Posted in Nebraska
May 04, 2017
Visit Lyons, The Small Town In Nebraska That’s One Of The Coolest In The U.S.
One of the most common complaints people have about small towns is that there’s nothing to do there. While boring is in the eye of the beholder, there are some small towns where you just can’t make that complaint. Lyons, which sits quietly in Burt County, is peaceful and sweet yet also full of fun things to do.
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The residents are a community-minded group who welcome new residents and businesses with open arms.
The Center for Rural Affairs, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and enriching rural Nebraska communities, is headquartered here.
Cosmic Films Studio is also located right here in Lyons. Local filmmaker Bill Hedges renovated Lyons' old movie theater to use as his own production studio. He recently completed a documentary about Lyons; you can see excerpts from the film below.
That includes the Lyons Water Park and Pool, which opened in 2016. The water park has two water slides, a lazy river, a diving board, lily pads, and lots of other fun features that make it the perfect place to spend a summer day.
Led by the Center for Rural Affairs, a public art project called Byway of Art was responsible for creating this delightfully surprising feature of Lyons' downtown.
In 2015, conceptual artist Matthew Mazzotta came to town and had a talk with the community about what the idea of a community art project meant to them. After a resident noted that one of the downtown storefronts was actually just a façade, the idea for an outdoor community theater was born.
Now, on movie nights, the façade lowers and a set of bleachers emerges from the empty store space. There's seating for around 100 people.
The screen is hauled in behind a tractor. It's set up right there in the middle of Main Street in front of the seats, giving residents a one-of-a-kind viewing experience.
This public art project has turned into a defining part of Lyons' identity. The space is now used for movie nights, video game nights, outdoor concerts, and a number of other events. Another Lyons resident, inspired by the overwhelming community support for this public art project, even opened an art gallery next door to the Storefront Theater.
To the casual observer, Lyons may look like just another rural Nebraska town, but residents know better. This is a special place where people in the community take care of one another and work to improve the town they live in. And it’s anything but boring.
For even more cool Nebraska towns, check out this list.
Address: Lyons, NE 68038, USA
