Fort Robinson State Park’s historical Christmas dinner is returning December 3rd after a 2-year COVID hiatus is back with a theme of the Roaring ’20s.
Ticket sales begin in just under two weeks on Monday, Nov 7, at 8:00 in the morning in 3 locations: the Fort Robinson headquarters, D&S Market in Harrison, and the Chadron Chamber of Commerce-Visitors Center.
Tickets are $30 with a maximum of 4 per buyer and normally sell out by noon – sometimes within 90-minutes. There’s often a line of buyers waiting outside in the cold for the doors to open.
The Fort Robinson dinner always features a menu from one year during its 7 decades of service as an active military post. This year, it’s 1922 and includes turkey, dressing, pork roast, sweet potatoes, and mashed potatoes.
There will also be live music and historical commentary. The evening is also enhanced by the fact that many attendees dress in period attire to match the year and theme,
Fort Robinson began life in 1874 as Camp Robinson and served as a cavalry post until 1919, when it transitioned into a quartermaster remount depot.
As the Army’s primary remount depot, it prepared horses and mules for military service. Upwards of 12,000 animals might have been at the post at any given time.
Fort Robinson also housed a War Dog Training Center and a POW Camp during WWII. The base closed in 1948.
The Christmas Dinner will also again mark the first night several of Fort Robinson’s buildings will be lit for the holidays. It’s a volunteer program with businesses, organizations, and groups including families taking responsibility for one building.
Those interested in decorating a building at Fort Robinson can call the park office at 308-665-2900 or go online to ngpc.fort.robinson@nebraska.gov