Ah the sun was bright, just barely above the horizon; the winds were light with not even a hint of fog. It was time to take off and head for Wayne America. Yep last Saturday was Wayne, Nebraska's, annual Chicken Days Festival. Ann and I extended an invitation to Duane and Diana Tappe to ride along as they used to live in Wakefield, a mere 10 miles from Wayne. Duane is the curator of the George Norris Home and now has available some nifty miniature sculptures of McCook's esteemed statesman. Get yours!

Diana was a mite hesitant to fly so we skipped the security inspection hassle.

Actually one of the really great benefits of traveling general aviation is the pilot having the responsibility for passenger screening.  The unpleasant drill that you have to put up with when flying the airlines is a non-event in the world of business and general aviation.  Good sense is all that is required.

Actually the big attraction to fly to Wayne America (it "sez so" on the water tower) was to attend the annual Nebraska State Fly-In. McCook hosted the event last year and it was a bust, attendance wise, due to really poor flying weather. Wayne planned better, their weather was perfect! My count was 20- plus aircraft, some new, some old including a pristine Stearman and each one flown by a proud pilot.  I noted aircraft from South Dakota and Iowa with the rest flying in from all over Nebraska.

At McCook's Heritage Days we feed pancakes to the morning public.  Wayne in keeping with the chicken theme, taken from the huge local egg industry, the morning fare is omelets, made to order right there in the City Park.  Later on volunteers' grilled chicken halves over one huge charcoal pit, at least fifty feet long, built right there in the park. We watched the parade but skipped the games: Egg Drop/Catch, Wayne Chicken Show's National Cluck-off and I forbade anyone riding with me to compete in the Hard Boiled Egg Eating Contest!

It is fun to travel with the Tappe's because they seem to know people where ever one goes in Nebraska. Duane had somehow talked the former Mayor of Wakefield into meeting us at the airport and transporting us to town. We rode in style in Jim Clark's 1946 GPW, a real Army Jeep restored to brand new.

When we departed McCook Duane's comment was that Nebraska this year looks as green as Ireland. Proceeding northeast across the state however we noted that the emerald green turned a more normal July brown. The grass in the park at Wayne showed definite signs of drought and the comment was that it hadn't rained in six weeks. Talk about role reversal, usually they are green from adequate moisture and we are brown already in July, but not this year.

 

It has been interesting sitting in on the McCook City Council's review of next year's budget. One little tidbit of information rang a giant bell with me and that was the report of only one sewer tap, year to date.  Only one new building within the City limits since last October. That fact alone sings out loud and clear that there has been little growth. Fortunately the proposed budget also shows only slight growth and the City Manager and his crew should receive a plaudit for a job well done although it is yet a work in progress.

Now if we can just talk them into a tax cut, by dropping the effort to reauthorize the sales tax, possibly McCook could realize some economic growth such as we are enjoying on the national scene. Visit with your Council Person -- I have.

That is the way I see it.