Homestead National Historical Park is hosting a full weekend of free activities, demonstrations, and performances that allow visitors to explore how the ideals and hopes of the American Revolution continued through the era of the Homestead Act, extending into the 1980s and beyond.

Homestead National Historical Park will be celebrating America’s 250th birthday with expanding demonstrations broken down by decades and a special Junior Ranger activity to explore it all. Through hands-on experiences and engaging presentations, visitors can discover how the ideals of the nation’s founding continued through the Homestead Act and into the lives of homesteaders across generations. This year’s stage presentations will feature music, dance, and living history performances that share cultural traditions and personal stories connected to the homesteading experience and the broader American story.

Saturday, June 27

10 a.m.- 4 p.m.  Traditional craft demonstrations and antique farming demonstrations
Noon  The Bloomer Costume: Dress Reform and Women’s Freedom, Rayma Volkmer
1 p.m.  Acapella Men’s Choir, Homestead Harmonizers
2 p.m.  Wichita War Dancer, Greg Victors
3 p.m.  Czech Band, Kenny Janak Orchestra

Sunday, June 28

10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Traditional craft demonstrations and antique farming demonstrations
Noon  Dulcimer Music, Courtland Opry House Dulcimer Players
1 p.m.  Musical Review , Beatrice Community Players
2 p.m. Musical Patriotic Panoramas, Donna Gunn
3 p.m. Abraham Lincoln Living Historian, Fritz Klein

Klein, the event’s keynote presenter, has been featured in multiple Abraham Lincoln documentaries and will share how Abraham Lincoln connected the Homestead Act to the founding principles of the United States.

Additional activities will take place throughout the weekend, including opportunities for visitors of all ages to participate in interactive demonstrations and explore the park’s rich history.

The site is fee-free year-round. No entrance fee or pass is required.