Hastings College will help celebrate history, community and environmental stewardship with a historical reenactment, educational walk, storytelling and tree planting event from 9-11 a.m., Saturday, April 24 at Hastings College. The event, which is sponsored by Hastings College, the Adams County Historical Society and Hastings Parks and Recreation, is free and open to the public.
Local experts in period dress will tell stories of early Hastings and Hastings College on an educational walk for the community. The walk will start at University Avenue and continue east through campus, stopping at various points for brief history presentations on various topics, including the Homestead Act, the founding of Hastings College, surviving the Dust Bowl, landscape stewardship and more.
The walk will culminate at the Morrison-Reeves Science Center where tree planting experts from Hastings Parks and Recreation, Hastings College and members of the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts will help walkers plant new trees in honor of the original community tree planting at Hastings College in 1883. Refreshments will be served.
Hastings College and the community of Hastings have partnered together since 1883 to transform the area that is Hastings College into a beautiful and educational arboretum. When ground was first broken for Hastings College on April 25, 1883, historical records from that day describe the memorable sight of 150 men, women and children from the community planting 226 trees on the open plain that became the Hastings College campus.

“Hastings College, the College of the Plains, was envisioned by pioneers who settled in the gently rolling grasslands of central Nebraska and who fulfilled through struggle, heartache, determination, and sacrifice, the college of their dreams. Today Hastings College stands as a living memorial to their faith, their steadfastness, their devotion, and their prayers.”
– Frank E. Weyer (1957), “Hastings College: Seventy-Five Years in Retrospect 1882-1957”

At Hastings College, we have a passion for preserving the Nebraska way of life through commitment to community, dedication to local partnership and our legacy of environmental stewardship. Our new Morrison-Reeves Science Center is among the first environmentally friendly “green” buildings in the state. The Hastings College Arboretum contains nearly 1,000 hand-planted trees and is part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. We are a proud partner of the new Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center, which provides a place for people of all ages to connect with nature. Located in Yahoo’s Greenest City in America, Hastings College is taking the next step toward a greener future; not just for our students, but for everyone.
Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students. Hastings College was named 75th Best Value College in the nation and #1 in Nebraska by Forbes.com and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. It was named a 2010 “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review and rated a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.