™
$2a$10$BV2a7V/BdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8Gy/Beii 959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIR VJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$VQy5s jVaOIi93aOzrmX/NOWOEU/lVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJH GImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORS BHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$.BSUej3mkaYgBL6SH dzkruV.CLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ 0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\ n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DM h2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIR VJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$bok og0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK. 96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIE hFUkU=\n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWv/tvWyOIUae5YKMb G9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVX TElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8/IgljO 0gl8u/8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIR VJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$8HQy CRFmAbw.q2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYN WIAST0cM/2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVX TElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd 71pgp.O03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEH. KqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUy BIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEh FUkU=\n$2a$10$FmIjrLTW. ACeLTrwoJXJ.u8b8hgthtLuGD By0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ 0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORS BHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$C jZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7eh. yyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1f HkrPX/mU1BBQ0UgR09FUy BIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIE hFUkU=\n$2a$10$uPCa JPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK 9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdy Br.0eW.m COVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
$925,000
Featured on cover of House to Home Magazine, this sanctuary is transformed w/a rustic Tuscan flavor & the ambiance of a European spa. Unique: wrought iron posts, Italian tiles, Persian granite, & copper sink. Master bath boasts an expanded shower & freestanding travertine vanity. One of Indian Creek’s premier golf course lots w/enchanting view.
Doug Todd • 402.981.2980
9310 Davenport Street
$699,000
Beautiful home in Westchester with landscaped garden and Koi pond. District 66 Schools. Quiet neighborhood near all amenities. Newly renovated int & ext; 4 bedroom, 2 en suite; 3.5 Bathrooms; 3 Garage; Granite kitchen; slate floors; water softener; alarm system; Large deck; fenced back yard; landscape lighting; irrigation system.
The Dooley Group • 402.319.9678
107 Banyan Court
$1,300,000
Grand home from Entertaining! Custom Built Ranch. High Cathedral Ceilings. GR counters, Tile Floors, SS appliances, Subzero Fridge. Built in desk. Warming Drawer & Prep sink in large island. Beautifully landscaped. Steel siding. New roof 2012. Theater Room, Rec Room and Wet Bar LL. Car enthusiasts dream 5500 Sq Ft Extra Garage & Car Hoist & 700 Ft Office.
The Hayton / Lytle Team • 402.639.6363
1862 County Road 5, Yutan
$1,300,000
This 1.5 story, 5 bedroom, 5 bath home, (all beds are in suite), geothermal heating, high tech surround sound and security including camera, custom stamped concrete heated floor through main level, high end finishes, huge new out building, pool, nice large stocked ponds, beautiful views and private. Just a 15 minute drive to Omaha.
1823 S 194 Avenue
$647,000
Exquisite Estate Home. Prestigious location on a quiet street, wooded lot for privacy. Exceptional upgrades throughout. Large kitchen , oversized MS w/sitting area, large closet & bath, all bedrooms have bath access, finished walk out featuring media room, wet bar, & exercise room. Screened in porch, fire pit, waterfall, and plush landscaping all around.
Matt Rasmussen • 402.657.1969
13808 Burt Street
+
Jim & Marilyn Marriott • 402.681.1181
8979 Raven Drive, Louisville
$660,000
Framed by the forest! Custom 3 BR, 4 Ba w/o ranch on 8.48 acres. Lrg eat in kitchen, tile flr, ss applian (refrig, W/D stay) “Venetian Gold” granite, pantry, 2 FP. 5 car garage, heated, egdos. 4 season porch wine cellar, wet bar LL, Sec & sprinklr, landscaped w/ground lighting dog run. Lrg deck w/retract awning. Assement include. Birds & deer
$950,000
Fabulous Linden Estates gem. Builder’s own custom built 1 1/2 story, sun room and 4 season’s porch. Upstairs game room with fireplace and wet bar. Great location, easy access to anywhere.
John Greguska • 402.612.0594
20244 Hanna Ave, Pacific Junction, IA
$799,000
Over 33 acres with a beautiful ranch home overlooking the Loess Hills - comes with a barn with stalls for your horses - This home has a beautiful kitchen, family room, formal dining room, fireplace, 22 x 17 master bedroom with cedar closets, oak ceiling & walls in living room, sauna, underground sprinklers plus a 3 car garage.
Jerre Hunter • 402.981.1342
$525,000
A wonderfully large OPEN CONCEPT home with wrap around decks all setting on top of almost 17 acre’s of pristine and pure Loess Hills. Just south of Crescent with a long driveway. A huge 40x60 outbuilding to go along with this over 6,100 sq ft updated home. A glorious master bedroom. Lots of open space and windows. Great views in all directions. Private,rare and filled with nature.
Realtor Rob • 402.598.3335
$625,000
Innovative 1.5 story plan features upgraded finishes. Dramatic 12’ ceiling, curved staircase & stacked stone fireplace with hearth seating. Rich Brazilian Oak floors, stylish Birch/Granite/Stainless Kitchen that opens to a covered deck & screen porch with a panoramic view. Luxurious Master Suite with designer tile bath & large walk-in closet.
The Hayton / Lytle Team • 402.639.6363
Susan Hancock • 402.215.7700
23083 Old Lincoln, Crescent IA
18717 Nicholas Street
I.F.C
5101 N. 196th Street
19010 Hamilton Street
$825,000
Lovely custom Ted Grace Walk-Out Ranch built in 2006 featuring over 5100 sq ft with 4 large BR and 3 1/2 BA. Built with high-end quality materials & maintains some of the original warranties. This home in Silverleaf Estates is close to Dodge Expressway, Shopping and Methodist Hospital. Comparable home would cost over $1,000,000 plus lot to build.
Jayne Smith • 402.203.5847
12980 Pioneer Lane, Louisville
$665,000
Stunning 1 1/2 story custom blt home on 5 acres. Spacious kit includes a butlers panty, cherry cabinets, granite countertops, breakfast bar & tile floor. Enclosed sunroom w/frplc. MBR suite. Curved staircase to 2nd flr features 3 bdrms, 2 BA plus lrg bonus room. All BR have WI closets. Walk out LL is framed & just needs finished. Geothermal. Amazing 6 car garage w/adddtnl 900 Sq Ft. heated wrkshp. Loft above garage.
The Good Life Group • 402.612.3833
V I R T U A L TO U R S A N D M O R E AT NPDODGE.COM
™
Omaha Code School
Bootcamp Beginnings Ariel Roblin Building the Burlington Station’s Future
Rabbi Azriel Legacy Secure With an eye to our cover story on the Omaha Code School, text on the cover was rendered in code. Here’s a second look at the same cover, this time translated into a more familiar language.
MAY/JUNE
•
2014
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
3
CONTENTS
features volume 31 • issue 3
table of contents
126 Omaha Code School
Boot Camp Beginnings features
4
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
116
Rabbi Azriel Legacy Secure
120
The Wonderful World of Ryan Rhodes The Voice of Disney
123
Ariel Roblin Building the Burlington Station’s Future
TWICE AS NICE TWO CASINOS TWO PLACES TO EARN
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We’ve made a name for ourselves by being the original and most rewarding places for entertainment in Council Bluffs. Our casino reward loyalty program has been voted the world’s best, with the largest casino and entertainment network, including eight Las Vegas destinations.
Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (In Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ©2014, Caesars License Company, LLC.
CONTENTS
departments & special sections volume 31 • issue 2
departments
OmahaHome 51
10 Editor’s Letter march/april 2014
12 Between the Lines
gala
14 For Starters
103 Cover Story
EDITORIAL & CREATIVE STAFF
16 Calendar of Events 22 Did You Know…
28 History
david williams
109 Gala Feautre
managing editor
Back from the Grave Greta Plains Black History Museum
24 Art + Culture
Shakespearean Power Couple
executive editor
Omaha Gives The Science of Giving
robert nelson
114 Gala Calendar
editorial interns
josie bungert
A Look Back at Segregated Omaha
31 Art + Culture
60PLUS In Omaha
131
cr e at i v e di r e ctor
john gawley
Artist Justin Beller
37 Art + Culture
Ballet Nebraska’s Bret Samson and Sasha York
39 Art + Culture
Author Timothy Schaffert
41 Gen O
Miss Nebraska Teen USA Savannah Rave
43 Style Shot
Tilly and the Wall’s Kianna Alarid
director of photography
dining
156 Restaurant Feature
Over Easy A Little Neighborhood Eatery
159 Restaurant Review Avoli Osteria Northern Italian at its Best
&
interactive media
bill sitzmann
senior graphic designer
kristen hoffman
graphic designer
rachel joy
162 Dining Guide 174 Omaha Happy Hours
production artist
marti latka
46 Art + Culture
The Benson Theatre
contributing writers
leo adam biga
49 Sports
Sports Psychologist Dr. Jack Stark
151 Sports
Kayleigh Begley and Kelsey Saddoris
154 Sports
Omaha! Omaha! NFL Ref Clete Blakeman
177 Greater Nebraska Happenings
6
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
• josie bungert
kim carpenter
Omaha Magazine
visitorsedition
kristen hoffman doug meigs robyn murray
• judy horan • jennifer litton
• summer miller
• carol crissey nigrelli
mary anne vaccar
• sarah wengert
Pages 36-148 do not appear in the Omaha Magazine visitors edition.
To read these articles online, visit OmahaMagazine.com. To receive a full edition of Omaha Magazine by mail, purchase a subscription at OmahaMagazine.com/subscribe.
Owned and managed by Omaha Magazine, LTD
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A Fast-Paced Legal Thriller
A Monstrously Clever Musical
volume 31, issue 2 ACCOUNTS & OPERATIONS STAFF publisher
todd lemke p u b l i s h e r ’s a s s i sta n t
&
omaha home
contributing editor
sandy besch-matson vice president
greg bruns
MAY 30 – JUNE 29
MAY 9 – JUNE 8
executive vice president sales
&
marketing
gil cohen
A Monstrously Clever Musical senior sales executive
&
60plus in
omaha contributing editor
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gwen lemke e x e cu t i v e s a l e s as so ci at e
vicki voet branding specialist
george idelman s a l e s as so ci at e s
dawn dennis alicia smith hollins jessica linhart sydney stander v i ce pr e s i de n t of ope r at ion s
tyler lemke event director
erin cox
Whether it is day or night, inside or out, Joslyn has so much to offer.
accou n ta n t
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jim heitz
THURSDAYS: Open ‘til 8 pm!
distribution manager
(paid ticketed admission for some exhibitions)
SCULPTURE GARDENS Open and free – all day every day!
explore AT
NOW
mike brewer
Joslyn Art Museum features works from antiquity to the present with an emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century European and American art. A fun, educational, relaxing, and artful destination for the whole family.
Open Tuesday through Sunday.
2200 Dodge St. | Omaha, NE | (402) 342-3300 | joslyn.org
8
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
for advertising & subscription information:
402.884.2000 Comments? Send your letter to the editor to: david@omahamagazine.com All versions of Omaha Magazine are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. Subscription rates: $19.95 for 6 issues (one year), $24.95 for 12 issues (two years). No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. Best of Omaha®™ is a registered tradename of Omaha Magazine.
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FROM THE EDITOR
david williams
147 Johnsons Can’t be Wrong
I
WAS DOING SOME WORK recently
in our subscriber database thingy and couldn’t help but notice that the surname of “Johnson” is found an astounding 147 times among our current and past subscribers. Sure, census data tells us that Johnson is the second most common surname in America. It’s topped only by all the “Smiths” out there…and is followed by my own name of Williams. But I was still blown away by
the discovery and how it all speaks to the broad and deep reach of our publication, one that is meant to connect every name in town through our shared sense of “Omahaness.” The surname of “Nelson” is also anything but rare. It appears an impressive 53 times among our subscribers and maintains the position of 40th on the national roster mentioned above. But this name ranks much higher with us here in the office since the newest member of our team joined us in March.
Frequent Omaha Magazine contributor, author, and former Omaha World-Herald columnist Robert Nelson is an incredibly talented, award-winning journalist, and we are proud to announce his new position as Managing Editor of our family of titles. Now let’s learn a bit more below about the man who will play such a major role in our continued success in this, our 31st year of publishing Omaha Magazine…
Full Steam Ahead
S
PEND ANY TIME IN this city and
you quickly realize that Omaha Magazine is the city magazine of Omaha. For 31 years, countless competitors have come on the scene with grand proclamations, only to die with a whimper. It’s a brutal business; the attrition rate mirrors that of the movie Highlander. “There can be only one.” Omaha Magazine is the one. So I’ve always respected Todd Lemke and his crew at Omaha Magazine. It was an honor to be asked to come join Dave Williams and the other members of the talented creative team here. I wouldn’t have joined, however, if there weren’t goals—somewhere to go. Omaha Magazine is fantastic at telling the stories of the interesting people and interesting happenings in this city. Still, we can grow. Over the next several issues, I believe you’ll notice 10
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
the magazine taking on a bolder, broader, more nuanced, more erudite voice. The best city magazines challenge ideas, thoroughly explore issues, find new angles, have some fun. In the end, they reflect honestly and intelligently the soul of their city. Omaha is growing and maturing. It is a more cosmopolitan city. We will grow with the city. On a personal note: I’d like to thank all of those in this community who have been there for my family and me over the last three years. An autoimmune disease that sparked a withering number of complications—including a stroke—has finally, almost inexplicably, disappeared. I only began writing again six months ago, when I was invited to assist in the production of two episodes for a series on the Investigation Discovery channel. Soon after that, I returned to work on my next
book, “Altar Ego,” which is planned for release next spring. It’s been quite a ride. Honestly, I’m not just happy to be tackling an exciting new job (and once again running around ball fields coaching youth baseball), I’m happy to be alive.
FONTENELLEFOREST.COM
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
11
BETWEEN THE LINES
omaha magazine • photography by bill sitzmann
between
THE LINES
A look at three Omaha Magazine team members
Known by her family and friends for creating memorable and over the top events,
Erin Cox, the new Event Director for Omaha Magazine uses event planning as her creative outlet much like others do with painting, crafting, and writing. An Omaha native, Erin went
to Papillion-La Vista High School and attended University of Nebraska – Omaha. Upon graduation she reported for the television news station KLKN-TV in Lincoln before relocating to Des Moines, Iowa, where she worked as a marketing event manager for a large commodity risk management firm. Erin feels like she landed her dream job at Omaha Magazine, “I get to stay socially connected to the Omaha metro area and continue my passion for planning and
Erin Cox
Event Director
creating special events.” In her free time you can find her working out at Farrells eXtreme Kickboxing, walking her French Bulldog, Kiki, around Memorial Park, and hanging out with her best friends who happen to also be her sisters, Taylor and Spencer.
Doug Meigs dived with sharks for The Wall Street Journal, scavenged for wild mushrooms across Yunnan for CNN, and pursued Russian woolly mammoth ivory traders for China Daily Asia Weekly. He also investigated fishermen recovering from the Tohoku Earthquake with Japanese national broadcaster NHK. He has traveled extensively, but Omaha is Doug’s hometown, where he was born and raised. The writer has covered Native American concerns across the Midwest for the Indian Country Today Media Network. He has accompanied trappers and traders from swamp to auction for mid-Missouri publications and has also contributed to the Omaha World-Herald and other regional media. Sports writing helped launch his journalism career, but he is passionate about any good story, especially those relating to arts,
Doug Meigs Freelance Writer
heritage, and environmental issues. Doug graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He is currently working on the biography of a Native American orphan who had reunited with family and tribe. We are thrilled to announce a new creative partnership with a pair of the city’s most noted artists. Laurie
and Charles of Laurie and Charles Photographs will now handle pho-
tography for our popular Style Shot department. They crossed paths in a photo studio in 1996 and began a visual journey that has since found their work featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, and Condé Nast Traveler. Laurie and Charles have photographed celebrities and worked on many national and local campaigns. Both are accomplished fine artists with gallery representation in NYC, Chicago, and Sun Valley,
Laurie and Charles
Contributing Photographers
Idaho. Inspired to create compelling images of people, places, and things, they work tirelessly together. Other passions include food, travel, art, and culture. The couple live in Dundee with their children, Miles and Evie, along with two crazy rescued dogs.
12
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
801 CHOPHOUSE
1403 FARNAM ST. | DOWNTOWN OMAHA 402.341.1222 | 801RESTAURANTGROUP.COM DINNER: MON-SAT 5-10 | SUNDAY 5-9 GIFT CARDS • PRIVATE DINING • HAPPY HOUR M-F 4-6 SUNDAY PRIX FIXE $33
CALENDAR
this is omaha for starters
THIS IS OMAHA
Photos by Joan Marcus
WICKED ORPHEUM THEATER MAY 7-25
40TH ANNUAL OMAHA SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL FARNAM STREET FROM 10TH TO 15TH STREETS JUNE 6–8
Wicked, Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, returns to Omaha’s Orpheum Theater Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 25. Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked, winner of over 50 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One—born with emerald-green skin—is smart, fiery, and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious, and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Since its New York premiere a decade ago, Wicked has been seen by over 40 million people in more than 100 cities in 13 countries, and has thus far been translated into five languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Korean.
With a commitment to the arts, diversity and community, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival has attracted more than three million visitors to Downtown Omaha and more than $15 million in art work has been sold since its inception in 1975. Over the years, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival has played host to thousands of performers, including such famous talents as Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval, Blind Boys of Alabama and Chuck Mangione. The Festival’s Children’s Fair, which played a roll in the creation of the Omaha Children’s Museum, has offered kids and families a hands-on creative adventure with crafts, entertainment, and an opportunity to exhibit their own youth artwork. And, of course, there’s always plenty of great nibbling to be found throughout TasteFest, where offerings will please just about any palate. A variety of special programs are planned to commemorate the 40th anniversary. Did you know that the Omaha Summer Arts Festival is ranked No. 34 in Fine Art and No. 40 in Fine Craft among the Elite 100 Fine Arts Fairs and Elite 100 Fine Craft Fairs as reported by ArtSourceBook.com, a comprehensive online guide to the top-selling art fairs and craft shows in America?
409 S. 16th St. Tickets from $40 at TicketOmaha.com; by phone at 402.345.0606, or at the Ticket Omaha box office in the Holland Performing Arts Center, 13th and Douglas streets. TicketOmaha.com
14
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
Farnam Street from 10th to 15th streets; Free SummerArts.org
this is omaha for starters
CALENDAR
FOR STARTERS
Photo by Bill Sitzmann
THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES TD AMERITRADE PARK OMAHA JUNE 14-24/25
BRUNO MARS CENTURYLINK CENTER JUNE 23
Call it Baseball’s Burning Man. There’s just nothing like it in the world of college sports: One city inextricably linked to the national championship of a major sport. For 64 years, college baseball players have had one goal each spring—to keep rolling down that “Road to Omaha.” The official title of the event is the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, but baseball folks know it as the “College World Series.” For many it’s more a week-and-a-half-long vacation, a chance to leave the real world behind at the rebirth of summer and immerse in the unique rhythms and peculiarities of “America’s Pastime.” For 10 days (or 11 days if the 3-game championship series goes to a third game), Omaha adopts the spirit of the game, a vibe built on colorful people, bizarre superstitions, and a freewheeling festival groove. Baseball fans are cool. They’re laid back. They’re friendly. They’re master tailgaters. There’s a reason the series has stayed in Omaha all these years. It’s just hard to imagine any place doing it better.
With 130 million singles sold worldwide, Billboard magazine’s 2013 Artist of the Year and 18-time Grammy Award nominee and winner has made music history more than once, including such milestones as scoring his first five Billboard “Hot 100” chart-toppers faster than any male solo artist since Elvis Presley. In addition to his two acclaimed multi-platinum albums, 2010’s Doo-Wops & Hooligans and 2012’s Unorthodox Jukebox, of which share a combined certification total of 60x platinum worldwide—Mars has logged an extraordinary catalogue spanning 22 “Hot 100” hits, marking his numerous gifts as singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. A charismatic and irresistible live performer, he last year concluded the epic 2013 leg of the Moonshine Jungle World Tour, having performed sold-out shows in over 90 cities around the globe before headlining the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show at MetLife Stadium in February. Mars was also among the top nominees for the upcoming 56th Annual Grammy Awards, with “Locked Out Of Heaven,” the No. 1 smash single from his blockbuster second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, receiving nods as Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year. What’s more, the chart-topping “When I Was Your Man” was named in the Best Pop Solo Performance category while Unorthodox Jukebox was included among the Best Pop Vocal Album nominees.
1200 Mike Fahey St. cwsomaha.com
455 N. 10th St. Tickets beginning at $76 ticketmaster.com
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
15
CALENDAR
May/june 2014
CALENDAR OF EVENTS ART AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS Jewelry Trunk Show May 2 -4, Dundee Gallery – 4916 Underwood Ave. Locally and nationally known jewelers will be presenting and selling their work at the Annual Jewelry Trunk Show. This weekend event features the handcrafted jewelry of Lynn Bowes, Sara Bucy, Donna Burdic, Tammy Coy, Renee Johnson, Jennifer Lawler, Lisa Maciejewski, Rachel Ourada, Patty Schwegmann, Tammy Rice, and Linda Young Williams. Many of the participating artists will be at the event showcasing their latest creations. F/11 am-9 pm; Sat/11 am-9 pm; Sun/12 -5pm. 402-505-8333 – dundeegallery.com.
for the River’s Edge commission, smaller sculptures, and prints. Free. T, W, F, Sat, Sun/10 am-4 pm; Thu/10 am-8 pm. 402-342-3300 – joslyn.org. Tyler Farr, Jon Pardi, Frankie Ballard & Casey Donahew June 22, Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill – 501 N. 13 St. The Old Mattress Factory goes country. Appearing live on stage: Cactus Hill, Casey Donahew, Jon Pardi, Frankie Ballard and Tyler Farr. Come down and enjoy a day of listening to some of todays top country hits. Gates open at 2:00pm, show starts at 5:00pm. Tickets $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show. – themattomaha.com
Mary Mattingly: Flock House Project: Omaha | A Citywide Workshop Through August 16, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts – 724 South 12 St. Omaha residents will have an opportunity to consider just how our urban landscape might look in the decades to come when Mary Mattingly brings her Flock House Project to the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Inspired by patterns of global human migration and pilgrimage, the Flock House Project is a group of mobile, sculptural, public habitats and self-contained ecosystems that are movable, modular, and scalable. Tue-Sat/11 am-5pm. Free. 402-341-7130 – bemiscenter.org.
Omaha Artists, Inc. May 3 through June 17, Lauritzen Gardens – 100 Bancroft St. An exhibition of art depicting flowers, landscapes, and botanical themes in a variety of media by local artists. Mediums include: oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, linocut prints, photography, jewelry, encaustic, pastel and graphite. $7. 9 am-5pm daily. 402346-4002 – lauritzengardens.org. Omaha Summer Arts Festival June 6 through June 8, Gene Leahy Mall – 1203 Farnam St. The Omaha Summer Arts Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary in Downtown Omaha. The festival is Omaha’s premier destination for arts and entertainment. The festival features 135 of the nation’s finest visual artists, a stage full of rich multicultural musical performances and a hands-on Children’s Fair. In addition, TasteFest offers a large variety of food vendors, some of which include Mexican, Greek, barbeque, and traditional festival fare, including hamburgers, hot dogs, and funnel cakes, which should satisfy any festival-goer’s cravings. Free. 10am-10pm. 402-345-5401 – summerarts.org. Garden Art Festival June 7 and June 8, Bancroft Street Market – 2702 10 St. Various artists will be on site displaying all kinds of garden and outdoor art for purchase. Free. 402-651-2327 – bancroftstreetmarket.com. Mark di Suvero: River’s Edge Park June 7 through September 7, Joslyn Art Museum – 2200 Dodge St. Coinciding with the installation of a monumental sculpture by Mark di Suvero commissioned by the Iowa West Foundation for River’s Edge Park in Council Bluffs, Joslyn presents this complementary exhibition of the artist’s work, including studies
Gurrero: Seven Regions of Art & Tradition Through June 29, El Museo Latino – 4701 South 25 St. The exhibit celebrates the art and artisans of the State of Guerrero exploring the four major ethnic groups through its seven regions each with distinct artistic cultures. M,W,F/10am-5pn; Tu,Th/1-5pm; Sat/10am2pm. 402-731-1137 – elmuseolatino.org.
calendar as of 4/11/14. Check individual organization website for updates.
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
CONCERTS John Legend May 6, Holland Performing Arts Center – 1200 Douglas St. Nine-time Grammy winning artist John Legend is connecting with audiences through this intimate, acoustic performance featuring a string quartet. The tour comes in support of Legend’s highly acclaimed fourth studio album Love In the Future, which continues to gain momentum on the Billboard 200 Chart. $51-$81. 402345-0606 – omahaperformingarts.org/Holland-center.
Simple Pleasures
calendar may/june 2014 Photo by Bill Sitzmann
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Alice in Chains May 24, Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove – 1 Harrahs Blvd. Although the band’s sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements, Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 25 million albums worldwide and over 14 million in the US alone. $50. 8 pm. 800-745-3000 – harrahscouncilbluffs.com.
