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Your Complete Travel & Tourism Guide • 2017-18
The High Plains of Northeast Colorado and Southwest Nebraska
2 0 t h An n u a l E d i t i o n
Hunting & FisHing • RecReation • LeisuRe • PaRks & MuseuMs
FRESH CRACKED EGGS
Ultimate Skillet
R MADE YOU WAY!
All-World Double Cheeseburger
Pot Roast
StERLinG
203 N. 4th Street (970) 522-4882
OpEn EvERyDAy
5:30 A.M. to Midnight
REAL GOOD. REAL GOOD FOOD.
(TRISTA COBBLEY PHOTO)
WELCOME to Explore
T
hanks for joining us in our 20th annual edition of Explore, your complete travel and tourism guide to the High Plains of Northeast Colorado and Southwest Nebraska. Each year a photo contest is held for the Explore magazine cover. Runner-up photos can be found throughout the edition, on pages 3-4, 12, 18, 28, 31, 36, 38, 48, 53, 58, 60 and 65-66.
On the Cover Winning Entries
Fishing photo taken in Morgan County by Stacey Poland Rodeo photo by Cindy Schneider Boy photo by Cindy Schneider Kayaking photo by Thomas Goss (MATT BRASBY PHOTO)
EXPLORE 2017 • 3
Table of Contents
Day Trips
Sedgwick County, Colo. ...............5 Phillips County, Colo. ...................6 Yuma County, Colo. ......................7 Washington County, Colo. ...........8 Logan County, Colo. .....................9 Morgan County, Colo. ................10 Keith County, Neb. .....................11
Sedgwick County
Historic Buildings .......................13 Julesburg Drag Strip ..................15 Pioneer Trails ..............................16
Phillips County
Phillips County Fair ....................19 Haxtun Corn Festival .................20 Phillips County Players ..............20 Phillips County Raceway ........... 22 Dandelion Daze .......................... 23 Prairie Winds Art Center ...........24 Old Fashioned Saturday Night .25 Creative Traditions .....................25 Holyoke Recreation Department .................................26
Yuma County
Greater prairie chicken tours ....29 Famous Yuma residents ............29 Old Threshers Days ...................30 5:10 to Yuma Road Race .............30
Washington County
Eastern Colorado Roundup .......32 Escape from city life ...................33 Map ....................................... 34-35 I-76 Exits ......................................36 Coupons ................................. 37
Logan County
Sacred Matter glassworks .........39 Sterling Creatives artists cooperative ..................................40 Overland Trail Museum ............ 42 Parts and Labor Brewing Company ......................................43 North Sterling State Park ..........44 Logan County Fair ......................46 Logan County Shooting Sports Complex ..........................47
Morgan County
Jackson Lake State Park ............49
Solar eclipse viewing ..................50 4 • EXPLORE 2017
(STACEY POLAND PHOTO)
Disc Golf Courses .......................51 Wiggins Recreation director .....52 Sands Theatre .............................53 Fort Morgan Museum ...............54 Riverside Cemetery ....................56
State lands ...................................57
Keith County Lake McConaughy .....................59
Calendar of Events ........ 61-64
Contributing newspapers This magazine was produced by six northeast Colorado newspapers: Akron News-Reporter 69 Main Ave. Akron, CO 80759 970-345-2296 akronnewsreporter.com Brush News-Tribune 109 Clayton St. Brush, CO 80723 970-842-5516 brushnewstribune.com Holyoke Enterprise 130 N. Interocean Holyoke, CO 80734 970-854-2811
holyokeenterprise.com Julesburg Advocate 108 Cedar St. Julesburg, CO 80737 970-474-3388 julesburgadvocate.com Journal-Advocate 504 N. Third St. Sterling, CO 80751 970-522-1990 journal-advocate.com The Fort Morgan Times 329 Main St. Fort Morgan, CO 80701 970-867-5651 fortmorgantimes.com
4 day trips
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Sedgwick County
Everyone is welcome
Start the day at the Colorado Welcome Center, just north of the I-76 Julesburg Interchange. This beautiful facility is staffed by a highly qualified director and an enthusiastic group of volunteers. They will welcome you to a cup of great coffee and answer any of your questions. Check out the artistry of local craftsman, Terry Hinde. A trip up the stairs to the viewing area will give you a broad vista from which to view the surrounding river area. Take a picnic lunch and eat by a teepee guarded by peaceful bisons.
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On the water
DePoorter Lake, owned and maintained by the town of Julesburg, is located just south of the railroad overpass leading into or out of Julesburg on Highway 385. It is a popular evening excursion. A walking path encircles the lake and provides an opportunity for walking and biking. DePoorter is a great place to view wildlife or a spectacular sunrise. The Jumbo Reservoir is located six miles east of the town of Sedgwick on the border of Logan County. This 1,700-acre reservoir provides quality fishing, camping and boating. Amenities include picnic areas, boat ramps, shelters, and rest rooms. Access to the State Wildlife Area squires an annual access permit or valid Colorado hunting or fishing license.
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History lives on
The Fort Sedgwick Historical Society provides a glimpse at life in Julesburg’s earliest days at two locations. The Fort Sedgwick Museum and the Depot Museum are open annually from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Tours are provided during the off-season by appointment, by calling 970-474-2061. Located at 114 East First St. in Julesburg, the Fort Sedgwick Museum permanent exhibits are designed to interpret the history of Fort Sedgwick and the four Julesburgs. These include
Vintage model Ford cars line up in front of the Old Ford Garage in Julesburg. (PHOTO BY DALLAS WILLIAMS)
relics from the previous towns of Julesburg and the Fort. Temporary displays are selected which enhance this history and to provide continuing incentive for repeat visits to the museum. Revolving exhibits have included: a history of modern radium, antique Valentines, spinning wheel, doll houses, meteorites, local personalities, etc. Featured at the museum is a restored 1862 3-inch Ordinance Rifle (cannon) of the same type as that used at Fort Sedgwick. The Depot Museum’s building, located at 201 W. First in Julesburg, is listed on the National Register of Historic Properties. The Depot Museum features relics, artifacts and documents collected since the 1940s at the museum’s previous location. The relocated and renovated Union Pacific Railroad depot opened as a museum in 1976 using many of the display cases from the earlier site. Those items and accession added through the ensuing years provided visitors with a glimpse of early-day life in northeastern
Colorado. Books about area history are for sale at both museums. Post cards, booklets, and souvenirs depicting local scenes and legends are also available.
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Treasures from the past
The Old Ford Garage and Museum, at 110 East First St., in Juesburg, features retired barber Lee Kizer’s extensive private collection of perfectly preserved memorabilia. The structure began was a car dealership in 1908, and now offers vintage automobiles, memorabilia and photographs, including an original first print of TIME Magazine. Classic filling station pumps, music hall instruments and banners, vintage tin signs and stillfunctioning quintessential old time barber shop will you walking around wide-eyed and smiling. Don’t miss the elegant and respectful display of military uniforms from friends and colleagues dating all the way back from cavalry to World War II. The museum is open as requested.
Find out more about Sedgwick County on pages 10-17
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6 day trips
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Phillips County
Shooting sports hit the target
Those on the hunt for a place to take their guns and bows will find plenty of opportunities in Phillips County. Located on the east edge of town, the Holyoke Gun Club has leagues, fun shoots and Monday-night trap shooting. Ballyneal Golf Club, between Holyoke and Wray, offers a 10-station sporting clay shooting course, a five-stand shooting range and both wild and preserve hunting. Haxtun Gun Club, southwest of town, is a great place for trap shooting, a rifle range, leagues and youth activities. Phillips County has a gun/archery range open to the public south of Highway 6 Two boys soak up some sun from the island platform at the Holyoke Lions Club Fishin’ Hole on County Road 29 west of during a 2017 fishing clinic. (JOHNSON PUBLICATIONS PHOTO) Holyoke. Camp Machasay, by Amherst, also has facilities to host outdoor youth camps For more on Phillips County, see pages 18-27 and shooting tournaments.
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A swing at the green
mile west, 1.25 miles south to cool down in the summer. and 0.25 miles east of Haxtun, Past meets Phillips County is through the Haxtun Gun present at home to three golf Club, down a winding road. courses. F&H Golf Course, a Avid anglers can also spend Holyoke movie long course for all skill levels, the day at the Holyoke Lions theater is a mile south of Highway 6 Club Fishin’ Hole, located 1 Digital projection, 3-D capaon County Road 87 between mile east and 0.25 mile south bilities and surround sound Fleming and Haxtun. The of the stoplight in Holyoke. keep The Peerless Theatre a Holyoke Golf Course on the popular entertainment destiFun for northeast edge of town feanation. Located at 212 S. tures nine holes and a remodeveryone Interocean Ave. in Holyoke, eled lounge. Ballyneal Golf Homesteaders Park the building that was remodClub, located between Holyat the Phillips County eled and reopened in 1998 oke and Wray, is ranked Fairgrounds on the north stays true to its 1919 beginamong the best golf courses edge of Holyoke includes a ning, with a grand brick in the world with a private, universally accessible playfacade and the original soda authentic inland links golf ground with ramp accessibili- counter. experience. ty and more special features. Peek into There’s also a turf field, disc Cast a line golf course and a mile-long the past Enjoy fishing yearbike path. The water feature Phillips County has round at Haxtun’s several buildings on fishing pond, located 1 is a picturesque place for kids
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the National Register of Historic Places. Among those is Holyoke’s Heginbotham Library, 539 S. Baxter Ave., originally the home of a wealthy banker built from 1919-1921. The Burge Hotel, 230 N. Interocean Ave. in Holyoke, opened in 1887 and boasts a fireplace built from geological oddities from all over the world. In the 1930s, the same architect designed both the Phillips County Courthouse, 221 S. Interocean Ave., Holyoke, and the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 300 Monmouth Ave., Amherst. Haxtun Town Hall, 145 S. Colorado Ave., was originally built as a bank in 1917.
4 day trips
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Yuma County
Historic site recalls battle
The Beecher Island Battleground, a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the site of an armed conflict between the U.S. Army and several Plains Indian tribes in 1868. Beecher Island, located on the Arickaree River near Wray, was named for Lt. Fredrick H. Beecher, an army officer killed during the battle. A unit of Army scouts followed Indian raiders into Colorado and sought cover on the sand bar in the middle of the river after a larger Indian force attempted a surprise attack. Estimates put the number of attacking Indians at anywhere from 200 to 1,000, while the Army unit had only 50 men. The battle lasted two days and resulted in numerous casualties on both sides. The main body of Indians left on the third day, but enough warriors remained behind to keep the scouts on the island for another seven days. The scouts survived on rotting horse meat until they were rescued by the 10th division of Buffalo soldiers.
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Take strides toward fitness goals
The Life Trail Health Park on the campus of Yuma District Hospital opened in 2014. Funding for the park, built to help the community get healthy and stay healthy, came from a Colorado Health Foundation grant and community donations. The park consists of walking paths, outdoor exercise equipment and
Enjoy nine holes of golf at Indian Hills. (JEFF RICE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
Find more about Yuma County on pages 28-30. appealing gardens. Organizers hope the beautifully designed park will serve as a national model for other communities. The park integrates its facilities with programs and classes at the hospital to help residents manage chronic diseases, with exercise being a key component to achieving balance and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. The Master Gardeners of Yuma are also offering classes in the elevated gardens.
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Get out in the great outdoors
The Stalker Lake State Wildlife Area, located northwest of Wray, offers 59 acres of outdoor recreation opportunities. Stalker Lake was constructed in 1947 by
damming Chief Creek, a groundwater-fed tributary to the North Fork of the Republican River. In 1961, the lake was enlarged to its present size of 27 acres. Similar to the much larger eastern plains reservoirs, Stalker Lake was created to store water; however, a fairly stable water level is maintained at the lake, allowing Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists to manage a quality warmwater fishery. Spend the day fishing for largemouth bass, redear sunfish, bluegill and channel catfish, or take aim at a variety of game birds, including pheasant, bobwhite quail and goose.
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Blues and greens
The nine-hole
Indian Hills Golf Course in Yuma is “3,600 yards of Bluegrass fairways and Bentgrass greens,” according to golfcolorado9holes.com. The 36-par course, established in 1970, has few sand traps and only two water hazards but their placement adds to the difficulty. Three sets of tees provide options for golfers of varying skill levels, and the club also features a driving range and practice putting green. The course is owned by High Plains Recreational Association, which also operates the Yuma Gun Club and the Clubhouse. On the Green Restaurant offers a varied menu five days a week. Flat screen TVs encircle the Sports Lounge, and guests enjoy a spacious dining area. Banquet facilities are also available.
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3 day trips
Washington County
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Tee for 9
The Washington County Golf Course became a reality in 1951. A group of men were sitting around and it was suggested they build a golf course. Pete Severin took the bull by the horns and was instrumental in getting the men involved in laying out and building the course. The course plays to the natural contour of the land and was started with sand greens. It was converted to bent grass in the 1970s when irrigation was installed. The course is a nine-hole course with a par 36. The signature hole is the No. 6, par 3 hole. The course is located about one mile south of Akron on Highway 63 and you can play all year round. Summer men’s and women’s leagues are offered annually. A moonlight golf tournament is held annually every summer. Teams come from all around northeastern Colorado to enjoy a steak supper before the tournament and then they really look forward to playing with glow in the dark balls. Money raised is always given to a worthy organization.
The Akron Pond is a scenic place to enjoy some fresh air. (PHOTO BY SUE BROTTON)
Find more about Washington County on pages 31-33.
year to stock the pond with fish. There are places where you can picnic and if that picnic involves hamburgers, hot dogs or chicken, there Get a line on are places to grill your food. You can take your dog with this stocked you and enjoy walking fishing pond around the pond. The town and others have worked hard The Akron Pond, about to make the Akron pond a one mile south of town, is located on the same property scenic and peaceful place to spend some time. as the golf course. You just follow the dirt road past the History in golf course and you will soon season see the pond. You can enjoy your time at The Washington County Museum is the pond in fishing, walking, open from 2 to 4 p.m. on snapping pictures or just relax with friends. The town Sundays in June, July and always sets funds aside each August, except during the
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fair. It consists of five buildings: the Depot, Dormitory and Weigh Car at 202 W. Railroad St., Akron, and the Rock House and the School House on Highway 34, one block east of the stoplight, across from O’Dells Supermarket. The Rock House once served as the town hall and jail for the town. It was also a schoolhouse. The museum has many different rooms in the four buildings. There is a jail cell in the Rock House, an old country doctor’s room, a Just Us Girls (JUG’S) room, wedding gown room and a hat room. There is also an old carriage and thousands
of other items on display at the museum. Each year, there is always something new added, as items will be donated to place in the museum. If you are interested in finding an obituary, you can either check the obituary books at the museum or the library. There are old newspapers and books on the history of Washington County. The museum is fully maintained and operated by volunteers. Donations are greatly appreciated. The museum does allow special openings by appointment. To schedule a visit, call 970-345-6529.
4 day trips
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Logan County
A sportsman’s paradise
Logan County is truly a paradise for the avid sportsman, touting world class fishing and also providing both small and big game hunting. Dove, quail, ring-necked pheasant, rabbit, raccoon, bobcat, coyote, deer and pronghorn are the area’s most popular game. There are several state-managed public hunting grounds to choose from in Logan County, as well as a number of Walk-in Access properties where owners have enrolled to allow hunting on their land. While water may not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking across the miles of farmland and open prairie in Logan County, the fact is there are plenty of great fishing holes stocked with walleye, channel catfish, black crappie and other species. Access to three reservoirs, plus the Overland Trail Recreation Area on Riverview Drive and public lands along the South Platte River, provide plenty of places to cast a line. Hunters and anglers should check out the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website, http:// cpw.state.co.us/, for general licensing requirements as well as restrictions for the area they plan to visit.
