Lancaster Event Center facts for kids

The Lancaster Event Center is a big place in Lincoln, Nebraska, where many different events happen all year round. It's like a giant fairgrounds! The Lancaster County Agricultural Society owns and runs it. This center was first built to be a permanent home for the Lancaster County Fair and other fun community events. The local government helped fund the first parts of the center, and they wanted it to be open for events all year.

What Happens at the Event Center?

The Lancaster Event Center is now famous across the country. It hosts over 320 events each year! More than 500,000 people visit, staying for over 1.2 million days in total.

Big National Events

The center hosts many large events, including:

• The second-largest indoor farm show west of the Mississippi River.
• The second-largest indoor tractor pull west of the Mississippi River.
• A huge car swap meet that brings people from 10 different states.
• Two of the top 10 Quarter Horse shows in the United States.

Local Community Fun

Besides the big events, the center also provides affordable space for over 200 local groups every year. Some of the other events you might find here are:

• 4-H club meetings and tests.
• Trade shows where businesses show off their products.
• Antique and craft shows.
• Lincoln City Libraries book sales.
• Food and drink festivals.
• Animal shows and farming events.
• Rodeo events, like the annual UNL College Regional Rodeo.
• Car shows and motor sports competitions.
• Fun themed runs for people.
• Shows for collectors.
• Meetings, parties, and fundraisers for charities.

All the buildings at the center are designed to be used for many different things. They don't have fixed seats. The dirt areas used for animal events can be covered with carpet in the winter. This allows the buildings to be used all year for many different types of events. For example, in 2014, over 270 events were held, with about 558,765 people attending.

Hosting International Events

In summer 2020, the Lancaster Event Center hosted two big international events for the first time:

• The National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR), which is the world's largest rodeo for contestants.
• The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) International Convention and RV Expo.

How the Event Center Helps the Area

The Lancaster Event Center brings a lot of money and visitors to the area.

Economic Boost

In 2018, a study by the University of Nebraska showed that visitors from outside the county bring almost $40 million to the local economy each year. The Lancaster Event Center shared this information in an Impact Report that was sent to homes in the county in 2019.

The Super Fair

The Lancaster Event Center fairgrounds opened on February 1, 2001. It is the proud home of the Lancaster County Fair.

Growing Bigger and Better

In 2010, when the State Fair moved to Grand Island, the Lancaster County Fair became known as the Lancaster County Super Fair. It was also extended to 10 days! The Super Fair has grown a lot. It used to have only 5,000 visitors in borrowed buildings. Now, it's the largest county fair in Nebraska, with over 120,000 visitors every year. In 2020, the Lancaster County Super Fair celebrated its 150th anniversary!

History of the Agricultural Society

The Lancaster County Agricultural Society manages the Lancaster Event Center. This group was started a long time ago, in 1867. It was re-formed in 1870 to help promote farming and agriculture in the county.

Supporting Youth and Farming

Because of this mission, the Lancaster Event Center helps with many youth farming education programs. Over 700 4-H and FFA members and more than 10,000 schoolchildren visit each year. They attend about 60 youth agricultural events. The biggest events are the annual Lancaster County Super Fair and the Annual Ag Literacy Festival. Many other farming business events also happen here, like the Nebraska Power Farming Show in December.

How the Center Was Built

The Lancaster Event Center was built in different stages over the years.

Phase 1: Opening in 2001

In 2001, the fairgrounds opened its first part, called Phase 1. It cost $12 million and included:

• A Multi-Purpose Arena, used for horse shows and trade shows.
• Pavilion 1, a multi-use building for trade shows and animal stalls during the fair.
• Pavilion 2, a horse stall barn with a warm-up area.
• The Lincoln Room, a large space for receptions and exhibits during the fair.
• The Exhibit Hall, a medium-sized space for small animal shows.
• Offices and cafes.

Phase 2: Expanding in 2009

Phase 2 was added in 2009, costing $10 million. This expansion brought two more buildings:

• Pavilion 3, with an arena and cattle pens for horse shows.
• Pavilion 4, the largest building at 125,000 square feet. It has a dirt arena and a large concrete area for displays. This arena is now called the Amy Countryman Arena. It can hold up to 12,000 people for shows.
• A Business Center with three meeting rooms and the main cafe, called the Good Times Grill.

Over the years, 200 campsites with electricity and several paved parking lots were also added.

Phase 2.5: Relaunch and Upgrades

In 2014, a new Managing Director, Amy Dickerson, was hired. In 2015, the Lancaster Event Center started a big project to improve its operations. This was called Phase 2.5. They spent $2.7 million on remodeling and upgrades. These improvements saved taxpayers about $700,000 in interest payments.

Major improvements during Phase 2.5 included:

• Better lighting in parking lots and buildings, which saved energy.
• Upgraded flooring and new carpeting for trade shows.
• Remodeled main entrances and cafe areas.
• A new, fast WiFi internet system throughout the buildings and grounds.
• A digital screen on the street sign to show weekly events.
• White "ranch-style" fences to make the area look nicer and help with crowd control.
• An improved website with an updated event calendar.

The center always updates its plans as more events are held and the county fair grows.

Current Improvements

Starting in 2017, the Lancaster Event Center began more improvements. These were set to open in July 2020 and included:

• Adding water to the existing 200 campsites.
• Adding 1100 new campsites with water and electricity. This creates a huge campground for national events and extra parking.
• A larger outdoor arena with a new covered grandstand that can hold 3300 people.

These improvements cost $7 million. Much of the work was done by the Lancaster Event Center staff, which saved money.

Attracting Big Events

These improvements were designed to attract the National High School Finals Rodeo to Lincoln. In April 2017, the Lancaster Event Center was chosen to host this rodeo in July 2020 and 2021. Later, in January 2019, they were chosen to host it again in July 2026 and 2027! This rodeo is expected to bring over $16 million to the local economy each year.

In late 2019, the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) International Convention & RV Expo chose Lincoln for their biggest annual convention in August 2020. This event is expected to bring $8–12 million to the economy.

Awards and Recognition

The Lancaster Event Center has received several awards for its work:

• State of Nebraska Tourism Development Award for Ag Tourism (2018)
• Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Tourism Development Award (2018)
• Lincoln Journal Star Inspire Award Finalist (2018)
• Bullfighters of America (BOA) Indoor Event of the Year (2019)

Learn More

• Lancaster Event Center official website: http://www.lancastereventcenter.org
• Lancaster County Super Fair official website: http://www.SuperFair.org