New events added as staff gets ready for ‘23 Enders Extravaganza

    It may be cold and snowy now, but staff at Enders Lake Recreation Area is looking forward to the sun and the 2023 Enders Extravaganza in June.
    Lake Supt. Beau Licking and park employee Dayna Scherbarth already have booked many of the events for this year’s Extravaganza on Saturday, June 10.
    Some new events have been added to several returning activities.
    New events on the schedule include ax throwing, a kids’ peddle tractor pull and up and coming country singer Jake Jacobson, who will headline the evening concert.
    Jacobson hails from northern California where he was raised in a rural logging and ranching town. He said his music combines that of honky tonk and traditional country with a hint of southern rock.
    His singing has been influenced by artists Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, George Strait, Justin Moore and Cody Johnson. His debut album “Lovin’ and Leavin’” was released in June 2022.
    Scherbarth noted they have booked the return of BD and the Boys from Grand Island, who will open for Jacobson at the concert. The GI band plays a mix of rock ‘n roll and country music.
    The ax throwing activity will include adult and youth lanes, she said. Kendall Teichmeier of Broken Bow will bring his axes and targets to Enders for people to try their luck. Teichmeier came to the area initially last August for the Chase County Fair.
    The kids tractor pull will be held on site, another new event, she said.
    Steve Gould of the Gould Brothers, the trick shooting team who entertained in 2021, will be back, she said. Just one of the two brothers will be here in June, as the pair has split up to do individual events.
    “He’ll probably perform some different tricks than two years ago,” she said.
    Smokin’ on the Lake, the BBQ contest that drew 12 entries last year, will also return.
    Other returning activities include the morning 5K run, craft show, tractor and truck shows, petting zoo, dutch oven cooking demonstrations and the Nebraska Game and Parks’ activity and crime trailers.
    The first Enders Extravaganza was scheduled in 2021 to celebrate the 100th year of Nebraska’s state parks.
    Information on being a sponsor to help put on the event and other details are available from  Licking, 308-530-2648, or Scherbarth, 308-233-1026.
Other 2023 events on tap
    Staff at ELRC also have several other events scheduled for 2023 including:
    April 8—Easter egg hunt
    May 6—Spring horse trail ride
    Oct. 7—Fall horse trail ride
    Oct. 27-28—Haunting camping