Lincoln’s “coffee crew” changes routine due to COVID-19
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The pandemic continues changing how we do everyday things, but for a group of friends in Lincoln, they’re finding ways to keep some of their routine the same, while also switching things up.
10/11 NOW’s Kamri Sylve refers to them as “Lincoln’s Coffee Crew,” but if you ask them, they call themselves “The Table of Knowledge.”
It’s a group of eight retired firefighters, police officers, postal workers, truck drivers, farmers and veterans.
Before COVID-19 hit, every morning, these friends would meet over at Cook’s Cafe in the Bethany area of Lincoln. When the shop closed down because of the pandemic, they didn’t want to stop seeing each other.
So now, they meet at Mr. Larry McCartney’s house for coffee, donuts and just some good conversation.
“We appreciate each other a lot. You know, if someone gets sick in the group, we’re the first ones there saying, ‘Can we help? What do you need?’ More so now, with COVID-19,” says Scott Danley, retired U.S. Navy veteran.
Except for two, the men were all strangers, up until they randomly met each other 8 years ago.
They realized they had much in common, from their lifestyles to their old professions, and things took off from there.
In their opinion, keeping up a good friendship requires give and take, honesty and remembering not to take everything to heart.
“I really appreciate doing this every morning with these guys. It makes my day go by a lot faster. They’re good people. They really are,” says retired truck driver Steve Smith.
These friends always remember to keep six fit apart and wear their masks. Mr. Larry will turn 80 years old in September, so the guys wanted to be sure to do their part in keeping everyone safe.
When 10/11 asked Mr. Larry’s daughter about his group of friends, she told us she feels like his friends have brought happiness back into his life after his wife passed away some years ago.
The group of friends meet every single morning between 9 and 10 a.m. over cups of coffee, donuts or sometimes, even a homemade breakfast. They say they look forward to the day they can return back to Cook’s and get back into their normal, everyday routine.
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