DISCOVER SMALL TOWN CHARM
From rock auctions to patriotic celebrations, when you visit Northwest Nebraska, you’ll discover events full of small town charm. Toss a buffalo chip. Explore a primitive camp. Dance the night away or immerse yourself in Native American history through film.
This is Northwest Nebraska and There’s No Better Direction.
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Bands on Bordeaux
Sponsored by the Chadron Chamber of Commerce and various business partners, Bands on Bordeaux is a free summer concert series that takes place in the 100 block of Bordeaux Street in Chadron in July and August. The series is designed to be family friendly, with kids’ games, vendors, food and the opportunity to dance and listen to live music while catching up with old friends or making new ones.
The current year’s complete schedule can be found here as it becomes available.
Chadron Festival of Quilts
The Chadron Festival of Quilts takes place each April at the Dawes County Fairgrounds, and the talent and creativity displayed by the quilters is second to none. The largest quilt show in Northwest Nebraska, the event brings together vendors, demonstrations and three days of quilting bliss, all revolving around a specific theme each year. Be sure to check out the stunning of examples of textile art!
The current year’s complete schedule of events can be found here as it becomes available.
Crawford Mud Racing
The Crawford Mud Racing Association knows how to have a good time in the dirt!
Each summer, it hosts a series of mud racing events at the Crawford City Park above the rodeo grounds. Drivers of vehicles in four classes (rancher, super stock, modified and powder puff), as well as UTV and Kids Power Wheels take on the muddy obstacle course.
Kids’ games and concessions also on site. More info at facebook.com/crawfordmudracing/
Crawford Fourth of July
The small town of Crawford celebrates Independence Day in a big way each year. The community goes all out, hosting two PRCA rodeos, a parade and a slew of other events, ranging from a 5K to activities for all ages at the city park. The Western Wildlife Art Show is held in conjunction with the events at nearby Fort Robinson, showcasing art that captures rural life at its best. The final PRCA rodeo concludes with a fireworks show.
The bulk of the activities take place on July 4, but the days surrounding Independence Day have fun events to attend. You can find the current year’s schedule here as it becomes available.
Crawford Cattle Call
Agriculture is a mainstay in the economy of Northwest Nebraska. The Crawford Cattle Call in downtown Crawford each November provides local ranchers the opportunity to display their high quality stock and gives visitors a chance to learn more about this essential economic component. Pens of cattle and other livestock are on display up and down the street, but the Crawford Cattle Call offers even more: an annual photo contest, a hay bale decorating competition, goat roping, and food and craft vendors. Organizers work to add at least one new feature to the Cattle Call each year, so the experience is fresh and exciting even for regular attendees.
Crawford Rock Swap
The Northwest Nebraska Rock Club has hosted the Crawford Rock Swap, the largest outdoor rock show in the state, for more than 30 years at the Crawford City Park over Labor Day weekend.
Rockhounds of all ages enjoy trading their finds with the many vendors who participate in the swap, and daily field trips allow new and experienced rockhounds to add to their collections. The event also includes an auction, hot dog feed and the annual Fairburn Agate Collectors Gathering.
The current year’s complete schedule of events can be found here as it becomes available.
Wacipis (Pow-wows)
Mari Sandoz Wacipi
The Chadron State College Native American Club and the college’s Diversity Committee host the Mari Sandoz Wacipi, complete with multiple drum groups, inter-tribal dancing, various dance competitions and storytellers. Wacipis are a traditional part of Native American culture, which played an important role in Northwest Nebraska’s development. The annual Wacipi at CSC pays tribute to the heritage of the region’s original population.
An Inter-tribal gathering with dance exhibition and contests, the White River Wacipi showcases traditional Native American culture through the pow-wow experience featuring drum music, dance and song. The White River Wacipi Committee aims to educate the public about Native American dancing, storytelling and other activities annually each summer. The event takes place at the Arbor in the City of Crawford’s park complex; camping is available and encouraged.
The current year’s complete schedule of events can be found here as it becomes available.
Trading Stories Native American Film Festival
Each October, the Chadron Public Library and the Library Foundation sponsor the Trading Stories Native American Film Festival.
For three days, the library screens documentaries and films, hosts speakers and offers traditional Native American food to pay tribute to the often-forgotten stories of the people who called this region home before European settlement. Films such as “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” and “Tiger Eyes” and the discussions that accompany them provide opportunities to connect across cultures. Other films have depicted the contributions of mothers and daughters during the American Indian Movement of the 1970s and the important influence Native American musicians. There also are activities and movies for children.
The Chadron Public Library also features an extensive Indigenous Peoples of North America collection. Designated by a red sticker or the IPNA code, the materials include Native American music, films and books.
The current year’s complete schedule of events can be found here as it becomes available.
Fur Trade Days
Fur Trade Days in Chadron has been the region’s historic celebration of buckskinners, traders and Native Americans for more than 40 years. Named the state’s 2014 Nebraska Outstanding Event for communities with populations less than 10,000, Fur Trade Days honors the area’s pioneer history with a Buckskinner’s Camp east of town and Cemetery Tours at Greenwood Cemetery with a cast of characters in period dress. The Museum of the Fur Trade’s exhibits and special speakers and presentations during Fur Trade Days also recall the contributions of those early settlers.
But you’ll also want to take part in the World Championship Buffalo Chip Throw and the Colter Run. Take a seat along Main Street to view the parade, browse the Traders Market or head across the street for homemade ice cream. Bop over to the Chadron Public Library for additional activities and entertainment. Zip down the block with the kids to take in the carnival rides, and once the young ones are in bed dance to live music at a street dance in Downtown Chadron.
