Lane Ward stands with his donkey, Chicken Nugget, at the 4-H companion animal show during Nuckolls County pre-fair competition.
Lane Ward rides his donkey, Chicken Nugget, at the 4-H companion animal show during Nuckolls County pre-fair competition.
While the various activities associated with the 149th Nuckolls County Fair have for several days turned the fairgrounds at the south edge of Nelson into a beehive activity , tonight (Thursday) marks the first of three big nights for grandstand activities.
The youngsters' mutton busting rodeo was last night (Wednesday) and professional rodeo is the main attraction tonight (Thursday) and Friday. Saturday the fair concludes with a concert.
Before the start of opening night rodeo, the Nuckolls County Rodeo Queen will be crowned. A new feature this year is the addition of rodeo princesses. A chicken barbecue will precede the rodeo. Serving starts at 5 p.m. and the rodeo at 7:30. The coronation of the queen and her princesses will be at 7:15.
Friday is Wear Pink Night. At that time the Nuckolls County Ag Society will raise money that will be used to help Nuckolls County residents who are fighting cancer. The Wear Pink Cancer Stomp has been a fair feature since 2011. There will be a pork barbecue Friday evening.
The fair wraps up Saturday. Exhibits are released in the morning and the grounds cleaned. There are turtle races at 1 p.m. and a pedal tractor pull at 2:30.
Saturday evening Jon Wolfe and Jon Stork will present a concert in front of the grandstand. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. with a local favorite, the West Wind Band. Music will continue until 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
Sixty years ago, a standout fair was held with state dignitaries including the governor, Frank Morrison, attending. Morrison rode to Superior in a state airplane, was driven to Nelson in an automobile and rode into the fairgrounds arena on a covered wagon driven by Joe Mazour and pulled by his trained oxen team. The prarie schooner was new. It's construction was a joint effort of the Nelson Chamber of Commerce and the fair association.
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1964, a marker placed along Highway 14, just south of the Little Blue River was dedicated. This marker commemorates the capture of Laura Roper, Mrs. Eubank and her two children and the pioneers who suffered in the bloody massacre that occurred at Oak Grove and the Narrows along the Oregon Trail near the northeast Nuckolls County community of Oak.
Many of the Roper, Eubank and Comstock descendants attended the fair and held a family reunion on that occasion.
Officers of the State Historical Society and other prominent Nebraska citizens took part in the dedication.
Joe Feeney, a featured singer with the Lawrence Welk show, sang special music for the dedication.
The marker dedication was followed by Feeney and his variety show.
Thursday night was 4-H Night. The program included the Superior City Band, the livestock parade, the style show and the crowning of the 4-H king and queen by Gov. Frank Morrison. The show ended with a fireworks display.
On Friday night Joe Dusek coordinated professional wrestling.
4-H and FFA continue to play a major role in the county fair. According to the extension service 4-H members are 2.3 times more likely to be physically active, are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college and are 3.4 times more likely to contribute to their communities when compared with you who do not participate in 4-H.
The temperatures have been soaring but the fairgrounds have air conditioned spaces where visitors can cool off in and being located on a hill means the grounds benefit from the nighttime breezes.
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