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Splash and sweat
The outdoor swimming pool at the Sterling Recreation Center on Elm Street, which opened in 2006, features four water slides and several water attractions in the larger of the two pools, as well as a volleyball net and some
A bronc rider bronze sculpture welcomes those entering Sterling from the west in the raised median in front of Home Depot on West Main Street, one of a collection of Western-themed bronzes donated to the city of Sterling by local cattlemen. (SARA WAITE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
Find out more about Logan County on pages 38-47 basketball hoops for some friendly competition. There is also a smaller wading pool with a giant mushroom waterfall for the smallest splashers. The outdoor pool is open daily through the summer, weather permitting. The Rec Center also boasts an indoor pool, updated fitness room and basketball, wallyball and raquetball courts. A day pass provides access to all amenities, and there are also punch cards and annual memberships for those planning long-term use. The center also offers a multipurpose room that can be rented for special events. For information, call 970-522-7882.
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Go for bronze
The city of Sterling has recently acquired more than a handful of bronze sculptures to add to its collection of public art. The new additions include
Western-themed pieces scattered along West Main, including one placed by the welcome sign at the Sterling Municipal Airport, that were donated by local cattlemen to pay homage to the area’s heritage. The coordinate with the West Main sculptures, bronzes were placed at Front and Main Streets as part of a beautification project for downtown Sterling. These sculptures depict a Plains Indian and the first white settlers in Logan County, William and Charity Hadfield. The site also includes some smaller replicas of native wildlife. These pieces bring the collection of public art in Sterling to over 40 pieces, and much of it is available for public viewing at any time in local parks and outdoor spaces. Other bronze pieces include replicas of Merino
artist Bradford Rhea’s Living Tree sculptures — the original wooden sculptures have been moved to indoor spaces to preserve them, and can be found in buildings such as the Sterling Public Library. Sterling is also home to a number of outdoor murals, metal art pieces, art galleries and collections.
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Savor the rural flavor
Get a taste of true small-town flavor at the various tiny communities that dot the Logan County landscape. Dine in one of the unique eateries that call our rural towns home and offer selections that range from barbecue to steak to a classic diner experience. While there, immerse yourself in the local experience by enjoying other small town amenities, such as town parks and museums.
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4 day trips
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Morgan County
Space to play along the river
Fort Morgan has a public park the size of Central Park in New York City. Riverside Park, located at 1600 Main St., is nestled right alongside the South Platte River. Overall, the park has 5.2 miles of improved trails that pass through natural woodland and wetlands. This is also a great place for viewing wildlife, including deer and birds. The park boasts multiple disc golf courses, two softball fields, multiple baseball fields, an inline skating rink, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, sand volleyball pits and two ponds, one of which is stocked for fishing and the other designated as a duck pond. There also is a large playground, vast grassy areas for picnicking, four picnic shelters and 12 RV parking areas that have free electric hookups (but not water or sewer). The RV camping spots are free for as many as five days, and it is on a firstcome, first-served basis. The park also has three outdoor pools in one complex, including a children’s pool, one with a waterslide and areas for doing laps or diving. The Fort Morgan Recreation Department offers very reasonable rates for swimming during the summer season when the pool complex is open.
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Follow the Rainbow Bridge
Fort Morgan’s Rainbow Bridge serves as both a visual symbol of the city and evidence of its longevity. 10 • EXPLORE 2017
apparition of a woman in the property. Corral Sports Bar is located at 101 Clayton St. and is open most afternoons and evenings.
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18 holes of fun
Quail Dunes at Fort Morgan Golf Course offers the luxuries of a big-city course but with the benefits of being a rural, municipal Rainbow Bridge is visible through the trees in Riverside Park course. It features two sets of in Fort Morgan. The historic bridge is open to pedestrians nine holes, each with distinct and bicyclists. (CITY OF FORT MORGAN PHOTO) personalities and challenges. The front nine was designed by Henry Hughs in The historic concrete only once hosted John Wayne, the 1920s and has tree-lined bridge, which boasts 11 but there’s also ghosts. arches, was built in 1922 to It might sound like a pretty fairways, smaller greens and water hazards. Comparatively, replace a timber bridge across good stretcher, but owner the back nine has more native the South Platte River first Charlotte Osborne can pick vegetation and plenty of built in 1890. It is located out a brick on the exterior elevation changes. It was alongside state Highway 52 where she believes the etched designed by Frank Hummel just north of Interstate 76. “John” is a brick John Wayne in the 1960s. While the Rainbow Bridge scratched his name during a Overall, the 165-acre, par-72 once served as a vehicular visit. Inside, she believes to golf course offers four sets of path over the river, it was know the seat in which John tees on the 18 holes. Yardage closed to motorized traffic in Wayne sat at the bar. from those tees ranges from 1987 and turned into a Osborne disagrees with an 5,300 to 6,600. The course pedestrian bridge after abstract indicating the also offers a putting green, undergoing rehabilitation. building was erected in 1902, driving range and sand The 1,110-foot-long Rainbow but instead believes it was bunker for practice. Bridge offers stunning views built in 1892. The building is The Pro Shop and Quail of the South Platte River and believed to have been Covey snack shop round out the adjacent Riverside Park, constructed for the Chicago, the course’s offerings. which can be entered from Burlington and Quincy Quail Dunes at Fort the bridge’s south end. railroad workers. It may have Morgan Golf Course is Rainbow Bridge also boasts even served for a time as an located at 17586 Morgan 24 replica antique lampposts, opera house. Hotels have County Road T.5, Fort which provides visitors with a operated upstairs and the bar Morgan, CO 80701. For more glimpse into what the bridge area has been occupied by information, call 970-867-5990. would have looked like years ventures ranging from a To schedule a tee time, visit ago. motor company to a spice http://www.quaildunes.com/ company. There was even a teetimes/. Ghosts and restaurant at one point that The Quail Dunes Golf John Wayne offered cowboys a steak for Course was designated as an Legend has it in $2. Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Brush that the The tale of ghosts stems in 1994, and offers many Cattlemen’s Inn, now known from hearing disembodied opportunities for wildlife as the Corral Sports Bar, not footsteps and seeing the watching.
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For more on Morgan County, see pages 48-57
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5 day trips
Keith County
Step back in time on Front Street
Not so long ago, Front Street was the headquarters for Texas drovers, tin-horn gamblers, pretty dance hall gals and some of the fastest guns in the West. Now you can relive this re-roaring era along he famed street of old,. Push aside those swinging doors of the Crystal Palace and suddenly, it is 1875 again. Walk right up to the bar, put a foot on the brass rail, cock an elbow and down a cold mug of sarsaparilla. The trail dust washes down and you relax…the house lights dim and the stage fills with the prettiest gals west of the Missouri River..the Front Street show is under way! Front Street is open year round. The Crystal Palace Review is featured in the summer months.
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Mansion memorializes cautionary love story
An authentic Victorian style home, the Mansion on the Hill was Ogallala’s finest residence when it was completed in 1887. L.A. Brandhoefer, a wealthy banker from Chicago, became intrigued with the open prairies , the Platte River Valley, cowboys, Native Americans, and early pioneers whose fortitude and determination to win the West inspired him. Brandhoefer was engaged to a girl in Chicago and as wedding gift, he built the large three-story red brick mansion. Upon its completion he returned to
The Mansion on the Hill was built in 1887 by a wealthy Chicago banker. (WWW.OGALLALA-NE.GOV/)
Find more about Keith County on pages 58-59 Chicago for his sweetheart, only to find that she had married another. The mansion is open from Memorial Day through midSeptember.
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Buried with their boots on
In the stirring days of the 1800s when the present city of Ogallala was an infant town on the Union Pacific Railroad, Boot Hill Cemetery was the final resting place for cowboys, drifters and settlers who helped make Ogallala a booming cow town. Many buried at Boot Hill ran afoul of the law and ran the streets of Ogallala echoed with gunfire as some slick gambler or horse thief met his waterloo. One burial was that of “Rattlesnake Ed,” who was shot down over a $9 bet in
the Monte game in the “Cowboy’s Rest Saloon.” Most were buried with their boots on, thus the name Boot Hill.
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Unique art collection, a sight to behold
The Chappell Memorial Art Gallery located at 289 Babcock in Chappell is home to one of the most rare and valuable collections of art in western Nebraska. The Chappell collection features reproductions of Rembrandt, works of Aaron Pyle and unusual oriented art.
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time
Big Springs area marks a trail back in
Visit Big Springs and see the restored Phelps Hotel Bed and Breakfast and Buffalo Joe’s five buffalo, made entirely of barbed wire located next to the hotel. Nine miles north of Big Springs is the Waterman Sod House. This wellpreserved sod home was lived in by the Waterman family until the late 1980s. A few miles east on Highway 30, you will see the marker of the California Hill. Pioneers on the Oregon Trail crossed the South Platte river a short distance to the south before climbing this steep hill and starting the trek to Ash Hollow. The trail winds its way across the table toward Lewellen, where the wagons were lowered down the cliffs by ropes when they reached Windlass Hill. EXPLORE 2017 • 11
WELCOME to Sedgwick County Julesburg, Ovid, Sedgwick
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO) 12 • EXPLORE 2017
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Sedgwick County • Julesburg, Ovid, Sedgwick
Built to last
istory is all around you when you visit Sedgwick County, visible in the bricks and mortar that make up the county’s rural communities. Several buildings around the county are listed on historic registers. The historical Sedgwick County Courthouse is an excellent example of Works Progress Administration Art Deco style. The building was constructed between 1938 and 1939 and designed by Denver Architects Gordon Jamieson and R. Ewing Stiffler. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2007. The Historic Julesburg Library is a 1937 building of stuccoed cinderblock representing Depression era Works Progress Administration grants. Its inclusion on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties dates to Aug. 8, 2001. The Hippodrome Arts Centre in Julesburg was listed on the State Register on Dec. 8, 1999. The 1919 theater building was constructed specifically for the exhibition of motion pictures. The building typifies the fantasy architecture of many small town theaters constructed before 1930. The Historic Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot, aka Depot Museum, was constructed according to standard Union Pacific architectural plans for a combination-type depot. It was designed to serve both passenger and freight operations. Built in 1930, it offered rail serve to
Revere School, aka Platte Valley RE-3, is a 1928 Art Deco style building designed by noted architect Temple Bell. (COURTESY PHOTO) The Julesburg Public Library was built in 1937 as a Works Progress Administration project. (COURTESY PHOTO)
passengers, agricultural crops, cattle and locally manufactured items to points east and west of Julesburg. It was placed on the National Register on Feb. 11, 2004. The Platte Valley RE-3 (aka Revere) school building in Ovid is a 1928 Art Deco style building designed by noted architect Temple Bell. It has been in continuous use since 1928 as a school. It was granted a place on the State Register on Aug. 9, 2000. EXPLORE 2017 • 13
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Sedgwick County • Julesburg, Ovid, Sedgwick
Racing through history ombine your love of history with your need for speed at the historic Julesburg Drag
Strip. The NHRA-sanctioned track is the oldest operating drag strip in the United States. It was opened in 1953 by the Platte Valley Customs Club. The 1/4-mile asphalt track is located at Julesburg Municipal Airport. The racing season runs from April to September. The drag strip is always open to new racers, points or not. There are seven race categories: Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Street, High School, Jr. Dragster and King Street. The strip is a great place to race your car and enjoy new friends, and you may park and sleep at the track. For a season schedule, news and more information, visit http:// wwwjulesburgdragracing.com/.
Competitors line up to race at the Julesburg Drag Strip during the 2016 season. (PHOTO COURTESY HILL RACING)
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Sedgwick County • Julesburg, Ovid, Sedgwick
Trails west passing through A
nimal and Native American trails crisscrossed the High Plains long before the arrival of Europeans. These trails became the primary routes used by trappers, traders, gold seekers and pioneers in their trek westward. From the early to mid1830s (and particularly through the epoch years, 1846–69) the Oregon Trail and its many offshoots were used by about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail (from 1843), Mormon Trail (from 1847), and Bozeman Trail (from 1863), before turning off to their separate destinations. Use of the trail declined as the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, making the trip west substantially faster, cheaper, and safer. Today, modern highways, such as Interstate 80 and 76, follow parts of the same course westward.
1. The Oregon Trail
Hundreds of thousands of seekers traveled from various points in the east to reach the Pacific Northwest. After encountering great hazards crossing to the north of the Platte River and much hardship maneuvering wagons at the California and Windlass Hill, a safer crossing was found at Jules Beni’s trading post. This crossing is called the Upper California Crossing where the river was calm,wide and travelers followed the Lodgepole Creek out of the great Platte River Valley.
2. The OverlandCalifornia Trail
With the discovery of Gold
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Freight trains running through Sedgwick County today follow the same route as the 9 miles of track laid by the Union Pacific Railroad 150 years ago. (D. WILLIAMS PHOTO)
in California, the eastern half of the Oregon trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail. After restocking at Julesburg and fording the river at the Upper California Crossing, travelers could chose to go north or west out of the great valley of the Platte.
3. Bozeman Trail
Gold Seekers left the main Overland Route at Julesburg/Fort Sedgwick and forded at the Upper California Crossing before continuing on to Virginia City Montana.
4. Mormon Trail
Many Mormons chose to travel on the north side of the river to avoid potential conflicts over grazing rights, water access and campsites with travelers who were using the established Oregon/California trail on the river’s south side.
5. Pony Express Route Prior to completion of the
transcontinental telegraph line, Pony Express riders carried mail simultaneously in both directions between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. A home-station where both horses and riders switched was located at Julesburg site No. 1.
6. Union Pacific Railroad
The dream of uniting America by rail began its journey to reality in June 1865 when the Union Pacific Railroad Company started laying tack westward from Omaha, Nebraska. Construction was slow but finally reached this point two years later. The railroad company laid only nine miles of track in Colorado along the north side of the South Platte River. This sealed the fate of the military post, trails, towns and telegraph line along the south bank. Today, freight trains pass along this same route pioneered over 150 years ago.
7. Lincoln Highway Dogleg
Many state governments (including Colorado) pooled their money and built the first highway across America. However the original route bypassed Colorado. With Colorado crying “foul,” the highway organizers built a dogleg that entered Colorado at Julesburg and closely followed what is now Highway 138 and the northern portion of the present South Platte River Trail Scenic and Historic Byway. This Colorado loop proceeded to Denver before rejoining the main Lincoln Highway at Cheyenne Wyoming.
8. Interstate 76
Coming into Colorado today, Julesburg is the first town on Interstate 76 (I-76). Interstate 76 and the South Platte River Trail are a halfmile and one hundred and fifty years apart.
