McCOOK, Neb – The Heritage Days Grand Marshal joked, “You don’t have to be good, you just have to be old to get an award,” adding, “I love this community, it has so much to offer.”
Dennis Berry was named the Heritage Days Grand Marshal during a mixer hosted by MNB Bank and taking place at the Keystone Business Center Wednesday evening. The award winners were announced from the balcony of the historic building, while attendees were able to social distance on Norris Avenue.
Berry has served McCook in many ways, including his long career as principal at McCook Junior High School. He has volunteered in many capacities throughout the community as well. He has served on the McCook City Council, holding the position of Mayor for 11 years. He is currently serving on the McCook School Board of Education and is the president of the McCook Economic Development Corporation. He is also a member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund committee. He has long been an advocate for youth and children, serving as a TeamMates mentor, coach for many sports, and has been involved in numerous child advocacy projects locally and across the state.
The Heritage Honor Family is the Matt and Shelly Sehnert family. Their family consists of daughter, son-in-law and grandson, Gretchen, Taylor, and Ty Dixon of Elwood, Neb.; daughter Becca Sehnert of Omaha, Neb.; and son Gabe Sehnert, a student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
The Sehnerts own and operate Sehnert’s Bakery and Bieroc Café on Norris Avenue in McCook, a gathering place and social hub for the community. The bakery has been distinguished as Nebraska’s first and only recipient of the James Beard Foundation America’s Classic award winner.
Shelly has been a teacher at McCook High School for 17 years, where she is a sponsor for the Youth Change Reaction group. Shelly was the recipient of the 2017 Strunk Family Educator of the Year Award.
Matt has served two separate stints on the McCook Chamber of Commerce board of directors, including chairperson in his second term. He has also served on the YMCA board. He is currently president of the McCook Arts Council and a member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund committee. He is one of the organizers for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and the Prairie Roots Music Festival in McCook.
The Sehnerts have long been supporters of live music and were recently honored by the Nebraska Arts Council with the Governor’s Arts Award for Partners in the Arts. The award recognizes their continued support of the arts through time, energy expertise, and financial support. They have hosted a concert series of live musical performances called “Live at the Bieroc” for twenty years. The series features singer-songwriters from across the country, as well as showcasing local talent as the opening acts.
In accepting the Honor Family award, Matt said, “I see a lot of friends and I think about how you shaped us. Thirty years ago, we chose to leave the city and come back to McCook to create a life. It’s a great place to raise a family and earn a living and you’ve helped us create a wonderful life, so thank you.”
He went on to acknowledge his bakery crew, and especially his parents, Walt and Jean Sehnert, who are recognized as community leaders and owned and operated the bakery before Matt and Shelly took over.
Shelly shared with mixer attendees the reason they have become so involved in various community activities. “We have always had the philosophy that wherever you are, make it the best you can make it. So when we came to McCook, we said that we were going to make this a place we want to be. So that’s what we’ve done.”
Heritage Days activities continue tomorrow with the George Norris Prayer breakfast at 7 a.m. at McCook Christian Church and the Heritage Days Parade starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday on Norris Avenue.
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.