You can find the current year’s schedule here as it becomes available.
Harvest Moon Fall Festival
The annual Harvest Moon Fall Festival each October is a family-centered day of fun at the Dawes County Fairgrounds in Chadron. With more than 80 vendors on site, the Harvest Moon Fall Festival is a great spot to find unique gift items, sample great food and enjoy performances by regional bands, dance and choir groups while the kids head to the bounce houses or the free play area.
Started in 2013 in Hemingford, the Harvest Moon Fall Festival organizers moved the event to Chadron in 2020 to provide more opportunities to grow the event.
Whitney Lake Ice Fishing Tournament
Whitney Lake is owned by the Whitney Irrigation District but is accessible to the public through a boat ramp and dock situated on ground leased by the Nebraska Game and Parks. Every winter the Whitney Dock Club hosts its annual Whitney Lake Ice Fishing Tournament. It’s a great way to enjoy winter if you love competitive fishing.
The tournament features three categories: walleye, crappie and other and each contestant is allowed one entry in each category. Entries are judged by length.
Peabody Hale Fiddle Contest
If you think today’s music leaves a bit to be desired, step back in time and enjoy old-fashioned fiddle music at the Peabody Hale Fiddle Contest each July in Crawford. The event, which provides great family entertainment, is a vocal and fiddle competition for all ages. Vocal contest categories include adults and juniors, while the fiddle competition is broken into pee wees, juniors, adults and seniors. There’s also a division for all other non-electric musical instruments, for those who aren’t accomplished on the fiddle. A quilt show and horseshoe tournament round out the old-fashioned activities, and vendors and crafters offer up unique wares.
Dawes County Fair
Sponsored by the Dawes County Agricultural Society, the Dawes County Fair has been the place for friends and family to have fun for over 130 years. Each summer, the fair offers free events for visitors, including 4-H exhibits and judging, special events and activities for children, great food, and display of local arts and crafts.
History In Action Day
Take a step back in time and enjoy History In Action Day at the Dawes County Museum. Held each year on the fourth Sunday in September, the event features old-fashioned fun like horse-drawn wagon rides, corn shelling, apple pressing, butter churning and more as you explore a variety of buildings and thousands of exhibits on the museum campus.
Pine Ridge Trails Race Series
The Pine Ridge Trails Race Series sponsored by the Chadron Community Recreation will challenge your image of Nebraska as nothing but flat terrain. CCR annually hosts the Run for the Hills event each June, featuring shorter fun runs and a 5K and 10K trail run. Information about the series can be found here.
Nebraska Fur Harvesters
Sponsored by the Sioux County Agricultural Society, the Sioux County Fair has been the place for friends and family to have fun for over 125 years. Each summer, the fair offers 4-H exhibits and livestock shows, an art show and a 5K race. Entertainment includes rodeos, a demolition derby and the ever-popular hog wrestling for brave souls willing to jump in a mud pit and attempt the feat. There are also plenty of opportunities to eat at a free barbecue and pancake feed, and you can satisfy your sweet tooth at the pie and ice cream social. You can find the current year’s schedule here as it becomes available.
Sioux County Fair
Sponsored by the Sioux County Agricultural Society, the Sioux County Fair has been the place for friends and family to have fun for over 125 years. Each summer, the fair offers 4-H exhibits and livestock shows, an art show and a 5K race. Entertainment includes rodeos, a demolition derby and the ever-popular hog wrestling for brave souls willing to jump in a mud pit and attempt the feat. There are also plenty of opportunities to eat at a free barbecue and pancake feed, and you can satisfy your sweet tooth at the pie and ice cream social. You can find the current year’s schedule here as it becomes available.
Crawford Senior Pro Rodeo
Each summer, “old-timers” prove they still have what it takes during the Senior Pro Rodeo in Crawford. The National Senior Pro Rodeo Association hosts roughly 60 rodeos annually across the country featuring cowboys age 40 and older.
The men and women show off their skills in bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, tie-down roping, ribbon roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping and breakaway roping. The rodeo events are inspired by the working practices of cowboys on the open range, often still put to use in some form on today’s cattle ranches.
Northwest Nebraska Volksmarch
Join us each May for the annual Northwest Nebraska Volksmarch. The event, sanctioned by the American Volksmarch Association, provides the opportunity to hike 5K and 10K trails in Northwest Nebraska with family and friends, new and old.
Sioux County Historical Trek
The Sioux County Historical Museum sponsors a free Historical Trek each September. Since 1979, the Treks have guided participants on explorations of Sioux County, the surrounding area and its early history.
Halloween Events
Love Halloween? Check out the Trick-or-Trails event sponsored by the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association and the Haunted Halloween activities at Fort Robinson State Park. Bring the family to trick-or-treat on the trails at Chadron State College or take in a variety of Halloween fun at Fort Robinson.
A Country Christmas in Northwest Nebraska
Celebrate the holidays and check off your gift list in Northwest Nebraska. From family-friendly activities to shopping opportunities that feature unique items, look no farther for a charming holiday experiences. This collection of events kicks off in November and runs through Christmas to get you in the holiday spirit.
A schedule of events for A Country Christmas can be found here.
Grey Eagle Warrior Challenge
Held each September by the Chadron VFW, the Grey Eagle Warrior Challenge challenges teams and individuals with a 5K obstacle course. Obstacles include a wall, a rope crawl, a cargo net, a low crawl, a litter carry, a rope swing over a mud pit, and a block drag.
The race can be run by a four-man team, or as an individual. Participants can compete in the entire event, limit themselves to only the obstacles, or even just try out certain obstacles for fun.
More information on the event can be found here.