EXPLORE 2017 • 17
18 • EXPLORE 2017
(DENISE SMITH PHOTO)
WELCOME to Phillips County
Amherst, Haxtun, Holyoke, Paoli
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO)
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO)
(DENISE SMITH PHOTO)
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Bulls and stock cars featured for ‘A Barn-Raising Good Time’ ‘B
ulls Gone Wild” is back again as featured entertainment for the 2017 Phillips County Fair, July 25-30, at the Phillips County Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is “A BarnRaising Good Time.” Saturday, July 29, at 7 p.m., the spotlight will be on bull riding, bull fighting, mutton busting and more as the popular event returns to the arena. The event follows action from Friday, July 28, when stock cars will be out in full force. These races will be preceded by the barbecue at Homesteaders Park with entertainment by Equally Delinquent and Colby Purkeypile. In addition, Braydon Zink will be playing live in the beer garden both Friday and Saturday nights. Fair queen for 2017 is Kaitlyn Kent, and parade grand marshals are Clark and Laverne Starkebaum. The parade is set for 10 a.m. Saturday. This year’s fair will offer both new and familiar events. A notable addition to the lineup is an open class in the voag farm mechanics. Another new event is the
A brave bullfighter eggs on his contender, only to dart away at the last second at the 2016 Phillips County Fair “Bulls Gone Wild” event. (JOHNSON PUBLICATIONS PHOTO)
Thrashers 5K Color Run/ Walk Wednesday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m. — an event that is much more than just running. Kids activities will take place from 5-8 p.m. alongside a meal of Rocky Mountain Oysters and chicken strips beginning at 5:30 p.m. The beer garden will also be open during the 5K and into the
evening. Other new events include a Dutch Oven Cook-Off Thursday, July 27, a Parade of Champions Friday, July 28, and an age 13 and younger baked and preserved goods show. Familiar events at the fair will include the Orphan
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Grain Train brat feed, various large and small animal shows, a gymkhana, horseshoe pitching, rabbit bingo, cow patty bingo, livestock judging, a Planet Bounce carnival and garden, floriculture, baked and preserved goods, crafts, quilts, special theme contests and pre-K-grade 3 art and craft shows.
Pizza p.a.d.
Sandwiches Pizza • Pies Ice Cream Open Tues.-Sat. 110 N. Interocean Holyoke
970-854-3042 EXPLORE 2017 • 19
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Town pride shines ‘Haxtun Strong’ H
axtun bounces back from the March 6-8 Logan/Phillips County Wildfire with “#HaxtunStrong” as the theme for the 2017 Haxtun Corn Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 30. Special honor will be given to those affected by and who responded to the spring fire. Town pride has taken a step further as grand marshal status is awarded posthumously to former city superintendent George Michael, who died in November 2016. His family will carry out the honor on his behalf. The main event in the annual day of family fun is the return of headliner Judd Hoos as well as Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band at the evening street dance. Judd Hoos, a band based out of Sturgis, South Dakota, was a major hit at last year’s Corn Festival. Opening act Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band, known especially for singles “Down with That” and “Silhouette,” are an exciting addition to the lineup. The up-and-coming band from Wyoming has shared the stage
The main event in the annual day of family fun is the return of headliner Judd Hoos with dozens of major country artists, and will also be featured this year at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Beginning with a fireman’s breakfast at 7 a.m., the good long day of family fun also features a parade, vendors, street games and a beer garden. Other events include a tractor pull, an FFA member service sale, hot dog eating contest and the 5K J. Jeffryes Scholarship Run. Multiple shows and exhibits will also be on display. Alicia Schram and Michelle Lock serve as co-chairmen of the event. For more information about the Haxtun Corn Festival, call the Haxtun Chamber of Commerce at 970-467-0194.
Churches
United Methodist
Haxtun United Methodist Church Pastor Jeri Soens 106 S. Washington Ave., Haxtun, CO 970-774-7413 Sunday Worship: 9:30 a.m
Independent
First Christian Church Pastor Merle Powell 310 S. Interocean Ave., Holyoke, CO 970-854-3438 Sunday School 8:45 a.m., Worship 10 a.m.
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Immanuel Lutheran Church Pastor Dave Loeschke 400 N. Colorado Ave., Haxtun, CO 970-774-6236 Sunday: 9:30 a.m. winter, 9 a.m. summer Adult Bible Study following Sunday worship Wed. — 3:45 p.m., Youth Midweek; LYA, 6:30 p.m.
20 • EXPLORE 2017
Boys wind up and sneakers fly in a kids’ shoe-kicking contest during the 2016 Haxtun Corn Festival street games. (Haxtun-Fleming Herald photo)
Year-round acting group hosts summer youth program Phillips County Players began performing in 1987, with local theater enthusiasts staging productions about once a year for the next 10 years and sporadically thereafter. In 2014 there was a major change, and the PCP became a nonprofit organization, governed by a board, with a full theater season scheduled. Each season, the Players put on four productions, typically a May comedy, an August dinner theatre, a November mystery and a January musical. The next performance is Sherlock Holmes: Baker Street Irregulars, a dinner theater scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 11-13 at the Phillips County Event Center in Holyoke. Friday and Saturday, the doors open and dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the show will start at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, doors open at 12:30 p.m. and the show starts at 1 p.m., with a dessert bar
during intermission. PCP also play a volunteer role in the community, putting on skits at such places as the Holyoke and Haxtun nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the museum and for local events. The week of June 19, PCP will host its third youth theater workshop. Students third grade and older will practice Monday through Friday, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Peerless Theater, with a performance to be announced. Haxtun’s Karen Swan, board secretary, is the playwright and director for the June workshop. Contact her at 970-774-5222 for more information. For information on performance dates and times or auditions, call board president Eric Conklin at 970520-0566, or check out the Phillips County Players Facebook page.
Explore Fresh Baked from Scratch!
HOLYOKE
115 S. Interocean Holyoke 970-854-2939
M-F 6:30-2; Sat. 7-2
Sullivan’s Appliance & Air Appliances, Heating-Air, Carpet
We also service all makes & brands of appliances 128 S. Interocean—Holyoke—854-2180
Kwik Stop p #13 Holyoke, CO
Open 24 Hours 115 E. Denver St. 970-854-2233
Peerless Theatre 212 S. Interocean, Holyoke
970-854-2453
970-854-FLIK Movie Info Line Movies Friday thru Monday
www.thepeerlesstheatre.com
Red’s LiquoRs
LLC
140 E. Denver St., Holyoke
Call for our wine-tasting schedule
970-854-2206 Open 7 Days a Week
Your community newspaper— in print and online every Wednesday
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Covering hometown news of Holyoke and Phillips County
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Offering printing and other promotional items
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115 S. Interocean, Holyoke 970-854-3699 M-F, 10-6; Sat., 10-3 Like us on Facebook
Shop-hop at our store
June 21-Sept. 5 rowbyrowexperience.com
Regent Park & Carriage House Nursing & Rehab 970-854-2251 Assisted Living 970-854-5180 816 S. Interocean, Holyoke Our Commitment: “Adding Quality to Life”
970-854-2811 holyokeenterprise.com
Heidi’s
Restaurant & Cateriing 130 E. Denver St., Holyoke, CO
970-854-7202
Open W-Th-F-Sa 11-2, 5-8
Holyoke General Store 128 S. Campbell Holyoke, CO 970-854-5505
The Skillett Restaurant Family Dining
Full Menu • Cocktails Take-Out • Credit Cards Accepted
Coffee & Bake Shop
Breakfast,Lunch and Specialty Coffees
215 N.Interocean Holyoke 970-854-2253
Serving the Banking Needs of Northeast Colorado for over 100 years
Open M-F 7 a.m. • Sat. 8-1
Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5 Sat. 8-12
635 W. Furry—Holyoke 970-854-6121 • 1-800-748-2851 —In Business Since 1946—
ATM Banking available CHS Grainland Ampride at 220 W. Denver St.
Saturday Drive-Up Banking 8 a.m.-12 noon
150 S. Interocean—Holyoke 970-854-2227 or 1-800-854-2227 Together We Make Our Community Strong
www.efpnb.com
EXPLORE 2017 • 21
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Stock car racing popular May-Sept
F
ast racing and great action are a sure thing in stock car races through September at Phillips County Raceway at the fairgrounds in Holyoke. IMCA modifieds, sport mods, stock cars, hobby stocks and compacts are featured consistently on the racing schedule, which finally began May 7 after multiple weather delays. An added bonus this year is the July 4 racing blowout, complete with fireworks. Raceway organizer Joe Bellm said this season’s schedule was set up in conjunction with the BST Promotions alliance, which includes races at El Paso County Raceway, I-76 Speedway and Lamar Speedway. Bellm is especially pleased to be back on the Phillips County Fair schedule with races the last Friday in July, and he also looks forward to the July 4 show at PC Raceway. Starting with the Memorial Day weekend races, the PC Raceway schedule follows: • Sunday, May 28, 5 p.m. — Lucas Oil 360 ASCS Spring Nationals with World of Outlaw Champion Sammy Swindell.
Three IMCA modifieds round curve No. 1 in Phillips County Raceway action in 2016. (JOHNSON PUBLICATIONS PHOTO)
Also dwarf state race, trucks and 600s. • Friday, June 16, 7:30 p.m. — IMCA Racesaver CAT Tour sprint cars. • Friday, June 30, 7:30 p.m. — Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association midgets. • Tuesday, July 4, 6 p.m. — Independence Day Blowout with fireworks and High Plains
late model series. • Friday, July 14, 7:30 p.m. — IMCA races. • Friday, July 28, 7:30 p.m. — Phillips County Fair freestyle motocross and High Plains late model series. • Friday, Aug. 4, 7:30 p.m. — IMCA races. • Friday, Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m. — Fan Appreciation Night.
KARDALE’S Holyoke
970-854-2236
Parts & Repair Headquarters Batteries, Filters, Parts and Oil
24203 US Hwy 385 1.5 miles north of Holyoke 970-854-5881 22 • EXPLORE 2017
Ovid
970-463-5440
Sterling
970-522-2650
1-800-816-2236 www.hea.coop
Restaurant & Lounge 142 N. Interocean Holyoke, CO
970-854-3455 Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Lounge—Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
• Friday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m. — IMCA Racesaver CAT tour sprint cars and High Plains late model series. For an up-to-date schedule, as well as race results, go to www.phillipscountyraceway. com, call the Colorado Dirt Track Hotline at 720-404-0400 or visit their Facebook page.
Lodging
Burge Hotel 230 N Interocean Ave., Holyoke, CO 970-854-2261 or 1-800-352-5256 www.burgehotel.net Cobblestone Inn & Suites 805 S Interocean Ave., Holyoke, CO 970-854-3222 holyoke@staycobblestone.com www.staycobblestone.com
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Come to See
Phillips County Stay to Live
Cars cover the Courthouse lawn for Dandelion Daze, Holyoke’s annual car show, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. (JOHNSON PUBLICATIONS PHOTO)
Car buffs, families enjoy Dandelion Daze
D
ads aren’t the only ones who will have a good time at the 17th annual Dandelion Daze family event held Father’s Day weekend. Activities for the entire family will be spread throughout the city of Holyoke Saturday. Head to the Phillips County Courthouse lawn at 221 S. Interocean Ave. June 17 for the car and bike show and shine. There, vendors, exhibitors and food booths will also be set up. FBLA students will be selling breakfast burritos and lunch, and free music, games and entertainment will provide fun for all on the premises. Added to the agenda this
year is a poker run, starting at the Courthouse and with stops in Venango, Grant, Imperial, Benkelman and Wray. There will be a prize for first place and trophies for the best and worst hands. The Dandelion Dash 5K run/walk will begin at the City Park at 8:30 a.m. Be sure to check out local organizations open for the event, including the Phillips County Museum and the Prairie Winds Art Center. Festivities will conclude with awards for the top 15 cars, rodder’s choice, people’s choice and top bike, followed by cruisin’ down main street. For more information visit www.holyokechamber.org, email director@holyokecham ber.org, or call 970-854-3517.
Dandelion Daze
June 17, 2017 • Courthouse • Holyoke
Old-Fashioned Saturday Night July 15, 2017 • Haxtun
Phillips County Fair
July 25-30, 2017 • Fairgrounds • Holyoke
Haxtun Corn Festival Sept. 30, 2017 • Haxtun
Haxtun Hospital District
235 W. Fletcher • Haxtun • 970-774-6123 • haxtunhealth.org
Haxtun Family Medicine Center
233 W. Strohm • Haxtun • 970-774-6187
Fleming Family Health Center
104 W. Larimer St. • Fleming • 970-265-2595
Haxtun Hospital District Pharmacy
235 W. Fletcher • Haxtun • 970-774-6979 (MYRX)
Brandt Chiropractic Clinic
Dr. Jerold Brandt, D.C. 246 S. Interocean Ave. • Holyoke • 970-854-3398
Phillips County Commissioners 221 S. Interocean Ave. • Holyoke • 970-854-3778 www.colorado.gov/phillipscounty
The Holyoke Enterprise
130 N. Interocean Ave. • Holyoke • 970-854-2811 www.holyokeenterprise.com
Phillips County Abstract Co.
202 S. Interocean Ave. • Holyoke • 970-854-3527
EXPLORE 2017 • 23
S
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Prairie Winds Art Center offers creative outlets
ince opening in January 2014, Prairie Winds Art Center has enriched the art culture in northeast Colorado. Located at 443 S. Interocean Ave. in Holyoke, the center hosts monthly art exhibits as well as paint parties and art classes for children and adults. A gift shop also offers art for sale. Classes are offered for various types of artwork and handcrafts for any level of artist from beginner to advanced under the guidance of Haxtunbased artists Kathryn Wernsman and Nancy Dee. Paint parties can also be Colorful sunsets abound at a girls’ night out paint party at the Prairie Winds Art Center. scheduled, led by Wernsman. These include couples’ paint Artists can also ask to have Open hours from March- ment by calling 970-580-1939 parties, girls’ night out parties, mother/daughter par- their artwork displayed at December are Fridays from or 970-774-4747. Visit www. ties, children’s parties and Prairie Winds Art Center for 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the volun- prairiewindsartcenter.org for an entire month. teer-run center or by appoint- more information. more.
Restaurants
Holyoke
Happy Jacks Barbeque 130 E. Denver St. 970-854-7202 Open W-Th-F-Sa, 11-2, 5-8 Heidi’s Coffee & Bake Shop 215 N. Interocean Ave. 970-854-2253 (CAKE) Open at 7 a.m. Mon-Fri; 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Sat. Breakfast and Lunch served all day Specialty cakes, coffees, wraps, baked goods and more. Holyoke Marketplace & Deli 112 E. Carnahan 970-854-3663 (FOOD) M-Sat, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fried Chicken and Daily Specials 24 • EXPLORE 2017
KarDale’s Restaurant & Lounge 142 N. Interocean Ave. 970-854-3455 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon-Sat, Lounge 11a-2a Mon-Sat Family Style, Breakfast served all day Kids and Senior Menu, Takeout, Credit Cards accepted. Kwik Stop 115 E. Denver St. 970-854-2233 Kwik & Fresh Mexi Open 24 hours. Credit Cards accepted. Pizza p.a.d. 110 N. Interocean Ave. 970-854-3042, 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Tues.-Fri.; Sat., 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Pizza, subs and ice cream Take-out, Delivery, Credit
Cards accepted The P Pod 115 S. Interocean Ave. 970-854-2939 M-F 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sat. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Cookies, muffins, scones, breads Fresh baked from scratch! Also serving lunch. All credit cards accepted. The Skillet Restaurant 130 W. Denver St., 1/2 block west of the stoplight. 970-854-2150. American food, family dining. Cocktails served. Tues-Sat--10-2, 4:30-9 p.m; Sun.--8 a.m.-2 p.m.; Closed every Mon. and last Tues of month Jan.-Sept. Full menu, Breakfast, Hamburgers, Sandwiches,
Chicken, Steaks, Seafood. Kids or Senior Menu, Takeout, Visa, Mastercard, Discover cards accepted.
Haxtun
Bar-Lo Hwy 6, 970-774-7418 Th, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. M, T, W, F, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Hometown Cafe serving hometown food. Breakfast, lunch & dinner. Breakfast served any time. Kids/Senior menu, TakeOut, Credit Cards accepted. The Daily Grind 106 E Strohm St. 970-774-5282 (JAVA) M-F, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Coffees, Teas, Smoothies, Cookies, Muffins, Breads, Salads and Sandwiches
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Revisit the 50s at Old Fashioned Saturday Night B
ack for its 30th year, Haxtun’s Old Fashioned Saturday Night is an annual crowdpleaser and one of the town’s most iconic celebrations. Saturday, July 15, Haxtun Chamber of Commerce has fun for all ages planned downtown throughout the day. In the morning, townwide garage sales are scheduled. In the afternoon, there will be activities for all ages. Cars — both classic and late models — will line Main Street for the car show, and in the evening there will be a burnout competition.
