Over the past four years, I have become increasingly involved within our community thanks to Youth Change Reaction. Members of the McCook Community Foundation Fund have welcomed me with open arms as a youth trying to become more involved in the community...

While tastes may differ, everyone likes to go do things. For some people, it is casually strolling through the livestock stalls at the county fair. For others, it is listening to live music, appreciating the skill it takes to play a musical instrument. And yet for others, it is as simple as resting on a park bench, just watching people walk by...

Every January, people make their own personal New Year’s resolutions. And then a month later, perhaps weeks or even just days later, people break those same New Year’s resolutions. Diets are abandoned when the call of the cookie jar is just too strong. Exercise routines are let go as appointments and activities fill the calendar. Vows to go to bed early are cast aside in favor of binge-watching on Netflix...

Earlier this week, a friend sent a text wishing me a Happy New Year. He added that our floating trip down the Niobrara River this summer made his top five memories of the year. Like many people, I have floated down the Niobrara numerous times, yet none are etched in my memory like this particular trip...

I recently attended a dinner banquet with Warren Buffet as one of the keynote speakers. In the Q & A session, someone asked him if he was optimistic about our country given all of the problems we seem to be dealing with on a daily basis. Warren’s response is one that will stick with me for a long time. He said the luckiest person in this world is the person who was born this morning in America because we have and will always have, the greatest country on the face of this earth...

As the year comes to an end, everyone begins to reflect on how the past year went, what they could do in these final few days of 2021 and how to make next year even better. One idea to consider is by simply being generous. Why is being generous so important? Because generosity sets the tone for a family, for a friendship, for a community...

In my high school, we had half a dozen foreign languages to select from as part of our school schedule. Being ever so practical, I chose Latin. And not just one year of Latin, I took three years of the dying/dead language. Other than conjugating verbs into six forms, the only other thing I remember from class is the large, round industrial clock on the wall by the door to the classroom. ...

As November comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on everything that has transpired in our community in just a few short weeks. Looking back, we have so much to be thankful for. Looking forward, we have so much to be grateful for. For starters, we kicked the month off with the 6th annual Big Give McCook, reaching record numbers yet again. ...

Last week, Big Give McCook reached record highs again, both in the number of donations as well as the overall totals. While the numbers are still being finalized for each nonprofit organization, it is still easy to call the event a success. That is due to all the people who gave of their time staffing the in-person giving stations, who helped spread the word about this important event and who made a donation during the 24 hours of giving. ...

Earlier this year, my husband and I had the privilege of buying a building on Norris Avenue. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked, “What are you going to do with the building?” I would have enough money to renovate the site or at least put on a new coat of paint...

Over the last four years, I have heard McCook Community Foundation Fund member Andy Long ask many times, “What can we do to bring our youth back to McCook?” Every time, he caught me off guard and I was never prepared to answer this question. But four years of involvement in MCFF’s youth organization, Youth Change Reaction (YCR), has helped me consider how I can have an impact, the role of youth in our community and what the word “community” really means...

Next month is the Big Give McCook, the one-day community drive-in McCook to raise funds for 31 nonprofit organizations. The McCook Community Foundation Fund is among those organizations for which you can donate. But this column isn’t about MCFF. It’s about service...

These days, it seems like it is easier to dislike someone or something or some idea than it is to like them. After all, it takes time, patience and empathy to truly understand someone who has different ideas or beliefs than you. Some think that showing tolerance is enough. That a live-and-let-live society is as good as it gets. But if we only tolerate those who are different from ourselves but don’t do the work to listen and learn, are we really any better?...

We are all guilty of doing it. Sitting around and bemoaning the state of the world. Complaining about what did or didn’t get done in our community. Wishing that things would be better, would change or would simply be different, But if that is where the process stops, then nothing will get better. Nothing will change. Nothing will be different. Because we must be the change we want to see in the world. Yes, it is an overused cliche but it became overused and became a cliche because it is true...

