Eagle Raceway, Lancaster Event Center recovering after Fourth of July Storms

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Severe storms on the Fourth of July left several places in the Lincoln area with damage.

The Lancaster Event Center had everything from bent-in garages to blown-over fences and bleachers.

Amy Dickerson, the managing director of the event center’s fairgrounds, said winds there topped 70 mph on Tuesday night.

“We first were getting calls that we had a couple campers that were severely damaged,” she said. “We have at least five garage doors that have to be replaced. We got some bleachers here that you can see took a couple somersaults that were not planned.”

Two years ago, another storm knocked over several stalls and tents just before the National High School Rodeo Finals.

“We’re just thankful this one was not as bad as that one,” Dickerson said. “And we have learned how to get things kind of battened down more and more all the time.”

Dickerson estimated the damage could be as much as $100,000, depending on what insurance covers.

But she said it’s nothing the event center can’t handle, and it’s still on for the Lancaster County Super Fair in August.

Another place hit by the storms was Eagle Raceway, where a light pole fell into the bleachers.

Co-owner Roger Hadan said when he arrived the pole was smoking, so he suspects that it was hit by lightning.

There was also damage to roofing, some billboards and a camper that rolled partway down a hill.

“We’ve had tornadoes come through here and stuff like that,” Hadan said. “We had a jumbotron that got blown down once. It’s part of being an outdoor game.”

Channel 8’s Malcolm Byron estimated that the damage likely happened around 7:40 p.m., with the highest wind gust reaching nearly 80 mph.

Hadan said it’s pretty difficult to get new poles right now, so it may take some time to get it all fixed.

He said events will still be happening at the raceway, including the fireworks show, which was postponed to this weekend.

The venue seats almost 9,000 people, Hadan said, and blocking off the damaged section will only lower that number to 8,000.

“So we should still be in good shape,” he said.

The good news is that neither location reported any injuries from the storms.