June 23, 2026

Two men who grew up in Plankinton, John Miller and Adam Scott, know how valuable a small-town bar can be.

Adam Scott and John Miller

“It’s not always the money value but the people value,” Miller said. “People go on a regular basis. It’s nowhere big and fancy, but they can have a few drinks, chat with friends, get over their day and get on with their day.”

When Miller would enter Walters Hi-Ho Tavern at 1014 E. Eighth St. after participating in a golf tournament, he felt that same sense of community, the same “cool small-town feel.” And he knew the owners, Monte and Larissa Patterson. He and Monte Patterson had been deployed together during their military enlistments.

When he heard a rumor that the Pattersons were interested in selling the storied dive bar, he and Scott contacted another military buddy, Dave Larson, the broker for the Pattersons. The two men sat down with Larson and the Pattersons, and as of July 1, will be the new owners of the Hi-Ho, the oldest bar in Sioux Falls to retain the same name.

Walters Hi-Ho is named after two brothers, George and Erv Walters, who owned it for more than a decade.

Miller and Scott are co-owners of Golf Addiction, which offers virtual golf and a bar and grill at 57th Street and Marion Road in Sioux Falls and in Fargo. They also operate WSM Properties, a property management company, and lease the land for Scooter’s Coffee shops.

The Sioux Falls Golf Addiction opened in 2012, with the Fargo location in business for 11 years. Both businesses operate so well under management the owners hired that “we’re not overly bored but kinda bored,” Miller said. “We wanted to venture out and get uncomfortable a bit. We hate to see the dive bars go away, and we wanted to have a fun project.”

The Hi-Ho’s new owners have no plans to make changes, Miller said. Prices will remain the same on what is billed as “the coldest beer in Sioux Falls.”

Monte Patterson “did an awesome job” in the nine years since he became owner, Miller said, and Larissa Patterson “put her touch on it. We love the clientele here now.”

Any tweaks will come in adding more activities to an already-busy schedule. The holiday buffets, live music and lottery games will remain. It will continue to serve frozen pizza. Miller and Scott might add a pull-tab machine for their customers. A grand opening will be scheduled later with multiple activities.

The new owners want to continue to build the Hi-Ho Tavern’s sense of small-town community while drawing in new customers without packing the house, Miller said.

They had considered operating a bar in their hometown but wanted something closer. With the Hi-Ho, they have found it.

“There’s a lot of excitement, but obviously the nerves are there too,” Miller said. “It’s got a great clientele, and we’re excited to have that small-town feel again.”