LETTER TO THE EDITOR, NEBRASKA CITY NEWS PRESS
September 25, 2023

From: the staff of Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce                                                                                      

The mission of Nebraska City Tourism & Commerce (NCTC) is to “create a prosperous, vibrant community… uniting residents to promote tourism, strengthen commerce, and improve the welfare of the community to benefit [our] quality of life…”

Never has it been more apparent that Nebraska City is a prosperous, vibrant community than these past two weekends of the 2023 AppleJack Festival. Our NCTC office is often credited with the success – or failure – of AppleJack, but any acclaim this year should go to the entire community.

We want to say it started with a local-focused shopping event on Thursday, September 14, that was spearheaded by CRUSH Boutique and the new Local Store (formerly Little Things Boutique). But maybe it started with the Keep Nebraska City Beautiful clean-up on September 9. Truthfully, it probably started this past summer when dozens of businesses and organizations made plans to participate in AppleJack, either the first weekend or the second, maybe with a float in the parade, or by having extended hours, or by offering something apple-related to their customers.

It’s our job at NCTC to plan all year for AppleJack – and we do. But this year, to the nearly 70,000 out-of-towners who came to call the first weekend alone, it looked like all 7,200 residents had rolled out the apple-red carpet for them – and that makes our job so much easier.

It’s easy to market a community that cares about its place in the world. It’s a piece of apple cake to sell a weekend getaway to a town that is not prideful but filled with pride over its parks and orchards and boutiques. It’s a simple thing to promote our slice of small-town goodness as a center of creativity, of the arts, of nature, and of community.

So, to the lovely lady we met at the City Tap House who graduated NCHS in 1962 and moved away, only to come back this year and be blown away by what her little hometown does each fall… to the gentleman from Iowa we chatted with at the Cider Stroll who had incredibly thoughtful suggestions on how to make that event even better next year… to the couple from Columbus who stumbled upon us simply because they wanted a weekend away to celebrate their anniversary… yes, you are technically our “target market” when we plan our AppleJack Festival advertising. But to the downtown business owner who makes 70% of her annual profit these two weekends? To the family who fights the traffic to find a spot on Central Avenue so they can watch their kids march in the parade? To the sorority that spends three months organizing the Fun Run just to donate the proceeds back to community projects? You are why we plan it all in the first place.

We can’t possibly thank you all in one letter to the editor – the News Press is only so many pages. Please know that you are appreciated for what you do to make Nebraska City a wonderful place to live and work. We are proud to represent you.

The NCTC Staff