Fresh Tex-Mex and Wide Lanes Open South of the Highway
Madrid, NE · September 28, 2026
After a brisk weekend across the county, Monday settles in with thickening clouds and rain on the horizon. If you are hauling grain today or running errands along Highway 23, keep an umbrella tucked behind the seat.
The Lead
Madrid has a dedicated lunch counter again, and you can pull a combine right up to the window. The Lighthouse, a new fast-casual Tex-Mex kitchen tucked inside the Eastern Sky tire facility just south of Highway 23 on Road 341, welcomed its first full week of patrons after a bustling opening run. Owned by James Harms and staffed with familiar faces—including longtime baker Brian Pankonin and Madrid resident Bridgette Palu—the kitchen serves made-to-order burritos, bowls, and tacos with cilantro rice and queso. Harms arranged the gravel approaches so tractor haulers and freight rigs can navigate the drive-thru loop without unhitching. Beyond sparing drivers a twenty-mile run to Grant or Ogallala for hot food, the kitchen provides a much-needed casual gathering spot for neighbors and passing haulers. Expanded evening hours take effect next month.
Today's Outlook
- High 76°F · Low 62°F — Rain (49% chance of precipitation)
- Keep an umbrella handy as scattered showers bring cooler, damp air through tonight.
What's On Around Town
Today
- Community Homestyle Lunch Perkins County Senior Center (420 Central Ave), Grant, 11:15 AM–1:00 PM · $6–8 Homestyle cooking, fresh salad bar, and neighborly conversation over coffee.
Tomorrow
- Story Time with Trenton Kathleen Lute Public Library (610 W A St), Ogallala, 10:00 AM · Free
Wednesday
- Adult Craft & Chat Kathleen Lute Public Library (610 W A St), Ogallala, 10:00 AM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Petrified Wood & Art Gallery
- Identical twins Howard and Harvey Kenfield began collecting High Plains agates in 1953, eventually carving petrified wood into intricate miniature buildings and three-dimensional landscapes. Their hand-polished fossil artwork opened to the public in 1976, preserving millions of years in stone.
Madrid Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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