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Backstreet Boys with Avril Lavigne June 9, CenturyLink Center Omaha – 455 N. 10 St. The In A World Like This tour with special guest Avril Lavigne. $25-$150. 7:30 pm. 800-745-3000 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com. Bruno Mars – The Moonshine Jungle Tour June 23, CenturyLink Center Omaha – 455 N. 10 St. Multi-Platinum Superstar Bruno Mars is bringing his Moonshine Jungle World Tour to Omaha. $42-$102. 8 pm. 800-745-3000 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com.
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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CALENDAR
May/june 2014
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Bank of the West Celebrates America June 27, Memorial Park – 6005 Underwood Ave. Features award-winning, legendary rock bands followed by a spectacular fireworks finale. FAMILY & MORE Invest in Yourself 5K May 4, CenturyLink Center Omaha – 455 N. 10 St. Brooks Running Company and Berkshire Hathaway are bringing more Run Happy spirit to the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting by introducing the “Invest in Yourself” 5k fun run and walk. Mr. Buffett has embraced a healthy active lifestyle and the importance it has on the well-being of people everywhere. He is excited to bring this new element to the annual meeting. The event will be held annually the Sunday following the annual meeting. $25. 402-3411500 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com. World Scratch Day May 17, Omaha Children’s Museum – 500 South 20 St. Scratch Day is a worldwide event where people come together to celebrate a favorite introductory programing language, Scratch. Take place in drop-in workshops and get yourself started in the exciting world of coding all day during our World Scratch Day event. $9 adults & kids, $8 seniors. 402-342-6164 – ocm.org. Bridge Beats May 23 through June 27, Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge – 705 Riverfront Dr. Bridge Beats is a free music series that occurs Friday nights at the Bob Kerrey Bridge Plaza. Events feature diverse solo and duo acts. Visitors enjoy live music along with Missouri River views, time with family, and a walk across the bridge. Free. F/6:30 pm. 402-444-4640 – bridgebeats.com Dinos: The Big Dig May 24 through September 7, Omaha Children’s Museum – 500 South 20 St. Grab a shovel and dig in to Omaha Children’s Museum’s summer blockbuster, Dinos: The Big Dig! Explore giant roaring, robotic dinosaurs, unearth fossils in a two story dig pit, pan for real gemstones in the treasure creek, and hop aboard the Dino-Train for a ride among these prehistoric creatures. Uncover secrets of the past during Dinos: The Big Dig! $2 added to museum admission. T, W, F/10 am-5 pm; Th/10 am-8 pm; Sat/9 am-5 pm; Sun/1-5 pm. 402-342-6164 – ocm.org.
Design Zone May 24 through September 14, The Durham Museum – 801 South 10 St. In Design Zone, you can go behind the scenes and see how videogame developers, music producers, roller coaster designers, and other creative problem solvers use math and science to do the amazing things they do. $9 adults, $7 seniors, $6 ages 3-12, members and children 2 and under free. Sun/1-5pm; Tue/10am-8pm; W-Sat/10am-5pm. 402-444-5071 – durhammuseum.org.
17th Annual Taste of Omaha May 30 through June 1, Heartland of Amer-
Boys Town Memorial Day Run May 26, Boys Town – Heroes Boulevard, Boys Town. More than 3,300 walkers and runners will line up for the annual Memorial Day Run. Participants and spectators will enjoy many post-race activities, including music and entertainment. 9:15 am. $20-$60. 402-498-6279 – memorialdayrun.com.
ica Park and Lewis & Clark Landing – 8th & Farnam sts. Along Omaha’s riverfront, Omaha’s largest outdoor festival showcases over 50 area restaurants with exciting national live entertainment and activities on five different stages. Watch cooking demonstrations, browse displays, enjoy music, amusement rides, face painting, and much more! Free. Fri-Sat/11 am-11 pm; Sun/11 am-8 pm. 402-346-8003–showofficeonline.com.
calendar as of 4/11/14. Check individual organization website for updates.
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
calendar may/june 2014
Sand in the City – Nebraska Children’s Home Society June 6 through June 8, Century Link Center Parking Lot B – North 10 and Mike Fahey sts. Kick off your summer by attending the area’s ultimate Beach Party, where 375 tons of sand will transform the middle of downtown Omaha into a beach. Corporate and community group teams will compete on Friday, June 6, 2014, to build their best 15-ton sand sculpture. The public is invited to a weekend full of family fun. View the sand sculptures, vote for your favorite, and enjoy great food and local entertainment on the main stage. Play in the interactive Kid Zone, featuring two gigantic sand boxes, bouncy houses, face painting, balloon twisting and other kids’ games and activities. Free. Sat/10 am-8 pm; Sun/11 am-5 pm. 402-451-0787 – sandinthecityomaha.com. Benson Beer Festival June 7 – 62nd & Maple sts. Omaha’s local beer fest. Join us at Benson Beer Fest in the heart of Benson, with a concentration on new and unique craft/micro brews. $35. Sat/3-7 pm. matt@bensonbeerfest.com – bensonbeerfest.com.
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CALENDAR
May/june 2014
CALENDAR OF EVENTS PERFORMING ARTS 33 Variations May 8 through June 8, Blue Barn Theatre – 614 South 11 St. A mother coming to terms with her daughter. A composer coming to terms with his genius. Drama, memory, and music combine to transport you from present-day New York to 19th-century Austria, in this extraordinary new American play about passion, parenthood and the moments of beauty that can transform a life. 33 Variations is an elegant waltz between past and present, fact and speculation, a mother and daughter, art, and life. Th/7:30 pm; F/7:30 pm; Sat/7:30 pm; Sun/6 pm. $25 adults, $20 students, seniors, TAG members. 402-345-1576 – bluebarn.org. Race May 9 through June 8, Omaha Community Playhouse – 6915 Cass St. A fast-paced legal thriller that tackles issues of sexual assault, gender discrimination, and race. When a wealthy white man is charged with raping a black woman, he approaches a small law firm for representation. The firm’s partners—one white, one black—scramble to decide if they want to represent the accused. In a riveting, red-hot cross-examination, exhilarating discoveries are made as the attorneys search for the truth…or at least a solid defense. $21-$40. Th-Sat/7:30 pm; Sun/2 pm. 402-553-0800 – omahaplayhouse.com. The Battle of Battles Through May 11, Shelterbelt Theatre – 3225 California St. The Battle of Battles is based on a true story set in the Italian Renaissance. The city of Florence has been at war for a decade. No one remembers how it started. No one knows how it can end. Machiavelli has a scheme to divert the public’s attention: an artistic competition between the two greatest artists of the age, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. What could possibly go wrong? $5-$15. 402-341-2757 – shelterbelt.org.
Eddie Izzard June 17, Orpheum Theater – 409 S 16 St. calendar as of 4/11/14. Check individual organization website for updates.
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Wicked May 7 through 25, Orpheum Theater, Slosburg Hall – 409 S. 16 St. Back by “Popular” demand. Variety calls Wicked “a cultural phenomenon,” and every time it plays Omaha, it breaks box office records. Winner of over 50 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, Wicked is “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times). $45-$155. 402-345-0606 – omahaperformingarts.org/Orpheum. Crom Comedy Fest May 23-25, The Waiting Room Lounge – 6212 Maple St. Crom Fest returns for a second year of alternative comedy, this time three full nights at The Waiting Room Lounge. This year features shows hosted by The Grawlix, Power Violence, Entertaining Julia, WOMEN, OK Party Comedy, and Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction as well as sets by 60+ local and national touring comedians. This could be the biggest weekend of comedy in the history of Omaha. $30 weekend pass. 402-884-5353 – cromcomedyfest.com. Fox on the Fairway May 23-June 8, Bellevue Little Theatre – 203 E Mission Ave. Follow our spotlight to a new laugh-a-minute, madcap farce. There are no sand traps or water hazards, just fun-filled adventures, mistaken identities, slamming doors, love, life, and man’s eternal love affair with … golf! And the fox? Come see for yourself. Adult situations. F-Sat/7:30 pm; Sun/2 pm. $15 adults, $13 seniors, $9 students. 402-291-1554 – bellevuelittletheater.com. Young Frankenstein May 30 through June 29, Omaha Community Playhouse – 6915 Cass St. The Mel Brooks masterpiece, Young Frankenstein, is the riotously funny story of Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen) and his adventures as he embraces the family name and creates a monster with his partners, hunchbacked Igor (that’s Eye-gore), voluptuous Inga, and in spite of his prudish fiancée, Elizabeth. $21-$40. Wed-Sat/7:30 pm; Sun/2 pm. 402-553-0800 – omahaplayhouse.com.
calendar may/june 2014
Tarzan June 6 through June 22, The Rose Theater – 2001 Farnam St. After a storm leaves Tarzan orphaned in the jungle, he is adopted by a caring family of apes. As he grows, he realizes he is not like them–a fact his gorilla father never lets him forget. When humans arrive in the jungle, Tarzan is suddenly caught between two worlds in this beautiful adaptation of the Disney film. Best for ages 4-11. $20-$25. Th, F/7 pm; Sat, Sun/2 pm. 402-345-4849 – rosetheater.org. Maya Angelou June 9, Orpheum Theater – 409 S 16 St. Hailed as one of the greatest speakers of our time, Maya Angelou’s words have been a source of inspiration, comfort, encouragement, and strength for millions of people around the world. A poet, playwright, producer, director, conductor, actor, best-selling author, social activist, and three time Grammy winner, she claims no single profession and excels at all she undertakes. She will mesmerize you with her vigor and fill you with the fire of her spoken word. Enjoy your evening with the living legend, Maya Angelou. $40-$90. 7:30 pm. 402-345-0606 – omahaperformingarts.org Eddie Izzard June 17, Orpheum Theater – 409 S 16 St. One of the most acclaimed comedians of his generation, Eddie Izzard’s unique, tangential, absurd, and surreal comic narratives are lauded for their creativity and wit. Force Majeure is the most extensive comedy tour ever; taking Izzard to 25 countries on five continents. In addition to stand-up comedy, Izzard has a long list of film and stage credits including Valkyrie opposite Tom Cruise, Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Thirteen and Ocean’s Twelve opposite George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg in London and on Broadway which won him a handful of awards, including a Tony nomination for Best Actor. $52-$69. 8 pm. 402-345-0606 – omahaperformingarts.org.
Kentucky Derby May 3rd Tent Party • Hat Contest • Live Music
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DID YOU KNOW...
fun facts about omaha
DID YOU KNOW Doug McDermott
Malcolm X
The Creighton Bluejay all-everything superstar just completed his senior year and now looks to the NBA draft to determine the next stop of his storied career. Photo by Joe Mixan.
Born in Omaha as Malcolm Little and later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, Malcolm X was one of America’s most influential African-American figures.
Warren Buffett
The Oracle of Omaha’s decidedly humble home in the Elmwood Park neighborhood is a drive-by favorite for curious locals and visitors alike. The Florence Mill
Erected in 1846, the Florence Mill is the only surviving building from the winter quarters used by the Mormons as they journeyed west to Utah.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
Another day, another accolade. Seemingly countless other publications have preceded them in bestowing such honors, but FamilyFun magazine recently named Omaha’s zoo as (once again) the best in the nation.
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
DID YOU KNOW...
fun facts about omaha
ABOUT OMAHA TV Dinner
This iconic American fast food dish—originally known as the TV Brand Frozen Dinner—was created here by C.A. Swanson & Sons in 1953.
Marlin Brando
Dodie, the mother of this Omaha-born screen legend, was instrumental in founding the Omaha Community Playhouse, the nation’s largest community theater company.
The Reuben Sandwich
Fred Astaire
This savory staple of American cuisine was first concocted at the city’s famed Blackstone Hotel.
Born on May 10, 1899, in Omaha, Fred Astaire is regarded by many as the greatest popular music dancer of all time.
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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ART + CULTURE
story by david williams • photography by bill sitzmann
Shakespearean Power Couple Letting Their Luggage Gather Dust
B
ATTLING BRAIN DRAIN IS the subject of much discussion in business circles, but the same challenge applies to the arts and their role in the vitality of any city. Despite the fact that Omaha boasts an unusually vibrant cultural landscape, especially for a city our size, a metro area of less than 1,000,000 people can offer only so many opportunities for professionals to thrive. Too often the only solution to advancing career dreams in the arts is to pack one’s bags for brighter lights in Chicago, New York, and L.A. Vincent and Sarah Carlson-Brown have mentally packed their bags many times as they eye invitations and opportunities to move to bigger stages in major metros. But they have always found good reasons to just as quickly unpack their things—and it’s not just because they skipped laundry day and were digging for clean socks and undies. >
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art + culture shakespearean power couple
< Nebraska Shakespeare, not to mention the entire community, have benefitted from the fact that the couple’s luggage is gathering dust in a closet. Sarah is the non-profit’s director of education and Vincent is artistic director. “We had talked about Chicago, maybe Minneapolis as a good move just so we could get more work,” says Vincent. “But we think it is meaningful to create art and do what we do right here in Omaha.” The Shakespearean power couple met as students at the University of Nebraska–Omaha and before graduation had become founding members of the Blue Barn’s Witching Hour, the late-night company known for a special brand of boundary pushing devised theatre. At about the same time they began what became a long affiliation with the outfit whose flagship offering is the annual Shakespeare on the Green series. “That’s not to say that this has been easy,” Sarah adds. “I’ve worked for Omaha Performing Arts in the ticketing office for nine years to supplement our income. We both still take acting and other jobs here and in other cities when schedules allow.” Despite their “office” gigs with Nebraska Shakespeare, both yearn to be in the footlights at every opportunity. Look for Sarah in the role of Miranda and Vincent as the villainous Antonio in Shakespeare on the Green’s The Tempest. Sarah will also be an ensemble member in The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), which Vincent will direct. He’s also producing and acting as fight coordinator for both productions. “A lot of our colleagues and friends took the path of moving on in order to find work.” Vincent says, “A few of them did, but more came back home. It’s important to us to make Omaha better in any way we can. You can’t make a city better by leaving it.” OMAG
PRESENTED BY:
Nebraska Shakespeare on the Green will present The Tempest June 19-21 and July 1, 3, and 6. The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) June 26-29 and July 2 and 5. Both performances are free and will take place in Elmwood Park. Visit nebraskashakespeare.com for additional information.
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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27
HISTORY
Hidden History
A Look Back at Segregated Omaha
W
INTER WAS JUST GETTING underway in
Omaha, and the grand lobby of The Rose Theater was a bustle of preparations. It was 1995, and the staff was preparing the historic building for its celebrated reopening. After decades as a majestic movie theater—and several more left vacant and decaying—the building was starting a new chapter as a children’s playhouse. Roberta Wilhelm, who ran the theater until 2003, was getting some work done at the ticket counter when an elderly African American woman entered the building. Leaning on her walker, she asked Wilhelm if she could enter the auditorium. Slightly confused, Wilhelm told her ‘Sure, but no show is being staged.’ The woman responded that was fine; she just wanted to see it. She wanted to sit in the luxuriously upholstered seats and see the stage—with its ornate arch and gilded walls— from the front rows. As a child, the woman had come to watch movies and performances in the building with her parents. But she’d only ever seen them from the shadows of the upper balcony—looking down on the glamorously dressed audience— far from the main stage. Her father had sat 28
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
right up front, but she and her mother were tucked away in the dark. The woman’s father was light-skinned enough to pass as white. She and her mother were not, and the downstairs auditorium was off-limits to blacks. That was when the old theater was still segregated, sometime between 1927 when it opened as the Riviera and the late 1950s when it closed as the Paramount. The woman could not be tracked down so it’s unclear precisely when she visited the theater. But her story is one of many in Omaha—stories of racial segregation and humiliation that are bound in the walls of the city’s buildings and the memories of some of its residents. Omaha doesn’t see itself as a city with a hostile racial past. But its struggles with prejudice are part of its identity—buried, but not forgotten. Archie Godfrey is a living almanac of many of those uncomfortable stories. Sit down with him and minutes dissolve into hours as he recounts the tragedies and successes of Omaha’s civil rights history. Godfrey led Omaha’s branch of the NAACP Youth Council in the early 1960s. He was here when white lifeguards taunted and spat on African
Americans trying to swim in Peony Park; when restaurants around the city folded one by one to demands they serve black diners. In a conference room at his office in North Omaha, Godfrey says racism north of the Mason-Dixon Line was more subtle at that time — and the fight to break it was different. “You didn’t have to educate the country that racism was in the South,” he says. “You had to educate the people in the North that there was segregation and racism in the North because it was a different type—you didn’t talk about it.” The demonstrations at Peony Park and local restaurants brought Omaha to a realization, Godfrey says. “More people became educated that the attitude was prevalent in the city,” he says. “From a black standpoint, we felt it, we knew it, but who are you gonna talk to about it?” Most of the NAACP Youth Council’s demonstrations succeeded through persistent protests at locations like Ross’s Steakhouse on 72nd Street which refused to serve black patrons, and F.W. Woolworth, where lunch counters were segregated. But although they succeeded in edging their way into Omaha’s white society, Godfrey says he knew they hadn’t changed hearts and
story by robyn murray • photography by bill sitzmann
minds. After Peony Park’s gates were opened to him and his friends, he could never bring himself to go out there and swim. “It was an emotional thing,” he says, his voice lowered, and his words slow and deliberate. “It was almost...after it was over, it wasn’t over.” Bill Johnson moved to Omaha from Arkansas when he was 17 years old in 1954. He never joined the NAACP nor stood in line to protest. “Being a person from the South,” he says, “you kind of gravitate away from confrontation.” Johnson knew how ugly and violent demonstrations could get, and he says he saw Omaha as a far better place to live. But still he endured the subtleties of Midwestern prejudice. Johnson joined the Omaha Fire Department in 1961 as one of its few black firefighters. It was five years after the department was officially desegregated, but Johnson’s first years on the job were marked by humiliating slights and exclusions. Sipping hot chocolate at a Village Inn in northwest Omaha, Johnson recalls his station captain explaining the dining rules: "When the white firefighters sit together for lunch, you’ll have to wait," he told him. "You can’t eat with the
other men, so go outside and get yourself something to eat, then you can eat in the kitchen when they’re done." Johnson swallowed the humiliation. He’d left a position at F.W. Woolworth to be there, and with three kids at home, he wasn’t going to risk his livelihood. “It was a good job,” he says. “I made up my mind—I don’t care what goes on, they can say what they want, call me whatever they want—I’m gonna stay here because I don’t want to go back to that dead-end job that I had.” Johnson rose through the ranks for almost 30 years, and in 1990 was asked to serve as interim fire chief—making him the first African American to serve in the top job. He served again in 1999, and retired as assistant chief. But as for those early days—sometimes it is easier to forget. “It’s kinda hard to talk about it,” Johnson says. “It’s old baggage.” The upper balcony at The Rose today is walled off from the main auditorium. A darkened room with rows of seating, it has been transformed into a deliberately accessible space utilized by groups like Pride Players, teen performers who produce plays about LGBTQ issues; Young, Gifted and Black,
another teen group that highlights African American theatrical works, and a diverse array of other performers. “This ends up being an exciting exploratory space for some of the people whose ancestors, grandparents even, that had to be up here,” says Matt Gutschick, The Rose’s artistic director, as he toured the room. “[Segregation] was meant to put up walls,” he says. “And hopefully—not to get too hokey —we’re tearing them down with the work we’re doing.” That erosion of prejudice is encouraging to Johnson and Godfrey. “Things that weren’t tolerated because certain people had such stiff necks and narrow sightedness are falling by the wayside on almost every front there is,” Godfrey says, “social, religious—straight across the board.” But the effect of Omaha’s hidden history continues, he says, and it’s hard to argue disparity when the city’s 4% unemployment rate hides a disparate 13% on its predominantly black North side. “Sometimes the victimized and the victimizer share the same destiny,” Godfrey says. “To put somebody in a pit, you have to dig the pit, and you’re in it too.” OMAG omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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ART + CULTURE
story by kim carpenter • photography by bill sitzmann • art photography by justin limoges
Towering Presence The Artwork of Justin Beller
T
HIS HAS BEEN A banner year
for Justin Beller. The 38-year-old Benson-based artist has completed several major private, non-profit, and corporate commissions, been picked up by two art galleries, purchased a home, opened a new studio, and he’s getting married this month. Of course, it’s only May, so a lot more may happen—especially given the increasing visibility the artist is enjoying thanks to his distinctive abstract paintings, geometric installations, and soaring towers, works > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
31
art + culture towering presence
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< that all incorporate dramatic lines, angular planes, and color fields both vibrant and muted by turns. A full-time studio artist since 2009, Beller has been developing a keenly unique style. His earlier paintings had an ethereal, otherworldly feel, one that often replicated water-like surfaces and wide-open skies. In recent years, his work has become stronger and more confident—bigger, bolder, brighter—all indications that he’s maturing as an artist and bringing his work in new and exciting directions. The artist has also expanded his work beyond paintings, creating three-dimensional works that aren’t readily definable as sculptures, but rather exist as hybrids between the two. These elongated, free-standing towers and tapered wall installations are distinctive for their ability to magnify space without taking it up, blending seamlessly into surrounding interior landscapes, whether a 1,000-square-foot living room or an expansive corporate lobby. Beller credits his ongoing maturation to both the amount of time he logs in studio, semi-eponymously called Studio B, as well as his relationship with his soon-to-be wife, Katie. “I have a really strong work ethic. Even when I’m not working, I’m working,” he remarks. “I’m pushing the envelope. I’m experimenting with texture and shape and playing shadows off shapes. My techniques have grown. I approach pieces with more knowledge in the back of my head, and I’m keeping the work more classic.” As for his fiancé, the artist muses, “Katie has really changed me as a painter. She’s so soft, and she’s added a softness to my work. It’s part of being in love and getting married, I suppose.” The effects of both are clearly resonating. In recent months, several high-profile clients have commissioned Beller to create custom pieces. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln purchased four pieces for its campus —two for its Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery and two for a student dormitory center. Gordman’s installed one his 8-foot towers in its new corporate headquarters in Aksarben Village. These commissions join others at locations such as the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dundee Dental, Aristotle Group, Kohl’s Pharmacy, Proxibid, the Orthodontic Group, and Huber Automotive. Additionally, Moberg Gallery picked up the artist’s work for both its Des Moines and Chicago >
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UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD MUSEUM Visit the Union Pacific Railroad Museum to experience “Building America,” an immersive exhibit featuring video-game technology; relive the height of passenger rail travel; and learn how Union Pacific and America’s progress have been inextricably linked for more than 150 years. 200 Pearl Street • Council Bluffs, IA 51503 Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free Admission (712) 329-8307 • www.uprrmuseum.org
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
< locations, and Daniel Hyland, a wellknown interior designer with Clodagh Design in New York, has begun placing Beller’s works with clients. The artist, though, doesn’t need to look far afield for collectors. His work is increasingly sought after, and Beller prides himself on creating work that collectors aren’t just happy with, but that they love. “I want to keep the work special and for it to be a gem for my clients,” he emphasizes. Molly and Mike Erftmier are two of Beller’s most recent collectors. They began by purchasing one piece for their new home, and then decided on three more. All four are distinct stylistically and not readily identifiable as having been created by one artist. “I love his work. I’ve never seen anything like it,” enthuses Molly when explaining why the couple decided to include so many pieces in their home. “I love the way he incorporates techniques. If you looked at the four pieces, you wouldn’t say they’re by the same artist. They are all unique.” Indeed, they are radically different in conception and articulation and serve as ideal examples of Beller’s wide-ranging artistic vision. On one end of the spectrum is a threepart rectangular piece composed of lines of shiny black and cloud gray. The sections interlock and almost give the impression of a magical puzzle box. On the other side is a long, thin hanging tower with muted colors painted in fine, threadlike strokes that blur into one another to create a contemplative effect. Then, there are the studies in contrast: one painting that features vibrantly primary colors while the other is created out of soft russet tones and light, earthy browns. In reflecting upon recent months, Beller smiles. “Everything’s been going well,” he says. “I have an eye to the future, though. The next phase is to start a family.” For the artist, that will most likely be his most challenging and rewarding work to date, one that will eclipse even the best of everything that’s occurred thus far. And in 2014, that’s saying a lot. OMAG For more information about the artist and his work, visit his website at www.jbeller.com
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story by david williams • photography by bill sitzmann
GEN O
ABret Life in Dance Samson and Sasha York
H
ER ETHEREAL RENDITION OF Mikhail Fokine’s “The Dying Swan” is a
to-die-for delight. His gracefully rugged athleticism—not to mention a moptop of untamed curls—makes him among the most recognizable figures in Omaha dance. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
37
gen o a life in dance
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< Bret Samson and Sasha York fell in love with the ballet at an early age, but it was as company dancers with Ballet Nebraska that they fell in love with each other. Omaha Magazine caught up with the couple during a reception following the company’s performance of Duets, where Samson’s gossamer swan met its poetic demise. “It’s kind of weird,” says Samson, “because work is work and home is home. We don’t often dance together in productions, so we can really get lost in rehearsals and forget that we’re even in the same room. Then we get home and it’s like, ‘Oh, hi! How was your day’?” “I’m just glad,” the Russian-born York demurs, “that I’m paid to lift pretty women for a living.” Samson’s accompanying eye roll suggests that a sharp elbow to the ribs may have been in order had she not been surrounded by so many wine-sipping, canapé-noshing witnesses. Is it possible that York had just uttered one of his “Greatest Hits” lines, perhaps now for the hundredth time? “Make that the millionth time,” Samson replies with a coquettish grin. On tap (make that en pointe) for Ballet Nebraska, the state’s only professional ballet troupe, is Momentum, the award-winning mixed-repertory series that showcases a vibrant mix of shorter works in a broad array of styles and themes, both contemporary and classic. The program includes Poseidon, an elegant, original ballet in the neoclassical style by company ballet master Matthew Carter. It is based on the Joslyn Art Museum exhibit Poseidon and the Sea: Myth, Cult and Daily Life. Also featured will be Party Animals!, where ‘60s beats meet African rhythms in a whimsical, high-energy work by company founder Erika Overturff. OMAG Ballet Nebraska’s Momentum will be performed May 2 in the Joslyn Art Museum Witherspoon Hall and May 4 in The Arts Center of Iowa Western Community College. Visit BalletNebraska.org for additional information.