Earlier this month, I paddle boarded down the Middle Loop River for 5 hours and 41 minutes. That is not a typo. And I was one of the first ones to cross the finish line; others were out there longer. Aside from seeing a few fellow paddlers at the beginning and a scattering of spectators waving from bridges, I was by myself for nearly six hours. ...

So far in 2021, at least two or three of these columns have been tributes to those who have passed, including Cloyd Clark and Tor Olson. Hopefully, their families and friends found those words comforting, uplifting or at least brought back a few fond memories...

Leadership is a simple word. A 10-letter word containing three syllables. A word we commonly use for those who go above and beyond to bring goodness to people. Our world has had many great leaders, but even great leaders didn’t get to the pinnacle by themselves. Take Michel Jordan, Tom Osborne, or Warren Buffet. They all had mentors in their life to help them grow into a person who brought extraordinary outcomes in their professional lives...

It seems like everything we talk about these days is big and audacious, whether it is building a new aquatic facility for our community or the lack of affordable housing. And while these larger issues do need to be addressed, we sometimes forget that the little things matter. ...

Rather than ‘have to,’ consider ‘get to’ With nine people in my household at one point, laundry was one of my biggest jobs on a regular basis. Just to keep on top of things, at least two days a week were devoted to sorting, washing, folding and when I could put off no longer, ironing. As you can imagine, laundry was a never-ending chore...

While the Nebraska Arts Council’s annual conference remained virtual this year, I was invited to speak on partnerships and collaborations...a topic which is not only important but vital to a thriving community. As I prepared for the speaking engagement last week, I reflected on the collaborations and connections I have been part of over the three decades since I returned to my hometown of McCook...

By now, the majority of area high schools have resumed and college students are making their way back to campus. For the most part, everyone is starting with a clean slate. No one is behind on homework. Everyone is passing their classes. Some have the highest grades they will have all year...

If there was ever a time for collaboration as well as coming together, McCook’s pool project has to be toward the top of the list. The city of McCook held another community planning meeting Wednesday night regarding the pool project, but there might finally be hope on the horizon after years of inaction...

There is no doubt that McCook has a sense of pride. Just look at all the people, young and old, wearing McCook Bison shirts and jackets every day of the week; or the Bison Alumni Newsletter, which keeps those near and far connected to their hometown: or the giant M on the hill south of town. (At some point, can we talk about lighting up the M somehow? During a recent vacation, I saw several similar “giant” letters, shining from the hillside during the late-night drives, and was inspired.)...

One of my favorite comic strips is Calvin and Hobbes, featuring a little boy and his stuffed cat. Calvin always had a vivid imagination, which led to some interesting and very insightful comments about everyday life. In just a single, simple frame, the comic strip makes a lasting comment about our expectation for instant gratification these days...

To give or not to give “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.” -- Albert Einstein I’m a retired dentist who moved to McCook with my family in June 1969 to become the junior associate of the famous Blank brothers -- Lavern and Don. I went on to practice dentistry for 45 years...

As a community, we make decisions every day, which affect our future. Some of those decisions are big, such as building a new pool, having a new employer start up a business or renovating a downtown building. Others are smaller, such as whether to have Christmas lights lining the rooftops of downtown businesses or welcoming signs at the edge of town, just so people know where they are...

Last year, the McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee reviewed and revised its vision statement. It’s pretty simple and straightforward: Making McCook an even better place to call home. In other words, McCook has a lot of great things going for it, a lot of tremendous assets already in place, a lot of great people working to make our community thrive and grow...

Whether we like it or not, we live by the calendar. Our schedules are dictated by the day of the week. We plan around what is already on our schedule. We look to see when we have days open to plan a trip or schedule a meeting. When asked if we can attend something, the automatic response is “Let me check my calendar.”...

