Steve Thorpe Award History

Dave & Bonnie Guerre met Steve Thorpe in 2010.  He was a street performer on Hill City's Main Street in front of the Harley Davidson store, with a guitar case full of plastic harmonicas, which he gave to kids who stopped to listen to him. Steve was a singer, song writer, author, and newspaper writer for the Rapid City Journal. He wrote an occasional entertainment column. One of the columns was, "Open mic acts rock the room in Hill City". 

Steve was a regular at Open Mic along with Paul Larson, George "Fire Wolf" Nelson, and Chris Voyles.  Around 2013, Chris passed away, Steve had a collapsed lung, Paul injured his neck in a construction accident and Wolf had carpal tunnel surgery. So, Dave suggested that the Arts Council recognize these musicians while they were still around and could play music.

Kristin Donnan, Arts Council President at that time, and her husband, Grant Standard, owned Black Hills Bronze. They agreed to create and donate a number of bronze harmonicas, along with the Guerre’s $100 cash donation for the first ever Steve Thorpe Music Award in 2014.

Steve Thorpe Award past winners are:

            2014 - Steve Thorpe

            2015 – Mark Williams

            2016 – Paul Larson

            2017 – Kim Plender

            2018 – Hank & Marianne Fridell

            2019 – Steve Linde

            2020 – No winner due to Covid

            2021 – Brent Morris

            2022 – Sherl Cederburg

            2023 - Jill & Allen Kirkham

            2024 - Carson Brown

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And so, the tradition continues!