NORTH PLATTE, Nebr. - NEBRASKAland DAYS will be transitioning leadership during its upcoming fiscal year. The group announced today that Executive Director David Fudge will retire from the Festival shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 Event. “We’re grateful for all the years the Fudge family has dedicated to our organization,” said incoming Board President Travis Covey. “ We’ll go to work on launching an extensive search for David’s replacement so we can continue to operate at the highest level possible for our community.”
Fudge joined the Board of Directors for the 2005 Celebration, then transitioned to the role of Executive Director a few months after his final Board year in 2011. 2024 will mark his 20th Celebration with the organization. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this organization,” said Fudge. “I don’t know that I could have ever dreamed that my time here would be so rewarding. We’ve made lifelong friends with people we may have never had the opportunity to meet without this place.”
The organization has perhaps never been stronger. Facilities have been upgraded to keep pace with the demands of the 21st century, while more projects to upgrade older structures are in the planning phases. “The organization has done a wonderful job positioning itself for the next 20 years,” said recently retired Buffalo Bill Rodeo Committee Chairman Jack Morris. “The Board and the Committee’s have come together to make sure everyone is on the same page working towards putting the best product we can.”
NEBRASKAland DAYS is Nebraska’s Official State Celebration. Originally held in Lincoln in the summer of 1965, it was moved to North Platte in 1968. 2024 will mark it’s 60th year. It now regularly hosts nearly 100,000 visitors from all corners of the country who attend it’s events, which include the PRCA Hall of Fame Buffalo Bill Rodeo and the Viaero Summer Jam Concert Series, which hosts some of the biggest names in country music.