Always a favorite, the burnout is a chance for drivers to show off their cars and spin their wheels in style, and the audience cheers for their pick for the winner. A beer garden, live music and a street dance after dark will keep attendees entertained well into the night. For more information on how to enter the car show or with questions about attending Old Fashioned Saturday Night, contact Sara Firme at the Haxtun Chamber of Commerce, 970467-0194.
Creative Traditions offers Row by Row experience
Creative Traditions, located at 115 S. Interocean Ave. in Holyoke, is participating in Row by Row 2017. This year’s theme is “Row by Row On the Go” for the quilting shop hop, and Holyoke’s local quilt shop will reveal its free, originally designed pattern by June 1. For those unfamiliar with the Row by Row experience, it is a program in which quilting stores across the country, Canada and even some in Europe design an original pattern for a row around a central theme to give away to participants. Quilters travel to various stores and must pick up the patterns in person. Eight rows from eight stores makes a qualifying quilt to win a prize if it is the first completed quilt taken to a participating store. The event runs from June 21Sept. 6. It is free and there are
no cards to stamp, unlike other shop hops. “As you’re out and about on your summer travels, you can see what quilt shops are participating and stop in,” said Creative Traditions owner Julie Haake. “Last year, we had people from all over the country and Canada come in.” As Holyoke’s quilting supply store, Creative Traditions also offers classes for creating various special projects, and events such as Friday night “Quilt ’til you Wilt” parties. For more information on Creative Traditions, visit their Facebook page or call 970-8543699. For more information and resources for the Row by Row Experience, visit rowbyrowexperience.com or search for the Colorado Row by Row Experience Facebook page.
The burnout is one of the highlights at Old Fashioned Saturday Night each year, where competitors spin their wheels and the crowd’s response determines the winner. (HAXTUN-FLEMING HERALD PHOTO)
Hometown Shopping at its Best!
joys from our n E item
New Deli with Fried Chicken and Daily Specials
112 E. Carnahan, Holyoke www.holyokemarketplace.com
854-FOOD (854-3663) Hours: Mon-Sat, 7-8 Sun, 8-5 EXPLORE 2017 • 25
Phillips County • Holyoke, Haxtun
Airport
5,000 ft. Runway AWOS & GPS Approach RC Air Field Jet-A and Av-Gas Fuel available
Recreation
Baseball/Softball Fields Indoor Swim Pool Beautiful In-City 9-Hole Golf Course Beautiful City Park Bike/Walking Path 970-854-2230
Heginbotham Library Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
City Office H 970-854-2266 cityofholyoke-co.gov
Husqvarna Mowers Traeger Grills NAPA Auto Parts
S & W Auto Supply Open 7-6 Mon.-Sat. “Because It Matters” 310 E. Denver, Holyoke 970-854-2258 221 Cedar, Julesburg 970-474-2067 26 • EXPLORE 2017
Enjoy a dip in the Holyoke swimming pool any time of the year. (JOHNSON PUBLICATIONS PHOTO)
New Holyoke department emphasizes recreation I
n November of 2016, residents of Holyoke made the decision to charge a local lodging tax to fund a new city position: the recreation director. Holyoke’s Victoria Timm was hired as the rec director, and the recreation department is set to provide diverse year-round leisure opportunities for the whole family. As usual, the city’s swimming pool and baseball field are sites for nearconstant summer fun. Summer open swim hours at the pool are Tuesday through Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Lap swim is held Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6 to 7 a.m.; Monday through Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m.; and
As usual, the city’s swimming pool and baseball field are sites for near-constant summer fun. Sunday, 5 to 6 p.m. Water exercise is scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Not only is the pool a perfect place for hot summer days, the indoor facility has hours year-round for recreation and exercise. This summer, for both boys and girls, there is T-Ball for 5-6 year olds and machine pitch for 7-8 year olds. Girls softball has 9-12 and 13-16
age groups, and boys baseball has Pee Wee for ages 9-10, Little League for 11-12 and Babe Ruth for 1315. Adult softball leagues are a Holyoke summer favorite, and whether playing or not, the ballpark is home to some of the best burgers around. For more information about youth baseball and softball, or about Holyoke’s rec department, contact Victoria Timm at 970-8542230 or 970-580-3659.
Welcome to
PhillipsCounty Entertainment Nightly Tuesday-Saturday starting at 4 p.m.
“Becoming Stronger by Working Together” admin@phillipscountyco.org 970-580-3614 www.phillipscountyco.org
Holyoke Vets Club 229 E. Denver • Holyoke 970-854-9444
Over 50 Years 217 S. Colorado—Haxtun
970-774-6118
hfherald.com
of Rural Real Estate Experience
Casey Blake, Broker Associate, 970-520-2274 Kim Fuller, Broker/Owner, 970-466-1413 Shawna Holveck, Broker Associate, 970-580-8585 www.homesatchoice.com
Come see what Phillips County has to offer!
Tyler & Laura Knode
Haxtun 970-774-4500 800-320-6922 Holyoke 970-854-4400 www.knode-realtyauction.com
PAOLI
FARMERS CO-OP ELEVATOR CO. paolifarmerscoop.com
774-7234 Certified Seed Cleaner
Westbred Certified Seed Wheat
Locally Owned Locally Controlled
Oliver Agency Rebecca Oliver, Agent 507 E. 1st — Haxtun 970-774-7186 200 W. 2nd — Julesburg 970-474-2112
Home u Farm Auto u Commercial
FARMERS UNION INSURANCE and multiple company options
HAXTUN SA AV-O-MAT Rig ght on Hwy #6 For all your brake, tires a and alignment
9770-774-7450
Hassler Crop Insurance, LLC
Your full-service community bank
www.pwcbank.com
128 S. Colorado—Haxtun—970-774-6141
Serving Northeastern Colorado www.korf.net
Hank & Wanda Hassler MPCI & Crop Hail
Equipment Rental Headquarters 416 E. Denver, Holyoke 970-854-2145
May 28 • June 16 & 30 July 4, 14 & 28 Fairgrounds Aug. 4 & 25 Holyoke, CO Sept. 29 & 30 Full schedule at phillipscountyraceway.com or see our Facebook page 720-404-0400
112 N. Sunflower Dr.—Holyoke 970-854-4595
Five Star Rentals and Equipment, LLC
RACES MAY THRU SEPT.
UILDING CE UN B NT T X ER For all your A H building needs! 321 S. Colorado, Haxtun 774-7655 Windows & Doors Insulation
See coupon for $2 off in the Explore coupon section
DON’T MISS OUT!
Sunday, May 28—5 p.m.
Lucas Oil 360 ASCS Spring Nationals
World of Outlaw Champion Sammy Swindell to race
EXPLORE 2017 • 27
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO)
WELCOME to Yuma County Yuma, Wray
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO) 28 • EXPLORE 2017
W
Yuma County • Idalia, Wray, Yuma
A dance of love
hen the signs of spring start appearing in late March and throughout April, the small town of Wray in northeast Colorado becomes a busy place on the weekends. That’s when the area comes to life with the weekend arrivals of those viewing the Greater Prairie Chickens and their natural habitat. The courtship of the Greater Prairie Chickens begins early in the spring. The enchanting displays start with the males performing a prideful promenade on the lek, or booming grounds. Each male will claim his territory and protect it from the invasion of other males. The males are very entertaining as they strut, stomp, boom, cackle, jump, and bow, in a passionate attempt to gain the attention of a “fair lady.” It is quite common for a feud to erupt as the males compete for a female. The Greater Prairie Chicken was once designated as an endangered species. However, through the efforts of Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local landowners, the population has increased
Birdwatchers flock to Wray each spring to watch the annual courtship dance of the greater prairie chicken. (FILE PHOTO)
and they are no longer threatened. The rolling sandhills north of Wray provide an excellent territory for the birds. The Wray Chamber of Commerce, the East Yuma County Historical Society, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in cooperation with the landowners, sponsor Greater Prairie Chicken tours every spring. This has been an annual event for over 25 years. The tours include: evening orientation, early morning viewing in a comfortable blind accompanied by a
Wildlife Officer, and a ranch style breakfast at the headquarters of the Kitzmiller Grazing Association. There is an option of two self guided birding excursions after the tour. The first is a tour of the Beecher Island Battleground, which is on the Arickaree River and is about 20 minutes south of Wray. The second tour is on private land about five miles west of Wray, near the headwaters of Chief Creek. Both areas are excellent birding sites. For more information and
to register for a tour, go to www.wraychamber.net and click on the prairie chicken icon. Space is limited for each tour and registrations are accepted on a pre-paid, firstcome, first-serve basis. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Wray Chamber of Commerce by phone at 970-332-3484 or the Wray Museum at 970-3325063. The town of Wray is located on U.S.Highway 34, about three hours driving time from Denver or Fort Collins.
Claims to fame Y uma, Colorado, is the proud hometown of: • Steve Jones, 1996 U.S. Open PGA Tournament Champion • Cory Gardner, U.S. Senator (2015 to present) • Jason Licht, General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014 to present)
• Leonard Blach, part owner of 2009 Kentucky Derby winner ‘Mine That Bird’ and inventor of Flair Equine Nasal Strips • Brenton Metzler, television producer and 2014 Emmy winner • Alan Kent Haruf, American novelist EXPLORE 2017 • 29
Yuma County • Idalia, Wray, Yuma
Unique show attracts thousands O
ld Threshers Days, a three-day antique machinery and threshing show, started with an interested farmer’s thoughts in 1980, and has evolved from a simple demonstration for neighbors to an event drawing over 5,000 people annually from many states and foreign countries. The event includes demonstrations such as wheat threshing, horse powered baling, plowing, grinding, shelling and planting, a blacksmith at work and the 1894 Sawmill in operation. The world’s largest barbed wire tool collection is just one of many exhibits, while the entertainment includes a
The buildings of Old Town on the Old Threshers Day grounds bring back the Main Street of old. (JEFF RICE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
variety of live music, a trick roper, a draft horse pulling contest and an antique tractor pull. The grounds of Old Threshers Days features
Yuma County Restaurant Listings
On The Green – Located at Indian Hills Golf Course
5294 County Road 39 – Yuma (970) 848-0799 Sun.: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Closed Mon. & Tues.; Wed. – Sat.: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Barbeque & Steaks. Kids or Senior Menu; Take-Out
Pizza Hut
831 South Detroit – Yuma (970) 848-5471 Sun. – Thurs.: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Daily Buffet, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dine-In; Take-Out
30 • EXPLORE 2017
historic buildings that were moved to the seven-acre site in the 1990s. These Old Town buildings are filled with original furnishings, tools, equipment and
collections. Main Street includes a church, school, bank, creamery, land office, store with barbershop, blacksmith shop, veteran’s museum, a house and more.
‘5:10 to Yuma’ road race to showcase small town charm The West Yuma County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the City of Yuma will be producing the “5:10 to Yuma” Road Race on June 17. The race offers a 5k or 10k option and participants will wind through the small town charm of northeastern Colorado. The courses include wheat field views and dirt cross country and is open to runners, joggers and walkers. The race starts and finishes in downtown Yuma and the 10k course takes you across an airstrip and along wheat and cornfield-lined dirt roads with water stations and cheer stations along the way. The finish area includes entertainment by the Juke Joint Cruisers, an antique car show, unique arrowhead finisher medals, Oskar Blues beer and a pancake breakfast
all included in the race entry fee. Shops will open and offering discounts and giveaways. Alice Swanson, director of the West Yuma Chamber worked on the management team of the BolderBOULDER 10K Race for over nine years and is bringing her experience to this event. “I learned from the best race in the country and am excited to bring that knowledge to Yuma for a smaller scale version”, states Swanson. “ We’re hoping to see the race grow and feature the beauty of northeastern Colorado.” Cost is $20 for the 5k and $30 for the 10k and special pricing for kids 12 and under. Prices go up $5 after May 31st. To register go to http:// bit.ly/2pqV9O2 or email director@westyumachamber.com for more information or call 970-848-2704.
(STACEY POLAND PHOTO)
WELCOME to Washington County Akron, Otis (JEFF RICE PHOTO)
EXPLORE 2017 • 31
Washington County • Akron, Otis
2017 Roundup lineup
T
he Washington County Fair Board and Washington County Commissioners are pleased to announce the lineup for the 2017 Night Show. Headlining the July 29 concert will be High Valley, with special guest Julie Roberts taking the stage at 8 p.m. For ticket information, visit ecroundup.com. Country fans are no strangers to the uncanny musical connection of a family band, but they’ve never heard anything like the duo High Valley — and that’s simply because brothers Brad and Curtis Rempel never knew how country was “supposed” to sound. Growing up in La Crete, Alberta – more than a 40hour drive from where they now live in Music City – Brad and Curtis were cut off from the world of pop culture throughout their early lives. “It’s not that we weren’t allowed to have a radio,” lead singer and songwriter Brad explains. “We had radios, but you turned them on and heard a lot of static from an AM station 300 miles away. When it was cold enough you could hear the farm report, the price of grain and the
32 • EXPLORE 2017
Dear Life and the messages on it, you can almost tell that we were brought up the way we were.” “That’s why the record was called Dear Life,” says Brad. “Because that song for me was trying to write a journal entry to God and my life and say, ‘I really have loved every mile of this road.’” The Rempel brothers have already scored six Top 10s, three Gold certifications, played to 15,000 seat arenas opening for Shania Twain and earned multiple awards Brothers Brad and Curtis Rempel of High Valley headline the show wins — including Eastern Colorado Roundup Night Show on July 29. Canadian CMA Group of the (COURTESY PHOTO) Year. And now with their major label debut, a fall tour occasional old school county stays true to their family-first with Martina McBride and a song. We finally got FM in value system and celebrates headlining U.K. trek on the our town when I was in 10th resilient positivity. way, it’s true that High Valley grade.” High Valley learned to inhabit a much different While their upbringing become skilled digital world today than the one didn’t exactly acquaint them citizens, building an avid fan they were raised in. But with the Billboard 100, it’s base that is actively involved some things remain the that insulation that helped in selecting the duo’s songs same, and that is the central cement their musical ideas through the High Valley app theme of one of the album’s and love of simple, classic and connecting with each most powerful tracks, the country, allowing High other via social media. As a hard-charging backroad Valley’s music to feel result, they have amassed rocker, “I Ain’t Changin’.” simultaneously fresh and more than 10 million song “That was a very important timeless. Dear Life, their streams worldwide — song for me because of our major label debut releasing including 5.75 million for upbringing,” Brad explains. Nov. 18 on Atlantic/Warner lead single “Make You “The chorus is like ‘I ain’t Music Nashville, is an album Mine,” which also represents changing the way I talk, I that fuses tradition with wide- the duo’s Top 30 and ain’t changing the way I pray, eyed musical exploration, climbing radio hit. I ain’t changing my last Likewise, they are the first name.’ Yeah, I’m in a big city country act to broadcast live now, not in the middle of on Twitch.TV in the United some field somewhere...” States, their song “Young “But that doesn’t change Forever” scored placement the core of who we are,” on EA Sports’ Madden NFL REALTY CO. Curtis jumps in. 17 Soundtrack, and the band THE COLORADO WEST Brad continues, “I has been selected for “Ones 142 Main remember coming to to Watch” recognition by Akron, CO 80720 Nashville six years ago and Let us handle your real estate needs! Spotify, CMT and Taste of thinking about 100 different Country. 165 Years of Experience. things that would blow my “You could say it’s weird (970) 345-2203 mind — and they’re all www.goodmanrealty.co.com that we come from the happening. I don’t want to Bob, Jere and Kevan upbringing we do and make wake up one day and say Goodman this kind of music,” Curtis ‘Wow, I’m completely Brokers admits, “but if you analyze different than what I was.’”
