Youngs are parade marshals

When it comes to Gold Discovery Days royalty and dignitaries per capita, the Young family stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Three Young siblings—Kathy, Christy  and Tracy—were all Gold Discovery Days queens at one point.
Now, their parents, Bill and Linda Young, can add Gold Discovery Days parade marshals to their list of accolades.
The Youngs were named the marshals at the most recent Gold Discovery Days Chamber of Commerce Spring Fling, with Linda Young saying they were both surprised by the honor.
“I told Bill, ‘I’m surprised, because I thought it was just old people,’” she said with a laugh.
That the longtime Custer residents were named the marshals should come as no surprise. They have been a part of Gold Discovery Days for over 130 years combined, and have always treated the weekend as a family event.
Bill came to Custer in 1952 when he was in fifth grade, while Linda first came in the summers, beginning in 1963. Eventually the two married, and in addition to the three girls, also have son, Steve, who lives in Sioux Falls. Tracy and Kathy both live in Custer, while Christy lives in Colorado.
Bill has been a lifelong educator and worked seasonally for the Forest Service, while Linda also worked for the Forest Service. Now retired, Bill has been known to cut the grass at Rocky Knolls Golf Course, help out at Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home or substitute teach. As for Linda, she said she “just tries to keep track of him.”
“That’s a full-time job,” she said.
The Youngs look back on their Gold Discovery Days experiences fondly. In the 1950s Bill became active in the weekend by performing in the Pageant of Paha Sapa, first as a skunk, then as a gold troll. As he got older, he played more grown up roles in the pageant. Linda was in the pageant each year as well, spending many years in the living flag, and once in the sunflower.
In those early years both Youngs also served on the Gold Discovery Days Committee, as well. Bill and Red Zacher were in charge of the parade for years, while Linda was in charge of the annual dignitary dinner that was held at the former Skyway Restaurant.
Bill also helped organize the first fun run with Jack Sayles, and at that time was a self-described “hardcore runner,” so they started the race at Harbach Park and had participants run out past Stockade Lake and back into town.
“We only did that one year. It was too brutal,” Bill said with a laugh.
The next year the run was scaled back to the 5K fun run that happens each year on the Mickelson Trail.
The couple’s children were involved in the pageant as well, as the girls played a variety of roles and Steve followed in his dad’s footsteps starting as a skunk and gold troll.
“I thought he was going to hit someone throwing those gold sacks,” Linda said.
These days the two aren’t involved in the planning, but still have an appreciation for those who do it, having been there themselves.
“I admire the Gold Discovery Days Committee,” Bill said. “It was a lot of work. Accolades to those folks.”
The two especially enjoy the parade these days, and visiting with people when it is over. For Bill, the pageant remains his favorite memory of Gold Discovery Days, in particular when it was at its peak and the entire community would either participate in the pageant or be at Pageant Hill watching the performance.
“Everyone participated and volunteered,” he said.
Linda isn’t quite sure what her favorite Gold Discovery Days memory is, but she can remember her least favorite memory. At one time the Youngs owned a restaurant called Coney Corral, where Our Place is now located. One of the days during a Gold Discovery Days weekend—which everyone knows is one of the, if not the, busiest weekend of the year for businesses—the restaurant lost power, and she was scrambling to try to serve customers while also getting the power restored. As luck would have it, an electrician was one of the customers sitting and dining when the power went out.
“It was crazy,” she said. “And crazy busy.”
As parade marshals the Youngs will be the lead and guests of honor in the parade, but no doubt they, their children, and now grandchildren, will be plenty active throughout the weekend as they add another year to their Gold Discovery Days participation lore.
“It’s just a great honor,” Bill said. “We are thankful to the committee and community, as well as whoever nominated us.”