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With temperatures beginning to drop again this weekend, tasting unique craft brewed beer outdoors in the heart of downtown Sidney on a warm June afternoon is a pleasant daydream.
A local group is hoping to turn that vision into reality – with live entrainment, food vendors and art performances.
The Cheyenne County Young Professionals have been looking for an event with a strong community impact, and Christian Johnson told the Sidney City Council they think they've found it.
At a council meeting on Tuesday night, Johnson said the group would like to hold the beer tasting event in Hickory Street Square on June 4.
Over the past several months, CCYP has met with city, county and law enforcement representatives.
"We feel like we have a good vision," Johnson said. "And we would love to get some direction and support from the council."
While a number of logistics remain to be tackled, he said, the group's hope is to close the square, erect fences and hold the one-day event from in the afternoon to early evening.
"One question we get a lot is that this sounds a lot like Oktoberfest," he explained. "That's not our thing – this is beer tasting, not beer drinking. We're only going to issue 2-ounce glasses."
The gathering would work to promote local and regional beer, art, food and music, Johnson added.
"We want this to be more of a cultural event," he said.
The group is targeting an attendance of up to 1,000 and hopes to use proceeds charged from admission to make a $20,000 contribution to a local nonprofit organization.
"We'd also incorporate a Sidney improvement project," Johnson said.
That project could be the creation of an art installment representative of the event placed somewhere in the community, he explained.
Sidney Mayor Mark Nienhueser thanked the CCYP for coming up with the idea to promote the community and asked the group to continue to work with city staff and law enforcement.
Councilman Joe Arterburn asked Johnson what the reaction to the idea has been.
"So far, overwhelmingly positive," he replied.
Also at the meeting:
• Councilors approved a resolution approving a loan contract from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to help fund repairs and improvements to the city's water system. The $7.5 million long-term, low-interest loan will only be tapped into when needed.
Bill Tayor, the city's water superintendent, said right now, there are $2.4 million in projects that have been approved by the city council.
"The loan is earmarked at about $7 million, but we don't have to use all of it," he said.
City Attorney J. Leef said, at the earliest, the first payment would be due one year after the project is initiated.
"This is just putting the final loan agreement in place," the mayor remarked.
• The next Sidney City Council meeting is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, in the Council Room at Sidney City Hall.
Reader Comments(1)
sandhiller writes:
The city wouldn't need to take out so many loans if they would quit giving away so much tax revenue in Tax Increment Financing.
12/09/2015, 7:56 pm