BAND 311 • OMAHA’S GROWING UNHOUSED CRISIS • MUSICIAN MICHAEL MURPHY • IZZY’S PIZZA BUS • CROSSFIT ATHLETE ISAIAH WEBER
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING: SEVERAL SOLUTIONS, ONE COMMON GOAL
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what % of US adults say they read magazines in the last 6 months?
91
when advertisers were asked which medium offers the highest ROAS, which was the highest overall?
This includes 95% of those under 35 and 95% of those under 25.
THE MAGAZINE ROAS OF $6.51 WAS DOUBLE THAT OF THE TV ROAS OF $3.23, AND MORE THAN DOUBLE OF THE DIGITAL ROAS OF $2.43.
(MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019)
(NCSolutions 2005-Q12019)
HOW MANY ADULTS AGES 18+ READ MAGAZINES?
228.7
MILLION THAT’S AN INCREASE OF 18 MILLION SINCE 2012. (MRI-Simmons, Fall 2012-2019)
THE PRINT MAGAZINE INDUSTRY IS GROWING 139 new print magazine brands with a frequency of quarterly or greater were introduced in 2019 (Samir “Mr. Magazine” ™ Husani Monitor 2020)
PRINT READERS
REMEMBER MORE.
MAGAZINES REACH PREMIUM AUDIENCES IN HIGH-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS*
At a greater rate than newspapers, internet, radio or TV * Household income $250K+ (MRI-Simmons, Fall 2019)
compared to top tech sites MAGAZINES outperform reaching
WOMEN AGES 18+ (MRI Media Fusion)
PRINT STIMULATES EMOTIONS AND DESIRES PRINT IS PREFERRED BY THE MAJORITY (EVEN MILLENNIALS) PRINT READERS EXPERIENCE MORE FOCUSED ATTENTION AND LESS DISTRACTION, WHICH DRIVES SENSORY INVOLVEMENT CONTRIBUTING TO GREATER READER IMPACT, COMPREHENSION AND RECALL. (MPA, Scott McDonald, Ph.D. Nomas Research)
FROM THE EDITOR // LETTER BY JULIUS FREDRICK
O, THE HUMANITY NAVIGATING OMAHA’S EMERGING HOMELESSNESS CRISIS WITH CAUTION AND CARE
F
or the vast majority of those experiencing homelessness, their circumstances are rarely, if ever the result of a single issue or decision. Trauma, mental illness, accidents, and drug abuse are indeed common. Tenuous employment, stagnant wages, the rising costs of goods, and a white-hot housing market have exacerbated existing issues. The interplay between these factors, and many more besides, means the topography of “rock bottom” is highly stratified, and of course, deeply personal.
While Omaha may appear at times well insulated from the brunt of the social ailments faced by the nation at large, homelessness is not one of them—according to data compiled by the Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless (MACCH) the metro has seen a 200% spike in unhoused people over the last 5 years. And with expiration of pandemic relief benefits this year, the problem is expected to get worse before it gets better. Our main feature explores Omaha’s relationship with homelessness in detail—examining the varied and interlocking circumstances that underly, reinforce, and hopefully, curb the displacement of people from their homes. Remember, despite whatever dark days may lie ahead, there’s always hope. Shaunna Brink, chronically unhoused for 5 years and counting, believes so anyway: “Even if it seems like the world has turned its back on you there are people, there are people out there [who care], you know? A lot of people get so down that they're just waiting on that miracle, and sometimes it just doesn't come. “So you just got to fight for it.” As always, thank you for reading.
Sincerely, Julius Fredrick *Note: The hotel edition of Omaha Magazine has a different cover and does not include all of the editorial content included in the magazine’s full city edition. For more information on our city edition, visit OmahaMagazine.com.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
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2023
TAB L E of CON T E N T S THE USUAL SUSPECTS 001 From the Editor
O, the Humanity
004 Between the Lines
Affording Omaha Several Solutions, One Common Goal
007 Calendar of Events 026 Adventure
Ex-Colonel Chris Kolenda
040 History
A Brief History of Fontenelle
065 Obviously Omaha Area Salt Spas
082 Explore! 087 Instagram 088 Not Funny
IT’S UNANIMOUS
ARTS + CULTURE 022 Film
Omaha Filmmaker Tony Bonacci
046 Mixed Media
The Ingenuity of Ameen Wahba
014 Music
311’s Nick Hexum
018 Visual
Julia McGuigan Draws out the Best of Omaha
PE O P L E 034 Profile
032
Bleeding Heartland
028 Gen O
Esports Allie Burnett
042 Sports
Peak Performance Isaiah Weber
GIVING
FEATURES
030 036 AFFORDING OMAHA HOMELESS
048 Calendar QR
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
052 Profile
Good Vibrations Founder Judy Divis
Weathering the Storm
// 4 //
QR
QR
read current and previous issues online at omahamagazine.com
Listen to the entire issue here. Open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code.
BAND 311 • OMAHA’S GROWING UNHOUSED CRISIS • MUSICIAN MICHAEL MURPHY • IZZY’S PIZZA BUS • CROSSFIT ATHLETE ISAIAH WEBER
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER | U.S. $5.95
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: SEVERAL SOLUTIONS, ONE COMMON GOAL
A B O U T T HE COV E R
014
It’s a nationwide crisis, and Omaha is by no means immune. Affordable housing-whether that means paying mortgages on single family homes or making rents for apartments—is increasingly costing residents a premium. Starting on page 43, Daisy Hutzell-Rodman details the different solutions leaders are devising across the city.
60PLUS
058 Profile
Michael Murphy Music in Life
060 Nostalgia
We Don’t Cruise (Anymore)
062 Active Living
MSfoward’s Daryl Kucera Treats MS
DINING 066 Feature
B & G Tasty foods
070 Profile
Brett Geiger Izzy’s Pizza Bus
072 Review
A Fusion Fiesta
076 Dining Guide
066
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 //
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Between
THE LINES A LOOK AT TH R E E OMAHA MAGAZINE CO N T R I B U TO R S CLAUDIA MOOMEY— Editorial Intern Born in California and raised in Omaha, Claudia Moomey is the youngest of two daughters. She graduated from Millard North High School in 2016 before graduating from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in British, Irish, and Anglophone Literature, and minors in History and Medieval/Renaissance Studies. During her free time, when she’s not reading classic literature or putting her collection of Blackwing pencils to paper, she's likely attending various theater shows, photographing local bands at rock concerts, or napping with her Russian Blue cat, Shenzi. She spends a significant amount of time experimenting with recipes, including savory dinners, desserts, and craft cocktails. Moomey hopes to eventually hold an editorial or writing position as a full-time career, where she will implement her strongest opinion: the Oxford Comma is a necessity. JOEY WINTON— Graphic Design Intern Joey Winton is a 22-year-old from Omaha. Nebraska. He attended Doane University from 2019-2023 and graduated with a BFA in graphic design. Outside of art and design he enjoys cooking, writing, playing and listening to music, watching movies—Predator (1987) is his favorite—exercising, and video games. As a saxophone player, his favorite genre of music is jazz, but he also enjoys classical, punk, metal, and pretty much anything that isn’t pop-country. Winton's favorite bands and artists include Breaking Benjamin, Gorillaz, and The Count Basie Orchestra, though the list extends well beyond that. Some of his favorite visual artists include Francisco Goya, Zdzisław Beksiński, and H.R. Giger. His other interests include Star Wars, gin, history, sociology, and sharks. Winton's commissions are open and examples of his work can be found at joeywinton.com. NATALIE VELOSO—Associate Editor In August, Veloso joined Omaha Magazine’s editorial team. She is a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, having completed her bachelor’s degrees in Journalism & Media Communication and Latin American Studies/Spanish in the spring of 2023. During her time at UNO, she served as copy editor and digital content manager for The Gateway. While Veloso gained experience during her undergraduate years in broadcast journalism, bilingual political reporting, public relations, marketing, and social media, her true passion lies in editorial and creative writing. Throughout her university courses and internships, Veloso developed a particular affinity for arts, culture, and entertainment writing. Born and raised in Omaha, she enjoys exploring, supporting the local art and music scene, and discovering new eateries with friends. // 6 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 VOLUME 41 // ISSUE VI
EDITORIAL Managing Editor
JULIUS FREDRICK Senior Editor
KIM CARPENTER Associate Editor
NATALIE VELOSO Editorial Intern
CLAUDIA MOOMEY Contributing Writers
LEO ADAM BIGA · TAMSEN BUTLER · CATHERINE A. DUNN · DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN ·SARA LOCKE · LISA LUKECART · CHASE MURPHY CAROL NIGRELLI · KARA SCHWEISS DOUGLAS “OTIS TWELVE” WESSELMANN · MIKE WHYE CHRIS WOLFGANG · DAVE ZORKO
CREATIVE Creative Director
RACHEL BIRDSALL Senior Graphic Designer
RENEÉ LUDWICK Graphic Designer I
NICKIE ROBINSON Graphic Design Intern
JOEY WINTON Contributing Photographer
SARAH LEMKE
SALES DEPARTMENT Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing
GIL COHEN Branding Specialists
DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN Contributing Branding Specialists
GREG BRUNS · TIM McCORMACK Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor
SANDY MATSON Senior Sales Coordinator
ALICIA HOLLINS Sales Coordinator
SANDI McCORMACK
OPERATIONS Business Manager
KYLE FISHER Ad Traffic Manager
DAVID TROUBA Digital Manager
LUIS DE LA TOBA Distribution Manager
DAMIAN INGERSOLL
EXECUTIVE Executive Publisher
TODD LEMKE Associate Publisher
BILL SITZMANN For Advertising & Subscription Information:
402.884.2000 Omaha Magazine Vol 41 Issue IV, publishes monthly except February, April, August, December, totaling 8 issues by Omaha Magazine, LTD, 5921 S. 118 Circle, Omaha, NE 68137. Periodical postage at Omaha, NE, and additional offices and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Omaha Magazine, 5921 S. 118 Circle, Omaha, NE 68137
S T AY I N T H E K N O M A H A !
Summer in the metro is jam packed with tons do—art, concerts, theater, festivals—weʼve got you covered with our comprehensive list and highlighted picks!
Art
MERRY & BRIGHT: HOLIDAY POINSETTIA SHOW
Lauritzen Gardens November 18—December 31 Admission: Adults: $15. Children: $9. 100 Bancroft St. —lauritzengardens.org See the holiday magic at Lauritzen Gardens’ “Merry & Bright: Holiday Poinsettia Show.” Inside, you'll find thousands of beautiful poinsettia plants filling the floral display hall. Visit the iconic 20-foot tall poinsettia tree, tour the lush conservatory to see the holiday express, or find the perfect gift at the gift shop. You can make your visit even more joyful by toasting marshmallows at the fire pits in the Family Chill Zone. It's a cozy place for families to relax, play games, and enjoy the winter weather. S'mores kits are available for purchase at the front desk. Standard garden admission rates apply to experience this glowing tribute to the holidays. Members are admitted for free during the day. The garden is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the last daytime entry at 3 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. 402.346.4002.
Music
Festivals
A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS
HANDEL’S MESSIAH CONCERT
Experience an early festive showdown this fall by catching a holiday-themed show with immensely skilled and seasoned artists—it's not just for older folks; it's for everyone! The show will take place at the Orpheum Theater and promises to be an unforgettable night. “A Motown Christmas” will feature world-class, legendary singers from iconic groups like the Temptations, The Contours, and The Miracles. See the members of these legendary groups belt out R&B-renditions of classic Christmas songs and chart-topping hits from the 1960s and 1970s. In true Motown fashion, the performance is also set to showcase captivating costumes and remarkable choreography. Whether you have an affi nity for the Motown era or just want to have a great time, attendees can look forward to exceptional musical renditions and danceable melodies on Monday, November 13. It's going to be a groovy and festive night! 402.661.8501.
Voices of Omaha proudly presents the 54th annual performance of Handel's Messiah as a heartfelt gift to the community, welcoming all without any admission charge. Led by Artistic Director Paul L. Koenig, this professional concert presents an experienced orchestra, accomplished soloists, and a well-prepared chorus, all coming together to offer a remarkable musical performance of this revered German masterpiece. Th is beloved tradition began in 1969 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, marking the inception of an enduring legacy. Best of all, this holiday celebration is entirely free, welcoming everyone to enjoy the magic of Handel's Messiah with friends and family. Revel in the holiday spirit and visit the Holland for this special occasion and be part of the enduring tradition that continues to enchant and unite our community. 402.345.0202.
