Media Contact:
Henry Nuxoll, 308-370-1023
February 10, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From Windmills to World-Class Music: Comstock Festival Story Told in New Book
COMSTOCK, Neb. — For more than two decades, a remote canyon outside Comstock, Nebraska — a town with fewer than 100 residents — became an unlikely destination for major music festivals that drew more than 250,000 people from across the country. Now, the story behind those events is being told in a new book by their creator, Henry Nuxoll.
Nuxoll’s book, God Laughs At The Odds: The Audacity of Cope, chronicles the rise of the Comstock festivals, including The Windmill Festival, Comstock Rock, Godstock, and the Harvest Festivals — events that transformed a place barely marked on a map into a nationally known music destination.
Over a 23-year span, the festivals hosted some of the biggest names in country, rock, and Christian music, including 25 CMA Award winners. Early performances included Brad Paisley, who returned to Comstock three consecutive years. Other headliners ranged from Carrie Underwood, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, and Keith Urban to rock legends such as Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Styx, Kansas, and Alice Cooper.
Country duo Dan + Shay once described Comstock as “the best venue we’ve ever played,” a remark made shortly before they performed for a crowd of more than one million people in New York City on New Year’s Eve.
The Oak Ridge Boys summed up the experience simply: “We’ve been to a lot of places, but not this field.”
Artist Jamie Johnson joked onstage about Comstock’s hard-to-find location, saying, “I looked it up on Google and it come with a question mark. I hope you move up to a dot.”
Among the most meaningful events to Nuxoll was Godstock, which featured artists including MercyMe, Michael W. Smith, Rebecca St. James, and Pillar. Even when straight-line winds forced cancellations, Nuxoll said the event left a lasting impression.
“God’s grace was evident,” he said. “Despite the storms, no one was injured.”
In God Laughs At The Odds, Nuxoll reflects on the risks, faith, and improbable success behind building major festivals in one of Nebraska’s smallest communities.
“This book starts with incredible luck and beating the odds before I was born,” Nuxoll said.
The book is available now on Amazon and Kindle. Paperback copies will be available locally around February 18 at area gas stations and grocery stores.
Nuxoll is available for speaking engagements, interviews and community events. For more information, contact 308-370-1023.
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