[an error occurred while processing this directive] Hall County site of popular annual events 06/30/05
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Web-Posted Jun 30, 2005
Hall County site of popular annual events


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Fun for the entire family can be found throughout the year in Hall County.

Some of the most popular events include the following:

  • Fonner Park horse racing -- Live racing runs from mid-February through mid-May, and simulcast racing from around the country is broadcast throughout the year.

  • Annual migration of sandhill cranes -- Mid-February through mid-April. Visitors from around the world come to watch the annual migration of the sandhill cranes and other migratory waterfowl. About 500,000 cranes rest and eat along the Platte River for several weeks, building fat to carry them to their northern nesting sites in Canada.

    Tours, programs and lots of bird-watching are featured at the Nebraska Bird Observatory at Crane Meadows, located south of Alda and just off Interstate 80.

  • Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day -- Observed on or near May 5 and Sept. 16 annually by many of Grand Island's immigrant population.

    Cinco de Mayo commemorates a great Mexican military victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. On Sept. 16, 1810, Mexico proclaimed its independence from Spain. Both days in Grand Island celebrate the Hispanic culture with music, dance, food and camaraderie.

  • Sidewalk Art Festival -- The first Saturday in May is the time for this Grand Island Downtown Development Board event. The Sidewalk Art Festival features artists of all different disciplines, who are given a 4-by-5-foot chunk of pavement and chalk to create any art they wish. The event is open to the public and includes a play area for children to draw on the sidewalk.

  • Heartland Heritage Festival and Sassy Classic Vintage Baseball Festival -- Held the first weekend in June at Stuhr Museum, the event, sponsored by the Grand Island Independent and Stuhr Museum, features live music, food, games, horse demonstrations and children's activities. Log on to www.stuhrmuseum.org for more information.

  • Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration -- Held in Railroad Town at the Stuhr Museum. Step back in time 100 years for an old-fashioned celebration with parades, band concerts, games and patriotic orations.

  • Art in the Park -- July 17, 2005, at Stolley Park in Grand Island. Features visual and performing arts and activities for children. Art pieces are available for purchase.

  • Central Nebraska Ethnic Festival -- July 22-24, 2005, downtown in the heart of Grand Island. Join singers, dancers and food venders from around the world as Grand Island celebrates the far-reaching cultural diversity found in its citizens. The festival offers stage shows, street dances and fun for all ages.

  • Hall County Fair -- The 2004 fair dates are Aug. 11-14, 2005. The event, held at Fonner Park, offers three days of carnival fun, country and popular music, exhibits and booths are available to fair goers.

  • Husker Harvest Days -- Sept. 13-15, 2005, at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant just west of Grand Island on Husker Highway. This is the nation's largest working irrigated farm show. There are live field demonstrations of planting, tilling and harvesting, as well as hundreds of product booths, food and entertainment.

  • Running of the Wieners -- Sept. 25, 2005, at the Platt Duetsche Society, 1315 W. Anna St., Grand Island. This popular event features Little Smokies (under age 1), Frankfurters (ages 1-5) and Senior Sausages (over age 5).

  • Doniphan Fall Festival -- The 2005 event, scheduled for Oct. 2, features kids games, parade, dance, hamburger feed, queen competition and lots of autumn aura.

  • Harvest of Harmony parade and band competition -- Held the first Saturday in October in downtown Grand Island and at Grand Island Senior High School. This event draws hundreds of high school bands -- from all across Nebraska -- each year for a parade, which begins at 8:30 a.m.

    Also included is a queen competition and many floats. The stadium band competition begins after the parade.

  • Christmas Past and Present at Stuhr Museum -- Dec. 3 and Dec. 9-10, 2005. Lanterns shimmering in the winter air will light the way. This magical lamplight tour looks at the holiday traditions of the museum's turn-of-the-century historical village, log cabin settlement and 1890s farmstead.

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