Recreation and Parks

There is one park in Leigh which covers three acres. Facilities include playground equipment, camping with electric and water hookups, horseshoe court, sand volleyball court, ball field, picnic area, swimming pool, and a small fishing lake.  New playground equipment includes a kids choice modular play station with three slides, climbers, fun planes and a big kahuna bridge.  A rodeo rocky spring rider was also added.  Additions in Spring 2003 will include an overhead glider and orbit climber along with spaceship spring rider and swing upgrades.

Summer recreational programs offered to youth are softball, baseball, junior league golf and Red Cross swimming lessons. Adult programs include adult golf leagues, men's and women's senior bowling, and boy's and girl's junior bowling leagues.

Leigh has facilities for:

Local Attractions

• Alumni Banquet - The annual Leigh High School Alumni Banquet is a time for alumni, former and present teachers, spouses, and guests to rekindle fond memories of Leigh High School.  A social hour and buffet dinner normally precedes a short meeting of the Leigh Alumni Association.  For more information, contact Leigh High School at (402) 487-2228.
• Christmas Festival
• Colfax County Fair - Colfax County Fair accommodates 4-H exibits, animals and a variety of exhibitor shows.  The fairground is setup to assist in a variety of activities and events including a midway, food court and beer garden.  The fair is scheduled for the third weekend of July each year.  For more information, contact Nancy Schaad at the City Office at (402) 352-3101.
• Commercial Club Banquet
• Annual Fast Pitch Tournament - This annual tournament is the longest established tournament in the state.  It hosts 16 brackets of teams and is usually held the fourth of July weekend.  If you would like to register a team or get more information, please contact Tim Reichmuth at (402) 487-2277.

Area Attractions

• Lavitsef (Norfolk) - Northeast Nebraska's premiere fall festival held the last weekend of September. Events held during Lavitsef are: parade, downtown arts festival, outstanding citizens awards, musical festival at the Johnny Carson Theater of Performing Arts, pet show, carnival, health fair, quilt show, flower show, car show and more!
• Columbus Days - An annual celebration in Columbus, Nebraska that features a re-enactment of the coronation of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, community picnic, lip sync contest, talent show, market in the square, biathlon, community jazz concert and parade.  New events are added every year.  Fore more information, contact the Columbus Chamber of Commerce at (402) 564-2769.
• Labor Day (Schuyler)
• Loup Parks - Loup Power District owns and operates five parks and recreation areas.  These facilities, open to the public from May 1 to November 1 (weather permitting), are used by more than 150,000 people each year.  Loup Power District's personnel maintain the parks throughout the year, giving visitors an opportunity to water ski, swim, boat, jet ski, camp, fish, bike, hike or picnic free of charge. For more information on these parks, visit Loup's website.
  • Lake North - Located four miles north of Columbus, Nebraska, Lake North features two miles of beaches and two boat launching ramps.  In addition, Lake North offers good boating and swimming facilities as well as camping and picnic shelters.
  • Loup Park - Located on the north and west shores of Lake Babcock just north of Columbus where fishing is excellent, this well-developed, 40-acre area includes trailer and playground areas, a picnic shelter and electrical hookups.
  • Columbus Powerhouse Park - This four-acre park located adjacent to the Columbus Powerhouse features fishing and picnicking with portable water readily available.
  • Tailrace Park - This nine-acre park located three miles east of Columbus and one mile south is noted for its exceptional fishing in season.  It is a picnic spot with outstanding scenic and wooded beauty.
  • Headworks Park - Located six miles west of Genoa, Nebraska, on Highway 22, this 10-acre recreation area features electrical hookups for campers, picnic areas equipped with picnic tables, grills and fresh drinking water, and fishing in small lakes and the Loup Canal.
  • Two Lakes Trail - This scenic trail winds 2.5 miles through stately trees along the north shores of Lake Babcock and Lake North, approximately 2 miles north of Columbus, Nebraska.  An eight-foot-wide concrete path offers recreational opportunities for joggers, cyclists, runners, rollerbladers, walkers, bird watchers and nature enthusiasts.  For the adventurous at heart, the trail continues, in a more natural state (grass and gravel) for another 4.5 miles circling the east, south and west sides of the two lakes.