Built in 1940. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
“The Riverside Park Dance Pavilion is in Merrick County, Nebraska. It was built in 1940 with the aim of reviving the Riverside Park area.”
Wikipedia article Riverside Park Dance Pavilion, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 8 National Register listings published here for Merrick County · listed in 1998 · category: Building · built in 1940.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 12 fires within 5 miles of Riverside Park Dance Pavillion between 2008 and 2017, burning about 70 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 August 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 July 2017 | Fireworks | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 May 2008 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 March 2017 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 26 March 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 March 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 February 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 February 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Central City, the town this property stands in, in 74 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 43 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 5 heavy rain, 4 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | Hail | Central City | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Tornado (F1) | Central City | $500,000 | A tornado touched down near the Platte River three miles south of Central City and then moved north to the east edge of town where it lifted back into the clouds. Outbuildings were damaged and tree tops were twisted off at three separate farms. The tornado blew the roof off of an auto body shop on the east edge of town. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Central City | $400,000 | A tornado touched down in rural portions of Merrick County a few miles northwest of Central City, with a maximum estimated wind speed of 80 MPH along a 4-mile path. The most noteworthy damage occurred at a large cattle company feedlot, where a large portion of a roof was blown off of a confinement barn, several outdoor pens and livestock shades were destroyed, and a few head of cattle were injured and had to be euthanized. In addition, several irrigation pivots were overturned. Some tree damage was also noted along the path of the tornado. At one farmstead, the home suffered gutter damage and an unoccupied tractor parked nearby had its windows blown out. There was also some hail damage to crops in roughly a 2x2 mile area. |
| October 2001 | Tornado (F2) | Central City | $300,000 | Tornado crossed from Merrick County into Nance County. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Central City | $250,000 | Hail ranged in size from 1.75 to 2.75 inches in diameter. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Central City | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Central City | $150,000 | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $100,000 | Wind gusts estimated at 70 MPH resulted in tree damage in Central City as well as in the Willow Bend Lake area. The main tree damage occurred in the Willow Bend Lake area, where large tree limbs were knocked down and a 90 foot tree was uprooted, clipping the corner of the roof of a nearby home. Boats were also pulled loose from structures on the shore. |
| May 2000 | Lightning | Central City | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Central City | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Central City | $45,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $25,000 | A wind gust of 65 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles south-southeast of Central City. Tree damage was reported in Central City, including a few larger downed branches. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $25,000 | Tree damage was reported in the area, including downed limbs which damaged a home, and a power pole was also damaged. |
| September 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $25,000 | Tree limbs were downed in the area. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH resulted in tree damage in Central City. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated near 60 MPH knocked down tree limbs up to 5 inches in diameter. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Central City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Central City | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Central City | $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Lightning | Central City | $12,000 | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH knocked down a few tree limbs in town. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH resulted in some tree damage in Central City, with power line and pole damage also reported. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | $10,000 | Winds knocked down large tree limbs and caused power outages across town. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Central City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Central City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Central City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | - | A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles north of Central City. |
| August 2017 | Heavy Rain | Central City | - | A 24-hour precipitation amount of 3.03 inches was recorded 2 miles northeast of Central City. |
| August 2017 | Heavy Rain | Central City | - | A 24-hour precipitation amount of 3.03 inches was recorded 1 mile north-northeast of Central City. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Central City | - | Quarter size hail occurred 2 miles southwest of Central City on Highway 30. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Central City | - | Ground was almost completely covered by nickel size hail. |
| May 2013 | Heavy Rain | Central City | - | A storm total rainfall of 3.03 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network Observer. |
| October 2013 | Hail | Central City | - | Nickel size hail was ongoing at the time of the report. |
| October 2013 | Hail | Central City | - | This report of nickel size hail was received via Facebook. |
| October 2013 | Hail | Central City | - | This report of quarter size hail was received via an NERAIN (Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network) observer. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 MPH. |
| July 2011 | Heavy Rain | Central City | - | Total rainfall over the past 24 hours of 3.64 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer. |
| May 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Central City | - | Brief touchdown with no damage. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | - | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Heavy Rain | Central City | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Central City | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Central City | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Heber Hord House | 1.7 miles | 1987 |
 | Patterson Law Office | 2.0 miles | 1979 |
 | Martha Ellen Auditorium | 2.2 miles | 1988 |
 | Wright Morris Boyhood House | 3.4 miles | 1980 |
 | Nelson Farm | 6.5 miles | 2009 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 98001564 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Merrick County | All 8 listed properties in this county. |
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