Fair headliner dies in accident

Abby Uecker, known as Abby Nicole with her band County Road, 25, of Norfolk, died early Sunday morning after riding as a passenger in a Can-Am four-seat utility task vehicle in the grandstand on the Thayer County Fairgrounds.
Hal Hockersmith of Deshler Rescue said multiple rescue personnel responded to a 911 call that Uecker was injured, which came in at 4:20 a.m. The Thayer County Sheriff’s Office was also on scene, along with numerous witnesses.  
Uecker was transported to Thayer County Health Services in Hebron, where she died at 5:30 a.m.
Cody Thomas of NSP public relations said the investigation was ongoing through Thayer County Attorney Dan Werner’s office.
“As of right now, we’re calling it an accident,” Thomas said Sunday afternoon.
Trooper Fred Storm, who was at the Deshler Volunteer Fire Department Sunday, said the Can-Am vehicle had tipped over.
It is unknown if alcohol was a factor, but Thomas said it was part of the investigation.
Fair board president, Bob Dankenbring, said the board was saddened by the incident.
Abby Nicole and County Road performed at the fair Friday and Saturday nights, but had promised in a press release the shows would be completely different.
The band  performed big-artist covers, plus originals written by Uecker herself, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December of 2014 and needed immediate surgery.
The surgery went well and Uecker bounced back, singing with her band in April of 2015.
She graduated from college in 2016 and had an opportunity to record her first single in Nashville. The song, “Cool,” is on iTunes and has had nearly 20,000 listens on Spotify.
Back home, Uecker performed at numerous county fairs, the Railyard and Bourbon Theater in Lincoln.
She was booked for the upcoming Nebraska’s Biggest Rodeo in Burwell and the Rock County Fair in Bassett.