FACES
story by sarah wengert • photography by keith binder
A Timothy FairSchaffert’s to Remember latest novel brings magic, history, and romance.
W
HILE OMAHA NOVE L I ST TIMOTHY
Schaffert’s The Swan Gondola is a love story, its most central character is perhaps neither lover, but their whereabouts: The 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition. It’s the lush, historically anchored details of that time and place that allow the novel to so masterfully transport readers to another world—one of supernatural shimmer, carnival-style magic, soothsayers, snake oil salesmen, and entrancing mystery. The Swan Gondola tells the story of Ferret Skerritt, a vaudeville ventriloquist, and > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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< Cecily, a traveling actress, who fall in love at the Fair but face complications when Omaha’s richest man targets everything Ferret holds dear. “It’s a romantic fable, but also a portrait of an American city at the turn of the century, and of the entertainments that distracted from the rough-and-tumble nature of the developing West,” says Schaffert. Schaffert penned four other novels, including Devils in the Sugar Shop (chosen as a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice) and The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters (winner of the Nebraska Book Award and currently being adapted for film). He is also a professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and director/founder of the (downtown) Omaha Lit Fest. The Washington Post called The Swan Gondola, “ … a highly atmospheric entertainment, full of plot twists, historical flavor and paranormal romance,” adding that “Beneath the intrigue, mystery and historical window dressings of The Swan Gondola beats the heart of a complicated love story.” It has garnered several comparisons to Water for Elephants and has Library Journal saying that it’s time for Schaffert “to become a household name.” “I was initially captivated by the Fair itself, and the photographs in the archive of the Omaha Public Library. The characters evolved from my research into 1890s Omaha,” says Schaffert. Although he’d done research for previous works, Schaffert says he’d never had to “learn my way around a whole other world” when developing his earlier novels. In his exploration of 1890s Omaha, he read then-contemporary daily newspapers, such as the Omaha Bee, and journals, like The Omaha Clinic, to learn about customs, technology, fashion, politics, and medicine of the time. He also loves hearing from folks with family who attended the Fair and he even created a Swan Gondola tumblr site, archiving and sharing artifacts of the era. “I love the role that live entertainment — theater, vaudeville, opera, street musicians, magic, spiritualism — played in the American culture in the 1890s,” says Schaffert. “As a matter of fact, I’m writing another novel set partly on the vaudeville stages of Omaha. Ultimately, I hope for The Swan Gondola to provoke readers, particularly readers in Omaha, to take more interest in the histories of their cities.” OMAG
GEN O
story by josie bungert • photography by bill sitzmann
Savannah Rave Omaha Magazine Cover Model Now Miss Nebraska Teen USA
O
MAHA NATIVE AND ELKHORN South High
School senior Savannah Rave has a lot more on her plate this spring than just graduation. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
41
gen o savannah rave
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< Rave was recently crowned Miss Nebraska Teen USA, and will be spending the rest of the semester, and into the summer, preparing for the national pageant. “It’s been a crazy year so far and it’s only been a couple months,” Rave says. Rave competed in this pageant last year as well, finishing in the top ten. Beyond the pageant world, Rave has numerous other interests, including broadcast journalism, which she intends to study in the fall at University of Nebraska—Lincoln. “I wasn’t interested in journalism until last year,” Rave says. “My [Advanced Placement] U.S. history teacher hosts [mock] presidential elections, so we had debates over presidents, and after, he pulled me in the hallway and asked if I had ever considered broadcast journalism.” Rave says that she then learned that journalism was also the major of her good friend Amanda Soltero, former Miss Nebraska Teen USA and winner of this year’s Miss Nebraska USA. It was Soltero who got Rave started in the pageant a year ago. “So [my teacher] put that idea in my head,” she says. “And when I got to know Amanda a little more, that was her major, and she absolutely loved it.” In addition to her intended field of study, Rave enjoys being on stage. In March, she headlined as Sandy in her high school production of Grease. She also sings in Elkhorn South’s varsity show choir, and, when she finds the time, enjoys running. Rave was on the track team, but now uses running as part of her training for the national pageant. She also models and has made multiple appearances in Omaha Magazine, most recently as our November/December 2013 cover model. Rave’s various interests and areas of focus support the platform she will carry to young audiences over the next year. “My main focus is telling them to be themselves because that was my motto when I competed for the pageant this year,” Rave says. “So I hope to convey that to others.” OMAG
story by david williams • photography by laurie and charles photographs
Kianna Alarid Tilly and the Wall
T
STYLE SHOT
OKYO. PARIS. B E R L I N . B E Y O N D .
Kianna Alarid, 36, has toured the globe with her band, Tilly and the Wall. Add to that Letterman, Sesame Street, and a fashion shoot for Teen Vogue, not to mention the band’s song, “Heavy Mood,” being used in a T-Mobile TV commercial that ran during the Super Bowl. Here the rocker takes a break from rehearsals with her new solo project, Sister Sun, to sit for this month’s Style Shot. OMAG
Fashions on this page are Alarid’s thrift store finds. omaha magazine • may/june 2014
43
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ART + CULTURE
The Benson Theatre Grand Space, Vehicle for Social Change
story by robyn murray • photography by keith binder • rendering by alley poyner macchietto architecture
I
T’S FRIGID AND WINDY as Amy Ryan
works the lock of the Benson Theatre’s glass doors. The theater, which has been closed for decades, sits in the heart of Benson’s Maple Street corridor, and when it’s cold, the old lock sticks. Ryan thrusts the doors open finally, and we step inside. The space is vast and empty—our voices bounce along open-faced brick walls and bare steel trusses—and we can still see our breath. “I’m going to take you down below,” Ryan
says, as she leads me past the main stage and down a dark staircase. We step gingerly on the old wooden slats, and the air turns humid and musty. “It’s kind of built like the hull of a ship,” Ryan says, pointing to a small stage buried 16 feet below the main floor. Splashes of teal, burgundy, and gold paint are still visible on the old proscenium arch: remnants of the building’s original days as a vaudeville playhouse. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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< “Vaudeville, in French, means ‘voice of the city,’” Ryan says. Vaudeville often served as a platform for civic conversation—and that’s one reason Ryan says she feels so drawn to the building. When it went up for sale a couple years ago, she jumped at the chance to buy it—not only to restore it to its grand beginnings but to build a community anchor. “One thing I’ve learned from 19 years of hustling pizza,” says Ryan, who owns the Pizza Shoppe next door, “is that when you have a physical space, you can help anyone.” Ryan currently supports a growing number of artists in Benson’s now-bustling entertainment district through her adjoining P.S. Collective—a venue for poets and musicians. “You have all these artists who are incredible—the genius of the people in this town in music, in writing, in film and theater,” she says. “But they work three jobs. They’re waiting tables, and they’re struggling.” Ryan says she wants to provide performance and artistic space in the Benson Theatre—by hosting such a sky’s-the-limit slate of events as opera, chamber and symphonic music, theater productions, independent films, spoken word, and performance art. But like its vaudeville roots, the mission of the new Benson Theatre will be more than a vehicle for the arts. Ryan, who was a social worker before she inherited the Pizza Shoppe, plans to host educational workshops for artists, entrepreneurs and Benson’s underserved—seniors, people with special needs and the impoverished. The connection: self-sustainability. “We live within social systems that don’t work for people,” Ryan says. “We can change those by just practicing something differently. To me, it’s teaching people how to generate their own revenue because really—all of us just want to be self-sustaining in life.” The workshops will focus on financial lessons—from basic job interviewing to writing business proposals. “As writers, as artists, as social workers and caregivers of others, we can learn how to be successful in those things that we do,” Ryan says. OMAG Visit bensontheatre.org for additional information and to learn how to help.
SPORTS
story by doug meigs • photography by bill sitzmann
Winning Psychology Sports shrink practices on the sidelines
A
BURST OF ELECTRICITY RACED through the Omaha crowd. The score
was tied, 60-60, with the clock nearly exhausted. Only 2.5 seconds remained. Then, Doug McDermott sank a three-pointer. Fifteen thousand blue-and-white bodies leapt to their feet. Creighton won the mid-season conference match against St. John’s by a single basket. McDermott not only sank the winning three-pointer, he also scored a season-high 39 points. Dr. Jack Stark was taking mental notes from the sidelines. As usual, Stark was standing amongst the team. He is the official sports psychologist for the Bluejays, a volunteer position that he has held for seven years. Stark previously worked with Cornhusker football (1989-2004), with Omaha Mavericks hockey, and a host of other collegiate and professional programs. For the past 14 years, he’s been in the pits of NASCAR. He currently works intensely with six drivers: Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (winner of the Daytona 500 this year). Altogether, Stark has been part of 20 national championships. He earned three championship rings with the Huskers, where he was instrumental in launching a player feedback council. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
49
FACES
winning psychology
< Players need someone to consult when crisis strikes off the field, he says, someone who isn’t the coach. Stark continues working with former Huskers coach Frank Solich at Ohio University and recently began helping the Wyoming football team and Omaha Lancers hockey team. His accolades, mementos and signed posters adorn his home office in West Omaha. The former clinical psychologist (originally from Hastings, Neb.) refers to his collegiate and high school sports consulting as a “hobby.” NASCAR and business consulting provides his income.
Despite Stark’s privileged position to watch some of the world’s most memorable sporting events, he says that the Creighton Bluejays’ narrow win over St. John’s remains a particularly insightful moment for anyone wishing to understand one of sports history’s most special relationships—the relationship between one of college basketball’s all-time greats with his coach/father. “Doug McDermott absolutely loves to play for his father. You can tell,” Stark says, recalling the frigid night in late January when coach Greg McDermott turned to his son with a simple compliment: “Doug, it was a
great game, great effort.” The younger McDermott was beaming in response, not because he had single-handedly carried the team. Rather, he was simply happy to help his father. “I’ve been blessed to have worked with Heisman winners, players of the year, AllAmericans, Olympic gold medalists, all of them,” Stark says, “but none of them are as good as Doug McDermott.” OMAG
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Always Local, Always Beautiful
On the Chopping Block DIY Kitchen Prep Table
Earth, Air, Fire, Water Color Palette Challenge
The Tibet Hotel At Home with
Deirdre and Steven Evans omaha magazine • may/june 2014
51
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OmahaHome: contents
may/june 2014
features
H8
Basement Block Party, ‘70s Shag Yields to House Crashers Makeover
H18 Earth, Air, Fire, Water,
The Diamond Vogel Color Palette Challenge
H26 At Home With: Deirdre and Steven Evans
H32 Dundee’s Front Porch Keeping the “Community” in Community Gardens
may/june • 2014 H3
We’re Glass experts
May/June 2014 VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 3
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EDITORIAL & CREATIVE STAFF omaha publications executive editor
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H4
may/june • 2014
OmahaHome: contents
may/june 2014
departments H7 Editor’s Letter H12 Neighborhood Profile South Omaha’s 24th Street
H34 Home Décor Makeover Mother’s Day Planters
H36 Room
Life on Swanny 9 The Calm Before the Storm
H38 DIY
On the Chopping Block DIY Kitchen Prep Table
H42 Hot Products
Gift Giving Mother’s/Father’s Day Ideas
H44 Transformations
Order from Chaos
H50 New on the Block
Floor Coverings International and I’m Home Furnishings
may/june • 2014 H5
May/June 2014 VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 3
ACCOUNTS & OPERATIONS STAFF publisher
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H6
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may/june • 2014
OmahaHome: from the editor
WE CARE ABOUT YOUR HOME siding
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"Sweet April showers do spring May flowers." Thomas Tusser
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D
402.733.6440
O YOU REMEMBER CELEBRATING May Day as a
child? May Day baskets were a big part of my childhood, we even made our own in school. Weaving construction paper, or sometimes using a Dixie cup with a pipe cleaner as the handle. We would then sneak up and hang them on the doorknob and run away with great hope of making someone smile. Shockingly (to me anyway) not everyone grew up with this tradition, even though it does have quite the long history behind it. As one person’s description, it’s the nice version of Ding, Dong, Ditch! Another big part of May is celebrating moms and, being a mom myself, I have, over the years, developed my own traditions for Mother’s Day. Other than spending at least part of the day with my grown children, I take time to do something I enjoy, which is breathing new life into my entry way flower pots. Check out my Mother’s Day project on pg. H34.
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Duane Sullivan
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may/june • 2014 H7
OmahaHome: feature Story by Jennifer Litton • Photography by Mark Kresl
Basement Block Party
70’s Shag Yields to House Crashers Makeover
“W
HAT IN THE NAME of
all that is black velvet?” exclaimed host Josh Temple during a recent episode of HGTV’s House Crashers that featured an Omaha couple’s basement renovation. Complete with shag carpeting, ugly arches and mirrored tiles, one could only imagine the epic parties that went down in that basement in the late ’70s. Temple and his redo crew had help from locals Stacie Muhle of Artistico Interiors and >
H8
may/june • 2014
may/june • 2014 H9
OmahaHome: feature
< Chris Oldenhuis of Oldenhuis Contracting. The two were contacted by producers from HGTV, who found them thanks to the popular home remodeling and design site, Houzz. After completing an interview, the designer and contractor were put on call and told to be ready on a Sunday morning, if needed. Luckily for them, the phone rang. “We had a one-shot deal to get in there and measure and take pictures to get whatever information we needed,” Muhle says. From there, she had five weeks to draft her design plans with a few crazy stipulations; any last-minute items needed would have to be in stock, the use of preexisting art was not allowed because of trademark concerns, and the use of tile was forbidden because the setting materials wouldn’t set H10
may/june • 2014
fast enough in the allotted time. If that doesn’t seem like a designer’s biggest pickle of a challenge, how about the fact that Muhle was creating a personal space for a couple that she wasn’t even allowed to talk to? “All we had to go off of was a video of what the client said they wanted and we had a budget from the producer and we had to stay within that,” Muhle says. “The client said she wanted teal, she loved barn wood, and she wanted a slider door. He was super into baseball and they love craft beer,” Muhle says. From those simple tidbits, Muhle and Oldenhuis were able to put together an inviting space complete with a DJ table, two TVs for the maximum sports-fan experience and a Kegerator.
Red Solo cups sold separately. Muhle began Artistico Interiors a little over a year ago. “Artistico is Italian for ‘artistic spaces.’ We specialize in what our clients like. I don’t like to be tied to anything or any style,” she says. After contemplating the clients’ wish list, Muhle then submitted her drawings to the producers for approval. “We had three days from the start of demo to the completion,” she says. Then it was time for Oldenhuis Contracting to get to work. But Chris Oldenhuis’ Nebraska work ethic was so efficient, he at times needed to be reined in by producers. “We were flying right along doing what we were supposed to be doing. We had several points where they told me to stop because I was getting too far
before
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before ahead of the cameraman,” Oldenhuis says. “Three days was pretty extreme,” he says. “At one point, I think we had close to 20 people working in the basement at the same time, from carpet layers, to people painting and doing drywall patches, and the carpets going in. There was a lot of activity.” The project was made complete with a lighted Onyx table, a bubinga wood-finish coffee table, a corkwall backsplash, and vinyl flooring. Original paintings that fit the modern, cozy feel of the room were painted by Omaha artist Kelly Zaugg. The homeowners were discovered by the host in his trademark style of attack: scouting while shopping at Lowe’s for their kitchen remodel. “It’s kind of like winning the remodel lottery. They got a
fabulous basement,” Muhle says. “It’s so surreal. It’s almost hard to believe that it even happened,” says Muhle. “I am very proud of what we did. All in all, with the amount of time we had and the budget and everything, I feel like it turned out good.” The producers agree. After the show, Oldenhuis and his wife Lynn were taken out to dinner by Temple and the HGTV producer. “Both of them kind of pulled me aside and said, ‘You know what, out of over 100 shows, in our book, you were in the top five.’ It made me feel really good.” OmahaHome The episode is available for viewing at oldenhuiscontracting.com.
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Consignment Gallery Furniture & Home Decor ph: 402.933.9666 poshpeacock.net
Bel Air Plaza #704, 12100 W Center Rd. may/june • 2014 H11
OmahaHome: neighborhood profile Story by Erin Cox • Photography by Keith Binder
H12
may/june • 2014
South Omaha’s 24th Street is the most vibrant, culturally diverse main street in town.
T
HE STORY OF SOUTH Omaha—past or present—has always been the story of
the American immigrant experience. Boom, bust, cultural conflict. Poverty, cultural ascension, cultural assimilation. Social issues, sure. But genuine vibrancy and character, too—an energy so many communities try and fail to replicate with facades. “I think it is misunderstood, it has a different flavor but different can be beautiful,” says Marcos Mora, president of LatPro Studios as well as a promoter of Passport to South Omaha, > may/june • 2014 H13
OmahaHome: neighborhood profile
H14
may/june • 2014
Move Your Kitchen Outdoors
“Answers For All of Your Burning Questions”
< a new campaign to revitalize and grow this part of the city. Even on a cold, windy day the South 24th Historic District in South Omaha is buzzing with people, traffic—something that makes for great street ambiance. During the lunch hour, street vendors can be seen selling items like tacos and treats—authentic Mexican cuisine. One thing is for certain; you can feel the sense of pride and community. The energy is high and residents are friendly and making small talk with each other. With a new generation of Hispanics making South Omaha their home, the area once dubbed the “Magic City” for its speed of growth during the American Industrial Revolution is undergoing its own revolution. Still, some thoughtful planning was needed to harness this organic burst of energy. “We looked at the Old Market, Benson, Dundee to see how they we’re doing it,” he says. “We want to change the perception.” One example of change: “You can still get the traditional Mexican cuisine but also new Latin dishes you couldn’t find before,” Mora says. With new colorful flavor on the block, coordinators of the annual Cinco de Mayo festival thought it was only natural to center the event on something we all love: Food. “Food, Fun, and Fiesta” showcases local restaurants and food vendors with the first ever Spice of South O. Free entertainment, a carnival, and a parade that is one of the biggest in the Midwest attracts people from as far as South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri. The town square, Plaza de la Raza, or “gathering place for the people,” is the heart of the area. Looking from the northwest corner of 24th and N streets, the rich history of the street comes to life. Among other feasts for the eyes: The colored tile-lined sidewalks and park benches and the towering figure of the great economic generator in the early life of this region—the Livestock Exchange Building. Events celebrate the incredible cultural diversity of the neighborhood, an amalgam of 125 years of Polish, Czech, German, and Mexican heritages. Created mostly in the boom years between 1890 and 1910, 33 buildings are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Some cultures can only be seen now in the names of structures such as the J.V. Vacek building, which now holds retail bays. >
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OmahaHome: neighborhood profile
H16
may/june • 2014
Insurance Claims Welcome
< The signs of the more recent residents are seen more in paint than stone; in murals covering the sides, tops, and fronts of buildings. Legend of the Volcanoes Popocatepetl & Iztaccihuatl, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and revolutionaries Emil Zapata and Pancho Villa are depicted with vibrant colors. In its fifth year, La Veinticuatro Walking Tour hopes to educate the public on the importance of preserving and restoring older districts. Although not an Omaha native, Vince Furlong, tour coordinator for La Veinticuatro, has a passion for cities with historical significance. Furlong leads several tours a month to help promote revitalization of this part of the city. Local businesses like The World of Pottery and Bievenidos a la Plaza Latina bring to life the story of the current residents’ heritage by showcasing folk art imported from the Guadalajara area displayed in an outdoor plaza type atmosphere found in Latin America. As a destination business, World of Pottery has customers from around the Midwest. Some of the customers, though, just come to remember old times. “One women from Auburn described a time she drove out the now front doors of the World of Pottery in a new car with her dad,” Furlong says. “This was back in the 50s when it was H&H Chevrolet.” Petersen & Michelsen Hardware is another stop on the La Veinticuatro tour. There, one is swept back in time by memorabilia from the stockyards in the form of pictures, old packaging, and uniforms. Dan Boland, owner of Petersen & Michelsen Hardware, tells guests about the 120-year history of the store; the oldest business on the street. All traces of the once-bustling meatpacking hub are not completely lost. In between answering the phone and helping customers, Boland points out an item in one of the store’s aisles. It’s a hydraulic drain flusher that meatpacking plants order from his store from around the country. In his store—as in all of South Omaha— the new and old, the antiquated and modern, blend together into a rich tapestry. “South Omaha is still so vibrant,” Boland says. “My dad and grandpa both called this the Magic City, and I still have to agree.” OmahaHome
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may/june • 2014 H17
OmahaHome: design challenge Text by David Williams • Imagery by Diamond Vogel
Hyper 0780
Dancing in the Spring 1291
Broadway Lights 0856
Earth, Air, Fire, Water The Diamond Vogel Color Palette Challenge H18
may/june • 2014
air
T
HE WORLDVIEW OF ANCIENT peoples often included a set of classical elements in
describing the very essence of matter. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water came to symbolize the irreducible powers of the planet. What could three creative talents do in terms of translating these primordial concepts into the most organic of color palettes? Let’s see what happens when an award-winning theatrical set designer, a tattoo artist, Omaha Magazine’s creative director, and the color pros from Diamond Vogel use that company’s online Envision Color Visualizer tool to “paint” their inspiration.
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“Air? You’ve got to be kidding! What the heck am I supposed to do with that which you can’t see? As it turns out, the answer was right under my nose all along. Glancing down at my drafting table I saw the color palette I had chosen for designing our production of Boeing-Boeing. This farcical comedy set in 1962 features a swinging bachelor who juggles a gaggle of what were then called “stewardesses.” I had selected a somewhat subdued and breezy, ‘60s-themed collection of hues (think Marimekko design mixed with a bit of early Warhol) to evoke an airy, almost weightless feel for the era when jet air travel was still new, exotic, and…well, downright sexy.” > may/june • 2014 H19
OmahaHome: design challenge
Meringue 0696
Zen Retreat 0535
Rand Moon 0532
Subtle Shadow 0534
water
H20
may/june • 2014
Shell Tint 0023
Umber Style 0208
John Gawley Creative Director, Omaha Magazine
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< “My aquatic inspiration came from Pantone’s 2013 color of the year—Emerald. More importantly—and a lot dearer to my heart—is the fact that this is the assortment of colors that my wife, Trisha, and I are using to prepare a nursery as we await the birth of our first child. Clean lines and cleaner palettes are found throughout our home, so I’ve reflected that theme with gray-ish surfaces that exist only to ground and add “oomph” to the brighter, more vibrant hues surrounding them. We’ ll be adding coral-tinted accents in throw pillows and other soft elements to punctuate the room with some “pop.” Come late September, the nursery will be the center of activity on so many much-anticipated (but probably sleepless) nights.” >
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Pat i o Fu r n i t u re • G r i l l s & G r i l l Pa r t s • Fi re Pi t s • B a r s • o u td o o r K i tc h e n s may/june • 2014 H21
OmahaHome: design challenge
Blue Period 0690
Exotica 0108
Unforgettably Gold 0900
Subtle Shadow 0534
earth
H22
may/june • 2014
Legal solutions for complex real estate transactions and disputes. Advancing your goals...for another 100 years.