I’m not a huge fan of comedian Steven Wright, but I do appreciate his humor. Several years ago my wife, Linda, and I had the pleasure of attending a Steven Wright show, who is most famous for his one-liners. The line which most resonated with me was: “I want to live forever – so far, so good.”...

This Saturday, the McCook swim team will host teams from four area towns during a swim meet at the YMCA, which means hundreds of visitors to our community for the day. Over the weekend, several hundred additional visitors will descend upon McCook for the 24 ½ annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival...

Earlier this week, I was quickly flipping through my family’s mail. I came to a halt upon a letter from our health insurance company. The first line of the letter said, “We understand that you have a child turning 18 in the next month - a major milestone for both of you.”...

Our children are our future. Yes, it is an old cliche but it is also true. If we want to make our communities better in the future, we need to make investments. More specifically, we need to make investments in our children. There are a variety of ways to make investments in our children. ...

A life lived with passion, an example to follow This past week, McCook lost yet another member of the community who was passionate about his hometown, who was a tremendous supporter of the arts and music, who was constantly coming up with ideas that stemmed from his interests and hobbies...

My husband, Kent, and I are for all practical purposes homebodies. Yes, I venture out for work, and we belong to various community and church groups that add fun and enriching activities to our lives. But for the most part, we are pretty happy and comfortable at our small rural home. ...

As a runner and a biker, there are days when you simply don’t want to lace up those shoes or pump up your tires. But even on those days that are a struggle, rarely - if ever - have I finished and regretted not doing the ride or going for that run. No one finishes and says, “I wish I hadn’t done that.”...

More questions than answers to improve our communities When I first moved to McCook, one of the first things that caught my eye was the Fox Theater. I was fascinated every time I saw the sign out front lit up on Norris Avenue. We aren’t the only community with a Fox Theater...actually, can someone please explain why Fox is such a common name for a theater?...

The McCook City Pool is again on the front page as there is progress on the project. Earlier this week, the McCook City Council unanimously approved the hiring of an outside engineer to oversee the development of the city pool project. It is great to see forward movement on this project which has been in the works for years...literally. ...

In my house, we have a bookshelf in every bedroom and on those bookshelves is every genre of book. But I repeatedly return to one book on our shelves, which I stumbled upon years ago at the McCook Library and then had to purchase because little hands like to color in inappropriate places but am glad I own...

“Wait for your turn,” my mom would say when one of the family of five would be knocking on the door of the only bathroom we had. “Your turn is next,” my sixth-grade teacher said as we stood in line at the water fountain. The Army recruiter said, “your turn” at the draft board as the Vietnam war raged on...

It goes both ways. On one side of the coin, citizens need to take the responsibility to get involved. They need to attend public meetings, even if it is three hours of budgets and spreadsheets. They need to belong to service organizations, which bring together a diverse group of people to better their community. They need to appreciate what is already in place, while working together to make it even better...

What a difference 20 years makes. For years, Floyd Hershberger had watched other communities grow and thrive because of a local charitable foundation and knew McCook would benefit from having something similar in place. So in 2001, the McCook Community Foundation was created - with a zero balance...

When my family and I travel, we tend to notice the things we like in other communities as well as all the things we don’t appreciate as much -- mostly the traffic. But we take special note of those things we think would be possible in McCook, which would help McCook thrive and grow, which would make McCook an even better place to call home. It can be as minimal as a dog park, which is a great asset for both residents and visitors alike...

This May will mark four years since my return to McCook after graduating from college and I am glad every day that I did. Since returning, I have been able to immerse myself in community initiatives by joining local groups, such as the McCook Communities of Excellence 2026 initiative and the McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee. ...

With the passing of Judge Cloyd Clark this past weekend, McCook and Southwest Nebraska has lost one its most vocal, most passionate, most boisterous supporters. While Cloyd had been ill for a short time, his death still comes as a shock and now the tributes and accolades have begun to pour in. And not just because he was so active in the community, but because Cloyd was larger than life. His booming voice, his bushy mustache, his deep-throated laugh...

