Nebraska became the 37th state admitted to the United States on March 1, 1867. This year Nebraskans will gather in the Capitol Rotunda on February 28th to celebrate the 147th anniversary of statehood with a program to announce the Nebraska Sesquincentennial Committee’s plans for commemorating the upcoming 150th anniversary of statehood in 2017. The 8:00 a.m. program and news conference are open to the public. On Saturday March 1, 2014 the Capitol will be closed for a special statehood day event and will reopen for guided tours on Sunday March 2nd at 1:00 p.m.