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Get ready for Nebraska’s biggest, loudest, fanciest Wild West celebration: It’s NEBRASKAland DAYS, held each year in North Platte, and the 10-day celebration (spread out over three weekends) includes just about everything from country music stars to top professional rodeo.
Beginning June 12 and spanning through June 22, the 43nd annual NEBRASKAland DAYS celebration will feature more than 80 different events focusing on family entertainment.
“We draw somewhere between 100,000 and 125,000 attendees each year, and we expect this year to be one of our best celebrations,” Lori Bortner, NEBRASKAland DAYS executive director, told OldWestNewWest.Com.
Not bad for a city with a full-time population of just under 24,000 residents.
One of the highlights of the festival is a change to the Summer Jam music concert dates, set this year for June 13 and 14. The organization announced it will move the summer concert series to start the festivities. Also, the celebration will be continuous, a different approach from previous years when there was a five-day break in between the concerts and the rodeo events.
On Friday, June 13, the group "Finger Eleven" will headline the performance. The Canadian band will bring their rock performance excitement to the NEBRASKAland DAYS stage.
On Saturday, June 14, the headliner will be Dierks Bentley, with opener Lee Brice.
This year’s festivities also include the 126th anniversary of the Buffalo Bill Rodeo beginning on June 18. The four-night rodeo program is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
North Platte is universally proclaimed as the birthplace of American rodeo. In 1882, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody was asked to present a demonstration of working cowboys for a July 4 celebration in North Platte.
Buffalo Bill called it the “Old Glory Blowout” and featured the skills of local ranch hands in roping, riding and tricks. Seeing the wide acclaim to the event, Buffalo Bill created the “Congress of Rough Riders Wild West Show” and toured the world with his cast of more than 100, including specialty acts such as Annie Oakley, and Native American Indians that included the great Sioux Chief Sitting Bull.
“It was actually the folks who put on the Buffalo Bill Rodeo who in 1968 helped get the NEBRASKAland DAYS celebration relocated from Lincoln, where it began in 1965, to North Platte, and we’ve been here ever since,” Bortner explained.
Looking at how the official state celebration has grown over the years, it seems pretty safe to say the move was a good idea.
“We’ll present rodeos, concerts, art shows, kid events, parades, a musical review featuring original music, and of course, numerous food events,” Bortner said.
Festivities will include such events as the Nebraska Heritage Festival (held in partnership with the Lincoln County Historical Society), a family night, a kids fun festival, and the Frontier Review featuring characters and events from Nebraska’s history.
On Saturday, June 21, the town will gear up for the annual NEBRASKAland DAYS On Parade, the largest annual parade taking place in the state. Organizers expect more than 100 entries, including floats, marching bands, riding groups and dancers to march along during the three-hour procession.
More than 35,000 fans are expected to watch this year’s parade. The route will start at Memorial Park on East 4th Street, travels west, then turns north on Jeffers to Cody Park.
An antique car parade takes place on the day before—Friday, June 20 starting at noon.
With 80 events taking place over three weekends, festival goers should be able to find something that interests them. For a complete list of events, go to NEBRASKAland DAYS’ Web site at www.nebraskalanddays.com for dates, times and ticket prices.
“We can truly say there is something for everyone and for all ages,” Bortner told OldWestNewWest.Com.
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