Prairie Roots Festival raises bar on celebrations

Heritage Days is always a busy weekend, but this weekend promises to challenge its status as the biggest in McCook's yearly calendar.

We'd better hope it arrives soon, or someone will add so many events there will be no hope of keeping track of them.

The latest to be added is a "human foosball" game at Barnett Park Sunday, part of the Prairie Roots Festival that features the music of the Hear Nebraska Good Living Tour. A sand volleyball tournament starts at 1 p.m., other games and a beer garden follow and the concert is at 5:30 p.m., featuring the R&B of Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal from Lincoln, Americana by Matt Cox of Omaha; McCook's own Indie Pop group Homemade Crazy, and DJ Nick Fitch from Lincoln.

But that's not only the highlight of the festival.

Community Hospital's Super Hero 5K and half-marathon is Saturday morning at East 11th and H street, with registration beginning at 7 a.m. Those races are part of the Republican River Fitness Series.

Sunday morning, the local Court Appointed Special Advocates will sponsor a one-round, $5 random doubles disc golf tournament in Kelley Park. Players meeting is 9 a.m. followed by a 10 a.m. shotgun start.

Also in Kelley Park, at the new skatepark, local skaters plan an exhibition fundraiser over the weekend to raise money to install lights on the skatepark.

But that is only a sampling of the McCook events this weekend.

For our friends to the west, there's a busy weekend planned for the Trenton Harvest Festival, with the Dam Car Show at 5 p.m. Friday and the parade in Trenton at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Then there's the Haigler Bluegrass Festival, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday in the Haigler Village Park. Bring your own lawn chairs and visit food vendors. Featured music is "That Damn Sasquatch" and "Driven."

If water sports are to your liking, another Family Fun Night is set for the Hugh Butler Lake Marina boat ramp, 6 to 10 p.m. at the Red Willow SRA north of McCook.

It will feature a family cookout from 6 to 7 p.m at the tent area by the marina boat ramp, then, from 7 to dark, kayaking, archery and fishing activities at the Kiwanis Point shoreline. Cost is free but a park entry permit is required.

There's also a show-and-shine car show in Arapahoe Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And that is by no means a complete list.

Yes, there is a chance of rain each day over the weekend, but we're betting festival goers will enjoy the cooler weather that's predicted.

Plans are already well underway to make the annual Heritage Days celebration one of the best ever, but this weekend's activities will certainly raise the bar when it comes to having a good time.