One of my favorite comic strips is Calvin and Hobbes, featuring a little boy and his stuffed cat.
Calvin always had a vivid imagination, which led to some interesting and very insightful comments about everyday life.
In just a single, simple frame, the comic strip makes a lasting comment about our expectation for instant gratification these days.
In the image, Calvin laments how long it will take to cook his food.
“Six minutes to microwave this?? Who’s got time for that?”
His dad just rolls his eyes.
We are all guilty of wanting things right now.
We want to lose weight the first day of our diet, even though we gained weight slowly.
We want to play an instrument today, even though we haven’t put in the months and years of practice.
We want to have a retirement account, even though we aren’t willing to save each month.
With everything available at our fingertips from movies to food, we have become a society which expects something to happen immediately. We can access information instantaneously so we expect the same of everything in our lives.
But in reality, the best things in life take time, take perseverance, and take patience.
And a perfect example of this happened this week in McCook.
Nine years ago, Linda Graff had just wrapped up her daughter’s wedding in McCook. She had utilized the parking lot between the Keystone and the Fox Theater, as well as the Fox for movies for the kids and the Keystone for the dance.
It was a great example of using all those spaces together for a beautiful wedding and reception, but she realized it could be so much more. She conceived of transforming the parking lot into a gathering space, where people could do everything from just hanging out over coffee to a formal reception.
The idea rolled around in her head for the next few years but finally gained traction five years ago when the Norris Institute decided to take on the project. Since then, the concept of Norris Alley has gone through many design changes, but the idea never went away.
And this week - on Linda’s birthday appropriately - the Norris Institute officially broke ground on the Norris Alley project between the two iconic buildings. If construction goes as planned, the space should be usable on McCook’s Heritage Days at the end of September.
No, the project isn’t complete yet, but the first hurdle is out of the way - getting started.
With a lot of hiccups along the way, the organizers could have given up at any point and just thrown in the towel. That would have been the easy button.
Instead, they continued to modify the design, continued to raise money and continued to push forward to make Norris Alley a reality. And because of that perseverance, McCook will be a better place when it is done.
The McCook Dog Park is another example of an idea which has brewed for years and should finally see fruition this year. One of the first mentions of a dog park in McCook was in 2011 when a site and funding was briefly considered. Since then, a new site has been selected and enough funds to purchase and install all the fencing has been raised.
Hopefully this year, the McCook Dog Park will finally be in place as the last few steps are completed to make the facility a reality.
Again, the project has been a long time coming but McCook will be a better place when it is done.
There are many examples of projects which were conceived but never happened. There are others which seemingly happened over night. But it is those ideas which require determination and persistence that will endure for years and which will make McCook an even better place to call home.
Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025
By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.
After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.
While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s 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 but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.
With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.
The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.
Everyone feels a need to be needed and it is shown through the Big Give and Meal Kit Giveaways
SWNE Big Give reaches new heights thanks to enthusiasm of organizations, individuals and businesses
Food pantries are seeing an increased need, which means the community must step up with donations of food and time to help those who struggle to put food on the table.
