It's time to hit the road for the 16th annual Nebraska Shop Hop! And the countdown is on!

Today is Sunday, March 30....four more days until you can hit the road for a journey you'll be wild about! You even have permission to Go Ahead, Get Wild from the Nebraska Independent Fabric Shops aka NIFS.

Your journey begins April 3, and continues through April 12, to 35 quilt shops. And when you head out west, there's a little something extra for you. Sixteen shops have gone in together to create this quilt out of the special fabric created for this event by Quilting Treasures. Each shop has a separate pattern and you'll have to visit all 16 quilt shops to get the pattern for each section. No matter, out in the wild west you'll encounter some of the nicest people.

You may decide to create your own quilt. There are several color ways the fabric was created, and it will take some time to decide on what you want. NOT...just get one of everything! 

But make your first stop at the Quilting Cupboard!

Extended hours, a quaint community in Valentine, will have you feeling simply: Wild! There are plenty of places to spend the night including the Trade Winds Lodge or Valentine's Niobrara Lodge, both supporters of SandhillsWesternVacations.com. Click on their ad and it will take you to their website. 

Wake up refreshed and be on your way...there's more to see out west...you know: The Wild, Wild, WEST!

Each quilt shop will reveal their projects during the event and will have limited Wild About Nebraska fabric on hand. Make sure you get enough at the Quilting Cupboard for your project!!!! Owner, Susan Stec, can help you with fabric amounts to fill out your stash, or to make the quilt pictured at the top. 

So go ahead...get Wild. Wild about Nebraska...from one cosmopolitan end to the wilderness of the other end. You'll be glad you did...get just a little bit wild!

Time to get Wild about Nebraska with the 16th annual Nebraska Shop Hop!

Are you wild about Nebraska? Our state is number one in so many things...I think primarily it's the people  that make it so special. Like YOU!

You do so much for each other! Like the adventure that awaits you for the 16th annual Nebraska Shop Hop coming up April 3 - 12, 2014. Ladies will flock to all 35 locations of the Nebraska Independent Fabric Shops. Last year it wasn't just ladies, a husband and wife team traveled to all the quilt shops in the state!

While traveling you will bond with each other - your deer friends - plan ahead for gifts, help each other find that special fabric that "speaks" to you....or the ONE fabric that will finally allow you to finish that UFO...aka...unfinished project.

There's a lot to get wild about this year too! A special fabric has been created showcasing the vast wilderness and beauty that makes up most of the state. Critters, flowers, and waterfalls...

While traveling, make sure to stop at the Quilting Cupboard in Valentine! Susan Stec is the shop owner and will make you feel right at home in the renovated home - turned quilt shop. There are two floors full of 100 percent cotton fabric, wool, patterns, books, notions, buttons, flosses, trims and kits.

And she'll make YOU feel welcome with a nice hot beverage, or cool one, depending on the fluctuating winds of spring while you peruse more than 1,000 bolts of fabrics. Some waiting just for you too!

Each of the western shops has put together a quilt using the 16th annual Shop Hop fabric created just for this event. Once it's gone...ladies and gentlemen....it's gone. You'll have to stop at all the shops to get your pattern and put it together row by row.

Valentine is a tourist town...with plenty to see and do. You might want to make this your last stop of the day so you can enjoy the comforts of the Trade Winds Lodge or Valentine's Niobrara Lodge. Get up in the morning and be on your way west where other quaint shops await. The early bird gets the worm....

One of the most fabulous thing about the annual Shop Hop is that you're meeting up with old friends again...or making new ones.

You're also putting together memories - not just for yourselves as you travel - but those memories will go into the projects you create for your loved ones. You'll recall that Susan helped you pick out the perfect fabric to compliment others. Or showed you a pattern that will showcase your stash to perfection.

Make your plan. Head out to Valentine, Nebraska...stay a day and enjoy The Quilting Cupboard, browse quaint shops on Main Street, get a meal from some award winning restaurants...and remember the flock of love that is the Heart City.

The Quilting Cupboard is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and can be reached by calling 402-376-3702.

Go wild about Nebraska, all roads will lead you to the City with Heart, Valentine, Nebraska!!!

The Good Life - Nebraska Style!

If you live in, or vacation in Nebraska, you know it's a pretty special state...just how special?

Find out here:







Happy Birthday Nebraska!

Does it make you a little bit prouder to be a Nebraskan?

Valentine's Day is tomorrow...GUYS!!! (and gals) in Valentine, NE!

So, you didn't remember Valentine's Day? You remembered the fishing tournament a week or so ago, but may not have remembered your special someone? Your mother for example? How about your wife? Girlfriend? Kids???

Henderson's IGA has something for you...something for everyone...at a price that's affordable!!! Stop by, say you're picking up some milk, or something special for dinner, and surprise them with one of these....

You can almost feel Spring!

These roses can be planted outside later on!

Color your loved one's world with something special!

Bouquets are nice...and you can't ever miss with a dozen roses!

Do you know someone with a little more color? How about something like these? 

