New bike shed installed at Red Willow State Recreation Area
By RONDA GRAFF
MCFF
While the camping season may be coming to a close, visitors at Red Willow State Recreation Area north of McCook have benefitted from a new addition the past few months.
Thanks to a collaboration of McCook’s Youth Change Reaction (YCR) and Nebraska Games and Parks, bicycles are now on loan while at Red Willow SRA.
The bike loan project was developed by a YCR member who was inspired by a similar program at Fort Kearney Historical Park. Through community donations, help from McCook’s Toy Box and a grant from McCook Community Foundation Fund, YCR was able to restore and donate bikes to the Red Willow State Recreation Area.
The bicycles were donated by several community members, along with funds for fixing and upkeep of the bikes. Tom Poore of Tinker Toms has gone through every bike to make sure the components are in good condition. He will work with YCR and Games and Parks to also help with upkeep.
But they realized that getting the bikes wasn’t enough. They needed a shelter for the bikes throughout the year. So they helped fund - and build - a shelter for the bike loan program.
The bikes and the newly-built shed housing the bicycles are located at the Willow Campground, located before reaching the dam. The shed was built this summer with the manpower of several YCR members and Games and Parks staff members.
YCR is the youth organization of the McCook Community Foundation Fund. Funds are also being used to create signs for older and newly created walking/biking trails at Red Willow SRA.
YCR sponsor Shelly Sehnert said the bike loan project will give youth at Red Willow Lake another fun activity, making the lake an even more enjoyable place for everyone and drawing people to the area. “It will also be a resource for campers at the lake to use on the bike trails or as transportation to and from the campgrounds or cabins,” she said.
Southwest Region Supervisor for Nebraska Games and Parks Aric Riggins is proud to see this project come to fruition.
"Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is extremely thankful for the vision of the McCook Youth Change Reaction realizing a need to develop a bicycle loaner program at Red Willow State Recreation Area,” he said. “Without the group's vision, fundraising effort to acquire bikes, and physical labor to help construct the new bike shed, this program would not have happened.”
Riggins also thanked MCFF for the grant assistance to help fund the lumber for the bike shed and the grant to help fund new trail signage aiding with wayfinding and safety on the developed 6.3 miles of multi-use trails in the State Recreation Area.
"Community support such as this helps to create a better state park area for all to enjoy and we are very thankful for the support," Riggins said.
In addition to the bikes and new bike shed at Red Willow, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and local organizations are working to expand the hike-bike trails to give visitors a chance to enjoy the most scenic areas of the park, while also giving bike enthusiasts a more challenging ride. Throughout the entire state recreation area, 3 miles of trails have been added in recent months, bringing the total to 6.3 miles.
Riggins concluded, “We do hope that the park users and the community take advantage of this great new opportunity to recreate out at the lake."
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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.
