German Heritage Days 2019

Everyone celebrates -- whatever their heritage -- during "German Heritage Days" in McCook Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In the parade Saturday -- whose theme was "Back to our Roots" -- a 26-month-old leprechaun named Pete, top left, rode on the shoulder of his dad, Tim Monzon of McCook, who was honoring the Scots-Irish history of his mother, Bonnie (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

It must be the parade atmosphere -- it seems to create cautious drivers, of youngsters at least. In the 2006 Heritage Days parade, the Harris brothers drove a kid-sized all-terrain vehicle for their parents' Green Turf lawn service and tried to dodge horse manure deposited on the Norris Avenue bricks. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Thirteen years later, on Saturday, Koral Beideck maneuvered around a similar-looking brown thing deposited in the street -- what is believed to be a crushed chenille, anti-static dust rag -- pointing it out to her mother, Lisa, who was part of the KRD Federal Credit Union parade float. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

(Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

(Connie Jo Disoce/McCook Gazette)

The Medicine Valley High School "Sound of Raider Power" was among the bands that played accompaniment to the parade. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Peace Lutheran Church and live nativity (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

(Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Small business, Bryant Appliance Repair (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Checking out Wayne Bryant's boxing memorabilia at the High Plains Museum. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Travi rambali, right, makes a selection from a variety of locally grown honey (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette)

Christy Stevens, above right, accompanies Audrey Wilson in a bandshell performance Saturday afternoon (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette)

bandshell performance Saturday afternoon. At the High Plains Museum, left, auctioneer Bob Jones of Jennings studied the backside of a two-sided Lee Riders advertising sign brought afro appraisal by Don Barenberg of McCook. Because of its amazing condition -- no BB holes, very little rust, chips or scratching -- Jones appraised the sign at $150-$200. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Shoppers had plenty of selection in Norris Park vendor booths. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette)