Morning Star Lake is a lake in the central part of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

. Off the Platte River

Platte River

The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...

 just outside of Clarks

Clarks, Nebraska

Clarks is a village in Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 361 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Clarks is located at ....

, the lake is part of a complex of five private, manmade lakes called "Summerwood". The lakes were built as a result of the sand and gravel mining efforts of Overland Sand and Gravel. The lakes are spring fed, sand bottom lakes with clear, clean water. Summerwood is a gated community and Morning Star Lake has approximately 40 houses on it.

The lake's Fourth of July celebration includes a boat parade, sand volleyball, a scavenger hunt, sand castle contests and a community cookout, ending with a fireworks display.