By RONDA GRAFF

It’s no secret that I love seasons. I don’t understand how someone can live in a place where the only difference is whether there is a little rain or a lot of rain, hot or really hot. Yet, people flock to places with no seasons for a variety of reasons. 

And while summer may finally be breaking to let in autumn soon, the season that is descending upon McCook doesn’t have to do with the weather but rather it is reunion season. 

This past weekend, the class of 1976 celebrated its 50th reunion with a great turnout considering...well, I won’t go there because my sister-in-law is part of that class, as well as several community members I see on a regular basis. They likely don’t want me commenting on their flexibility and lack thereof; what their natural hair color used to be or the lack of hair; or the number of hip replacements everyone has had done. Instead, I will just note that it was great to see so many people return to McCook if they had moved away and to see so many show up for the weekend’s activities if they call McCook home. 

This was just the start of the reunion season.

There will likely be more reunions over the next week as part of McCook’s Heritage Days festivities from Sept. 16-19. The highlight is usually the parade on Saturday, Sept. 19, which offers the opportunity for former Bison to ride and walk down Norris Avenue on a parade float with a police escort, which some may have not experienced since they were in high school, for either legal or illegal reasons. 

As extra visitors descend upon McCook for the special events, this is a great opportunity to share all the great things happening in McCook. Of course, there are struggles and things that need to be changed and fixed but there are many great things to celebrate as well. 

The easy buttons are directing the visitors - or maybe even driving them yourself - to many improvements which are done or are in progress. 

Many of the McCook alumni likely spent countless hours at the McCook City Pool, with vivid memories of the early morning swim team practices, the long 50-meter lanes and may even recall the high board that once existed at the 1937 pool. While that pool created many memories, it was finally updated three years ago and the new McCook Aquatic Center is helping create new memories. 

The ballparks also are likely sentimental to many McCook graduates, whether they played a game on the fields with the legion baseball teams or YMCA softball program. While we don’t know the future of the Jaycee Complex, the new ballfields offer up tremendous opportunities for current players as well as for visitors.

And there likely isn’t a former McCook High School student who never stepped foot in the YMCA, whether it was the original building on Norris Avenue or the “new” YMCA next to the high school. With the renovations and expansion going on at the McCook YMCA, visitors likely won’t recognize the facility but it is worth a visit while in town, especially to experience a pool that may be on the lower level but thankfully isn’t in the basement with a spiral staircase as many former students would recall. 

There is so much more to put the spotlight on - from the businesses which are making investments in McCook to art groups bringing color and creativity to the community. 

Whether you are a member of a class reunion during Heritage Days or live in McCook year round, I hope everyone enjoys their time with their former classmates and we welcome you back for the day, the weekend or hopefully even longer.

And if you happen to encounter a McCook alum during their visit, take the time to learn how they have been doing but also share how the people of McCook are working to make McCook an even better place to call home.

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With so many McCook alumni returning home, I would be remiss if I didn’t put in a shameless plug for the Bison Alumni Newsletter and the McCook Community Foundation Fund.

MCFF sees the value in physical printed copies of the Bison Alumni Newsletter. While everyone can receive a digital version of the semi-annual newsletter in their in-box, BAN is also available via a subscription service for just $20 a year. This gets a paper copy of BAN to your mailbox plus supports the long-term availability of the Bison Alumni Newsletter. 

MCFF also prints copies of BAN to be available around the community. When a person is waiting for their plan at the McCook airport, they can peruse a copy of BAN. Just checking into your hotel room or waiting for your dentist? A copy of BAN is likely waiting for you in the lobby to help pass the time. 

If you have a location and would like a copy of BAN for your waiting room or if you’d like to subscribe to BAN, please visit the MCFF website at mccookfoundation.org for more information. 

And MCFF Advisory Committee members would love to connect with alumni or current residents during your alumni activities, whether to get copies of BAN to the group or to share just a few things happening in the community or just to connect over always being a Bison.