Legislative Breakfast

Nearly 30 members of the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee and guests of Community Hospital attended the annual Legislative Wrap-up Breakfast on Thursday, June 14, at the Hospital.

Senator Mark Christensen shared information from the 2007 legislative session and answered several questions from those in attendance regarding issues at hand. There continues to be concern regarding LB701 which gave NRDs the authority to levy occupation and property taxes in an effort to meet our water obligations to Kansas. Christensen’s first legislative session as a State Senator proved to be challenging yet rewarding at the same time. The Senator is already looking ahead to next year and bills that he will consider sponsoring.

Date Set for Goal Setting Session

The McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors will meet in the Board Room of Community Hospital on the evening of July 10 for their annual goal setting session. This activity is normally held each year in January but has been moved to July in order to accommodate recent changes to Chamber by-laws.

Effective March 14, 2007, the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously voted to align the Chamber Director terms with the financial fiscal year of July 1 to June 30. In order to accommodate this change the goal setting session was also moved to July.

Historically speaking, new Board members will begin their terms during the quieter months of the summer rather than in January when they would begin with the Annual Banquet and the Home Show on the near horizon. New board members include Tom Weimers, Darryl Volquardsen. Stacey Priebe and Chris Hansen assumed their duties as new board members earlier in the year.

The Chamber Board invites any member with ideas for the Chamber to consider in the 2007-2008 year to contact the office prior to the July 10 meeting.

Nebraska Habitat Stamp Art Contest Entries on Display

The McCook Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the Youth Traveling Exhibit of the Nebraska Habitat Stamp Art Contest will be hosted in McCook through July 9, 2007.

The 72 pieces of art in the exhibit include the winner, finalists, honorable mentions and other pieces worthy of traveling exhibit status in three youth divisions - elementary, junior and senior. A total of 1198 entries were judged in the competition.

The winner in the junior section was Emily Tolliver of McCook. She is the daughter of Rick and Mary Tolliver and a 13- year old seventh grader at St. Patrick’s School. Her winning art was a cardinal done in colored pencil.

Other area entries included in the display will be: Camryn Rasmussen, Indianola: Jessica Percival, Oxford; Megan Kelley, Danbury; Chad Cochran, Imperial and Miranda Wordekemper, Indianola.

The Chamber of Commerce is working together with the local Plains Sportsmen Chapter of Pheasants Forever and the McCook Art Guild to bring the exhibit to McCook. The display can be seen at the McCook Art Guild on Norris Avenue during their regular hours as follows: Tuesdays from 10:00 to 4:00; Wednesday-Friday from 1:00 to 4:00; and Saturdays from 10:00 to 4:00.

Homespun Fun (Crazy Days) Set for July 12-14

The Marketing Committee is excited about the annual Crazy Days promotion which is scheduled for July 12-14. We invite you to join us as we honor our soldiers by treating them to a steak sandwich lunch at Norris & C Streets. According to our National Guard and Army Reserve contacts, approximately 50 soldiers will be home at that time. Honoring them with a complimentary meal is a mere token of appreciation for their time-honored commitment to protect our country and the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis.

Many of the details of previous Crazy Days Celebrations remain unchanged: early hours, merchant costumes, sidewalk sales and crazy pricing! All of the fun will take place on C street as always.

Again, the key event this year is the “Backyard BBQ Contest” (open to amateurs only) complete with t-shirts and prizes. Thanks to D&S Hardware, first prize is a Ducane BBQ Grill valued at $400.00! In addition, there will be cash prizes of $150, $100 and $50. Schmick’s Market is very generously providing the rib-eye steaks for the competition. Steaks for the general public are also courtesy of Schmick’s Market. The steak sandwiches will be complemented with side dishes provided and served to the public by the newly formed McCook Starz Dance Team as a fundraiser. ($10.00 per ticket) We sincerely appreciate D & S and Schmick’s Market for their outstanding support of this retail event!

Again this year, Rick Redden of NTV has stepped forward to help make this a spectacular event. He is planning to bring a Fox NTV Celebrity from “On The Menu” and a cameraman along to promote the event on television that Saturday.

Plans for the kids include: minnow races, turtle races and a water balloon activity beginning at 10:00. Everyone will be a winner with prizes donated from merchants around town! There will be snow cones on the street as well as live coverage from both local radio stations, Hometown Family Radio and High Plains Radio.

To make this a more enjoyable experience for everyone, we have also been able to acquire tents for shade! “Homespun Fun” promises to be FUN for everyone.....so mark your calendar!

"Homespun Fun" BBQ Contest Entry Form and Complete Rules.