BRAN stop in 2018 a chance to show off our hospitality

Imperial received some good news the past week when organizers of the 38th annual Bike Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) chose this community as its first overnight stop on their seven-day excursion, June 3-9, 2018.
    BRAN isn’t new to Imperial. Some of us long-time residents (it really hasn’t been that long) remember when Imperial was the starting point for the BRAN in 2000. It’s definitely one of those events that puts your community on the map
    With up to 600 riders taking part, it’s one of those enviable opportunities for Imperial to put its best foot forward. We have a pretty good history of doing just that.
    One of the best examples each August is the Chase County Fair. Thousands of people come into the city for that week-long event, and the fair board, helped by so many volunteers, stage successful fairs year after year. Another one is the Smokin’ on Broadway, which just completed its second successful day-long event this summer. And, every other year, 300 or more youngsters come into town and surrounding communities for the SCORE science camps.
    Those are just a few examples of how Imperial rolls out the carpet for our visitors. Let’s do the same for next year’s BRAN overnight stay here.
    If you are one of those great volunteers who’d like to be involved, contact one of the committee co-chairs, who include Chris Lee, Michelle Spady, Mary Deyle, Eric Exum and Kevin Chavira. Do you want to provide a bed or two for some of the cyclists who may not want to or cannot sleep on the ground? Is your organization interested in providing food for the crowd? How about entertainment? There will be many areas in which to help out the committee.
    Mark June 3, 2018 on your calendars. It’s a chance for us to show a lot of fellow Nebraskans, many from the Omaha and Lincoln areas as well as other states, what small town hospitality means.