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Towanda Marks, Pam McCarthy, and Judy Nowak The Diamond Vogel Team
< “Brown, beige, clay. These are the colors of earth. We have gone beneath the surface to explore what lies below by choosing minerals and gemstones as our inspiration. The soft gold in the stairwell will refract light in contrast to the rich, blue-green of the walls. Entering the bedroom you find the unexpected element of a green ceiling. Remember that ceilings are your “fifth wall.” They offer a very effective, additional field of color. The complementary color on the bedroom wall is Diamond Vogel’s interpretation of Pantone’s 2014 Color of the Year—Radiant Orchid. All of these colors come together and are grounded by the richly hued earth tones of both the carpet and the light beige trim. >
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4315 S. 120th Street 402-334-4900 www.echosystemsomaha.com may/june • 2014 H23
OmahaHome: design challenge
Party Time 1109
Starfish 1047
Orange you Happy? 0970
Happy Face 0851
fire
H24
may/june • 2014
Diamond Stud 0516
Black Licorice 0529
Johnna McCreary Tattoo artist and co-owner, Liquid Courage Tattoos
< “When contemplating my assigned element, my mind immediately went to thoughts of enjoying the ambiance of a cozy fire surrounded by low-light candles enveloping me in a serene, flickering glow. It instantly evokes an aura of home, warmth, and safety. As a tattoo artist, I approached the room as I would a tattoo. I chose a combination of colors that compliment each other to create a beautiful and unique canvas. With the element of fire, I thought of reds, oranges, and yellows. I used them here to create a room that feels pleasant, mellow, and comforting…much like a relaxing evening in front of the fireplace.” OmahaHome
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may/june • 2014 H25
OmahaHome: at home Story by David Williams • Photography by Bill Sitzmann
Good Vibes at the Tibet Hotel
At Home With Deidre and Steven Evans
H26
may/june • 2014
D
R I V E W A Y BASKETBALL GAM E S ALL
over the city provide a staccato soundtrack as spring awakenings draw people outdoors to enjoy the weather. But simple pickup games at a certain Gold Coast address on North 38th Street are anything but simple. They have a look and feel that is distinctly their own. Where else would you find Tibetan monks in bright orange robes setting picks and draining threes? The monks who visit the city to create elaborate sand paintings at the Old Market’s OM Center have been frequent guests of Deirdre and Steven Evans over the years. “We call it the Tibet Hotel,” Deirdre says of the home built in 1921 that is on the National Register of Historic Places. “It’s just a huge amount of good vibes to have them here. And the neighbors, I think, get a kick out of seeing them playing basketball, sitting on >
may/june • 2014 H27
OmahaHome: at home
H28
may/june • 2014
< the terrace, or walking up and down the street in their robes.” “Monks are known for their compassion,” Steven adds, “but they are in-your-face aggressive and competitive when it comes to a game of hoops.” Just as with the anomaly of monk sightings in Midtown, the home’s décor is anything but the expected. A lava lamp is juxtaposed against Victorian tchotchkes. The graceful lines of Chippendale and Queen Anne furniture compete for attention positioned beside the ornate carvings of Asian pieces. A stuffed dummy in the solarium is positioned as if it were engrossed in a tome of illuminated manuscripts. Menacing gargoyles face off against whimsical, bobblehead clowns. Buddha figurines are found at every turn. It’s one of the more crazily convoluted decorating themes ever featured in this publication, but it all seems to just somehow…work. “A little of this,” Deirdre shrugs with a winking grin, “and a little of that.” Steven bought the home almost sight unseen in 1975 after a nine-month negotiation process. It was a rental property at the time divvied up between 16 occupants. “I had only seen the place from the foyer,” he says of the home in which he and Deirdre would be married in 1992. “It wasn’t even for sale. The neighborhood was threatened with extinction for a lot of different reasons at the time and I ended up buying it for a song. People thought I was crazy.” Successive waves of “progress” had long threatened to forever change the neighborhood. A plan dating back to the 1950s envisioned an east-west freeway that would parallel Dodge through the Gold Coast and out to Dundee. Remember that odd “cloverleaf to nowhere” on I-480 at the 30th Street exit near Creighton University that was only recently reconfigured? That was to be the source spur of the project that would have decimated what are now considered to be two of the city’s most historic neighborhoods. Like many Gold Coast homeowners, the Evans’ feel a responsibility to preserve and protect the area that is an Omaha treasure. The battle last year over the idea of an ultramodern, flat-roofed home being built nearby on 38th Street sent the couple once again into activist mode. “The home would have been more than a little incongruent with the surrounding >
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OmahaHome: at home
H30
may/june • 2014
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< neighborhood,” Steven says. “Imagine if such a famous architect as, say, I.M. Pei himself had somehow been behind the design. World-class, award-winning design. How exciting! But the price would have too high in terms of maintaining the integrity of this street. Historic district designations mean something. They are not just an accolade. They have teeth.” The Evans’ also enjoy keeping the neighborhood connected in ways that are meant to be pure fun. Deirdre started an annual Ladies’ Neighborhood Tea 20 years ago and it is still going strong. A monthly Girls’ Night Out that she launched a decade ago started out as a hyper-local affair, but has since evolved to include friends who are within walking distance and beyond. Their zanily colorful spooks-and-spirits Halloween Party has become the stuff of legend. To Deirdre, the social life of North 38th Street also serves to build community in a way that bolsters the spirit of preservation. Too many landmarks, she says, have been lost. “Don’t you ever look at old pictures of scenes around Omaha and say, ‘Oh, I remember that! I wish that could still be here?’ You can walk up and down this street and be transported back in time. We have met walkers from other neighborhoods who actually drive here and park just to make it a part of their regular routine.” OmahaHome
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OmahaHome: feature Story by David Williams • Photography by Bill Sitzmann
Dundee’s Front Porch Keeping the “Community” in Community Gardens
T
Mary Green of the Dundee Community Garden HERE WAS A TIME when most
homes were built with a front porch, a space that practically screamed to passerby and neighbor alike, “Here we are! Right out in full view! C’mon over and we’ll get to know each other.” In this increasingly plugged-in, online, and tuned-out world of ours, the idea of a front porch seems to have gone the way of rotary dial phones and VHS. The rise of community gardens may seem to be primarily about digging in the dirt in anticipation of alternatives to store-bought tomatoes that taste like Styrofoam, but Mary Green knows there’s more. H32
may/june • 2014
“A community garden is more than being just about food,” says Dundee Garden board president Mary Green. Just as with other social, philanthropic, religious, or special interest organizations, Green says, “A community garden fills a void. A community garden is as much about community. It’s about old people mixing with young people, and renters mixing with homeowners, and people of all economic means coming together to get to know people that they wouldn’t otherwise ever know.” The Dundee Community Garden is an example of one of the more established of communal efforts, and the volunteers who sow the seeds of fertile success there had a
bumper crop of accomplishments last year. The group that was established in 2009 bought the property at 49th and Underwood Avenue after a major funding drive bolstered in part by support from the Sherwood Foundation and Kiewit Foundation. Water hydrants were installed. A permanent shed with a cement floor was added. Plantings of six fruit trees followed. New tools were acquired. Solar panels on the shed are planned for this season to power their new electric mower. The group also held a series of educational workshops at the nearby AV Sorensen Community Center. The neighborhood flocked to their ice cream social and
watermelon feed. And the garden was a stop for bicyclists on the Tour de Garden. But the work of the 44 members who dig in Dundee has ramifications that go far beyond their own kitchen tables. The garden donated 680 lbs. of fresh produce to the residents of the Omaha Housing Authority’s Underwood Tower Apartments located right across the street. And 100 lbs. of sweet potatoes were given to refugee families served by the Yates Community Center. A special “Neighbor Garden” was carved out of the space with the idea that any visitor could help themself to a handful of produce. Jean Imray, a former member and owner of
the Dundee Gallery located six doors down from the site, plans to check out the Neighbor Garden. “It was great when I had my own plot,” Imray says, “but now I can still enjoy the produce through the Neighbor Garden on my walk home. A little basil. Some tomatoes. Cook up a little pasta, and that’s a great dinner.” Family gardening, Green says, is also a learning opportunity for children. “There’s a lot of satisfaction in growing your own, healthy food,” Green says. “But it’s just as exciting to see all the kids learning about gardening. A lot of parents tell me that
their kids now eat things they wouldn’t have touched before because of the experience of growing food themselves.” The urban vibe in the heart of Dundee also makes the Dundee Garden one of the city’s most visible showcases for sustainability. “One of the things about our garden,” Greens says, “is that it is a very public space on a fairly busy street that also has a lot of pedestrian traffic. People wave. They ask questions. They often stop just to chat. We get to know more and more people that way.” Just like it was in a bygone era when the front porch was the focus of so much community connecting. OmahaHome may/june • 2014 H33
OmahaHome: home décor makeover Story by Sandy Besch-Matson • Photography by Bill Sitzmann
Mother's Day Planters Home Décor Makeover
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VERY MOM LOVES BEING pam-
pered on Mother’s Day, but the tradition at my house includes grabbing my gardening gloves and trowel. My get-your-hands-dirty project this year was to tend to a pair of planters purchased from World of Mexican Pottery in South O. With our print deadline being almost a month ago, I was worried about the availability of greenery to put in those planters, but found that Lanoha Nurseries offered a great selection of lush options from which to choose. As with any design project, I sought an attention to line, form, and scale in curating and placing my selections. • The spikes of a Red Star Cordyline lend height and drama • Juztaposed against those long tendrils are the broader, gentler curves of Sedona Coleus, whose purple hues compliment the rich reds of the Cordyline above. • Pops of color and contrast come from simple splashes of white Purity Candy Tufts. • Grounding it all is a draping base of Ivy Variegated Vinca Vine, which is also an amazingly resilient—and fast spreading—choice for any bed in your yard. Your container and plantings options for a project like this are endless! OmahaHome
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may/june • 2014
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OmahaHome: room Story by David Williams • Photography by Bill Sitzmann
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So this happened… H36
may/june • 2014
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Life on Swanny 9
To subscribe go to: www.omahapublications.com To advertise call:402.884.2000
O
UR EXPLORATION OF THE
city’s smallish living spaces continues with a trip over to “Swanny 9,” the ninth floor of Creighton University’s Swanson Hall. It was there in the tiny, 11.5 by 15-foot confines of Room 912 that we found freshmen Adrienne Pyle and Caitlin Wright. Pyle, a pre-med student from Des Moines, and Wright, her pre-law roomie from Prior Lake, Minn., were deep in a cram session. The crushing weight of midterms was upon them, and there certainly wasn’t any time for… Scholarly pursuits on Swanny 9 can shift to decidedly more social affairs at a moment’s notice. In what seemed like 10 seconds flat the room took on the appearance of a Tokyo subway car during rush hour, and the needle of a decibel meter would have been quivering somewhere between “hair metal band” and “jet takeoff.” Funny thing is that we didn’t even set a record that day. “Getting 25 people in here is still pretty cozy,” Wright explains. “No way,” Pyle replies. “Make that more like 30!” OmahaHome
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OmahaHome: d•i•y Story by Robert Nelson • Photography by Bill Sitzmann
On the Chopping Block
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H38
may/june • 2014
W
HEN SCOTT AND SARA Blake first bought their
house, they had visions of idyllic, sun-lit morning meals in their oh-so quaint breakfast nook. “We imagined we’d be there every day enjoying the heck out of that space,” Scott says. >
OmahaHome: d•i•y
< Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Kitchen pots accumulated on the small table in the nook. In time, the table began to collect any bit of chaos the house had to offer. The final indignity: The recycling began to collect willy-nilly on the table. H40
may/june • 2014
“It was starting to get disgusting,” Scott says. “We ate there once. It was a complete waste of space.” So Scott, an artist whose work has been in exhibits around the globe, and Sara, a hardcore culinary “hobbyist” who is working toward her
teaching degree at UNO, got to work transforming the space. When she’s not studying, Sara loves to cook. But, the traditional galleystyle kitchen in their Country Club-area Tudor was cramped with limited counter space. It was clear what was needed: A space to prepare food.
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Scott got to work. What was the ideal? First, a deeper countertop; a space that could hold kitchenwares while still offering space for food preparation. The prep table would be 36-inches deep. Shelf space would be great, so, on his computer, Scott designed two deep lower shelves that—because of the spaced pine slats—look something like storage pallets. Scott had some carpentry and construction on his resume thanks to a youth spent building skateboard ramps. “I started building those with my brother at age 10,” he says. He made numerous trips back and forth to home-improvement stores for the right cuts and types of woods. He needed only basic power tools; primarily depending on a miter saw, jigsaw, and hand drill. What Scott had little experience in was finish work. In his impromptu workshop in the garage, Scott spent a total of 60 hours getting the needed three coats of polyurethane on correctly. “Drips—they can drive you crazy,” he says. “Watch for the drips.” Finally, the stainless steel top. Scott sought a custom-built top from Hempel Sheet Metal Works in Omaha. The people at Hempel had a table top back to him in less than a week. “They were super cool about everything,” he says. “They were really into the idea.” The stainless-steel top has an added feature—a lightly distressed surface that hides dings or cut marks. Now the Blakes have 86 percent more counter space (Scott meticulously measures such things). Now they have a deep, spacious surface for cutting meats and vegetables, laying out pastas, or preparing baking goods. The stainless steel surface is particularly well suited for preparing cookie and other types of dough, Sara says. “You want a cool surface like marble or stainless steel,” she says. The final tally was about $1,300 with the biggest chunk being the $800 steel top. That was less than half the price of most custombuilt tables on the market, Scott says. The price was well worth it, the couple says. Basically, the new table has transformed a cramped, fairly dysfunctional space into the keystone of a fully functioning kitchen. “It feels pretty good when you can take a dead space and turn it into something that transforms a room,” Sara says. “We never used this nook before. Now I use this table every day.” OmahaHome
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may/june • 2014
Kick up your cooking a notch or three (Bam!) with a staggering array of spices, gifts, and more. Prices vary Savory Spice Shop Rockbrook Village 10919 Elm St. 402-505-4396 savoryspice.com
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Lava Heat Patio Heater Italia
Warm things up on chilly spring evenings with this heater from Italia, the pioneers of outdoor comfort. $299 Outdoor Kitchen & Patio 12100 W. Center Rd. 402-333-2282 outdoorkitchen.com may/june • 2014 H43
OmahaHome: transformations Story by Diane Luxford, ASID, D-Lux Interiors • Photography by Tom Kessler
Order from Chaos Connecting through an Open Concept
meet the designer Diane Luxford, AISD D-Lux Interiors
Transformations is a regular feature of Omaha Home that spotlights a recent project by a local ASID interior designer. The copy and photos are provided by the designer. Homeowners’ names may be withheld for privacy. H44
may/june • 2014
T
HIS TOMLINSON WOODS HOME
was in good condition, but it looked tired and was not selling. Deborah and Darry Pearson had the vision to see beyond imperfections. I connected with the Pearson’s at the Omaha ASID Designer Showhouse and learned of their vision. We quickly assembled a team with Tom Clark of Advanced House Plans and Jon Ish of Jordan Michael Homes to implement their dreams. Walls were torn down. Others were were shored up. Rooms and closets > may/june • 2014 H45
OmahaHome: transformations
after
after H46
may/june • 2014
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OmahaHome: transformations
H48
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business. < moved around a bit. Tired of the view? Let’s move some windows. These homeowners sought to have the feeling of an “open concept,” so the design tweaks mentioned above were critical in executing on that plan—one that would unite seemingly disparate spaces into one fluid space. During construction we got busy with the other facets and finishes required throughout the home. A specific hand-scraped wood floor would be in order to maintain consistency throughout the main floor, including the master bedroom. Classic tiles were found for the master bath, kitchen, laundry room, and upstairs bath. An exquisitely variegated granite was sourced for all of the countertops. Since lighting design is one of my passions, changes in the existing scheme were made using unique fixtures so that the team’s artistry would be fully illuminated. A thoughtful job of editing the homeowners’ existing belongings led to a budget-friendly opportunity to re-purpose some pieces. One of the challenges of great design is curating goods and materials from a seemingly endless list of sources, but it’s also one of my favorite tasks because this is where a seasoned pro can really shine and bring value to the client. Then comes the juggling act of keeping track of everything that must come together in a meaty project like this one. Chaos means time lost—the bane of many such projects. And this effort was complicated by the homeowner’s busy work/travel schedule. Precision was important. Organization triumphs over chaos. D-Lux Interiors takes a holistic approach to the complete project. Furniture purchases are made with unique textiles. Tables, rugs, and window treatments are sourced from a wide variety of vendors. We personally place accessories and hang art. The entire process, especially in the hands of an industry veteran, can be stress-free and very smooth, but it is the client’s smile that tells me everything I need to know after the dust settles. OmahaHome Diane Luxford, ASID has operated D-Lux Interiors for 23 years, coaching clients to make their home or office a place of dreams come true. 402-496-3233.
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That’s what one of North America’s leading in-home design floor covering companies brings to the region with its new store in West Omaha. Using specialized flooring design software, one of the company’s team of specialists will come to your home and work with you to create the perfect floor, from options including hardwood flooring, carpet, stone, tile, cork, bamboo, and a selection of eco-friendly surfaces. It’s as though you have an agent or custom home builder guiding you through the sometimes confusing task of finding and installing the best floor for your needs. During the initial consultation at your home, the design consultant and you will work together to match your ideas and needs with designs, colors, and materials Floor Coverings International has to offer. After that planning session, the design consultant will be with you every step of the way until you have a floor in your home with which you are completely satisfied. OmahaHome
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shows on national television, one of the hot design trends is the use of “reclaimed wood,” pieces of wood that have been repurposed from weather-worn collapsed barns or any other grand old structure. But, finding that wood, and finding experts who can tastefully and professionally bring that rich look into your home, has been difficult for those in this area. Finally, though, finding such wood is easy. I’m Home Furnishings brings to Omaha myriad styles of reclaimed wood. Come into the store, find the rich patina that matches your tastes, and the company’s experts will work with you all the way from design to installation. I’m Home Furnishings offers much more beyond just wood. To build your dream room, I’m Home Furnishings carries an extensive line of products, including unusual pieces of genuine hardwood Amish furniture and a vast array of custom leather sofas and chairs. OmahaHome
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Sarah Boyd (left) and Kali Baker
The Science of Charity Last year’s OMAHA GIVES event raised $3 million for Omaha charities. This year, thanks to some clever incentives, organizers expect to do even better.
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ALI BAKER KNOWS WELL
how the better angels of our nature think. She knows that although they are angels, they still love a little competition. They love variety, too. They love prizes. Like their less-noble brethren, they even like to party. Omaha Gives 2014, the 24-hour-long, online telethon Baker organizes, is as much a psychological experiment as it is a charity. Still, the bottom line isn’t rocket science: The event raises a heck of a lot of money for a heck of a lot of Omaha charities. Last year, in its first outing in the city, this online telethon put on by the Omaha Community Foundation raised $3 million for charities in the area. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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It’s such a different type of event, we didn’t know for sure what we were getting into. It just felt so good when we saw the numbers. Baker
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< “It was just remarkable to watch,” says Baker, who is director of communications for the Foundation. “It’s such a different type of event, we didn’t know for sure what we were getting into. It just felt so good when we saw the numbers.” Impressive numbers. From midnight to midnight one day last spring, nearly 11,000 people made online donations to 318 participating non-profits. This year’s Omaha Gives 2014 will be held May 21. At 12:01 a.m. that Wednesday, you can go to omahagives24.org and donate to any one of more than 500 charities in the region. Here’s how it works. Area non-profits sign up to be a part of the event. All the participating charities are then included on a sort of “Big Board” on the Omaha Gives website. On May 21, people can begin going to the website and donating to any one (or, of course, any number) of the charities listed. Each charity’s name on the board with have a real-time running tally of the money they’ve received. So, here’s where the mind games come in. The website becomes a scoreboard. All of a sudden, somebody is winning. As is human nature: The volunteers and donors for the five hundred or so other charities decide it would be neat for them to be the leader. Baker calls that “incentivizing” the event. It gets better. Last year, many of the charities held events during the day. Donors and volunteers gathered, had fun and very often got on their smart phones and donated. Also, as the excitement built through the day, they contacted their friends, who contacted their friends. That social media thing. Pretty soon, the event was drawing hundreds of new donors and volunteers to the charities involved. Then came the prizes for hitting certain donation targets. This year, non-profits will
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compete for prizes in three categories depending on the group’s annual budget. The Omaha Community Foundation also will be offering matching funds. In addition, each hour, one donation will be randomly selected to be augmented with an additional $1,000. That’s yet another clever carrot. “Things can get a bit slow at some points, especially in those early hours of the day,” Baker says. “But that $1,000 each hour should get people fired up to stay involved all day long.” One group that benefitted greatly was The Union for Contemporary Art. The young nonprofit (started in 2011) hosted a lunchtime pizza party the day of the event last year as well as an open house for donors. Numerous donations were made from donors onsite, but most of the donations came through social media, says Brigitte McQueen Shew, The Union’s executive director. “I basically spent the entire day jumping online and reminding people that even a gift of $10...would make a huge difference.” More than 200 people donated a total of $13,000, “A huge amount for us,” she says. The Union’s effort earned them one of those $1,000 bonus prizes. “Omaha Gives basically enabled us to launch (programs) years before I thought we’d have the funds available to make it happen,” she says. “We are truly looking forward to the event this year.” Sara Boyd, president and CEO of the Foundation, echoes that sentiment. There’s good reason to believe Omaha Gives could grow exponentially in coming years. “As we look at these event in other communities, the second year presents a huge opportunity to get more people involved >
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It’s not just about the money raised, it’s about introducing a great number of new people to a great number of non-profits. Baker
< in giving,” she says. “People who didn’t know it was happening last year or didn’t understand the premise have a greater opportunity to participate.” The Omaha Gives day is modeled after a few similar 24-hour, online fundraisers that have popped up in recent years around the country. Because of the immense success of this fundraising formula, Baker says, more and more will likely be showing up around the country. “It just has been proven to work on numerous levels,” she says. “It has an amazing way of getting people involved, even people who have never been involved before.” That may be the greatest power of this fundraising formula. Thanks primarily to that intense social media burst, it’s estimated that 30 percent of last year’s donations at the Omaha event came from first-time donors. “I think one of the great things about Omaha Gives is that it gave us a vehicle for raising awareness about our programs and work,” McQueen Shew says. That new awareness, and all those firsttime donors, means a whole new army of volunteers and donors for those charities as they move forward. “It’s not just about the money raised, it’s about introducing a great number of new people to a great number of non-profits,” Baker says. “All these neat incentives are just ways to promote giving and bring the community together in new ways.” Omaha Gives “is empowering, accessible, and meaningful,” Boyd says. “That’s especially important as we seek to develop a new audience of givers in our community.” GALA
GALA
OMAHA GALA FEATURE
story by robert nelson • photography by bill sitzmann
The Negro Girls’ Softball Team traveled the region in the 1930s. This photo, courtesy of the Great Plains Black History Museum, was taken June 22, 1937, in Scottsbluff.
Back from the Grave The long-shuttered Great Plains Black History
Museum is back with new digs, new exhibits, and a grand new vision for the future.
S
ITTING IN A QUIET space in a now very quiet Crossroads Mall, the Great Plains Black History Museum is currently a bit underwhelming. It is a pleasing space, but sparse. As part of the current exhibit, the walls are lined with skillful pencil drawings of some of the greatest African-American figures of the last century. But, one longs for more than drawings and old photos. Take a step back, though. Consider where the Museum has been. Closed down for > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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A
child
can teach an adult t h r e e things: To be happy for no reason To always be curious To fight tirelessly for something --Paulo Coelho
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feature great plains black history museum
It was a meaningful experience and honestly, there wasn’t even much there. I’m thrilled the museum is back, that it’s growing. It should be, it deserves to be. This city needs it. It’s important to the community. sterling
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The fiffiirst step is to make health your #1 priority < a decade. Artifacts unseen, in disarray and, in some cases, moldering. And consider where the museum is going. Plans are taking shape for a new $15.5 million facility, The Great Plains Black History Museum, Science & Technology Center, that will not only include display space for the museum’s collection, but also ample state-of-the-art exhibits, labs, and classrooms for the area’s high school science and technology scholars. For now, the Crossroads location is a placeholder of sorts, says the chairman of the museum board and architect of the museum’s rebirth, Jim Beatty. “We’re building energy here. This is a step in a process that’s heading to a very exciting place,” he says. On a recent weekday afternoon, only one person was perusing the collection of portraits by local artist Terry Diel. That one guest, though, carries an excitement present in a much broader audience in this city. Darrell Sterling, who works nearby in Crossroads, grew up in North Omaha. He says he knows the energy is there for the museum to “become something great.” “I went to the old museum down on Lake (Street) in grade school,” Sterling says. “It was a meaningful experience and honestly, there wasn’t even much there. I’m thrilled the museum is back, that it’s growing. It should be, it deserves to be. This city needs it. It’s important to the community.” “For a city the size of Omaha to not have a black history museum, it’s embarrassing,” Beatty says. “It’s long overdue.” >
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< Volunteers are in the process of cataloging and securing the current artifacts, some of which have been in danger of decay sitting in the leaky old museum structure. Other parts of the collection languished in a storage locker. “The collection is safe,” Beatty says. “Now it’s time for it to grow.” As fundraising efforts expand (which even includes efforts by state Sen. Rick Kolowski to generate up to $8 million in matching state funds for the project), the Crossroads site will continue to bring in quality exhibits. Next up—just in time for the College World Series—will be a collection of artifacts and interpretive pieces from the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City. The exhibit will include photos and other items from the Omaha museum’s own collection, including 112
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Jim Beatty, chairman of the Great Plains Black History Museum board, shows a museum guest one of the countless photos from the museum’s collection.
