Fairgrounds bunny hutch reborn at Blue Colonial B&B

Val Paschall plans a grand opening for the restored “Bunny Hutch” Sunday, Oct. 8, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., serving “Republic of Tea” teas and samples of Prairie Harvest jams and lemon curd and Garden Medley Relish. Val offers the Bunny Hutch as a venue for any sort of small gathering.

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

TRENTON, Neb. — Valerie and David Paschall have restored the Hitchcock County Fairgrounds’ bunny building, and what “The Bunny Hutch” can be now is limited only by Val’s imagination and the creative fancy of visitors to the Blue Colonial Bed and Breakfast.

Val plans an “open hutch” Sunday, Oct. 8, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., to “jump” start visitors’ imaginings about all the event possibilities — birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, special dinners, reunions … a mystery dinner with appetizers and hors-d'oeuvres.

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Before restoration, the building was the bunny exhibit hall on the Hitchcock County Fairgrounds in Culbertson; in August 2004, a bashful 4-H’er visited with bunny judge Sheri Sughroue.

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

Two years ago, Val and Dave won the former 4-H exhibit building in an online auction. Onto a trailer, they loaded the aging eight-sided building that teetered near the west gate of the fairgrounds in Culbertson and hauled it to their bed and breakfast half-way between Trenton and Stratton.

In the Blue Colonial’s backyard, the former bunny hall underwent a complete restoration. It now sits true-and-proud on a concrete pad and is radiant in a new bright-white paint. There’s new siding on the outside, and new corrugated tin siding highlights the inside walls.

Old window frames nibbled on by the bunnies have been replaced with new frames and windows that look out onto a buffalo grass yard shared with farm kittens and wild turkeys.

Dave’s son, Clay, fabricated “steam-punk” interior light fixtures, and Stratton carpenter Cole Schilke used reclaimed wood pieced into a chevron pattern to rebuild the swinging doors.

The hutch is equipped with a small kitchen and decorated with strings of twinkling lights and a center serving cart, and dining tables just waiting to come alive with linen in someone’s special colors.

Outside, a farm wagon can hold beverages on ice.

Val plans a pergola over a small stage for performing musicians, and canopies and a gazebo for shade.

“The Bunny Hutch” was the site of the wedding reception this summer for Val’s mother, Marita Todd, and Merlin Brown. The restored bunny exhibit hall has also hosted a Red Hatters’ meeting and an “Eclipse 2017” pizza party.

Call Val, (308) 340-3411, with your plans for a gathering. She would also appreciate visiting with anyone who knows the history of the little bunny hut or has photographs from its past.

The Blue Colonial, and now the Bunny Hutch, are located six miles west of Trenton or six miles east of Stratton on Highway 34, and two miles north on County Road 359.