Traveling along B Street in McCook, I cannot help but glance south as I pass Norris Avenue. Regardless of the time of day, I am always curious to see if the Amtrak train is at the McCook train depot. True, the westbound train is supposed to arrive at 3:43 a.m. and the eastbound train is scheduled in McCook at 11:49 a.m. - both times I am not usually cruising the streets.

Yes, the train is frequently late (I remind people it can’t be early because then it would leave people behind) but I love seeing the train in McCook because it not only represents an option of travel but it represents possibilities.

I frequently hop on the train, whether it is west to go skiing or east to visit my kids in Omaha and Lincoln. It is a blessing to have both air service and rail service serve our community. 

But that isn’t why I am focusing on the train. The train is just once option to travel for experiences in other places.  

My family and I travel a lot, whether it is for sporting events, for concerts, for visiting family and friends. Because of those travels, we get to experience new ideas, we get to see things we haven’t considered, we get to do things we may not get to do at home.

Traveling expands our minds to new possibilities, possibilities that we then want to take home and share with our community. That is why there is a group working to create a building-sized mural on West First Street. That is why Youth Change Reaction is working to build the Cars Under the Stars outdoor theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. And that is why we have a thriving arts and culture scene right here in Southwest Nebraska, bringing entertainment to our doorsteps.

For example, in March alone, the historic Fox Theater will be hosting not one, not two, but three unique live productions - all without traveling for hours.

Once again, the Lied is bringing Arts Across Nebraska to McCook with the presentation of Henrietta Solway. The new, live production is based upon the short stories of Willa Cather. You could travel to Lincoln this weekend to experience the show - and pay for tickets. 

Or we can be thankful they are taking the performance on the road to Red Cloud, Kearney and McCook, where we can see the play for free, thanks to generous sponsors including the Kimmel Foundation. 

Henrietta Solway will be at the Fox on Thursday, March 2. There is a matinee at 1 p.m. for students but is open to the public and another second performance at 7 p.m., open to everyone. This is a world-class production coming to us rather than asking us to travel. 

So grab a friend or your family and let’s fill the Fox to experience a wonderful production and show appreciation for bringing live performances to Southwest Nebraska.

Then a few weeks later on March 14, the McCook Concert Association will host its third production of the year, the Hall Sisters, at the Fox Theater. Available to season pass holders or with tickets at the door, the Hall Sisters have played at the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, and the Country Music Hall of Fame but will be performing for us right here at home. 

This will be followed a few days later by the Southwest Nebraska Community Theater Association’s spring performance of Freaky Friday. Directed by Christy Stevens, this musical will showcase some of the best talent - singing, dancing and acting - from across our area. Performances will be at the Fox Theater from March 18-26 with tickets sold at the door. These local performers have put in countless hours to bring us joy, laughter and entertainment, again all without traveling for hours.

And this doesn’t even touch on everything going on at the McCook High School and surrounding communities from school concerts to community performances.

We need to travel to experience all the world has to offer. We need to travel to learn about other possibilities. We need to travel to be exposed to new ideas. 

But we need to balance that with appreciating everything in our own “backyard.” These productions are coming to our doorsteps so we need to return home to enjoy what we have, to share what we have learned and to work together to make McCook and Southwest Nebraska an even better place to call home.