Alan Hartzler Family Opens Memorial Basektball Court

Family and friends gathered to recognize the completion of what some people might have thought an impossible dream.

In 2019, the Sidney community lost a leader in youth sports. Since early 2020, the family has worked to complete an active memorial for future generations.

Alan Hartzler was known for his leadership in youth sports. Mickie Hartzler, his widow, said in 2020 that Alan had a passion for youth basketball. The kids he started coaching as fourth graders graduated in 2009.

On Saturday, Aug. 14, the Hartzler family, friends, project supporters and the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce gathered for a ribbon cutting of the basketball course built in Hartzler’s memory. The basketball court was built with volunteer labor and donations from numerous private and public. The project was first proposed to the Sidney City Council in January 2020 as a full-size concrete court at 519 Toledo St., near the former community swimming pool. It is adjacent to the sand volleyball courts and a short distance east of the Cheyenne County Community Center.

“What began as a comment from Alan to Mickie (his wife) became a goal,” Wyatt Surber said Saturday at the ribbon cutting of the new basketball court.

The court was constructed with volunteer labor and the support of public and private funding.