Join the City of Chadron and surrounding communities for the 49th annual Fur Trade Days celebration July 10-13, 2025! Fur Trade Days was named the Northern Panhandle's Best Community Festival two years in a row - 2014 and 2015.

Big. Stage. Fundraiser.
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Fur Trade Days is a party. A time to gather with family, friends, former classmates and celebrate the Chadron community’s past, present, and future. In the last handful of years, awesome live music has been a cornerstone of that party and it’s high time for an upgrade!

Carnival
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We are excited to partner with Mac’s to bring you another outstanding Fur Trade Days Carnival in 2025! With 12 great rides, concessions, and the midway, Mac’s Carnival has something fun for kids of all ages.

The Carnival is planned to open 6 p.m. - Midnight Saturday
Buy your wristband vouchers now and save $5!
Vouchers are available online now through https://shop.furtradedays.com/

The voucher is redeemable for six hours of unlimited rides at the carnival. Wristbands are good for one night only, but vouchers can be used each night. Planning to ride every night? Buy vouchers from Fur Trade Days saves you $5 off the cost at the gate!

Entertainment!
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Fur Trade Days is excited to bring you great entertainment downtown.
 
Traders' Market
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From food to finds, antiques and oddities, the Fur Trade Days Traders’ Market features food vendors and craft merchants from around the region and across the country; providing something of interest for just about everyone.

2025 Traders’ Market
The Traders’ Market is an outdoor, rain or shine event. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 12.

Curbside vendors (food trucks, trailers, craft trailers) must arrive at 9 a.m. Friday to secure allotted spacing

Online
Fill out the entire application and submit payment (Debit, Credit, Apple Pay, Google Pay) with our easy online form!

Online Traders’ Market Form

Printable Form
Download the application for the 2025 Traders’ Market

If you’d like to fill out a paper or PDF form, but submit payment online, use this link

Lions Club FTD Parade
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The 49th Annual Lions Club Fur Trade Days Parade starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 12 and proceeds down Main Street from Tenth to First streets. Candy and other goodies will be passed out along the parade route. Come early to claim a good seat and enjoy the excitement!

Register for the 2024 Lions Club Fur Trade Days Parade right here! The theme of this year’s parade is “Back to the Future,” Chadron Lions is celebrating 75 years of serving the community! Participants must check in by 9 a.m. at the Lions Club Kiosk on 10th Street for line-up. Parade begins at 10 a.m.

If you’d prefer a paper form, there’s a printable PDF available here.

Before the Parade: Historic Flag Parade Presentation

Fur Trade Days is thrilled to present the historic flags of the fur trade again at this year’s celebration. Flags will be presented with narrated facts and history prior to the parade (about 9:30 a.m.) in the 400 block of Main Street, in front of the Dawes County Court House.

Parade of Puppies

In its third year at Fur Trade Days, our Parade of Puppies is a great time for puppies of all ages and sizes and for the whole family. It runs just before the big Parade!

The Parade of Puppies is set to run just before the big parade takes off, (about 9:45 a.m.) in the 400 block of Main Street, in front of the Dawes County Court House. Entrants’ will be introduced with their dogs as they walk up the block.

No pre-registration is required for the Parade of Puppies. Please bring your dog (or dogs!) to the courthouse steps to fill out a card with your name, dog’s name, and a fun fact.

Activities and More
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Saturday
More fun Saturday, July 12 at the courthouse Gazebo!

Buckskinner's Camp
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The Bordeaux Creek Fur Trade and Muzzleloading Association’s Rendezvous, located 3.5 miles east and 8 miles south of Chadron, is expected to open Thursday, July 11, for camp setup.

For more information, contact Norman Martin at (308)432-3474 or [email protected]. For online updates, check out the https://www.facebook.com/BCFTMLA/.

Visitors
The camp is always open to the public, but Friday, July 12, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., is the best time to catch the major activities. Enjoy muzzleloading shoots, tomahawk and knife throwing contests, archery, and plenty of carousing afterward. Check out the fur, handicrafts, bead work and other period items offered for sale by traders.

Primitive Camp
Located in rugged scenic Pine Ridge, good spring provides drinking water.

If you'd like to burn neatly cut and split hardwood, bring your own: There's naturally downed wood you can "scrounge" in the area, but the area is getting pretty well cleaned-up.

Camp-site will be open July 11-14th.

Camps and participants should depict those of the era 1800 to 1840 or thereabouts.

Vehicles in camp: one time in to set up; one time in to pack out, please

No blue jeans. (Tan trousers/corduroys acceptable)

All modern gear — coolers, clothing, etc. out of sight.

Beverages drunk from old style containers.

Fees
$25.00 - Lodge fee - per family
No additional fee will be charged for Traders

Shoots & Events

Saturday:
2 p.m. Couples rifle match followed by 3 rifle matches and women’s match plus “Red’s Challenge” match. Tomahawk matches for men, women and youth to be announced.
Prizes: To be awarded in the form of “Trader bucks."
Primitive Archery: If you shoot longbow or primitive archery, bring your gear.
We do not have facilities for the shooting of cannons.

Schedule

Saturday, July 12, 2025

All Day - Buckskinners primitive camp, open to visitors (3 Miles East, ~8 miles south from Museum of the Fur Trade)

7:30 a.m. - Rotary Colter Run, 2-mile, 5k, 10k (CSC Nelson Physical Activity Center) must register in-person from 6:30-7:29 a.m. July 15

8 a.m. - Classics in the Park Registration (Wilson Park)

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Traders’ Market Opens (Dawes County Courthouse Lawn)

9:15 - 9:40 a.m. - Parade of Historic Fur Trade Flags (400 Block of Main Street)

9:45 - 10 a.m. - Parade of Puppies (400 Block of Main Street)

10 a.m. - 49th Annual Lion’s Club Parade (10th & Main to First & Main streets)

FOLLOWING THE PARADE

11 a.m. - Darrel Draper - Nebraska: Crossroads of the Western Fur Trade, Nebraska Humanities Speaker (Courthouse Gazebo)

11 a.m. - NEW TIME!! Rotary World Championship Buffalo Chip Throw (400 Block of Main Street)

11 a.m. - Chadron Chamber of Commerce Ambassador’s BBQ (Dawes County Courthouse Lawn)

11 a.m. - Ice Cream Social - First Congregational Church of Chadron (4th Street and Chadron Avenue)

11 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Classics in the Park, Show and Shine (Wilson Park)

1 - 5 p.m. - Inflatables! Slip ’n’ Slide & Waterslide (Dawes County Courthouse Lawn)

2 p.m. - Classics in the Park, Judging Deadline (Wilson Park)

3 p.m. - Bump and Run (Dawes County Fairgrounds, Adults $10, Teens $5, 12 and under FREE!)

3 p.m. - Classics in the Park, Awards Presentation (Wilson Park)

4 p.m. - Historical Cemetery Tour (Greenwood Cemetery, 1588 US Highway 20, $10 admittance, under age 15 free!)

6 p.m. - Midnight - Mac’s Carnival (East Second & Bordeaux streets)

7 p.m. - Historical Cemetery Tour (Greenwood Cemetery, 1588 US Highway 20, $10 admittance, under age 15 free!)

9 p.m. - 1 a.m. - Live Entertainment, Judd Hoos & Denham present Juliet Motel (Downtown, West Second Street)