Orpheum Theater November 13 Admission: Ticket Prices Vary. 409 S 16th St. —o-pa.com
Holland Center of Performing Arts November 19, 3 pm Admission: Free. 1200 Douglas St. —voicesofomaha.org
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FLIGHT AND HOPE
Th rough December 22 at the Samuel Bak Museum: Th e Learning Center, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2289 S 67th St. Th is exhibition explores themes of flight, journey, and migration through Samuel Bak’s oeuvre informed by his experiences as a forced migrant and refugee in the aftermath of World War II. 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 am to 6 pm Thursday; noon to 4 pm Sunday. Admission: free. 402.554.6100. —unomaha.edu/samuel-bak-museum-the-learning-center/ collections-exhibitions
of
EVENTS
» Exhibitions « THAT WHICH CONNECTS US BY KEITH BUSWELL
November 15—December 31 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Th rough the imagery of trees, “Th at Which Connects Us” examines underground networks of tree roots and fungi that embody community as an analogy of humans’ own interpersonal relationships. Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm. 402.346.4002. —lauritzengardens.org
WHITE CHRISTMAS—THE EXHIBITION
November 21—January 28 at Th e Durham Museum, 801 S 10th St. The Durham will host this festive exibition during the museum’s Christmas at Union Station season. It will feature fi lm, costumes created by legendary designer Edith Head, along with props, sheet music, behindthe-scenes photos, archival materials, and more from the 1954 fi lm. Noon to 4 pm Sunday; 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.50714. —durhammuseum.org
WINTER OPEN HOUSE
December 2—3 at Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St. The Winter Open House will showcase 90 of Hot Shop’s resident artists who invite guests to see demonstrations and purchase their latest works. The artwork includes painting, photography, sculptures, pottery, glass art, weaving, quilts, jewelry, and more. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is requested. 402.342.6452. —hotshopsartcenter.org
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
NEO-CUSTODIANS: WOVEN NARRATIVES OF HERITAGE, CULTURAL MEMORY, AND BELONGING
December 7—April 2024 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Th is exibition builds on, as well as expands on the conceptual function of textiles in exploring cultural practices, histories, heritage, and notional of belonging within the African and diasporic canon. 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; 11 am to 9 pm Thursday. 402.341.7130. —bemiscenter.org
PAOLO ARAO: REVERBERATIONS
December 7—April 2024 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S 12th St. Arao makes sewn paintings, weavings, and site-responsive installations that are rooted in geometric abstractions. Th is exibition will showcase Arao’s work over the past 5 years, including work he began as a resident at Bemis Center in 2020. 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; 11 am to 9 pm Thursday. 402.341.7130. —bemiscenter.org
JURASSIC NEBRASKA
Th rough January 2024 at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S 20th St. Children can experience what life would be like if dinosaurs were around in their everyday lives; toss a football against some ferocious defenders, explore and discover fossils in a giant dig pit, climb Chimney Rock to look a T-Rex in the eye, and more. 9 am to 4 pm Tuesday—Friday; 9 am to 5 pm Saturday— Sunday. 402.342.6164. —ocm.org
JULIA CHILD: A RECIPE FOR LIFE
Through February 2024 at The Durham Museum, 801 S 10th St. Julia Child’s insatiable curiosity and tenacious spirit drove her to endlessly try, test, prove and communicate how to make delicious food. Th is exibition explores the key ingredients that led to Julia’s personal evolution and America’s culinary revolution. Noon to 4 pm Sunday; 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071.
SHARING THE GLORY: THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL IN OMAHA
Th rough May 2024 at General Crook House Museum, 5730 N 30th St. The Douglas County Historical society’s 2023-2024 exibition is a homer. Th is exibition will focus on Omaha’s rich and extensive history and love of baseball. The General Crook House Museum is open seven days a week. 10 am to 4pm Monday—Friday, 1pm to 4pm Saturday and Sunday. 402.455.9990. —douglascohistory.org
HUNGRY? F O O D F E AT U R ES . C H E F P R O F I L ES . R ES TAU R A N T R E V I E W S
OMAHAMAGA ZINE .COM
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 //
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Concerts SHANIA TWAIN: QUEEN OF ME TOUR
November 2, 7:30pm at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N 10th St. See one of music’s biggest stars as she makes a stop in Omaha a on her current national tour, extended due to popular demand. A portion of every ticket purchased to this concert will be donated to SKC, who provides services that promote positive change in children’s lives in times of crisis and economic hardship. 402.341.1500 —chihealthcenteromaha.com
LAS CAFETERAS
November 10, 7:30 pm at Orpheum Th eater, 409 S 16th St. The Chicano band from East Los Angeles brings a sonic explosion of Afro-Mexican rhythms to the stage. Experience their powerful lyrics and contagious beats that bring folk music to another level. 402.345.0606 —o-pa.org
BELLES
ABRAHAM ALEXANDER
November 10, 8 pm at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. With stunning vocals and lyrics as rich as the soil of her native land Nebraska, Kelli Rachel Belles’ natural charisma, storytelling, heart, and wit come through her songs. She is bringing her brand of country music, Wildflower Country, to 21 cities across the country. 402.884.5707. —reverblounge.com
THE MAGIC FLUTE
November 12, 7 pm at Steelhouse Omaha, 1100 Dodge St. Join the American contemporary worship music collective at Steelhouse this November. Originating from Atlanta, the group brings a new sound to worship and gospel hits. 402.345.0606. —steelhouseomaha.com
November 3, 8 pm at Slowdown, 729 N 14th St. From open mics in Fort Worth, TX to recent stints on the road opening for Leon Bridges, Ani DiFranco, and Mavis Staples— an instructive trinity for his sound— Alexander is ready for the headlining spotlight and to articulate what many are feeling. 402.345.7569 —theslowdown.com
November 3—4, 7:30 pm at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. In an evening of magic and wonder, Maestro Anguish Kumar Bahl is joined by the Principal Flutist of the Seattle Symphony, Demarre McGill, for the memorable and sparkling Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Kevin Puts. 402.345.0202. —omahasymphony.org
NEEDTOBREATHE
November 3, 7 pm at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. NEEDTOBREATHE presents The Caves World Tour, with special guest Judah & the Lion. 402.345.0606. —steelhouseomaha.com
AEROSMITH: PEACE OUT THE FAREWELL TOUR WITH THE BLACK CROWES
November 10, 7 pm at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N 10th St. Omaha fans can enjoy one last live encounter with four-time GRAMMY-winning American rock legends Aerosmith at their fi nal concert tour with special guests the Black Crowes. Experience five decades of the band’s groundbreaking hits in one rockin’ night. 402.341.1500 —chihealthcenteromaha.com
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
MAVERICK CITY MUSIC
BRAHM’S GERMAN REQUIEM
November 12, 7:30 pm at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Join Omaha Symphony as hundreds of incredible high school choristers come together with the orchestra performing a choral masterpiece conducted by Maestro Ernest Richardson. Brahm’s German requiem is a powerful and emotional work sure to leave a lasting impression. 402.345.0202 —omahasymphony.org
THE IGUANAS
November 18, 8 pm at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. With eight studio albums and countless tours and Jazz Fest appearances, The Iguanas’ three-decade run has taken them all over the map musically and geographically, yet the inescapable patina of New Orleans infuses every note they play. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
PENTATONIX THE MOST WONDERFUL TOUR OF THE YEAR
November 21, 7 pm at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N 10th St. The renowned a capella group takes the stage in Omaha this holiday season! Enjoy the group’s popular classic Christmas song covers and original hits, along with new songs from their seventh holiday album. 402.341.1500 —chihealthcenteromaha.com
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALFBLOOD PRINCE IN CONCERT
November 25—26, 7:30 pm at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. In Projected onto a giant screen and accompanied by a live symphony orchestra, the audience can join in on Harry’s adventures like never before. Nicholas Hooper’s wonderful score and this classic tale combine to deliver all the adventure, humor, and suspense in an unforgettable experience. 402.345.0202 —omahasymphony.org
MOON TAXI
December 6, 9 pm at The Slowdown, 729 N 14th St. Join Nashville-based indie-alternative rock band Moon Taxi for an electrifying musical experience. From chart-topping hits to soul-stirring melodies, this band brings their unique sound to Omaha. 402.345.7569 —theslowdown.com
DOJA CAT - THE SCARLET TOUR
December 8, 6:30 pm at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N 10th St. GRAMMY-winning global superstar Doja Cat is bringing her artistry to Omaha for her first North American Arena Tour this December. The Scarlet Tour brings Doja Cat’s greatest hits to the stage alongside special guest Ice Spice. 402.341.1500 —chihealthcenteromaha.com
JINGLE JAM – JA RULE & ASHANTI
December 10, 7 pm at Baxter Arena, 2524 S 67th St. Experience the second annual Jingle Jam concert this holiday season. Featuring artists like Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, Twista, and Do Or Die, this performance-fi lled night will get you in the holiday spirit. 402.554.6200 —baxterarena.com
CANDLELIGHT: THE FOUR SEASONS & MORE
December 13, 6:30 pm at The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience with their candlelit concerts in awe-inspiring locations. Th is candlelit musical evening will feature a local string quartet playing Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons. —candlelightexperience.com
PHYSICIANS MUTUAL OMAHA SYMPHONY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
December 14—17, 7:30 pm at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Maestro Ernest Richardson, the Omaha Symphony, and a stellar cast of singers and dancers send spirits soaring with festive favorites and Christmas classics. 402.345.0202 —omahasymphony.org
CANDLELIGHT HOLIDAY SPECIAL
December 20, 6:30 pm at The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. Under the gentle glow of candlelight, a local string quartet will play a variety of holiday classics. Patrons will get to hear iconic pieces from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, along with classic hymns such as “Deck the Halls” and “O Holy Night” at the Rose Theater. —candlelightexperience.com
MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS BY CHIP DAVIS
December 22—23, 7:30pm at Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St. Th is musical spectacle has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for over 35 years. The program includes dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Audiences can experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sounds of Mannheim Steamroller. 402.345.0606 —o-pa.org
STAGE PERFORMANCES MATT RIFE: PROBLEMATTIC WORLD TOUR
November 4—5, 7 pm at Steelhouse Omaha, 1100 Dodge St. Popular comedian Matt Rife visits Omaha for two consecutive nights. See his refreshingly genuine and quick-witted comedy at these 21+ shows. 402.345.0606. —steelhouseomaha.com
PIPELINE
Th rough November 5 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. Where does the pipeline to prison begin? A gripping, thought-provoking, harrowing drama, Pipeline is the journey of a mother and educator who tries desperately to keep both her son and her students on the straight-and-narrow paths. It is an examination of the American education system and the obstacles that students, educators and parents encounter to achieve success. 402.553.0800 —omahaplayhouse.com
URINETOWN
November 16—December 3 at University of Nebraska Omaha, 6505 University Dr. S. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom. 402.554.7529. —unomaha.edu
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS
November 17—December 23 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. It just isn’t Christmas without A Christmas Carol. Experience Omaha’s favorite holiday tradition as Ebenezer Scrooge takes us on a life-changing journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas. The must-see holiday event for the entire family, fi lled with stunning Victorian costumes, festive music and crisp, wintery sets. 402.553.0800. —omahaplayhouse.com
November 24—December 17 at Bluebarn Theatre, 1106 10th St. Bluebarn’s holiday smash hit is back. Th is play takes audiences to Nakatomi Place as John McClane battles Hans Gruber with Christmas itself on the line. Th is madcap celebration of 1980s nostalgia will have audience members rolling in the aisles, whether they are a Die Hard virgin or know every line of the movie by heart. 402.345.1576. —bluebarn.org
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS - LIVE ON STAGE
SISTER’S CHRISTMAS CATECHISM: THE MYSTERY OF THE MAGI'S GOLD
November 18 at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. A fresh take on the beloved classic, "A Charlie Brown Christmas – Live on Stage" faithfully portrays Peanuts characters with real actors. Th is Emmy-winning story by Charles M. Schulz has warmed hearts for over 50 years. The live adaptation includes favorite scenes, more fun, music, and a chance for the audience to sing along with the Peanuts gang as they discover the true Christmas spirit. 402.345.0606. —steelhouseomaha.com
November 24—December 23 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. Th is show is a holiday extravaganza full of laughs and audience participation. A brassy and bossy nun formally known as “Sister” retells the nativity story and unwraps the mystery that has intrigued historians throughout the ages— whatever happened to the Magi’s Gold? Employing her scientific tools, assisted by a local choir and audience banter, Sister delivers a humorous and irresistible satire that will keep you on your toes. 402.553.0800. —omahaplayhouse.com
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MORE: BEST OF OMAHA 2023 SOIRÉE!
