Much to be Thankful For in McCook

Much to Be Thankful For in McCook

We have been able to enjoy the beautiful Fall weather and every one of us has so much to be thankful for as we head into the holiday season.

There will be some empty places around some of our Thanksgiving dinner tables but there will also be gatherings that have new faces. When we have friends and relatives stop by McCook this holiday season, we have a lot to share with them so take them for a ride around McCook.

Show them the new aquatic center that the children and adults were able to enjoy this summer, made possible with the city sales tax.

Drive them behind the Graff Event Center at McCook Community College to see the new inclusive playground that is under construction. The fact that the money for this was raised by grants and a group of mothers who saw a need is remarkable.

While you are out that direction, be sure to drive by the former Elk's Club which is now our beautiful Mid-Plains Community College’s East Campus. It is a great example of transforming something that could have just been an eyesore into an asset for the entire community.

Next, take a ride over to Norris Avenue for a drive up and down Santa Claus Lane. Many thanks to the McCook Chamber of
Commerce, the city staff and the numerous volunteers who install and maintain the project because it is great during the day and truly beautiful at night.

Another required stop is on West First Street, where you can show your guests Community Hospital’s new ROOTS building for visiting students that come to McCook for hospital training. The student housing will be a great opportunity to showcase downtown McCook for these short-term residents, who will hopefully one day be long-term residents.
Drive by the renovation of our YMCA. The fact that our community came together to donate and raise grants for a $17 million project is remarkable and shows the importance of the facility to the community. We will have a YMCA that we can be proud of for many years.

Heading north on Highway 83, you will pass the Wagner Car Dealership in development, showing investment in McCook. Continuing north, the new sports complex is built with sales tax dollars, grants, and local tourism dollars, along with a donation from McCook Community Foundation Fund.

This new area north of McCook will enable us to grow with not only things for our young people, but new housing and retail. Currently, we won’t have places for retail companies to build when they want to come to McCook. Now we do!

We need to be thankful for the fact that John and Debra Walters saw a need to help the area grow for families. We are looking forward to all of the events at the PFC Gerald L. Walters Youth Sports Complex. We are so blessed that our McCook EDC, Chamber, McCook Community Foundation Fund, Red Willow County Tourism, Community Hospital and the City of McCook could all collaborate to make this happen.

McCook will be 145 years old March 1, 2027. We will be celebrating our growth and new amenities. It has taken many years of volunteerism and sacrifice to get to where we are today. Thank you for all of your contributions to MCFF over the years, which is then able to help many worthwhile projects which have benefited our entire region.

Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to serve on countless boards, councils and committees lending a helping hand. Without your contributions, this would not be happening. We are blessed with so many people who are willing to share their time and talent to move McCook forward.

This momentum takes work and intentionality.

This holiday season, please remember to keep your sales tax dollars locally. When we travel to Kearney or North Platte or elsewhere, we give them our sales tax dollars when we shop. Try to shop local as much as possible because many jobs depend on turning the money around in our community. These local business owners are the ones that support the youth programs, schools, YMCA, and churches. Your sales tax dollars are supporting the new sports complex and aquatic center. McCook is a great place to raise a family and live because of all the people who have come before us and who call McCook home now.

Enjoy the holidays and be proud to call McCook your home.

***

Linda Taylor keeps herself busy serving the community as a volunteer on the McCook Community Foundation Fund. She also just happens to be mayor for the City of McCook and is a successful business woman and follows her grandchildren’s events in her spare time.

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Jan. 2026 Volunteer of the Month Devoted to Church and Community

By Ronda Graff • January 22, 2026

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.