For the next three days, I will be hanging out in Lincoln for the Nebraska State Swim and Dive Championships. Three days of a middle-aged woman among teenagers in skin-tight speedos, jammers and speed suits. My ego will be in check. But I digress. First, I would like to wish all of the McCook swimmers and divers good luck as they compete against swimmers and divers from across the state. ...

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” ― Mark Twain (Samuel Clements), The Innocents Abroad (1869)/ Roughing It (1914)...

When I mention that my husband and I are chaperoning a high school dance, people usually have one of three reactions: pity, sympathy or bewilderment. I, on the other hand, really enjoy sponsoring dances. It gives us a chance to hear music of which we have no idea what they are saying...and probably don’t want to know. ...

With school canceled and the snow piling up last week, my kids threw a half-dozen sleds into the back of our pickup truck. The sleds clattered as they landed on top of the ice skates, cross-country skis and snow-shoes already resting in the truck bed...

For many, we are welcoming 2021 with open arms. As the calendar turns, the new year is an opportunity to complete old projects and layout new goals. How we define our goals for the new year often comes in three different approaches, all of which must be utilized to reach those dreams...

At the south end of Norris Avenue in McCook sits what I consider one of our most under-utilized, not-fully appreciated and oft-maligned assets: the Amtrak train service. Last week, I, along with my two youngest children, hopped the train for our yearly ski trip. We boarded with another half dozen people, a few from McCook whereas others had driven to McCook, specifically to catch the train. (And yes, it was late by an hour, but it can’t be early because we would get left behind.)...

Earlier this week, I shared a post on social media that I think is even more relevant today after the events of Jan. 6 in both Washington D.C. and across the country.. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Today.” - Mother Teresa Now, normally, we don’t advocate to do things alone. After all, the saying is “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”...

There are a lot of words to describe 2020: exhausted and frustrated, chaotic to challenging. While every year, there are many lists dedicated to describing the past 365 days, 2020’s list ranges from a long list of profanities to simply being tired. But the word I am selecting to describe 2020 and which I hope to hold up for 2021 is grateful...

If there are still a few people on your list who need a gift, it is time to resort to my personal favorite gift: create a handwritten note for an event or product to be redeemed next year. It is kind of like a gift certificate without the hassle of buying one...

With Christmas right around the corner, my friend Scrooge has been asked to share his thoughts about how the community has been transformed over the years, similar to Scrooge’s transformation in “A Christmas Carol.” For starters, I can’t say “Bah Humbug” about our community, who have truly stepped up to support one another...

For years, my husband and I have toyed with the idea of opening a retail store in McCook with the business divided into two distinct sides. One half would feature all our favorite junk foods, using machines we have accumulated over the years. Reminiscent of the county fair or childhood summers, the store would feature cotton candy in every flavor and color imaginable, funnel cakes piled high with fruit toppings, and popcorn covered in so many different seasonings, your head would spin. ...

Every year, it happens like clockwork at my house. At some point in the late fall or early winter, someone in my house gets up in the morning and stumbles to the bathroom, reaches into the shower to turn the handle ... and nothing. There’s no water...

In the early 2000s, my parents moved from McCook to a lakeside retirement community in Arkansas. Even at the time, it didn’t make sense because they had moved from Omaha to McCook just a few years earlier. Not because I lived in McCook but because of something much more persuasive: the grandkids...

Supporting and empowering our youth is a topic that should never far from the surface for our community. From grants for youth programs to scholarships to youth organizations, young people are a priority for the McCook Community Foundation Fund. But for many years, there was something missing ... making young people feel like they should return to our community and make an impact...

Andy and Geri Andersen had a passion for young people. So they turned that passion into a reality by creating an endowment with a focus on young people, with payouts to be distributed annually by a group of young people. Their financial gift to the McCook Community Foundation Fund is intended to support causes and dreams that will benefit youth, which gives youth the opportunity to disperse annual grant funds and which encourages young people to come home to raise their own families. ...