November 2, (time) at Th e Granary, 7401 Main Street You’re invited! Voters are welcome to come mingle with this year’s Best of Omaha winners at our celebratory cocktail party. Enjoy delicious samples, signature drinks, entertainment, and more! Winners are welcome to pick up their winner packet and network with hundreds of fellow award winners. 402.884.2000. —omahamagazine.com
OWL PROWL
November 17—18 at Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd N. Guests will have a chance to explore the mysterious world of owls. They will learn about the owls of Nebraska and meet Fontenelle’s educational owls up-close. Activities will be both indoors and outdoors, including s’more sand hot chocolate around a fi re pit and a guided hike to look and listen for owls. 402.731.3140. —fontenelleforest.org
OMAHA TURKEY TROT 5K
MY FAIR LADY
November 28—December 3 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St. Boasting such classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Lovely,” My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed? 402.661.8501. —o-pa.org
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL : CORTEO
November 30—December 3 at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N 10th St. Experience the visual story of a nostalgic clown who dreams about his funeral and looks back on his personal experiences. Corteo is guided through a timeless ceremony in which fantasy teases reality with music, resulting in a visually stunning performance. 402.341.1500. —chihealthcenteromaha.com
MARK NORMAND: YA DON’T SAY TOUR
December 8, 8 pm at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Experience Mark Normand’s comedy live in Omaha this December. Dubbed by Jerry Seinfeld as the “best young up and coming comic,” Normand is one of the most talked about touring comedians on the scene. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org
November 23 at Charles Schwab Field, 1200 Mike Fahey St. Join the Th anksgiving tradition at the 7th annual Omaha Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk! Omaha’s very own Cake Creation Donuts will be waiting for you at the fi nish line. After running on Th anksgiving morning, you've earned a treat! Th is event supports the Make-AWish foundation, which grants the wishes of kids with serious medical conditions to bring hope and happiness. It's a wonderful way to celebrate Th anksgiving and give back to the community. 224.757.5425.
THE NUTCRACKER
December 9—10 at Orpheum Th eater, 409 S 16th St. Visual splendor, dazzling spectacle, a charming story, and brilliant classical dancingit’s no wonder the America Midwest Ballet’s version of the world’s favorite holiday ballet is a family tradition. Fresh, lively, and thoroughly entertaining, The Nutcracker highlights the versatility of AMB’s cast of professional artists, backed by a polished ensemble of student dancers from across the metro area. 712.890.5590. —amballet.org
RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER
December 1—23 at Th e Rose Th eater, 2001 Farnam St. The beloved TV classic soars offscreen and onto the stage. Audiences will join Santa, Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, and, of course, Rudolph in this puppet-fi lled musical spectacular that speaks to the misfit in everyone. 402.345.4849. —rosetheater.org
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
LIGHTING CEREMONY
November 25, 6pm at Gene Leahy Mall at The Riverfront, 1001 Douglas St. The lighting ceremony serves as the official “kick-off ” for the 2023 Holiday Lights Festival. A short performance by Musical Kids will precede the program, where Mayor Jean Stothert and emcee Terri McCormick from STAR 104.5 The Christmas Station will lead the Omaha community in a countdown to start off the holiday season. —holidaylightsfestival.org
MONSTER JAM
November 25—26, 2 pm at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N 10th St. Bring the whole family to experience this thrilling, massive truck show! Going strong since the early 1990s, this one-of-akind experience features some of the best drivers and monster trucks in the world. 402.341.1500.. —chihealthcenteromaha.com
2023 TESTIFY CHRISTMAS CLASSIC WEIGHTLIFTING MEET
December 2, 6 am at Testify Strength & Conditioning, 14505 Grover St. Testify Strength & Conditioning is hosting their annual Christmas Classic Weightlifting Meet. Male and female competitors in Masters, Senior, Junior, and Youth divisions are eligible to compete! —testifysc.com
NERDMAS II – RETURN OF THE WEIRDOS
December 2, 11 am at Liberty First Credit Union Arena, 7300 Q St. For those seeking the holiday spirit beyond the usual Christmas traditions, visit this craft and vendor show for Nerds, Geeks, and Gamers! The show will feature action fi gures, fantasy, sci-fi, comic books, video games, and more. 402.934.9966. —libertyfi rstcreditunionarena.com
FAMILY WORKSHOP: GINGERBREAD HOUSE
December 2, 12 pm at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Th is family-friendly workshop allows guests the opportunity to decorate their own gingerbread house to take home! One gingerbread kit will be provided per family. Pre-register and celebrate the holidays with this sweet activity! 402.346.4002. —lauritzengardens.org
DIY NUTCRACKER WORKSHOP
December 7, 6 pm at Creative Culture Omaha, 1410 Howard St. Open to all ages, join Creative Culture for a fun night of creating DIY wooden nutcrackers. Wear your favorite ugly sweater and enjoy a hot cocoa bar with family and friends! 531.867.3278. —creativeculturediy.com
HOLIDAY CRAFT & VENDOR MARKET
December 9, 10 am at Westside Community Center, 3535 S 108th St. Join DogGurt and over 75 other local vendors for Westside’s second-annual Craft & Vendor market! Bring kids and pets to take pictures with Santa, and enjoy food trucks, raffles, and more! 402.390.3331. —westside66.org
WINTER WONDERLAND
December 9—January 2 at Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd N. Fontenelle Forest invites visitors to enjoy a festive holiday display of decorated trees and wreaths in the Nature Center’s Great Hall, bundle up and enjoy a stroll along the first loop of the lighted Riverview Boardwalk, experience holiday lights against the beautiful and unique backdrop of an urban forest, and decorate wooden tree cookie ornaments as a reminder of their visit. 402.371.3140. —fontenelleforest.org
OMAHA STARTUPS HOLIDAY PARTY
December 14, 6 pm at Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, 302 S 36th St. Join the holiday fun with fellow startup folks at this third annual networking party. If your company is too small for a party of your own, celebrate the holidays with other community members in support of the growing Nebraska startup ecosystem! —thecottonwoodhotel.com
OMAHA FAIRYTALE BALL
December 17, 10 am at Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine St. Join your favorite princesses and friends at this magical event! Th is event features ten performances and activities for the whole family. Each session also includes a meet & greet for photos, hugs, and autographs. Enjoy stories, songs, dances, crafts, games, and more! —scottcenter.com
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 //
13 //
RETURN OF THE FUNK, THE MUSIC, & THE
Omaha Stylee
311’s Nick Hexum on Roots & Resilience L-R Tim Mahoney, Doug “SA” Martinez, Nick Hexum, Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, and Chad Sexton of 311
A/C MUSIC // STORY BY CATHERINE A. DUNN, CHASE MURPHY, AND DAMIAN INGERSOLL // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK
O
n April 21, 1998, Omaha Magazine’s own Damian Ingersoll submitted his final paper as a Jefferson High School senior in Des Moines, Iowa. The 11-page essay was clearly a labor of love. Titled “A History of 311,” the opening sentence read: “311 of Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the best bands around today.” Some 25 years later, Ingersoll’s thesis remains well supported.
On September 29, 2023, a sell-out crowd swarmed the grounds of the newly opened Astro Theater in La Vista, Nebraska. 311 had returned home to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut studio album, Music. Clad in a Union Omaha Soccer T-shirt, frontman Nick Hexum—with vocalist/DJ Doug “SA” Martinez, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, Aaron "P-Nut" Wills on bass, and Chad Sexton on the sticks—opened the set with a heavy-hitter. Hexum’s smooth, rueful tenor met the snarling riffs and punchy drums of their hit song “Beautiful Disaster,” and the crowd went wild. 311’s reputation for dynamic stage presence and killer live performances has hardly waned over the decades. As Hexum noted, “We’ve mellowed a little bit…but not much!”
That energy can be traced back to Omaha during the 1980s; Hexum played in a cover band called “The Ed’s” with Mahoney and met Sexton in jazz band at Westside High School. The three shared a passion for exploring musical genres, and eventually, a desire to create something novel by bending them. Hexum, Maloney, and Sexton celebrated high school graduation. Hexum had graduated a year early, but he was back in town from Los Angeles for his friends’ ceremony.
“we’ve mellowed a little bit…but not much!” —Nick Hexum They had a jam session that laid the bones for what would become 311—for now, a band called Unity. Members of the group frequently shuffled between living in Omaha and Los Angeles,
and it was over a 1,500-mile stretch of telephone line connecting the cities that 311 was truly born. An incredible musical opportunity had emerged, not in L.A. but Omaha; when Sexton revealed to Hexum that his band (which included a young “P-Nut” Wills) was opening for punk outfit Fugazi at Sokol, the latter found himself in the pull of the ‘Big O’ once more. The concert was a success, and the newly christened 311 would continue to produce original music—recording 11 tracks at Papillion’s IEV Studio, collectively called Dammit! and distributing it via 300 cassette tapes. With the reintroduction of Maloney (over then guitarist, Jim Watson) and frequent collaborator “SA” Martinez not long after, the final line-up for 311 was cemented (and hasn’t shifted since). As for the name itself, the band has stated it resulted from the aforementioned guitarist Jim Watson being booked for skinny dipping in a public pool. The arresting officers wrote “311” on the ticket—the Omaha Police Department’s code for indecent exposure. Equal parts rock, reggae, hip hop, and funk, punctuated by the paradoxically harmonious contrasts of Hexum and Martinez’ vocals, 311 garnered a loyal fan base by playing live shows in the Omaha bar scene and other smaller venues like Peony Park. “After coming up in clubs like the Ranch Bowl and Howard Street Tavern we saw that we could whip crowds into a frenzy, and that really gave us the confidence to know we had something special,” Hexum recalled. “We found that if we unleashed high energy, the crowd would feed off of that and lose their inhibitions and go crazy.” The band would go on to sign a record deal with Capricorn Records and in February of 1993, release the album Music under the guidance of renowned British record producer and audio engineer, Eddy Offord. “On that first album we learned we could say yes to experimentation, an anything-goes attitude,” Hexum said. “We told our producer we wanted to use percussion and samples and hip-hop beats mixed into our rock music. That was not common at the
time. We got a kick out of defying genres and that’s something that’s really stayed with us.” While promoting the album and financing their own tour, the band cruised from show to show in an old RV loaned by Sexton's father and a Volkswagen bus packed with equipment in tow. During a drive to a show in Kansas City, a sharp incline set the RV careening, and after the ensuing crash, aflame. As the fire grew and threatened to encircle them, the band filed out the only functional door and leapt to safety. All of their equipment and personal affects were lost to the blaze, but no one was seriously injured. Despite the smoldering setback, the band knuckled down and continued their tour with borrowed equipment. “I feel like growing up in the Midwest just teaches you to be resilient,” Hexum recalled. “There’s something about the culture that fosters resilience, and it was a skill my dad really helped to instill in me.” That resilience paid off—the band’s 1995 release the self-titled 311 went triple-platinum and hit No. 12 on the Billboard 200 thanks to hit singles like “Down” and “All Mixed Up.” Over the proceeding three decades, 311 has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia. To date, the band has released 13 studio albums, two live albums, and four compilation records, along with four EPs and four DVDs. Beyond a nod to their big break, 311’s return to the metro is an acknowledgement of what came before—the wild, impassioned, homegrown crowds that pushed and encouraged the band to take that step. “It’s always been well-known that Omaha rock crowds are some of the most energetic around,” Hexum affirmed. “It’s hard to say why except maybe people aren’t jaded like you might get on the coasts.” Besides, there’s more yet to come for 311’s relationship with Omaha. After all, the Union Omaha tee Hexum wore on The Astro stage wasn’t just for show—as had been announced the day prior, he’s the soccer club’s newest co-owner. For more information, visit 311.com.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 //
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A/C MUSIC
“It’s always been well-known that Omaha rock crowds are some of the most energetic around. It’s hard to say why except maybe people aren’t jaded like you might get on the coasts." —Nick Hexum
A/C VISUAL
One
Street,
One Sketch at a Time Julia McGuigan Draws out the Best of Omaha STORY BY CAROL NIGRELLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK
A/C VISUAL
T
hose who say Omaha lacks a unique “vibe” are in for a surprise upon entering the Julia M Illustrates Studio & Gift Shop downtown.
