We had the pleasure of attending the Mt. Rushmore Lighting Ceremony while we were staying in Hill City, SD. Mt. Rushmore was only about 15 minutes from the RV (Firehouse Campground) park we were staying in.
We arrived at Mt. Rushmore about 7 PM and the ceremony started at 9 PM. That gave us a lot of time to check out the park, visit the gift shop, and secure a seat on the terrace where we had some back support. There are trails in the park that we plan on hiking when we return.
The lighting ceremony started at 9 PM with a park ranger giving a ten minute “patriotic speech.” We were pleased that it was truly patriotic. That was followed by a 20-minute movie featuring each of the presidents represented on the sculpture. At the end of the movie everyone stood for the national anthem. The ceremony ended when the park ranger invited all active and retired military personnel up to the stage to be honored. It was a moving experience than ended with a couple of the military members lowering the flag. If you are ever in the area this is a great event to attend. For more information see Evening Lighting Ceremony – Mount Rushmore National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)