Community events can out-draw lure of the Olympics

Shaun Cox, from left, Elizabeth Borink and William Morris are among the volunteers for Beautify McCook, which is overseeing the flowering planters downtown.

Courtesy photo

While my family and I participate in a lot of sporting events, we don’t dedicate a lot of time to watching them in person or on TV. We’ll turn on the Super Bowl every February for the commercials and half-time show and to hang out with our friends. My husband and boys will watch a motocross race occasionally, thinking they are just as fast on their bikes. And since tickets to the Nebraska volleyball games are the hardest things in Nebraska to get, we will watch any Husker volleyball game being broadcast.

But for the most part, we’d rather be doing than watching….except when it comes to the Olympics.

Thank goodness the Olympics only happen every few years or I would get nothing done. Over the past week, I’ve watched all the high-profile sports like swimming and gymnastics and volleyball (FYI, the US team has three Nebraska players on the roster which is pretty impressive). But once I have made it through that day’s offerings of those sports, I venture into the second-tier sports, of which I usually have no clue about the rules such as judo, handball and break-dancing. Yes, break-dancing is making its debut at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. I have watched badminton and ping pong, kayaking and rowing, synchronized diving and foiling, all the time not knowing one iota what was going on and who the winner was until someone got really excited at the end.

Like curling during the winter Olympics, we forget that most of these sports exist until the summer games roll around every four years. For most of these athletes, they spend four years preparing for these two weeks, so I feel a sense of duty, almost an obligation, to check in on each sport and acknowledge the effort and athleticism required - and critique their uniforms, good and bad.

But even with more hours of Olympic TV coverage available than is humanly-possible to watch, I know that I need to venture away from my TV and outside my home - for the simple fact that there is so much going on in our communities that we need to be part of and attend and support.

If you thought July was jam-packed with community events, August is shaping up to be busier with non-stop activities in our communities.

The McCook Rotary Club and CASA have joined forces with local law enforcement and fire departments for the National Night Out, which will take place Tuesday, Aug. 6 at McCook. From 6:30-7:30 p.m., everyone is encouraged to come to Norris Park, which will have the side-streets closed off to traffic for a bike rodeo, popcorn from Poppin’ on the Bricks and popsicles to cool of with. For the bicycle rodeo, you can just show up with your bike or show your creativity and decorate your bike for the night.

I will personally be bringing several extra bikes for anyone who wants to join in the event but doesn’t have a bicycle ready to go.

Just two days later, Norris Park will again be filled with people as MNB Bank’s Hot Summer Nights takes over the bandshell on Thursday, Aug. 8. Along with the free performance by Anthony and the Anamals, food will be available. Community Chest volunteers, who organize the Southwest Nebraska Big Give on Nov. 7, will be serving a hamburger meal for a free-will offering, thanks to very generous sponsors including MNB, Community Hospital, Horizon Bank, First Central Bank, Pinnacle Bank and Walmart.

And nearby, the Beautify McCook committee will be serving up root beer floats for dessert, with proceeds to benefit the projects around the community.

Beautify McCook will actually benefit from two fund-raisers this month.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, Valmont is hosting the August Third Thursday event in downtown McCook’s Creative District. Jesse Stevens and the Coyote Country’s Country Music Showdown will be providing the musical entertainment for the evening. At the end of the singing competition, the public gets to vote - with their dollars - for their favorites and the proceeds will go to Beautify McCook.

Since I had to summarize what Beautify McCook was for Third Thursday, this is a great opportunity to once again share what this small group of volunteers is doing for the community. The projects have included re-installing lights on the downtown McCook skyline; planters on the corners of downtown McCook both during the summer and the winter, which has brought many volunteer groups and individuals together for the watering schedule; and additional lights in the trees in Norris Park with the hopes of adding more every year.

And in the middle of all these events are several community events. Indianola’s Old Settler’s Days takes place from Aug. 8-11, with too many activities to list but lets just say there is dancing, food and drinks aplenty.

On the other side of McCook, Trenton is celebrating its annual Harvest Festival on Aug. 9-11 with music, food from breakfast to dawn and again enough activities to keep all ages busy throughout the day.

And then school starts and school activities will take over the calendars.

But in the meantime, show your support for the events happening in our communities by showing up and taking part in the activities. A lot of volunteer hours are given to make these these community events happen, giving each and everyone something fun to do with friends, family and neighbors.

And you can return to your couch later to catch up on the Olympics and fulfill your fascination with artistic swimming and the trampoline…yes, bonafide sports that we’ll all have to learn the rules for every four years.