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photos of the city’s early African-American men’s and women’s baseball teams. Board member Terri Sanders, who, on a recent day, was the lone greeter/de-facto curator at the Crossroad location, says that she, like Beatty, sees the current quiet times as temporary. “Part of the process,” she says. “We’re thrilled to be where we are,” she says. “We have a nice place that people can come into, see what’s happening, and hopefully get involved and be a part of this big leap forward.” How big? The new facility is slated to have 14 full-time employees. That’s 14 times more than the current staffing level of one. “It’s a little quiet sometimes right now,” she says. “That won’t be true in the future.” GALA
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OMAHA GALA
May/June
Calendar of Events
May 1 High Heel Dash Junior League of Omaha Aksarben Village jlomaha.org
May 5 YES Golf Outing Youth Emergency Services, Inc. Shadow Ridge Country Club yesomaha.org
May 1 Women’s Power Luncheon Habitat for Humanity of Omaha Hilton Omaha habitatomaha.org
May 6 Kids Can Luncheon Kids Can Community Center CenturyLink Center Omaha kidscanomaha.org
May 17 Wear Yellow Ride & Walk Wear Yellow Nebraska Strategic Air & Space Museum wearyellownebraska.org
May 6 Breakfast of Champions Special Olympics Nebraska Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center sone.org
May 19 Omaha Home for Boys Annual Golf Classic Omaha Home for Boys Shadow Ridge Country Club omahahomeforboys.org
May 9 Brownell-Talbot Gala Brownell-Talbot School Brownell-Talbot School brownell.edu
May 19 Midlands Community Foundation 2014 Golf Tournament Midlands Community Foundation Platteview Country Club midlandscommunity.org
May 1 Breaking the Cycle Auction and Dinner Open Door Mission Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center opendoormission.org May 2 Night of Celebration Immanuel Medical Center Auxiliary Mutual of Omaha Dome alegentcreighton.com May 2-3 Bowl for Kids’ Sake Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands Maplewood Lanes bbbsomaha.org May 3 For the Kids Benefit Omaha Children’s Museum Omaha Children’s Museum ocm.org May 3 Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 5K Run-Walk to Remember & Children’s Fun Run Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Skutt High School keepkidsalivedrive25.org May 5 Joslyn Art Museum Association Lecture Luncheon Joslyn Art Museum Association Joslyn Art Museum joslyn.org
May 10 Cabaret 2014 Child Saving Institute Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center childsaving.org May 10 2014 Nebraska Lymphomathon Lymphoma Research Foundation Mahoney State Park lymphomathon.org May 13 D.J.’s Heroes Awards Luncheon The Salvation Army CenturyLink Center Omaha givesalvationarmy.org
May 16 Safe Haven Golf Event Heartland Family Service Tiburon Golf Club heartlandfamilyservice.org
May 31 On the Road Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands Happy Hollow Club bgcomaha.org May 31 Wine & Jazz American Red Cross Iowa Western Community College redcross.org May TBD Goal Achievement Honors Celebration Partnership 4 Kids
May 14-17 Exclusive Private Shopping Event Fashion Institute Midwest 1002 Dodge Street omahafashionweek.com
June 1 Nebraska Kidney Walk Nebraska Kidney Association Towl Park kidneyne.org
May 15 AAU Annual Golf Outing Angels Among Us Tiburon Golf Club myangelsamongus.org
June 2 Golf Fore Eagles Central High School Foundation Field Club Omaha chsfomaha.org June 3-28 Strike Out Hunger Food Bank of the Heartland foodbankheartland.org
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June 5 11th Annual Golf Tournament Outlook Nebraska, Inc. Indian Creek Golf Course outlooknebraska.org June 5 Alegent Creighton Health Foundation Gala Alegent Creighton Health Foundation Embassy Suites La Vista Conference Center alegentcreighton.com June 6 Alegent Creighton Health Foundation Golf Event Alegent Creighton Health Foundation Iron Horse Golf Course alegentcreighton.com June 6 Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska Cattlemen’s Ball Hoot Owl Ranch cattlemensball.com June 6 Sand in the City Nebraska Children’s Home Society Downtown Omaha, 10th & Mike Fahey streets sandinthecityomaha.com June 7 Ollie’s Dream Gala Ollie Web Center Hilton Omaha olliewebbinc.org June 8 Munroe-Meyer Guild Garden Walk Munroe-Meyer Guild Six Midtown Gardens unmc.edu June 10 19th Annual Project Harmony Golf Invitational Project Harmony Indian Creek Golf Course projectharmony.com
June 10 11th Annual Golf Classic Hope Center for Kids Champions Run hopecenterforkids.com June 12 Pinot, Pigs & Poets Completely KIDS Happy Hollow Club pinotandpigs.org June 14 Strawberry Tea St. Vincent de Paul Society St. Wenceslaus School Gym svdpomaha.com June 15 Rollin’ to Colon Great Plains Colon Cancer Task Force DC West High School coloncancertaskforce.org June 20 3rd Annual Jack Young Memorial Golf Tournament – A Round to Remember Jack Young Memorial Foundation Dodge Riverside Golf Course June 27 Bob Hohn Memorial Golf Classic ALS in the Heartland Tiburon Golf Club alsintheheartland.org June 27 Strike a Chord Heartland Family Service Mid-America Center heartlandfamilyservice.org June 28 Possibilities Challenge College Possible Omaha Various locations collegepossible.org June 29 2014 Walk/Run Siena/Francis House Homeless Shelter Lake Zorinsky sienafrancis.org June, TBD Kick the “R” Word Tournament Miss Amazing Inc.
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FEATURE
story by leo adam biga • photography by bill sitzmann
Rabbi Azriel A Legacy As Social Progressive and Interfaith Champion Secure
R
ABBI ARYEH AZRIEL HAS led
Omaha’s reform Jewish congregation, Temple Israel Synagogue, since 1988. Along the way he’s become known for his social justice advocacy and for his efforts building bridges to other faith communities. He’s a board member of the ground-breaking Tri-Faith Initiative that’s bringing the three Abrahamic traditions together on the same campus. Temple Israel represents the Jewish tradition in the endeavor. >
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< After putting his liberal stamp on Omaha, Azriel has signed his last three-year contact. His retirement takes effect in June 2016. This good shepherd wants the best for his flock and successor. Therefore, after he steps down he and his wife, Elyce, (they’re parents to two adult children) will move to Chicago, where they have strong ties, rather than be a distraction here. “I want to see the congregation continue to thrive with someone else,” he says, “and sometimes there is a challenge when the emeritus rabbi stays in the same city. It’s important to have a rabbi running this congregation without an emeritus rabbi breathing down their neck. There’s definitely a need for me to not only step aside but to move to another place so the new person, whether male or female, has some independence to do things their own way.” When his time at Temple is done he will leave behind some tangible results, starting with the new synagogue building near 132nd and Pacific that opened last summer in the Sterling Ridge mixed-use development. The temple is the first completed element of the Tri-Faith campus being developed there. Azriel has been a driving force for his progressive congregation bearing witness to interfaith acceptance and communion. The temple will soon be joined by a neighboring mosque, a Christian church, and an interfaith center. The contemporary modern, glass-sheathed new home replaced the previous facility at 70th and Cass that the nearly 800-family congregation outgrew years ago. It marked the first time in his career the native of Israel oversaw a new building project. “It’s really a once in a lifetime experience,” Azriel says. “Many people in the congregation took part in this process.” After years planning and praying the consensus is the open, Prairie-style structure is a good thing. “The feedback on the building from the congregation is amazing,” he says. “We created exactly what we needed.” The building, bathed in natural light from many windows, includes high tech features, but Azriel says it’s rooted in tradition. For example, leading to the main sanctuary are two facing modular walls—one a memorial bearing the names of members who’ve passed away and the other the stained glass windows that adorned the old sanctuary.
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“I think it’s extremely important for any institution that serves people to always have a heart for the institutional memory. There must be a place where a new building will not avoid the past or prevent you from remembering it. This congregation was established in 1871, and so even with a new building we still have to have one eye back in the history. We’ve maybe updated the technology but it’s the same Judaism—the same traditions, the same customs.” What the temple most needed was more space to accommodate folks at services, receptions, classes, and other events and the much larger synagogue accomplishes this. Beyond the greater numbers that can be served the spacious digs provide more opportunities for interaction. “This is definitely a communal experience,” he says. “It’s a house of study, a house of gathering and a house of prayer. It’s also a community gathering place for Jews and non-Jews. So it’s not just worship, it’s social justice, it’s adult and youth education, it’s making connections to churches in this area. I’m now creating relationships with some of the churches out here and it will be interesting to grow those relationships and to start something new.” Just as he hoped, a central community square or commons area has become a focal point for people to hang out. “We are finding that people are actually lingering because the space is so inviting. They want to stay longer and they like the schmoozing.” Azriel doesn’t worry much about his legacy. “It’s definitely not about bricks and mortar, it’s about relationships and hopefully about leaving a good name.” He knows Temple’s contribution to the Tri-Faith campus represents just one part of an unfolding journey in understanding. “This piece is done but the other pieces are extremely important too. To be able to create that community is another step. Some steps will be done before I leave and some will be done after I leave, and I’ll come back to see them bear fruit.” OMAG For synagogue details, visit www.templeisraelomaha.com. Follow Tri-Faith Initiative news at trifaith.org. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.
Rabbi Azriel with David Radler’s book Portraits of Survival. Since the 2009 publishing of this photo essay of Holocaust survivors, the rabbi officiated at the funeral of Hilde, the woman shown here on the book’s back cover.
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FEATURE
story by carol crissey nigrelli • photography by bill sitzmann
The Wonderful World of Ryan Rhodes Singing For Disney Set a Tone For Life
“…A
ND I HOPE YOU
have a magical day.” Ryan Rhodes can’t begin to count the number of times he uttered those words. Tens of thousands? Easily. During a decade-long run as a member of the premier vocal group at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Rhodes, now a security systems salesman in Omaha, greeted people from around the world and welcomed them to the Magic Kingdom. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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< “I sang bass with the Voices of Liberty at Epcot,” says Rhodes, 44, clearly proud of his vocal past. “They’re a world-renowned eight-part a cappella group.” Anyone who has visited Epcot since it opened in 1982 has probably seen the Voices of Liberty. The singers perform about seven shows a day in the gracious rotunda of the American Adventure pavilion near the back of the theme park. Dressed in 19th-century period costumes, the group presents pure Americana in all its beauty. “We did patriotic songs, folk, gospel, show tunes, and jazz,” explains Rhodes, who anchored the octet from 1997-2007. “We would sing every 45 minutes, from about 12:30 to 5:00. We liked to change things up. Before each set we’d decide which genre we would sing.” Mornings were spent rehearsing some of the hundreds of songs in their repertoire. The eight-part vocal orchestration with tight harmonies enabled Disney’s vocal ambassadors to give even the most iconic anthem like “The Star Spangled Banner” a more contemporary sound without losing any of its raw, emotional power. They put on quite a show. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic was Ronald Reagan’s favorite,” recalls Rhodes, who has sung before five presidents. “We 122
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also sang it for Superman actor Christopher Reeve. His wife, Dana, wheeled him into the rotunda. It was after his accident. He thanked us. I’ll never forget that moment.” In addition to singing live at Epcot, Rhodes and the Voices of Liberty could be heard throughout the Magic Kingdom. Their music tracks were piped in along Main Street, in all the shops and throughout the glitzy holiday parade routes. Rhodes’s speaking voice also reached millions of visitors. “I was able to do a lot of freelance voice work outside of Disney,” says Rhodes, who chuckles when he adds, “I think you can still hear me saying, ‘Moving walkway, moving walkway. Please watch your step’ at Universal Studios.” Listening to Rhodes as he relaxes in his favorite Omaha coffee shop, it’s easy to understand why the Disney philosophy of giving people “magical moments” would resonate with him. He is, in the Disney jargon, “assertively friendly,” meaning he goes out of his way to engage people. He is quick-witted, genuinely caring, kind, and not ashamed to show emotion. “Disney was perfect for Ryan,” laughs his wife, Omaha native Jana Belitz Rhodes. “He could just be himself.” Jana has been sharing her husband’s musical theater adventures ever
since they met while attending different colleges in Rhodes’s home state of Oklahoma. They married three months before winning the Disney auditions. “I started at Disney as a dancer at [what was then] the MGM Studios,” says Jana. Her dancing was so strong that Disney offered her a chance to teach dance routines to the other performers, thus beginning a career as a behind-the-scenes staging specialist. “Ryan was the one in front of the tourists all day long. He loved it.” Though scoring a job at Disney World is a dream for any musical theater major, she really wanted to be a mom. And when the couple’s son, Aidan, came along in 2003, their priorities changed. “You have to differentiate between what you love to do and who you love,” muses Rhodes. “And I knew Jana wanted our [three] kids to grow up with their cousins in Omaha.” Rhodes realizes the outside world can’t replicate the nurturing he and Jana received from the Disney cocoon. But he can—and does—take interest in everyone he meets. And if (as his sales colleagues like to kid) he is prone to sprinkling pixie dust, then so be it. Ryan Rhodes will always wish you a magical day. OMAG
story by leo adam biga • photography by bill sitzmann & leo a daly
FEATURE
Ariel Roblin Building the Burlington Station’s Future
A
LMOST AS SOON AS Ariel Roblin became president and general manager of Omaha ratings leader KETV in 2011 she faced the momentous decision of finding a new site for the ABC network affiliate. This next generation media executive succeeded Sarah Smith at the Hearst Television Inc. station and barely into Roblin’s watch > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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ariel roblin
< she was tasked with leading a search made necessary because KETV had outgrown its 27th and Douglas digs. That near downtown facility has been home to the station since it went on the air in 1957. Roblin looked at potential properties all around the metro before fixing on a location that took many by surprise. When she announced last June KETV would move to the historic Burlington Station south of the Old Market it meant the iconic rail depot would be saved after decades of neglect and repurposed for a new use few could have predicted. It also marked the first time viewers had likely ever heard of the engaging TV boss, par for the course for a behind-the-scenes administrator who sets the course for the station’s on-air talent and content but who is seen on-camera only weekly for special segments. She used the moment to cast the Burlington decision as a win-win. “It’s a really special place that means a lot to Omaha, and so it was the right thing to do,” she says. “It was built for the 1898 TransMississippi Exposition to show off Omaha. As a passenger train station it’s where stories and memories were created. It’s this big open space that has so much to say and so much history behind it. “I feel KETV is the perfect business to go in there because we’re going to capture those stories.” Designed by noted Omaha architect Thomas Rogers Kimball, the Burlington was long a fitting neighbor showplace to the adjacent Union Station. Unlike that station, which was turned into a museum many years ago, the Burlington sat unused and uncared for after closing in 1974. What became an albatross and eyesore will need a complete makeover. The $22 million renovation designed by Leo A. Daly architects is well under way. When completed in the summer of 2015 the building will not only house KETV’s operations and 100-plus employees but a dedicated public space charting the history of KETV and the Burlington. This new life for a grand old space is expected to bolster redevelopment in the area and add another anchor along the South 10th Street corridor from North Downtown to the Henry Doorly Zoo. “In broadcasting we talk a lot about making a difference in the community,” Roblin says, “and this is an opportunity for us to do that in a tangible way.” 124
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FEATURE
She views local TV as a positive agent for change and she enjoys overseeing what KETV does to impact things. “I’ve worked in different facets of the business, and I have a great amount of respect for what goes on in every position. There’s intensity and passion in every aspect. I love that I’m able to affect a positive outcome in all aspects. I feel fortunate I’m able to do it.” The Omaha transplant has followed a managerial track since starting in the industry in the mid-1990s. The Ohio native graduated high school early (age 16) and studied theater and communications at the University of Miami. It was there she met her husband, Ablan Roblin, a theater professional who works on stage and backstage at various Omaha theaters. The couple have two boys, Aiden and Kian. Kian played Tiny Tim to his father’s Bob Cratchit two successive years in the Omaha Community Playhouse production of A Christmas Carol. Ariel’s own love for theater extends to serving as a board member of the Blue Barn
Theatre, whose new building will be near the Burlington. Her first media job was as a program director at USA Networks’ WAMI-TV in Miami. Her next career stops were in Dayton, Ohio, Honolulu and Redding, Calif. She joined KETV in 2010 as general sales manager. Though Roblin always desired to be a GM she was surprised when it happened at age 35. When she asked Hearst management why they selected her she was told it was because she cared. She acknowledges, “I put myself into my work. I’m all in.” Whey does she care so much? “This is an opportunity to get to make a difference in people’s lives. You can’t get that wrong. The news consumption here is very strong compared to other markets—it really does matter to people what you do and how you do it in your news.” Omaha has become home. “I’ve never lived in a city and loved it as much as Omaha and I’ve lived in a lot of
places. I love this town, my family loves this town. It’s got a great balance for life. We find we can do it all here. We appreciate the sports and the arts. The schools are great. “I feel Omaha is an incredibly inclusive community. Even though I’m not from here I’ve always felt if I was willing to chip in and do some good work for Omaha I was more than welcome. That’s a really special characteristic Omaha has. “If I ever did leave I would really miss that.” OMAG Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.
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COVER
Omaha Code School Boot Camp Beginnings
E
NTREPRENEURIAL TECHIE SUMEET JAIN is poised to fill a
gap in the metro's dot-com scene through a for-profit startup he founded last fall with his cousin Rahul Gupta. The pair's Omaha Code School aims to provide aspiring web developers an immersive bootcamp experience and employers entry-levelcapable programmers. The California natives are partners in their own web development company, Big Wheel Brigade. Gupta rode the dot-com wave before coming to Omaha and at his urging Jain followed suit. Since forming the school Gupta's moved to San Francisco but Jain's remained in Omaha to run their new educational endeavor in Midtown Crossing. Thirteen students began the school's inaugural intensive 12-week course in February. Jain, the lead instructor, promises the May graduates will leave with a hireable skill set for jobs paying an $80K median salary.
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The OCS curriculum structure is based on a bootcamp model popular across the country and one Jain's familiar with after teaching a web development course for General Assembly on the West Coast. He says he was skeptical students could go from novices to job-ready in three months until he helped facilitate that happening. The experience convinced him to try it in Omaha, where he says "a frequent complaint of companies is that there's not enough talent—not enough developers and not enough qualified developers," adding, "I thought we should have something like this in Omaha, so I came back, put the pieces together, and we launched in November." It's an opportunity for Jain to combine his two loves—web development and teaching. He ensures students are trained in relevant, real world programming languages and techniques most colleges and universities ignore. >
story by leo adam biga • photography by bill sitzmann
COVER
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omaha code school
< Interested students must complete an online application that includes a timed coding challenge. While no prior programming experience is required, students must demonstrate an aptitude for the field, namely logic and problem solving. "The course is for beginners but this isn't for hobbyists," says Jain, a self-taught web developer. "This is a class for people who are looking for a career trajectory change and that comes not just at a cost (tuition is $6,000) but with great personal investment and effort. We want to ensure the highest possible caliber of student." Jain says it's no accident the school's website and application process emphasizes the intensive curriculum, which features individual and collaborative work on real live projects every day. "It's really hard to sit and program for 12 hours a day," he says. "It's just mentally draining. Keeping that pace up for 12 weeks is a sprint students need to get through. We do our part to hedge against that weariness by holding events that let them let loose and bond and have a break." > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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cover omaha code school
< There are field trips to tech-based local companies and guest speakers presenting on special topics. OCS holds a job fair staffed by representatives from companies in its Supporting Employers program. "We want our students when they graduate to have connections," Jain says. "Such a big part of any industry is to know people." A mentorship program makes area experts available. "Another commonly cited problem in Omaha is a diffracted membership model," he says. "If somebody wants to get help there's no single great place for them to go or no list of people to consult. We're really excited our mentorship program will create a conduit for people to get help." Mentors range from non-tech to tech-savvy wonks. A yoga instructor conducts twiceweekly sessions to help students de-stress and find balance. A corporate recruiter offers job search insights. Web designers school students in collaboration. Software developers troubleshoot problems students confront writing programs. Jain's encouraged by the supporting companies on board and he's proud that membership fees go toward scholarships for underrepresented minorities in what is a white male-dominated field. Each of the three women in the course received a $2,500 scholarship. He's also satisfied by the buzz the school's produced. "Support has come in a variety of different ways, most fundamentally in the form of curiosity. People want to know about us, they want to know what we're teaching, they want to know when our next class will be offered (late summer). The interest is there, we won't have any trouble filling our second class. I'm very confident about that." Jain says he's also confident that "within six months to a year every one of our students who wants a job should be able to get one. That's going to speak volumes because these students all took a risk on me. If our students aren't succeeding there's really no reason for somebody to trust us again." OMAG Read more of Leo Adam Biga's work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.
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LETTER from editor
R
EADING THE STORY ABOUT the regal Blackstone
Hotel that begins on the following page was a real trip down memory lane for me.
Many Omahans my age have fond recollections of the fedora-topped, white-gloved world of the Blackstone, but I have reason to be doubly nostalgic in reading writer Judy Horan’s great story because I have a special connection to the historic place. The summer between my junior and senior year of high school back in…no, no, no…you didn’t think I was actually going to “go there,” did you? Suffice it to say that it was in an earlier millennia that I took my first job other than babysitting. And what a job it was! I was an elevator operator back in the day when there were… well, elevator operators. Especially because I was on the 4 to midnight shift, I often had the pleasure of ferrying people to the land of Nod that awaited in their majestic suites. And there was no shortage of notables among my passengers. There were countless celebrities, statesmen, and icons of the entertainment world. I overheard the most fascinating conversations and imagined myself as being part of them, rubbing elbows with all the swells in the swankiest hotel in town. My role in those chats involved nothing more than the opportunity to contribute such riveting tidbits as “Fifth Floor” and “Watch your step, please,” but it was just all so very…glamorous. I distinctly remember the time that one of my riders was the dashingly handsome screen idol…uh…oh my! You know the one. He was in that one movie co-starring that woman— the one my mother didn’t like—who later married and then divorced that fellow who…bingo! I knew you’d remember! Thanks for helping me out!
CONTENTS
volume 2 . issue 3
History: Crystal and Corned Beef, History of the Blackstone Hotel___ S4 Active Living: Skating and Aging with Grace, Mike Barwig_______ S6 Feature: Going Platinum, Norman and Vernita Kruse______ S8 Cover Story: Elaine Jabenis, Fashionably Late___________ S12 Health: Vision Quest_____________S14 The Grandpa Chronicles: Pumpkinpalooza in May?_______S16 Style: Investing in You__________ S18
And thanks for reading our magazine!
Gwen Gwen Lemke Contributing Editor, 60PLUS In Omaha
Comments? Send your letter to the editor to: david@omahamagazine.com All versions of Omaha Magazine are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. Subscription rates: $19.95 for 6 issues (one year), $24.95 for 12 issues (two years). No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. Best of Omaha®™ is a registered tradename of Omaha Magazine.
may/june • 2014
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60PLUS feature Story by Judy Horan • Photo courtesy of the KMTV 3 / Bostwick-Frohardt Collection at the Durham Museum
Crystal and Corned Beef
The Blackstone Hotel is the birthplace of the Reuben, and don’t let anyone suggest otherwise.
H
IGH-STAKES MEETINGS AND STYLISH parties were held on the
hotel’s top floor ballroom. Lush rooftop gardens looked out over bustling Midtown Omaha. The elegant Blackstone Hotel towered over Midtown, even casting its name onto the surrounding neighborhood. It was a short stroll from where I worked at WOWT to the hotel’s front door. The Blackstone was a second home to those of us who wanted to grab an after-work drink at the Cottonwood Room—a fun hangout with a whimsical décor and air. How could it not be an enjoyable place? In the center of the bar stood an elaborate replica of a cottonwood tree densely festooned in leaves. Upstairs, the hotel’s Orleans Room was reserved for special-occasion dining. Presiding as maître d’ hôtel was a tall, distinguishedlooking black man who was always seen wearing a tuxedo. Called by diners the “Governor,” he looked like an ambassador and was just as charming. S4 60PLUS
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If you had dined at the Orleans Room before, the Governor remembered your name, your preferred drink and where you wanted to be seated. Meals were always prepared tableside. It was the type of personal service rarely seen anymore. The room attracted visiting celebrities over the years. A hallway was lined with photos of stars who had dined at the Orleans Room. Mark Schimmel remembers spending time in the coffee shop with comedian Jack Benny. The self-described “miser” would allow Mark to pay for his coffee. Mark’s father, Edward Schimmel, was the hotel’s general manager for many years. Now living in Wentzville, Mo., Mark was the manager when the family-owned hotel was sold to Radisson in 1968. He stayed on. A busy Golden Spur coffee shop in the hotel was good for a quick lunch. Each of the seven walls displayed a different decor, according to Mark, with whom I recently traded fond memories of the Blackstone days.
