Residents come through when needed

Whenever there's an emergency, the people of Southwest Nebraska respond in awesome fashion. That was shown again Saturday and Sunday, when neighboring fire departments and hometown volunteers joined to battle the raging blaze on Indianola's Main Street.

"I'm always amazed at all the help we get in times of emergency," said Tom Davidson, chief of the Indianola Volunteer Fire Department. "I want to thank everyone who gave us a hand. It was tremendous."

In addition to a full crew from Indianola's 30-member volunteer department, there were firefighters on the scene from Beaver Valley, Bartley and McCook, as well as as law enforcement officers from the Nebraska State Patrol and the Red Willow County Sheriff's Department.

Chief Davidson also gave a pat on the back to the people of Indianola, who had food ready for the firemen when the blaze was contained. "Remember," the chief said, "that was at 4 o'clock in the morning," so the helpers had to either stay up or get up in the middle of the night.

Volunteer efforts -- which started at 11:20 p.m. Saturday night when the fire was spotted -- continued throughout the day Sunday. "We stayed until 6 o'clock Sunday evening," Davidson said. One of the things that the firemen and city staff was able to do was save quite a few of the city's records, he said.

Even after being at the fire site for more than 19 hours, the firemen's work still may not be over, as smoke was still coming from the fire scene this morning.

The loss of the buildings will be sorely felt. But, as Indianola rebuilds, the people of Red Willow County's oldest town can be proud of their hometown volunteers and be grateful to their neighbors for their help.

An 'Amazing' Performance

What a treat it was to attend the weekend performances of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." The 90-member cast, crew and orchestra dazzled the large crowds with their wonderful rendition of the majestic musical production.

What made the show so awesome was the outstanding talent of the performers and the high quality of the sets, props and costumes. "We traveled to Boulder, Colo., to see their production of 'Dreamcoat,'" said Co-Producer Howard Kool and his wife, Janet. While admitting that they may be a bit biased, the Kools agree there's no doubt that McCook's cast and crew did a much better job.

We would agree. Although we didn't see the Boulder show, it's hard to believe that the Colorado cast -- or anyone else -- could top the quality of the McCook show. It was a truly amazing production. Thanks to all who brought it to reality.