The bright pink door of illustrator Julia McGuigan’s little storefront, nestled in an industrial area near Cuming Street, provides ample and engaging evidence to the contrary. Large, framed prints of several Omaha neighborhoods, landmarks, churches, and buildings hang upon a wall. Those same images, printed from McGuigan’s original drawings, appear in a variety of sizes stacked neatly on two racks; they grace greeting cards, calendars, coasters, candles, coloring books with 40 prints, ornaments, T-shirts, tote bags, and stickers. She sells tea towels and magnets with a Nebraska motif and ceramic mugs celebrating the Omaha skyline. There’s even a 285-piece Omaha Map jigsaw puzzle.
“My drawings of Dundee, Morton Meadows, and Lauritzen Gardens are among the most popular, especially the cards,” said McGuigan, who also retails through her website, which she designed. “My 2024 calendar featuring 12 coffee shops keeps selling out.” A long table in the middle of the store accommodates six white chairs; studio space for McGuigan to do her illustrations and hold the occasional workshop. Aspiring artists of all ages attend to hone their skills. The two-hour Urban Sketching Workshop has proven popular in the past, as have her lessons on color theory. To fill the shelves completely and make the store more “gift shoppy,” McGuigan went outside her own portfolio and sourced items from other manufacturers. She carries paper products, coloring posters, “how-to-draw” books, baby finger paints, paint-by-number kits, pencils, and crayons—in other words, “things that I like to buy when I go to a gift shop,” she said. For McGuigan, she couldn’t have drawn a better picture of how her life-long dream of becoming a self-sustaining artist would turn out.
She was born Julia Nichole Mason in 1991, a beautiful surprise to her parents who already had two sons, ages 12 and 10. As the baby girl of the family, she stayed close to her mother, who was both a hairdresser and an artist. She has happy memories of her mother’s art studio in the basement of their Papillion home. “We were always crafting together or scrapbooking. She’d make ornaments for her customers,” McGuigan recalled. “That really influenced me because I was always around it.” After graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2014 with a degree in art education, McGuigan ventured abroad. She chose Costa Rica “because of its environment and being so bio-diverse,” she said. “I was drawn to its beauty.” The four months she spent at the university in San Jose taking Spanish and Latin American architecture had a profound effect on how she would approach her own art. “I was heavily influenced there by a local artist who sells prints of provinces of Costa Rica, and I thought it was brilliant,” McGuigan said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, somebody needs to be doing this in Omaha,’ because I had never seen anything like it here.” When McGuigan returned to the metro, she moved into The Rochester apartments on 14th and Izard streets in the heart of North Downtown’s art community. She began expanding her portfolio, sketching the buildings, landmarks, neighborhoods, and flowers around her, while teaching art in several schools within the Omaha Public Schools system. Soft spoken and gentle while maintaining an upbeat demeanor and sunny smile, McGuigan made friends easily among colleagues and parents. As her contacts grew, so did the opportunities to supplement her income. Eventually, she was commissioned to draw people’s houses. Ashley Walters, who lives near 90th and Pacific streets, was among the first to request her keen aesthetic eye. “Julia actually did a watercolor of our home a few years ago and it’s beautiful,” said Walters, who was perusing Julia M
Illustrates for the first time. “She visited our children’s elementary school and talked about art, which they all really enjoyed. I’ve followed her ever since on Instagram.” Walters purchased a few items, including a T-shirt imprinted with an image of the Blackstone District’s Coneflower Creamery. When COVID forced McGuigan to teach remotely, she decided it was a good time to pursue her master’s degree in illustration. She took online courses through the Savannah School of Art and Design; during the three years she spent toward earning her degree, McGuigan experienced several life-changing events. In June 2021 she married musician and well-known Omaha guitarist Matthew McGuigan. He and his brothers, Billy and Ryan, have performed a successful Beatles interactive show for years, both here and on the road. She became stepmom to Matthew’s son, Lennon, whose namesake reflects Matthew’s love of all things ‘Fab Four.’ A year-and-a-half ago, she gave birth to baby Shawn, named after her late father. And as if her life wasn’t full enough, the opportunity to open her own store suddenly materialized at 1711 Cuming, in a space right next door to people who’ve been doing her printing for years. “My husband said, ‘This is exactly what you need. All your inventory is in our basement and taking over our lives,’’ she recounted with a laugh. With her landlords and friends at the adjacent Automatic Printing always looking out for her, McGuigan says she feels safe in an area with very little foot traffic. Still, she has other ventures in mind. “I’d like to open a stationery store that showcases other artists and hopefully partner with someone so I can spend more time with my family,” she said. Whatever the future holds for Julia McGuigan, Omaha and its surrounding communities will always remain in the picture—and a source of inspiration. For more information, juliamillustrates.com.
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T
ony Bonacci was still a teenager when he started making short films and dabbling in public access television. More than two decades later, he’s finally introducing his first feature film, The Headliner, after what he describes as “long and hard years of making music videos, short films, and commercials while at the same time working in the film production and photography industry in Omaha.”
“I started making short films when I was at the Omaha Public Schools Career Center. That’s when I really knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. A friend of mine introduced me to fellow Omaha filmmaker, Nik Fackler, and we became friends and started making short films together. He went on to make Lovely, Still (2008) and I sort of ended up focusing on band photography throughout my early twenties,” Bonacci recalled. “After living in Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas, in 2008/2009, I moved back to Omaha and started doing production assistant work in Omaha while continuing to do photography, short films, and music videos. I learned a ton while working on set. It’s been quite a struggle and time goes by quickly—but here we are.” The Headliner originated as a 2017 short film Bonacci worked on with friend and screenwriter Christine Burright in hopes that it could serve as proof of concept for a feature film. The short version was well-received, and Bonacci and Burright partnered again for the feature version, also bringing back Darrick Silkman to play the lead character. “It was one of the first screenplays I’d ever written and I don’t think I actually wrote what they were looking for, but at no point did Tony say no to me. It was the same for the feature. He trusted the characters and tone I set for the screenplay and put his own spin on it for the film. It was a true collaboration, which, honestly, isn’t always how film goes,” Burright said. “As a screenwriter early in my career, it’s a dream to get a feature film produced with a director like Tony and a lead actor like Darrick.”
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
A/C FILM STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK
The Headl ineR
Omaha Filmmaker Tony Bonacci Debuts First Feature Film
“I love working with Tony. He involved me in the preliminary stages of this project regarding character development and storyline,” Silkman said. “Tony keeps things lighthearted, casual, and fun on set, which is beneficial to the actors, especially in a comedic project such as this one. I can’t remember ever feeling any tension on the set, even during the times that we were pressed for time. He has also kept me in the loop regarding post-production, letting me view the film in several editing stages over the last few months.”
A/C FILM
Bonacci, who admits to favoring “awkwardness and weird relationships” in his projects, said The Headliner is about a stand-up comedian, Chad Allen, trying to find his voice and break out of the Omaha scene. As he develops material and his career, the character also attends to relationships with various people in his life and a major career opportunity that leaves the comic conflicted. “Zach Peterson, who is one of the biggest and best local comics, wrote all the stand-up material for my main character,” Bonacci said. “He's also in the movie performing his own stuff.” Other local comics featured in the film include Rachel Ware, Carmela Anderson, Megan Malone, and Tyler Walsh. The film was shot locally. “I hope people in Omaha and Nebraska see it and know how much Tony loves his local community. He was so intentional about featuring the incredible bars, clubs, comedians, actors, et cetera we have here,” Burright said. “It’s a film that really speaks to the complexities of life and adulthood beyond your 20s and 30s which—if you know, you know—can be both miserable and hilarious at the same time.” “It has a really nice balance of somewhat crude humor and heart. It also offers a nice blend of storytelling and stand-up performances, toggling back and forth between the two,” Silkman said. “One of my favorite things about The Headliner is how the stand-up performances tend to comment on what is going on in the narrative of the film.” “I just turned 40, and there’s no way I’m going to start over and struggle in the film industry when I can just make my movie here and live comfortably. Omaha has been pretty great, though. I learned everything I know here working on film and photo sets and a lot of people have been really supportive,” Bonacci said. “My near-future goals are to get The Headliner into film festivals and then hopefully get a streaming deal.” He added, “So far, success has only meant completion. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m successful. I’d say I’m persistent and unwilling to give up. I’d say the reason I’m able to accomplish things in this competitive sector is because I’ve developed good relationships with collaborators and because I know how to get certain things done. I also know how to stick with what I want for a film project with confidence,” he said. “Hopefully another reason is because the material is entertaining. That’s the main hope. I want people to like my projects.” For more information about The Headliner, visit facebook. com/theheadlinerfilm.
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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adventure
STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA | ILLUSTRATION
BY RENEE LUDWICK | DESIGN BY RACHEL
BIRDSALL
: E R O M O N , D N A L S ’ NO MAN s Ex-Colonel Chris Kolenda Honors Comrade Over 1,700 Miles and Continued Service
// 26 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
W
arrior-turned-diplomat Chris Kolenda knows trauma. The Omaha Creighton Prep and West Point graduate was commissioned as an armor (tank) officer in 1987 and qualified for the Army Rangers. He commanded the 1-91 Cavalry in Afghanistan during a 450-day deployment between 2007 and 2008. He convinced insurgents to switch sides during the conflict and worked on a team that negotiated peace with The Taliban. He advised generals and the Secretary of Defense. He’s been an author and lecturer on military strategy. He retired from the Army in 2011 and from government service in 2014.
From his days carrying the fight to the enemy, he and his comrades experienced their share of combat-related trauma— moments and memories that linger long after weapons have been holstered and final salutes exchanged. Six warriors under Kolenda’s command fell in the line of duty. Others experienced depression, anxiety, and some succumbed to suicide. In 2022, the former colonel organized a Fallen Hero Honor Ride—commemorating those who perished and raising funds for his Saber Six Foundation that offers support to the unit’s 800-plus veterans and their families.
have to pedal up outside Minersville—it’s about three to five miles long, with grades between seven and 11% the entire way up. I had no idea whether I was going to make it. “Starting to pedal up, I remembered Dave, who used to be a cyclist, and imagined him next to me, taunting me, giving me a hard time as I knew he would. Got to the cemetery and I was already pretty emotional. Then I saw Dave’s dad at the entrance, wearing a unit shirt. We’d met before. I just started sobbing…so, he started sobbing.
“We created essentially a training manual and set of videos about how you deal with emotional triggers—we want to give people the tools to find new purpose, belonging, and wellbeing in their lives.” Karen Pfeifer said the foundation provides a vital resource for veterans and families who otherwise “feel isolated” after military service ends. She said it fills the sense of “family and community” the military had provided.
