I haven’t lived in Kearney, Nebraska all my life like some. But I have lived in Kearney since my family moved here in 1969 for one purpose–so I could go to college. I was still in a wheelchair then and had gone one year at Iowa Western Community College in Clarinda Iowa. They’d been so good to see that I got to my classes and even took me across the street to eat lunch.
Would what was then Kearney State College do the same–before ADA laws dictated the campus be accessible? They were willing to work with me. My family moved to Kearney and I graduated from the college three years later.
Kearney has changed since then as have I. My husband and I met and married in Kearney. We raised our two children here and love having our grandchildren visit. (We live across the street from a park.) Kearney has grown and grown since I first arrived. Every time we go out, I find new buildings going up or discover a business I hadn’t noticed before.
And yet, Kearney, the town that welcomed us so many years ago, still has a feel of a small town even while building furiously into a city. New schools, a new hospital, and so much more. If you want sports. Got that. See a play or a concert. Got that, too. We have the Arch and Trails and Rails museum and more.
What I like is being able to go outside and still breathe in fresh air, filling my lungs as I take a short walk outside. I also stop and stretch and listen. Much of the year, I hear birds chirping from the trees. This year butterflies fluttered about. Kearney has parks that draw visitors to picnic, play, walk their dogs and create positive memories.
When our oldest grandchildren, now 17, 15 and 13, were younger, they usually spent a week or two with us in the summers. We took them to the Nature Barn, The Arch, the Fireman’s Museum. We picnicked at Yanney Heritage Park and let the kids play in the splash area. Of course, we took them out to eat. Kearney has lots of good places to eat. (Our second grandson was unhappy US Steak Buffet closed down. It was his favorite place to eat.)
Kearney is a place where people reach out. Wherever the disaster, Kearney people will either be on the road to help or donating. In fact my church, Kearney Hope EFC, with help from other churches, held a massive garage sale the end of September with several purposes. We offered items and clothing to help those for whom full price can be a burden. The money brought in went to assist with hurricane relief, while anything left over went to the Crossroads Center Rescue Mission store.
No place is perfect because we are not perfect people, but I look back and am thankful God brought me to Kearney those many years ago. Because my father was a minister, we often moved as I grew up. Since moving to Kearney, I’ve had no desire to live anyplace else. Why should I? Kearney is home.
And I give thanks.
Published in the Kearney Hub 12/4/2017
By Carolyn R Scheidies
Read more of Carolyn’s life: The Day Secretariat Won the Triple Crown