Opening
Night 

Date: July 9th 2026

Location: Outside Pinnacle Bank Arena

Time: 7 p.m.

Taryn Smith, the first solo American woman to complete the World’s Toughest Row across the Atlantic Ocean, will kick off the 42nd annual Cornhusker State Games as the torchlighter during Opening Night.

An Omaha native, Smith competed in Track & Field at the 2013 Cornhusker State Games. In January 2026, she made history by rowing more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Her incredible journey began on December 14 and concluded 46 days later when she reached her final destination in English Harbor, Antigua, on January 29, 2026.

The Opening Night festivities are free and open to the public. Hiland Dairy will provide free ice cream treats for those in attendance.

The program begins at 7 p.m. and will be televised and streamed live by News Channel Nebraska. It will include interviews with Miss USA Audrey Eckert, Governor Jim Pillen, and other special guests, followed by the presentation of colors and the national anthem performed by country recording artist and U.S. Air Force veteran Jimmy Weber.

The torch relay, escorted by soldiers from the Nebraska Air National Guard, will carry the flame across the pedestrian bridge to the area outside Pinnacle Bank Arena, where Taryn Smith will complete the ceremony by lighting the caldron.