Join the Archway for

Cranefest

March 13 - April 6th 2008

Over a half million Sandhill cranes converge here

every year on their way north, the same location

where nearly a half million immigrants converged

over 100 years ago on their way west.

Cranefest Activities at the Archway

Archway Sandhill Crane Tours

Individuals can make reservations for crane tours on Fri-Sat-Sun, at 10:30am and 1:30pm, between March 14 and March 30. Crane tours will leave from the Archway parking lot, accompanied by trained guides.

Click Here For Individual Sandhill Crane Tours

Click Here for Motorcoach Sandhill Crane Tours

Click here for School Sandhill Crane Tours

Whooping Crane Art

The Archway will feature an exhibit about the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc. located at Wood River, as well as their display of forty pieces of crane artwork, drawn by elementary students in Cuba.

Cranes and Wetlands Celebration

Gran Humedal Norte de Ciego de Avila

Ciego de Avila, Cuba

The drawings are a selection of art work done by school children in the province of Ciego de Avila, Cuba.  The art work was one of several activities conducted during the first Community Festival highlighting the natural resources of the reserve the Great Wetlands of Northern Ciego de Avila (Gran Humedal Norte de Ciego de Avila).  This reserve is a newly created reserve intending to protect cranes, wetlands and other important natural resources of the area.  Several hundred entries were received from several schools located through out the province and in or near the Reserve. During the festival many other activities were developed that included, theater, writing, presentations, artwork, and others with the intention of highlighting the natural resources and the importance of their conservation.  The drawings presented here highlight cranes and wetlands as the Cuban sandhill crane is one of several endangered and endemic focal species of the reserve which were one of the central themes of this year’s festival.  In order to educate the students regarding cranes, biologists and educators teamed up and developed presentations on North American cranes to educate teachers and students.  So in addition to learning about their own Cuban sandhill cranes teachers and students also learned about the spring staging of sandhill cranes in the Platte River, Nebraska.  We hope that this artwork will be shared with local Nebraska schools and school children and that in time crane and wetland artwork from Nebraska will be exchanged and shared with students in Cuba.

"Evening with the Whooping Cranes"

The Archway will have an "Evening with the Whooping Cranes" on March 13. This reservation only event will include dinner and a special Whooping Crane program.

click here for a reservation request

click here for the event press release

Cranes on Parade

A collection of cranes created as part of the 2003 Cranes on Parade project, a fundraiser of the Kearney Dawn Rotary, will be on display throughout Cranefest at the Archway.

Cranes on Parade event

A "Cranes on Parade at the Archway" event will be held on Thursday, April 3, from 5:30 to 7pm. The event will be sponsored by Kearney Dawn Rotary and the Archway, with hors d’oeuvres , artists, crane raffle drawing and crane books for sale, in promotion of the 2009 Cranes on Parade project.

Here is a list of other links of interest:

Kearney Visitor's Bureau

Oldfather Guest House

Rowe Sanctuary

Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.

Museum of Nebraska Art