Cupcakes, BBQ & Brews! Tempt Your Taste Buds in Phelps County This Summer!

Ribfest and Swedish Days

BBQ teams from around the country will kick off the first weekend of summer in Holdrege by smoking delicious ribs, brisket, pork and chicken and vying for thousands of dollars in prize money.

The Allmand Central Plains Ribfest is expected to attract 50-60 of the best BBQ teams in the country for its double-KCBS-sanctioned contest June 18-20. It will likely be the biggest BBQ competition in Nebraska this summer.

The public is invited to get a taste of smoky, spicy, sweet and savory meats at the Friday night public tasting on June 18. The gate fee is just $5 per person and gives participants a chance to purchase meals or rib samples from any of the participating BBQ teams. The event includes a beer tent and a street dance featuring the popular Lincoln band AMFM.

Ribfest is part of Holdrege’s annual Swedish Days celebration. Other events during the summer solstice event include:

Friday, June 18

• Kids games on the courthouse lawn in the early afternoon
• Swedish dinner at the Nebraska Prairie Museum

Saturday, June 19

• Silver Run (2-mile walk or run, 5K or 10K) at 7:30 a.m.
• Heartland Cruisers Car Show, 8 a.m.-Noon
• Grand Parade at 10 a.m.
• Street Festival with Food Vendors and Crafts, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Kids Fun Zone with a zipline, ferris wheel, bounce house, face painting, balloon animals, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

For Swedish Days details visit www.holdregechamber.com/swedish-days

For Ribfest details visit www.holdregechamber.com/events

Yes, in Phelps County we are known for our beef, but we are more than just cows and cornfields! The sky’s the limit here, and we invite you to Visit 37 to experience many other great flavors and adventures:

Lost Way Brewery, 614 3rd Ave., Holdrege

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Motivate yourself to run in the May 8 Lost Way 5K with a beer at the finish line. Lost Way Brewery in downtown Holdrege features great-tasting locally-brewed beers and homemade rootbeer for the kids!

Bertrand Brews & BBQ, June 26

For just $15, you can eat all the BBQ ribs, pork, brisket, and beans you want at the Bertrand Brews & BBQ event. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. to taste the meat slow-smoked and carefully seasoned by eight area BBQ masters. Stay and dance or just listen to the sweet sounds of summer created by the amazing musical talents of The Innocence.

Funk Cupcake Festival, July 18

Sink your teeth into chocolate, peanut butter and vanilla cream cupcakes and other sweet flavors at Funk’s Cupcake Festival on Sunday, July 18. Funk, population 194, is Nebraska’s Cupcake Capital, and its festival attracts teams from across the region to compete for the best tasting, best decorated and funkiest (most unusual) cupcakes. Prizes also are awarded for the best-themed table decorations and People’s Choice of favorite cupcake.

Phelps County Fair, July 24-29

Funnel cakes, snow cones and free beef sandwiches top the list of things to taste at the Phelps County Fair July 24-29. Highlights of this year’s fair include a DC Lynch carnival July 26-28; Sips & Songs featuring music by Formerly Three of Lexington along with craft beer (Lost Way Brewery) and wine (Mac’s Creek Winery) on July 26 at 6 p.m., Tuff-N-Nuff Minature Rodeo Association on July 27 at 7 p.m.; and the Demolition Derby on July 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Speakeasy Restaurant, 72993 S Road, Holdrege

Right next to fields and pastures in the middle of nowhere, you will find the Speakeasy restaurant where you can savor one of the best New York Strips you’ll ever taste along with hand-crafted cocktails. We may consider it sinful if you don’t try the steak, but there’s plenty of other options: southern fried catfish, blueberry port duck breast, gourmet hamburgers and classic onion rings.

Skydiving at SkyDive Atlas, 1320 Brewster Field, Holdrege

Before indulging in all the great tastes of Phelps County, check one more thing off of your bucket list by skydiving over our oceans of cornfields. We welcome thrill-seekers, honeymooners and memory makers to face their fears or celebrate any occasion at skydive atlas.
www.skydiveatlas.com

Shop 37

While enjoying the tastes of Phelps County, be sure to stop by our quaint boutiques and shops and get one more stamp on your Nebraska Passport at Gifts & Things in downtown Holdrege.