Concordia Wal-Mart Article

Wal*Mart Article
Author Denis Boyles, who has been a resident in our community the past year, has seen his latest work published in the American Enterprise Magazine (www.theamericanenterprise.org).  His article is not one of those published on line but you can find it at the Frank Carlson Library.

I found the thesis of Denis’s story interesting when he came to my office several months ago doing his research.  The magazine’s publisher wanted to gauge the impact of Wal-Mart’s in rural communities.  Comparing McCook, NE and Concordia was picked for the story.  As we heard at the Chamber Coffee today, the McCook Wal-Mart manager and Concordia Wal-Mart manager’s worked together in Great Bend.

The article is not a Wal-Mart “love-in.”  It is balanced and has good insight to the two communities.

Local Fireman

I received the following poem from one of our fire Captains. I hope you like it. Also, remember the work that both our Police and Fire staff do for this community.

Local Fireman".

My father was a fireman
He drove a big red truck,
And when he'd go to work every third day
He'd say, "Mother wish me luck".

Then Dad would not come home again
'Til sometime the next day,
But the thing that bothered me most
Was the things some folks would say.

A fireman's life is easy
He eats and sleeps and plays,
And sometimes he don't fight a fire
For days and days and days.

When I first heard these comments,
I was too young to understand
'Cause I knew when people had trouble
Dad was there to lend a hand.

Then my father went to work one day
And kissed us all good-bye,
But little did we realize
That night, we all would cry.

My father gave his life that night
When the floor gave way below,
And I wondered why he'd risk his life
For someone he didn't know.

But now I realize
The greatest gift a man could give
Is to lay his life upon the line
So that someone else may live.

So as we go from day to day
And we pray to God above,
Say a prayer for your local fireman...
He may save the one you love.