This week’s Field Notes looks a little different. Instead of the usual rundown, it felt like a good time to step back and show what BHAB is becoming, and how it’s meant to be used.
Black Hills Art Beat grew out of a familiar frustration: trying to figure out what’s happening meant bouncing between posts, flyers, scattered calendars, and word of mouth …and still missing things. The goal wasn’t to build just another calendar, it was to create something that actually works.
More people are starting to use it each week, and that’s been the clearest signal that it’s heading in the right direction. At the same time, there are always things we can be doing to make it better. With a rare bit of downtime this felt like the right moment to walk through what makes BHAB different. Every part of the site has been built with intention to solve real problems that come up when trying to find or promote events. That approach makes it possible to create tools that are more useful than a standard calendar, even if they are not always obvious at first.
PROBLEM
Community calendars get bloated with too many irrelevant events, and social platforms show you things too late or not at all.
SOLUTION
The filter lets you shape the calendar into what you actually want to see. Search for your favorite artist, narrow it down by town or venue, or turn off what you’re not interested in.
1. BHAB’s Filter System
PROBLEM
Too much noise
Community calendars get bloated with too many irrelevant events, and platforms like Facebook either show you things too late or not at all.
SOLUTION
BHAB’s Filter System
The filter lets you shape the calendar into what you actually want to see. Search for your favorite artist, narrow it down by town or venue, or turn off what you’re not interested in.
2. Add the events to your calendar
PROBLEM
I saw it too late / I forgot about it
I hear about something after it’s already happened, or I meant to go and forgot about it.
SOLUTION
Stay on top of it
You can add any event directly to your calendar so it’s there when you need it. And if you don’t want to keep checking, the Beat Drop shows up once a week with a clear look at what’s coming up.
3. NEW! Artists Profile’s & Directory
PROBLEM
Who is this, and when can I see them again?
I see a name I don’t recognize, or one I do, but I can’t make that show and want to know if they’re playing again soon.
SOLUTION
Artist Profiles
Artist profiles bring everything into one place. You can learn more about the artist, see what they’re connected to, and when they have something coming up, find where to catch them next.
4. NEW! Venue Pages & Directory
PROBLEM
What’s happening at my spots?
I want to know who’s playing at a few different places this weekend, but I don’t want to dig through each one separately to figure it out.
SOLUTION
Stay on top of it
Quickly check what’s happening at each venue without bouncing all over the internet. See what’s coming up at each venue and move between them easily, whether you’re checking your usual spots or exploring somewhere new.
5. NEW! Festivals & Series
PROBLEM
Big events are hard to follow
Big events like Summer Nights or Kool Deadwood Nights are spread out across multiple days and have separate event listings, and it’s hard to get a clear sense of what’s happening without piecing it together.
SOLUTION
Festivals/Series all in one place
Multi-day events and series are grouped together now so you can see the full lineup and decide where you want to drop in without digging through separate listings.
How you can help?
BHAB only works if people use it, share it, and if we build it together.
- Like, Share, Comment:
Interact with posts. That’s how more people see what’s happening. - Spread the word:
Word of mouth goes a long way around here. If it comes up, tell people about it. - Get it in front of people:
Hang a poster or throw up a sticker somewhere people will actually see it. If you want materials, reach out and we’ll get you some. - Submit your events:
Keep the calendar useful. If you’ve got something going on, put it on there. - Contribute:
If you’ve got a story, reach out. The Pulse is there to highlight what’s happening, and there’s room for more voices. - Make connections:
If you’re connected to artists or venues, help make introductions. The stronger the network gets, the better this works for everyone.
Even just visiting the site regularly helps more than you think.
If you do have the means to support it financially, that helps keep things moving too.
You can donate, subscribe, or sponsor events on the calendar. Those sponsored spots help push events forward and support the platform at the same time.
BHAB works when people use it to find things, promote what they’re doing, and show up for each other.
Local Listening
So that is a look at what makes BHAB different, and it is not stopping there. There is a growing backlog of ideas and improvements that are already in motion, all focused on making it easier to find what is happening and stay connected to it.
If there is something that feels missing or a problem you keep running into, that kind of input is always welcome. A lot of what is here exists because those gaps were noticed and worked through, and there is always more to build.
If you want to help push it forward, take a look at the “how can you help” section. Whether it is using the site, sharing it, or adding events to the calendar, it all helps make this a stronger and more useful resource for everyone.