SUMNER, Neb.— One of the area’s longest standing Independence Day traditions is back this weekend as Sumner welcomes those near and far to town for a full slate of family activities.
This year’s theme, ‘Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future’, adds an extra patriotic touch alongside America’s 250th anniversary to a celebration that is always held on July 4.
Activities begin with events leading up to the holiday, including a rodeo calcutta on Thursday evening, followed by the S-E-M Alumni Banquet, rodeo and street dance featuring Borderline on Friday night.
Saturday’s Fourth of July festivities begin with a new Sumner Fire Department Breakfast from 8 to 10:30 AM at the fire hall before the annual parade starts at 10:30 AM.
Bruce Eberle, owner of the local Tub’s Pub and overall Sumner supporter, said the celebration continues to attract visitors because of the atmosphere that can only be found in a small Nebraska town.
“If you think about a classic small-town celebration atmosphere, that’s Sumner on the Fourth of July,” Eberle said. “We have a lot of families that gather over the Fourth of July. A lot of these kids that grew up here and moved on to other areas come back and celebrate with their family and catch up with old friends, classmates and schoolmates.”
The parade remains one of the day’s signature events, followed by foot races, a money pile for children, a cheer team lunch, FFA Cow Pie Bingo, a car show, rodeo events, bounce houses, face painting, live music and fireworks at dusk.
Several new activities have been added this year, including a vendor show and bingo at the community hall, along with what organizers expect to be one of the most talked-about attractions of the day.
Olivia Claflin said excitement has been building around the community’s first-ever hot dog eating contest, scheduled for 5 PM.
“I’ve heard a lot of commotion regarding who’s going to be in and who’s out, the entertainment of it all,” Claflin said. “We are also willing to accept more participants if anybody’s interested. We think that’s going to be a great event.”
The contest will be followed by an all-you-can-eat hot dog buffet, live music from the Flatbed All Stars at Sumner Park and the community fireworks display to close out the evening.
Claflin said visitors will find activities available throughout the day, whether they’re looking for outdoor entertainment, family activities, food vendors or a place to cool off indoors.
More information, including a complete schedule, event times, and contact information for those events can be found on the Sumner Commercial Club page on Facebook here.
