If you have spent any time in downtown Alliance or downtown Hemingford, there is a business that is shared between the two: Dave’s Pharmacy. This family-owned drug store serving as a staple for both communities and the surrounding area, is owned by Dave and Blanche Randolph. Behind the scenes, managing both stores is Mikayla Smith.
She is the daughter of Dave’s Pharmacy owners, wife to Brandt, and mother of two, and has been a resident of Hemingford since seventh grade. Today, she has chosen to put down roots in the community. Recently, she took time to chat with us about the place she calls home.
You might be familiar with the Village of Hemingford, a place described as a Midwest version of Hallmark movie town by Smith.
“When talking to my in-laws who are from California, that’s kind of the way I describe it,” said Smith. “It’s your quintessential small town, you have your downtown that’s cute, a lot of businesses, you have holiday pride with the flags and the tree lighting, you have the school sports and celebrate when they go to state. If Hallmark wanted to do a movie in Nebraska, Hemingford would be the spot.”
Geographically speaking, she compliments Hemingford for its proximity to things to do in Fort Collins if you want a day of hustle and bustle or how close the Black Hills, Chadron State Park, or the Box Butte Reservoir are for a day outdoors.
“You’re just in this perfect area,” Smith noted. “It’s like your own little paradise.”
Part of this paradise is the amenities within the town, including the Hemingford school system. With an eight-year-old daughter, Smith has first-hand experience with the Hemingford Public Schools and loves seeing her child be successful in school due to several factors including the class sizes, phenomenal teachers, and the quality of the administrators.
In general, Smith praises the resources that are available in Box Butte County to support children and families, some of which she was not aware of until her own need for them. She shared an experience with her youngest child, a boy named Callahan. He spent some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after his birth and had developed small delays in gross motor skills and had trouble with swallowing.
“Our pediatrician recommended us to a program that worked with the public schools,” said Smith. “So, the occupational and speech therapist and physical therapists that go into the school to meet with elementary-aged kids, they came to my house. They met with Callahan, and he ended up catching up and meeting his goals.”
Unaware of the resources until she needed them, Smith was happy to see how high quality the resources are here to help with the early years of children in the community.
Smith also shared benefits and support for children in Hemingford outside of school. Because of the safety and size of the community, her eight-year-old can ride her bike around the block with few worries from Smith. And there is great support from the Village of Hemingford for the park with a brand-new playground coming and a brand-new splash pad ready for kids to play in this coming summer. Smith also mentioned the sports programs and overall, there are several options to keep the kids in the community entertained.
“That’s something not every small town can boast about that Hemingford can,” said Smith. “It’s a safe place, with activities, a lot of resources and the school does an amazing job.”
Smith also has this experience from her own point of view. Being a student at Hemingford Public Schools since fourth grade, she has been integrated into the community for most of her life. In school, Smith was involved in a variety of activities and doing what she could to make a difference.
“I’m really hands-on, I’m not going to sit back and talk about it or complain,” said Smith, “I’m going to take actionable steps to make a difference. I love the community of Hemingford.”
The way she is choosing to make a difference is by becoming the Village of Hemingford Board of Trustees’ newest member. Smith volunteers and sits on a couple non-profit boards in Alliance, and she decided to run for the village board to have an opportunity to give back in the community where she lives.
“There’s been so many big projects happening before me,” Smith acknowledged. “I’m so excited to see what kind of big projects are next to keep the town growing and thriving.”
She’s happy to also set an example for her children, while making a difference for the future, a future that she sees as a successful one for Hemingford.
“Hemingford is desirable,” said Smith. “Housing is an issue because people want to live there, people want to purchase homes and raise families, and it’s a desirable place to live. And that gives me hope that it’s a desirable place for people to start businesses.”
Managing her family and locally owned business, she can attest to the community supporting local businesses.
“Hemingford has a track record of showing up for their local businesses,” said Smith.
And that is a theme within the overall community. “Everybody knows each other and rallies around each other, it’s special, you know?” said Smith.
As our conversation ended, Smith encouraged her community to keep that mindset as the town experiences the ebbs and flows of the current times in the wake of losing the local paper and other business closings.
“Keep the faith,” said Smtih, “And continue to support the businesses that are in the community and stay community minded; we’ve got to.”
Confident that businesses will come back, Smith gave the example of the old dental office becoming a much needed and celebrated therapy clinic.
“It’ll work out,” said Smith. “Just remain positive.”