By Mark Coddington
mark.coddington@theindependent.com

Proskocil on Monday released a statement in which he said he had bought the property and plans to hold country and rock concerts there in June and July. Those events would not be a continuation of the Comstock festivals, he said.

Proskocil, who grew up a few miles from the site and graduated from Ord High School, said in an interview Monday that he bought the property to ensure that the area can continue to have entertaining events to attend.

"I never wanted to take over the business," he said. "But I can't think of any other way to keep it going."

The concert series, organized by Henry Nuxoll, began with the country music-oriented Comstock Windmill Festival in 2000. Comstock Rock was added in 2002, and Godstock, a Christian festival, a year later. The shows quickly became a Central Nebraska summer staple.

But Nuxoll and the festival had begun to stumble during recent years.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission was reluctant to issue a liquor license for the 2006 events, citing reports by the Nebraska State Patrol about rampant underage drinking.

And after a few years of slumping attendance, Nuxoll was charged in September in Custer County Court with a felony for writing thousands of dollars of bad checks for the festivals.

Nuxoll has pleaded not guilty to the charge, and the case is pending.

Custer County Register of Deeds Kyle Russell said the ranch's quarter-section north of Comstock was signed over from Henry Nuxoll and his corporation, 2nd Wind Ranch, to Jim Trotter of Arcadia in two deeds filed Dec. 3 and Jan. 30.

Trotter said Monday he had bought the land from Nuxoll but wasn't sure whether he had sold it.

Nuxoll could not be reached for comment Monday. His attorney, Gregory Jensen of Ord, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Proskocil said he couldn't discuss the issue further until the events' licensing is approved, possibly later this week.

But he said he sees music events running at Comstock as important to the region's economic viability.

"For that thing to disappear and evaporate, that's probably a colossal problem for that area," he said.