“It was like going into a museum.” he said, Spurs hanging from one wall explained the room’s name. In earlier days, the room was called the Plush Horse. The Golden Spur is where I tasted my first Reuben sandwich. For countless Omahans and Blackstone guests, this was also the first place they tasted the famed Reuben. But, was it the first place? The big question for posterity: Was I eating a Reuben from the actual birthplace of the now-iconic sandwich? While the Blackstone is most often mentioned as the home of the Reuben, others outside Omaha have tried to stake claim. Debate no more. The case is closed. The Reuben was invented at the Blackstone. Mary Bernstein—the granddaughter of Blackstone owner Charles Schimmel—got the story firsthand. “Here’s the scoop,” she says. “My father, Bernard Schimmel, had just returned from school in Switzerland where he trained to be a chef. His father, Charles, held a weekly
poker game at the Blackstone Sunday nights. He said to my dad, ‘Reuben wants you to make some sandwiches with corned beef and sauerkraut.’ “And my dad put together this concoction of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and dark rye bread and grilled them, then took them to the poker players. After it later received such wide acclaim, they decided to put it on the menu at the Schimmel hotels and call it the Reuben sandwich, because Reuben Kulakofsky had requested it.” The exact date is lost in family history. But it would have to be after Bernard returned in 1928 from Switzerland. The first menu the family has uncovered that lists the Reuben sandwich was from the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln in 1934, according to Judy Weil of San Francisco, the family historian. Because the Reuben sandwich apparently Sharon Olson (left) and Beth Richards first appeared a menu at the Cornhusker, areon “The Minne Lusa Ladies.” it is sometime mistakenly assumed that the
sandwich was created there. Charles Schimmel added the Blackstone to his stable of hotels in 1920. The building became an Omaha Landmark in 1983 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. He trained his four sons in the hotel business. They along with other family members each ran one of the seven Schimmel hotels. In Omaha, the hotels were the Blackstone and Indian Hills Inn. In Lincoln, Schimmel owned the Cornhusker. The Schimmel family’s sandwich story has been repeated throughout the nation. Bernard’s granddaughter Elizabeth Weil wrote about her family’s appetizing creation in the New York Times. Bernstein still advocates for the Reuben sandwich, but admits she no longer eats the corned beef and sauerkraut concoction. She’s now a vegetarian.
The Original Reuben Sandwich 2 slices dark rye bread 2 thin slices Switzerland Ementhaler cheese 4 (or more) slices Kosher-style corned beef brisket 2 ounces sauerkraut, chilled and well-drained 1 ounce (or less) Thousand Island dressing Butter, softened Mix Thousand Island dressing with sauerkraut that has been drained. Spread outside of each slice of dark rye bread with soft butter. Lay bread, unbuttered side up, side-by-side. Place Swiss cheese on each piece, corned beef on one piece, sauerkraut on corned beef and then put together for grilling on sandwich grill or skillet. Press together with spatula and cook until brown and hot through so cheese oozes.
may/june • 2014
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60PLUS feature Story by Doug Meigs • Photogrpahy by Bill Sitzmann
Skating & Aging With Grace.
Older figure skaters leap over preconceptions of their sport. S6 60PLUS
may/june • 2014
M
IKE BARWIG IS AN early
morning warrior, an ice dancer. It’s 6:30 a.m. and the 63-yearold man glides across the skating rink at Motto McLean Arena. Twig-like pre-teens and tiny high school queens flitter about like fairies in The Nutcracker on Ice. Barwig sets his toe pick with a crunch. He curls elbows into his torso for a pivot. He becomes a twirling father figure, a mass of mature manliness. As he spins, Barwig gradually relaxes his shoulders, opening his arms as if a flower in bloom. His final pose evokes a sapling tree in springtime.
At first glance, Barwig really doesn’t resemble the typical figure skater. He has broad muscular shoulders, a stocky neck and body composition that would seem more appropriate for a football coach. Actually, he was a football player. But that was a lifetime ago. “I had married a figure skater,” Barwig says. “I met her while taking skating classes in high school.” High school football teammates teased him about his brief intro lessons. Never mind. He went on to walk-on as a lineman for Northwestern University’s football team. One marriage and four children later, he rediscovered skating. “After I got divorced, I wanted something to do,” he says. “I always liked ice skating and I thought I should start up again.” There was a group in Lincoln he would join once a week. But he was based in Hastings at the time, working in the ethanol and biofuels industry. Eventually, he moved to Omaha with his career. The relocation allowed convenient access to rinks. He could then pursue skating more intensely. Early morning skating sessions fit perfectly with his work schedule. He now skates four days per week, upping the routine to six days while training for competitions. He does ice dancing and free-skating. He has gone to eight adult national competitions. Once, Barwig placed as high as third place at nationals with his dancing partner. “Competitions are broken down by age group (by 10-year increments),” he says, “so now I’m in the upper group, which we call ‘61-to-death.’” The phrasing sounds harsh, but it goes to show Barwig’s self-deprecating humor. Figure skating coach Brenda Bader has been working with Barwig for a decade. She says Barwig represents a growing demographic for the sport. “I actually coach three people who are in their 60s right now, several in their 50s and down the line,” she says. One 66-year-old female skater has even undergone hip and knee replacement surgeries. Yet that woman still makes regular trips from Lincoln to practice with Bader.
“The adult skating community is really growing,” she says. “We are finding a lot more skaters in the 50 and 60-age range because their kids are grown and they finally have time for themselves. They have established careers and can afford to do something for themselves.” Among Omaha’s community of older adult skaters, Bader says the demographic is evenly divided between those who skated as kids and those who are newcomers. Paula Turpin is in her late 50s. She represents the later group. While Barwig was practicing his loop jump—a leaping maneuver where he twirls in air and lands on the same foot—Turpin was perfecting her own moves. “One of my daughters skated. That’s how I made time for myself. I had to bring her; so instead of just sitting here, I thought, ‘my gosh, I can skate with this time,’” Turpin says. Her epiphany came 15 years ago. She’s been skating since. “My daughter gave me the gift of time and place.” Turpin, Barwig and other adult skaters allow time for extra warm-ups to avoid injury. Barwig even uses an elliptical machine for 15 to 20 minutes to minimize his arthritis before morning practices. Turpin has suffered hamstring injuries, but nothing serious. “If you really like skating, there’s no need to quit,” she says, before leaving the rink to start her administrative job at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. They are part of a close-knit group of eight adult Nebraska skaters who travel to nationals almost every year from Nebraska’s three figure skating clubs. Barwig has endured bumps and bruises from skating. But he insists that spending a few days away from the rink is more painful. For him, figure skating isn’t only exercise. “There’s a certain freedom to it. You feel like you’re flying, when you get going fast enough. It’s not just physical. It’s also very mental,” he says. “There’s a challenge to always get better, not staying happy with the status quo. To me, that’s part of not getting old. It gets me out of bed in the morning.” may/june • 2014
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60PLUS feature Story by Kristen Hoffman • Photogrpahy by Bill Sitzmann
T
Going Platinum
With their recent 70th Anniversary, Norman and Vernita Kruse have joined a very exclusive club. S8 60PLUS
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HE SMELL OF FRESHLY baked rye
bread and German chocolate cake swirled in the air. The warmth enveloping the home of Norman and Vernita Kruse was enough to make anyone forget the cold, rainy day outside. Arm-in-arm, these two sat down, excited to share about their recent 70th wedding anniversary. Norman reached for a photograph in a brown frame and displayed it on the table. “That was when we met in 1942,” he says. “We were about 19 and 20 there. That was 70 years ago. If you don’t recognize me, it’s because I’m older now.” Vernita chuckles. Norman’s dry humor still tickles after 70 years of marriage. It may be rare to find the same sense of humor so enjoyable after nearly three-quarters of a century. What is even more rare, though, is the Kruses’ platinum wedding anniversary. Indeed, studies suggest that only one in 10,000 couples make it that far together. The photo Norman held revealed a brunette girl in a turtleneck sweater sitting on the lap of a young farmer. The couple posed in front of their brick high school. Norman continues: “I don’t know where I had been that evening, but I stopped into the drug store because she was working there. She made me the best malted milk—and I never forgot her. Ever since that day, we have always been together. It’s a pretty simple story. “The soda fountain at the drug store was the place where all the young people hung
out,” Vernita explains. “It was wartime and our brothers were fighting in the South Pacific. There was gas rationing and sugar rationing, and we had to be careful about how much we drove.” Apparently the gas and sugar rationing wasn’t enough to keep Norman from driving to the soda fountain to spend time with Vernita. The two were married soon afterwards, and lived in a small home without water, electricity, or even an indoor bathroom. “The reason we don’t like camping anymore is because we spent the first year of our life together in what was practically a tent,” Vernita says, laughing. The couple reminisced about their favorite years together. On warm Saturday nights they would dance the night away to Lawrence Welk at Peony Park’s Royal Grove in “West Omaha.” Norman and Vernita acknowledge their marriage hasn’t been without trials, but agreed that they got through them with a lot of faith, love, and some good friends with whom they have played cards for the past 60 years. The couple shared about their individual passions in life. Norman has designed floor plans for two of their homes and enjoys going to car shows. Vernita spends her free time sewing quilts for hospitals, for the homeless, and for those in shelters for battered women. Vernita says that in the past year she has made 280 quilts to give away. “That would cover two acres of ground!” Norman shares with pride. When asked what kept their marriage alive, their answers were classic. “It is important to keep your faith,” Vernita shares, “and to enjoy each other’s family. You’ve got to try in marriage—and a date night a week is just lovely.” “I always let her have her way.” Norman adds with a chuckle. “But in all honesty, our church was a big thing that kept us together, and we enjoy the simple things in life.”
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Elaine Jabenis Fashionably Late
S12 60PLUS
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60PLUS cover Story by Josie Bungert • Photography by Bill Sitzmann
O
MAHA NATIVE AND ICON
Elaine Jabenis has had a full life and career, from working a stint at the New York Times to being on both radio and television in Omaha. Now, at 93, she’s adding a new job title to her long resume— author of fiction. Before her first fiction book entitled Georgia’s Secret was released in late February, Jabenis had done other writing, starting with writing for the Omaha World-Herald while on Central High School’s newspaper. When she got married, her husband’s job with the Air Transport Command moved the two to New York City. One day in the pouring rain, she walked into the New York Times Building for shelter, and got her first real shot. “I thought, ya know, I got nothing to do, I think I’ll go up there and just make out an application just for the heck of it.” After getting hired for a temporary secretarial position and working in a few other departments throughout the publication, Jabenis and her husband returned to Omaha. It was here where she worked in theater, radio, television, and, most importantly to the book, fashion. “As I progressed in my position at Brandeis, I became the fashion merchandising director for all of the stores,” Jabenis says. “I began to realize they were bringing a lot of people in for training for this kind of thing, [but] the schools have had no textbooks. They had a lot of textbooks about merchandising, but not this particular area.” Jabenis contacted one of her friends in New York, who was editor of Seventeen Magazine at the time, about writing a textbook of this nature. Jabenis was then put in contact with the editor at John Wiley & Sons publications. “I sold it to them on the basis of an outline and chapter breakdown, but I hadn’t written one word of the book and they signed me,” Jabenis says. “And they signed me on my credentials only.” The textbook, which the Fashion Institute of Technology bought 300 copies of right away, was used for 10 years, was adapted to fit both women and men in the industry, and was even translated into Japanese. Jabenis left Brandeis after a 23-year career,
and went into business of being her own producer, which gave her control of her time and work. The process of moving from television and textbooks to fiction started 10 years ago. “It was going very well for awhile, but then I began to lose my sight, and I had four eye operations … four cornea transplants,” Jabenis says. “And every time I had one, I had to stop writing because I didn’t have any vision and I didn’t think there was any way of doing it otherwise so it took me years to get this book out.” The book is a story about a 22-year-old who works in a department store . She is burdened with an unbearable secret that puts her in a situation to be blackmailed. “[She is] very successful, but all the time, this secret is keeping her imprisoned. She’s not just trying to assume any place in the sun for herself, but she does try to help others,” Jabenis says. “It’s a romance suspense novel.” Though much of the background knowledge included in the story stems from Jabenis’ time working in fashion, she says none of the people or places are based on true events. “Writing a book, I was able to make a composite of characters that you meet throughout your life or you envision or that you have witnessed or that you just make up and of course that’s what the fun is, the making up these people that never existed except in your mind, and they become so real to you, and once I got going on it the characters really take over,” Jabenis says. Even though her first book just hit the shelves, she already has plans for a second and third book, both of which cover other industries she has worked with in her life. “I read the concept to someone, to my daughter first, and she said: ‘Oh mom you’ve just got to write this, you gotta promise me you’ll write this.’” “I thought, ‘Gee, this is great. It gives me something to look forward to,’” she says. “I’m just so glad I had this urge to do this, and all I really want out of it is to have people open it and read it and say I enjoyed this, I had a good time reading it, and it was informative and I had fun with it or it made me feel, whatever.” may/june • 2014
60PLUS S13
60PLUS health Story by Robert Nelson •
Photography by Bill Sitzmann
Vision Quest
T
WO YEARS AGO, WILLIAM Siert’s
vision had degenerated so much he was forced to surrender his driver’s license. Within a year, macular degeneration in his eyes had made it impossible for him to read. “Life was pretty dark,” the 91-yearold Omaha resident says. “You can’t get around, you can’t enjoy a book. Your world becomes very small.” As his eyes faded, though, technology swiftly brightened prospects for Siert and others with impaired vision. The same technology that has made smart phones capable of ¬—well, seemingly everything—has also given birth to revolutionary advances in aids for the visually impaired. Siert says he was directed by friends to Pat Fischer, who, since 1997, has specialized in providing devices for the region’s blind and visually impaired. Fischer’s company, Nebraska Low Vision, focuses primarily on providing magnifiers for those who, in many cases, thought they’d never be able to read again.
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“It took a number of significant technological advances coming together to take the devices to a whole different level,” Fischer says. “It’s a very exciting time. Technology is very quickly changing the prospects for the visually impaired.” Many of the technologies at the heart of low-vision devices are likely already part of your life. High-definition screens and high-resolution images greatly enhance the readability of magnified type. The quality of the image from tiny video cameras has increased profoundly in the last couple years. The processing power needed to handle realtime video streaming now, for the most part, can fit in a hand-held device the size of a large smart phone. Devices fall into two main categories. Desktop magnifiers, which are more powerful machines with larger monitors, are generally for home use. Hand-held devices, like the Ruby XL HD, are helpful for trips outside the house. Siert says the hand-held device he owns is particularly helpful in places like restaurants.
“You’re in low light looking at fine print,” he says. The device that has changed Siert’s life, though, is the larger-screened, high-definition magnifier he bought for home use. “I never cared much about reading earlier in life, but started absolutely loving it in later years,” he says. “To lose that was awful. To get it back—it just makes you grateful for all these advances in technology.” Siert’s machine isn’t cheap. At $3,000, he says, “you do have to weigh the benefits.” The desktop devices are capable of changing the colors of text and background, Fischer says, a feature that can, for some, “help greatly in making the text stand out for the background.” “In my case, I was buying a piece of my freedom back,” Siert says of his home magnifier. “I want to read. It’s a huge part of my life. Now I can read again.”.
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Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family may/june • 2014
60PLUS S15
60PLUS the grandpa chronicles Story by David WIlliams
Pumpkinpalooza in May?
T
IME TO START PLANNING for
Halloween. No, really. I mean it. Pumpkin seeds in these climes should be in the ground by late May, which means that it is now decision time on the subject of “to pumpkin” or “not to pumpkin.” My wife, Julie, and I had never planted pumpkins until just last year. The idea was that our preschool grandsons, Easton and Barrett, would help with the planting and nurturing of their favorite orbs. It would all culminate in a pumpkin decorating party of epic proportions. But I was more than a little reluctant. My hesitation was related to the fact that pumpkins are, as you know, a vining plant. The widest bed in our back yard is only about eight feet across. That’s not a lot of breathing room. Taking the pumpkin plunge, I knew right from the start, had the potential to get a little hairy. I had no idea. Long before harvest time our backyard already looked like a scene from The Day of the Triffids, the classic British sci-fi flick where post-apocalyptic, man-eating vegetable matter threatened to devour the planet.
S16 60PLUS
may/june • 2014
Mowing became almost impossible because octopus-like tendrils reached into every nook and cranny of the yard. Vine vagabonds even went calling on the neighbors when they found their way through knotholes and other imperfections in our fence. But that wasn’t the least of my worries. Almost overnight our precious—if not precocious—crop became covered in a white fungus that I soon came to know as something called powdery mildew. The interwebs told me that the only solution was to amputate with gusto. Any and all hint of the offending disease had to be removed. Rapunzel’s tresses needed a serious trim. A post-op appraisal of my surgical handiwork revealed that only two softballsized pumpkins remained, and now it was our duty to baby those things along so that each grandson would have their own personal share of the bounty. The grandkids have a season pass to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and go totally gaga exploring every square inch of that sprawling wonderland. It’s not like they are in danger of suffering from any kind of pumpkin deficit
disorder. The problems of two little pumpkins don’t amount to a hill of beans in Easton and Barrett’s gourd-crazed world, so why couldn’t that powdery mildew have gone two vines more and just put me out of my misery? It was then that Julie reminded me of The Plan. The plantings were nothing but a vehicle to set up a pumpkin decorating party. None of those store-bought pretenders in our home. It was to be the most Rockwellian of scenes— the four of us laboring to schlep gargantuan, potentially record-breaking behemoths into the house as an array of googly-eyed craft supplies stood at the ready. We were to create the most breathtaking… Check that. Instead, we ended up with a pair of rather anemic, lopsided nuggets no larger than an average cantaloupe. But Julie was right. Our little pumpkindecorating party was a blast and the results were perfect, in a Charlie Brown Christmas tree kind of way. The simple had triumphed over the sophisticated. And that is why, despite all reason, we are dedicated once again to executing The Plan. Pumpkinpalooza awaits.
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Saint Jude Hospice
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may/june • 2014
60PLUS S17
60PLUS style Story by Mary Anne Vaccaro • Photography provided by Carlisle
Investing in You
F
ROM THE TIME I was a child my
parents instilled in me the importance of quality. We were of little means, but my mother and father appreciated quality and understood its value as an investment. My mother loved to shop. She would take me shopping for clothes, gifts, household goods, furniture, everything! She would compare and show me what made a difference of quality. She often pointed out that quality didn’t always cost more, but when it did, the words I heard her repeat over and over were: “Quality is long remembered once price has been forgotten.” When, at the age of five, I decided to become a fashion designer, I was already aware of the significant difference that quality made in design. I knew that when the day came along that I’d design clothes with my name on them, they would have to be beautifully made of very fine fabrics. It was not only the design, but also the quality of my work that attracted my clientele. They were people who appreciated quality and knew that in order to be perceived as a person of quality one must wear quality. It shows that you are of value and that you value yourself. Mary Anne Vaccaro is a clothing and product designer and an image consultant to businesses and individuals. She is also a sales consultant for Carlisle and PerSe, New York. maryannevaccaro.com carlislecollection.com S18 60PLUS
may/june • 2014
As an image consultant, I preach quality wherever I go. In today’s fast-track world where nothing is about more than a minute, people seem to have forgotten about investment dressing. They don’t realize that the investment is not about how long the clothes last. It’s about that single moment you have to make the right impression. Too many people think a first impression is relative only to a job interview. It’s not. You are making first and lasting impressions everyday, everywhere. When you invest in yourself, it shows, and it changes the way you’re treated by everyone. It makes you stand out in good way. I personally have experienced hotel and travel upgrades, better tables at restaurants, special seating at concerts, invitations to select groups and parties, all because of the quality I project with what I wear. So many people put their homes, cars, collectibles, jewelry, hair and nails before their clothes as a priority. They cannot justify
their bodies as deserving of good clothes, but they are. You are! Sometimes as people age they lose interest in clothes because their faces and bodies don’t look like they did in their prime. They get frustrated shopping then convince themselves that they don’t need new clothes and don’t deserve good clothes because they don’t look like the models who wear them so well. I tell everyone over 60 that new clothes are important, because it’s important to be current, and everything, even casual sportswear, will make you look better if it’s quality. Now just because it’s summer, don’t think you can forsake quality for throwaway fashion. Quality is as important in summer as in fall, winter, and spring. Regardless of the season, there is no performance value in throwaway clothing, and what a difference a polished look makes over a distressed look.
HOME CARE ASSISTANCE announces the GRAND OPENING of our OMAHA OFFICE! Home Care Assistance, a premier provider of in-home care, has a new, larger office to better serve clients in the Omaha area. We’re conveniently located at
13057 W. Center Rd, Ste 10, Omaha, NE 68144 (On the professional/south side of Montclair Center) Read what your neighbors have been saying about our exceptional home care services: “Shortly after her diagnosis of a brain tumor, my brothers and I realized we could not take care of mom by ourselves. Home Care Assistance was there the next day to set things up. They allowed us to spend quality time with our mom, rather than spend all our time taking care of her. We never could have made it through those last months without their help.” — Kevin, Mark and Chip F. “Your direct help to get Mother home and comfortable was perfect. You listened to Mother and encouraged her in just the right way. Your knowledge of working with the nurses was also top-notch. It is a lot of work, but you make it look easy.” — Kit S. Meet Claire. Claire Shannon, M.Ed., an Omaha Care Manager, develops a unique plan of care for each client. She trains and supervises the client’s assigned care team, and ensures proper care and client satisfaction. Call Claire today for your free consultation.
402-763-9140 • HomeCareAssistanceOmaha.com
omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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Where Love and Healing F low
SPORTS
story by david williams • photography by bill sitzmann
Kelsey Saddoris and Kayleigh Begley
Another Day, Another Photo Shoot
M
ARRIAGE PROPOSALS FROM SECRET admir-
ers. Out-of-the-blue invitations to high school proms in distant states. Being dubbed “America’s Sweethearts.” Such are the lives of two of the city’s newest instant celebrities. Being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated has the power to do that, you know. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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sports kelsey saddoris and kayleigh begley
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
health. home. lifestyle. style.
< Creighton University dance team members Kelsey Saddoris (left on previous page) and Kayleigh Begley were pictured flanking Bluejay senior Doug McDermott on the cover of the March 17 issue of the magazine. Saddoris is a pre-med junior from Ankeny, Iowa. Begley, a pre-law freshman, is the homegrown product of Millard North High School. “This has all been like a dream,” says Begley. “This is my first year of college, and that has been a crazy enough experience in itself. But to be a part of the Creighton program in such an exciting year…and then Sports Illustrated…and now you guys. It’s just been a magical year.” “The change to the Big East,” adds Saddoris, “has been huge for us. New logo. New mascot. New league. It’s been amazing fun. The response—not just to the magazine cover but to everything about Creighton’s success—has been just unbelievable.” McDermott, the All-Everything “Dougie McBuckets,” led the nation in scoring with 26.7 points per game. He has since earned college basketball’s most prestigious honors in being named both the John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year and The Associated Press Player of the Year. His third firstteam appearance on the AP’s All-America team makes him the first player to rack up a trio of such honors since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale did so in the 1980s. McDermott’s 3,150 career points places him a lofty No. 5 on college hoops’ all-time scoring list. Savvy sports fans know that the Sports Illustrated cover was homage to its 1977 ancestor that featured Larry Bird striking the same pose with Indiana State cheerleaders. Both covers carried the same headline of “College Basketball’s Secret Weapon.” The magazine hit newsstands during spring break and Omaha Magazine’s photo shoot took place the very day that classes resumed. “Pretty weird out there today, but in a good way,” Begley says while mugging for the camera. “Campus was totally on fire today!” OMAG
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SPORTS
Omaha! Omaha! NFL Ref Clete Blakeman
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story by jennifer litton • photography by bill sitzmann
P
I CT U R E A DROP OF water
balancing on a leaf, or a Zen master poised on one foot—mid-air—for what seems an eternity. NFL referee and Omaha attorney Clete Blakeman maintains his own special equilibrium by excelling in two distinctly different careers.
