Thinking about different things

Last Sunday, I and my perennial golf partner, Jim Lemon, played the Cambridge Volunteer Fire Department Scramble at Cross Creek Golf Links down the road in Cambridge.

We've participated in this event for several years in a row now and always have a good time. It's for a good cause and Sean Riley, the head pro at Cross Creek, always puts on a good tournament and Howard Kester had the course looking great. A record 49 two-man teams showed up to compete on a crystal clear, blue sky day. It was a bit breezy but that's the rule and not the exception when you play golf in Nebraska.

After play was finished, the fire department put on a delicious feed for all the participants. The only negative of the day was how we played. Even though I usually don't have the chance to play very often until school is out, this year I hadn't played at all, and unfortunately, neither had my partner and did it ever show.

We were paired with the same team we played with last year when we beat them by 10 shots and shared in the prize money. This year they shot the same score they did last year and beat us by four strokes so we were 14 strokes worse this year than last. It was pretty darned ugly.

It's a great tournament to play in, though, and we'll be back next year, hopefully a little more prepared than we were this time.

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Several faculty members from McCook Community College get together for lunch once a week and our restaurant of choice this year has been the new El Puerto, on the bricks in downtown McCook.

At the beginning of the year, a couple of us decided to go through the entire lunch menu, eating something different each week, and what a treat that has been. Obviously, there were some items we liked better than others but the important thing is that there were no BAD items.

Everything we ate was hot, tasty, served in five minutes or less and the staff is as friendly and helpful as can be. The folks who run El Puerto are doing a great job and their lunch crowd certainly proves that. We eat together every Wednesday and it's always full. This has been a great addition to the cuisine in McCook and if you haven't been there yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

We have only one more weekly visit before a three-month hiatus for summer vacation but we'll be back again in August. In addition to the great food and the pleasant, courteous staff, it's a real joy to meet for lunch once a week with not only our professional colleagues but our good friends as well.

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A major change is occurring elsewhere on the restaurant scene this week as Adam Siegfried will be taking over from Kevin Ord as the owner of the Coppermill Restaurant and Lounge on Highway 83 north. I wish Adam great success in his new endeavor. Kevin and his son, Sam, will be missed by all who have made the Coppermill a part of their dining experience over the many years Kevin has been in business.

It's the first establishment I visited when I moved to town 15 years ago and was impressed enough by the décor, the ambiance and the friendliness of the Ords that I kept returning.

Best of luck to Kevin and Sam as they embark on a new endeavor and the same to Adam as he stamps his own unique brand on the Coppermill tradition.

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Finally, the MPCC Board of Governors authorized funding for the MCC Events Center at their monthly Board meeting this past Wednesday. This will be a boon not only for the college but for the entire community. It will be a bright modern building which will help tremendously in the recruitment of new students while it will also serve the community in hosting tournaments, events and the like. Thanks to all the supporters of MCC in the area who have made financial contributions to this much needed addition.