For mom, dad, spouse, and kids....or just for yourself. We all need chocolate and sweets!!!

And if you don't know someone to share real kisses with, a box goes a long way...so does a hug!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

From the Heart City!

Your heart is important - NO BULL! Visit Valentine February 14-15 for Valentine's Day and Bull Bash!

Where does the time go??? The 13th annual Bull Bash will be held this weekend, Saturday, February 15! What a great way for you and your family to get out, enjoy some nice weather - already, forecasters are saying it will be 49 degrees - and breezy for those who love the wind.

Pay no mind to that, there will be so much going on that a bit of wind won't matter at all for those who don't much care for it! Organizers are expecting more than 100 bulls along with every farmer or ranchers dream...Why the Bull Bash? Valentine, Nebraska is a cow town and that doesn't mean there's not any romance. Don't you think those ranchers get a little glassy-eyed at the beautiful bulls that will be lining Valentine's Main Street? And if they haven't found the perfect bull, by golly, they'll see the greatest in baling equipment. And whose eyes wouldn't glaze over and their heart pitter-pat at the thought of one of those heated cabs this winter or air-conditioned cabs this summer?

For the ladies, there will be a quilt show on display at Nelsen Furniture. Vote for your favorite and that quilter can win a little prize money! But that doesn't mean the guys can't stop in and take a look. They may just walk away with something every rancher needs at the end of the day...a great lounge chair to kick those heel up in and R-E-L-A-X!

The Vets Club will have food upstairs and activities downstairs, and the Hoover Event Center will again host the Gun Show, always a favorite for men and women, boys and girls.

Visit Plains Trading Book Store who will have local author Evelyn Foster signing her book Bricks of Love at 10:30 a.m. Also signing books will be C.M. Wendelboe  and his third Spirit Road book Death on the Greasy Grass, also at 10:30 a.m.Then at noon, Colonel Tom Brewer, featured in the book The Bone Yard,  will be available to sign the book written by James Christ. The book is about an ambush in Afghanistan when Brewer and other National Guardsmen were ambushed by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. He will only be there until 1:00 p.m. Additionally, he's entered the primary for the third district congressional seat.

Cedar Canyon will be the place for the annual fund-raiser for the 4-H kids with their Luck of the Draw. Tickets will be on sale through 3:00 p.m. with the drawings to begin at 4:30 p.m.

Before the evening concludes there will be a concert by the Bar J Wranglers held at the Valentine High School Auditorium, located at Fifth and Green Street. The Bar J Wranglers will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. CST. There is a cost for the tickets which can be purchased by calling 1-800-658-4024.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here...there will be the Red Dress for Heart event on Friday, February 14, at the Cherry County Fairgrounds. It's a fund-raiser whose proceeds will go to the Cherry County Hospital, Bryan Memorial, and to the American Heart Association. That event begins at 8:30 p.m. This is a chance to learn about heart health in women, and for you to pull out your best red dress, shirt, tie, or boots and have a hand in helping to raise not only awareness of heart disease in women, but helping to raise funds for the detection and prevention of heart disease.

For more information about Bull Bash and the Red Dress Event, you can go to: http://www.bullbash.com/index.php.

Come and enjoy a weekend of fun with your family and loved ones right here in the Heart City of Valentine, Nebraska. Make a weekend of it. Use the sponsors of SandhillsWesternVacations.com to make your stay something special. Several of them have also sponsored the Bull Bash and the Red Dress event. Come one, come all, there's something here for everyone!

And now...a little closer to home!! Cherry County Hospital receives three excellence awards!

Cherry County Hospital, located in Valentine, Nebraska, was recently recognized by IVantage Health Analytics as a HealthStrong Award winner for Overall Excellence, Excellence in Quality, and Excellence in Efficiency reflecting top quality performance among all acute care hospitals in the nation.

Cherry County Hospital was one of only five critical access hospitals in Nebraska to receive the Overall Excellence award. 

IVantage announced the latest HealthStrong Award winners at the annual meeting of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The HealthStrong Awards are based on he Hospital Strength Index, a national ratings program developed by IVantage to recognize top performing hospitals based on key metrics critical to success in the new healthcare marketplace.

The Hospital Strength Index ranks all 4,400+ U.S. general acute care hospitals, including more than 1,300 critical access hospitals.

Congratulations to Cherry County Hospital and all who earned this special award.

Sometimes you don't have to go far to find something special...it's right here!

Pepsi #Halftime America with Lee Brice in Milligan, NE

While it's not happening here in Cherry County, we're happy for Milligan, NE, who was chosen as the kickoff for the BIG GAME! They're outside of Lincoln and a small little town of about 300....watch the video on how they're getting hyped for some football...







Milligan, NE is quite a ways from Cherry County and Valentine, NE, but we're celebrating with them just the same!

Rock on Milligan!

Meanwhile...who will you be rootin' for during the big game? Seattle Seahawks? or Denver Broncos?

What a special event for Milligan and we're glad to share it with everyone!