BEATRICE – The Gage County Fair kicks off its five-day program today….getting a head start with the annual Ag Appreciation Barbecue at the cattle barn, Tuesday evening...on the fairgrounds. Around two-thousand tickets were distributed for people to have a meal or take-home dinner.


Gage County Tourism Director Dakota Hurley says the event enjoys a lot of business and volunteer support. "We have a lot of great businesses that sponsor it by buying tickets. Those tickets they then give out to their ag customers to show appreciation. And then, we also have a lot that come out and volunteer. As you can see when you walk through here, we have many businesses that are volunteering to serve the meals, cleaning up and everything. This is an event that's very easy to get volunteers and business support to come out, and help support the ag community."


The event is put on by the Agri-Business Committee of the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce, aided by Southeast Community College students.
The Gage County Fair, with this year’s theme of “Nothing More Nebraskan”….is one of the larger attendance draws in the Beatrice area during the summer season.


"They bring in thousands of people, which is great for our community. Of course, I like to talk about what that boils down to, is the economic impact. We're bringing in people from outside the community....and they are choosing to spend their time here which means they are spending their dollars here and investing in our community."


Wednesday’s opening day events include the judging of open class exhibits….broiler and bucket calf shows and tonight’s 7:30 p.m. High Stakes Professional Bull Riding.

Enjoying dinner at the fairgrounds cattle barn
Enjoying dinner at the fairgrounds cattle barn