Whether we like it or not, we live by the calendar. Our schedules are dictated by the day of the week. We plan around what is already on our schedule. We look to see when we have days open to plan a trip or schedule a meeting.
When asked if we can attend something, the automatic response is “Let me check my calendar.”
The same holds true for a community. There are so many things going on that a calendar is a necessity. And good or bad, we have a lot of them.
The Gazette has a great calendar which lists everything from governmental meetings to area festivals. I think it is so important that it should be one of the first things listed on their website.
McCook Public Schools maintains its own calendar which is a necessity with the plethora of sporting and social activities the school oversees. The McCook Arts Council has a list of all the arts and culture events on its new website.
And the McCook Chamber of Commerce has maintained an online calendar for years, but just last week made it easier than ever to add an event by removing the login step to submit information.
Why is an online community calendar so important? Just look at what happened Monday during the McCook City Council meeting.
City staff and the council were working with the pool engineer to set a community meeting to discuss a new city pool. They settled upon Thursday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.
Unbeknownst to them, MNB Bank had already set their popular Hot Summer Nights Concert for that same evening at the same time. The band Soca Jukebox was booked. The venue at Norris Park was reserved. The promotional materials had been printed.
The city is now aware of the conflict and will likely - and hopefully - move the date of the pool meeting so that people can both enjoy a wonderful, free event in the park one night and have their own voice heard about the pool on another night.
The scheduling conflict just highlighted the need for organizations and individuals to use the community calendars already in place for several reasons.
The first is so things like Monday don’t happen where multiple events get scheduled at the same time or even on the same weekend.
I suffer from a severe case of FOMO - Fear of Missing Out. I hate when multiple events, especially within a community, conflict with each other and I must choose. I would rather support all the events and programs and projects that people have put time and effort into.
I realize everyone doesn’t want to attend the same events, but people shouldn’t have to choose to give up something because no one checked to see what else was going on.
Another reason for a strong community calendar is to show everything that is going on. Yes, I’ve already said that, but I mean we need to show everything that is going on to outsiders who may be considering moving to our community.
People want things to do. If they are considering moving to McCook or Southwest Nebraska or Northwest Kansas, they want to know what is going on.
If organizations list what they are doing, people - both local and visitors - can access everything going on, both to plan other events and to get excited about all the cool things happening.
Scheduling doesn’t just affect McCook. The Fourth of July and the last week of September are both examples of dealing with scheduling conflicts.
Culbertson is the king of celebrating the Fourth of July. And I am not just saying that because I help with the Freedom Run 5K and 10K road race on Sunday, July 4…but do sign up.
Culbertson residents put on a great event for all ages with a parade and games and swimming and a car show. No one wants to compete with that.
So Indianola has set their Fourth of July celebration for….July 3.
And McCook Christian Church has set their Freedom Fest celebration at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds for….July 2.
We can literally make a full weekend of celebrating the Fourth of July holiday thanks to all these communities’ hard work.
When the end of September rolls around, there are hard decisions to be made.
That is the standing date for McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. It is just traditionally the last full weekend in September and plans are already underway for the event.
Stratton Days are planned for that same weekend, as is Smokin’ on the Beaver in Atwood. All great, fun events to bring people together and celebrate their communities.
For our little part of the world to thrive, we know we must support our neighbors, so we travel to area festivals too which makes it difficult to then choose between staying in McCook or hitting the road. It’s a great problem to have and I hope all of them are a success.
Many of these events are now settled into their dates year after year. But as new events are added or meetings pop up, all of our communities would benefit from using, adding to, looking at, referencing regularly, emailing often and listing continuously on these calendars. We simply need to make it a habit to check our community calendars, as regularly as we do our own.
By creating all these events - and almost as important, just showing up - we are working toward making our communities even better places to call home.
Sara Rippen named February 2026 McCook Volunteer of the Month
Practicing Good Stewardship Takes Effort But Reaps Many Rewards
Bison Days brings high schoolers and community members to learn about job possibilities but also interests and hobbies in their hometown.
With little to snow on the ground in McCook, holiday lights help beat the drab and dreary season.
To kick off the new year, Jo Beebe has been selected as the January 2026 McCook Volunteer of the month. While many people might know Jo for her years at the Sports Shoppe, she can be found giving hours of her time to the community, especially at St. Patrick Church. Whether during the weekly Mass or for a funeral or wedding, Jo shares her beautiful voice from the choir loft, as well as leading the choir members. Jo, along with her husband Harold, also has served as the St. Pat’s GALA host couple in the past and continues to help with set-up and cleanup of the annual event. Jo is also active with the Fall Festival, the Rosary Rally and the Wild Game Feed in Curtis every year. She attends every the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class and helps students prepare for confirmation. And since retiring from the Sports Shoppe, she is active in the Altar Society, and volunteers at the Bargain Bazaar thrift store. According to her nomination, “The way Jo gives of her time and talents to our parish and community is a reflection of her faith,” and the community and the church are better because of her generosity. The McCook Philanthropy Council selects the monthly recipient for the McCook Volunteer of the Month award as part of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s McCook Volunteer program. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308.340.3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the MCFF website, mccookfoundation.org to complete a nomination form. The only requirement is that the nominee must be a resident of McCook or Red Willow County. Please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community.
Master Storyteller Will be Missed but Memories Remain
Maintaining the status quo or not doing anything may be cheaper initially but long-term, the costs are more.
Make 2026 memorable by getting involved and making an impact in your community.
As the year comes to a close, members of the MCFF Advisory Committee share "why" they do their community work.