Washington County • Akron, Otis
Cornerstone Coffee
Swimmers enjoy the opening day of Akron's new swimming pool in 2016. (AKRON NEWS-REPORTER PHOTO)
Escape from the hustle and bustle W
ith a population just shy of 5,000, Washington County is strategically located in the center of northeastern Colorado, ideally situated along Highways 34 and 63, with swift and easy access to Interstates 76 and 70. Akron, the county seat, is home to a brand new outdoor swimming pool and newly renovated bath house, located at 382 Elm. The facility features a beach front big pool with fountains, two slides, diving boards and a chair lift for ADA compliancy. A separate baby pool for the little ones also features beach front entry and fountains. Pool hours can be found outside of the bath house or by calling the pool at (970) 3452767 during open hours. Adjacent to the swimming pool is a large park with plenty of equipment and grass to run and play. The park boasts a skate park, sand volleyball court, charcoal grills for public use and shaded picnic tables to enjoy lunch in the park. Akron City Park, situated at Fourth and Main Streets, is also home to lots of shade, tables, toys and a small basketball court. Car lovers will be delighted at the Akron Car Show on
Washington County Restaurant Listings
Saturday, June 24, 2017 at the Akron City Park. The event is a non-competitive, nonjudged show, with only a $5 entry fee per car and 100 percent of the proceeds donated locally. Admission is free for spectators and show goers will enjoy a poker walk, door prizes and entertainment from Lost in the 50s. Just 13 miles east of Akron sits Otis, a town with a population of less than 500. On the Fourth of July, people flock in from all across the state for their annual patriotic celebration. The day-long festivities include a couple’s volleyball tournament, Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry and an outstanding fireworks show. The much-anticipated Eastern Colorado Roundup is set for July 25-29, 2017 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Akron. Colorado’s first home-owned carnival includes a 42-foot tall vintage Ferris wheel, kiddie Ferris wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl and much more. The week includes a miniature rodeo Wednesday; NPSA Tractor Pull Thursday; parade, ranch rodeo, team roping and livestock sale Friday; mud volleyball tournament Saturday; and wrapping up the week with the Saturday night show.
173 Main Avenue – Akron (970) 345-0722 Tues. – Sun.: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lattes, Frappes, Smoothies & Other Specialty Drinks; Breakfast Burritos & Sandwiches; Sweet Specialties; Deli & Panini Sandwiches; Soups & Specialty Salads. Kids Menu; Take-Out
Five Star Dining & Grill
85 Main Avenue – Akron (970) 345-0409 Mon. – Sat.: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun.: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mexican and American Food. Kids or Senior Menu; Take-Out
Odells Super’s Bakery and Deli 222 East First Street – Akron (970) 345-2022 Lunch, Seven Days A Week 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Daily Lunch Specials; Fresh Baked Donuts; Breakfast Burritos & Sandwiches; Sit-Down Area. Take-Out
Subway
276 East First Street – Akron (970) 345-0400 Mon. – Sat.: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun.: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sub Sandwiches & Salads. Kids Menu; Take-Out
EXPLORE 2017 • 33
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On the High Plains
36 • EXPLORE 2017
I-76 SERVICES BY EXIT
(KATHY BRASBY PHOTO)
(AMY HASELGREN PHOTO)
(MEG HENDERSON PHOTO)
Exit 66a CO 39, CO 52, to Goodrich [Gas (3), Food (9), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 66b US 34 W, to Greeley No Services [Gas (0), Food (5), Lodging (1) within 5 miles] Exit 73 Long Bridge Rd No Services [Gas (5), Food (29), Lodging (3) within 5 miles] Exit 75 US 34 E, to Ft Morgan [Gas(5) , Food (29), Lodging (3) within 5 miles] Exit 79 CO 144, to Weldona no WB return [Gas (9), Food (35), Lodging (5) within 5 miles] Exit 80 CO 52, Ft Morgan [Gas (9), Food (36), Lodging (5) within 5 miles] Exit 82 Barlow Rd [Gas (9), Food (34), Lodging (4) within 5 miles] Exit 86 Dodd Bridge Rd No Services [Gas (8), Food (29), Lodging (4) within 5 miles] Exit 89 Hospital Rd [Gas (4), Food (23), Lodging (2) within 5 miles] Exit 90b (north)/a (south) CO 71, to US 34, Brush [Gas (4), Food (24), Lodging (2) within 5 miles] Exit 92 to US 6 E, to US 34, CO 71 S No Services [Gas (4), Food (24), Lodging (2) within 5 miles] Exit 95 Hillrose No Services [Gas (0), Food (4), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 102 Merino No Services [Gas (0), Food (0), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 115 CO 63, Atwood [Gas (2), Food (4), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 125 US 6, Sterling [Gas (8), Food (28), Lodging (5) within 5 miles] Exit 134 Iliff No Services [Gas (0), Food (1), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 141 Proctor No Services [Gas (0), Food (1), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 149 CO 55, to Fleming, Crook [Gas (1), Food (2), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 155 Red Lion Rd No Services [Gas (0), Food (0), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 165 CO 59, to Haxtun, Sedgwick [Gas (1), Food (1), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 172 Ovid [Gas (0), Food (2), Lodging (0) within 5 miles] Exit 180 US 385, Julesburg Welcome Center/Rest Area both lanes, full handicap facilities, info, RV dump [Gas (5), Food (3), Lodging (1) within 5 miles]
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Sterling Journal-Advocate Fort Morgan Times Akron News Reporter Brush News-Tribune Julesburg Advocate Holyoke Enterprise
(970) 522-1990 (970) 867-5651 (970) 345-2296 (970) 842-5516 (970) 474-3388 (970) 854-2811
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EXPLORE 2017 • 37
38 • EXPLORE 2017
(LESLIE ROSA PHOTO)
WELCOME to Logan County Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO)
(STACEY POLAND PHOTO)
Logan County • Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
Sacred Matter’s glasswork combines art, science
T
he three Sterling men behind Sacred Matter have combined a love of art and curiosity about science in their glasswork studio. The work Moses Garcia, Daniel Garcia and Tanner Carleton turn out can be as realistic as a rose, complete with thorns; as whimsical as a a miniature palm with purple fronds; or as mystical as an orb with swirls of silver and gold. But creating these pieces of beauty requires an understanding of how elements react with heat and oxygen to color the glass, and how other materials can be incorporated in the pieces. The three have been working together about three years. They’ve found great success at arts and crafts fairs, and are members of Sterling Creatives, the new artists’ cooperative in downtown Sterling. Their retail space-cumworkshop at 102 S. Front St. is a cavernous former machine shop; follow the signs to locate the studio within the building. Sacred Matter is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. They can be found on Facebook at These glass pieces of art appear to be inspired by flower buds.
From left, Moses Garcia, Tanner Carlton and Daniel Garcia discuss business at their massive lampworking work bench. (PHOTOS BY JEFF RICE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
Northeastern
Colorado’s Premier 2-Year Residential Liberal Arts School
A glass rose crafted at Sacred Matter.
www.facebook.com/ sacredmatterglassworks/ or customers can call them at 970-441-0429.
Offering more than 50 programs and 600 courses across the college; With a price tag much lower than the average 4-year college.
Schedule a visit today to see our impressive campus! The student life experience at Northeastern makes for an exciting learning environment with on-campus housing,, 10 varsity athletic teams, a rodeo team with multiple natio onal champions, a livestock judging team, and stellar arts an nd entertainment.
The Northeastern sense of community can’t be beat! Go to www.njc.edu for more information or call 1-800-626-4637 and ask for Admissions.
Northeastern has three art galleries and beautiful works of art throughout campus. Call for more information, 800-626-4637.
www.njc.edu EXPLORE 2017 • 39
T
Logan County • Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
Artists’ co-op starts retail venture
he dream of an artists’ co-op finally came true this year with the founding of Sterling Creatives, 120 N. Fourth St. The 15-member cooperative features roughly 200 pieces at any given time, in all manner of media. The new retail venture started with an invitation to 57 locals in October 2016. Twenty artists agreed to meet for discussion about forming an artists’ cooperative, and many expressed interest in the idea. Between October and the following March the leadership team made business decisions and chaired committees that planned events, managed displays, managed the finances and scheduled members to volunteer in the cooperative. The result is a new retail business that will offer classes, events and new reasons to visit downtown Sterling. Sterling Creatives President Denise Hase credited Karen Torres, director of the Colorado State University Engagement Center, and Trae Miller, Executive Director of the Logan County Economic Development Corp., with the co-op’s creation. Another key to the successful launch of the cooperative was the generosity of Alan and Cindy Hoal who own the building — a prime retail 40 • EXPLORE 2017
property in the heart of the city. The Hoals funded some renovation of the building to make the retail space possible, and have offered it for a one-year lease at a minimal charge. A grand opening April 7 was attended by several hundred people. Hase said the gallery displays the work of most of the co-op’s members as well as guest artists. She said the membership reviews guest artist applications each month and selects two to show in the gallery. Each guest displays for about two months, so there are usually four or more guest artists on display at all times. Hase said the membership strives to keep a wide variety of objects and prices in the gallery. “We do that on purpose because we literally want there to be something for everyone, or as close to that as we can,” she said. Typical hours of operation are 2 to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Hase said the cooperative’s membership is considering extending hours during summer, especially during special events like July Jamz that bring crowds to downtown. To contact Sterling Creatives call 970-718-2787 (718 ARTS), or email Sterlingcreativesllc@gmail .com.
Wood carver Austin Randall of Sterling works on a linoleum block during the grand opening of Sterling Creatives in April 2017. (JEFF RICE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
A sextet of Will Ross inteligo aquatints displayed for sale at Sterling Creatives. (JEFF RICE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
of Logan County and the rest
WINTER EVENTS December • Hometown Holidays • Sterling Parade of Lights • Fleming Parade of Lights • Sweet Adelines “Windsong Chorus” Concert • Master Chorale Concert
SUMMER EVENTS July
June • Taste of Summer & Country Showdown
• Heritage Festival
• ACS - Relay for Life
• Flatlanders Car Show
• Expo & Tractor Pull
• July Jamz • Crook Fair
• High Plains Music Fest • Sterling Lions & AMPT Triathlon
• Sterling Xpress Baseball
• Twilight Tuesday Movies
August
• Sterling Xpress Baseball
• Logan County Fair & Rodeo
January • Time for Annual Passes at the Sterling Recreation Center
February • Chili Bowl Arts Event • NJC Homecoming Festivities
FALL EVENTS September
October
November
• Sugar Beet Days
• Chamber of Terror
• Turkey Trot
• Fleming Fall Festival
• Merino Fall Festival
• Hometown Holidays
• RMXA Motocross
• For Peetz Sake Day
• Logan County Literacy Coalition Trivia Contest
• Sweet Adelines “Windsong Chorus” Concert
• NJC Jackpot Rodeo
SPRING EVENTS March
April
May
• NJC Auto Show & Toy Show
• The Art Walk
• Public Library Quilt Show
• RMXA Motocross
• Crime Stoppers Golf Tournament
• Red Cross Your Heart Our Hands Benefit
• North Sterling State Park Summer Activities Start • Master Chorale Concert
EXPLORE 2017 • 41
Logan County • Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
History of preserving heritage T
he Overland Trail Museum began in 1936 as a project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and has grown significantly in the past eight decades. One thing that hasn’t changed in all that time, though, is the museum’s mission: to preserve and share the rich history of the Overland Trail and the heritage of the early settlers who traveled it. “Items we have here were items the first settlers brought with them and items donated by their families,” says museum curator Kay Rich. Additions to the original stone building have transformed the museum into a showcase of natural history, natives and settlers. The museum is home to a A covered wagon similar to those used by pioneers who traveled the Overland Trail is on one-of-a-kind Rural display inside Overland Trail Museum's High Plains Education Center. Electrification of America (CALLIE JONES/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE) exhibit in the Dave Hamil building, which also houses special temporary exhibits space for children’s highlighting artifacts from programs. the museum’s collection. The museum hosts The museum has also programs for all ages acquired over the years a throughout the year. Its collection of area historic premier event is the buildings — some of them Heritage Festival on July 4 originals, some each year, with hours of reproductions — that form a activities and entertainment “village” in the museum on the museum grounds courtyard, including a and the neighboring Heidi church, one room school Park. and country store. The The museum is open from area’s agricultural heritage 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday is reflected in the Karg Barn through Saturday during its and displays of antique farm summer season, April 1 to equipment, and the Oct. 31, and from 10 a.m. to community’s connection to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Enjoy panning for gold in the summer at the Overland Trail the railroad is evident with Saturday from Nov. 1 to Museum's creek behind the village buildings. the restored ATSF caboose March 31. It is closed on (SARA WAITE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE) and boxcar depot. holidays. For more information, call The High Plains Education Center, dedicated people, geography and large meeting room that can 970-522-3895, or visit the Overland Trail Museum in the fall of 2011, features industries found in the area. be rented for private Facebook page. interactive exhibits on the The building also includes a functions and classroom 42 • EXPLORE 2017
S
Logan County • Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
Natives return to make honest craft beer
terling’s first ever brewery destroys the notion that brew pubs are elitist watering holes for big-city types to unwind in after a white-collar day. Check out the parking lot outside Parts & Labor Brewery at Fourth and Main on a Friday afternoon and you’re a lot more apt to find mud-spattered pickups and an occasional welding truck than you are Volvos and BMWs. Sterling natives Dylan and Kimberly Harford opened Parts & Labor early in 2017 after they realized there was a market for a family-friendly brew pub that catered to a mixed clientele of white-collar and working class folks. Located at 402 Main St., Unit B, the brewery adopted its name partly in recognition of the history of the building, formerly Bill’s Motors, but also because Dylan is a former diesel mechanic. The pub shares the building with Old Town Bistro, which occupies what was once the showroom and offices of the old dealership, which sold Cadillac, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac automobiles and GMC trucks. Parts & Labor sits in the former parts inventory room and the cavernous service department, one of the largest of its kind when it was built in 1926. The décor combines an automotive theme, mementoes and photos of the old dealership, and a touch of industrial “steam punk” for good measure. Parts & Labor offers about a dozen taps of local brews on
Dylan Harford stands among the fermentation tanks in Sterling’s only brewery. Parts and Labor Brewing Company can be reached at (970) 425-7540, or on their Facebook page. (PHOTOS BY JEFF RICE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
A lineup of piston-handled beer taps is part of the automotive motif.
