The Bowring Ranch State Historical Park near Merriman is inviting the public to step back in time this Father’s Day, June 21, by attending its annual Sod House Sunday event.
Numerous activities will depict Sandhills ranch life of yesteryear, including praise music and worship from 10 a.m. to noon. Team penning will begin at 1 p.m., along with children’s activities and an open house for the Bowring ranch home and sod house. The visitor center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Concessions will be available throughout the afternoon.
The park is a working Hereford cattle ranch donated by the late Eva Bowring, Nebraska’s first female state senator. She gifted the property to the state park system in memory of her husband, Arthur, upon her death in 1985 – making this the attraction’s 30th anniversary. The ranch house and outbuildings of the operation, which was established by the Bowrings in 1894, have been preserved for the public to enjoy.
Attendance to Sod House Sunday is free, but vehicles must have a Nebraska park entry permit available online at outdoornebraska.org or at the Bowring Ranch visitor center and vendors throughout the state.