Haigler Awarded Grant

Nebraska has awarded $2.7 million in grants to cities for local public works and water treatment projects.

Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy announced that eight cities will receive community development block grants. The federal grant money is administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

The money will help pay for projects in Loup City, Sidney, South Sioux City, Taylor, Walthill, Crawford, Haigler and North Loup. Cities will use the money for sidewalk and street upgrades, new wastewater treatment plants and water storage facilities. The city of Walthill will receive a new fire station.

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/27-Million-In-Block-Grants-174550331.html

Maypole Awards Given at the Tumbleweed Festival

Maypole Award honorees this year, given to our community newspapers for their continued support and news coverage of the Haigler Museum projects.

Karen Krein
The Saint Francis Herald

Bill Coe
for McCook Daily Gazette

Jessica Cleveland
for The Benkelman Post and News Chronicle

 The Wray Gazette was also a recipient; but could not be present as was covering another event in Burlington, CO

Haigler Clebrates 5th Annual Fall Tumbleweed Festival

Tumbleweed Festival
Picture courtesy of Bill Coe

Haigler hosted their 5th annual Fall Tumbleweed Festival on Saturday, October 13. A beautiful, sunny autumn day brought over 150 people throughout the tri-state region of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado to attend the festival activities. Banners on both sides of town, flags lining the streets, and balloons on museum grounds welcomed all driving Highway 34 (the GoldenRod Hi-Way) to the event.

Garage Sales

Village garage sales had 9 sites and 15 families participating. Lunch was served under the tents on the museum grounds where everyone enjoyed sloppy joes, hot dogs, homemade dill pickles, chips, and drinks. Homemade pies and ice cream were served in the Golden Inn Senior Center. Ladies from the community had baked 24 pies for the event.

Open house at the Country Schoolhouse Museum
and the Haigler Cornerstone Museum.

Other activities throughout the day included treasure hunts, horseshoe pitching, carousel rides on the maypole merry-go-round, and a spook parade for kids of all ages. Open house was held at both the Country Schoolhouse Museum and the Haigler Cornerstone Museum. This was the first year for the Art Show, and the response from area artists and festival goers was fantastic. The tumbleweed contest was great fun; and entries were displayed along a fence on the grounds. Winners were Deb Bush of Haigler, Chris McAfoos of Parks, and Mike David of Parks. Music was provided throughout the afternoon by the Garage Bunch of Burlington, CO—who have been a part of the annual festival for 3 years.

The first year for the Art Show

Haigler’s Tumbleweed Festival is a major fundraiser for the Haigler Museum projects. Coordinator LaNeta Carlock said, “People in our communities have just been wonderful in their support of both financial and artifact donations.” “This year, generous free will donations from attendees and business donations contributed $1,500.  In addition, there were 52 businesses and individuals from our tri-state area that contributed gifts and gift certificates totaling almost $2,000.” “It takes a lot of caring people to make good things happen—and this caring is what keeps our small community alive.”

Maypole Awards, given in recognition of exemplary support and service, were awarded this year to all area newspapers who have been so good to provide continuing news coverage of the Museum projects these past five years. Awardees were: The Benkelman Post and News Chronicle, The Saint Francis Herald, the Wray Gazette, and the McCook Daily Gazette.

Bill Coe Photography

5th Annual Fall Tumbleweed Festival

OPEN HOUSE AT HAIGLER MUSEUMS

Throughout the afternoon of the Tumbleweed Festival, there is open house at both the completed Haigler Country Schoolhouse 67 South Museum and the developing Haigler Cornerstone Museum.  The first Fall Tumbleweed Festival in 2008 was held as a fundraiser for the Country Schoolhouse Museum.  This project was completed in October of 2010.  Last year in 2011; the focus turned to fundraising for the beginning of the Haigler Cornerstone Museum--whose mission is to collect, preserve and display artifacts that reflect the history of Haigler—the “cornerstone” of Nebraska—and the surrounding farming and ranching community.

     Visitors to the museums will notice new additions to the grounds, including one of the original Pioneer Ditch slip buckets; a horse drawn ice cutter; walking plows; and the tower for a wooden wheeled windmill (to be completed in spring of 2013).

     Many wonderful artifacts have been donated by the community, and are on display.   Old bound copies of “The Haigler Newspaper”; the original Haigler Telephone long distance phone booth, cook stoves, cream separators, saddles, jugs, tools, the safe  and ledger from the Haigler Drover’s State Bank, and many more surprises will take you back in time.  The most recent additions inside the Cornerstone Museum include more display cases, Haigler Eagles memorabilia, the life-sized horses displaying old sets of harness (artist Grace Powell will be giving personal tours of her work),  a metal doll house w/ all the room furnishings, mannequins displaying military uniforms of WWI and the Korean War, an authentic WWII army blanket and cot, Parks post office items, and the original pot-bellied stove and bell from the Sanborn Country School. 

     The community is invited to come see all the displays in the museums, and enjoy the activities of the Haigler Tumbleweed Festival.  Anyone wishing to donate dollars and/or items for the museums may contact the Carlocks at 308-297-3226; email:  carlock@bwtelcom.net, or mail:  PO Box 144, Haigler NE 69030.  All donations are tax deductible through the Dundy County Community Foundation.

TUMBLEWEED FESTIVAL TIME IN HAIGLER

It’s Tumbleweed Festival time again in Haigler, Nebraska……

The 5th annual Haigler Fall Tumbleweed Festival will be held Saturday, October 13, 2012, on the Haigler Museum grounds south of Highway 34 and Porter Avenue. Tents, tables, hay bales, pumpkins, scarecrows, music, food, and lots of activities await your arrival. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and come enjoy this wonderful day of celebration. There are no admission fees—just free will donations that will help fund the Haigler Cornerstone Museum projects. The festival committee is hoping for a warm, sunny day—(especially after the early snows of last weekend)—but the event will be held regardless of weather (just moved inside the buildings if necessary).

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Schedule of events include neighborhood garage sales from 9 a.m.-noon MDT. Maps will be available at ‘the station’ on Hwy. 34. Dove Chocolate, Premier Jewelry, Avon, and Upper Case Living Decorator sales will be held at the Golden Inn Senior Center. Tables filled with pumpkins of all sizes (plain or decorated); jams, jellies, canned goodies, and fresh baked cookies, breads, and treats will be available to purchase.  Attendees are encouraged to bring a decorated tumbleweed for the tumbleweed fence. Cash prizes will be given.

Lunch begins at 1 p.m. with barbecue sloppy joes, hot dogs, homemade dill pickles, chips, and drinks. Slices of delicious homemade pies topped with scoops of ice cream will also be served. Throughout the afternoon, live music will be performed by former Haiglerite LaVoine Smith and The Garage Bunch Band from Burlington, Colorado.  Other activities include treasure hunts, horseshoe pitching, carousel rides on the maypole merry-go-round, ticket drawings for many great prizes donated by community businesses and individuals, and the presentation of the Maypole Awards. One of the new activities this year is an open art show in the Country Schoolhouse Museum. Local artists, including students, will have some of their work on display for viewing. Artists include Bill Coe, Max, NE; Margie Chance, Yuma, CO; Charlie Mulligan, Meg Peterson, Haigler, NE; Grace Powell, Parks; and others.

At 3:30 p.m. the Tumbleweed/Spook Parade for kids of all ages (including adults) will begin in front of the Country Schoolhouse Museum. People (costumed and plain), bicycles, tricycles, wagons, pull floats are all welcome, but no large motorized vehicles,