any given day, as well as seasonal beers, and the best root beer you can get in rural Colorado. The root beer isn’t just for the younger set, though — many a teetotaler and designated driver has enjoyed the rich sassafras flavor while noshing on P&L
sliders and nacho platters that are downright sinful. Harford uses only hops, water, grain and yeast, and sometimes some specialty flavoring, to make his beer. “That’s something I can’t stress enough, there’s a lot of ways to cheat, I don’t cheat; I
do it the right way,” he said. With the capacity and demand the brewery has seen, Harford has mostly focused on making ales, which are faster to make. So far the brewery is not bottling any beer, which is sold on tap at Sam & Louie’s Restaurant on Main Street, and in-house. The brew pub does offer halfgallon and quart growlers. “That’s kind of a staple for your local brew house,” Harford said. He was quick to stress that his business is not a bar, it’s a brewery. “It’s a place where you can come bring your kids, enjoy a beer and a snack,” he said. There are games for kids to enjoy and the brewery has also been offering cornhole contests and live music nights. EXPLORE 2017 • 43
Logan County • Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
Great outdoor adventure
N
orth Sterling State Park (http://bit.ly/ JwGtQ0) is a gateway to fun and relaxation, located just a short drive from Sterling in Logan County. The 3,000-acre irrigation reservoir boasts two boat ramps for those wanting to enjoy a day on the water. Explore the great coves and fingers of the lake, take in the wildlife and geographical formations, find a shady spot for a picnic or cast a line into the warm-water fishery. All trailered vessels are required to undergo an Aquatic Nuisance Species inspection prior to launch, to ensure the waters stay clear of invasive water life. North Sterling is open to fishing year-round, featuring walleye, crappie, perch, bass, bluegill, trout, catfish, tiger muskie, wiper and northern pike. Please refer to the Colorado Fishing Regulations published annually by Colorado Parks and Wildlife for a complete listing of size restrictions and possession limits. The Northside Marina, located by the Visitor Center, is accessible from the north entrance or by water. The marina is open weekend hours through Labor Day, contingent upon water levels, with extended holiday hours. They offer seasonal and daily boat slip rentals, firewood, fuel and bait, as well as the supplies you’ll need to enjoy your campsite. For those who prefer to stay on land, natural surface trails offer miles of options for those on foot, bike or horseback. The Inlet Grove Amphitheater, located south of the dam, is the site of Saturday Night Campfire Programs on weekends from May through Labor Day. 44 • EXPLORE 2017
Enjoy a day on the water at North Sterling State Park. (SARA WAITE/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
Chimney View Campground offers basic, non-electric campsites with a pull-through driveway, shade shelter, picnic table, fire pit and high-use tent pad. (PHOTO BY MIKE ALOSI)
Prairie wildlife is abundant in the park, on the ground and in the air. Land-based animals of all sizes and species call the park home, from prairie dogs to coyotes, badgers, deer and antelope. Bird-watchers will enjoy sighting a wide variety of raptors, including golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and American kestrels, among other types of birds. A
complete Bird Species List can be found on the park website or at the Visitor Center, and guided bird walks can be arranged by calling 970-522-3657. Hunting is carefully managed and permitted during established seasons from the first Tuesday after Labor Day through the Friday before Memorial Day. Hunting area maps are
available at the Sterling Visitor Center and south entrance brochure kiosk. Park visitors are also welcome to get in some target practice at the archery range, open sunrise to sunset daily just north of the outlet canal. The range features 11 stations with 18 targets, including three sight-in targets at 20, 30, and 40 yards that are also ADA accessible. Children 16 and under must be supervised by an adult, and only field tips or target tips are permitted. The park boasts three campgrounds with a total of 141 campsites. It can accommodate the largest motor homes as well as the smallest pup tents, with 50 developed sites available year-round. View fees and make reservations for any of the campgrounds online at http://bit.ly/ICIZDI. Coin operated showers are available in the two Camper Services Buildings during the summer season, and trailer dump stations are located at either end of the park.
explore Downtown
Sterling SPIRIT WOLF
LLC custom only, piercings, gallery, boutique
The Sandman Since 1987 All Styles, Cover-up, RE-work,
Also Henna Body Art 216 MAIN STREET, STERLING, CO 80751
970-425-2424
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Martindale’s JEWELRY REPAIR 208 Main St. Sterling, CO 80751 970.522.2587
Dan Martindale
Jeweler
Glass Blowing Studio
Live GLaSS BLowinG DaiLy SacredMatterGlassworks@gmail.com Facebook.com/Sacredmatterglasssworks Instagram @SacredMatter @TanManGlass
Franchise Owner Cell: (970) 580-3642 sterling@samandlouiespizza.com www.samandlouiespizza.com
DINE IN - CARRY OUT - CATERING EVENT ROOM - FULL BAR
(970) 526-2550 310 Main Street Sterling, CO 80751
Design stuDiO & Yarn shOP
Sacred Matter LLC 102 S. Front St., Sterling, Co 80751 (970) 441-0429
Denise Schaefer
Wraps • Gyros • Soup & Salad Ice Cream • Coffee • Much More! (970) 522-0896
Original Patterns & Kits,Yarn, Books, Beads, Classes 113 North 2nd Street, Sterling, CO 80751 Phone: 970.521.9041 Toll Free: 877.467.0382 Linda Taylor, Owner E-mail: info@fiberspacepatterns.com Web: fiberspacepatterns.com
The Vintage Barber Shop We are five generation barber tradition and we’re specialize in all Traditional and high fashion trends. Please come in to see our Master Barber. Gil Lira.
Gilbert Lira
• Pro Sports’ Licensed Merchandise • Novelties & Auto Items • Baby-Adult Apparel
115 N. 2nd St. (970) 441-0455
Andrew Scott Owner
The Dragons Hoard sterlingdragonshoard@gmail.com 125 N 3rd st 970-425-2489 Sterling, Co. 80751 facebook.com/sterlingdragonshoard
Antiques, Home Decor, Scrap Booking, Stamping Materials, Gund Toys, Melissa & Doug Toys, Usborne Books Hours of Operation: Tuesday thru Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM Phone Number: 970-526-6901 Fax Number: 970-526-6902 Email: nancy@zoesnook.com
324 Main Street Sterling, Colorado
A-ALL AREA
TRANSMISSION
tranSMiSSiOn • ClUtCHeS DiFFerentialS • tranSFer CaSeS Jeff Heppner
970-522-2848
Largest Sullen Retailer in Colorado!
Glass • Vapes
Marilyn Monroe Clothing • Knives • Flags Skulls • Body Jewelry
Open 7 days a week until 7 p.m. 212 Main St. • Sterling, CO • 526-6011
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104 Poplar St. Sterling, CO
LR Spa and Bath 111 Main Street, Sterling, CO 80751.
10% off with this ad Therapies that we offer.
(970) 521-2773 • Reiki
• Essential oils
• Amethyst Blanket
• Salt Lamps
• Himalayan Salt Pillows
• Natural body care products
• Himalayan Salt Sauna
• Reflexology and Massage
204 Main Street, Sterling
(970) 526-6363
EXPLORE 2017 • 45
Logan County • Crook, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Peetz, Sterling
Big & Rich, Cowboy Troy to take Fair stage G
o “Dancing with the Steers” at the 2017 Logan County Fair, Aug. 3-13. Logan County’s biggest event of the year features youth and open class exhibits in a wide variety of categories, livestock shows, all the tastes-so-good-it-hasto-be-bad-for-you food you can stomach, six days of carnival fun, contests, and of course, high-quality nightly entertainment. NextEra’s Extreme PBR Bull Riding kicks off the week on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. in the grandstand arena. Enjoy edge-of-the-seat action as determined riders and bulls battle against the eight second clock. The Logan County Junior Rodeo follows on Wednesday, Aug. 9, with local 4-H and FFA youth demonstrating their skills in the arena. Two nights of professional rodeo begin Thursday, Aug. 10. Both nights consist of a variety of rodeo events from bronc riding to barrel racing and roping. It’s fast-paced and lively, with some of the most entertaining rodeo clowns in the business to add a touch of good-natured fun to the action-packed rodeo. Ticket sales from the first night of the Dick Stull PRCA Memorial Rodeo go to support 4-H and FFA organizations. Friday, show you’re “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” and support breast cancer prevention, with ticket sales helping the Sterling Regional MedCenter provide free mammograms to women in need. The highlight of the week 46 • EXPLORE 2017
Country duo Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy will take the main stage for the East Cheyenne Gas Storage Night Show at the Logan County Fair Aug. 12. (COURTESY PHOTOS)
is the fair’s annual East Cheyenne Gas Storage Night Show at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12. This year’s headline act is top country duo Big & Rich, with Cowboy Troy. According to Wikipedia, Big & Rich are an American country music duo composed of William Kenneth “Kenny” Alphin, who uses the stage name Big Kenny, and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists. Big Kenny was formerly a solo artist on Hollywood Records while Rich was a founding member of the country music band Lonestar and later a solo artist for BNA Records. Their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, was released in 2004. This album produced four straight Top 40 country hits, including the number 11 “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” plus collaborations with Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson, and Martina McBride.
They have since released a handful of other albums — together and solo — and Top 40 hits. The lead off single from their latest, “Look at You,” hit the airwaves in January 2014. Cowboy Troy has released four studio albums and one EP, including two releases on Warner Bros. Records, and has charted twice on the Billboard country singles charts. In May 2005 he released his first major-label solo album, Loco Motive, through the RAYBAW records production label and the Warner Music Group distribution label. The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The first single, “I Play Chicken with the Train,” peaked at No. 48 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart on April 9, 2005 and was the No. 1 country download at the iTunes Music Store in April 15, 2005. As a Chevrolet promotion, Troy, Wilson, and Big & Rich
released “Our America” as a free, time-limited download on July 1, 2005. They also performed the song live at the Boston Pops concert on July 4, 2005. “Our America” combines “The Star-Spangled Banner” with spoken word of parts of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of independence, Pledge of Allegiance and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The song peaked at No. 44 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and appears as a bonus track on both Big & Rich’s Comin’ to Your City and Wilson’s All Jacked Up albums. The Logan County Fair ends with a bang — and a crash — during the GoDerby Demolition Derby on Sunday, Aug. 13. This multi-heat demo derby is an annual fair favorite and sells out every year. Tickets for the grandstand events are available at lcfair.org.
Logan County
Trap shooting is just one of the offerings available at the Logan County Shooting Sports Complex off Highway 61 in Sterling. (CALLIE JONES/JOURNAL-ADVOCATE)
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Take your best shot
he Logan County Shooting Sports Complex, opened in 2016, welcomes shooting enthusiasts to hit their mark. The rifle, pistol, archery and designation trap area are open daily from sunrise to sunset, depending on special events. Located at 12515 Highway 61, on the east side of Interstate 76 just south of Leisure Lane, the complex remains a work in progress, with construction of a firing line structure for the 600-yard rifle line completed in the spring of 2017. Shooters should bring their own targets and clean up after using the range. The complex is not staffed, and if the gates are closed the range is closed. Daily fees, which include access to the rifle/handgun range, outdoor archery range and designated manual shotgun range, are $10 per vehicle, and children under 18 enter free with an adult paying the daily fee. The complex also offers memberships, with individual adult and family rates, that cover the cost of daily access. Membership applications are available on
the LCSSC website, www.colorado.gov/pacific/ lcssc. Logan County’s shooting sports complex is the result of many years of work by a group of local citizens interested in having a public shooting range in this area. It is located on an almost 400acre site. In 2014, Logan County purchased 270 acres of land for the range and in 2016 an additional 46 acres of land was purchased from the State Board of Land Commissioners, to tie together approximately 100 acres of city of Sterling property and the 270 acres the county previously purchased. Construction of the shooting sports complex has been funded in part by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife through a series of grants for range design and improvements. The complex hosts various events, camps and trainings throughout the year, as well as trapshooting leagues. Information about these is available on the website and the LCSSC Facebook page.
COME and
ENJOY!
A great place to live, work, raise a family, and play! Hunting, Fishing, Boating, Swimming, Camping, and Golfing! Beautiful Parks, Tree Sculptures & Walking Trails.
CITY OF STERLING 421 N. 4th St. (970) 522-9700
EXPLORE 2017 • 47
48 • EXPLORE 2017
(AMY HASELGREN PHOTO)
WELCOME to Morgan County Brush, Fort Morgan, Hillrose, Log Lane Village, Orchard, Weldona, Wiggins
(THOMAS GOSS PHOTO)
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
(MADISON KREIN PHOTO)
Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
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Jackson Lake offers water getaways
ackson Lake State Park offers a weekend or vacation getaway suited for a day trip, weekend visit or extended vacation. Sandy beaches are a big draw. The park offers everything from picnicking to active watersports like boating, jet skiing, waterskiing, windsurfing, sailing and parasailing, fishing, swimming, hiking, and all-terrain vehicle riding. Year-round fishing and camping abound at Jackson Lake State Park northwest of Goodrich. Rainbow trout, wiper, channel catfish, Northern pike, walleye, crappie and perch are available to challenge anglers’ skills. For the hunter, there are small game, upland birds and waterfowl and archery hunting for deer. Hunters are asked to always check park regulations before hunting. Birds of many species call Jackson Lake home, and bald eagles migrate through the area. The park has a nature trail. An off-highway vehicle track for all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, available year-round, is
located near the south entrance. Jackson Lake also offers boat, snowmobile and OHV registrations. The park has 260 campsites in seven campgrounds, including a group area that is available for groups reserving a minimum of 12 sites. Facilities include a coinoperated shower building and a laundry. A marina offers groceries, bait and rental boats. A group picnic area is also available for reservations. Each vehicle must have a parks pass. Some sites have electricity, and 135 sites are open yearround. A multi-purpose room is available for rental in the Sandpiper Campground services building. There is a visitor’s center with a bookstore as well. The Center includes a conference area. Camping reservations can be made online at www.parks.state.co.us or by telephone at 1-800-678-2267. Group area, multipurpose room or conference area reservations are available by calling the park at 970-6452551.
Campers get settled in at Jackson Lake, a popular spot for weekend and extended visits during the year. (BRANDON BOLES/FORT MORGAN TIMES)
A man fishes at Jackson Lake State Park, located north of Wiggins. (COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE)
EXPLORE 2017 • 49
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Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
(COURTESY NASA)
Eyes on the sky
he stars, or more accurately celestial bodies, will align on Aug. 21, creating the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States in 38 years. A solar eclipse is created when the moon’s orbit enters into the path of the sun, casting a shadow on Earth, or in other words blocking out the sun either full or partially. Within the path of totality, only the sun’s corona — plasma matter extending millions of kilometers into space — will be visible. Observers outside this area of totality will see varying levels of eclipse. All of northeastern Colorado falls within a 90 percent totality of eclipse, with the more northern areas having greater totality. The path of eclipse is scheduled to begin in Morgan County, Colo., at 10:25 a.m. with the magnitude of the eclipse at 11:49 a.m., when about 5 percent of the sun will be visible, then with the sun completely reappearing by 1:16 p.m. The exact time of the eclipse will vary based on the location from which it is observed. The duration of the magnitude of the eclipse — the time of greatest blockage of the sun — will last about two minutes and 40 seconds, depending on location. All observers in North America will experience some 50 • EXPLORE 2017
The area of eclipse totality ranges on a course from northwest Nebraska to the state’s most southeastern areas, but right before lunchtime on Aug. 21, only 5 percent of the sun should be viewable in northeastern Colorado. (COURTESY NASA)
form of total eclipse. The path of totality begins in Lincoln City, Ore., and follow a path to Charleston, S.C. The most northeastern areas of Colorado will fall within 5 percent of total eclipse, with a path of total eclipse from Casper, Wyo., to Grand Island, Neb. Astronomers are encouraging those wishing to view the eclipse to locate in an area with clear viewing of the sky, such as most places in northeastern Colorado. The eclipse will be visible as long as cloud cover is avoided.
August 21 Solar Eclipse
See it: A near total eclipse will be visible anywhere in northeastern Colorado, with greater totality in the most northeastern areas. Watch it: Never look directly into the sun, even during eclipse outside an area of complete totality, without appropriate eyewear. Regular sunglasses are not appropriate protection, but there are four varieties of “eclipse glasses” available to purchase. These glasses have solar filters. Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device. Experts suggests that one widely available filter for safe solar viewing is No. 14 welder’s glass. Duration: From beginning to end, the eclipse will last almost three hours in most places. But, the duration of magnitude of eclipse will last less than three minutes.
