By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Managing Editor

    COMSTOCK - - The Magic of Comstock may have lost some of its luster, but new owner and organizer Jim Proskocil promises the show will go on.
    Last Thursday the permits and licensing for the new Comstock Music Series was approved by the State Department of Revenue. Proskocil has announced dates have been set for this year’s events - June 5-8 for the country music event, and July 17-20 for the rock music event.
   

    Original concert organizer and owner of 2nd Wind Ranch Henry Nuxoll brought his dream to reality, when in the summer of 2000 the first Comstock Windmill Festival brought country music to a remote pasture at the foot of the Sandhills. That first concert had one entertainer - Brad Paisley - and drew a crowd of a couple hundred people.
    But Nuxoll always believed the potential existed for his ranch to host a larger-than-life concert series. And through the course of the next seven years he and partner Roland Shafer managed to bring some of the most prominent names in country music to central Nebraska.
    With the success of the country festival, Nuxoll decided to add a rock festival in July. For a couple of years a Harvest Festival, which also featured country music, was held in the early fall, and later a Christian festival was added to the line up.
    However, problems always loomed in the background for Nuxoll. Issues with the liquor commission and accusations of underage drinking at the festivals forced Nuxoll to come under heavy scrutiny to maintain his liquor license.
    In 2007, the problems grew as financial woes nearly forced the cancellation of the concerts. A partnership with Viaero Wireless saved the day and signed on as a title sponsor. According to Viaero President Steve Hosid, the company invested $400,000 in the event and advanced the money to fund all of the entertainment for the Windmill Festival.
    “We wanted to make sure Comstock took place. We believed in it and wanted to be part of it,” Hosid told the Chief in a phone interview earlier this year.
    In a phone call placed to Hosid on Tuesday, he confirmed that while Viaero’s title sponsorship was with Nuxoll and Proskocil’s event is a totally separate entity, conversations have taken place between Proskocil and Hosid.
    “We want to see the event continue if possible,” Hosid says. “What’s good for Nebraska is good for us.”
    Four weeks ago the announcement was made that Jim Proskocil of Plattsburg, Mo., had taken control of the property outside Comstock where the music festivals are held. However, Proskocil doesn’t actually own the land at 2nd Wind Ranch, yet.
    According to the Custer County Register of Deeds, liens against the property prevent current owner Jim Trotter from being able to deed the property to Proskocil. The land is in Proskocil’s control through a lease agreement with Trotter with a right to purchase.
    Proskocil was born in Sargent and grew up just two miles from the concert sit. He graduated from Ord High School and went on to college  at the University of Nebraska. He has a graduate degree in parks, recreation and tourism.
    Proskocil is quick to remind everyone that the events he is now in charge of are not a continuation of Nuxoll’s festivals. He is starting from scratch and is currently in the process of lining up sponsors and a promotion company, with hopes to start signing bands by the end of this week.
    With only two months before the first show, Proskocil admits that this year’s show may not have the big name acts concert goers have experienced the past few years. He says he hopes to use this year as a foundation on which to build a full-scale event next year.
    Proskocil says he plans to cut his Thursday entertainment budget in half in order to add more money to the Saturday night entertainment. He hopes to go into next year with a $50,000 to $100,000 budget increase, and maybe ask the public to tell him who they would like to see perform.
    Proskocil also plans to eliminate the Christian concert, though he says the dates have been left open should any sponsors or planners be interested in that event. He says that event has consistently lost money, and that is something he cannot afford to do.
    It has been imperative, Proskocil says, that he completely distance himself from the past operation and establish accountability that was not present before. He realizes he will be watched closely, but believes his years of experience managing county fairs has helped prepare him for the task.
    As much as he hates to let down those who have purchased tickets and campsites for this year’s show in advance, Proskocil says due to present and future litigation he has been advised not to honor those tickets. He fully expects there to be a great deal of work involved to get the concerts back off the ground, but with deep roots in the area he is willing to make that commitment. He and his wife, Patty, are giving serious consideration to moving back to the area where he grew up.
    For Henry Nuxoll the battles continue. He was charged in September 2007, with a felony count of issuing bad checks to pay for past festivals. Nuxoll has plead not guilty to the charge, and the case has been set for jury trial June 17 and 18 in Custer County District Court.