As one of the oldest communities in Nebraska, Nebraska City is rooted in history and tradition. Nestled along the banks of the Missouri River, this town of 7,000 has received international fame as the Home of Arbor Day. It has also been recognized nationally as a top-ten event site for its annual Apple Jack Festival, held each fall to celebrate the apple harvest.
In recent years, the Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce office and several volunteer organizations have joined together to create a third festival centered around the 4th of July. Named the TREESTOCK INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION, this new event features a weekend of live music, a cornhole tournament, a color run, beer garden, family games, carnival, food trucks, car show, golf, swimming, a dunk tank, a community worship service, a waffle feed, and–of course–fireworks! Nearly all the events take place in Nebraska City’s Steinhart Park.
For 2023, TREESTOCK will be on July 1 & 2! Saturday starts out with an all-ages Color Dash. The Dash starts in the Steinhart Aquatic Center for the wet portion of the event; as the one-mile route snakes through Steinhart Park, participants will encounter slime, colored powder, bubbles, paint, and more.
The festival continues with the Treestock Beer Garden, scheduled to open on Saturday at noon. The Beer Garden will house two major events on Saturday; one is a Cornhole Tournament that serves as a fundraiser for the local high school football team. Walk-up teams are welcome! The other major event in the Beer Garden Saturday is the live music! A wide variety of music by regional bands make up the all-day concert that afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. and concluding at dusk–just before the fireworks! Music genres this year include rock, folk, country, and indie. There is no fee to enter the Beer Garden and enjoy the music; identification will be checked at the entrance.
Nebraska City’s Bethel Church is a Treestock partner and hosts a Family Fun Day on their property just across the street from Steinhart Park. Their activities on Saturday include bounce houses, a watermelon feed, dunk tank, food trucks, vendor fair, and–new this year–helicopter rides. Other Saturday happenings include a small carnival and the Steinhart Aquatic Center, Nebraska City’s new pool that includes a zero-depth entry, lazy river, water slides, and diving boards.
As day turns to night on Saturday, July 1, the Nebraska City Jaycees host their annualIce Cream Social in the air-conditioned Steinhart Lodge. Live music will also be part of the Social, with performances by the Southeast Nebraska Community Band and Nebraska City’s two barbershop choruses. Saturday’s festivities end with a bang at dusk with the Jaycee’s Fireworks Show, best viewed from the baseball diamond, the terraces outside the Steinhart Lodge, or by renting a lounge chair in the Aquatic Center.
TREESTOCK continues into Sunday, July 2, with a free early morning Show & Shine Car Show. The Beer Garden from Saturday is now the site of a waffle feed and Community Worship Service. A two-person golf scramble is scheduled at Wildwood Golf Course, adjacent to Steinhart Park.
For complete details about the 2023 Nebraska City TREESTOCK INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION, visit NebraskaCity.com/festivals.