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Editorial
Our community loses a favorite 'tribal troubadour'
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
It's a rainy morning in McCook as we write this, but any Nebraskan who complains about rain probably hasn't lived in Nebraska for long.
The weather promises to dry out and warm up for this week's big Heritage Days observance, but there's going to be a hole in community celebrations from now on.
That's because Mike Adams, a former McCook businessman and a regular performer at Buffalo Commons and other events, died unexpectedly last week.
Performing solo, in duos or with his band, "Get Off My Lawn," the Vietnam-era veteran brought to life music by everyone from Robert Johnson to Bruce Springsteen; we particularly remember his 2009 Fox Theatre interpretation of the "American Songbag" collection by Carl Sandburg.
His obituary in the Kearney Hub suggested one of his own compositions, "Early Times," as perhaps his best epitaph:
We're born to run this race
From the cradle to the grave
I don't know why, can't tell you why
And our lives from day to day
Like an old photograph just fades
And becomes a memory, just a memory
And I will always remember you
Yes, I will always remember you
And loved ones we have known,
We find one day they're gone
Well I don't know why, I can't tell you why
I can only tell you're true
How much I love you
And I always will, you know I always will
And I will always love you
Yes, I will always love you
Tributes and messages of condolence can be left at www.hlmkfuneral.com. Memorials are suggested to the Salvation Army and Wounded Warriors Project.
Family and friends plan to gather at the Fort Kearny recreation area 3 p.m. Oct. 4, and bring along blankets and lawn chairs. We bet there will be more than one musical tribute to the late "tribal troubadour."