Baseball team, service club clean up road

McCook Community College baseball team members and coaches join eight members of the McCook Optimists Club for a cleanup of two miles of U.S.Highway 83 Monday. (Courtesy photo)

McCOOK, Neb. -- McCook's front door is a little more tidy thanks to the efforts of the college baseball team and Optimist Club.

On Monday, 25 members of the McCook Community College baseball team, along with two coaches and eight Optimists hit the road for two miles of clean-up south of McCook along U.S. Highway 83.

Twice each year, the club spends some time on its adopted section of highway, starting at the bridge on the east side of Barnett Park and finishing part way up "M" Hill.

"Earlier this spring, the college basketball team helped and did a great job," said Optimist Club member James Brandt.

"This time, we had planned on including the baseball team as well," he said. "I didn't realize how large the baseball team was, and we ran out of safety vests and trash bags before the basketball team could get theirs. We told Coach Lenhart, 'Thank you, but we better just take what we have for safety reasons.'"

The basketball team is invited for the spring event, and hopefully, a rotation of teams can begin. The college athletes help the club in several of its events throughout the year, and are much appreciated by the club and the participants of those events.

A big "thank you" goes out to Coach Olsen, Coach Lenhart and their teams for supporting the Optimists and the community, Brandt said.