Plans for Rail Fest 2008

The following is an open letter from Rail Fest founder Dave Harrold about some of the plans in the works for Rail Fest 2008.

July 5, 2008

The next rumble you hear won’t be the sound of people celebrating our nation’s independence with fireworks. Rather, it will be the rumble of people celebrating our heritage and our tradition of ‘community’ at Rail Fest 2008, September 19th – 21st.
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A group of six railfans from Connecticut have been planning a visit to North Platte for some time, but they wanted to be sure that the Golden Spike Visitors Center would be open when they came.

The Brass Switchkey, a rail industry newsletter is all aglow with the prospects for railfans
wanting to witness the Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard in action. The Golden Spike brings a new perspective, a broader view, for the 2.5 million readers of Trains magazine to experience. And, while the Golden Spike is a valuable attraction in and of itself, it’s the opportunity to see the most technologically advanced railroad in the world in operation - from this one-of-a-kind vantage point - that seems to be creating all the excitement. Congratulations to the Golden Spike.

What’s the attraction to North Platte, Nebraska?
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Since we launched the new website (railtownusa.org) in May, we have had 1,735 unique visitors looking at 11,233 pages from 17 countries. Thank you JoAnne Hoatson and Don Kurre for your patience, insight and hard work.

What’s the attraction to North Platte, Nebraska?
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Building on our sense of community, Rail Fest 2008 will have a focus on ‘Personal and
Environmental Wellness’. Great Plains Regional Medical Center and the North Platte Community College are lending their support and expertise to help us host a Health Fair to address common health issues affecting our lives and the lives of our children.
Together with many other local providers, this segment of the event will focus on nutrition, fitness programs, screening programs and educational & informational programs. While the Original Town Association is committed to enhancing the physical structures in our neighborhoods, it also seems appropriate that we use Rail Fest 2008 as a platform for enhancing the physical wellbeing of the families who live there.

For the Environmental Wellness aspect of our community, Rail Fest 2008 will be a ‘Zero-Waste’ event; which means that all food vendors will be required to use compostable products to serve their meals. Compostable foodservice products are made from corn, potatoes and sugar cane. We believe that supporting our agriculture industry and moving away from a dependence on foreign oil is critical to sustaining not only our economic future, but our community’s health as well. Special thanks to Tracey Foster who is coordinating this effort. She has attracted the support of compostable foodservice manufactures from Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Nebraska; all of whom plan on attending Rail Fest 2008.

What’s the attraction to North Platte, Nebraska?
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A special thank you to Leadership Lincoln County and the men and women of Gateway Realty for taking the initiative in painting the first house in this year’s ‘Neighborhood Paint Program’. For the past three years, the Original Town Association has provided free paint for between 5 and 10 homes per year. This year’s homes are primarily located on the south side; but, to steal a line from Creativity Unlimited – that’s what makes ‘Community Unity’.

What’s the attraction to North Platte, Nebraska?
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A current schedule of events is available on our web site at railtownusa.org. Please visit it to see what’s new and for more information. From a tourism and economic development perspective, we continue to believe that Rail Fest 2008® and the notion of Rail Town USA® have the potential for sustainable growth in our community. We invite you to join our other sponsors and participate with us. Deadline for sponsors to be included in pre-event posters and advertising is July 31, 2008.

Regards,
David Harrold, Chairman,
Original Town Association
For further information or for a presentation to your company or group:
Please Contact:
Tammy Lalanne (308) 530-9504 or Dave Harrold (308) 534-3648
email: railfest@nque.com

Open Mic at A to Z Books

Below is a comment from a regular gest at the Open Mic night at A to Z Books, the second and fourth Fridays of each month:

Open MIC (Mike)

My favorite place to be on a Friday night is Open Mic. at A to Z Books.
To me it's like the Christmas Program when I was growing up. You know every one who comes or if a new person shows up it doesn't take long to get acquainted. You can read something you have written, or out of a book, sing a song or play an instrument or you can be a LISTENER. It's important to do one of the above while at open mic. It is a neighborhood. While I was growing up we had 3 neighborhoods Kewanee, Wade school and Littleburg. You had something in common with all those neighborhoods. You shared what you had in common and wish every one well it was a truly comfort zone. How long since you sat down and thought about all the neighborhoods in your life. I like doing... that it gives me great joy.

Sharon Owen owns A to Z books and she is a treasure and makes sure we all have comfortable seating, a good sound system, and the latest addition is a piano. Sharon has the following employees, Vickie, Martha, Martin and herself. They all know the books in the store and bend over backwards to help all who ask. WE have been very lucky to have one MC George Lauby who very good at getting everbody up to the Mic and he is a natural for the job.

Open Mic not unlike a program at school. Remember when you were little and you worried about wetting your pants on the stage, or forgetting your lines. Then when the program was over you thought my how easy that was nothing bad happened.
I'm sure more than one had night mares before they got up to the mic for the first time and the second time they couldn't even imagine not wanting to do it.

It a wonderful neighborhood we meet 2nd and 4th Friday of every month 7 p.m. every one is welcome at A to Z books. Come check out our neighborhood.

The Christmas bonus is when I get home and sing the songs I just heard and sometimes even say the poems I just heard. Joy. Ruth

Just so you all know that it's my opinion alone that A to Z Books is the most happening place in North Platte! You can find out for yourselves at 507 N. Jeffers St., 308-534-0140.

Nebraska Travel Conference 2007

Tonight I'm writing this blog at the close of the 2007 Nebraska Travel Conference in Columbus. As always, the staff of the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism, especially Paula Bohaty, did a fantastic job in organizing the conference.

