Kearney to celebrate Lincoln Highway's milestone birthday

The 100th birthday celebration of the Lincoln Highway is coming up in 2013, with many activities planned throughout the state of Nebraska. Sarah Focke, Nebraska Lincoln Highway Scenic & Historic Byway President, says officials will be getting downtown Kearney ready to look like things did during the Lincoln Highway era when auto tours roll in on June 30th.

"The twin auto tours that commence from both coasts a week beforehand will be coming into Kearney, parading into downtown Kearney. And we will be setting the stage to transform downtown Kearney into the Lincoln Highway era, where each of the five blocks of downtown will be set up per decade from the teens to the 1950's with historical characters, music, foods. We'd like to have sandwich boards separating the blocks and informing people what happened during that decade. And have a show & shine downtown for any cars that are welcome at no cost. But then also having the auto tours from the official tour on display downtown with all their dirt and grind from traveling the past ten days on the Lincoln Highway original route."

Focke says later in the evening a performance called "On the Road Again" will be held at the Merryman Performing Arts Center. It is free to the public.

The official program starts at 1 p.m. on July 1st at the Archway and Focke says there will be an education camp tent set up with historic speakers, a 1920's tourist camp, vendors, steamed food, and crafts out there.

For more information, visit www.visitkearney.org.

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