2006 TARGET Study

The TARGET study that was completed for Bancroft in 2006 made several recommendations for Bancroft to increase Tourism. Some of them have been accomplished in the 9 years since the study. #1. Encourage Cuming County Commissioners to adopt a county lodging tax. The 2% Marketing Tax was passed by the County in 2007. I was part of the group that presented the proposal to the Cuming County commissioners that year. The lodging tax raises $18,000 a year. that money is used to market Cuming County tourism. The County passed an additional 2% lodging tax that went into effect in July. This "Improvement" tax will generate an additional $18,000 that is to be used for improvements to tourism sites. #6. Promote the recreational use of Logan Creek. John Ross deserves the credit for this. From Pender Times July 2014. "Through the collaborative efforts of several groups, the newest access point on the Logan Creek for canoe/kayak travel is now finished.For several years, a number of groups have been working to provide a series of canoe access points to Logan Creek. The newest site in a series of access points is near Bancroft. The site is 1/4 mile north of Highway 16 on Cuming County Road 24, directly north of Ru-de's Mini Mart. The site provides parking and access to Logan Creek. Work on the Bancroft site began in 2011. It completes a string of five access points that stretch from north of Pender to Oakland. Experienced paddlers say it takes about two hours to get from Pender to Bancroft, from Bancroft to Lyons and from Lyons to Oakland. The area also is a haven for wildlife, including Canadian geese, blue heron, horned owls, beaver, muskrats and deer, with the best viewing from the creek occurring early in the morning or late in the evening. A map of the Logan Creek access points is available at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Web site: outdoornebraska.ne.gov. To view the map, visit the water trails page. Canoe and kayak rentals will be available by late summer at Ru-De's Mini Mart in Bancroft, according to owner Rob Smith. This project has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Nebraska Loess Hills Resource Conservation and Development Council, Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, Cuming County, Cuming County Visitor's Bureau, the Elkhorn Valley chapter of Pheasants Forever and the Nebraska Games and Parks Commission. #10. Capitalize on the John G. Neihardt Historic Site's Tourism Potential. The sculpture of John Neihardt and Black Elk will be completed and in place by Neihardt Day August 7, 2016. Donations are still being solicited for the $150,000 project.