Every day, you wake up and have the opportunity to decide what kind of person you want to be. Am I going to get up early to exercise rather than roll over and hit snooze again? Am I going to volunteer for that organization in town which has been looking for help? Am I simply going to be more kind to others?...

Make an impact by voting and donating To say next week is important is an understatement. The 2020 elections are finally here, thank goodness. And as if that wasn’t enough, Big Give McCook is next Thursday, Nov. 5. Add on top of that the fact we’ll have just wrapped up Halloween, still adjusting to the time change and wondering about the never-ending threat of quarantine from Covid...

On the bookshelf in my bedroom sits a frame containing a yellowed Family Circus cartoon. The drawing shows the disheveled mom trying to corral her four small children. Meanwhile, a well-meaning - but not terribly helpful - elderly lady gives the stereotypical advice: Enjoy them every minute. Before you can turn around, they’ll be grown.”...

When I became a member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an unexpected shift happened in my thinking. Through the affiliation with the Nebraska Community Foundation, I began to see the potential of “what can be” instead of the common mindset about our lack of resources, lack of creative leadership, or just plain apathy that can become troublesome to our local community organizations...

Is it just me or does it seem like no topic is safe to discuss anymore? Autumn officially began a few weeks ago and it’s my favorite time of year. I love the cool mornings, the changing leaves, and digging out sweaters and sweatshirts to hide the early arrival of my “winter layers.”...

With McCook in the midst of celebrating Heritage Days, this is a great opportunity to reflect on the influential heritage McCook has on a regular basis ... something that many of us take for granted. Last week, I was hanging out in front of the Senator George Norris State Historical Site, or as it is more commonly known, the Norris Home. No, I don’t normally just hang out at historical sites, but was scoping out the yard for a future project...

This is McCook’s decade! I believe we’ll be sitting downtown after a Live at the Bieroc show in 2030 and look back and be amazed at what the community has accomplished. We’ll talk about how we built a new aquatics facility and new athletic fields. We’ll be excited about the improvements in programming and facilities at the Y. ...

This past weekend, I stood atop a 14,000 foot mountain in Colorado and was thankful for the opportunity to be there. While my family are regular skiers, we had never purposely climbed to the top of these mountains. Yet, there we stood, gasping for air and gazing for miles in every direction...

There is a crowbar sitting in the corner of my bathroom at home. In fact, it has been there a few days, slightly hidden among the robes hanging from the hooks. Now, most people would be asking themselves, “Why is there a crowbar in my bathroom?” I quit asking “why” a long time ago after locating my missing dish soap on the trampoline or discovering three bags of marshmallows had disappeared overnight...

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.)...

Anyone who has ever read this column knows that I try to stay positive, focusing on the good things happening in our community and how to get involved. At the same time, my personal views and feelings make into the mix, as well as tidbits about my family much to their chagrin...

If there has ever been a need to be adaptable, it is now. When schools began closing down in mid-March, everyone - including myself - hoped that this pandemic would quickly pass and we’d be back to normal soon. As the weeks turned into months, there was hope that everything would correct itself over the summer. But as we head into fall, “normal” seems far off on the horizon and we are forced once again to learn how to adapt...

Learning, growing right here at home If you would’ve asked me back in March what I was going to be doing for the summer of 2020, coming home to McCook was not at the top of my list. It was not that I didn’t love McCook or enjoy being here but rather I was making plans and looking at opportunities elsewhere. Just like the rest of the college students in this country, COVID-19 had other plans in mind...

Anyone with more than one child knows that none of them are the same. They each have their own characteristics and their own quirks, their own way of learning and their own way of responding to a situation. Just as every child is different, every high school class is different. Ask any teacher who has been teaching a few years about the ebb and flow of classes through a school...