Kolenda reflected on the encounter, noting When he initially posted about his upcomthe slippery, trying, and ultimately libering ride, he said, “I got so much encourating experience of riding toward—rather agement from people who wanted me to than away from— shared grief. be successful. They’d ride with me, they’d cheer me on, do whatever to help me prepare, and that was awe- “People are forgetting the wars some. What surprised me was just and those who fought in them. the number of people I met who, We tend to think of veterans once they heard about this [journey], wanted to find how they could either as broken or people we support it. That was great.”
put up on a pedestal
He needed all the inspiration he could find, battling prevailing winds the first 600 miles of his 1,700 mile, 28-day odyssey to the gravesites of his fallen comrades. “Riding a bike an average of 74 miles a day, I had a lot of time to think about the people I served with along the way,” Kolenda said, (their names engraved on the crossbar of his road bike. “Particularly, approaching the gravesites, I thought about the fallen. I knew all of them.” From his home base of Milwaukee, he rode to Spalding, Nebraska, where Chris Pfeifer is buried. The two had bonded over Husker football. “His parents were there. His widow Karen was there,” Kolenda recalled. “And their daughter, Peyton, born two days after Chris died, was there. She never met her dad…but she got to hear some new stories.” Karen said the family appreciated the “sincerity” of Kolenda’s gesture. From Spalding, Kolenda pedaled to the gravesites of Adrian Hike in Carroll, Iowa, Jacob Lowell in Elwood, Illinois, Ryan Fritsche in Hall, Indiana, and Dave Boris in Minersville, Pennsylvania. “Dave and I were very close; he was like a little brother to me in many ways,” Kolenda said. “There’s this mountain you
—Chris Kolenda “I don’t think I’d ever given myself the permission to grieve properly for his death,” he confessed. “It was one of those cases where sometimes you have to open old wounds to let them heal better.” It was like that at every stop. The ride ended at Arlington National Cemetery, where Texas native Tom Bostick is interred. “I wanted to do this because I felt it was the right thing to do; I wanted to honor their service and sacrifice,” Kolenda said. “People are forgetting the wars and those who fought in them. We tend to think of veterans either as broken or people we put up on a pedestal, and most of us are just normal, average human beings. I want people to see them as flesh and blood—and to tell their stories.” His foundation recently designed and released a resource for mastering emotional triggers. “We all have them,” Kolenda noted. “Veterans’ emotional triggers may cause them to lash out. You get this intense feeling of emotion—anger, sadness, anxiety. When we act out, whether lashing out or withdrawing or self-medicating to respond to this intense feeling, it’s invariably counterproductive and can damage our relationships, reputation, [and] self-confidence.
Kolenda’s path to mindfulness began when he set aside the tools of war and reequipped himself for dialogue. He’s believed to be the only American who went from combat commander to negotiator in that conflict’s two-decade history. “That got me a little bit of a reputation that I knew how to talk to people and could do so successfully. I mean, ultimately wars have to end and you want them to end in ways that meet your interests,” he said. “Most wars actually end in some sort of a negotiation process. If I could help us finish this war successfully then that was a great way to serve—I didn’t have any qualms about sitting down across the table and talking.” Today, he and a team of fellow veterans apply lessons, principles, and skills from their warrior diplomacy to the private sector through Strategic Leaders Academy.
“Ultimately, whether it’s leadership in the military, or in business [and] nonprofits, it’s all about: how do you inspire people to contribute their best to your organization?” Kolenda said. “There’s a lot of consistency across different sectors—like, how do you build trust, gain buy in, and create accountability? [How do you] help people connect their personal purpose to the purpose of the organization?” Kolenda, whose father was a JAG officer in the Army Reserves, has a brother pulling that same duty today and a son nearing the end of submariner service. If Kolenda leaves any legacy, he hopes it’s encouraging veterans and non-veterans alike to strengthen their personal sense of purpose, belonging, and wellbeing. “When you’ve got those three things working for you, you become an ever better version of yourself,” Kolenda affirmed. For more information visit Kolenda’s foundation at sabersixfoundation.com and his consulting business at strategicleadersacademy.com.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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For an audio version of this story, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.
CHaNgiNg
THE gaME
"THEY REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT I’M GOOD ENOUGH. BUT I RUN THIS SHOW.” -ALLIE BURNETT
- GEN O STORY BY SARA LOCKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK // 28 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
ESPORTS ARE OPENING THE DOOR TO A MORE INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE AND A PROMISING COLLEGE TRACK
a
llie Burnett is exactly the type of promising and positive teenager you want preparing to lead the future. Kind and well-spoken, she can hold a pleasant and intelligent conversation with you about art or literature, or any number of subjects. But her avatar, Dax, is a merciless machine—determined to make every 5 vs. 5 battle feel desperately skewed in her team’s favor. This is the competitive world of esports, and if you want to survive, you just might have to figure out how to play like a girl. Westside’s esports coach, Chase Tonkinson, may not have seen Burnett coming, but he’s certainly paying attention to where she’s going.
“Our district was looking for something to engage the kids during COVID,” he said. “Allie approached me her freshman year, and she was helping us organize before we even got the team off of the ground.”
“People online get a confidence they don’t always have in person, and that anonymity and the general dehumanization of people you see online means you’re going to see a lot of inappropriate behavior,” Burnett said.
Once the program was up and running, the race was on to land one of the coveted spots on the team.
While she has held the title of team captain for the entirety of the school’s nascent esports run and earned her place in the professional gaming arena, she still often finds herself the only female behind the sticks.
“This year we have six Varsity teams, and each player tries out for the team in their own discipline,” Tonkinson explained. “It’s a democratic process; choosing what the game selection will be and what skills are required. There are opportunities for anyone willing to put in the work.” This year’s games include Super Smash Bros, Valorant, Overwatch, and Hearthstone. Westside has won state and National Championships for their efforts, and Burnett has not only earned her place every year, she’s earned the role of Westside’s captain. “Esports are still kind of underground, but growing fast. More colleges are adding teams and clubs, and more people are starting to understand and even enjoy spectating,” Burnett said. “Traditional sports were really designed to be consumed and supported. Video games are really thought of as only to entertain the player, and I think that’s why it hasn’t gained traction very quickly. But team spirit is just as important to esports players, so it’s exciting to see that aspect of it growing.” This isn’t just a fun way for teens to blow off steam; esports are viciously competitive—at the high school and collegiate levels and in the professional arena. In fact, Allie recently signed onto New York Excelsior’s Academy esports team. “People tend to have this idea in their head about what a pro-gamers looks like, but that’s the best part of gaming. It’s literally for everyone,” Burnett continued. “It’s not the NBA where you have to be born with perfect genetics and in exactly the right place where basketball is appreciated to even have a shot. This gives that same opportunity for camaraderie and cooperation and competition to people who weren’t born to be 6’6, or who weren’t even born to be able to walk. This is pure mental agility.” Although the self-professed “tech-inept” e-athlete is a pro now, she’s also fairly new to the scene, having only picked up gaming during the pandemic. And while the social aspect of gaming can be an enormous draw, the toxicity of cyber-bullying is ubiquitous in a digital world.
“As of right now, this is a really male-dominated space. It’s changing, but you’re still not seeing as many women taking gaming seriously yet,” she said. “And because of that, when guys see me winning, they’ll complain that I was boosted or that someone else got me to the rank I am. They refuse to believe that I’m good enough. But I run this show.” While the negative voices are often the loudest—and most obnoxious—Burnett insists they aren’t the majority. “Gaming culture itself isn’t toxic at all, but the platform tends to be. For Overwatch, or esports in general, to be taken more seriously, I think there need to be mechanisms against that. To be inclusive, there need to be measures put in place to discourage bullying. Nothing makes people more creative than when they aren’t able to be jerks to each other anymore,” Burnett said. And now she’s setting her sights on the next level. “I’m just off the professional team. It’s time to focus on college applications right now,” she said. “I’d love to be part of any esports clubs or teams I find when I get there. But I am going with a focus on academics. It sounds a little strange, but esports really sparked my interest in how people think and act. I get to see these two distinct sides to people, how they are, and how they portray themselves online. Psychology is a much larger factor in esports, and sports in general.” Westside has recently concluded this season’s roster, and Burnett won’t be the only woman representing the school in this year’s competitions. And while she has enjoyed representing a minority and has done so in exemplary fashion, she’s ready for more people to learn just how inclusive the world of competitive gaming can be. For more information visit, excelsior.overwatchleague.com/en-us/.
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FEA TUR E
STORY BY JULIUS FREDRICK DESIGN BY RACHEL BIRDSALL
For expanded content, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.
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Weathering The Storm Facing OMaha’s Unhoused Crisis STORY BY JULIUS FREDRICK | DESIGN BY RACHEL BIRDSALL
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or some, it’s a slammed door and the reek of stale booze drifting up from the foyer; “He’s been drinking again…it’s okay sweetie, I won’t let him hurt you. Stay here; mommy will be right back…” For others, it’s the scream of shrapnel, the dull thud of infantry armor, and hissing static; “Man down! I repeat, man down! Doc, do you copy? Doc? Stay with me soldier! Damn it, stay with me brother…”
Sometimes, it’s more like an awful game of roulette—mania, depression, rage, despair—click. Or worse yet, it’s the terror and solitude of delusion. Hundreds of invisible legs scuttling out from pores and between follicles; disembodied voices taunting and jeering without pause. Histories of abuse, trauma, and psychosis are often present. For many, though, it starts innocuously enough. An overdraft notification, a missed step down the stairs, an engine sputtering to a stop—bills, rent, insurance, repairs.
“URGENT” A pile of envelopes mounts on the counter; and so too, the need for relief. Old vices probe and prick the skin, seeking out a familiar itch. The phone typically rings unanswered, but this time it’s not the landlord or collections. It’s an old acquaintance. A few hours later, there’s a knock at the door and the meeting of sunken, hungry eyes; oblivion shared by the spoonful. A few days later, there’s another knock at the door ,but it goes unanswered. A notes slips beneath the door that reads: “NOTICE OF EVICTION.”
For the vast majority of those experiencing homelessness, their circumstances are rarely, if ever, the result of a singular issue or decision. Trauma, mental illness, accidents, and drug abuse are indeed common. Tenuous employment, stagnant wages, the rising costs of goods, and a white-hot housing market have exacerbated existing problems. The interplay between these factors, and many more besides, means the topography of “rock bottom” is highly stratified, and of course, deeply personal. Still, for most facing extreme poverty—especially under an inflation-weary public glare—one feature is not only universal, it’s often permanent: stigma.
Repeat.
