RECREATION AND PARKS

The six city parks in O'Neill cover 103 acres and have a swimming pool, playground equipment, picnic tables, fishing pond, lighted softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, soccer fields, horse arena, and camping area.

The Parks and Recreation Department has one full-time year-around director and 29 seasonal employees (10 full-time) with an average annual budget of $175,000. Programs offered by the department include Red Cross swimming, aquarobics, lap swimming, swim team, softball, baseball, and soccer.

O'Neill has facilities for:

• Boating- Facilities at Goose Lake, 27 miles, and Fort Randall Reservoir and Calamus Dam, 50 miles
• Bowling- One 12-lane bowling alley
• Fishing- Excellent fishing for trout, bass, catfish, and other species
• Golf- One private 9-hole grass greens course with clubhouse
• Horse Shoes- Horseshoe pits (qualified for tournaments)
• Hunting- Deer, pheasant, duck, quail, turkey, prairie chicken, rabbit, and squirrel
• Swimming- An olympic-size pool in the park
• Tennis- One hard-surfaced, lighted court and another court under construction
• Theatres- One indoor theatre seating 400

Residents in O'Neill prepare for the St. Patrick's Day celebration in March honoring the patron saint of Ireland. The celebrations have doubled the population of  the "Irish Capital of Nebraska." Another annual event is the Summerfest. a family celebration including a rodeo, held the second weekend of July.

The Moses P. Kinkaid Bank building is a registered National Historic Site. The structure houses the Holt County Historical Society and includes Kinkaid's law office left as it was in 1884. Moses Kinkaid was responsible for the Kinkaid Land Act of 1904. The first floor contains a fire-proof vault and a small gift shop which sells crafts made by local artisans as well as books on the local history of the area. The second floor has a display depicting the settlement of Holt County and remnants of a bygone era.

The Golden Hotel is also listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The lobby has been restored to its former grandeur and the hotel is still in use today.

The Cowboy Trail which covers 321 miles from Norfolk to Chadron, Nebraska, is currently being developed as the longest converted rail line to trail in the nation. The trail covers 3,893 acres of land and 221 bridges. The Chicago and North Western Depot in O'Neill is currently being renovated to benefit the development of the Cowboy Trail. Eight miles of the trail from O'Neill to Inman were officially opened on September 7, 1997. The O'Neill Chapter of the Friends of the Cowboy Trail are planning the development of one mile from the east city limits to the west city limits, with benches, plants, and an area for information.

Attractions in the immediate area of O'Neill include Goose Lake (27 miles south), Fort Randall Reservoir and Fort Randall Casino (50 miles north), Atkinson State Lakes (20 miles west), and Calamus Dam (50 miles south).

Cultural activities are provided by Irish dancers and traveling artists.

The Holt County Fair is held each year in Chambers, NE, just 20 miles from O'Neill.

LIBRARY

The O'Neill Public Library in O'Neill contains 47,041 volumes and has an average annual circulation of 119,201. The library is part of the Nebraska Interlibrary Book Loan program. Story hour is held during the summer months. Twelve computers are available to library patrons.