"Starz the Clown" is a fixture in the parade each year. Courtesy of the Nebraska City Chamber of Commerce

Applejack Festival

Held in Nebraska City the third weekend in September each year, this celebration of the local apple harvest includes a parade, Miss AppleJack Pageant, an air show, an antique car show, exhibits of quilts and other crafts, historic demonstrations and tours, a pie-baking contest, and a college football game dubbed the Apple Bowl. A popular event is the Go-Kart Street Race, with as many as 170 entrants from a five-state area. Local orchards are open to visitors, and apple-based treats are sold, including pies, fritters, caramel apples, and apple slushies. Although the festival has been known as AppleJack since 1968, the harvest celebration goes back to 1936, when a school holiday was declared. The festival is documented in historical text, 23 photographs, promotional brochures and magazines, and news articles.

Originally submitted by: Chuck Hagel, Senator.

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