Nebraska Hats

Nebraska does something most states will not: it roasts itself first. In October 2018 the Nebraska Tourism Commission replaced Nebraska Nice with Honestly, it's not for everyone, an ad line that also admitted there is nothing to do here. The state had finished last four years running on a list of states people wanted to visit, and the campaign leaned in. It was reported to reach more than 384 million people, and official merchandise followed: a tee at $19.99 and a mug at $15.99. NEBRASKA HONESTLY, IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE puts that slogan on a dad hat. The rest of the hats are local shorthand. Runza has been serving chili with cinnamon rolls since 2007 and was founded in Lincoln in 1949; its marketing director says the chili and cinnamon roll debate divides fans every time they post about it, so I DIP MY CINNAMON ROLL IN CHILI is a flag. On fall Saturdays Memorial Stadium becomes the state's third-largest city, which is where ON SATURDAYS I LIVE IN NEBRASKA'S THIRD BIGGEST CITY comes from. I-80 gets the dry treatment, because forum drivers call it the most boring drive across the state. And Omaha's Blackstone Hotel is where the Reuben claims its origin, though New York contests that. Badges cover NEBRASKA, CORNHUSKER, GO BIG RED and RUNZA. Every design is custom embroidered on an unstructured dad hat, and the slogan and cinnamon roll lines each come in two colorways.