Lincoln, Lancaster County and Nebraska organizations are invited to contact the LEC Fairgrounds by May 24th to help Lincoln, Nebraska complete its goal to meet support the NHSFR has received from towns 1/10th the size of Lincoln in Wyoming over the last decade.
The pandemic has shortened the window of selling local advertising sponsorships to be featured in the rodeo arenas for the 13 rodeos over 7 days July 18-24, 2021. The local sponsorships are shared with the National HS Rodeo Association to make it possible for the youth to compete and to support the association’s annual $2 million of scholarships awarded to youth in almost every state and province in the USA and Canada, plus Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.
“We’re calling on our ‘Husker Spirit” to help Lincoln, Nebraska not only meet but surpass what the communities of 30,000 in Wyoming have done to support the National HS Rodeo Association on its first visit back to Nebraska in decades,” Said Amy Dickerson, Managing Director of the fairgrounds.
This “Olympics” of HS rodeo puts great value on encouraging their 12,000 youth members to take the discipline learned in the rodeo arena into all forms of higher education, even if they are not among the minority able to rodeo in college or go pro.
NHSFR Lincoln is anticipating a much closer to “normal” experience for this July’s largely “outdoor air” event as it works with rodeo association and health department on final health guidelines for this 10-day event. Eleven of the 13 rodeo events e.g. bull riding, team roping will be conducted in arenas outside with two of the 13 events (cutting, reined cow horse) in open air indoor arenas.
In addition to exciting rodeo action all week, the region’s largest Western-themed trade show, the NHSFR Lincoln Rodeo & Horse Expo, will be free and open to the public in two large air-conditioned buildings over 7 days.
And to fully deliver on its “Watch, Shop, Eat” promise, NHSFR Lincoln will offer a wide variety of cuisine from 20 national and local food venders and indoor cafes. More event details on the attached “Event At-A-Glance”.
Economic Impact
Past economic impact studies show the NHSFR will bring millions of dollars of economic impact to Lincoln and Lancaster County as 30,000 visitors visit over 10 days, most coming from outside of Nebraska. The rest of the state of Nebraska will also benefit as families and fans drive to and from Lincoln.
“Extrapolating from the recent NHSRA economic study for the Des Moines Junior High School Finals Rodeo, this impact should be $16 million per year for the Lincoln area alone which is equal to the impact of four more football Saturdays,” said Dr. Eric Thompson, UNL professor of economics and director of the Bureau of Business Research (see LancasterEventCenter.org for full copy of recently released report).
How Can You Get Involved?
- Be A Sponsor/Advertiser: Help Lincoln/Lancaster County compete with previous co-host cities who have rallied to support NHSRA’s youth scholarships. Deadline is May 24th—see attached sponsor pack.
- Donate Meals: Local restaurants are needed to feed volunteers, staff & VIPS working hard on grounds.
- Send Locals To The Rodeo: Cover the cost of tickets for local youth, seniors and special needs groups.
- Send Volunteers: 700+ spots are needed to welcome visitors all week long. Easy to get involved today at NHSFRLincoln.org/Volunteer.
- Be a Vendor: visitors will be looking for merchandise, food and services unique to Lincoln.
- Be a part of Welcome to Lincoln Day in the Railyard on July 17: special offers and welcome signs inviting contestants and families to visit over the 10 days they are in town.
- Invite others to hold the date to join you to watch, shop, eat and make plans to have fun at the event of the summer!
To get involved, visit NHSFRLincoln.org for more info and contact Hoyt Kraeger at 402-441-1824 or HKraeger@LancasterEventCenter.org.