When I first moved to McCook, one of the first things that caught my eye was the Fox Theater. I was fascinated every time I saw the sign out front lit up on Norris Avenue. 

We aren’t the only community with a Fox Theater...actually, can someone please explain why Fox is such a common name for a theater?

But I digress…

When the Fox marque is lit up, you know you are on Norris Avenue and you are in McCook. But what else is distinctly McCook? What else says “Only in McCook?” What else makes you proud to be from McCook?

Consider this: if someone walked up to you today and started asking you questions about your hometown, what would you say? 

How would you describe your community? What sets your town apart from every other town? How is your town better or different than it was five years ago? Where is your community headed? What would you say is the town’s story? 

If they asked you why they should move to your hometown, what would you say to convince them? Would you be able to answer in a positive way? Would you recall something about your community which made your smile? 

Alternatively, consider the towns you have visited and - more importantly - that you admire. What do you recall about your visit? What makes them stand out? What impressed you and made you say, “We should have that in our town”? What are they doing that you would not only duplicate but then make your own in your hometown?

Most likely, those communities had character. Something that tells a story. Something that is memorable. What are we doing that let’s people know they are in your community and remember it when they leave...or makes them stay?

Most likely, these communities had a common story. Think about Red Cloud and Willa Cather, O’Neill as the Irish capital of Nebraska and Gothenburg claiming the Swedes. Should McCook put more of a focus on George Norris or Buffalo Commons or the lake or the bison herd? 

Most likely, these communities invested in themselves to make things happen so that someone who visited five years ago would find something new and different now. Do we have a five-, 10- or 20-year plan for what we want our community to look like?

Those are all ideas that we need to consider for our own community. 

What is our story? If someone asked you why they should move there, what would you say? Would you be able to answer in a positive way? Would everyone have a similar story? 

As you can tell, I have more questions than answers. But that is where the conversations need to start. We need to be asking ourselves, our leaders and our local organizations these questions. We need to be planning for the future rather than just letting it happen. We need to be having these discussions if are going to make our community a place people want to stay, want to visit and want to call home.

And probably the most important question of all: What are you doing personally to make your community an even better place to call home?