News Release

Old-Fashioned Spelling Bee and Ice Cream Social on Labor Day at Homestead National Historical Park

Date: August 15, 2025
Contact: Dominic Dongilli

Beatrice, Neb. – Homestead National Historical Park is hosting its annual Old-Fashioned Spelling Bee and Ice Cream Social on Monday, September 1, 2025, 10 a.m., at the Freeman School. Morgan Fox, Youth Services Librarian at Beatrice Public Library, will emcee the competition. Visitors can enjoy an ice cream social and self-guided nature writing activities after the spelling bee.  

Contestants will be grouped into five age categories: under 7, 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16+. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The under 7 age group will start the event at 10 a.m. No entry fee is required to participate. Trophies will be awarded for the first and second place winners in each category and ice cream will be served, courtesy of the Friends of Homestead National Historical Park. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the fun; participation in the competition is not required.

Historically, educators used spelling bees to teach standard American spelling. Homesteaders brought many languages with them when they immigrated to the United States while the rules of British English still influenced how some Americans wrote and spoke. The spelling bee emerged from those language traditions. It remains a popular event to this day!

Homestead National Historical Park plans to host multiple events Labor Day weekend including the Living History Extravaganza on Saturday, August 30, 2025, and the Old-Fashioned Spelling Bee and Ice Cream Social on Monday, September 1, 2025. For information on available accommodations please contact Accessibility Coordinator, Amber Kirkendall at [phone] or e-mail us.

Homestead National Historical Park is a unit of the National Park Service, located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Trails are open daily from dawn to dusk, and admission is free. The park has a diverse schedule of events planned for 2025. For more information, please call [phone], or visit https://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm; Instagram (@HomesteadNPS “X” (@HomesteadNHP), and Facebook (Homestead National Historical Park).
 

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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.