Dean Shaffer Production

03/28/2026

The pieces are coming together for our 2026 Deadwood Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival in October! Stay tuned as we get the details ready!

Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival

Almost a week ago we took a planning trip up to Deadwood, had some great meetings and got to welcome in some new venues for this years festival. We met with the great crew at the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and came up with some exciting things to help grow the entire songwriters weekend this October for our artist!

We look forward to welcoming in 4 more venues to this years Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival making a total of 8 spots for TOT. Although we are still 7 months away, the landscape has changed greatly for the better in the past 5 months and there are still so many things to roll out between now and then!! Make plans now to attend the songwriters weekend Oct 15th-17th 2026

Dean Shaffer Production
Bill Summers Ford Honda Nissan
KBEAR 92.3
Rask Guitars
Herostock
Thayer County Bank

03/28/2026

We're back with another Trails of Tales Acoustic Session with The Welcome Hunters! Rumor has it Tyson Wessels and Logan Merz will be joining us at our 2026 Deadwood Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival in October! If you're enjoying what you're hearing, there will be 80 other talented singer/songrwiters performing alongside them over the weekend.

You should join us too!

03/13/2026

This event has grown to the point that we work on planning year round, not just a month or two anymore! We're working diligently to improve and grow this event, and we're excited to show you our hard work!

Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival

Happy Thursday everyone, I just wanted to reach out because it’s been a few days. We had a gap in artist recording the acoustic sessions for a little over a month therefore as maybe you have noticed we haven’t been posting daily!! We are stockpiling some content as the season is nearing its end and will be back to posting shortly!! However we have been working diligently on some things for this upcoming year that will change the game in a positive way for the foreseeable future of the TOT!!

As our event later this year in Deadwood seems so far away it will be here before you know it, we are thankful for all the artist past, present and future and can’t wait to roll out the continuing good news in the coming months!!!

We are headed to Deadwood next Thursday for some early planning so we will all be in touch soon!! Stay tuned!!

Dean Shaffer Production
Alex Kucera
Caleb Kenner Official
D.J. Bridwell
Audigo Labs
Bill Summers Ford Honda Nissan
Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival

02/24/2026

We're very excited to announce that Caleb Kenner has joined the Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival team as the Director of Partnerships & Development! Caleb brings a strong entrepreneurial and communicative background that will enhance our relationships moving forward!

It takes a team, so please welcome Caleb to the crew!!

🤝 Welcome Caleb Kenner to the Trails of Tales Team 🤝

We’re excited to officially welcome Caleb Kenner as our Director of Partnerships & Development for Trails of Tales.

Many of you already know Caleb as an artist who has performed at our 2025 Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival and our Artist Showcase, but he has recently stepped into a larger role as we continue to grow what this brand is creating.

As an entrepreneur and strong communicator, Caleb brings a relationship-driven approach that fits perfectly with the direction of Trails of Tales. He will be helping us focus on partnerships, long-term relationships, and the continued development of the Trails of Tales platform as a whole.

This role is about more than sponsorships — it’s about building meaningful connections that support artists, strengthen our community, and help us continue expanding opportunities for regional talent.

Trails of Tales is not just about a single event or a single stage. It’s about what we are building together for artists and the future of live, authentic songwriting experiences. We’re proud to have Caleb stepping into this role as we move forward!

Dean Shaffer Production

02/18/2026

If you're up in the Fremont area, check out Southernstyle Fremont! Supporting local live music is key, and these guys know it!

One goal in mind, we both share it with so many others!! Love and Support, live, local, regional, gut felt, well deserved performers and performances!!! Southern Style is putting their best foot forward to create something local to all of us that provides support for our favorite local musicians, a place for them to be seen and heard, and the only thing in return they ask is YOU!!! Just you!! Show up, share your experiences with, from and for a venue that wants our artist to grow!! Thanks Southern Style!!

Dean Shaffer Production

02/13/2026

3 days of free live music, and plenty of sights and 🎰🎲!! Make plans to joining us in Deadwood this year, October 15th-17th!

https://facebook.com/events/s/2026-deadwood-trails-of-tales-/1156176569760129/

Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival
Herostock
SneakR Link

🚨 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

The 3rd Annual Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival is officially returning to
📍 Deadwood, South Dakota
📅 October 15–17, 2026

Three days.
Multiple historic venues.
Dozens of incredible artists.
One unforgettable weekend of live music and storytelling.

This festival was built to give independent artists a real stage and a real audience — and year after year, the support has grown beyond anything we imagined.

🎶 The best part?
It is completely FREE to attend.
No tickets. No cover. Just authentic music, intimate songwriter rounds, and an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else.

Our artists travel, perform, and pour their hearts into this event because they believe in what Trails of Tales is creating. If you enjoy the music, we strongly encourage tipping — it goes directly to the performers and helps keep this festival thriving.

👇 MARK YOURSELF GOING & SHARE THE EVENT 👇
https://facebook.com/events/s/2026-deadwood-trails-of-tales-/1156176569760129/�

Inviting friends, sharing the event, and engaging with posts truly helps this grow and reach more fans who love live music.

🤝 We are also actively seeking additional sponsors who want to support independent artists and be part of a rapidly growing regional music event in Deadwood.

Artist announcements, venue reveals, and major updates are coming soon.

Let’s make Year 3 the biggest Trails of Tales yet.
See you in Deadwood. 🎤🔥

Dean Shaffer Production

02/10/2026

It's huge to celebrate 4500 followers on the Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival page! If you aren't following along, I encourage you to go check it out!

The purpose behind Trails of Tales is to highlight and showcase the amazing talent we have right here at home. We host several events each year with opportunities to see these musicians live, and we post a new Trails of Tales Acoustic Session each morning!

Also, make plans to join us in Deadwood, SD October 15th-17th for our 3rd Annual Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival! More details coming on that, but you know it'll be BIG!

SneakR Link
Rask Guitars

Thanks to everyone for following us on the Trails!! Please continue to Share the content, invite your friends to the page and help discover these talented artist and continue to support live music in the most free way possible!!

Help us on the road to 5k and invite your friends list today!! Thanks a million!!

Dean Shaffer Production
Trails of Tales Songwriter Festival

02/06/2026

Big announcement from Juniata Days today!! Jaden Schumacher & Savanna Chestnut and The Field Hands will both be performing!!

Put this on your calendar, and we'll see you there!

***CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT*** Join us Saturday July 11th for big performances from Jaden Schumacher & Savanna Chestnut and The Field Hands as part of our JUNIATA DAYS celebration! Help us with this announcement by Liking and Sharing this post.