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.
Jeremy Shaw named April 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
While the Bison Alumni Newsletter will still be available digitally, a new printed service is available.
During a recent performance at the Fox Theater by the Lied's Arts Across Nebraska, there was one group who was not thanked: those who showed up for the event, which is a big deal.
Mark Friehe named March McCook Volunteer of the Month.
Although the Bodensteiners no longer live in Southwest Nebraska, they are still connected and wanted to see if prosper and thrive.
From long-term projects to weekly events, you cannot say "there is nothing to do" or "nothing is happening."
With the goal of reaching 200 subscriptions, the Bison Alumni Newsletter is launching a subscription service.
Long-time volunteer Don Harpst was recognized as the first McCook Volunteer of the Month in March 2025.
McCook's youth survey shows that young people now value safety in their community, something McCook provides.
Building Connections in McCook Matters June in McCook will be abuzz with fun events including a Youth Summit, hosted by McCook Community Foundation Fund. Our young people in Youth Change Reaction will host the first Nebraska Community Foundation gathering for youth, which will bring youth from across Nebraska to McCook. While still in the planning stages, our students identified that McCook is great because of connections . Our young people easily recognize how critical this factor is to people attraction, to people retention, and to improve their futures. What I miss most about my high school classroom is connections with students and colleagues. In education, I taught first, second, and sometimes third generations in families. My husband, Greg, and I are not McCook natives, but I eventually knew who was related to whom and usually where the parent(s) were employed. Going to the grocery store meant greetings from students and sometimes their family members. I officially retired from my high school classroom nine years ago in May. When you retire, the most-asked question becomes “What do you do with your time?” I try to maintain those connections and make new ones by belonging. For the past seven years, Sharon Bohling and I have volunteered to help plan and organize Bison Days for our high school students, which took place February 10 and 11. It would not happen without the financial support of McCook Community Foundation Fund, plus the McCook High School, local businesses, and the talented people of Southwest Nebraska who say “yes” when one of us reaches out to ask for the donation of time and talent. I would venture that they allow us to be on the Bison Days’ committee because we both have connections within our community—it’s certainly not our computer savvy. Connections can also solve a problem. Recently, I signed up to help a local family in crisis. My morning plan revolved around delivering my donation at a designated drop-off place. That didn’t work out. Fortunately, I still work with youth in various capacities, so I know that Keri Wilkinson works for Camy Bradley. Keri was an organizer for the family fundraiser, so I walked in Camy’s office hoping to find Keri. She was not there, so Camy and I visited briefly. She knew someone (who I did not know) who could possibly give me further direction. Only in a town with connections are you able to interrupt someone’s business, have her reach out for you using her connections , and offer to keep the donations for me until Keri’s return. Another great example of connecting can be found over coffee. Dee Friehe and I are longtime teacher friends. During a chance meeting at the grocery store a few weeks ago, she shared how she was there following a funeral service and was gathering supplies to deliver supper to the grieving family that night. She also updated me on her group of adults who meet for coffee on Thursdays at Ember’s, which varies from 8-28 depending on the day. She recognized the need for adults moving to McCook or folks just wanting to get out to make connections . Dee’s husband, Mark, also hosts his own group of men who are new(er) to McCook. She regaled me with stories of their Christmas party and other special gatherings. Wanting to call McCook your home is solidified by building connections . Ronda Graff has written about McCook Connects which matches a McCook person with someone new to the community of similar interests. I earned my McCook Connects’ T-shirt welcoming a young family with children. We have since spent many hot summer days sitting on bleachers together cheering on our 4-H horse kids while they show their horses. Warning: I connected them with a “free” new-to-them horse. Be careful connecting with me or you’ll probably own a horse. You do not have to be retired to connect in this community. Volunteering is a surefire way to meet people. McCook has many civic groups looking for new faces. Attend a church here; we have many welcoming congregations. Go to ball games or school concerts, attend concerts in the park, learn a new skill through the college, show up at a Third Thursday event or invite the neighbors for a BBQ. Take your youngsters to story hour or Move and Groove at the library. Go watch an event at the Kiplinger Arena. You can even take it a step further: Make a friend or call a friend and invite him/her to go with you. It is human connection that keeps us healthy and happy. If McCook Community Foundation Fund can help you connect in some meaningful way, please reach out for advice or support. *** While Pam Wolford may be retired, she is just as busy serving on the McCook Community Foundation Fund committee and started a new Learn and Return Scholarship with MCFF, while stepping up to grandparent whenever the call comes in.
