The 20th Ash Hollow historical pageant will be held Friday-Saturday, June 15-16 at Ash Hollow State Historical Park near Lewellen, Neb.

The spirit of the American West is embodied in the story of the pioneers who crossed the country in the 1840s and ’50s heading for Oregon, California and Utah.

With the eternal dream of finding a better life, the pioneers left home and everything they knew for a six-month wagon ride across the country to lands they had never seen. “Wandrin’ Star,” this year’s performance at the Ash Hollow Historical Pageant, tells the tale of those pioneers using their own words with diary entries that weave a story of fun, boredom, fear, hardship and endurance.

Guests at the Ash Hollow Pageant relive a little of trail life with the chuck wagon supper—trail beans, roast beef and fry bread—and spending the evening on the trail next to the spring where pioneers enjoyed their first clean spring water in weeks. The Ash Hollow Historical Pageant is part musical, part historical documentary, performed by a regional cast of 30 members and a trail band.

A self-drive tour of the park can be done from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. both days. A quilt show will be held at Most Unlikely Place in Lewellen from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

An art show will be set up at the park from 12-6 p.m. and dinner will be served from 5-6:30 p.m. with the performance following at 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, a 5K walk/run will be held at the park at 7 a.m. and a bike ride will begin in Lewellen at the same time.

Park stickers are required for all vehicles. All events are free except for the supper. Proceeds from the dinner and program sales support Volunteers of America—Western Nebraska services including the preschool, food pantry and health center.

People attending the pageant provide their own seating such as a lawn chair or blanket and will want to be prepared for the temperatures from hot to chilly in the evening. Bug repellent is also a good idea. Golf carts will be available for people who need a ride from their vehicles to the chuck wagon supper and the performance site. Handicap parking will also be available close to the performance site.

The Ash Hollow Pageant will be performed near the picnic area at Ash Hollow State Historical Park, three miles southeast of Lewellen, Neb. In case of rain, the chuck wagon dinner and performance will be held on Sunday starting at 11:30 a.m.

For people who love history and nature, the Ash Hollow Pageant is a must. For more information, contact Volunteers of America at 778-5548 or check www.gardencounty.org.

Holyoke Enterprise June 7, 2012