Cresbard, SD Homepage

Cresbard, founded in 1906, is a small, friendly, rural community located along SD Highway 20 on the open prairie of North Central South Dakota. The primary economy is agriculture, but abundance of wild game (pheasant, geese, ducks, deer, etc.) make it a haven for hunters from October through December each year.

Cresbard is home to several businesses including a US post office, a hotel/restaurant, and an automotive service station and a bank. Our business page provides a complete list of all area businesses that are essential for this community's liveliness.

We have a museum, excellent community center facility, Senior Citizens center, and several churches in the community, which can provide for almost all denominations.

Small Towns have much to celebrate
by Ruth Wood

    It has been said that a small town is where a person can talk 15 minutes to a wrong number or the news of a highway mishap makes it back to town before you do.
    Yes, this fits Cresbard. This town is no different from many others in the area. There isn't much left. The grocery store, the hardware, the drug store, the movie theater, the implement dealer, the elevator, the lumberyard and the laundromat have all closed. Some closed so long ago that most people have forgotten they ever existed. This town has had its share of ups and downs - winning bands, championship basketball teams and tragic accidents.
    Cresbard is getting ready to celebrate its centennial in 2006. The centerpiece of this celebration will be the All-School Reunion, which has been held every five years since the golden anniversary. For this celebration the school will be closed, too. Is there anything left to celebrate?
    Recently Cresbard went through the wrenching decision of how to handle the situation of falling enrollment and lack of funds for the school district. It took diligent work on the part of the school board and several superintendents. When the patrons were sent questionnaires to assess the feeling of the community, it wasn't a choice of "take it or leave it" like other districts are presenting. There was every possible choice and every possible combination. It took a lot of time to analyze these preferences and to map them. This whole process took a couple of years. After many informational meetings and several revisions of the boundary lines, we were finally ready to vote. The consolidation plan passed with only 28 "no" votes out of four school districts. That was definitely a mandate! It was a win/win situation for all districts involved.
    Cresbard is the envy of the other districts that are in the midst of consolidation battles. They all have drawn lines in the sand and no one is going to give. Yes, I think Cresbard has something to celebrate.
    A person hits a streak of bad luck. Maybe it has to do with health or a fire or an accident. The cause really doesn't matter, but the community rallies around this person. This weekend there was a benefit for one of these unfortunate people. It was a simple event - just pancakes, eggs and sausage served on Sunday noon. It was the largest event of this kind ever held in Cresbard. It was even larger than the one that was held last fall when it was the largest to date. It brought together not only the community of Cresbard, but the entire county and many people who had once lived here. Everyone knows that much more important than the money raised is the solidarity and show of support for one of its own. Suddenly politics, religion and the other hot button items that separate people do not matter. We are all simply people who care
    A small town is a place where we cannot lie about our age, our background or our school pranks. There will always be someone around who remembers all of the facts (or will supply them anyway). There is no need to put on airs or pretense. It wouldn't do any good because we would be exposed. We can be ourselves because even though our neighbors know all our good and bad points, they accept us. We may not particularly like each other, but we have learned to work together for a common goal. We share a history that transcends other differences.
    Small towns are disappearing, and America will be poorer because of it. They know how to pull together for a common cause and the people of small towns can be depended on to help in times of need. Does Cresbard have something to celebrate as it reaches the century mark? I think so as long as community spirit is alive and well.

Ruth Wood, Cresbard, is a retired teacher, farmwife, the mother of three and grandmother of 11. Write to her at the American News, P.O. Box 4430, Aberdeen, SD 57402, or e-mail americannews@aberdeennews.com.