Scottsbluff, NE

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Robidoux Rendezvous sets record number of riders

More cyclists than ever before participated in Saturday’s Robidoux Rendezvous race. A total of 588 riders set off on four different courses, each experiencing the off-road beauty western Nebraska has to offer. “It’s a longer race than I’ve ever done before,” Chase Robertson of Boulder, Colorado, said. “I haven’t really ridden in Nebraska before, so I’m excited to challenge myself and see what Nebraska’s got to offer.” Robertson competed in the 100-mile race Saturday. There were also 67-mile, 46-mile and 25-mile options for competitors to try. The longer races started earlier, when temperatures were low and thick grey clouds blanketed the sky.



“I think the cooler conditions and a little bit of moisture in the air will prevent anyone from overheating. Everyone will be at the top of their game, I’d imagine,” Robertson said. With temperatures in the 70s, race organizer Aaron Raines told the racers that Saturday brought the best weather they’d had during the eight-year history of the Robidoux Rendezvous. Many of the cyclists, including Robertson, had never been to the area before, and this was their first experience with western Nebraska.

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Nebraska Game and Parks talks panhandle, state mountain lions




Wildcat Hills: A Wild Place

Whether you’re looking for state-of-the-art facilities, or just a great view in the pines, this Panhandle park has it



The park provides a convenient location to get a taste of the Wildcat Hills’ scenic, rugged topography. Photo by Justin Haag.

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Schiff family encourages you to attend the 2024 Cattlemen's Ball



MINATARE, Neb. (KOLN) - The Cattlemen’s Ball is in western Nebraska this year in Scotts Bluff County! It’s a great chance to see the state’s beauty, and fight cancer. We caught up with Scott and Kristin Schiff to talk about their plans to host this year’s ball. Scott is originally from Delaware, and Kristin is originally from Illinois. The Schiff family has been in Nebraska now for about 15 years. “We started with cow-calf ranching, and then we expanded into irrigated farmland and now feedlots,” Scott Schiff said. “In Delaware, our family is involved in agriculture and residential development.”

The Schiff’s say they are excited about showcasing western Nebraska. “The ball site is on a beautiful location in one of our pastures that overlooks all of the valley,” Kristin Schiff said. “From the site, you can see Chimney Rock, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Lake Minatare, and all of the crop land.” The Schiff’s decided to host the ball because of a desire by many to showcase western Nebraska again. “It’s been a decade since the ball has been showcased in the west,” Scott Schiff said. “We were asked a couple of times, and I passed the buck. But finally, we decided it should be in the west again.” Kristin Schiff says raising money for cancer research is a fantastic purpose for the ball. “We feel fortunate that we can help,” she says. “Cancer touches so many of our family members, and many of the people in the community. So, it’s a blessing to host the ball.” Scott Schiff noted that when you get involved with the ball, you realize how many close friends have been touched by cancer to an even stronger degree.

The funds raised at the Cattlemen’s Ball stay in Nebraska, and go to the Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. “You can get tickets at cattlemensball.com and on Facebook,” Scott Schiff said. “If you are local in Scottsbluff, you can go to Platte Valley Bank, and you can buy tickets in person,” Kristin said. The Cattlemen’s Ball is happening on June 7th and 8th this year. You can buy two types of tickets. You can get the “Trail Boss” ticket, which gets you in on Friday night and all day on Saturday. “You really get four meals and the concert with that ticket,” Kristin Schiff said. “The ‘Top Hand’ ticket gets you in on Saturday from Noon on, and you get the prime rib dinner at night and you get to see Collin Raye, and he is our entertainment.”

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Midwest Theater is a gem in downtown Scottsbluff



SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (KOLN) - At the historic Midwest Theater, people enjoy live shows, movies and the performing arts in western Nebraska, while being surrounded by old-time charm. We caught up with Executive Director Tina Worthman to talk about the theater. “This theater opened in 1946,” Worthman said. “So it was a hub of activity during those cool years after World War II. There are stories of people who had gone to movies here, had their first dates here, and we certainly feel like we are a part of this community, and we always have been.” The Midwest Theater was a movie theater until the mid-90′s, and then it closed. “There was a non-profit group called “Friends of the Midwest Theater” and opened it again,” Worthman said. “They put it on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s been a non-profit theater ever since. We show current movies, classic movies, and we have live performing arts. This facility is basically a community center for our area.” One of the recent upgrades to the theater is a new marquee.

