Nebraska is famous for festivals. Chicken days in Wayne, the Czech Festival in Wilber, and now the Comstock Windmill Festival. You may have seen the billboards, or heard the commercials, and wondered what it's all about it. Statewide's Brad Penner wondered too...

The Windmill Festival is about country music in a country setting. It's about fun in the fresh air. But most of all, it's about dreaming a big dream, and making that dream come true right in the middle of Nebraska.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: • Comstock Windmill Festival http://www.windmillenterprises.net/ • Brad Paisley's website http://www.bradpaisley.com/ • Warren Brothers web site http://www.warrenbrothers.com/ • Chris Cagle web site http://www.chriscagle.com/

VIDEOS Watch the Perspective story here: | Click Here

TRANSCRIPT

Transcript of Perspective

TRANSCRIPT - Windmill Festival

Reported by Statewide correspondent, Brad Penner

On a windswept day in May, the Second Wind Ranch didn't look much like the site of a major country music festival. Windmills rose from the Sandhills, proof of Henry Nuxall's obsession.
Henry Nuxall built the world's largest standing windmill collection on this small Custer County Ranch. It's his way of honoring a piece of pioneer history.
[Henry Nuxall] "It allowed them to settle far away from streams and rivers and basically develop the whole state of Nebraska."
But out here on the lonesome prairie, few people heard the windmill's story.
[Nuxall] "We had to invest something that would bring attention to the Second Wind Ranch."
That's why construction workers and electricians turned a Sandhills pasture into a temporary home for country music fans and country music stars.
The Comstock Windmill Festival brought big-name performers, and Henry Nuxall hoped the people would follow.
[Nuxall] "And our goals are to preserve the heritage of America's windmills, provide a few jobs in the area, develop tourism and keep a small town of Comstock on the map."
[Warren Brothers] "Comstock is the place to be. If you're not here, you need to be here.
"How you guys doing? Comstock, Nebraska, yeah!
"One-two-three…"
The Warren Brothers performed on opening night of the four-day festival. Steve Lund brought his family here to them.
[Steve Lund] "All the stars… can't miss it can ya? For this area, I think it would be great. There's not much else going on out in here. And… country music is pretty popular out here. And… nice time of the year to go do something. And you don't have to drive three hours to get there either for us."
[Dusty Bargen] "Well, I think its kinda nice because there's not a lot of… you know, action that goes on around out here. So it's kinda fun to get people out here."
A big ad campaign got the word out to country music fans. Marie Kugler came from Red Cloud.
[Marie Kugler] "I love country music anything."
[Dave Callahan] "Brad Paisley… Brad Paisley, all the way from Denver. My son got on the Internet and found this was going on, so we come all he way down from Denver."
Brad Paisley won the Country Music Association Horizon Award in 2000. He was the first well-known artist to come to Comstock. He played the Windmill Festival last year.
[Brad Paisley] "It's not your typical festival. It feels a lot more down home, it's not such a business thing. So we couldn't wait to come back and I see they've grown it up a little bit since last year. Its really… there's a lot of acts on here."
[Nuxall] "We basically built our references from Brad Paisley being here; and him being so satisfied that we can use that name and just keep adding them from one to the other."
It may seem surprising that some of the biggest names in country music performed here. But the artists say the surprise was all good.
[Brothers] "Well, I figured Comstock was a suburb of Lincoln or Omaha or something, but I'd say I love it out here. The people are really nice.
"You guys have a complex about… everybody here is like, oh what did you think about coming way out here to the boondocks and this tiny little town.
"Our life is about travel, it's… all we do is wake up and play. And everyone here is so nice and we got horses…
"We're getting fed better than we ever have. We got a big stage and you've got people that are watching us. It's a pretty darn good crowd."
[Sarah Evans] "How you doing Nebraska? What a great crowd. It's so much fun to be here tonight. This is just like the area in Missouri where I come from.
"People are always teasing me because I love Nebraska landscape, Kansas. You know, the flat farm grounds. I grew up on a farm so I was very excited. And I was very pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it is here. It's amazing."
It isn't so amazing to Henry Nuxall. He saw the potential of this place.
[Nuxall] "The acoustics are prefect. The…we've got rolling hills so you can see what's going on. And just… we think its just a little bit of destiny."
Henry admits the Windmill Festival is a little bit of a learning experience.
[Nuxall] "We learned that the food vendors and crafters sometimes take a little more space than what they tell you. So we expanded everything every which direction. We don't have a whole lot of gaps but… its still working out pretty good. I think people are really starting to enjoy themselves."
["Buffalo Woman"] "We do have jerky for sale here, which is, buffalo jerky. Some of the best you can ever buy or taste."
More than a hundred vendors set up to sell their crafts. Lisa Linville offered candles to a steady stream of country-loving customers.
[Linda Linville] "It's just a real neat idea. I… you know, that's what really the country music is all about and the country. And these are the people that listen to country music and… so I think it's a neat festival. I… I can imagine that the stars probably enjoy coming to the country for a change instead of, you know, city to city and all of the hub-bub."
[Chris Cagle] "How you doing? Thanks Sweetie."
Performer Chris Cagle signed autographs and posed for photos for more than an hour.
[Cagle] "These guys are amazing man. This is what it's all about right here.
"I thought I might have to come and make some fans but I showed up and it felt like I had some. And everybody is very, very kind and made me feel very welcome. So I'll always have a soft spot for Comstock."
Stars like Cagle arrive in custom buses. Tim Holcomb travels in an old van.
[Tim Holcomb] "It's about show time folks. Ten minutes… fifteen minutes to showtime here at the Windmillfest… site. I've gotta pace a little."
Tim's originally from Arcadia, Nebraska. Now he lives near Loup City.
[Announcer] "The coolest cowboy in Nebraska… Tim Holcomb!"
[Holcomb] "For the last ten years I've been on the road, writing songs and performing for… a lot of clubs and casinos, affairs like this one here, a little concert stuff.
"This is all about the music to me. It's about writing songs and performing traditional country music. But on the other hand a guy has to make a living and feed his family so… we're in the business of selling music.
"I have a real passion for performing what I write and so… it's real special. Instead of doing cover tunes, you know, you're doing your own thing. You're out in front of the people and… it's a… it makes it real fulfilling actually."
Tim Holcomb's career is on the edge of the big time. He has a new CD to promote, and hopes he'll get a break. He didn't perform on the main stage but the Windmill Festival offered him another opportunity to be seen and heard.
[Holcomb] "What we've got going on right now has been pretty good for us. We've been able to really reach some radio and things like that. And so our goal is get on a national level actually and get as many people hearing the style of music that I'm writing and what we're performing."
Tim Holcomb's future is unclear, but the future of the Windmill Festival seems solid. About thirty thousand fans attended the four-day festival. They liked the rural setting just fine.
[Alberta Glenn & Janet Wemhoff] "Well, I guess maybe that's the part I like the best is because it's just like going out in the pasture, you know, and having a fun time. And why can't you have it here, you know right at the perfect setting. Why do you have to go to the big city? I mean, we're both farmers. We like the stuff."
The laid back atmosphere at the Windmill Festival gave stars like Brad Paisley a chance to relax and enjoy themselves. That could make it even easier to book big name performers.
[Paisley] "I definitely think that this is the kind of thing that could grow into… something that happens every year. People really look forward to. I know I would."
[Chris Cagle] "I had a blast man. I hope we get to come back next year. A blast, it really was."
The performers and fans made the Windmill Festival a hit. They'll remember the music, they'll remember the fun, but will they remember the Windmills?