The Archway, in Kearney, has announced its 2014 attendance at 50,457.

This is a 1% increase over 2013 numbers despite a two month closure at the beginning of 2014. It’s also the highest yearly attendance since 2011.

“It’s been a phenomenal year for The Archway,” said Marketing Coordinator Jace Robinson.  “And the thing that isn’t represented in our attendance number is the thousands of local people that have attended one of the many community events throughout the year.”

The Archway hosted several community events in 2014 including the Compass Superhero Dash, the Concrete Cares annual fundraiser as well as Crane River Theater’s inaugural Zombies Attack: A Run for Your Life.

Robinson also said Archway staff is excited for 2015. This year the 1.5 millionth visitor is expected to tour the exhibit as well as a celebration to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the opening of The Archway will take place. Additionally, The Archway Society is in the planning stages of a bi-annual fundraiser that is expected to occur sometime during spring of this year.

Robinson said, “Over the past 15 years, millions of memories have been created at The Archway. We’ve taken great strides in 2014 to not only improve the guest and community experience, but we’re also working diligently to ensure the longevity of the facility itself so we can continue making memories far into the future.”