“For more than 70 years, the weather of western Nebraska took its toll on the other marquee,” Worthman said. “The hail and wind had damaged the original neon that was out there, so we now have LED neon. The lobby carpet is a replica of what the original theater had. We also have some replica furniture. It just takes you back with a regal kind of feeling. In the theater itself, it’s beautiful. It’s not like going to a typcial theater. We don’t have reclining seats and cup holders, but it gives you a feeling of being back in the day. We have more than 700 seats. It’s definitely a unique feeling to watch a movie here. One thing we’ve added in the last year is we have Midwest Classic Movies. The third Saturday of every month we show a classic movie. We also have our world famous popcorn. In addition, we have local volunteers working on our concession teams, which is another cool way in which the community is involved with what we do here.”

If you would like to know more information about the Midwest Theater, what movies are showing, or what events are coming up, go to Midwest Theater..

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Historic site highlights encounter between U.S. Calvary, Cheyenne



SIOUX COUNTY, Neb. (KOLN) - Buffalo Bill Cody is said to have killed Cheyenne warrior Yellow Hand near Warbonnet Creek in July of 1876. Two monuments now mark the site in northern Sioux County. We visited with Mary Jayne Jordan about the Warbonnet Historic Site during a recent trip to Chadron. Jordan is a local history enthusiast and grew up in the area, although now she lives in Sundance, Wyoming. “It was just a short skirmish,” Jordan said. “Shortly after General George Custer was killed at the battle of Little Bighorn, a Cheyenne tribe was attempting to meet up with the victors who were involved in the Little Bighorn battle. Colonel Wesley Merritt and his troops were on the lookout, and Buffalo Bill Cody was being a guide for them. Merritt was in the area trying to contain the Cheyenne.”

Jordan says there were a couple of sentinels that faced potential death from a Cheyenne warrior named Yellow Hand. “I’m going to call him Yellow Hand,” Jordan said. “I know he is also known as Yellow Hair, but Custer was also known as Yellow Hair among the natives. So to distinguish the two, I’m going to call the Cheyenne warrior in the Warbonnet story as Yellow Hand. That is also how he is known.” Jordan says when the sentinels were facing danger, Buffalo Bill Cody shot and killed Yellow Hand and scalped him. Today, you can see a monument on top of a hill that recognizes the troops of the 5th U.S. Calvary. A short distance away there is a monument that marks the confrontation between Yellow Hand and Buffalo Bill Cody. “Again, this incident happened within a month of the battle of the Little Bighorn.”
The
Warbonnet Battlefield Monument is located near the South Dakota border. It is a beautiful area of wide open grasslands. “I would say at the most it’s five miles south of the border,” Jordan said. Parking is available just off of Road 958, and you have to walk to the monuments to see them up close.

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Rural Northwest Nebraska church filled with memories



SIOUX COUNTY, Neb. (KOLN) - If you are traveling in far northern Sioux County, you might want to drive by the Montrose Church which is located on the Oglala National Grassland. We caught up with Mary Jayne Jordan to talk about some of the memories she had of attending services at the Montrose Church while growing up. “What I remember is no air conditioning,” Jordan said. “I also remember in the summer time, the windows were open, and you would smell sage in the air. Whenever I smell sage, I go right back to Montrose in my mind.” The Montrose Church can be found on Hat Creek Road and Road 958 in Sioux County.

“The church was built in 1887,” Jordan said. “The immigrants who came to that area were mostly all Catholic, so they chose to build this church. They wanted to have a gathering place to worship.” There was a former village named Montrose that was established there for a time. The village no longer exists. “My dad and his sisters went to school across the road from the church,” Jordan said. Amazingly, the structure that still stands today is the one that’s been there since the beginning. It’s never moved or been damaged. A local family now provides funding to keep the building looking good.

“At one point, they built a rectory for the priest to stay in,” Jordan said. “But again, it’s so remote, priests are in high demand, so we always had a traveling priest. They eventually sold the rectory and it moved north of Ardmore. The church closed in 1973.” We are told supporters of the church try to hold an honorary mass there once a year. “My older brother and I were my sister’s godparents in 1968,” Jordan said. “She and a cousin of ours were the last two children to be baptized here when it was an active parish in 1968. There have been weddings since then, but it’s not been an active parish since 1973.”

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Big Name Retailers Interested in Coming to Scottsbluff Mall and K-Mart Site



Some exciting things are happening at the Uptown Scottsbluff mall. This week, the City Council approved an ordinance to amend the redevelopment plan for the mall and former K-Mart site. The biggest change will allowing the operators to increase the occupation sales tax from half-a-percent to two percent. Economic Development Director Sharaya Toof says several big-name businesses are in the mix to open up here in town.