1. Advance the advance the interest and promote the culture of Musical Art in the city of McCook, and 2. Promote the mutual improvement of its members. They would achieve these goals by studying the great composers with vocal and instrumental musical numbers. For the next 60 years, women of McCook carried out that mission.

The charter members of the Matinee Music Club were Mrs. F.B. Hostettler, Mrs. Henry Best, Mr. R.B. Davidson, Mrs. M.J. Thomas, Mrs. W.B. Mills, A.N. Lineberg. (In the earlier written records of the club, ladies were never referred to by their given names, but always as Mrs. "the husband's name or initials".)

Monthly meetings were held in members' homes. Membership in the club was by invitation, only after a prospective member had been approved by the club, and in the beginning was limited to 20 members -- the maximum number that it was felt a home could comfortably hold (later expanded to 30 regular plus associate members).

The first of many public performances by the club was held in March, 1918, when the group sang between shows at the Temple Theater. With the war on everyone's mind, The Anvil Chorus, and the Star Spangled Banner were especially fitting numbers, and were received to considerable acclaim.

Over the years, musical numbers from the members of the club were in great demand, not just in McCook, but throughout the region. In 1929, the group was invited to a concert in Hastings by Madame Shumann-Heink, one of the foremost opera singers of the day. Afterwards, they performed over the new radio station, KMMJ.

Over the life of the club members were very generous with their talents. In addition to performances for their own group they appeared as soloists or in groups at commencements, social and community affairs and at guest day programs, at the Temple Theater, the High School, or McCook College, or at various churches in town. The nature of the Club assured that someone always had a program prepared, which they could perform on short notice.

The Matinee Music Club spearheaded drives to bring well-known musical groups to McCook. In 1921 they brought Kryl and his 80-piece symphony Orchestra, with soloist, Mary McCormick to the Temple Theater.

In 1923 they sponsored a Thurlow Lieurance Concert, and in 1965 they brought both The Schultz Family and "hometown boy made good," J. Dayton Smith, to McCook for well-received appearances.

However, the main emphasis for the club was always to develop and showcase local talent. A string ensemble consisting of Mrs. John T. Harris, Mrs. Al Schnoor, Mrs. Jack Molsbee, and Mrs. Glenn Buchta formed the nucleus of the McCook Community Orchestra, which enriched numerous "Broadway-Type" Musicals -- high school, college, and community, in the '60s-'70s.

True to their mission of promoting music in McCook, in 1934 the club organized a Junior Music Club for ladies who were either teachers or engaged in business. This group performed at many functions in the community, most memorably in 1937, when they presented a violin, vocal and piano combination at the Memorial Methodist Church. The Junior group was disbanded during World War II, in 1944.

For many years, the club aided deserving music students in the McCook Public Schools by providing financial aid to regional and state music contests, and funds were provided to aid Bill Kelly's MHS band trips to Music Educators' Conven-tions in Cleveland, Ohio, and Enid, Okla.

An annual $100 scholarship was given to a deserving music student at McCook College. A sizeable amount was donated to the Hillcrest Nursing Home to buy a piano for the pleasure of the Home's residents, and each year a suitable book was placed in the McCook Public Library as a memorial to a deceased Matinee Music Club member.

The musical programs of the Matinee Music Club were quite elaborate. The ladies selected to present a particular program rehearsed for weeks, even months for their big event, to make sure that their program was as polished as it could possible be.

The Matinee Music Club meetings were important for the ladies who made up the audience as well. They came to the meetings dressed to the hilt, with pretty dresses, hats, gloves and high heels. These meetings were social occasions as well as musical events.

To give just a sampling of the types of programs presented, here is a list of the programs for one wartime year, 1942-43:

Battle of Music

French Opera

America the Beautiful

Why Bach?

Oratorio

Music of Our Allies

Wings Over Jordan

Gay Nineties

Where Are

The Victory Songs?

Snowbound

Jenny Lind

Music of Austria

In the latter years of the Club selections from Broadway shows, such as "Fiddler On The Roof" and "Damn Yankee," and music by a particular composer, such as Cole Porter or Irving Berlin were especially popular.

For the monthly meetings members who were performers dressed in the style of the country or period of time to which the music paid tribute. Beautiful hand-made programs were presented to each attending member, which were kept as souvenirs.

Since there were no men in Matinee Music Club female members stepped forward to assume the male roles for skits, dance numbers, and short musical synopses of popular musical comedies or operas. Some of the women excelled in the male parts (some more than others), but to witness the change in roles proved to be a lot of fun for everyone.

The final program of the year was a special affair, was open to the public, and served as the one money-making project of the year. At various times the production was held at the Temple or Fox Theater, and in later years in the basements of the Catholic, Methodist or Congregational Churches. These shows were well attended and greatly appreciated by the audiences.

For almost 60 years The Matinee Music Club provided a platform where the women of McCook women to meet to socialize. It also provided a place where members could develop their musical talents and perform. Along the way they encouraged others to become musical, and above all, the members could appreciate the arts through the gift of good music. In addition, the Club members were generous in sharing their talents with the citizens of McCook. It was truly a cultural uplift for our city.

But alas, like so many good things, the days of this organization finally came to an end in 1978. There are many reasons given for the demise of the Matinee Music Club -- the ones most commonly advanced is that so many of the younger women members went to work and were no longer free to attend an afternoon function, and the older members were no longer around, or had given up performing their music publicly.

These are valid reasons for the ending of this great organization, but the fact remains that the void left by the absence of the Matinee Music Club has never been entirely filled by other organizations. For this we are sad.

Source: McCook Matinee Musical Scrapbooks