SPORTS clete blakeman
“It really is a nice balance,” especially now in the off-season, he says. “I’m able to focus back on law for a little bit. And I do enjoy it.” Blakeman, an attorney and NFL referee, was there the day Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s pre-snap count of “Omaha! Omaha!” became a viral media sensation. “It got so much attention because the microphones on the field picked up so much,” he says. “Omaha!” had been part of Manning’s and other quarterback’s cadence over recent seasons, so Blakeman didn’t give the familiar audible too much thought. But at halftime, Blakeman learned that, thanks to microphone placements, the name of his hometown was being heard repeatedly by tens of millions of viewers. “In the second half,” he says, “I did mention to Peyton that I was from Omaha, and he chuckled about it.” From childhood Blakeman was immersed in the world of sports and officiating. He would tag along with his referee father for both football and basketball seasons in his hometown of Norfolk. “It’s in my blood,” he adds. Blakeman has served six seasons in zebra stripes. He manages a whirlwind travel schedule with an eye to minimizing time away from his wife, Katie, and their two children, daughter Maeve, 3, and son Hudson, 1. Blakeman makes his turf time essentially a 36-hour gig. He flies out the day before and, with the exception of Sunday night games, returns home the next night. Blakeman has a front-row seat to the violence of the NFL and closely follows the league’s safety initiatives. “I have a sense that the sport is going to continue to change probably in the next 10, 15, 20 years.” The idea that his son may follow in his father’s football footsteps makes Blakeman doubly concerned. “I’m very aware of health and player safety.” Managing his jet-setting, multiple-career balancing act is more important now that his family is growing. “It’s great to be able to travel and experience other places,” he says. And then, it’s even greater to get back home to “Omaha! Omaha!” “To call this home, especially now with two little ones, it’s pretty special,” Blakeman says. OMAG
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FOOD&DRINK
DINING FEATURE
story by summer miller • photography by bill sitzmann
Dutch Baby – A fluffy pancake baked in a cast iron skillet, topped with house-made jam and powdered sugar.
Over Easy A Little
Neighborhood Eatery
Nutella Homemade Pop Tarts 156
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dining feature over easy
Biscuits & Gravy – Two herb biscuits covered in house-made veggie gravy with two sunny-side up eggs served on top.
Yes, We Make House Calls…
FOR FREE!
N
Call (402) 558-3677 to sign up.
ICK BARTHOLOMEW SAT ACROSS from his father, Kent,
at the Village Inn near 180th and Center. Breakfast for Kent was always the same—coffee with cream and sugar accompanied by two eggs served over easy with bacon and toast. Nick couldn’t remember what he ordered that morning, but he did recall how that meal marked a major personal and professional transition. After a lifetime of wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, to do as Dad did, Nick wanted to break from the family securities business and follow a new path as a restaurateur. >
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TWO LOCATIONS 5020 Dodge St. 402.551.5020
14606 West Center Rd. 402.333.2420
maxiwalker.com/delivery omaha magazine • may/june 2014 1022-3219 MaxDelOmahaMagAd2014.indd 1
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1/23/14 2:50 PM
dining feature over easy
< Kent was supportive of his son’s new venture, but a bit skeptical of Nick’s idea to open a breakfast and lunch spot without omelets on the menu. Nick, however, knew what he wanted for the corner of 168th and Q—a cozy place that reflected the community surrounding it, locally sourced food, and a chef-driven drive-thru menu. Less than a year later, Over Easy, the home of the Clementine Pop-Tart and other amazing meals, was born. No omelets. No weak coffee. No rubbery pancakes or chicken-themed art allowed. Inside is a mix of modern décor and barn wood, which has almost become a design requirement of restaurants serving local food, but Over Easy makes it work. Large windows are lined with flowers, and photos of relatives who worked in Iowa diners rest high on shelves behind the breakfast bar. For Nick, a passion for sentiment extended to the neighborhood’s most recognizable landmark, a 204-year-old cottonwood tree the city removed from the corner of 168th and Q last winter. Though his efforts to save the tree failed, he did end up with a portion of the stump, which will be converted into a bench for waiting diners and a picnic table for the restaurant’s garden. “I have been in that pocket of the community for as long as I can remember. I went to Millard West High School, I still live in southwest Omaha and my office is on 168th and Center,” says Nick, whose voice practically bursts with enthusiasm. “I drove by that corner every day; it was just waiting for a place like this where people can come together, enjoy a good meal and each other’s company.” He likes the idea of connecting people, but he is also a man of reason and knows that sometimes life won’t stop for breakfast, which is why he insisted on the commuterfriendly value of a drive-thru window. Chef Tim Maides developed creative versions of breakfast staples for morning commuters such as hash browns, bacon, and eggs, all with a twist. Potatoes are served as crunchy, savory rounds, and the eggs and bacon are baked into a Le Quartier baguette, which are easy to eat on the go. While you can’t order two eggs served over easy at the drive-thru, you can pull up a chair inside this little West Omaha breakfast place and order them to stay. Nick’s dad is just fine with that. No omelet required. OMAG
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omaha magazine • may/june 2014
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story by mystery reviewer • photography by bill sitzmann
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Avoli Osteria Northern Italian Cuisine at its Best
T
HROUGHOUT AMERICAN HISTORY, ITALIAN food has been
one of the most popular ethnic cuisines in the states. Like in America, Italy has different agricultural and culinary regions. Southern Italian food is typically what we see here in America. Dishes like pizzas, pastas with zesty marinara sauce and eggplant parmesan are what most Italian restaurants in America feature. The north of Italy is more mountainous and is close in proximity to France. This area is known for its meats, sausages, cream sauces, butter sauces, and hard cheeses. Personally, I have always preferred the food from the North and find it more interesting and diverse. > omaha magazine • may/june 2014
159
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Avoli Osteria 5013 Underwood Ave. Omaha, NE 68132 (402) 933-7400 avoliosteria.com/ Food & Beverage Service Ambiance Price Overall
$$$ 5 Stars Possible.
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< True Northern Italian restaurants are not nearly as well represented in America, especially here in Omaha. When Chef/owner Dario Schicke and Chef Ben Maides opened Avoli Osteria in Dundee, they brought true Northern Italian cuisine to Omaha, and they did it right. It is obvious to this reviewer that a lot of painstaking research, planning, and
extensive travel went into the opening of this nationally acclaimed restaurant. The designers also knew what they were doing since the restaurant is very handsome with its painted cement floors, marble tabletops, and black wooden chairs. I particularly enjoyed the eccentric collection of formal chandeliers randomly hanging from
RESTAURANT REVIEW avoli osteria
the ceiling. For me, combined with the tea candles, they give the restaurant a classy yet funky look. I would be willing to bet that you could find a restaurant in Piemonte that closely resembles this one because it does have a true Northern Italy feel. Enough of the fluff, let's talk about the food, because that’s where this restaurant really shines. On a recent visit, my dining partner and I started off with their Beet Salad, $9. This delicious salad features arugula, ricotta cheese, and eggplant. We also had the Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta, $11. I am a big fan of bruschetta and this might be some of the best I have ever tried. We also sampled the Ravioli di Zucca, $15. This incredible dish featured hand-made ravioli stuffed with butternut squash in an amazing brown butter sauce with pumpkin seed and fresh grated parmesan. For the second course we had the Grilliata Misto, $31. This platter featured a melt-in-your-mouth hanger steak, a savory house-made sausage, and a perfectly prepared portion of fresh mackerel. This is a selection to get if you really want to see what Northern Italian cuisine is all about. We also tried the Mezzaluna Tirolese, $13. These delicate half moon shaped pastas were stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, tossed in a light broth sauce, then topped with a tomato concasse and fresh grated pecorino Romano. As if all that was not enough we also indulged in the Whiskey and Honey Chocolate Cake, $8. This delectable dessert also featured an olive and Sea Salt Gelato. All I can say is that if they have this dessert when you are there, don't even hesitate, just get it! As you might expect the well-curated wine list features labels from the northern growing regions of Italy, including wines from the Piemonte, Toscana, Fruili, Veneto, and Alto Adige regions of Italy. If you are not familiar with these wines, fear not, as the servers are all very friendly and will happily guide you through the list. Speaking of the service, it also receives my top marks. I was blown away with the depth of menu and wine knowledge my server possessed and her attentiveness was also appreciated. These days, Omaha’s restaurant scene is at the highest level that I have ever seen it. There are so many great restaurants here for us to enjoy that it sometimes makes choosing difficult. That being said, I consider Avoli Osteria to be the most important new restaurant in our area and one that every Omahan should be sure to check out. Cheers!! OMAG omaha magazine • may/june 2014
161
DiningGuide AMERICAN
BAILEY’S BREAKFAST AND LUNCH RESTAURANT 402-932-5577 1259 S. 120th St.
Comfort food done with flair. For breakfast: all your favorites, including Omaha’s finest eggs Benedict—six varieties (with crepes, too) topped with Hollandaise and made fresh every day. Come try the best bacon you will ever eat! Breakfast served all day. And when was the last time you had really good egg salad or chicken salad? Treat yourself to some of Omaha’s finest salads, soups, and sandwiches, plus chicken-fried steak, fresh Angus burgers, and Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Open seven days a week, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
BLATT BEER & TABLE 610 N. 12th St. (402.718.8822) 168th & Center - Opening July 2014
Get a Little Saucy.
Serving fancy beer and curated pub food, Blatt is a hub for common folk. Meat eaters and vegetarians unite over a menu focused on basic good food. Gather around the table, the beer is great and the company is even better.
DEPOT LOUNGE & EATERY 402.779.4110 310 3rd St., Waterloo, NE
Serving excellent, homemade food daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Specialties include turkey fries, 45cent jumbo wings on Wednesday, and Friday night fish fries. Lowest lounge prices in the county! Keno, pool table, and darts. Open 365 days a year, 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, Amex. Reservations accepted.
DJ’S DUGOUT 636 N 114th St. (402.498.8855) 1003 Capitol Ave. (402.763.9974) 10308 S 23rd St. (402.292.9096) 2102 S 67th St. (402.933.3533) 180th & Q St. (402.292.9096) Coming Soon
SPEZIA SPECIALTIES FRESH SEAFOOD • ANGUS BEEF INNOVATIVE PASTA • RISOTTO
Catch all of the action at four Omaha locations. Featuring burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, appetizers, and an impressive drink menu along with HD TVs and projectors. Home to Blazin’ Pianos, Omaha’s only dueling piano concept. djsdugout.com
GNOCCHI • FRESH SALMON DAILY
SATURDAY LUNCH [11am–4 pm]
COCKTAIL HOUR DAILY 4 – 6 PM ALL COCK TAILS, GL ASS WINE AND BEERS ARE HALF PRICE
CALL FOR RESERVATIONS • 402-391-2950 CENTRAL LOCATION • 3125 SOUTH 72ND STREET • EASY ACCESS OFF I-80 • 72ND STREET EXIT
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DUNDEE DELL 402.553.9501 5007 Underwood Ave.
Famous for fish ‘n’ chips since 1934. Single malt and beer tastings open to the public monthly. Private tastings also available. We serve food from 11 a.m. to midnight Sun.Thurs., and from 11 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Fri. and Sat. We also serve a fantastic Sunday brunch from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
dining guide may/june 2014
Meet me
HEARTLAND CAFE (402) 289-4844 2613 N. Main St., Elkhorn, NE
on the
patio.
Housed in a century-old brick building, the Heartland Cafe anchors Elkhorn’s resurgent Main Street entertainment and business district. Serving traditional American food seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with additional hours of Thursdays 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Don’t miss Sunday Brunch or the early morning Happy Hour half-price menu from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. heartlandcafe.net
View our full menu, happy hours and more at
upstreambrewing.com
JAMS 402.399.8300 7814 Dodge St.
Old Market
Welcome to the home of independent food. Jams is a popular, locally owned restaurant for a wonderful dinner or even just a glass of wine and appetizers. An American grill, Jams has a menu that offers refined twists on old classics. From the Jumbo Crab Cake Burger to Midtown Meatloaf, Jams can please any palate. www.jamseats.com
11th & Jackson 402.344.0200
West Omaha 171st & W. Center 402.778.0100
JIMMY'S EGG Various Locations
For over 30 years , Jimmy's Egg has served up full cups of coffee, fresh-baked breads and fresh cracked to order™ 3 egg omelets by a friendly and attentive staff. Breakfast and lunch is served every day 6a.m.-2p.m.
LE PEEP® 177th & Center St. (402-934-9914) 156th & W. Dodge Rd. (402-408-1728) 120th & Blondo St. (402-991-8222)
Sip. Savor. Be Social.
Le Peep® puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood Breakfast & Lunch spot. Fresh. Simple. Elegant. Inviting. We put the emphasis on people, both patrons and staff. We focus on providing each of our guests the fresh food and friendly service that they have come to expect. Open daily 6:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
RECIPIENT OF 35 BEST PIZZA AWARDS! HAND STRETCHED NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA
OLD CHICAGO Old Market - 1111 Harney St. (402.341.1616) Eagle Run - 13110 Birch Dr. (402.445.9393) Cass St - 425 North 78th St. (402.384.8355) Oakview - 2643 S 144th St. (402.330.9001) Papillion - 7506 Olson Dr. (402.592.2739)
Stop by for our lunch specials, treat yourself to our made from scratch pizza or come gather round with family and friends and experience Old Chicago. From shareable starters, fresh salads and signature calzones to authentic Panini sandwiches, and specialty pizzas, our crafted and craveable menu has something to offer everyone.
THANKS FOR VOTING US #1
OLD MATTRESS FACTORY 402.346.9116 501 N 13th St
Within walking distance of Omaha's major entertainment facilities, including TD Ameritrade Park and CenturyLink Center Omaha, this historic building remodeled in 2007 boasts great dining and three private dining rooms for your own events. Stop in before or after any Downtown Omaha event. Open daily at 11:00 a.m. themattomaha.com
CALZONES · PASTA · SALADS · LUNCH SPECIALS · APPETIZERS · BEER · WINE · MARGARITAS
391-1881
7834 Dodge St.
330-1444
12997 W. Center Rd. LEGEND (average price per entrée) $1 to 10 - $, $10 to 20 - $$, $20 to 30 - $$$, $30 and over - $$$$
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344-2222
1109 Howard St.
Full Service Mon.-Fri. Nights & Sat.-Sun.
All Day Self-Service Lunch Mon.-Fri.
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LEGENDARY PIZZA & PASTA SINCE 1953 Always a Large Selection of Fresh Fish
45th & Leavenworth • 402-556-6464 Closed Monday
LaCasaPizzaria.net
4150 south 144th street • omaha • 894-9411 The Original Whiskey Steak
Family Owned & Operated Authentic Italian Cuisine Party Rooms Available Carry Out Available
Serving Lunch & Dinner
Mon-Sat
3001 S. 32nd Ave • Omaha, NE 402-345-5656
Open Monday-Friday 11am-2pm Dinner nightly from 5pm
2121 S. 73 St. Just ½ block South of Doubletree
DroverRestaurant.com
Reservations Accepted (402) 391-7440
2202 South 20th Street – Omaha
Family Restaurant • Fine Steaks Chicken • Seafood Party Rooms Available
342-9038 • 346-2865
Race cars and Motorcycles hanging from the ceiling! Corvettes in the dining room! Over 30 T.V.s to watch your favorite games. We have a full menu with Ribs, Salads, Burgers, Sandwiches and of course Steak! We feature Jumbo size Chicken Wings with 18 different types of Award-Winning sauces. Our Atomic hot sauce is so hot that you have to sign a waiver to eat them! Thank You for voting us #1 Best Greek Best Greek.
Family Owned Since 1983 Sonoran Style Cooking Made Fresh Daily. Catering and Party Rooms Also Available. 7555 Pacific St. 399–8006 380 N.114 St. 330–5707 Omaha, Nebraska
Catering ~ Party Room Available Homemade, Fresh Food ~ Always 3821 Center St. 402/346-1528
GreekIslandsOmaha.com
3320 Mid America Drive • Council Bluffs, IA 51501 712.322.0101 • www.quakersteakandlube.com
dining guide may/june 2014
QUAKER STEAK AND LUBE 712.322.0101 3320 Mid America Dr., Council Bluffs, IA.
Omaha’s Only Authentic German Restaurant Locally Owned Since 1976
”The Lube” serves over 70 million wings annually, has bottled sauces for retail, and has won the title of Best Wings USA. Mondays are Kids Eat Free from 5-9 p.m., and Tuesdays are All You Can Eat Wings for $12.99 all day. The Metro’s only Quaker Steak and Lube also offers great steaks, ribs, and burgers. Live music again this fall on Friday nights. www.quakersteakandlube.com
Prime Steak Fine Wine Premium Service
RAILCAR MODERN AMERICAN KITCHEN 402.493.4743 1814 N 144th St.
Prime rib dinner Fri. and Sat. nights. Happy hour 3:306:30 p.m. every day. Reverse happy hour 9 p.m.-midnight. Open Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-midnight, Sat. 11:30 a.m.-midnight, and Sun. 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday Brunch! Casual dining. All credit cards accepted. www.railcaromaha.com
Traditional German Dining Sauerbraten, Schnitzel, Pan-Fried Chicken
THE DINER 409 S. 12th St 402.341.9870
Full Bakery
This Retro breakfast and lunch spot in the Old Market is as much fun as it looks. The atmosphere is classic and the menu offers surprises, but everything from eggs and bacon to the chicken fried steak, is terrific. Choose a stool at the bar or a cozy booth and enjoy. Mon-Sat, 6 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Sun, 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
UPSTREAM BREWING COMPANY 514 S 11th St. (402.344.0200) 17070 Wright Plz. (402.778.0100)
Featuring strudel, cakes, and donuts
10 min from downtown Omaha
5180 Leavenworth 402-553-6774
www.gerdasgermanrestaurant.com
Upstream features an extensive menu of new American pub fare including appetizers, thin-crust pizzas, superb steaks featuring Omaha Steaks, fresh fish, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and a great children’s menu. Fresh, handcrafted beer and root beer on tap. Extensive wine list. Call ahead for group reservations or to be placed on our waiting list. Visit our classic, upscale poolroom located on the second level.
13665 California Street Omaha, Nebraska 402.445.4380 www.mahoganyprime.com
ICE CREAM TED AND WALLY’S 402.341.5827 1120 Jackson St.
Come experience the true taste of homemade ice cream in the Old Market. Since 1986, we’ve created gourmet ice cream flavors in small batches using rock salt and ice. We offer your favorites plus unique flavors like margarita, green tea, Guinness, and French toast. Special orders available.
ITALIAN DON CARMELO’S PIZZERIA 402.933.3190 10821 Prairie Brook Rd.
Omaha’s first and finest New York-style pizza, stromboli, calzones, oven-toasted hoagies, Philly cheesesteaks, pasta, salads, beer, and wine. We also feature take-out and delivery and can cater your special event, large or small. Stop in for daily lunch specials 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
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”Serving The Best Chicken In Town Since 1997”
Private party rooms available for 6 to 40 people.
Thank you Omaha for voting us Best Family Restaurant! Best of Omaha™ Winners 10 years in a row
CATERING AVAILABLE
www.millardroadhouse.com 13325 Millard Ave. • 402-891-9292
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Best pub in Omaha!
LA CASA PIZZARIA 402.556.6464 45th & Leavenworth St.
La Casa Pizzaria has been serving Omaha it’s legendary Neapolitan Style pizza and pasta for 60 years now. We offer dine in, carryout, party facilities, catering and now pizza shipments to the 48 contiguous states. Open Tues.- Sat. at 11 a.m. and Sun. at 4:30 p.m. www.lacasapizzaria.net
Over 750 Single Malts, 230 Beers, & Awesome Food! 50 0 7 U nde r woo d • 4 0 2 - 5 5 3 - 9 5 0 1 • dU n d e e d e l l @ dUnde e de l l .c om
Thanks to our customers for voting us the “Best Burger in Omaha”
LO SOLE MIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO 402.345.5656 3001 S 32nd Ave.
Located in the middle of a neighborhood, surrounded by charming homes. Everyone is greeted with homemade bread, a bowl of fresh tomatoes and basil, a bowl of ovenroasted garlic cloves, special-seasoned olive oil, and at night, a jug of Chianti! The menu includes a large variety of pasta, chicken, veal, seafood, and even a delicious New York steak. Traditional dishes such as lasagna, tortellini, and eggplant parmigiana are also available. Lunch also offers panini, salads, and one of the best pizzas in town. Patio seating, full bar, and a great wine list complete the atmosphere. No reservations, except for private rooms.
NICOLA’S 402.345.8466 521 S 13th St.
Stella’s Bar and Grill “Serving World Famous Hamburgers since 1936” 106 Galvin Rd • Bellevue, NE • 402-291-6088 • Open Monday-Saturday, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
PASTA AMORE 402.391.2585 11027 Prairie Brook Rd.
CILANTRO’S
Pastas are made fresh daily, including tortellini, fettuccine, and capellini. Daily specials and menu items include a variety of fresh seafood and regional Italian dishes, such as linguini amore and calamari steak, penne Florentine, gnocchi, spaghetti puttanesca, and ossobuco. Filet mignon is also offered for those who appreciate nationally renowned Nebraska beef. To complement your dining experience, the restaurant offers a full bar and extensive wine list. Be sure to leave room for homemade desserts, like the tiramisu and cannoli. Lunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: 4:30 p.m. Reservations recommended. MasterCard, Visa, Amex.
MEXICAN BAR & GRILL
A wide array of Mexican and American Classics to satisfy your tastebuds! 402.895.0384 14440 F STREET | OMAHA 68137 646 N. 114TH ST | OMAHA 68154
SPEZIA 402.391.2950 3125 S72nd St.
OMAHA’S ORIGINAL STEAKHOUSE
• Proudly serving visitor & locals for 90 years. • Featured in Midwest Living Best of the Midwest. • Serving hand cut steaks, aged on premise and slow roasted prime rib with pride. 402-731-4774 www.johnnyscafe.com 27th & ‘L’ St., Kennedy Frwy, ‘L’ St. Exit 8 Minutes from Downtown Omaha.
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We offer a distinctive, tempting menu of upscale Italian dishes, including lobster ravioli, classic carbonara, and a Mediterranean lasagna in an alluring environment. Enjoy an extensive wine list and full bar on our outdoor garden patio while you dine. Nicola’s also offers catering and desserts to go for your private party or business gathering.
Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you ll find a casual elegance that s perfect for business guests, gettogethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, Certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily. Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary Lovers Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and wood-fired grill. Open Mon.-Sun. Cocktail hour: 4-6 p.m., when all cocktails, glass wine, and beers are half price. Evening reservations recommended.
Best Of Omaha 8Years Running
WHERE WHERE GOOD GOOD FOOD FOOD AND AND GOOD GOOD SERVICE SERVICE NEVER NEVER GO GO OUT OUT OF OF STYLE. STYLE.
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dining guide may/june 2014
Fresh • Local • Flavor ZIO’S PIZZERIA 7834 Dodge St. (402.391.1881) 12997 W Center Rd. (402.330.1444) 1109 Howard St. (402.344.2222)
Delivery, dine in, and carry out. Serving New York style pizza by the slice or whole pies, calzones, hoagies, pastas, salads, and garlic breads. Our pies are hand-stretched and baked in old-world ovens. We offer 35 of the freshest toppings; taste the freshest pizza at Zio’s! Family dining, open seven days a week. Lunch specials and beer and wine available.
7814 Dodge St. 402.399.8300 • jamseats.com
MARKETS TOMATO•TOMATO 402-933-0893 2634 S. 156th Cir.
We are now offering personal chef services. Together with our chef you will create your menu for the week utilizing the freshest produce in the area, responsibly raised meats, local cheese and dairy. Each week you will pick up freshly prepared healthy meals you can enjoy that will also accommodate any special dietary needs. For more information give us a call and ask for Mary or Chef Michael.
MEXICAN CANTINA LAREDO 120 S. 31st Ave. (402.345.6000)
We serve modern Mexican food in a sophisticated, vibrant atmosphere. Enjoy our signature margarita, the Casa Rita, made from fresh lime juice and the finest tequila, while savoring guacamole made fresh at your table. Visit Cantina Laredo at Omaha’s Midtown Crossing for lunch, dinner, drinks, and Sunday brunch.
Sip The fineST margariTa
CILANTRO’S MEXICAN BAR & GRILL 14440 F. St. (402.895.0384) 646 N. 114th St.
Great Mexican food every day of the week. Great for group lunches, and we have outdoor seating. Take out available. We always have daily specials and an extensive menu that has several selections to please all diners along with our top- notch margaritas. Check us out on Facebook! Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
FERNANDO’S 7555 Pacific St. (402.339.8006) 380 N. 114th St. (402.330.5707)
Featuring Sonoran-style cooking made fresh daily. Catering and party rooms also available. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.-9 p.m. MasterCard, Visa, Amex.
LA MESA 156th & Q St.(402.763.2555) 110th & Maple St.(402.496.1101) Ft. Crook Rd. & 370 (402.733.8754) 84th & Tara Plaza (402.593.0983) Lake Manawa Exit, Council Bluffs, IA (712.256.2762)
Come experience an authentic taste experience at La Mesa! From awesome enchiladas to fabulous fajitas, La Mesa has something for every connoisseur of Mexican fare to savor.Get started with one of La Mesa’s famous margaritas!So kick back in our fun-friendly atmosphere and you’ll see why La Mesa has been voted Omaha’s # 1 Mexican Restaurant 11 Years in a Row! www.la-mesa.com
Experience the modern side of Mexican cuisine Taste guacamole made fresh at your table Savor fresh seafood and steaks with authentic sauces
midTown CroSSing 120 S. 31st avenue 402.345.6000 cantinalaredo.com
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MARGARITA'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT 2505 S. 132nd St. (402-991-3555) 4915 S. 72nd St. (402-393-7515)
Margaritas is a business with more than 7 years in the food world. We offer authentic food at 2 nice locations in Omaha where you can enjoy a nice moment with your family.
