Looking back, it's hard for me to believe it's been 10 years since the first Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival took place in McCook.

But it has been. I know, because I just thumbed through 10 years of programs, listing some of the top storytelling talent in the United States. What inspiring stories they told at the first nine festivals ... and what uplifting stories they are going to be telling at the tenth, which will take place this coming Friday and Saturday in historic downtown McCook.

The festival began May 30-31, 1997. I vividly remember Roger Welsch, clad in overalls, holding court at the Fox Theater before a capacity crowd. He told stories non-stop for more than an hour, and in the process launched an appreciation for storytelling in the McCook area.

Before that first festival, the original organizers tried to sum up the reason for creating a showcase for storytelling in the McCook area. This is the purpose, as stated on the front of the program for the 1997 festival: "A community's greatest gift is the evolving history of its people, their stories, their symbols, their enduring sagas..."

I don't know who came up with those words, but my guess would be Judge Cloyd Clark. He has been the festival's guiding light throughout the 10-year history of the celebration.

That first program also spoke about the reason for selecting Buffalo Commons as the name for the storytelling festival. Beneath a picture of Buffalo Jones, who resided in McCook in the late 1890s, were these words:

"This festival is dedicated to the preservation, enhancement and sharing of the stories that have made our place what it is, like the story of Buffalo Jones, the man credited with saving the American Bison from extinction."

Then came this statement, and I know these are Cloyd's words: "Next to God and family, our stories are the most important thing we have."

The 1997 program also explained why Buffalo Commons was chosen as the festival's title. Here's the explanation: Buffalo Commons describes the short grass country in Northwest Kansas, Eastern Colorado and Southwest Nebraska where the Lakota, the Omaha, the Arapaho, the Kiowa, the Cheyenne and the Pawnee harvested the great buffalo herds.

The land's prairie rivers, loess hills and canyons have broadened the horizons and deepened the roots of their peoples from early man to the cowboys and farmers of the twentieth century. It is a place where ordinary men and women live extraordinary lives."

Well, I admit, we storytellers can get a little carried away.

But there's no doubt that we need to preserve the art of storytelling and I'm proud of the organizers of the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival in the McCook area.

Join the crowd Friday and Saturday for the 10th in a decade of festivals. It's a two-way experience as the story-listening is just as important as the story-telling.

But, at its best, story-sharing can be among life's most special moments, reminding us of our roots and inspiring us for our futures.