This summer, Hear Grand Island is partnering with the Nebraska State Fair’s “Fairest Showdown” battle of the bands.
Karli Schulz of the State Fair talked about the “Fairest Showdown” at Wednesday May 10’s news conference.
Hear Grand Island and the State Fair are two of the largest musical events in central Nebraska, she said. The “Fairest Showdown” began with 49 bands, and the number has been whittled down to seven.
 The seven finalists are Jordan Schoch, Joshua Cole, The Kyle Sayler Band, Mad Dog and the 2020s, No Drinking on Grounds, The Other Side of Now and Tegan Nissen and the Troubleshooters. They will perform this summer at Hear Grand Island.
 The weekly concerts run from 7 to 11 p.m. Featured breweries are Scratchtown, Zipline, Kinkaider, Prairie Pride, Keg Creek, Empyrean, Upstream, O’Dell and Hwy 14.
An after-party, for those 21 and older, takes place at the Glass Bar from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
One purpose of Wednesday’s press conference was to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week.
 “I’m very pleased to be here to celebrate tourism in Grand Island,” Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele said. He gave a shoutout to Grand Island Tourism and Hear Grand Island, which is a “huge draw” for the city.
  It’s important that the concert series is downtown, Steele said.
 “Downtown Grand Island is the center for culture, the arts, entertainment and cuisine in Grand Island,” Steele said. “And that momentum is expanding because Fourth Street is becoming the Nebraska and regional center for Latino celebrations. And that’s just going to grow and grow and grow. So there’s so many wonderful things happening in our community.”
