Cranes Migrate to the
State Capitol Building

LINCOLN - After seeing a few of the first finished cranes at a Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce dinner, State Senator Joel Johnson of Kearney approached the committee with an enthusiastic, “Let’s have a crane day at the Legislature!” 

His idea grew to become a cooperative exhibit in the first floor rotunda of the state capitol building, including several communities along the Platte River valley who are involved in some way with the annual spring crane migration. 

“Cranes on Parade” was certainly the highlight of the exhibit, with 20 cranes “migrating” to Lincoln for the week of March 3-7, 2003.  Senators Ed Schrock of Elm Creek, Jim Cudabeck of Riverdale, and Joel Johnson of Kearney enjoyed sharing this part of central Nebraska with the State Legislature and the people of Lincoln.