More Than a Track: How the Grace Gulick Community Track Is Helping Halfway Build Its Future

In the heart of North Eastern Oregon, the town of Halfway is proving that community infrastructure can be about far more than concrete, gravel, or lanes on a map. The Grace Gulick Community Track is emerging not just as a place to run or ride, but as a catalyst for connection, economic vitality, and regional pride. Grace Gulick was a great PE teacher, volleyball coach, and track coach who advocated for students. Her girls' team won the state championship in 1993, and the combination of her knowledge and coaching personality was key to her success.

With support from IncubatorU, Halfway is building something that extends well beyond a single facility—it’s building momentum, just as Coach Grace Gulick would have imagined.

A Track Rooted in Community

The Grace Gulick Community Track was envisioned as a welcoming, accessible space for residents of all ages and abilities. Named in honor of Grace Gulick, it reflects the town’s commitment to health, inclusion, and shared spaces. But what makes this project truly special is how it fits into a larger vision for Halfway’s future.

Rather than standing alone, the track serves as an anchor—one piece of a broader ecosystem that connects recreation, tourism, entrepreneurship, and community identity.

IncubatorU: Building Capacity, Not Just Projects

IncubatorU’s role in Halfway goes beyond helping deliver a physical asset. The organization is working alongside local leaders to ask bigger questions: How can this investment help the town thrive year-round? How can it attract visitors, support local businesses, and create opportunities for residents?

By focusing on community-driven development, IncubatorU helps ensure that projects like the Grace Gulick Community Track are leveraged to their full potential. The goal isn’t just activity on the track—it’s activity throughout town.

Showcasing the Region’s Natural Advantage

Halfway sits at the gateway to some of Oregon’s most spectacular landscapes, including Hells Canyon and the Snake River corridor. Outdoor enthusiasts already pass through the region for fishing, rafting, hunting, and hiking. The community track helps make Halfway a destination rather than just a waypoint.

The surrounding terrain—paved roads, scenic byways, and an expanding network of gravel routes—offers a natural opportunity to tap into Oregon’s thriving cycling culture. From road cycling to gravel riding, and potentially even cyclocross events, Halfway is well-positioned to welcome athletes and adventure seekers looking for authentic, uncrowded experiences.

Leveraging Move Oregon and Active Tourism

Through partnerships with programs like Move Oregon, Halfway can bring structured events, training opportunities, and recreational programming to town. These programs don’t just promote health—they bring people. Visitors come to participate, they stay to explore, and they spend money at local restaurants, shops, and lodging.

Active tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments of travel, and Halfway has the ingredients needed to compete: stunning scenery, a welcoming community, and now, a central hub that ties it all together, the Grace Gulick Community Track.

A Town That Knows How to Gather

Halfway has long understood the value of events. Rodeos have drawn crowds for generations, celebrating the area’s ranching heritage and community spirit. Past winter festivals brought residents together during the colder months, showing that seasonal events can energize the town even when tourism slows elsewhere.

The Grace Gulick Community Track opens the door for new traditions—fun runs, cycling races, youth programs, multi-sport festivals, and community celebrations that complement existing events rather than compete with them.

Looking Up: Halfway’s Goal to Become a Dark Sky City

As Halfway builds for the future, it’s also looking to the night sky. The town has a growing goal of becoming a designated dark sky city, preserving the natural darkness that defines rural North Eastern Oregon. With minimal light pollution and expansive views, Halfway is already an ideal place for stargazing, astrophotography, and night-sky tourism.

Efforts to pursue dark sky principles—such as responsible lighting, energy efficiency, and community education—align seamlessly with the town’s broader values. Dark sky designation supports environmental stewardship while opening new opportunities for evening events, astronomy gatherings, and visitors seeking experiences that are increasingly rare in urban areas.

Economic Benefits That Ripple Outward

Every visitor who comes for a race, ride, rodeo, festival, or stargazing event needs food, fuel, and often a place to stay. That spending circulates locally, supporting small businesses and encouraging new ones to take root. Over time, consistent activity helps justify expanded services, improved amenities, and new entrepreneurial ventures.

More importantly, these investments reinforce community pride. When residents see people traveling to Halfway to experience what they’ve built together—on the track, on the trails, and under the stars—it validates the effort and inspires further collaboration.

Building Something That Lasts

The Grace Gulick Community Track is a symbol of what’s possible when a town thinks holistically about development. With IncubatorU’s guidance, Halfway is demonstrating that rural communities don’t need to choose between honoring their heritage and embracing new opportunities.

This isn’t just about a track. It’s about health, connection, economic resilience, and positioning Halfway as a vibrant gateway to Hells Canyon, the Snake River, and some of the darkest skies in Oregon. Step by step, lap by lap, Halfway is building a future that’s as strong and enduring as the landscape—and the night sky—that surrounds it.

Reach out to michael@incubatoru.com or moveoregon25@gmail.com to get involved or learn more.