Guh, South Dakota Squirrel Festival -- August 9

Welcome to the official website of

The Guh, South Dakota

Squirrel Festival

August 9^th, 2008 through August 24^th, 2008

For over a century now, the fine citizens of Guh, South Dakota have opened their hearths and homes to a growing crowd of squirrel enthusiasts. For two exciting weeks this summer, that tradition continues on the scale befitting a centennial celebration. Join the town of Guh and our lovable mascot Sydney the Squirrel (pictured) from August 9^th through the 24^th. We're gearing up for sixteen days of hot summer fun with our favorite bushy-tailed rodents.

The Squirrel Festival started simply in 1877, when the founders of Guh faced a time of hardship. Eight hundred settlers, facing a brutal winter with few provisions were left with little choice but to survive upon the region's sole natural bounty, the squirrel. In celebration of that brutal winter, the settlers decided to celebrate the squirrel for the first time in the summer of 1878. Unlike other festivals across this great nation, the Squirrel Festival begins strictly on August 9^th, the anniversary of the day the first squirrel returned to Guh's town square. From that very day in 1878, the squirrel became the official town rodent, feeders were placed throughout Guh, residents were encouraged to feed squirrels in Guh Park, and a prayer vigil was held. 130 years later, quite a bit has changed.

In 2007 we had our biggest year ever, with Guh and the surrounding areas becoming the temporary home for over eighty thousand bikers, as well as an additional one hundred fifteen thousand whiskey-drinking squirrel lovers. The prayer vigil still took place, but was eclipsed by the fifteen additional days of fistfights, drinking, drag racing, wet T-shirt contests, and over ninety bands on three stages, the largest of which was based in town square. Guh, South Dakota holds two Guinness World Records for the 2007 Squirrel Festival: Most Non-Fatal Injuries at an Outdoor Festival, and Largest Open-Pit Rodent Barbecue. Sadly, the Guinness World Record for Greatest Pregnancy Rate During a Festival was not beaten, and Guh's established record for 1993 will still be found in the Guinness Book of World Records.

A well-known local had such an incredible time at the 2007 Squirrel Festival that he gave us a quick statement: "I met all four of my wives at the festival, but last year I finally realized why it's a bad idea to have a family reunion in Guh during the Squirrel Festival. It was about the eighteenth or nineteenth last August, I'd been inside the bottle for damn near ten days. Must have blacked out, 'cause when I woke up I was with a familiar woman, nekkid. Holy shit, I'd gotten my sister pregnant at the Squirrel Festival!" As soon as I sobered up, I picked up this chick (pictured) outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on Main Street and left my sister enough scratch for a bus ticket."

How will this year's Squirrel Festival compare to last year's? Will the 5,800 residents of Guh have their insurance policies cancelled again? Nobody knows except the Squirrel Lovers. So far, the Jack Daniel's Distillery has added a second shift to meet demand, over seventy bands are scheduled, four soundstages are planned, and fifteen motorcycle clubs reserved campsites all over Guh. As it has been for years, the event is expected to draw over 220,000 visitors, condoms are free, and all misdemeanor drug and weapons possession charges are temporarily reduced to a $5 fine, payable in cash, during the month of August.