Crazy Days only days away

Calling all shoppers! It will soon be time to hit the streets in pursuit of the best bargains of the year. McCook's super savings spectacular -- called "Crazy Days" -- is only days away.

Stores are sorting through their merchandise in preparation for the sale, which has become the most popular clearance event in McCook's history. The mid-July bargain bonanza began in the 1950s with names like "Silly Sale" and "Ridiculous Days" before settling on the now well-known Crazy Days' theme in the early 1960s.

This year's sale will begin Thursday, July 14, and last through Saturday, July 16. "The stores will start early Thursday putting their clearance merchandise out on the sidewalks in front of their stores," said Pam Harsh, executive director of the McCook Chamber of Commerce. "Some will be out as early as 7 a.m., and others will follow soon after that," she said.

For shoppers, that's when the fun begins. Looking through the stacks of merchandise on the sidewalk displays, the customers often uncover both wacky and wonderful bargains.

It's not clear exactly who the Chamber staff and committee was thinking about when they came up with the theme for this year's Crazy Days' celebration. The theme is "Born To Be Wild," which could either be a reference to the merchants, for their bizarre pricing, or the shoppers, for their relentless pursuit of low-priced merchandise.

"We really came up with 'Born To Be Wild" because of the Spokes Spectacular motorcycle show which we are sponsoring on Saturday," Harsh said. "But we felt the slogan fit the entire atmosphere for the sale. As anyone can tell you who has taken part in the event in the past, both shoppers and the retail store staffs can get a little wild and crazy."

The motorcycle show will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on C Street between Norris Avenue and West First. Meanwhile, youngsters are invited to participate in the Bicycle Safety Rodeo sponsored by Linda Maiden's State Farm Insurance office. The bike safety event will be in the JCPenney parking lot between 10 a.m. and noon. A coloring contest for kids is also planned.

In addition, snow cones and kettle corn will be among the Crazy Days' offerings. But, the biggest attraction of all will be the special prices on clearance merchandise. For a preview of the specials, check out the 12-page Crazy Days section which will be inserted in Wednesday's Gazette.

Come share the fun. The Crazy Days' sale has been a McCook tradition for nearly half a century, and the sale will undoubtedly continue many years into the future because of the ever-lasting thrill of finding a bargain.