UPDATE: Husker Harvest Days confirmed that they will move forward with their 2020 event as COVID-19 spread slows down in central Nebraska. Husker Harvest Days will run September 15th through Thursday Sep 17th, 2020
UPDATE: Kearney swimming pools will be opening up Monday, June 22. The facilities will be sanitized between each open session.
UPDATE: Kearney Cinema 8 reopens Friday after being closed for more than three months due to the pandemic.
UPDATE: The Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team’s adjusted 2020 schedule has the Lopers playing 20 MIAA matches this fall. ALSO the UNK women’s soccer team has announced an adjusted schedule. For more go to www.lopers.com
The Kearney Public Schools CLASS Act fundraiser event will now be an online auction NOW through June 20th. You can register for the event to place bids for auction items and receive information and announcements during the event. To register go to, https://kpsfoundation.gives/CLASS-Act/Event
NEBRASKA GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE GOOD LIFE:
UPDATE: The Sumner 4th of July Celebration is still on with revisions due to COVID-19. The whole celebration will kick off on Saturday, June 27th with the traditional Co-Ed Sand Volleyball Tournament and the 2nd Annual Cornhole Tournament. On Sunday the 28th, we will have the Commercial Club Dinner (Picnic), Toad & Turtle Race and Ice Cream Social with the Sumner EMT’s. Cool off with the SEM Cross Country team during the Splash Run 5k and 1 mile at 5 pm on the 28th. An evening cruise night on the 4th (starts at 6 pm) we hope you will come cruise and stick around for the Fireworks! There are two performances of the Rodeo on the 3rd at 7:30 pm and on the 4th at 1:30 pm. The afternoon of the 4th starting at 3 pm there will be Bingo at the Community Hall and Live Entertainment in Sumner Park. And FOOD TRUCKS – BBQ and FUNNEL CAKES The celebration will wrap up with the Fireworks at the Sumner Ball Field at dusk. There will be concessions from Kappel Electric 8-9:30. Visit their Facebook for more.
Starting TODAY June 18th the Hasting Parks and Recreation will get the summer adult softball league season underway. To practice social distancing they will be extending the dugouts to the bleachers. For more information on the summer leagues you can visit the City of Hastings website.
There will be an event to honor high school seniors in Kearney. The Seniors’ Last Drive will honor Kearney High School and Kearney Catholic High School graduates 3 p.m. June 19. Led by the Kearney Police Department, the parade will start at the Viaero Center in south Kearney and travel to the Hilltop Mall on the north end. KHS graduation was reformatted as a virtual ceremony on June 19, and the KCHS graduation ceremony was pushed back to Aug. 2.
The Hastings College football team still plans to host its Annual Bronco Football Gridiron Classic on June 19 at Southern Hills Golf Course.The four man scramble is a fundraiser for the Bronco football team. For more go to Hastingsbroncos.com.
Drive-in movies will return to Kearney at sundown June 18th when The World Theatre will team up with the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. The World plans to book family-oriented films and old drive-in favorites, such as “Goonies,” “E.T.” and “Grease.” He said The World will sell advance tickets, the cost which has not been determined, for $20 or $25 per car. Gates will open at 8 p.m. and the movie will begin at sundown. Films will be shown Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through the summer.
A free family fishing event will be held by the Kearney Archway and the Nebraska Firefighters Museum on June 23. The event will be held at the pond located by the I-80 Exit 275. Participants can fish from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. No previous experience or registration is required. Poles and tackle are provided, courtesy of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Signs in the Archway Parkway will direct participants to the trailer where they can pick up their equipment. Staff from the Archway and Firefighters Museum will get everyone started and be available to help throughout the event.
Mobile food pantries providing free food are offered in the area every two weeks by the Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska in cooperation with the Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha. Drivers should remain in their vehicles while masked volunteers load groceries. Food pickups, by appointment only, begin at 9:30 a.m. Call Kyla Martin at 308-440-0153 to set up a time. The pantries rotate to serve Buffalo, Custer, Dawson, Hall, Kearney and Phelps counties. Future dates include: June 26, Community Action Partnership Food Bank, Kearney.
The Hastings Sodbusters baseball team has announced they will start the 2020 season on June 26th in Hastings against the Fremont Moo. First pitch will be at 6:35pm at Duncan Field. For ticket information go to www.hastingssodbusters.com
Enjoy an outdoor adventure with family or friends. and engage in healthy recreation — and possibly win prizes. The Great Park Pursuit is a free program encouraging participants to visit up to 20 official sites across the state, consisting of community, regional, state and federal parks. Participants register a team of up to 10 people online and then follow clues from the website or Great Park Pursuit mobile app to find a program post located somewhere within a park area. Once they find the post, the team can use the mobile app to mark their visit, or make a pencil impression of the post to prove they were there. A number of prizes are up for grabs, including Nebraska state park entry permits for 2021, an iPad and the grand prize, an outdoor recreation package valued at $1,500. Prizes and entry into drawings are based on the number of post impressions that teams collect, or the number of park visits they mark on the mobile app. For more information and to register, visit negpp.org. The Great Park Pursuit app is available at the Apple iStore and on Google Play for Android.
Stuhr Museum is re-opening, after being closed during one of the busiest times of the year. The museum’s executive director said they’re taking several steps due to the coronavirus, including temperature checks and asking visitors to wear masks. They also have hand washing stations set up at the living history museum in Grand Island. Classes are underway and starting June 15, members can visit. Monday, June 22 they’ll reopen to the public.
The Nebraska Passport for 2020 program is underway. Travelers will have from June 1 through October 31 to visit attractions and receive stamps, according to Nebraska Tourism. Due to COVID-19 some stops have had to adjust their business hours and some will be reopening at a date later than June 1, so check for updates before beginning your travels. Passports will be available at participating stops starting June 1 or can be ordered at NebraskaPassport.com.
The Archway in Kearney has will reopened to visitors. The hours will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of The Archway.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is now open. ALL indoor exhibits will be closed and capacity will be limited to 3,000. Visitors are required to sign up in advance for a time slot to attend up to two days in advance at www.omahazoo.com/hours-and-admission.
Keep yourself safe in these times, show your Husker spirit, AND help Nebraska Food Banks. Husker Face Masks are on sale right now at the shop at NRG sister property huskermax.com. The masks are handmade, available in four styles! GO HERE: http://www.shophuskermax.com/houndsmax-huskers-mask