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Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
Disc golf popularity rising in Fort Morgan
ith the rise of popularity disc golf has in Colorado, the city of Fort Morgan has worked to bring the sport to life over the years with two disc golf courses. During the summer, the city has hosted the Hi-Plains Challenge, a tournament in the professional disc golf circuit for a weekend of competition. The tournament also allows those looking to compete in a tournament setting a chance to do so in an amateur bracket. Over 170 disc golfers played in the Hi-Plains Tournament in 2016 and a similar group is expected to participate in 2017. Many of the disc golfers enjoy a chance to camp out in the park over the weekend. The 2017 tournament is scheduled for June 17 and 18 at Riverside Park. In each of the last two years the tournament has taken place in Fort Morgan, both the Pessimist Disc Golf Park and the Optimist course were used. The Optimist course was established in 2002 and has a 75 for par from the red tees and 63 par score from blue tees. It is mostly flat and lightly wooded, ranging between 6,000 and 7,000 feet. This course begins as mostly open holes with the pond coming into play for two of the first seven holes. The remaining holes are in the wooded area next to the South Platte River, but still offer open fairways to drive. The other course in Fort Morgan, the Pessimist Disc Golf Park, opened a few years ago and is the first disc golf
A pair of competitors putt near the disc catcher on hole 10 of the Optimist DiscGolfPark in round one of the High Plains Challenge disc golf tournament at Riverside Park on June 18, 2016. (BRANDON BOLES/FORT MORGAN TIMES)
parks and recreation professionals. An eight-page article talked about the history of the course and some of the new improvements the course has seen. A popular feature with the course is the artificial turf tee pads to provide solid firming and grip for disc golfers to tee off. Another new trend to the course is small arrows in each Competitors tee off on hole 11 of the Pessimist Disc Golf of the basket cases at the end Course on Saturday, June 18, 2016 for the first round of the of each hole, pointing in the High Plains Challenge disc golf tournament at Riverside direction of the next hole. Park. (BRANDON BOLES/FORT MORGAN TIMES) This is especially useful for first-time players on the park to be developed in the course and contributes to Fort course. United States by a globally Morgan’s reputation as a Both disc golf courses are recognized course Mecca for the sport. located at Riverside Park in A few years ago, the development company from Fort Morgan. To reach the Finland. The course is a good Pessimist course was featured park, take exit 80 off of the complement to the Optimist in a national magazine for I-76 Interstate and turn north. EXPLORE 2017 • 51
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Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
Wiggins rec director preparing for growth
iggins appears to be on the cusp of a big growth spurt, and Bryan Flax, the town’s parks and recreation director, is in on the ground floor. The town already has one housing subdivision under construction and another one pending, and the Wiggins school district is eying bond election-financed construction of a new school. “In at a good time,” says Flax, who started his parttime position with the town in January 2017. “Ideally, I’d like to see it grow into something fulltime.” He and his wife Megan (Hinojos), who grew up in Bryan Flax Brush, have faith in the town’s growth — one of the homes being built in the new subdivision is theirs. The town could double in size, Flax believes. Right now the focus is on Little League baseball — a collaboration with Brush that also includes kids from nearby cities and towns, such as Fort Morgan and Akron. A number of players on the Wiggins teams also come from the Weldona area. There are 63 players registered for the program. And T-ball registration is underway, with games to start in June. The town recently constructed the Delbert Teets Park Amphitheater near the baseball fields. The facility is basically a stage; those coming there for
52 • EXPLORE 2017
Once fully completed, Wiggins Town Park, located at the intersection of 4th Avenue and High Street, will offer residents many recreational amenities, including horseshoe pits, soccer fields, a sand volley ball court, a basketball court, baseball, softball and t-ball fields, a pavilion, a concession stand, a play ground and a concert stage. The park and amphitheater are right next to Delbert Teets Memorial Ball Field. (PHOTO COURTESY TOWN OF WIGGINS)
events should bring lawn chairs or blankets. A summer movie program is planned with a familyfriendly lineup: June 2 — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” June 30 — “Captain America: Civil War,” July 7 — “Jurassic Park,” Aug. 4 — “Despicable Me 2” and Sept. 1 — “Inside Out.” The park facilities also include a sand volleyball court; Flax is looking at starting a league for that sport. Also coming up this summer is Wiggins’ big event of the year, the Fourth of July festival. Activities include a parade, a 5-kilometer run, music and fireworks. Flax is
considering adding a threeon-three basketball tournament. Plans are also underway to repeat a summer camp that was started last year. The recreation program is licensed as a day-care provider and will offer various activities for children coming to the camp. Current plans call for that to take place in June or July. In the fall, Flax wants to start a soccer program. The new Kiowa Park subdivision is to include recreation fields. Also, he says, “There’s a lot of interest in soccer in Wiggins. I think there’s a strong enough market for it.” He is also eying a possible adult softball league.
Flax is not just looking at sports offerings for Wiggins, though: “I have a sports background, so that’s my passion, but I want to incorporate other activities to get everyone involved.” Cultural and holiday events are possible focal points. Flax holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation and sports management and has worked with the Brush Recreation Department and the Kansas City Royals front office. He has small-town roots, growing up in Wakeeney, Kan., about halfway between Denver and Kansas City. He and his wife moved out of Denver to get back to a small town.
Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
Downtown Brush on a Friday night as the Sands Theatre has brought the people back. (JON A. YAMAMOTO/BRUSH NEWS-TRIBUNE)
Sands Theatre bringing crowds to Brush
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can’t miss stop in Brush, the Sands Theatre is a treasure as the keystone of the community’s downtown. Opened in 1916 as the Emerson Theatre by Charles W. Emerson, in 1966 it was renamed the Sands Theatre by Joe Machetta, as a tribute to the legendary Las Vegas Sands hotel and casino and the Rat Pack. In 2016, Machetta gifted the theatre to the Brush Area
Chamber of Commerce, as he sought to retire after almost 60 years owning and operating the theatre. Following some light renovation, the 101-year-old theatre has reopened for weekly weekend showings of movies under an all volunteer staff. The Foundation continues to work toward a substantial project of raising the funds to replace all seats in the theatre.
“People have really been supportive in helping with our ‘Save Our Seats’ campaign,” said Dana Sherman, immediate past president of the chamber of commerce. “Hopefully, the community will continue to support us.” Some grants are being sought that would assist in the upgrading and renovation of the theatre, with an eye to retain the historical look and feel of the
operation. The Foundation has a preference to expand on the theatre operation. An idea has been proposed for live music, live performances and perhaps even a film festival. The Sands Theatre shows movies at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $5. And the old popcorn machine is known to produce some of the best tasting popcorn that can be found. EXPLORE 2017 • 53
Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
History gets interactive at Fort Morgan Museum
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or anyone travelling through Morgan County, a stop at Fort Morgan Museum can be well worth the detour off the interstate and into the city’s downtown. While it is a small-town museum, Fort Morgan Museum has much to offer its visitors and patrons, including interactive exhibits, displays with artifacts and stories and lots of history and details. And it is all free to visit and explore. From 2012 to 2014, the museum’s permanent exhibits were completely redesigned, and the museum staff has continued to make changes and add interactive elements in 2017 to those professionally designed exhibits. Most recently, more flipbooks, videos and push buttons were added to the exhibits in the museum’s upper galleries. The goal was for visitors to be able to interact with the exhibits, and now a push of a button will make the mannequins in the Native Americans and Hillrose Soda Fountain exhibits talk and share their stories or it will make a model grasshopper oil pump go up and down, and things like that. The real, antique windmill overhead in the East Gallery’s atrium also spins from time to time, with the gears squeaking and creaking as it moves. In addition to looking at the displays in the ranching and cattle exhibit, visitors to Fort Morgan Museum can flip through a book with more information or open drawers below the flipbook to see examples of barbed wire used on ranches in this area. A video screen plays a short movie with information about the history of the sugar beet factory in Fort Morgan. Another one in the railroad exhibit plays “Dawn to Dusk,” a 1937 silent film about “America’s first installation of centralized traffic control on the Burlington Route” between Akron and Denver in Colorado. And there is a TV in the Glenn Miller Theater for playing movies and videos about musician Glenn Miller, who grew 54 • EXPLORE 2017
"Goodfeather" tells her story from inside the tipi in Fort Morgan Museum's West Gallery when visitors push the button at left. In the East Gallery's Hillrose Soda Fountain exhibit, another mannequin, dressed as Jimmy the soda fountain jerk, will tell his story when a similar button is pushed. (JENNI GRUBBS/FORT MORGAN TIMES)
up in Fort Morgan. There are drawers filled with school memorabilia in the education exhibit, ones with fossils in the paleolith area and more drawers with examples of barbed wire in the cattle and ranching display. The paper flipbooks that accompany
many exhibits allow people to turn pages to read more or look at pictures and dig into an exhibit subject further than simply viewing the artifacts on display. And a more recent addition is what Library/Museum Director Chandra McCoy calls an “electronic flipbook,” See HISTORY, pg. 55
Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
HISTORY from page 54
which consists of two tablet computers with touch screens. One of them plays a video of a film shot during and after the 1965 flood in Morgan County. The other offers a digital slide show of pictures from the museum collection of various floods in this area. That electronic flipbook sits on the wooden cases in the model Rainbow Bridge that join the East and West galleries. Since the floods affected the bridge, museum staff decided this was the right place to put the tablets for ondemand viewing of the digital flood video and pictures by touching the respective tablet screens. “We have created numerous innovative and interactive exhibits in the upper gallery,” McCoy said. “We are always looking for ways in which we can improve the visitors’ expe-
rience.” Still to come in 2017 will be a working model railroad to be added to the exhibit about the history of railroads in Morgan County. The railroad exhibit also currently features the semaphore pole and hand-crank wheel to raise or lower the flags, along with a Morgan County railroad history flipbook and a model train on a bridge in the lower kids’ track part of the display. And there could be even more flipbooks created and other interactive elements added, such as push buttons for starting up the windmill on demand or playing music or videos in the Glenn Miller Theater area. “We’ve had a lot of interactives go in, and we have more ideas for interactives for the coming year,” McCoy promised.
This model grasshopper oil pump can be turned on for a short while with the push of a button by visitors to Fort Morgan Museum's East Gallery. Just like full-size ones, it has a "head" that moves up and down attached to a beam, which is part of the mechanism that would lift oil to the surface out of the well. (JENNI GRUBBS/FORT MORGAN TIMES)
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Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose
Famous science-fiction author buried at Riverside
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ike with any burial grounds, Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan has many stories to tell of the lives of the people who now have their final resting place there. One of those people is science fiction author Philip K. Dick, who is buried next to his twin sister, Jane, who died in Fort Morgan as an infant. Dick wanted to be laid to rest next to his sister. Cemetery workers sometimes find little sheep figurines or stuffed animals the author’s fans left behind on the grave after visiting it. Those trinkets are left in homage of his short story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” which was the basis for the movie “Blade Runner.” Several other of Dick’s stories also led to motion pictures, among them “We Can Dream It For You Wholesale,” which was developed into “Total Recall,” “Minority Report” and “A Scanner Darkly.” Fans of Dick also sometimes leave pens at his graveside, a nod to his writing vocation. Another grave that draws unusual tributes is that of Nguyen Van Ngog, a Fort Morgan resident who died in 1984 in a game of Russian roulette. Sometimes, his friends would place cigarettes, beer and Vietnamese star fruit on his grave. At his funeral, they threw firecrackers around town from the funeral procession and into the grave. His headstone includes a Buddhist wheel of life, which bears some resemblance to 56 • EXPLORE 2017
A child rides on his father’s shoulders during an evening visit to Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan. To their left is the More/ Roediger obelisk stone. (JENNI GRUBBS/ FORT MORGAN TIMES)
swastika but has no connection to socialist or Nazi politics. Many of the tombstones in the cemetery do have symbolic meanings, though, such as lambs for children who died young and innocent or tree trunks for young people cut down in the prime of life. And the cemetery certainly has its share of sad or grim tales to tell, including: • The grave for a “Jane Doe” contained remains of a woman found burning on a county road in 1988 with her hands and head removed. She was in the cemetery for awhile before being identified through DNA and sent to Denver. • The two victims of a 1916 shootout between a lawman and bootleggers, Fort Morgan Marshal Charles Eyser and Maria Weimer, are buried there. The killers, John Swan
and John Wilcox, escaped from jail and were never heard of again. • Helen Mura, a school teacher shot in 1922 at the North Star School by a rejected suitor who then killed himself, rests there. But there also are graves for members of Fort Morgan’s founding families and many others who have lived in the city and area over the last 100plus years. Riverside Cemetery also has grown over the years. The original cemetery, was designed by Kate Clatworthy in the shape of a wagon wheel. It also looks like a flower from overhead. Kate Clatworthy, who was the sister of Fort Morgan founder Abner Baker, married W.H. Clatworthy, who owned the first hardware store in town. The Clatworthys and Baker also are interred in Riverside.
Also in the cemetery are Elmer and Mattie Lou Miller, parents of famed big band musician Glenn Miller. The composer and bandleader spent his high school years in Fort Morgan and regarded it as his home. A recent documentary showed how Miller discovered music while he was going to Fort Morgan High School. He also bought a home in Fort Morgan for his parents and visited them on numerous occasions. For those who visit Riverside Cemetery and are interested in finding specific graves or niches at the columbariums in the Memory Gardens, the city cemetery staff offers its help during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are listings available for every grave in the cemetery. For information, call 970-8673908.
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Morgan County • Fort Morgan, Brush, Hillrose Pheasant and other small game can be hunted at a number of the State Wildlife Areas in Morgan County. (ERIC CHRISTENSEN PHOTO)
State lands offer outdoor opportunities
even state wildlife areas are maintained within Morgan County, offering a variety of outdoors recreation opportunities. Whether for a day hunt or for viewing, these areas present opportunities to see Bobwhite quail, deer, dove, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, turkey and waterfowl, depending on the time of year of your visit. Each area offers something a little different. For the waterfowler, there are a number of opportunities to hunt ponds small and large. Those interested in fishing or water recreation have numerous opportunities, including Jackson Lake. The state wildlife areas aren’t just reserved for hunting activities. Most of the areas also encourage
wildlife viewing and some encourage hiking. Those using these areas are asked to park in designated areas on maps available from Colorado Parks and Wildlife either online or through the Brush field office, 970-842-6300. Hunters are asked to review regulations prior to visiting an area, as regulations may vary. In some locations reservations are required prior to hunting.
Andrick Ponds
Located near Jackson State Park and Jackson Reservoir, north of Orchard on County Road 2, this SWA is home to turkeys and waterfowl. The 711-acre property allows hunting by reservation.
Brush Prairie Ponds
The 1,604-acre SWA is located south of Brush on
Clayton Street. Enjoy viewing waterfowl, pheasant, rabbit, deer, and make reservations to hunt on the nine ponds on the property.
Brush Wildlife Area
Bobwhite quail, deer, dove, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, turkey and waterfowl can be found on the 891-acre site north of the South Platte River on Highway 71. Wildlife viewing and hiking are encouraged.
There’s plenty of room to hike and view the wildlife on this 2,576-acre site north of Highway 6 on County Road 36. The South Platte River crosses the property, forming more than 15 wetland areas.
