betty also enjoys her adjacent gift shop “which has expanded into the dining room”. Guests enjoy being able to buy souvenirs. Larry’s advice, “You must have FUN!”

Sara Steever of Steever House B&B in Lennox is managing and revamping our www.southdakotabb.com website. She is working on making our site more “search engine friendly” and is helping to develop our INN-Route information. Sara offered a great deal of information; we hope to hear more from Sara in the future’ and we are grateful to have Sara’s expertise helping BBISD.

For some members, it was time to depart. Other participants then caravanned to area B&B inns who welcomed us with a tour and more tasty treats! Each inn is unique in its décor, but each innkeeper shares the common attribute of being gracious and welcoming. The inns visited were, Vixie’s Victorian Villa, Double Diamond, Emerald Pines, Holly House, Custer Mansion, and The Anchorage. The day culminated with a light dinner at a restaurant in Hill City.

A big thank you goes out to all of the innkeepers and participants who made this 2007 BBISD conference a HUGE success!

“Sunrise to Sunset in South Dakota II” BBISD cookbooks are hot-off-the-press! BBISD member Coral Sand of Sand Creek B&B in Spearfish, as well as Sand Creek Printing, put in long hours producing the cookbooks and personally delivered over 400 copies to the conference. Members who submitted recipes now have their copies for resale. A limited number of the cookbooks are now available to other members and on our www.southdakotabb.com website. The cookbooks retail for $14. For information on ordering, contact Eileen Rossow, BBISD Treasurer, at info@peregrinebb.com Marilyn Oakes also deserves a big thank you for her hours typing recipes, proofreading, and striving to get the cookbooks delivered in time for the BBISD conference.

CRUST: 2 cups (36 wafers) finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies. (I have also used the chocolate graham crackers)
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tablespoons sugar

GANACHE: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

FILLING: 1 cup powdered sugar
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (whipped)
2/3 cup peppermint candies crushed

Combine all crust ingredients in small bowl. Press onto bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Set aside.
Melt chocolate chips and 2/3 cup whipping cream in 1 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (4 to 5 minutes). Pour over crust. Place pan in freezer while making filling (at least 10 minutes).
Combine powdered sugar, cream cheese and peppermint extract in large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth and creamy (2 to 3 minutes). Gently stir in whipped cream and crushed candies. Spread evenly over ganache layer. Sprinkle with additional crushed candy if desired. Cover and freeze 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares to serve. Serve frozen or at room temperature. Store frozen.

Welcome our newest members, Talk of the Town (new owners Mary Beth & Dan Sutton, Flandreau), Clark’s Prairie Gold (E. Clark Edwards, Letcher), Vixie’s Victorian Villa (Vixie & Dennis Miller, Rapid City) Smiling Bear (Sam & Linda Brown, Hill City) and Victoria’s Country B&B (Victoria Johnson, Wall) to BBISD. Fortunately all of the new members joined BBISD in time to be included in the 2007 BBISD Directory brochure. If they are your neighbors, get to know the innkeepers, and remember to refer guests to their door.

Old Black Hills souvenirs, historic photos, map, brochure and rare video footage have been assembled into a Journey Museum show that tells the story of South Dakota’s second-largest industry...tourism. The exhibit, “Seeking the Hills: A Journey Through Black Hills Tourism” runs through Aug. 11 and is free of charge. Marilyn Oakes’ grandfather, C.C. Gideon designed the pigtail bridges on the Iron Mountain Road. Marilyn will be part of a series of Sunday afternoon talks on June 3, 2-4 p.m., on “Peter Norbeck’s Vision”.

The Jan/Feb 2007 issue of “South Dakota Magazine” features an article about C.C. Gideon titled “Black Hills Master Builder”. A nice column featuring the Buffalo Rock Lodge is included and ends with the line, “The land and nearby landmarks aren’t Buffalo Rock Lodge’s only connection to the BH master builder…of course, his granddaughter is happy to share memories.”

At this time, it is my plan, that this will be my last edition as editor of the “BBISD Snoozenews Newsletter”. I have been a member of BBISD for 10 years and for about 2/3 of those years I did the newsletter. When I first took on the task I spent days at my slower-than-slow inkjet printer putting out paper printed copies (in color!) of the newsletter. My husband is the one who referred to it as the Snoozenews and the title stuck. Now we have made the transition to sending the newsletter via email. It saves time, paper, and postage. I have thoroughly enjoyed the position; I feel, however, it is time for a new voice. I look forward to enjoying someone else’s written words. There is a talented member of BBISD in our midst ready to take over. I hope to continue on the BBISD Board in another capacity. I thank you.
Nancy Roth, Newsletter Editor
Apple Annie’s B&B, Rapid City