In the 76 years that the Sturgis Methodist Church has hosted its annual Mother-Daughter Banquet, the women from Susan Chaplin's family have come together to break bread and share their own company. Their bonds, as well as those of 500 other mothers and daughters, are particularly strong.

In South Dakota towns, where the social fabric of family life may be more tightly woven than in more transient communities, the "best friend" mother-daughter bond seems especially resilient. And while the banquet's meal and program are noteworthy, it has been the time enjoyed by mothers, daughters, grandmothers, granddaughters and sisters-in-law that has made the event a family tradition.

"This is special. It is a community event that people have turned out for. We've been doing so for 76 years," Chaplin said.

Chaplin, 72, first began attending the banquet as a child with her mother, Elva Gapp, now 92, and her grandmother, the late Anna Gapp, who attended the very first banquet 76 years ago.

Last week, Chaplin and her mother joined daughter Christy Paris, granddaughter Hope Paris, Chaplin's husband's, granddaughter Katryn Chaplin and Mary Gapp, Chaplin's sister-in-law, for the annual family affair.

Chaplin's husband, Roger, was one of the church men who served the meal of chicken breast, baked potato and all the trimmings. "We met at the Mother-Daughter Banquet," she said of her husband of 20 years. After their initial meeting, they began seeing each other and were married about a year later.

"It was interesting, to say the least," she said.

Reaching out to include her daughter, granddaughters and mother is just how she was raised. While Chaplin has a group of friends that she socializes with, she still remains close to the women in her family. "We do family things all the time," she said.

A recent survey by Kelton Research bears her out: 71 percent of women ages 21 to 54 said they considered their mother "one" of their best friends, a sentiment most keenly felt by women surveyed in the Northeast at 78 percent, compared with women in the Western region of the country - which includes South Dakota - at 61 percent.

Chaplin says taking time to picnic together, share weekend visits in the summer and plan big family holidays is all part of their routine of staying in touch.

The banquet signals the first glimmer of school vacations, gardens and summer fun.

"It's just a special occasion that we all look forward to attending. It's something that we've done forever," she said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.