Community Partners
Collaboration is the key to community growth and prosperity. To visit the websites of our community partners, simply click on their names below.
Attractions | Community | Education
Attractions
Grand Island offers great entertainment for the entire family.
At Fonner Park, Nebraska’s premier thoroughbred horse racing track, you’ll find live racing February through May of each year, and simulcast racing throughout the year.
Featuring four regular season shows and a variety of special events, Grand Island Little Theatre has been offering community theatre to the Grand Island area since 1960. With a mission to entertain, educate and enlighten, you’re sure to find something that interests you.
The Heartland Events Center at Fonner Park is host to a wide variety of events from sports to concerts, conventions to rodeos. The Heartland Events Center is the premier entertainment venue between Omaha, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado.
The Heartland Public Shooting Park
Featuring sporting clays, trap and skeet shooting, the Heartland Public Shooting Park is perfect for shooting enthusiasts. Located west of Grand Island, the sport shooting facility includes a seven-acre lake and a rifle and pistol shooting facility.
For the entire family, there’s Island Oasis Water Park with super slides and wave pools to cool off on a hot summer day.
Kids’ Kingdom is a playground designed by and for kids and is located in Grand Island’s Stolley Park. Kids’ Kingdom also offers train rides, while Stolley Park offers a beautiful setting for picnics and gatherings.
Mid Nebraska Speedway, just south of Grand Island, offers automobile racing with Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, Cruisers and more. It’s weekend fun with special events throughout the summer.
Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center
The Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center is the primary stop for travelers when viewing the Sand Hill Cranes each spring. Throughout the year, nature lovers utilize the center for hikes along the Platte River, with a number of wildlife species in the distance to be seen and enjoyed.
The Nebraska State Fair has been celebrating agriculture and entertaining families for 140 years. The purpose of the Nebraska State Fair is to educate and entertain, recognize individual achievements, celebrate excellences in agriculture, industry, commerce, arts, sciences and technology, and reinforce a sense of community and shared culture for the citizens of Nebraska.
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer is Nebraska’s only living history museum. Step back into the 1800s with a visit to railroad town and see how the settlers in our area began to prosper on the prairie.
Community Partners
Grand Island is a full-service municipality, providing essential services such as police, fire, and building inspections as well as electricity, sanitary sewer, and wastewater treatment. Grand Island has a Mayor-Council form of government. The City Council, as the governing body, adopts ordinances and determines policy which directs City government. The ten-member City Council is comprised of two representatives from each of the five voting wards.
The mission of the City of Grand Island is to enhance the quality of life in the Grand Island community, to recognize the vitality and diversity of our neighborhoods, and to promote development by providing effective and responsive services through vision, respect and courtesy.
Central Nebraska Regional Airport
The Central Nebraska Regional Airport is central Nebraska’s premier airpark providing flights in and out of Grand Island daily. Simplify traveling with short check-in, security and baggage lines, easy access and free parking.
Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Grand Island/Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) promotes Grand Island as a destination for visitors to our convention, sports and tourism facilities.
Downtown Grand Island, Nebraska offers a unique blend of retail, professional, and service oriented businesses, upper level residences, dining and entertainment establishments. Visit Downtown Grand Island.
Grand Island is located in and is the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska. County government is overseen by seven elected officials serving as the County Board. County government functions also include county assessor, deeds, treasurer, clerk and other services.
Leadership Tomorrow promotes leadership by providing an educational program for those who demonstrate ability and commitment to the community. Participants in the Leadership program have gone on to pursue leadership positions in a variety of capacities throughout the county.
Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation
The Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation helps existing business and industry grow as well as bring new business and industry to the Grand Island area. The creation of more jobs with better pay is the hallmark of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation.
Nebraska Army Aviation Support Facility
Grand Island is proud to be home to a $19.3 million Support Facility for the Nebraska Army National Guard. The 100,000 square foot facility lies on more than 40 acres on the east side of the Central Nebraska Regional Airport and is designed to shelter and repair six Chinook helicopters and six light utility helicopters as well as provide training for 300 National Guard soldiers.
Nebraska Business Development Center
The Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) is a cooperative program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).
The Nebraska Enterprise Fund (NEF) secures funding from national, state, and local sources and makes those funds available for locally based microenterprise programs serving small businesses.
Nebraska Workforce Development
Nebraska Workforce Development provides a wide array of services for both employees and employers. Information on available job openings, unemployment services, safety and labor laws is available through the Workforce Development Center.
Saint Francis Medical Center offers specialty medical services that rival hospitals in much larger communities. With dedicated physicians and specialists, Saint Francis is able to provide for a healthy community. Saint Francis Medical Center…Well beyond healthcare.
Education
Grand Island boasts educational excellence through neighborhood elementary schools, middle schools, three high schools, and post secondary education. The Grand Island Public School System offers K-12 opportunities, while Grand Island Northwest serves grades 9 through 12 and Central Catholic offers middle and high school learning. Other parochial educational opportunities include Grand Island Christian, Trinity Lutheran, and Heartland Lutheran High School.
Post-secondary education includes Central Community College, Bellevue University – Grand Island, and Doane College at College Park. These education centers offer a wide array of course offerings and the necessary skills to follow life’s dream.