Great Parks Pursuit: Start Your Journey Now!

If you’ve ever wanted to explore Nebraska, but just weren’t quite sure where to start, the Great Parks Pursuit is tailor-made just for you and your family. Leave the video games at home, and take the kids outdoors! Based on the Connecticut program “No Child Left Inside,” Nebraska’s Great Parks Pursuit is designed to beckon families to explore Nebraska’s beautiful parks, and perhaps — win great prizes also!

“Too often, recreation time is spent in front of a screen,” says Lee Handke, Vice President of Health Network and Wellness Services at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. “We are happy to sponsor The Great Park Pursuit because it encourages families to get out and spend meaningful time together in Nebraska's beautiful state parks. Families will be rewarded with more active lifestyles, plus create memories that will last a lifetime.”

Start by signing up at www.negpp.org. There you’ll find a wealth of information about the program, as well as guidelines on which parks to visit. Somewhere in each park, there is a special post with a pencil rubbing. Your mission? Find the post, do the rubbing, and then enjoy the park for the rest of the day. Those who turn in the pencil rubbings for all ten designated Nebraska parks will be eligible for outdoor packages from Bass Pro Shops totaling $1,000!

“Nebraska is blessed with 86 state park areas and many more community parks,” says Roger Kuhn, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “The ten Great Park Pursuit locations showcase some of the best Nebraska has to offer – and visitors will not be disappointed. From the Pine Ridge of western Nebraska to the unmatched beauty of the Niobrara River Valley to the Missouri River at Ponca State Park, the Great Park Pursuit has wonderful parks to visit.”

You can start your adventure right away by going to www.negpp.org, or you can also attend one of three major kick-off and registration events this spring:

• 3:00 -5:00 p.m., April 26 – North Platte, Iron Horse Park
• 9:00 -11:00 a.m., May 17 – Ashland, Mahoney State Park
• 10:00 -12:00 p.m., June 14 – Hastings, Lake Hastings

Even if you can’t make it to all 10 parks by September 10, you can still win. Just one pencil rubbing will make your family eligible for prizes.

In addition to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, major sponsors of the Great Parks Pursuit include the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, The Nebraska Recreation and Parks Association, and Bass Pro Shops.