Norris Avenue is probably the most well-known street in McCook. Originally named Main Street when McCook was formed in 1882, Norris Avenue is arguably the “heart” of the community. Parades travel down its southern portion and trees tower over the northern section. While not equally dividing the town in half, it does distinguish the east and west sides of town.

On the other end of the notoriety spectrum is Norris Walkway, which many people have likely traversed but didn’t know its’ name. This is the sloped sidewalk connecting the city’s covered parking lot on East First and D Streets to Norris Avenue. It is lined with wrought-iron railing and majestic street lights. And hopefully soon, unique bike racks will be located on either end of the ramp, encouraging bicycling to the downtown area. 

Somewhere in the middle of its renown is Norris Alley. Originally conceived 10 years ago, the former parking lot between the Keystone Business Center and the Fox Theater has been transformed into a community plaza. 

Norris Alley will be in official use this weekend as part of the Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival. The KidsFest takes place from 12-3 p.m. in Norris Alley with nearly all the storytelling artists on hand to lead activities and projects with the young people. And there is no charge. Families just need to stop by. 

But what exactly is Norris Alley and how did it come to be?

The idea originated after Mark and Linda Graff utilized the Keystone, the parking lot and the Fox for wedding events. While the parking lot was usable, they envisioned the space as so much more after seeing similar spaces in other communities.

So the Norris Institute took the lead, creating a design and raising funds to transform the space from a rock and dirt parking lot into a community gathering space. 

And many organizations and individuals were part of the project, including the city of McCook which made a donation from the ACE funds. The McCook Community Foundation Fund was also fully in support of creating a space where people could gather and have conversations in the memory of George Norris. MCFF had recently held a successful Walt and Jean Sehnert Challenge, raising money in the interest of arts and culture, and Norris Alley was right up its “alley” for financial support. 

Norris Alley has already been put to use several times since it was completed last fall. As part of the “Night on the Bricks” celebration last November, the Nebraska Community Foundation utilized the space for a video on the common wall with the Fox Theater. 

McCook Community College hosted a pirate-laden theater production last month. Despite some wind testing the actors’ resolve, the play proved to be a good fit for the space.

And now the trees are in full bloom in Norris Alley, providing shade on soon-to-be hot days. The tables and chairs and benches encourage grabbing lunch and visiting with friends. At the very least, the former parking lot has been transformed into a beautiful space.

Just for clarification, there were actually two fund-raising projects as part of Norris Alley. 

Funds were raised to “create” Norris Alley. In other words, Norris Alley funds were used to pour the concrete, install the trees and lighting, and purchase the chairs and tables. 

A separate project - and fund-raising - was held to purchase and install the art piece, “The Blues Wall,” which adorns the west end of Norris Alley. 

And to answer a few often-asked questions: Yes, it is a piece of art. Yes, it is finished. No, it hasn’t been vandalized. 

Art truly is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone will interpret a piece of art differently. Everyone will see something they like or maybe don’t like about a piece of art. That is the beauty of art. There is no right or wrong answer. It is up to each individual to take what they want from what they are seeing. 

Or they can keep on moving until they do find something they like.

Whether driving down Norris Avenue or strolling down the sidewalk, take a moment to appreciate Norris Alley, not just because it is beautiful, especially when the lights are lit up at night. Take a moment to appreciate it because someone turned a dream into reality; because people came together to make it happen; because citizens wanted to make their community better for themselves and for others. Norris Alley truly is an example of making McCook an even better place to call home.