ROJA MEXICAN GRILL 17010 Wright Plaza (402.333.7652) 1212 Harney St. (402.346.9190)
Modern and vibrant, Roja serves mouth-watering fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, chimichangas, and more, all with sizzling smack and an extra helping of Tex flavor. Happy Hour specials and more than 80 premium tequilas fill the bar with bustling activity. Fire pits and garage doors open to an inviting patio.
SEAFOOD CHARLIE’S ON THE LAKE 402.894.9411 4150 S 144th St.
Charlie’s is the only fresh-fish-daily seafood restaurant in Omaha. Features a relaxed yet contemporary atmosphere that is fun for all ages. Besides fresh seafood, Charlie’s is the home of the James Bond-style martini (shaken, not stirred) in over 20 varieties in addition to over 60 wines. Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 3 p.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.3 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sat., 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
PLANK SEAFOOD PROVISIONS 1205 Howard St. 402.507.4480
Coastally-inspired oyster bar and seafood grill in Omaha’s Old Market. Faithful to the tradition of fresh seafood, high quality ingredients, and a made-from-scratch mentality, Plank enlists the help of inspired chefs, a wood fire grill and smoker to bring coastal flavors to the Nebraska Plains.
Enjoy Your Favorite Sandwich on Delicious Rotella’s Bread
SHUCK’S 16901 Wright Plaza, No. 198 (402.763.1860) 1218 S 119th St. (402.827.4376) 1911 Leavenworth St. (402.614.5544)
Have you ever been to a fish shack on the coast? You’ll like this! Shrimp or oyster po’ boys, fried clam strips, shrimp, walleye, calamari, and oysters (all VERY lightly breaded), crab cakes, clam chowder, gumbo, salads, and daily fresh fish specials. Featuring a large variety of oysters on the half shell, shucked right in front of you. Killer happy hour 2-6 p.m. every day. Open seven days a week.
TAITA RESTAURANT 6109 Maple St. (402.558.2482) Located in Benson
The ambience is eclectic and so is the Peruvian-inspired menu at Benson's newest hot spot. Ideal for date nights and to impress your out-of-town guests, Taita delivers fresh culinary adventures using even fresher local ingredients. The wine list and cocktail line-up is perfectly paired with the seafood, sushi, and other fare. Reservations recommended
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rotellasbakery.com
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As seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives THANKS FOR VOTING US BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH! Come in for $2 OFF Sunday Brunch
402.393.5000
4629 S. 108th St. 402.614.7644 brewburgersomaha.com
1001 N 102nd Street Omaha, NE 68114
Established in 1919 Celebrating our 95th year!
Orsi’s is famous for our pizza. Our Italian Deli features a variety of meats, homemade sausage, cakes, cannolis, cheese and bread products. 621 Pacific St, Omaha • 402-345-3438
Outdoor Dance Floor, Grill is On, Bar is Open
Try Omaha’s Favorite Reuben! Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers.
3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com
!
Thanks for voting us Best of Omaha™ Winners’ Circle, we appreciate your support and look forward to serving you in the future. 177th & Center • 934-9914 | 156th & Dodge • 408-1728 120th & Blondo • 991-8222 Drive-Thru Open (Center St. Only) • Open Daily 6:30am-2:00pm
Serving Breakfast & Lunch All Day! lepeepomaha.com
12 Saturday Nights of Blues and Rock & Roll June 7 Rockin Jake June 14 Hector Anchondo June 21 Bel Airs from Columbia Missouri June 28 Le Vee Town from Mission Kansas cover is $8.00 season pass $80.00 Bands start at 7:00 pm
Thoughtful • Local • Seafood
Open 7 Days a Week 8am-2pm Thursday evening 5-8pm
6109 Maple St (Military Ave Omaha, NE 68104
Reservation Recommended Call (402) 558-2482 Online: Open Table Come enjoy our seafood, sushi, local fair, cocktails, and paired winelist.
402-884-3972 www.firehousesubs.com
Eat Fresh. Eat Local
Over 100 local farmers and producers providing the freshest food around! Our Slow Food Deli serves lunch daily and can cater your next event using the finest local ingredients.
www.tomatotomato.org
PREMIUM HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
Celebrating 26 Years! Find Us On Facebook
1120 Jackson Street (402) 341-5827 tedandwallys.com
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O’Connor’s Irish Pub 1217 Howard St. • Omaha, NE 68102 402-934-9790 • oconnorsomaha.com
Come in for a taste of one of our amazing specials!
402.391.5047
7425 Dodge St. | Omaha | www.sushiomaha.com
dining guide may/june 2014
SPECIAL DINING BLUE SUSHI SAKE GRILL 14450 Eagle Run Dr (402.445.2583) 16939 Wright Plaza (402.547.5959) 416 S. 12th St. (402.408.5566)
Fresh and energetic, Blue offers an inspired mix of creative sushi for purists and adventurers alike. Happy Hour has put Blue on the map in Omaha, offering value and variety without sacrificing quality or experience. Blue’s vibrant restaurants offer a dining experience full of exciting flavor and spirited atmosphere.
CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE 402.345.1708 3578 Farnam St.
Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia, Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store. With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best reuben sandwich, we are a midtown beer lover’s destination. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kitchen hours: Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight. Closed Sun. www.beercornerusa.com.
GERDA’S GERMAN RESTAURANT AND BAKERY 402.553.6774 5188 Leavenworth St.
Omaha’s only authentic German restaurant; a little piece of Germany in Omaha. Gerda herself makes homemade spaetzle, schnitzels, and rouladen Fresh-made soups, red cabbage, sauerkraut, and dumplings are a few other treats. Stay for a dessert of Black Forest cake or grab fresh bakery for breakfast on your way out. Open Tues, 6 a.m.3 p.m, Wed-Sat., 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.
GREEK ISLANDS 402.346.1528 3821 Center St.
Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. Well known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests. Carryout and delivery available. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Amex.
HORSEMEN’S PARK 402.731.2900 6303 Q St.
One-dollar pints, $1.75 domestic bottles, and $2 well drinks for our happy hour Mon.-Wed., 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays are 25-cent wings from 3-8 p.m., Wednesdays are Steak Night after 5 p.m., Thursdays are 75-cent tacos and $1.75 margaritas after 5 p.m., and Fridays are Prime Rib Dinner after 5 p.m. Daily specials seven days a week. Open at 10 a.m. www.horsemenspark.com
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DINERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
NAMED TOP 100 HOT SPOT RESTAURANT IN AMERICA
JAIPUR BREWING COMPANY 402.392.7331 10922 Elm St.
A casual restaurant in a relaxed atmosphere. Dinner entrees include fresh vegetables, grilled Colorado lamb sirloin, sushi-grade Ahi, tandoori marinated grilled salmon, and tandoori grilled beef tenderloin to name a few. A wide selection of wines and liquor, as well as on-site brewed beer. Lunch: Thurs. and Fri., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: Sun.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri and Sat., 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
NOSH RESTAURANT AND WINE LOUNGE 402.614.2121 1006 Dodge Street.
We have a diverse, boutique wine list from around the world, culinary delights using locally grown, organic produce, and an impressive drinks menu. We are the place for friends to gather, relax, and celebrate good times. Located in the capitol district in Downtown Omaha. noshwine.com
O’CONNOR’S IRISH PUB 402.934.9790 1217 Howard St.
OPEN 11 AM SEVEN DAYS A WEEK PITCHPIZZERIA.COM TWITTER.COM/PITCHPIZZERIA
FACEBOOK.COM/PITCHPIZZERIA
PHONE: 402-590-COAL (2625)
5021 UNDERWOOD AVE. OMAHA, NE
Comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Great before and after games. We offer pub style food—burgers, reubens, daily specials, and homemade soups—as well as all the traditional Irish favorite libations: Guinness, Harp, and Irish whiskey. Grill hours: Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
SAKURA BANA 402.391.5047 7425 Dodge St.
California Rolls, sushi and box lunches are among the specialties here. Menu favorites include beef teriyaki, chicken teriyaki and udon, a flavorful noodle soup served with Tempura Shrimp or Mountain Vegetables. Multiple combinations of sushi or rolls can be ordered from your table or from the sushi bar. California Rolls and Tuna Sushi are the most popular choices. Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; Mon.-Thur., 5-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5-10 p.m.; Sun. 5-9 p.m. www.sushiomaha.com
STEAKHOUSES
801 CHOPHOUSE 402.341.1222 1403 Farnam St.
Designed with a 1920s-era New York chophouse in mind, 801 is the epitome of elegance. You will not forget the crisp-white-tablecloth, fine-dining experience. From our USDA prime-grade beef and jet-fresh seafood from all over the world, we are truly the best Omaha has to offer. Open seven nights a week.
THE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 402.391.7440 2121 S. 73rd St.
BREAKFAST, BURGERS & NASTALGIA 409 S. 12TH STREET • 12TH & HARNEY ST • 402.341.9870 ADD A FREE SHORT STACK OF PANCAKES WHEN YOU ORDER ANY BREAKFAST ITEM 1-10 (WITH COUPON)
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/thediner_omaha
Famous for the original Whiskey Steak. Truly a one of a kind Midwestern experience. Excellent food, wine, service and value. Rare...and very well done. Reservations accepted. Lunch: Mon–Fri 11am – 2pm. Cocktail Hour 3-6pm Dinner nightly at 5pm. Reservations accepted.
dining guide may/june 2014
JOHNNY'S CAFÉ 402.731.4774 4702 S 27th St.
Years of quality dining and hospitality make Johnny's Café a restaurant to remember. We serve only the finest beef the Midwest has to offer. Aged steaks and prime rib are the specialties, with homemade bread and pies to complete a meal. An excellent wine list adds to the enjoyment at one of Omaha's original restaurants. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m. MasterCard, Visa, and Amex.
MAHOGANY PRIME STEAKHOUSE 402.445.4380 13665 California St.
This is a restaurant where steak is the star, using customaged, U.S. prime Midwestern beef known for its excellence in marbling, texture, and flavor. We serve it sizzling on a heated plate so that it stays hot throughout your meal. Amazing service in a less-intimidating, fine-dining atmosphere.
PICCOLO’S RESTAURANT 402.342.9038 2202 S. 20th St.
One of Omaha’s finest traditions, this is where quality steaks are served at low prices. Especially designed for a family outing or a business social. The specialty is tasty prime rib, served for the last 60 years under the crystal ball. Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Daily and nightly specials.
PIG & FINCH GASTROPUB 10381 Pacific St. One Pacific Place
Opening in early 2014, Pig & Finch Gastropub features local fresh ingredients paired with fine cookery in a pubfriendly atmosphere. 801restaurantgroup.com
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Sponsored by
Come on get
happy. View our happy hour specials and more at
upstreambrewing.com
Old Market 402.344.0200
West Omaha 402.778.0100
happy hour open - 7pm
Special Happy Hour Menu
3:59pm - 6:59pm & 9:01pm -12:01am
Heated Outdoor Patio 12015 blondo st. 402.493.7607 phoenixfoodandspiritsomaha.com
★
HAVANA GARAGE CIGAR LOUNGE
1008 Howard St. / TheHavanaGarage.com
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FOOD&DRINK
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STAY & PLAY IN SARPY COUNTY Bellevue
Best Western White House Inn Candlewood Suites • Comfort Inn Hampton Inn & Suites • Hillside Motel Holiday Inn Express • Imperial Motel Microtel • Offutt Motor Court Rodeway Inn • Super 7 Value Place Hotel Bellevue
Gretna
Holiday Inn Express Super 8 Motel
Southwest Omaha
Comfort Inn • Countryside Suites Hometowne Lodge Motel 6 - Sapp Brothers Quality Inn • Red Carpet Inn
La Vista
Courtyard by Marriott Embassy Suites Hotel Hampton Inn & Suites
Papillion
Fairfield Inn & Suites (opening soon) Liberty Lodge
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GREATER NEBRASKA HAPPENINGS
YEAR ROUND Carhenge. Year-round i n A l liance, Neb. Kitschy Carhenge is formed from vintage American automobiles, painted gray to replicate Stonehenge. The site also features a Car Art Preserve with sculptures made from cars and parts of cars. Free. 308-762-3876 – carhenge.com MAY Wildwood Historic Home & Art Gallery. Through October at 420 Steinhart Park Rd, Nebraska City. Located in the circa 1860’s brick barn at Wildwood Historic Center is an Art Gallery & Gift Emporium. Over 50 local and regional artists consign to The Barn each season. Find a souvenir or gift from the selection of paintings, pottery, wooden items, cloth creations and glass. M-Sat/10 am-5 pm; Sun/1-5 pm. 402-873-6340 – wildwoodhistoriccenter.org
Living History Weekends at Fort Atkinson SHP. Through October at 201 S. 7 St, Fort Calhoun. Demonstrations of military life as a reconstructed 1820s military post. Military drills, blacksmithing, cooking, and crafts. Select weekends. 10 am-5 pm. $1-$2 Beyond Your Imagination. Through June 30 at Prairie Winds Art Center, 112 W. 3 St., Council Bluffs. This unique and colorful show will blow your imagination! Acrylic painters Tammy Schuett and Libby Henry are joined by doll artist and photographer K.C.Triplett and the “Cloth Doll Creators of Council Bluffs” to present this “imaginative show”. Mon-Sat/12-5 pm. Free. 308-381-4001 – prairiewindsart.com
Come enjoy Sarpy County’s great attractions, including Fontenelle Forest, the Holy Family Shrine, The Sarpy County Museum, nine challenging golf courses, winery, new breweries, awesome shopping, AAA baseball, city festivals, and more. Stay (in one of our 26 great hotels) and play in Sarpy County, Nebraska (Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Springfield, Gretna, and Offutt Air Force Base.) gosarpy.com Treasures In Wood. Through July 20 at Museum of Nebraska Art, 2401 Central Ave., Kearney. Our association with wood as a source of artistic inspiration and a medium of expression is immeasurable. Through myth we think of trees as our “guardians of memory” and of wood as a renewable organic living material. Wood embodies the relationship between human design and natural form. This exhibition explores the range of techniques and outcomes made possible by the flexibility, identity, and beauty of wood. Tue-Sat/11 am-5 pm; Sun/1-5pm. Free. 308-865-8559 – mona.unk.edu Summer Exhibit: Gears of the Land. Through September 1 at Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, 3133 W. US Hwy 34. Grand Island. Stuhr’s Summer exhibit focuses on farm machinery, past and present, and highlights an impressive collection of antique farm machinery. The exhibit will be held in the Antique Farm Machinery Building on the museum grounds. M-Sat/9 am-5 pm; Sun/12-5 pm. $6-$8. 308-385-5316 – stuhrmuseum.org
NAIA Women’s Golf Championship, May 20-23. Wilderness Ridge Golf Course, Lincoln will host the 2014 NAIA national women’s golf tournament with local host, Doane College. Teams from across the country will compete for the championship. – http://www.naia.org/ La Vista Daze 2014 - Swing into Summer. May 22-25 at La Vista Central Park, Edgewood Blvd, La Vista. Carnival, vendor booths, parade, beer garden, cookout, free concert, and more. 402-331-4343 – cityoflavista.org Memorial Day Barbeque. May 23 in Humboldt. Celebrate with a BBQ, ice cream social, and Happy Czechs Polka band. 5-8 pm. 402-862-2821 – ci.humboldt.ne.us
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You’re welcome to enjoy the hometown festivals in Fillmore County. Whether you want to eat BBQ, watch a parade, do a fun run, peruse a flea/craft market, see a tractor pull, hear polka music, or dance in the street until midnight, you’ll find something exciting to do. Geneva will end its celebration with fireworks. There is also a Barn Quilt Trail you may want to follow throughout the county. Be sure to stop to eat at a local cafe for great food or stop at a one-of-a-kind specialty shop. For more information, go to fillmorecounty.org
House and Home Exhibit. Through May 25 in Downtown Beatrice. Inspiring displays made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mid America Arts Alliance. Don’t miss the displays and events. 402-223-3244 – mainstreetbeatrice.org. GPR PCA Porsche Club Race. May 30 through June 1 at MPH Motorsport Park, 427 S. Showboat Blvd, Hastings. The friendliest, grass-roots racing weekend in the Midwest. The weekend begins with a test and tune on Friday, which is then followed by three sprint races for each class on Saturday and Sunday. There is also a social on Saturday night. 9 am-5 pm. Free. 402-461-8031 – gprpca.com Monumental Fiddling Championship. May 24 at Homestead National Monument of America, 8523 W. NE Hwy 4, Beatrice. A day of music and competition with fiddlers and musicians of all ages. 10 am-5 pm. Free. 402-223-3514 – nps.gov/home Camp Clark Raiders, Spring Rendezvous. May 24 through 26, five miles south of Bridgeport, at Seybolt Park. Step back in time to the 1800s. Traditional muzzleloader target shoots as well as hawk, knife, and spear chuckin’ competitions. Old-fashioned children’s games and more. 8 am-6 pm. $30 per camp, covers all events. 308-262-1080 – campclarkraiders.com
Les Miserables. May 30 through June 8 at the Beatrice Community Players, 412 Ella St., Beatrice. Discover this epic musical masterpiece in a whole new way. Jean Valjean’s life-long struggle for redemption while pursued by the dogged Inspector Javert against the backdrop of tumultuous 19th century France has amazed audiences all over the world. Now feel the passion up close in our intimate staging of this timeless classic featuring songs like “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Bring Him Home,” “On My Own,” and “Do You Hear the People Sing.” Fri-Sat/7:30 pm; Sun/2 pm. $10-$18. 402-228-1801 – beatricecommunityplayers.com
Summ
Spirit: A Celebration of Art in the Heartland. March 15-April 6 at Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Neb. A variety of media, styles, and themes by Nebraska’s gifted artists. Tu-Sat/11am-5pm; Sun/1-5pm. Free. 308-865-8559 – monet.unk.edu
JUNE Broken Bow Township Cemetery Historic Walking Tour. June 1 in the south of town, Broken Bow. Walking tour of stone throughout the cemetery. Storytelling of area history and residents. 5-7 pm. Free. 308-872-2203 – rootsweb.com From Sea to Shining Sea: Bicentennial Prints by John Falter. Through June 1 at Cass County Historical Museum, 646 Main St., Plattsmouth. Exhibit of six prints created by John Falter for the 3-M Corporation and commemorating the American Bicentennial. Tue-Sat/12-4pm. $2.50. 402-296-4770 – nebraskamuseums.org/cassountymuseum.htm
er Fun Festivals in Fillmore County, NE
Exeter, Fairmont, Geneva, Milligan, Ohiowa, Shickley
www.visitfillmorecounty.org
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CITY GARAGE SALE June 7 CHRISTMAS IN JULY June 11&12 HAY DAYS Aug 14-17 www.atkinsonchamber.com
calendar may/june 2014
Remembering Beautiful Merritt Beach. June 3 through August 24 at Cass County Historical Museum, 646 Main St., Plattsmouth. Exhibit of photographs and memorabilia telling the history of Merritt Beach in Cass County from the 1930s until its closing in 1989. Tue-Sun/12-4 pm. $2.50 adult. 402-296-4770 – nebraskamuseums.org/casscountymuseum.htm
GREATER NEBRASKA HAPPENINGS
Corvette Reunion II. June 6 through June 8 at MPH Motorsport Park, 427 S, Showboat Blvd, Hastings. Polish Days. June 6 through June 8, Main St., Loup City. Ethnic Festival with music, dancing, melodrama, food vendors, and games. 308-745-0430 – loupcity.com Sam Wymore Days. June 6 through June 8 at Arbor State Park, Wymore. Join in the fun and celebrate the founding of Wymore. Parade, flea market, horseshoe, and free entertainment. 402-674-3205 – wymorebluesprings.com Drover Invitational Golf Tournament. June 7 through June 8 at West Winds Golf Course, 359 Rd. E., Ogallala. Join Ogallala for the 10th year of the Drover Invitational. 308-284-4066 – visitogallala.com
Willa Cather Spring Festival. June 5 through June 7 at the Willa Cather Foundation, 413 N. Webster St., Red Could. A lively celebration of poets and poetry with exhibits, readings, performances, discussions, and more. 402-746-2653 – willacather.org Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska. June 6 through June 7, at Hoot Owl Ranch, 1825 Rd 47, Harrisburg. The Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska is an annual event that is held at a different ranch each year to raise cancer awareness and as a fundraiser for cancer research. The goal for the 2014 event is to raise $2.5 million for cancer research and local medical causes. 90% of the proceeds will go to the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with the remaining 10% earmarked toward regional medical organizations. $75, one day ticket, $350 two day ticket. 308-235-2659 – cattlemensball.com Celebrate Lincoln, June 6-7. Held in downtown Lincoln on 12th -13th on N Street. Celebrate Lincoln with live music from local and national acts. Enjoy a Family Zone with inflatables, face painting, magic shows and more. Food and market vendors will also fill the streets in downtown Lincoln. Open 11am to 11:30pm each day. Admission is only $7 for adults and $3 for children. FREE admission from 11am to 2pm each day! http://golincolngo.com or 402-434-6900.
Nebraska Tractor Ride. June 12 through June 14 at Wayne County Fairgrounds, Wayne. A collection of antique tractor enthusiasts share stories and travel 150 miles over two days on the open roads of Nebraska. Riders come from around the US to join in on the fun. Fri/6 am-7 pm; Sat/6:15 am-10 am. 402-372-5423 – nebraskatractorride.com
2nd Annual Quilts in the Park. June 14 at Mill Race Park, Atkinson. View quilts in an outdoor park setting. Vendors, food, and entertainment. 10 am-4 pm. Free. 402-925-2495. Wurst Tag. June 14 in Eustis. A German heritage celebration similar to an Oktoberfest, Wurst Tag is a family celebration. Some of the events include the early morning Volkmarch and Road Race. During the day there are heritage contests, games, demonstrations and displays. The day concludes with a large German dinner, Polka dance and American street dance. Two large beer tents provide seating and shade during the day. All day. Free event, concert tickets available for purchase. – eustisnebraska.com The 94 Rock Laugh and a Half Marathon. June 14 at Norfolk Senior High School, 801 Riverside Blvd., Norfolk. Half marathon, relay, 10k, 5k, and kid one-mile fun run. 7 am. $12-$53. 402-371-0100 – laughandahalfmarathon.com
11th Annual Plum Creek Rodeo. June 13 through June 14 at Lexington fairgrounds. The annual rodeo returns for its 11th year. 7:30 pm. 308-324-5504 – visitlexington.org
Bugs and Bones Weekend at Ponca State Park. June 14 through June 15 at 88090 Spur 26E, Ponca. Explore the archeology and insects of the region. Hands-on activities including fossil digs, educational hikes, visits from special guests and more. 402-755-2284.
Intertribal Gathering at Fort Robinson State Park. June 13 through June 15, 3200 US Hwy 20, Crawford. Exciting cultural festival with authentic Native American arts and crafts along with traditional powwow dancing, drum, and song. 308-672-3626 – outdoornebraska.org
Formula SAE Collegiate Design Series, June 18-21. Lincoln Airpark, Lincoln, NE. Over 100 colleges and universities from around the world will compete formula style race cars they designed and built. Starting 8am each day. 724-776-4841. http://students. sae.org/cds/formulaseries/west/
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Call for information on 1 to 3 hour tours
402.968.8534
The Strategic Air & Space Museum is one of the nation’s premier aviation and space museums, located 15 minutes from Omaha on Interstate-80. This museum houses a huge permanent collection of famous aircraft, missiles and spacecraft. It offers high quality participatory learning experiences and value-added attractions in STEM with an emphasis in innovation and inventiveness for all ages.
Parti
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sasmuseum.com
!
EXIT 426 I-80
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MORE THAN JUST A MUSEUM.
Star
Pony Express Reride. June 18 at Scotts Bluff National Monument, 190276 Old Oregon Trail, Gering. Watch the riders come in and change horses along the Pony Express Reride event. Mid-day. Park entrance pass required. 308-436-9700 – nps.gov/scbi Omaha Symphonic Chorus: Reflections on America. June 22 at Brownville Concert Hall, 126 Atlantic St., Brownville. The 38-voice special chorus presents a concert for the celebration of American independence. 2 pm. 402-825-3331 – brownvilleconcertseries.com
Flatwater Music Festival. June 27 through June 28 at the Prairie Loft Center for Outdoor & Ag Learning, 4705 DLD Rd, Hastings. A celebration of music, art, culture and fun for all ages. Live concerts, music jams, art and craft vendors, children’s activities and more. Fri/6-11 pm; Sat/11 am-11 pm. $10, Free ages 11 and under. 402-463-0565 – prairieloft.org Divots Summer Concert Series – Musicfest 2014. June 27 through June 28 at DeVent Center at Divots Conference Center, Norfolk. Enjoy this two-day outdoor summer concert series event featuring big named artists. 402-844-2987 – divotsconcertseries.com
The spirit of Lincoln is alive.
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