May 23, 2008 ~ Overnight Wagon Train Drive in conjunction with Hartington Quasquicentennial.  This wagon train drive is open to anyone with covered wagons, buggies, wagons, carts, and even outriders.  We will meet in Newcastle by around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, location to be announced later.  Give yourself plenty of time to get your horses harnessed, hitched and ready to go as we need to leave by 11:00 a.m.  Please bring along a sack lunch and beverages for the noon meal.  The evening meal will be furnished with our camping area in the Bow Valley area.  Everyone is invited to participate in the parade on Saturday (see below).  We should arrive at the fair grounds by 11:00 a.m., which will be the staging area.  Please contact Tom Steffen at (402) 254-6626 or (402) 841-3342 (cell) for more information.

 May 24, 2008 ~ Hartington Quasquicentennial (Q125) Parade on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.   The theme is “Rediscovering Our Past.”  Parade entries are due May 1^st.  Other events scheduled Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26.  See enclosed flyer or contact Dan Kathol at (402) 254-6874 for more information.

 May 25, 2008 ~ Antique Tractor, Horse & Mule Plowing Bee on Sunday from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Bob Eickhoff’s farm located 2 miles west of Hartington on Hwy 84.  If you’re coming for the weekend, your horses and equipment can be kept overnight at the Cedar County Fairgrounds (the parade staging area).  Water will be available, but you must bring your own feed and bedding.  Bathroom facilities are available.  A food vendor wagon will be on sight at the fairgrounds on Saturday and at the plowing bee on Sunday.  Please contact Tom Steffen (see above), Orville Steffen at (402 )254-69207 or Ron Lange at (402) 565-4418 to give a verbal/tentative commitment in order to plan space/logistics.

May 31, 2008 ~ 2008 Draft Horse Clinic at the Seward County Fairgrounds, starting at 10:00 a.m.  Click below for registration forms and more details.

NDHMA Draft Horse Clinic   Click HERE for  complete details.

May 31, 2008 ~ NDHMA Draft Horse Clinic will be held on Saturday at the Seward County Fairgrounds.  Terry and Deb Pierce of Belgian Hill Farms at Oakland, Iowa, will be our clinicians, along with a veterinarian to do a session on nutrition.  Tentative subjects to be covered are harnessing and hitching singles and multiple hitches, driving beyond cautious to let your horses show themselves, and use of over-checks.  A horse barn will be available to stable your horses overnight.  There are also camper hookups at the park and two motels in town for those staying over for the picnic. More details will be mailed out with the next newsletter.

 

 June 21, 2008 ~ NEBRASKAland DAYS on Parade on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in North Platte.  Other events run from June 12-22.  Check out their website for more information:  www.nebraskalanddays.com, or call (308) 532-7939

 July 9, 2008 ~ Jefferson County Fair Driving Show on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the fairgrounds in Fairbury.  There will be competitions for teams and singles.  Contact Steve Black at (402) 729-6028 for more information.

 July 26, 2008 ~ Wayne County Driving Show on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wayne.  Barb would really like to see more drivers from this association in their competition!  For more information, contact Barb Wittler at (402) 565-4574.  Also see the enclosed flyer.

 July 27, 2008 ~ Red Willow County Fair Show on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the indoor arena on the fair grounds at McCook.  They’ll also have competition for cart or unicorn, teams and 4-ups, with farm team classes in between.  For more information, contact Ken Kircher at (308) 364-2763.

 August 2, 2008 ~ Lincoln County Fair Draft Horse Show on Saturday at noon in North Platte.  They’ll feature a feed team race and obstacle course.  There’ll be four 4-horse hitches, also team, and cart show hitch classes.  They would like to see more men’s and women’s farm teams.  They hope to have more premiums this year.  Contact Lynn Meyer at (308) 582-4425 for more information.

 Tentative August 8, 2008 ~ Seward County Draft Horse Show on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Seward County Fairgrounds in Seward.  We start out with a grand entry parade, and have classes for farm teams with men, women, and youth drivers, and singles for adults and youth.  We also have classes for show teams and four-horse hitches, and finish up with the feed team race and riding under harness.  After the show, there’s free homemade pie and watermelon for all the exhibitors.  Call Frank Steckly at (402) 643-9883 or (402) 643-1765 (cell) for more information.

 Horse Drawn Hay Days to be determined at Lynn Meyer’s near Maxwell.  Contact Lynn Meyer at (308) 582-4425 for more information.

 August 30-31, 2008 ~ Nebraska State Fair Draft Horse Show will be Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds in Lincoln.  New structure this year:  Hitch performances at 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, halter classes on Sunday beginning at 8:00 a.m., farm team parade at noon, with six classes of farm team competition to follow, and evening hitch performance at 6:00 p.m.  Contact Superintendent Heidi Trautman for more information at (308) 324-6751 or (308) 325-2184 (cell).  Premium books and forms will be available around May 1 on their website, www.statefair.org. Entry forms must be postmarked by July 11, 2008.  Late entries will be accepted for an additional fee.  (See ad on page 103 of the spring issue of The Draft Horse Journal.)

 September 6, 2008 ~ Old Trusty Days on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Clay Center.  Contact Dave Fredericks at (402) 463-8228 or Larry Overy at (402) 771-2585 for more information.  You can also check out their website at www.oldtrusty.org.

 September 27, 2008 ~ Nebraska State Hand Cornhusking contest on Saturday at York near the junction of I-80 and Highway 81.  If you have questions or want to bring a team of horses, please contact Monte McIntyre at (402) 362-4491 (work phone). 

Please contact Joy Steckly with any events you’d like included in future newsletters.