Last weekend, I took the latest Graff child to college in northwest Iowa. It is a small school with a swimming program. Additionally, it was located in a small community, where he won’t get lost in the shuffle or just be a number. (The same can be said for McCook Community College and yet another reason for kids to stay here, if only they had a swim team.)
Having selected the school site unseen due to the pandemic, we had no idea where the school was located within the community. But with less than 3,500 residents, I figured we would just drive around until we found the campus, looking for a bunch of college-appropriate buildings.
That was actually easier said than done. We found the campus in the last place we looked. (But isn’t that always true, because you quit looking as soon as you find something).
In between, we stumbled across a Casey’s convenience store with two charging stations for electric vehicles, a lake with a beach and swimming area in the middle of town and a casino with an 8-story hotel attached, which my son first assumed was his dorm. He wishes.
I was in impressed with many of the things the town had to offer, not including the miles of walking and bike trails around the lake.
Yet, I’m sure many of the residents take these amenities for granted, because it often takes the view of an outsider to appreciate everything we have.
But this pandemic has given all of us the opportunity to take a step back and to be grateful for the things we do have…and even the things we don’t have. (We are pretty lucky not to face hurricane and wildfires on a regular basis.)
As I stood in line earlier this week waiting to order lunch at a local restaurant, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation behind me. A couple - noticeably overdressed for McCook - was debating on what to order, not knowing the menu. Since I can’t pass up the chance to talk to someone, I told them that no choice was going to be bad and made a few suggestions.
The couple turned out to be two attorneys from Omaha, in town for a case at the courthouse. Having decided on their order, they proceeded to rave about the crowd at lunch, asked for a suggestion to narrow down their choice for dinner and how they hoped to stop at a few of the shops in town before they headed back.
And they aren’t alone. As I waited for lunch, I ran into a friend, who is also an attorney from North Platte, and he commented that he actually doesn’t mind the drive to McCook. In fact, he looks forward to the days he has cases in McCook because he gets to frequent some of his favorite restaurants.
Although North Platte may be larger and has a lot of chain restaurants, they don’t seem to have those unique, home-owned restaurants and businesses that seem to thrive in McCook, a fact that many of us take for granted.
Whenever family comes to visit, they arrive with a list of must-haves: fries from Mac’s Drive-In and donuts from Sehnert’s Bakery, to name just a few stops. And while the franchises are great to have in the community, it is the independent, unique businesses which get people to come back to McCook again and again.
And it isn’t just the businesses which outsiders seem to appreciate. We have three lakes in such close proximity of our community that it makes us the envy of many fishermen, boaters and outdoorsmen. We have the space to socially distance whether in our parks or on the walking trail or even our own backyards, while many people have been cooped up in an apartment for months on end.
When you have a moment, walk down Norris Avenue, drive along B Street or bike around town with the intention of taking it all in as an outsider. Yes, you’ll see things that could be improved. You’ll see that you forgot even existed. But most likely, you’ll see things that we have taken for granted, that someone from the outside would love to have in their own community.
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.
