CHADRON – Chadron State College will celebrate its annual Homecoming Sept. 30 through Oct. 7.

The week of activities, themed Wild West, starts with a volleyball match between CSC and Black Hills State University Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. in the Chicoine Center.

The Homecoming round-up tailgate will take place in the Brooks Hall parking lot Monday, Oct. 2 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. followed by a showing of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the Kline Amphitheatre from 7 to 10 p.m.

Free bowling night for CSC students will be at Hilltop Lanes Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee will present a performance by Honduran musician Gustavo Moradel with a Honduran meal Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. Those attending may take their meals from the Dining Hall to the Student Center Ballroom for the concert. All students will receive the meal for free, while community residents will pay the normal dining rate.

Coronation of Homecoming Royalty will take place Thursday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. on Elliott Field followed by the Pep Rally and lighting of C-Hill. Candidates are juniors and seniors representing campus organizations.

To continue the celebrations, a mechanical bull and dummy roping will be available in the Hub Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. The Math Science Center of Innovative Learning will host a planetarium show and star party from 7 to 9 p.m.

In keeping with tradition, Saturday will be the busiest day of the week with the parade at 9:30 a.m., led by the Parade Marshal, President Ron K. Patterson. Area organizations and businesses interested in entering a float are invited to line up at 9 a.m. on the north side of 12th Street east of Main. No registration or fee is required. The parade route will end at 4th Street where the procession will turn west. Questions about the parade may be directed to Blue Key adviser Alex Helmbrecht at ahelmbrecht@csc.edu.

CSC Band Director John Wojcik expects six high school bands from the region to march in the parade and an additional six bands to play in the stands with the CSC Eagle Band during the football game against Fort Lewis that starts at 1 p.m.. Nebraska bands are traveling from Alliance, Bayard, Bridgeport, Gering, Hay Springs, Hemingford, Kimball, Minatare, Mitchell, and Valentine. Two out-of-state schools are also sending bands: Fleming, Colorado, and Edgemont, South Dakota.

CSC alumni receiving awards Saturday include Distinguished Young Alumni recipients are Megan Helberg, Michael Sandstrom, and Dr. Shane Terrell. Those receiving Distinguished Alumni Awards are Jennie May Donnell and Col. Josh McConkey. Distinguished Service Award recipients include Fran Grimes, Rick Kolkman, and Sam Rankin, posthumously.

The Harvest Moon Festival, a community event with craft and food vendors, games, and activities will take place throughout the day at the Dawes County Fairgrounds.

The CSC Homecoming Dance will take place in the Student Center Ballroom from 7 to 10 p.m.

Updates to events will be available on the CSC Eagle Rewards app.

National Parks landscape architect speaks at opening Graves Lecture

CHADRON – Kat Shiffler, a landscape architect with the National Parks Service gave the first of three lectures in the Graves Lecture Series at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Tuesday. Her lecture, Trail Town, U.S.A., focused on the building of new, long-distance trails connecting small towns throughout the Midwest, including Nebraska.

 In addition to maintenance of existing routes like the Cowboy Trail and the Great Plains Trail, she spoke about upcoming plans to create a Great American Rail Trail spanning from Washington state to Washington D.C. In her lecture, Shiffler gave an in-depth look at its development through maps, statistics, and an audience Q&A.

Shiffler further explained that Chadron will be one of many trail town stops on the massive route, along with Valentine, Atkinson, and others. Citing things like history, character, and accessibility, she said rural cities like Chadron could connect future hikers and cyclists to nature and local culture. She also said  this could have a major positive impact on small communities through tourism, education, and more.

According to its official website, this project will give nearly 50 million people across 12 states access to close-to-home outdoor spaces. In Nebraska, the trail will span 590 miles and is about 54 percent complete. It is expected to generate $14.5 million in visitor spending and create 170 new jobs.

More information and progress updates are available at https://www.railstotrails.org/greatamericanrailtrail/.

Artis sculpture donated to CSC

CHADRON – Chadron State College recently received a sculpture created by the late William Artis, who taught art at CSC from 1954 to 1964, thanks to Cathy Clary, of Pasco, Washington, who was honoring her late husband’s wishes. Clary delivered the clay bust to CSC officials in late August.

Clary, who works at Columbia Basin College, made the donation to fulfill the wishes of her husband and CSC alum, Morse Clary. The couple, married in 1967, has one son, Nate, who lives in Portland, Oregon, and one daughter, Nicole, who lives in Pasco.

The piece, approximately 24 inches tall and 12 inches wide, is titled Madonna and Child.

“It was so nice to deliver it in person. Everyone was so warm and welcoming,” she said. “Morse always spoke highly of CSC. I’m happy the sculpture has a good home and hope it inspires future students. More people will be able to see it and appreciate it this way. Morse reached so many students, just like William Artis did. It is kind of a beautiful full-circle connection that we could bring that piece back and have it represent his legacy.”

Clary said her husband spoke highly of Artis’ craftsmanship and was greatly influenced by him.

“William Artis taught his students they could be respected as artists if they followed the tenets of good craftsmanship. He was a fine example of an artist who showed the discipline needed for a creative life. He was a teacher and a wonderful mentor,” Clary said.

Provenance provided by Clary states the sculpture was created by Artis in 1960 or 1961 and was influenced by his experiences teaching on the Native American reservation at Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Morse Clary purchased the sculpture from Robert Yost, also a CSC student, in 1968. Yost, the retired director of the Mohavi Museum of History and Art, gave several Artis pieces to the College before his death in 2022 in Kingman, Arizona, according to Chadron State Foundation CEO Ben Watson.

CSC Art Professor Laura Bentz said the donation of the clay sculpture by William Artis will be an excellent addition to the permanent collection that contains about a dozen works by the Harlem Renaissance artist.

“Having multiple pieces on display by such a prominent artist allows the students to see how an artist works with a particular subject matter using a variety of materials, and how the artist's treatment of the subject matter changes or evolves,” Bentz said.

Morse Clary’s formative years were spent in North Platte, Nebraska, exploring the land around the river and discovering fossils. In a memorial video, he said there was a beauty and a tension in the way the fossils were embedded in the clay together. Clary said his early interactions with nature weaved their way into his view of the world and the 300 wooden book sculptures he created during the height of his career.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Morse Clary returned to CSC to earn a teaching certificate in 1966.

He taught for 32 years including high school art and theatre in Crofton, Nebraska, and art at the former Hiram Scott College in Scottsbluff where he met his wife. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Printmaking from the University of Idaho and continued his teaching career at Marietta College in Ohio and Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington.