By Kalin Krohe, Panhandle Post
Chadron State Park will celebrate its 100th birthday on June 11 - 12. The "Centennial Birthday Bash" will include many events at the park.
"It'll kick off on Friday," Chadron State Park Superintendent Gregg Galbraith said. "5 p.m. on the ball field we're going to have food and drink vendors set up there. 7 p.m. we have the Bar Flies, they're going to do a perform on the ball field till 10 p.m. Then at 10 p.m. we're going to have a laser light show. It should be pretty neat."
All the events Friday and Saturday are free to the public, but attendees must have a valid Nebraska park permit.
"Saturday we'll start off at 8 a.m. with 'Run for the Hills', Galbraith said. "That's put on by Donna Ritson. It's a one mile 5K and a 10K run. It's going to be through the rugged terrain up through the buttes and through the park and some of the trails. At 9 a.m. we'll have kayaks and paddleboats available for free. 10 a.m. we're going to have most of our vendors and different things set up throughout the park. We've got all kinds of things...dutch oven cooking, wildlife fisheries displays, forest service, the fire department is going to have a truck out here. Just all kinds of things going on. We have a car show, we're doing stagecoach rides, we'll have a bounce house, blacksmith demonstrations. Then at 10 a.m. we're going to do our dedication for our new shooting range. It's a half archery, half pellet gun range. It's pretty cool. At 11 a.m. on the ball field we're going to do our VIP presentations. We got Adrian Smith [Congressman], Senator Brewer, the Lieutenant Governor [Mike Foley] is going to speak, Director Douglas [Nebraska Game and Parks], Jim Abel [Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation].
Galbraith said there will also be prizes handed out on the ball field at around 11 a.m.
"At 12 noon we have our big $1 lunch at the trading post," Galbraith said. "It's a sloppy Joe, baked beans, chips and a pop. We also have a band playing for our lunch too. We have the Cheap Date band. At 2 p.m. the Kiwanis is putting on the regatta at the pond. They're going to do canoe races there. I think the race starts at 2:30 p.m. Then at 5 p.m. at the pool we're doing dive for money for kids 14 and under. 7 p.m. at the ball field we have another concert put on by the Twin River Band and then 10 p.m. is the laser light show to cap the whole celebration."
Panhandle Post asked Galbraith how this celebration will benefit Chadron State Park and the community.
"I think just the recognition of our park systems that we have throughout Nebraska and I think it shows what we have," Galbraith said. "You know the different varieties that we have throughout the state with our state parks, state historical parks and state rec areas. Obviously, we've done a lot of work out here and a lot of improvements...so hopefully a lot of these people that haven't been out here for awhile can see the changes and awesome atmosphere that we have out here. That's all throughout the state, which is just awesome for our Nebraska park systems."
Chadron State Park is Nebraska's first state park. It was constructed in 1921.
Panhandle Post asked Galbraith what makes Chadron State Park stand out among other state parks in Nebraska.
"I think the aesthetic value of our park with our pine trees, the butte, when you come in the park you see the pond, we got the Chadron Creek that runs through there...so you got a nice, neat atmosphere there," Galbraith said. "You get up to the pines, the buttes, the timbered areas...it's just such a unique area. We've got a little bit out here for everyone with our cabins, our campgrounds, our paddleboats, horse rides, pool, a brand new shooting range, a brand new playground, our trading post. We have awesome hiking trails."
Chadron State Park also offers one of the top rated disc golf courses in Nebraska. Udisc.com rates the course a 4.4 out of 5.
"It's pretty awesome, " Galbraith said. "We've got the front nine and then we got the back nine that's really challenging. There's some tough holes there. The end of July we're going to host a national event out here for that so it's fabulous. We get some of those disc golfers in the cold and different times of the year when we don't see a lot of people. It's a huge benefit to the park."
Galbraith said his favorite thing about Chadron State Park is the people.
"We have some awesome campground hosts, we have awesome people that come visit out here, the atmosphere...I think that's two big things," Galbraith said. "You know the first thing you see when you come in the park is the park pond and that's always so inviting. I think those are some of the better things we have."
Galbraith welcomes everyone to come out during the Chadron State Park celebration on Friday and Saturday.
"It'd just be nice to have as many people from the local community come out and support us," Galbraith said. "We've done a lot of upgrades out here so it would be nice to have those people come out and see us. It'll be a great time for all so bring your families."