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Feature // Weathering the Storm RV Camp, 90th and Blondo Streets, Alleyway “If you are poor, they judge you instantly,” observed Shaunna Brink, rain thrumming upon the gutted 70s-era Winnebago behind her. “In fact, three businesses around here, they said they don’t want me or ‘my kind’ in their stores and, ‘If we see you again, we’re calling the police.’ Even just going in there to ask them for help—because we’ve been stuck, like, we’re stuck.” “One has an engine, but the breaks are seized up. One has no engine and no transmission; it’s just a cratered bunk,” added Richard Fordyce, Brink’s partner and occupant of the second camper donated to the couple after going unsold at auction. “We’re trying to get things switched around—make one of them livable, drivable, usable.” At the time, Brink and Fordyce had just three days remaining to comply with a city-mandated ultimatum to vacate the privately owned alley, with tenants of the adjacent Camelot Village apartment complex urging officials to remove the “eye sore” as soon as possible. Their previous campsite had changed hands, directing police to remove the couple, and Brink’s father towed them to the alley behind a shuttered Godfather’s Pizza near 90th and Blondo streets. “And with the rain right now, I have to cover this thing with tarps,” Fordyce grunted, gesturing inside the junk-stuffed RV. “It’s got holes like a starry sky. The roofs on both of them are compromised.” “I mean, it’s doable. Yeah, it’s doable,” Brink affirmed to herself, glancing toward the more intact of the Winnebagos. “Some people are living under bridges, and it’s crazy. And it’s like, at least I have an RV, right?” Together, 812 S 24th Street In 2022, a record-breaking 127,768 Americans endured what sociologists call ‘chronic homelessness’ per demographic data compiled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Human Services (HUD). The department’s Annual Report to Congress (AHAR) also revealed the of number of “individuals” experiencing homelessness—measured separately from families, veterans, and unaccompanied youth—has reached a 421,392 people unhoused last year. Alarmingly, both of these numbers represent the highest tallied since HUD began issuing the report in 2007. Although frequently insulated from the brunt of national crises, Omaha isn’t immune to the surging rates of homelessness. Estimates by the Metro Area Continuum of // 32 //
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Care for the Homeless (MACCH) reported a 200% spike in unhoused people over the last five years. “In the 13 years that I’ve been at Together, even more than the two years at the height of the pandemic when it was crazy and we were operating a pantry outside, and I had the mayor’s office and everybody calling me because there’s 200 cars lined up on Leavenworth every day…this year and next year, I think, will probably be the most daunting we’ve ever had, because you still see near pandemic levels of need,” explained Together President and CEO Mike Hornacek. “But all the resource organizations like Open Door and Together and Siena and Heartland that have had the last three years to meet that need are gone.” It began as an interfaith cooperative— remarkable for the time, uniting Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Jewish, Lutheran, Episcopal, and other religious leaders in common cause— to feed, clothe, and shelter those displaced by the devastating Omaha tornado outbreak of 1975. Today, Together provides crisis engagement services, a rapid rehousing program, and a grocery-style food pantry in downtown Omaha and Council Bluffs, respectively. “On the food side, our food supplies are off about 45% this year,” Hornacek continued, again citing a plateau in funding with the expiration of COVID emergency benefits. “So, I still have pretty much the same amount of people walking through the door with 45% less food.” However, it’s housing that has Hornacek— and the social services sphere writ large— especially concerned. “Between all of us [area nonprofits] in the last three years, I think we’ve put $90 million [into rental and utility assistance] that kept everybody out of eviction court and everybody afloat,” he continued. “And we will never see that kind of money again in our lifetimes.” While the forecast for the coming years appears stormy at best, there is a silver lining relatively unique to the Omaha metro: the cooperation between area organizations and their dedication to filling in the gaps when and wherever specialized care is required. For example, whereas one shelter serves families or single women, Together has focused on the rapidly growing population of displaced seniors. “It’s what we call the STEP Program, or the Short Term Emergency Housing Program,” Hornacek said. “We bought a help hotel and turned it into short term emergency
“It’s a revolving door of the same people because they can’t get accesses to mental health services they need.” —Mike Hornacek
housing, and it’s for those 65 and above with very specific health needs who are experiencing a housing crisis. A lot people getting discharged from the hospital— could be battling cancer, or having health issues that make them vulnerable in a congregate shelter.” Ultimately, however, Hornacek believes providing enhanced mental health services presents the greatest yields for long term change. “There is so much homelessness where we see the root cause is behavioral health issues. There is rampant schizophrenia, bipolar, severe depression, and anxiety that severely impact somebody’s ability to live independently,” he said. “And our healthcare system, specifically mental health services, is not adequate to provide the level of services that’s needed. We have this revolving door of homelessness that’s from street homelessness, to our emergency rooms, to our shelters. “It’s a revolving door of the same people because they can’t get accesses to mental health services they need, number one. But number two, and even more importantly, when they do get access, there’s not enough support mechanisms in place to make sure that they stay with their care plan.” RV Camp, 90th and Blondo Streets Alleyway “Yeah, I mean I’ve got a mental health diagnosis sheet a mile long,” Brink said with a laugh. “I used to work a $20 an hour job back in 2016, and my significant other left after eight years, and it…you know, I moved in with my dad and I actually got in an unfortunate amount of trouble.” Brink shrugged, flashing a wide grin that fell just short of masking her heartache. “I only had a speeding ticket prior to that, but basically…I became a felon very quickly, and you know, it stops you,” she confessed. “Then on top of that, one of my diagnoses is PTSD, and unfortunately there’s not a lot of help for people. I’ve worked with all these different places and all the people, and what’s crazy is they’ll give you a list of places to call. You call these places, and they cycle back into each other!
In the end, Brink posits that, especially if the systems in place are ineffective at elevating certain people beyond their condition, developing a strong sense of community is the next best thing. “That’s what makes it hard, people always talking homeless camps [in a disparaging way]—homeless people stick together because what you don’t have somebody else might, and you can help other people. But yeah, it’s a slippery slope. She paused. “And as far as the amount of things people waste, you know, it’s crazy!” Brink exclaimed. “It’s absolutely insane the amount of things people just throw away!” Mayor’s Office, 1819 Farnam Street Completely KIDS, 2566 St. Mary’s Avenue Last November, the unprecedented rise in the Metro’s unhoused population prompted Mayor Jean Stothert to create a new City position, and announced the name of the woman who would have the premier role on December 5 of that year: Homeless Services Coordinator, Tamara Dwyer. “My professional background in homeless services has exclusively been in the Omaha Metro area. I started in this work about 10 years ago working for Youth Emergency Services in their Street Outreach Program. I also worked in their Maternity Group Home occasionally. I was there full-time and parttime over the course of about four years,” Dwyer recounted. “From there, I went to work as a case manager at Stephen Center in their shelter and in their Permanent Supportive Housing Program. I worked there for a couple of years then started working for MACCH in the summer of 2019 as the Continuum of Care Support Specialist. I was drawn to Social Work because it just felt like the right fit for me, like I was born for social work. I am not sure how to explain it any better than that.”
Dwyer’s perspective on homelessness, however, is informed by experience likely more valuable then her studies and work history, even with her already impressive resume. “I think why I chose to specifically focus on homeless services had a lot to do with my ability to relate to folks who were going through the constant survival that is homelessness and housing instability,” Dwyer explained. “As a mom at a very young age, and not having lots of family that were able to help or support me, I struggled for many years with homelessness, poverty, housing instability, and many other things. Being stuck in that survival mode really affects someone’s ability to look beyond their current situation.” Dwyer is well aware this crisis won’t go away over night, and it may become worse before it gets better given recent socioeconomic pressures; yet, as Completely KIDS Chief Program Office Ann Lawless is likely apt to notice, Dwyer is living proof that the ‘Cycle of Poverty’ can be broken. “So I don’t think you can move a family out of poverty by just an after-school program for their kid,” Lawless noted. “I mean, I just don’t think that’s realistic, right? And so the idea is to get that holistic approach, or another term for it would be a generational program, to have kids and parents together learning as a means to break that cycle of poverty and get families in a better situation, currently, and then hopefully, to the future.” And while Completely KIDS provides after school programs for both private and public institutions that serve low-income families (including those at area shelters) and their own facility on St. Mary’s Ave—offering a lunch program, various classrooms, adult education, a teen employment program, and a summer camp hosted every summer— Lawless’ perspective mirrors Hornacek’s regarding long-term outcomes.
In her capacity as Homeless Service Direct, Dwyer aims to serve as a focal point toward ending homelessness in the city; coordinating local, federal, and state agencies under a comprehensive and unified strategy that includes both reactive and proactive policies. She also serves as member of the city’s Homeless Task Force, which meets to address emerging problems and discuss solutions on a monthly basis.
“We have our own therapists—a clinical director, and she has to two full-time and three part-time therapists, and so we do group and individual therapy,” Lawless explained. “When you have a kid that’s demonstrated some sort of unmet need, you sit the parent down first and go through an assessment to figure out, ‘How can we best help this kid?’
“When I interviewed for this job, I asked what the goal is for the position. I was told the goal is to end homelessness in Omaha, so that is my main direction and goal. I know we can get to a place of functional zero,” she said. “Many communities have, but it wasn’t quick or easy. We need to have dedication and commitment to that main goal and know there will not be an immediate one-size-fits-all solution.”
RV Camp, 90th and Blondo Alleyway
“We serve a lot of kids with trauma, a lot of homeless kids; homelessness is trauma, poverty is trauma […] and we try to include the parents as much as possible, because we know how important that is...”
We had Section Eight. I actually have three kids…I mean, I lost my kids because of this stuff, because I fought really hard to
keep my apartment and all that,” Brink confessed, droplets of rain coalescing at the ends of her frayed hair. “But at the end, I mean, I lost it, and they’re not supposed to be able to use your poverty against you, but they do.” “Unfortunately, without having a stable place, your world becomes so chaotic—how am I going to get this fixed? How am I going to do this?” Open Door Mission, 2828 N 23rd Street E The Open Door Mission began serving the metro in the 1950s when the promise of hard, yet honest work on the railroad drew in a far greater demand than the tracks could supply. “So, we anticipate your need to have some financial savings, so we work on getting people to pay off debt and create an emergency fund. We work with people to make sure that if they are on a fixed income, that they work on a budgets so that they won’t use up money that they don’t have,” observed Steve Frazee, chief impact officer for Open Door Mission. “You know, most of us have family or friends who can help us out in a pinch. A lot of times, life has made it so that folks’ circles are very small… and so the case managers work with them, and we provide services for them.” A sociological concept called “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” introduced in the 1980s continues to have relevant implications. Needs are structured in a pyramid, with basic ones such as shelter at the base. That is, without that foundation, it’s impossible to continue building the pyramid and moving upwards. “If you imagine walking through life and genuinely believing it doesn’t matter, then you literally are just worried about what’s going to happen next. And that’s part of what we try to do; we try to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, and it’s trying to break that mindset for people,” Frazee explained. “The idea of resilience is something that the psychological community is talking about, and trying to understand that we don’t know what it is that will break you, or break me,” he continued. “We just don’t know what that little thing is, right? And so people are so diverse, and their needs are so personal, that a single system just doesn’t work, and a single description of how somebody got there…it’s very complex.” For more information about resources, volunteer opportunities, and making charitable donations related toward combatting homelessness in Omaha please visit the following sites: togetheromaha.org, opendoormission.org
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PROFILE
The letters, smeared in white grease on the left side of Richard Valdez’s body, greeted police officers at a rural farmhouse in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. An almost empty and discarded tube of gear lubricant lay nearby with the index and middle fingers of Valdez’s right hand smudged with the substance…and blood. J-E-F-F Crimson letters warned, written possibly by a bloody finger, on the casement of the door. Someone shot Valdez four times in the abdomen, chest, and left arm, causing damage to vital organs. Could Valdez have stayed alive long enough to etch the killer’s
said Shannon Benzel about the Condon shooting in the first episode. “Written in Blood-Scottsbluff, NE.” “It sounds like she was the target…and not Valdez,” Casie Powers added. “The law enforcement was probably just over their heads anyway. I mean, I’m sorry, but nothing like that happens in a small town, or it shouldn’t, and you don’t think it will…“ But it does, as Powers was quick to note. The podcast zip-ties this central idea of cutting into the sinister side of the heartland’s neighborly reputation. The women came up with the concept while working at Massage Envy, bonding over midwestern murder investigations such as the deaths of Sydney Loofe and Mollie Tibbetts. “We wouldn’t cover the really popular ones. We tried to cover the lesser-known ones,” Benzel said.
twice as much as men, and the younger generation gobbles up the content more than those over 65. Powers even listens to Small Town Murder to help her fall asleep at night. Serial, a spinoff of This American Life, shattered records with 300 million downloads to pave the way in 2014. Indeed, reality reflects fiction—Hulu’s television series Only Murders in the Building showcases three characters who form an unlikely friendship based on their fixation with true crime podcasts. Like in the show, Powers and Benzel lack the funds for big-time equipment or production rooms. Sometimes the duo needs to tape in the car, sitting in the driveway or garage, since screaming children or barking dogs interrupt the process. In the Scottsbluff episode, one of their dogs whines in the background, adding eerie audio to the conversation. The busy moms live blocks away from each other but found
Heartland Darkland
TWO UNLIKELY PODCASTERS SHARE MIDWEST MURDER STORIES identity? His pregnant girlfriend Sharon Condon, 19, died instantly from gunshot wounds to her head. Police narrowed down the prime suspect to Jeff Boppre of Scottsbluff, who purchased cocaine several times from Valdez. Boppre, serving double life sentences for the 1988 shootings plus a litany of other charges, insisted on his innocence while trying multiple times to clear his blood-stained name over the decades. The killing spree spurned the interest of two whodunnit sleuths who wanted to dive deeper into the case in their true crime and paranormal podcast, Heartland Darkland. “It said that the gun was fired from three feet away, so I mean to me, that’s very personal,” // 34 //
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STORY LISA LUKECART PHOTOGRAPH Y BY BILL SI TZMANN DESIGN BY RACHEL BIRDSALL
Powers believes that true crime podcasts overwhelmingly detail crimes committed near the coasts over the midwest, even though there are “creeps everywhere.” This passion for crime manifested during their small-town childhoods watching Unsolved Mysteries, America’s Most Wanted, and Bundy: The Deliberate Stranger. Benzel’s father served on the jury for the Boppre case, and she heard stories about it growing up in Gering, Nebraska. The rise in popularity of true crime podcasts further spurned their interest, as well as that of 34% of American adults, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center study, which coincidentally is the same year Heartland Darkland launched its premiere episode. Women reportedly tune in
it easier to record individually from their separate houses. Editing, researching, and promoting content takes time and dedication when under a weekly production schedule. Powers, 35, looks like someone interested in mayhem and ghosts, appearing in TikTok videos with bright blue or pink hair cut short, a nose ring, and occasionally, dangling knife earrings. Benzel, 37, pulls her brown hair back into a messy bun, throws on minimal makeup, and prefers comfortable pajamas. “We have alternate witchy vibes. Shannon, I say this with love, but it’s the suburban mom look,” Powers said, nodding to Benzel with a laugh.