Deb and the staff and volunteers of the Columbus/Platte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the New World Inn, were wonderful hosts. Thanks also to Governor Heineman for making Tourism a priority, attending the event and presenting the Travel Industry Awards, and to Richard Baier, the Director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Christian Hornbaker the Director of the Division of Travel and Tourism for their leadership in the industry.

Lincoln County was especially fortunate this year as two of our tourism partners were presented with Travel Industry awards.

Dancing Leaf Cultural Learning Center in Wellfleet was awarded the 2007 Outstanding Eco-Tourism Entity. Les and Jan Hosick were on hand to receive their award from Governor Heineman. You can learn more about their attraction at www.dancingleaf.com.

The 2007 North Platte Rail Fest received the award for Outstanding New Event for communities with populations over 10,000. Dave Harrold accepted the award on behalf of the many volunteers who made this event possible. The North Platte Rail Fest website is www.nprailfest.com.

Congratulations to these winners and to all of the other award winners from across the state.

The Nebraska Travel Conference is a fantastic networking and educational event. The North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau has been fortunate to participate in this event for a number of years. We encourage every business involved in tourism in Nebraska to consider attending. Next year's event will be hosted by the Kearney Visitors Bureau.

See you all next year at Kearney!

Community Unity Obelisk Tile Project

The dictionary definition of an Obelisk is: an upright 4-sided usually monolithic pillar that gradually tapers as it rises and terminates in a pyramid.

North Platte's definition of an Obelisk is a community art project that will draw the entire community together and create a series of art objects that will beautify our community. While not technically obelisks because they won't taper as they rise to their nine-foot height, these beautiful tile-covered sculptures will be a sight to see. The Creativity Unlimited Arts Council has named this project Community Unity, and it has lived up to it's name.

Each Obelisk will be covered by nearly 400 hand-painted 6-inch square tiles. Tile painting events are being held throughout the community, at schools, in the mall, at local events, and by appointment. It doesn't take a professional artist to paint a tile (I should know, I have actually painted a tile myself!). Designs can be drawn on paper and then traced on to the tile and then painted. Designs painted so far have depicted local school mascots, family milestones, local attractions and historical landmarks.

Five Obelisks will be produced, one in Iron Horse Park near Interstate 80, in Centennial Park, on the Courthouse Lawn, on the Lutheran Family Services park at the junction of Highway 30 and Highway 83, and in Cody Park. Making an effort to see all five Obelisks will draw visitors into the heart of our community. Other Obelisks will follow through the years.

Each tile will be numbered, and the location recorded, so that in years to come, your decendents can come to North Platte and see the tile you painted. The Obelisks will not only be beautiful sculptures, but also treasured family heirlooms.

You can find more information about the Obelisk project and tile painting opportunities by visiting the website of Creativity Unlimited Arts Council at www.artsinnorthplatte.com, or by calling the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (308) 532-4729.

Happy painting!

Christmas Craft Shows

Even though the trees have barely begun to turn, let alone lose their leaves and there's a cold drizzle falling outside, my thoughts did turn to Christmas today. I'd rather think about all of the upcoming Christmas Arts and Craft shows than take a trip down the already-displayed Christmas aisles at the local box stores.

The Platte River Mall at 1000 S. Dewey hosts their Fall Art & Craft Show on October 6 through 28.

The Cowboy Christmas Gift Show is November 3 and 4 at the D & N Event Center, 501 E. Walker Road.

The annual St. Pat's craft show is November 10 at 415 N. Chestnut.

The 20th annual Methodist Church Craft Show is December 1 at 1600 West E.

If your thoughts are turning to Christmas shopping, be sure to check out one of these events. You can find out more information by checking out the CVB website Calendar of Events at www.visitnorthplatte.com, or calling (308) 532-4729, or 800-955-4528

Author Open House at A to Z

I just updated the Calendar of Events with a notice from A to Z Books about their upcoming Author Open House. Just in case you miss the listing there, I'm going to remind you here in the blog.

Authors on hand to read from their books and sign copies will be Ken Huebner (My Life and Community), Wayne D. Dundee (The Day After Yesterday), Lori Clinch (Are We There Yet and Don't Make Me Pull Over), Dixie Eckhoff (Just a Little Bull), D. Jean Smith (Medicine Creek Journals), and Billie Thornburg (City and Prairie Bones, Birdie and Me, Birdie and Me and Miles Too, and Sandhills Kid in the City).

The event is scheduled for Saturday October 6th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at A to Z Books, 507 North Jeffers.

As I've mentioned in this blog before, A to Z Books also hosts an "Open Mic" night every 2nd and 4th Fridays beginning at 7:00 p.m. There's poetry and prose readings from local writers, live music, food and lots of fun!

Nebraska Hall of Fame

The Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission will meet in North Platte at 7:00 p.m. on October 11 at the Holiday Inn Express. The Commission holds hearings in each of Nebraska’s congressional district, and this is the last of such meetings. The commission is considering its choice for the next person to be named to the Nebraska Hall of Fame. One of the people being considered is North Platte native Bill Jeffers. Mr. Jeffers rose through the ranks to become President of Union Pacific Railroad during the years of World War II. He is responsible for offering the use of the North Platte Depot to the North Platte Canteen.

Other candidates for the Nebraska Hall of Fame are: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Charles Edwin Bessey, Georgia Arbuckle Fix, Andrew Jackson Higgins, Malcom X and Evelyn Genevieve Sharp.

This sounds like it will be an interesting and educational evening.