With my mother-in-law, Dolores Graff, celebrating her 88th birthday on Friday, my family will wrap up a month chock full of birthdays, including mine a few weeks ago. If birthdays do nothing else, they give you a chance to reflect on the past year and evaluate what you have accomplished and what has happened in your life. Sometimes it is a good reflection; other times you may be left wanting to just forget...

Alongside my driveway stands my favorite tree, a giant, gnarly cottonwood. As you approach our house, the lone cottonwood towers over all the other trees and serves a s guidepost to our location. We’ve planted many trees since we moved into our house nearly 20 years ago, but this tree continues to dominate the landscape...

If there is one thing which has changed for my family over the past few months, it is the reduced number of miles on our vehicles. For the past decade, if we weren’t hosting a road race for the Republican River Fitness Series, we would be driving to a nearby state for an athletic event. ...

“There’s nothing to do here.” “I can’t have a career here.” “There’s no entertainment.” On the flip side….”Good schools.” “Low crime rate” “Great outdoor recreation.” These are just a few of the views from McCook youth as part of a recent survey. This past spring, the McCook Community Foundation Fund conducted a youth survey through the McCook High School. All 400-plus high school students were given the opportunity to voice their opinion on a variety of topics related to their community...

If you want to get noticed, take out a billboard, wear a Big Bird costume for the day, write a column about your mundane life. Or even easier - go for a bicycle ride. Earlier this week, a friend along with a few family members went on an early morning bike ride to Culbertson to get breakfast. i spent the rest of the day responding to everyone who had seen us out riding...

A few fun facts about Kitten Season I am constantly reading, have radio news shows playing for hours on end and have downloaded so many podcasts I could drive across the country without repeating a show. Yet, I learned something this week that I had never even considered. And it had nothing to do with a disease or injustice or even the never-ending, incessant, mind-numbing wind...

There are many variations to the telephone game but everyone has probably played it at some point in their life. It’s the game where the first person whispers a sentence to the person next to them, so that no one else can hear it. That person then turns to the person next to them and whispers what they heard. And so on and so on...

Last weekend, my family and I camped at Red Willow State Recreation Area north of McCook. Every camping spot was taken with fire pits surrounded each evening by people enjoying the outdoors. Boats sped across the water with kids laughing as the tubes bounced off the boat’s wake. And kayakers paddled in and out of the bays regardless of their age and athletic ability...

This column contains my comments (with some modifications) made during Monday’s McCook City Council meeting as part of citizen’s comments, which cannot have any further discussion or actions taken. In October 2015, the McCook City Council appointed 12 community members to the pool committee. ...

If you are like me, there are events and activities on your calendar which you wrote down or typed in months or even years ago. While the birthday reminders are still applicable, nearly everything else has been cancelled or moved online. Just yesterday, I removed the reminder on my phone about the high school band trip to New York City, scheduled for later this month. ...

Let’s be up-front about this: I am not going to win the best homeschool parent award. (Let’s be honest about that too: We aren’t really homeschooling either because we don’t develop the curriculum and we don’t do the grading; we are just doing what we are told to do during this crisis, so really we are crisis-schooling parents.)...

I have had the privilege of being on various Zoom calls with people from across the country as we make our way through these trying times. And one theme continues to emerge on a regular basis: People are turning to the outdoors to deal with this crisis...

If there is one thing this pandemic has taught me, it is that our world is changing quickly and we are all learning to adapt on the fly. Maybe you are a small business trying to figure out if you should let your employees go on unemployment or keep them on the payroll while trying to find things to fill their hours...

Every day, we make choices. We make the choice about what we will wear, what food we put into our bodies, what time we will get out of bed. For a couple of my kids, that is closer to lunch than to breakfast these days. Many of these decisions are made without much thought, but right now we have the chance to be very intentional about those choices...

In 2001, I had been writing a weekly column in the Gazette for several years, highlighting activities in our community, recounting the highjinks of my family and commenting on things that peaked my interest. But that column stopped the week Graff kid No. ...