This contrast provides the perfect chemistry for witty banter and challenging viewpoints between friends. They share a similar goal of taking time off or flipping the narrative to the paranormal when one of them needs to preserve their mental health, especially when diving into the darkest realms of the human experience. “I’ve struggled with anxiety my whole life. I still can’t bring myself to do [an episode] about kids. It’s really heavy,” Benzel said. “We are still putting forth our best effort while not feeling burnt out,” Powers added. Benzel is typically responsible for the social media side while Powers focuses on editing and uploading to Podbean. The alternation between promotion and research helps bring down the fatigue. Benzel dug into the Omaha Tribe’s loss of Ashlea Aldrich, her nude body discovered on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska one week, while Powers explored the the Pine Ridge
Reservation missing and murdered indigenous women in South Dakota the next. The 75 episodes recorded thus far (at time of writing) offer explorations and insights into some of the midwest’s most gruesome and bizarre cases—such as the haunting of the Historic Bullock Hotel in South Dakota, the Angels Landing Cult in Kansas, and the Bonebreaker Killer in Wisconsin. “We try to cover a wide range of cases, not just the pretty blonde women cases. We always try and make sure we are being respectful of victims,” Powers said. The future might mean trips to spine-chilling places such as the Villisca
Axe Murder House in Iowa, purchasing better equipment to help with production, and collaborating with people in the same podcast space. Powers had the opportunity to attend the Grand Comic Fest and created some Heartland Darkland merchandise, like t-shirts, for the event. The road ahead remains uncertain since the friends never thought too many people would listen besides friends, husbands, or their moms. Yet, 1,800 listeners have downloaded that original episode. As for Boppre? The Nebraska Supreme Court recently denied the now 60-year-old convicted murderer his appeal for a new trial. For more information, visit hldlpodcast.com.
True Crime Podcasters Casie Powers (left) and Shannon Benzel (right)
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“We want to support human capital so everyone has the chance to live here.” —Christian Gray
Feature
Affording Omaha Several Solutions, One Common Goal STORY BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RACHEL BIRDSALL
maha police officers played Cornhole with children as community members slurped fast-melting snow-cones in nearly 100-degree weather. Despite the heat, they’d joined for a block party at 10th and Park Avenue in celebration of the opening of two buildings: the former Hanscom Apartment building, a Spanish Colonial Revival that now contains 65 efficiency and one-bedroom apartments, and Georgia Row, an 1890 Queen Ann that offers 11 two-and-three-bedroom units. Each structure promises relief for low-income citizens. Last year, The City of Omaha unveiled an Affordable Housing Plan toward addressing an ever-increasing need for affordable housing—the goal, to have households making less than $50,000 annually spend 30% or less on their dwellings. The study states that by 2030, nearly 30,000 housing units will be required in the city, and that 60% of those units need to be considered affordable. Indeed, the issue of affordable housing has cast a wide, tangled web over the entire country. Popularly cited reasons for the soaring costs of housing include: rising inflation and mortgage rates, stagnant wages, less available land, and persistent zoning laws. While these problems exist, other, often unspoken, reasons underlie the issue. Rising Rents Create Crisis for many The opening of Hanscom Apartment building and Georgia Row was a celebration of InCommon Community Development’s 12 years of framing and fully realizing a solution to a growing problem in South Omaha—ensuring affordable housing for the area’s residents among the new, upscale redevelopments at play. Apartments at the new “Little Bo” complex can cost over $2,000 a month for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment; and $2,500 for a four-bedroom home for rent in Omaha’s Little Italy has become the average. “We want to support human capital so everyone has the chance to live here,” said InCommon Co-Director Christian Gray. According to several research outlets, the average rent on an apartment in Omaha is more than $1,000. Someone working 40 hours a week at minimum wage makes $1,680 per month (before taxes), or $21,840.00—well below the $40,000 per year that someone would need to earn to spend 30% of their annual income on $1,000 monthly rent.
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While the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed just over $27 as the average hourly wage in Omaha as of May 2022, many job postings not requiring any kind of higher education ranged from minimum wage to around $20 per hour. The Census Bureau further reported that approximately 32% of citizens over 25 years of age have a bachelor’s degree or higher— meaning that many Nebraskans are not qualified for jobs that make enough income to comfortably spend $1,000 on rent.
As a member of several affordable housing boards, including the City of Omaha’s Housing and Affordable Action Plan Committee, she has seen firsthand the impact of declining affordability, and is working towards the solution on several fronts.
Even among those who have higher education qualifications, many positions, particularly starting positions, do not make $27 per hour. An ad for an early education teacher, for example, stated the salary at $13-$16 per hour and listed experience or college courses taken in order to qualify.
“It comes down to access to capital and equity and opportunity,” said Starks, who is currently helping create more inclusive organizations for real estate professionals. “I have never met a Black home inspector in Omaha. We don’t have a home lender who is Black or Brown. Unity Title is the only BIPOC-owned company in that field.”
In the new InCommon-renovated apartments, one person will qualify by earning less than $28,200 ($13.56/hour) on the lowest income bracket, while a family of six could be eligible for a three-bedroom apartment with $70,140 (a combined $33.72/hour). Rent is only one piece of the affordable housing crisis, and multiple organizations and companies around the metro are working to pave the way for affordable homeownership, from removing historic barriers to developing both new and aging areas of the community. Creating Funding by Giving a Red Light to Redlining In the 1930s, the feds offered government-insured mortgages to homeowners as a way to stave off foreclosures during the Great Depression, but service was denied to many Black residents who lived in what were deemed “redlined” or, in other words, “risky” areas. Omaha’s redlined districts were north and south along 24th street: the historically Black area in the north, and near the packinghouses and rail lines in the south that traditionally housed immigrants. That has led to generations of already-disadvantaged people being denied homeownership. One solution to affordable housing being presented by Front Porch Investments is the Greenlining Fund, which kicked off in 2023 with a pilot for 0% loans to be given for home repair, exterior improvements, home renovation, modifications for aging in place, and energy efficiency utilities. “It has some potential to shift some things,” said Naomi Hattaway, communications consultant for Front Porch Investments. The fund is designed to reinvest in areas directly impacted by redlining, paving the way for more families to have quality affordable housing throughout the metro. Constructing a Solution to Inflation Ashley Freeman, owner of Blair Freeman Development, sees the problems inherent // 38 //
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to affordable housing every day in her work, and said maintaining it is going to be difficult with the prices. However, on her end, she believes things are progressing. “It’s definitely going to come down to construction prices,” she said. “The construction piece is going to be the piece we are always going to have to pay attention to. We will need better ways to prefabricate things.” Still, she said, one aspect that excites her about affordable housing in the coming months (and years) is the collaboration underway. The industry hasn’t traditionally employed nor served people of color, but that’s beginning to change. “Now, we’re starting to see some of those massive West Omaha builders come downtown,” Freeman said.”That’s the pivot we’ve seen the most.” Creating Affordability in West Omaha The affordable housing problem isn’t restricted to North and South Omaha. West Omaha is considered desirable for their school districts and larger, more luxurious houses. Still, the teachers in those school districts, as well as workers in other fields, are often unable to pay for housing in the community they serve. Habitat for Humanity has been a stalwart in creating affordable housing for over 40 years, and CEO Amanda Brewer and her team have been at the forefront of innovation within the local chapter. This year has been no different with the start of their Capriana project—a collaboration between Habitat for Humanity and Apogee Professional Services. The nonprofit and forprofit builders are creating a mixed-income neighborhood in which the usual order of how people pay for housing is shored up. Apogee is building high-end rental units that are slated to range between $1,300 to $2,500 apiece while Habitat for Humanity will build 11 affordable homes on the site. At time of writing, those units are slated to sell for around $230,000 in market value. Overcoming Fears of Real Estate Professionals “I get a lot of people who say ‘I want a four-bedroom with an open concept and a garage,’” said Angel Starks, real estate agent and community activist.
Housing the Senior Population While younger generations struggle to make the necessary income to afford housing, whether rented or owned, seniors, even those who currently own their homes, struggle with affordability, physical accessibility, and access to medical and other services inside and outside the home. Another nonprofit in the area working towards solutions to affordable housing is Holy Name Housing Corp., which works hard to help seniors, often on fixed incomes, reside in quality places that meet their unique needs. “We do senior housing really well,” Executive Director Matthew Cavanaugh said. “We’ve done a great job financially and with the grounds.” Holy Name is creating ‘111’ senior housing units in the form of 74 two-bedroom cottages built, an additional 25 cottages being constructed, and one 37-unit apartment building. Their requirements are that a senior’s income is a minimum of $16,094, but that it doesn’t exceed the 60% median income for the City of Omaha. In August 2023, Habitat Omaha dedicated the first six of their 80-plus developments, called Bluestem Prairie, which includes 20 affordable homes geared toward seniors. Front Porch Investments, Habitat Omaha, Holy Name, and InCommon Community Development all have advantages, and they each work to solve a multifaceted issue. It’s that unity, and that wide variety of services, that will ultimately bring relief. “I feel strongly that its a complex problem,” Brewer said. “It’s a hard problem with a lot of layers and complexity. It’s going to take all of us coming together to overcome it.” For more information, visit frontporchinvest ments.org, habitatomaha .org , incommoncd.org, and holynamehousing.org.
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// 39 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
// 39 //
FROM TRADING TRAPPERS TO TALL TREES:
A Brief History of Fontenelle Forest // 40 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
T
he fur trade was an unstable and dangerous industry, with challenges such as war, robbery, and the unpredictability of wild animals presenting all too common occupational hazards. The early 19th century also saw an increase in deadly diseases and illnesses, one of the most infamous of which was cholera, which claimed the lives of both Native Americans and new European settlers. The instability of the fur trading business greatly affected the fur companies established at this time, and though there were many, most would be unsuccessful due to these factors and competition from other companies attempting to monopolize the trade.
