As Crazy Horse Memorial turns 60 this year, we are reminded, once again, just how much can be accomplished with perseverance, patience and promotion.

The monument to the great Lakota warrior Crazy Horse that sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began blasting into a mountainside near Custer in 1948 celebrated its 60th anniversary with twin blasts on June 3 - one small commemorative blast to honor the past and a larger one designed to further progress on the world's largest mountain carving.

As his 81-year-old widow, Ruth, watched from the viewing terrace below, she explained the story of Crazy Horse Memorial this way: "… you can do anything if you stick with it and don't quit."

Hard work, combined with a talent for attracting international publicity, has been the Ziolkowski family credo, and the memorial's formula for success, for the last 60 years. Most recently, NBC news personality Ann Curry broadcast a "Today Show" report while hanging from the carving.

This week's anniversary program included a tribute to Ziolkowski's dream from Lakota Olympic gold medal winner Billy Mills and a congressional resolution sponsored by Sens. Tim Johnson and John Thune praising the sculpture.

"The Crazy Horse Memorial is a symbol of the rich history and culture of South Dakota," Johnson said in a press release. "It is fitting that we should honor the decades of hard work that have gone into constructing this memorial, as well as honoring the Lakota people for their contribution to the great state of South Dakota."

The birthday party will continue all year with a series of special events, starting with the 2008 Crazy Horse Memorial Volksmarch on Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8. Once a year, the public is invited to hike to the top of the mountain carving. It's a unique opportunity and one we urge everyone to take advantage of at least once in their lifetime.

A less taxing way to celebrate the carving's 60th birthday would be at the Black Hills Playhouse debut production of "Dreams Carved in Stone," that runs June 5-8 and June 10-15.

Congratulations to everyone at Crazy Horse Memorial on the accomplishments of the first 60 years and our best wishes for the next 60.