While you were gone ...

Next week we are hosting a reunion for the McCook High School class that graduated way back in 1955. Sixty years! For the class members that may not have returned to this fair city in all that time I will attempt to point out a few changes. Now of course we classmates haven't changed any, well maybe the hair is a bit thinner and lighter in color, or possibly a few pounds have settled in more comfortable places but what the hey at heart we are the same eager 17-18 year olds that set out to change the world. Change it did!

Back in 1955 when I drove into town on Highway 83, a sign at the city limits read "Population 9300 people." The last census counted 7698 souls living in McCook. Humm what happened? The town looks to be about the same size but the census doesn't count any of the small additions that have grown up just outside the city limits.

No matter the population remember the size of the police force? I think it was Chief Dutcher and three patrolmen including Basil Crook and they also ran the city jail. Now something like 20 sworn officers plus staff and no City Jail. Sheriff's office, Jim Short and one deputy that also ran the County Jail in our time. Not to be outdone the County Mountie current size about the same as the police department, but they also have to man a brand new jail. Plenty of protection there!

Oh yes, did you notice the smell of fresh air? No more stench of scalding water from McCook Pack and the associated rendering works! John Deere now and a nice green sea of grass covering (still smells a bit when the wind is right) over what then became the city dump. We are up-scale now and truck our trash 100 miles west to build a trash mountain there. Progress?

Hungry? Gone are the places we frequented, McLains Lunch, Modrells, Murphy's Café, Hested's and McMillen's Drug lunch counters, Harmon's, the pool halls on B Street. No more soda fountains at Kidd's or Prest's Drug. Note Fullers Resturant continues but now in the location of Alex Gochis' Olympia. Fear not, as we now have most of the fast-food venues known to man plus three Mexican and one Chinese. Hometown we have the Bieroc (Sehnert's Bakery replaced the Fallick's we knew) Loop's Brewing Co. (craft beer and pizza), Taste of Texas BBQ, and the premium Coppermill Restaurant. For a bit of nostalgia try Mac's Drive In, car-hops, order by phone just as we used to do it.

Our "Main Street" is now Norris Avenue. Named to honor one of our more illustrious citizens whose home has been restored and sits across from Norris Park on Governor's row. The huge trees we knew to provide wonderful shade have been replaced. Little shade now, but have faith, they will grow. The band shell is restored and pristine. Sadly the old stand-pipe that we were forbidden to climb is long gone.

Ah the City Dump between the river and South Street, the place where we used to go shoot rats in the evenings is no more. Even Jim Holmes' dugout home is covered up. That unsightly place has been totally transformed into Barnett Park a place of grass, picnic shelters, wild birds, and ponds actually containing fish.

Our airport, McCook Municipal, where J.T. Harris, Larry Fraser, Don Schaaf and I learned to fly has changed a bit. Then it had three sod-covered runways, one hangar, a shop and a flight shack. No more. Now it boasts two long wide paved runways, a VOR, an ILS and a multitude of hangars. We even have a feeder airline serving the place on a very erratic schedule.

Worst of all "they" changed the name to McCook Ben Nelson Regional airport. Ben you may remember as a kid behind us in school who became Nebraska Governor and then U.S. Senator. He was the Senator who cast the last vote to make Obamacare the law of the land. Well, you can't win them all.

We knew that we were to be the last class in our dear old dilapidated senior high building but, gee, they tore down the Junior High also. Then East Ward and West Ward were both abandoned. The new, 60 -years-old-now, High School and Junior High Campus is nice, even air-conditioned. A middle school sits where we went to high school and North Ward expanded a bunch to become McCook Elementary. Our old St. Patrick School building was replaced with larger, newer and better.

Theaters. The Drive In is gone as is the Bison. The Fox lives on, beautifully restored, though they don't show movies. New multi-screen for movies in Heritage Plaza west of Highway 83. While checking out the Fox, step into the Keystone next door. No longer is it a hotel but beautifully restored into a business center. Nice.

Our McCook Junior College has grown, newer and better, and is now McCook Community College with a new basketball and event center the envy of the area. They no longer play football but now rodeo along with volleyball, women's softball, baseball and both men and women's basketball. The "Indian" mascot name went the way of the politically correct. Dumb!

Tour the Red Willow County Fairgrounds and see our classmate Donnie Klein's makeover. Any building not galvanized steel has come at the behest of Don putting together the financing and overseeing construction. The huge arena there is large enough to house a rodeo and is busy summer and winter. You might note that Don also had a hand in building the new YMCA and the original Senior Center while keeping his own Klein's Motor Electric prosperous.

File under "That never was there before": Stop lights on B Street. A great walking trail down through Kelley Park. Walmart Super Store (that sure changed Norris Avenue on the bricks), the 18 hole Golf Course, Dayco (manufactures industrial hose), and Valmont (manufactures every Valley center pivot sold in the U.S.).

As you tour the town note the streets in good repair, green well-kept lawns, and homes lovingly tended to. McCookites are a proud lot; good neighbors. A great place to live. Our old hometown.

That is how I saw it.

**Dick Trail