Jackson Lake
The SWA north of Jackson Lake on County Road CC offers facilities including picnic sites, electrical hookups, public boat ramp, and a visitor’s center. It has Cottonwood 12 areas for hunting, with This SWA provides another pheasant, waterfowl, dove, 1,110 acres adjacent to the rabbit and deer on the Brush Wildlife Area for property. wildlife viewing and limited hunting. The property is split Jean K. Tool Find bobwhite quail, deer, into four locations, with the dove, pheasant, rabbit, most southwest section squirrel, turkey and offering access to privatelywaterfowl on this property owned Wacker Pond. north of Interstate 76 on Elliott County Road 24. EXPLORE 2017 • 57
WELCOME to Keith County
58 • EXPLORE 2017
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
Brule, Ogallala, Paxton (CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
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Keith County • Brule, Ogallala, Paxton
Big fun on ‘Big Mac’
early everything about Lake McConaughy is big! Its 35,000 surface acres make it Nebraska’s largest reservoir, with over 100 miles of shore line. McConaughy is known as a place for outdoor good times. Its waters and white sand beaches provide the setting for many different kinds of outdoor recreation. The lake is known for excellent fishing, with trophy-size game fish that have “Big Mac,” as Lake McConaughy is known, offers over 100 accounted for several state miles of shoreline with white sand beaches and acres of records. Big Mac is also a clear blue water. (PHOTO COURTESY OGALLALA/KEITH favorite with campers, COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE) sailboaters, wind surfers and swimmers, and offers activities year-round, with skating and backpacking seasons. hunting, ice-boating, ice available through the cooler The lake is located on
Nebraska State Highway 61, north of Ogallala. The $2.5 million Lake McConaughy Water Interpretive and Visitors Center is perched on a bluff one-quarter mile south of Kingsley Dam overlooking Lake McConaughy. The 8,700-square-foot Visitors Center features Nebraska’s first water interpretive center, a museum that looks at the important role of water in the state’s past, present and future. The facility also includes a community room available for public meetings and receptions, a freshwater aquarium, a 50-seat state-ofthe-art theater, an information desk and gift shops.
EXPLORE 2017 • 59
Fun on the High Plains
60 • EXPLORE 2017
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
(DENISE SMITH PHOTO)
(MADISON KREIN PHOTO)
Calendar
Root for the home team at a Sterling Xpress game. The Rocky Mountain Collegiate Baseball team plays on Northeastern Junior College’s Plainsmen Field through the summer. (JOURNAL-ADVOCATE PHOTO)
May 2017
Memorial Day Weekend — North Sterling Reservoir summer activities start. May 27-29 — Rocky Mountain Showdown – Motocross Race, Fort Morgan May 29 — Sterling Recreation Center Outdoor Pool opens for season.
June 2017
Thursday nights — Summer concert series in Fort Morgan City Park Golf tournaments all summer at Quail Dunes in Morgan County. Go to www.quaildunes.com. Tuesday nights — Twilight Tuesday movies in Sterling parks. 970-522-9700 for more information. June 3 — Akron Town Wide Yard Sales June 3 — 13th Annual Terry McCormick Memorial Walleye Tournament, Ogallala. For more information, contact Rose McCormick at 308-778-7216. June 3 — Happy Camper Run and Penny Carnival, 8-11 a.m., Lake Ogallala. Includes a 5k
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An ice sculpting contest is usually one of the events held in downtown Fort Morgan during the Christmas Capital of the Plains campaign in December. (FORT MORGAN TIMES PHOTO) EXPLORE 2017 • 61
Calendar
Find fun for all ages at the Phillips County Fair, July 25-30, 2017. (JOHNSON PUBLICATIONS INC. PHOTO) Continued from Page 61 timed run and a 1 mile fun run/ walk. Courses are pet and stroller friendly with awards for several age divisions. Free penny carnival starts at 9 a.m. Popcorn and prizes for all ages! All proceeds benefit Highplains RFKC a summer camp that serves foster children located in Western Nebraska. Preregister at www.happycamperrun.com. Same day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Contact Information: Misty Richards 308-889-5157 June 3-4 — 13th Annual Ogallala Drovers Invitational Golf Tournament. Contact Jerry Steinke at 308-284-4487 or Penny Seibert at 308-284-4066 June 4 — Sterling Xpress Baseball season starts. www.sterlingxpressbaseball.com. June 9 — Summer Kick Off, Sedgwick County. County Wide Garage Sales June 10 — Community-wide Garage Sales, Brule.
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June 10 — Underwater Spearfishing Tournament, Lake McConaughy Martin Bay. 8:30 a.m. registration. 9 a.m.-noon, tournament. Contact Information: Platte Valley Scuba Divers www.plattevalleyscubadivers.com. June 10 — Relay For Life, Fort Morgan. Cancer fundraiser June 10 — Relay For Life of Northeast Colorado, Logan County Courthouse, Sterling. www.relay.org/neco June 16-17 — Ash Hollow Pageant, Ash Hollow State Historical Park. Chuck Wagon Supper starts at 5 p.m. The outdoor performance begins at 6:30 p.m. (FREE SHOW) The show is told using the diaries of pioneers traveling along the great trails west. Nebraska State Park Pass required. Contact Jeff Ulrich at 308-778-5651 for more information. June 17 — Dandelion Daze Car Show, Holyoke June 17 — Northeast Junior College Young Farmers Tractor
Pull, Logan County Fairgrounds. June 17 — 5:10 to Yuma Road Race, Yuma. 5K/10K Race June 17 — Yuma Days. Pancake breakfast, live entertainment and all day activities for all ages June 24 — Quilts of the Plains, Wray. Outdoor quilt show June 24 — Annual Car Show at Akron City Park June 24 — Hobie Tropical Dreams Regatta at Lake McConaughy. Contact Bill McBride at 308-284-2400 for more information June 24 — Bull Bash & Fry, Sedgwick County Fairgrounds. 1st Annual Potty Races, Dance at 8 p.m. with Union Gray June 25 — Tri on the Plains, North Sterling State Park. triontheplains.com June 26 — Free Shredding Day, 4-6 p.m., Farmers State Bank, Akron. Sponsored by Akron Chamber of Commerce
July 2017
Friday evenings — July Jamz, 6
p.m., Logan County Courthouse Gazebo, Sterling. Free concert series sponsored by Sterling Arts Council. July 1 -- Lake McConaughy Birthday Bash. Including bike ride around Lake Mac, sand volleyball tournament and boat parade. Contact the Ogallala/ Keith County Chamber of Commerce at 308-284-4066 or info@explorekeithcounty.com for more information. July 1 — Demolition Derby at the Keith County Fairgrounds. Contact Troy Malone at 308-2894991 for more information. July 2-4 – 63rd annual Brush Rodeo, Morgan County Fairgrounds in Brush July 3 — 3rd of July Bash, Yuma July 4 — Brush Independence Day parade, downtown Brush July 4 — Brush fireworks display, Morgan County Fairgrounds in Brush at dusk. July 4 — Heritage Festival, Overland Trail Museum, Sterling.
See Page 63
Calendar Aug. 26 — Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Columbine Park, Sterling. Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Association.
Continued from Page 62
Free admission. July 4 — City of Sterling Fourth of July Celebration, Pioneer Park. Free concert, fireworks display. July 4 — Wiggins Old-Fashioned Fourth of July and fireworks, Wiggins Town Park July 4 — Traditional Fourth of July Celebration, Otis Baseball Field July 4 — Julesburg Volunteer Fire Dept. Annual Fireworks Display July 6 — Annual Pony Express Re-Ride, Julesburg July 7-8 — BobStock music festival, Fort Morgan City Park July 7-9 — Flatlanders Car Show, Pioneer Park, Sterling. www.coloradoflatlanders.org July 14-15 — Wild West Junk Market, downtown Ogallala. Contact Makenzi Spurgin at 308284-4900 for more information. July 15 — Old-Fashioned Saturday Night, Haxtun July 15 — Ovid Days July 21-23 — Convergence on Sacred Ground, Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Lewellen, Nebraska. Plan to come experience history in Ash Hollow, refuge to the Native Americans, Nebraska cowboys and farmsteaders, fur traders, military and pioneers during the 1860s. http://www.AshHollow150th.com July 22 — The Dam Run at Lake McConaughy. 5K and 1-mile walk and run. Contact the Ogallala/Keith County Chamber of Commerce at 308-284-4066 for more information. July 25-29: Eastern Colorado Roundup, Washington County Fairgrounds, Akron July 25-30 — Phillips County Fair, Holyoke July 26-30 — Keith County Fair. Carnival Lights and County Nights. Parade on July 28. July 28-30 — Wray Daze, Wray July 29 — 28th Annual Kites and Castles, Ogallala. Sand castle building contest and kite flying event. Contact the Ogallala/ Keith County Chamber of Commerce at 308-284-4066 for more information.
August 2017
Aug. 2-6 — Sedgwick County Fair and Rodeo. Watermelon
September 2017
Glenn Miller was a musician, arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known big bands, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The annual Glenn Miller SwingFest is set for Aug. 17-19, 2017, in Fort Morgan. (PHOTO COURTESY FORT MORGAN MUSEUM) Feed, County Fair Concert, Livestock Auction Aug. 3-13 — Logan County Fair & Rodeo, Logan County Fairgrounds, Sterling. PBR and PRCA events, Demolition Derby, 4-H/FFA and open class exhibits, livestock shows, carnival, vendors. Aug. 12 Night Show featuring Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy. lcfair.org Aug. 4-10 — Morgan County Fair at Morgan County Fairgrounds in Brush Aug. 5 — Brule Day. Contact John Frates at 308-287-2434 for more information Aug. 5 — Nebraska’s 150 Whistle Stop Tour, Ogallala. The Nebraska 150 Express will stop in Ogallala as part of the Whistle Stop Tour. After departing from Omaha, the locomotive will travel to Columbus, North Platte, Ogallala, Sidney, Gering, Kearney, and Grand Island, where each community will host a rally
or festival to welcome the train’s passengers. The Nebraska150 Celebration has extended invitations to a select group of Nebraska native celebrities and notable figures it hopes will be part of the tour. These individuals will disembark to give speeches, take photos, and/or sign autographs for audiences. Aug. 5-9 — Yuma County Fair, Yuma. 4-H and FFA exhibits and sales, parade, rodeos, night show, carnival and exhibits of all kinds Aug. 8 — Akron Appreciation Picnic, Washington County Event Center. Sponsored by Akron Chamber of Commerce Aug. 17-19 – GlennMiller SwingFest, Fort Morgan Aug. 16-18 — IRF Farm Show, Yuma. Demonstrations and information about the latest irrigated farming techniques, ideas and innovations at the Irrigation Research Farm.
September — Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, Fort Morgan. Starts at Fort Morgan City Park September — Fall Harvest Car Show, downtown Fort Morgan September — Oktoberfest and Car Show, downtown Brush September — Fleming Fall Festival Sept. 2-4 — Sedgwick Harvest Fest Sept. 3 — SRAC Motocross Labor Day Race, Pawnee Cycle Club, Sterling. Sept. 7-9 — Old Threshers Days, Yuma. Demonstrations of frontier threshing equipment, corn shelling and log sawing. Visit Yuma Pioneer Town, shop for gift and souvenirs and have lunch on the grounds. Sept. 9-10 — Brule Gun Show. Contact Denise Moorhead for more information, (308) 2896928. Sept. 16-17 — Sugar Beet Days, Logan County Courthouse Square, Sterling. Outdoor craft and vendor bazaar, live music and entertainment. Sept. 21-23 — 31st Annual Indian Summer Rendezvous, Ogallala. http://www.ogallalaindiansummerrendezvous.com Sept. 29-30 — For Peetz Sake Days, Peetz Centennial Celebration Sept. 30 — Haxtun Corn Festival
October 2017
Weekends — Chamber of Terror, Logan County Courthouse Annex, Sterling. October — Akron Volunteer Firemen’s Community Appreciation Breakfast October — Scarecrow Contest, Sterling. October — Sterling Miracle Players Haunted House October — Sweet Adelines Windson Chorus Concert, Sterling. Oct. 7 — Merino Fall Festival Oct. 28 — Holly Daze Craft Fair, Holyoke Oct. 28 — Gateway Foundation Fall Ball, Julesburg
See Page 64 EXPLORE 2017 • 63
Calendar Continued from Page 63
Oct. 31 — Trick or Treat Trail and Halloween events in downtown Fort Morgan Oct. 31 — Trick or Treat Street, Sterling Recreation Center. Oct. 31 — Downtown trick-ortreating, Sterling
November 2017
November — A Fair to Remember, Julesburg Nov. 17-18 — Winter Festival, Yuma. Santa visits, book giveaways, wagon rides and craft fair at the Yuma Community Center. Nov. 23 — Turkey Trot, Sterling. Nov. 25 — Light the Lights, Logan County Courthouse Square, Sterling.
December 2017
First week — Fort Morgan Christmas Parade of Lights, downtown Fort Morgan Thursday nights and Saturdays all month long — Christmas Capitol of the Plains events in downtown Fort Morgan Early December — Miracle on Main Street, Yuma.Shopping specials, Santa, entertainment, movies, food and a festival of trees. Call the West Yuma Chamber of Commerce for more information, 970-848-2704. December — Sweet Adelines Windsong and Centennial State Chorus Concert, Sterling. December — Master Chorale Christmas Concert, Sterling. Monday, Dec. 4 — Country Christmas Parade of Lights, Holyoke Dec. 7 — Akron Volunteer Fire Department’s Beef and Noodle Supper Dec. 7 — Akron Chamber of Commerce Parade of Lights Dec. 7 — Parade of Lights, Julesburg Dec. 7 — Parade of Lights, Sterling Dec. 24 — Otis Volunteer Fire Department’s Candy Run
January 2018
January — Sedgwick County Fair & Rodeo Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament
February 2018
February — Sweetheart Showcase
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(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO) February — Northeastern Junior College Hoops Homecoming, Sterling February — Hospice of the Plains Benefit Hog Roast and Auction, Sterling
March 2018
March — Holyoke Art Show March — Haxtun Lions Chuckwagon Dinner, Haxtun School March — NJC Auto Show and Toy Show, Sterling March — NJC Regional Art Show, Sterling
March 1-31 — Sterling Public Library Quilt Show. March 31 — Akron Lions Club Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Akron City Park March 31 — Otis Volunteer Fire Department Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Otis Baseball Field Late March-April — Greater Prairie Chicken Tours, Wray. http://www.wraychamber.net
April 2018
April — Hippodrome Gala
April — Art Walk, Sterling April — Red Cross Your Heart, Our Hands Benefit, Sterling April — NJC Mudevil Dayz, Sterling. April — High Plains Secondary Schools Art Show, Northeastern Junior College, Sterling. April — NJC Annual Student Art Exhibit, Sterling
May 2018 May — Tread for Trails, Pioneer Park, Sterling.
(TRISTA COBBLEY PHOTO)
Flora on the High Plains
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO)
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO) EXPLORE 2017 • 65
66 • EXPLORE 2017
(KARIANNE DONNELSON PHOTO)
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
(CINDY SCHNEIDER PHOTO)
Fauna on the High Plains
(MADISON KREIN PHOTO)
Volunteer to be a FireFighter today!
and join us in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado • June 13-17, 2017
For the 100 th Fire College Receive outstanding training from professional firefighters, get to know and learn much from your fellow Colorado State Firefighters and have so much fun in the magnificent mountains of Colorado!
of Logan County and the rest
EXPLORE: North Sterling State Park Overland Trail Museum Bradford Rhea Tree Sculptures
EXPERIENCE:
• Logan County Fair & Rodeo • Sugar Beet Days Craft Fair • Flatlanders Car Show • Fourth of July Heritage Festival • Festivals & Concerts
RELAX:
• 400+ Rooms & Campsites • NEW Hotels Opening Soon!
Outdoor Recreation: Hunting, Fishing, Birding, Boating, Golf, Disc Golf, Biking,Water Park, 60 Acres of Parks, Motocross, Hiking, Swimming, Shooting Sports Complex Indoor Recreation: Recreation Center, Bowling, 5-Plex Movie Theatre Wonderful Shops & Restaurants
Plus, So Much More!