Homestead National Monument Targeting Phased-In Reopening, June 3rd
BEATRICE – The Homestead National Monument of America is hoping to reopen the doors of the Education Center and Heritage Center on June 3rd, as part of a phased-in reopening.
The National Monument’s buildings have been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Monument Superintendent Mark Engler says trails at the park service attraction west of Beatrice have remained open from dawn until dusk, and visitors can use picnic facilities during the daytime.
Engler says during the phased-in reopening, there will be no traveling exhibits open to the public and the monument is likely to reopen with reduced hours in the beginning….from nine a.m. until four p.m.
Engler says the goal is to move toward open hours seven days a week, but he says safety will be paramount, while the Homestead follows CDC and State of Nebraska guidelines during the pandemic.
This Memorial Day weekend typically hosts the annual Tall Grass Prairie Fiddle Festival at the Homestead, but the event was canceled. Engler says monument officials are working on a tentative rescheduling of that event, for the Labor Day Holiday weekend.
A scheduled June 14th U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization ceremony at the Homestead has been canceled, but a second ceremony in September has not been ruled out
.
