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.
Four actors will represent the "Faces of Rushmore" - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln - for the USA250 celebration and performances at the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward "Nebraska's Fourth of July City" Friday, July 3, 2026: Chautauqua style presentations from the actors (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt) 10am-2pm, Concert at 7pm Saturday, July 4, 2026: Dedication Ceremony USA250 at 9am, Meet and Greets 10am-2pm, Grand Parade at 4pm
Contact Information
Title:
Website: City:
The Pawnee at Fort Kearny – Share the History, Share the Harvest (Read More)
A history-making return of the Pawnee to Fort Kearny will be celebrated at a "Share the History, Share the Harvest" event at Fort Kearny State Historical Park and the nearby State Recreation Area. The focus will be a long-overdue recognition of the Pawnee Scouts' U.S. military service at Fort Kearny from 1864-1871. Overall, an estimated 1,000 Pawnees served as military allies from 1864-1877. There also will be a celebration of the 2023 harvest of Pawnee crops and of the 20th anniversary of the Pawnee Seed Preservation Society, a partnership between Nebraska growers and the Pawnee in Oklahoma to restore more than 20 Pawnee corn varieties. There is no admission fee, but a Nebraska State Park entry permit is required at both sites. The historical park and SRA are one mile apart on Highway 50A. For more information, visit the website or call 308-865-5305. At Fort Kearney Historical Park 9 a.m. to noon Living history reenactments and demonstrations. At Fort Kearny State Recreation Area noon to 1 p.m. lunch available for purchase At Fort Kearny State Recreation Area 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pawnee singers, drummers, and dancers Pawnee harvest display Recognition of Pawnee Scouts
