GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Nebraska State Fair paid tribute to veterans during its Labor Day festivities, transforming the day into a celebration akin to Veterans Day. Veterans were granted free entrance to the fair, which featured special programming in their honor.
The day began with a Veterans Resources Fair at the Heartland Event’s Center, followed by a program that included the posting of the colors, a moment of silence for fallen soldiers, and recognition of those missing in action or prisoners of war. Live music accompanied the solemn ceremonies.
At 1 p.m., a veterans parade made its way down the fairground’s main street, including floats, a motorcycle brigade, antique tractors, and an army van decked out with flags. Mark Dissmeyer, an Army veteran from Kearney, noted the turnout at the events from people he knew. “There was a fair showing. All these guys are getting older. We’re losing them every year. So the crowd keeps going down a little bit. But we’re there for them, support for them just to honor the vets… I was impressed by the bike showing we had this time. Sometimes you never know on that whether you’ll get 100 or 2,” he said…