One of the best things about South Dakota are the small towns. Having grown up on a little farm near a small town just across the border in Minnesota, I suppose I have a special place in my heart for the small town, the place where everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows everyone else's business (or at least thinks they do!).

Having lived over the past several decades in just about every section of the Sunshine State, I've had the pleasure of visiting many of these small towns, and have gotten to know many of the friendliest people on the planet.

It was back in the early 1980s that I lived up in Brookings County and met Bruce. No, not a person, a town.

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If a town has a 'first name', generally speaking, you can count on 2 things: 1) It's probably small, and 2) The folks are some of the nicest you'll meet. And so it was (and is) with Bruce.

Founded in 1881, Bruce was originally called Lee. Apparently, the founding Father's and Mother's wanted to keep things simple! According to information, I found the town was either named for the son of a railroad official or for an African-American statesman. Either way, at least it's easy to pronounce!

204 folks call Bruce home, according to the 2010 census. When I lived up in the area in the early '80s there were a few more, and all of them were proud of many things...and one in particular.

You see, Bruce is one Honey of a town!

Each late July Bruce celebrates the annual Bruce Honey Festival, and 2021 is the 30th. From July 30th through August 1st it will have everything you want for one fantastic time. I found the events scheduled for this year's event on the city's website and it includes everything from a bean bag tournament, burger feed, car show, parade, street dance, and...well, get all the details here. It sounds to me like it's going to be Mardi Gras in Bruce South Dakota!

So, how about a nice summer South Dakota road trip? Destination...Bruce, a honey of a town.

Wikipedia and Travel South Dakota.com Contributed To This Article

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