If you are like me, there are events and activities on your calendar which you wrote down or typed in months or even years ago. While the birthday reminders are still applicable, nearly everything else has been cancelled or moved online.
Just yesterday, I removed the reminder on my phone about the high school band trip to New York City, scheduled for later this month. That event was especially hard to delete because not only was this going to be my first trip to New York, but it was to be the conclusion of one of the longest-played practical jokes.
My sophomore son, Ethan, plays the baritone in the high school band and was excited for the trip. But not excited enough to invite his parents as chaperones. To make up for this slight, my husband and I coordinated with the band instructor, Nate Hudson, to go along as sponsors….without my son’s knowledge.
All year long, we made payments without Ethan seeing the checks. If Ethan wandered up to Mr. Hudson’s desk in the band room, his teacher would subtly cover up the hotel assignment list showing that Ethan was rooming with his dad. Even Ethan’s youngest brother was sworn to secrecy and he can’t stay quiet for two minutes.
My husband and I had this joke planned down to the last minute.
On the morning of the departure to the airport, our plan was to drive Ethan to the high school, even though he is old enough to drive himself.
Our excuse: “We don’t want a car sitting in town all those days.”
We would help him load his bags under the bus, as we subtly slipped our bags onto the other side.
Our excuse: “We’ll get your bags while you load your instrument. You wouldn’t want to leave without that.” Valid reason since another son forgot his saxophone for the band contest in Grand Island one year.
And then we would all step onto the bus to find a seat for Ethan.
Our excuse: “We just want one final hug before you leave and make sure you have everything you need.”
And that is when we would find our own seats on the bus and wait for his reaction as he realized that his parents were going along on his trip. It was a lot of work for just a few minutes of glee, but it was the start to a great trip with a great group of kids.
But like nearly every activity, the band trip was canceled. And when Ethan reads this, he will finally learn that his parents had been in cahoots with his band teacher, sneaking around his back, which is why he didn’t invite us in the first place.
This week has been a little rougher than usual as school comes to an end for high school seniors, ending in a way none of us had ever imagined.
On Tuesday night, I looked at my son, Erik, who is a senior and realized that 13 years worth of schooling had just come to an end.
Rather than cleaning out a cluttered locker, he sat at the dining room table and emailed an essay to his teacher. Rather than the traditional countdown to the last day of school, the kids have been scrambling to complete their online tests. Rather than hanging out in the school hallway, they are sending approximately 6 million snapchats.
And rather than prepping for a graduation party, seniors this year are - like the rest of us - just trying to figure out how their world will function the next few months and next few years.
And the schools are doing all they can to make the year special, especially McCook schools. Every senior has a yard sign created for them, which will be on display in front of the high school during cruise night on Friday. A virtual graduation is planned for Sunday. And an actual ceremony is planned for July 31 if we can gather together in large groups by then.
I hope it happens since I am sitting on 115 graduation gifts purchased by the McCook Community Foundation Fund for all the seniors, with the intention of handing them out at graduation practice in July. This is usually when we remind the students that we want them to stay or return to Southwest Nebraska after graduation. This is when we let them know that they can do just about any job they want from here. This is when we tell them they will never be forgotten. And for the Class of 2020, that statement has never been more true.
— Ronda Graff celebrated her oldest son’s graduation from college Friday and four years worth of work with a group text from his siblings of “Yay, you did it.”
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
