Fort Robinson State Park has canceled its annual historical Christmas dinner for the second straight year because of COVID-19.
Park officials say challenges related to masking and socially distancing to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus prompted the cancellation of what would have been the dinner’s 26th year.
The dinner treated attendees to the Christmas dinner menu from a selected year of the park’s past as a U-S Cavalry post. Many would dress in period attire for the affair, which was limited to only 200 tickets.
Although there’s no dinner this year, two other holiday events that take place completely outdoors will continue.
The Haunted Halloween festivities are a week from Saturday, Oct 30, from 4:30-7:00 PM at the Soldier Creek Campground on the east side of Hwy 20. It will offer wagon rides through the “haunted campground,” a chili feed, and trick-or-treating.
Fort Robinson is also continuing its annual “Light Up the Fort” program in which community groups and volunteers decorate many of the park buildings with lights which will be on at night during the holiday season.
Some buildings have already been spoken for. To find out which are still available for lighting, contact the Fort Robinson State Park office at 308-665-2900 or online at ngpc.fortrobinson@nebraska.gov.