One family, however, made a lasting impression. Lucien Fontenelle left a wealthy New Orleans family in 1816 at the age of 16 to join the fur trade. He married a woman from the Omaha Indian tribe, with whom he frequently interacted. Known as Bright Sun, she was the daughter of Chief Big Elk, the last full-blooded Omaha Native. It is also around this time that French Canadian explorer Manuel Lisa reorganized the Missouri Fur Company after the war of 1812 had caused it to dissolve. During an expedition with several of his men along the Missouri River, he is said to have paused on a hillside to admire the view of the prairies of Nebraska. With this act, he effectively named the area “Bellevue” after he saw the expanse and exclaimed, “la belle vue!”, meaning “a beautiful sight” in French. After Lisa’s death in 1820, Joshua Pilcher, a business partner of Lisa, took over the Missouri Fur Company and continued in the fur trade. Not long after, though, the company suffered a major blow when they were attacked and robbed by Natives of the Blackfoot tribe. Th is ultimately bankrupted the business. A few years later, Fontenelle joined Pilcher on an expedition to the Rocky Mountains. This trip was unsuccessful, spurring Fontenelle to return home. Fontenelle had a stake in the Missouri Fur Company before its failure, and it was yet again reorganized to represent the American Fur Company, for whom he worked at the time. The purpose of the post was both to maintain friendly relationships with the surrounding Native tribes, which included the Omaha, Pawnee, Oto, and Missouria, and to serve as a pitstop for trading items such as weapons, tools, and jewelry. Since Lucien and his family were so involved at the trading post, it became known as the Fontenelle Trading Post before Lucien sold it to the United States government for use by the Missouri River Indian Agency. Toward the end of his life, Lucien Fontenelle contracted cholera. He was buried on the Bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, in the present territory of Fontenelle Forest. Fontenelle and Bright Sun of the Omaha tribe had a son named Logan, who later became an Omaha Tribe Chief himself. He established himself in the communities of both the Omaha Natives and the Europeans of his father’s acquaintance through his role as an interpreter. Logan met a tragic end, however, when he was killed by members of the Sioux
HISTORY Story || Claudia Moomey Design || Joey Winton
tribe while out on a hunt in 1855. He was buried alongside his father near the Missouri. It is for Logan Fontenelle that the forest is officially named, and there is a marker in the forest with a brief biography of its namesake. Fast-forward to the beginning of the 20th
century, and the Fontenelle Forest Association has been established, begun by A. A. Taylor, a Bellevue College professor. Beginning as a private non-profit organization, Taylor and his associates developed a great passion for preserving the natural land in Nebraska. After the signing of a bill by the governor of Nebraska, the organization was officially sanctioned. The association gradually claimed more land over the years whilst struggling against habitat destruction by an influx of large US companies. Deforestation and forced channelizing of the Missouri River were major blows to the surrounding wildlife, which the Nature Center, built in 2000, is now attempting to reclaim with their Great Marsh and Hidden Lake. The Fontenelle Trading Post was established in the years 1822-1823. In 2023, the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center celebrates its 200-year anniversary. Fontenelle Forest boasts beautiful nature sights and hiking trails accessible to the public and, according to their mission statement, aims to preserve the land to the best of the association’s ability, and “inspire current and future generations to care for the natural world.” To commemorate the anniversary of its establishment, the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center is presenting a new exhibition entitled “Nebraska’s Deep Roots,” which displays several artifacts from the time period excavated by History Nebraska in 1972 and 1973. This exhibition “tells the story of how the Fontenelle Trading Post came to be and what a trading post during the 1800’s may have looked like,” and includes a speaker series and various related activities such as trail hikes and archaeological dig simulations for kids. The exhibition is open from April 2023 to December 2024, so there is still plenty of time to experience the natural beauty of the land while unearthing its rich history. Visit fontenelleforest.org/trading-post-exhibit/ for more information. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
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2023
// 42 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
There’s fit, and then… there’s super fit. SPORTS
Gretna High School senior Isaiah Weber’s combination of strength, agility, and endurance make him a world-class CrossFit competitor. CrossFit is a branded, some say dogmatic, fitness regimen drawn from various athletic disciplines that tests participants in various, high-intensity functional movements.
Weber, 17, has placed well in national and worldwide CrossFit boys’ rankings, making him one of the fittest teens anywhere. He maintains a demanding, year-round workout schedule in addition to competing in football and baseball. The 5-foot 7-inch, 180-pound captain is a two-way starter on offense (running back) and defense (linebacker) for the elite Gretna gridiron program. He’s also a catcher on the baseball team. The youngest in a sports-centric family, Weber was home-schooled until eighth grade. Brothers Jacob and Zach played college tennis and golf, respectively. Sister Sarah, a twotime Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer, is another standout Nebraska athlete.
STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY JOEY WINTON
At the age of 10, he created a makeshift basement gym with dumb bells, a curl bar, and a pull-up bar. “Th at was enough at the time to throw together some pretty nasty workouts and call it CrossFit,” he recalled. “I barely knew what I was doing, but it was super addicting to see progress early on. Seeing those jumps and what it did for me on the football field, I was like, ‘Oh, shoot, this can really help!’”
in my mentality. It’s like, ‘Man, this is going to be the toughest thing I do today.’ Once you’re in it, you have a decision. You can slack off and make it feel better right now or continue to push. Yes. it’s going to hurt. But when you’re done, within 5 or 10 minutes you’re going to be perfectly fine and feel this unbelievable dopamine rush and sense of, ‘Wow I did that, I got better, I pushed myself in the
toughest time.’ “It’s hard to do CrossFit and not be prepared for anything life or sport throws at you.” What sets Isaiah and Sarah apart, their mother Tammy said, is a “competitive fire.” “He just has an edge. Before a track meet at age 5, he’d say, ‘I’m not going to do this if they give out those stupid participation ribbons. I’m doing this to win and get a medal.’” Isaiah gravitated to full contact sports, chafing at the private tennis lessons his mom, a former competitive gymnast, arranged for him. His instructor, James Ingram, was doing CrossFit in preparation for Navy Seals testing. Impressed by the extreme physical challenge, Weber took notice. “I had a little exposure to it. But I really didn’t know what it was until I got a taste for it myself,” Weber said.
He began to devour YouTube videos of CrossFit masters. “As I got deeper and deeper into it, learning new movements and skills—figuring out things, lifting heavier weights—that just compounded and made me want to do it more to see how far I could go,” Weber said. CrossFit entails lifts (squat, snatch, deadlift) and movements (sprints, 5Ks, pull-ups) that tax exertion and endurance. It’s all about maximizing effort and performance. “The common denominator is intensity. It’s insanely hard,” Weber said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re elite, it’s still intense and tough. Doing that over and over plays a huge role
At 14, he started training with CrossFit veteran Kyle Kasperbauer at CrossFit Kinesis in Gretna. “It’s like having a coach and also a training partner with him writing up workouts and doing them side-by-side with me—we’re competing as he’s coaching me,” Weber noted. “It’s a different level of coaching experience.” The enhanced training paid off; Weber took second worldwide in 2021 in the 14-15 age division. In 2022 he missed qualifying for the prestigious CrossFit Games by the slightest margins. “It’s super disappointing when you train all year and come up short,” Weber confessed. You wonder, ‘Was it worth it?’ But when I took a step back I was like…it was worth it, I got so much better.” NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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His ascetic approach extends to nutrition and diet. “Everything I eat is whole foods or natural,” he said. “I try to stay away from anything processed.” “He has a very mature level of mental toughness, personal drive, and dedication applied to his craft,” Kasperbauer added. “It’s been an honor and privilege to coach Isaiah and watch him grow and develop into a hard working, confident, yet humble young man.” The long days grow even longer during football and baseball seasons. Upon completing practice, he still heads to the gym for CrossFit workouts. “Some days I’m like, ‘This is rough, I’m exhausted.’ All I want to do is go to sleep but I still have one workout to do and I’ve got to get it done,” Weber said. “If you want to be the best, you can’t take a day off or you fall a step behind.” He’s convinced the conditioning and mindset allow him to stay fresh through four quarters of football games despite almost never leaving the field. Weber’s even made a study of human performance. “I took college anatomy and physiology last year as a high school student to try to better understand how the body works and if there’s anything I could do to improve my function or efficiency,” he said.
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
CONGRATS DR. JAY SAMUELSON! BEST COSMETIC DENTIST 2023
This CrossFit disciple even got a football teammate involved over the summer who lost 50 pounds and started winning lineman conditioning drills at practice. “It’s really cool that it’s not just me seeing these results,” Weber noted. “For anyone with the mindset of getting better the results are going to be extraordinary.” That includes his father, Kevin, a former multi-sport athlete who took up CrossFit at his son’s urging. After graduating in May, Isaiah expects to continue competing. He already has a Level I trainer certification and can see himself training others, coaching football, working as a physical therapist, and possibly running his own gym. “I think sports will stay in my life no matter what it is,” he said. Visit kinesisfitness.com for more information.
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O // PHOTO G R A ELOS PHY IE V B AL Y BI AT LL
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t the intersection of art, music, and psychology, the craftsmanship of a local artist brings an unconventional creative vision to Omaha.
A
Ameen Wahba, a multidisciplinary artist whose work stretches beyond traditional boundaries, crafts avant-garde experiences that traverse the vibrancy of visual performance, the soul-stirring cadence of melodies, and even the profound soul-searching of psychotherapy. “It always starts with a feeling—I feel happy, or I feel distraught in some way,” Wahba said. “And there's this urge to express it; to process and move through it.” At The Union for Contemporary Art, Wahba is primarily a sound, video, and installation artist, contributing his ingenuity as a 2023 fellow. During his year-long fellowship, Wahba’s creative focus shifted toward experimental film and sound on a personal project filmed in Hi8. Wahba’s dual identity as an artist and practicing psychotherapist finds mutual space, inspiring and enhancing each passion in turn. Here, Wahba employs the artistry—and the science of empathy— to seamlessly blend his vocations toward a common good.
Wahba is a guitarist for multiple bands, notably for alternative outfit Thick Paint, which has toured nationally. At other times, under the name “Little Ripple,” he embarks on solo ventures that grant him full creative freedom.
With the soul of an artist and the training of a psychotherapist, Wahba maintains that his own creative endeavors don’t burden him with excessive pressure. “I think the most overwhelming part is the social sphere,” Wahba confessed. “Like, getting people's schedules for filming different scenes, or finding time in my work schedule to get to the studio. Having different mediums is honestly really fun for me.” Wahba’s art reflects the complexities of the human experience, while his insights into the psyche infuse his creations with a depth that speaks to the heart and mind. His music, too, becomes an avenue for channeling these nuanced experiences into captivating rhythms.
Elements of Wahba’s music are inspired by those he admires. He considers Animal Collective among the first bands to inspire him to branch out creatively and to explore a diverse range of genres. He also credits the impact of Fela Kuti, a Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer and activist, whose politically attuned music sparked a transformative movement. However, Wahba finds immense inspiration within his own circle of friends and community members. Like his other artistic endeavors, Wahba believes a specific blueprint for a project isn’t necessary, as long as the end result evokes the emotions he aims to communicate. “I'll play some chords or notes, and kind of babble to myself words that just make sense at that time,” Wahba said. “And then I go back and clarify to see, is this matching the feeling? Is it saying what I wanted to say?”
A/C MIXED MEDIA
“Personally, art feels like an internal kind of psychotherapy because I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, but I have these images or ideas,” Wahba said. “I pursue them, and in the process, learn something about myself.” Wahba has established a delicate balance between indulging in a passion project and allowing it to dominate one’s existence. Having earned his psychology degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2017, he dedicates much of his time to his therapy work.
I went around and asked them to hold their hands up and gave them a date, and at the next show, a piece of candy.”
The real fun lies in his live performances— interactions between himself and the audience is a crucial element of Little Ripple’s art. Through projections and improvised interludes, his performances are unpredictable, only limited by the extent of his imagination. “A performance doesn't just have to be someone playing music,” Wahba said. “It can be an opportunity to play with conventions or experiment with social situations.” Wahba notes that while audiences anticipate a vocal performance, they don’t foresee the additional elements he incorporates. When it comes to surprises during his shows, he prefers to ask for forgiveness, not permission. “During one performance, I had a punching bag, and then I walked around with a Zoom meeting on my head,” Wahba recalled with a laugh. “Another time, I asked the audience to close their eyes, and
At 27, Wahba has refrained from confining himself to a single realm. While he identifies as an artist, he sees his personal time commitment as a 50/50 split between his creative pursuits and therapy work. Balancing numerous endeavors can be challenging, yet Wahba has devised an effective approach. He designates a primary focus, such as his ongoing film project, while maintaining alternative outlets for self-expression. Presently, he’s engaged in a painting of green squares, adding to it whenever he’s not filming. “I might be inspired after going to my painting and say, ‘Oh, I have a new idea for the movie,’" Wahba explained. “It all feels like one practice.” While he expects to stay in Omaha, Wahba muses on future destinations and other possibilities, and his aspirations extend far beyond the cityscape. “I hope to finish this film,” he said. “But I also hope to enjoy my life more and do less—to live more presently. I want to swim more, go to the ocean more, and make meaningful things.” For other creative individuals in Omaha, Wahba encourages boldness and novelty in their art—“whether people get it, or not.” For more information, visit u-ca.org.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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GIVING
CALENDAR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Nov
9
FEATURED EVENT MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT
Benefits: Dreamweaver Foundation
Location: Dreamweaver Foundation, Carson HQ The Dreamweaver Foundation hosts their annual Making Spirits Bright event, during which volunteers write holiday cards and create ornaments to deliver to elderly adults in senior care communities. Aiming to create a joyous and memorable holiday season for these individuals, the Dreamweaver Foundation will supply the cards and envelopes for volunteers to sign and stuff, then deliver them to elders who may not have the privilege of company or gifts this year. The Foundation recommends this event as a cheerful team-building exercise for companies. Contact Callie at callie. getzschman@dreamweaver.org for more information. -dreamweaver.org
November 1
November 2
November 4
Benefits: Calistus Multiple Myeloma Foundation
Benefits: Children’s Square
Benefits: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center
ANNUAL COAT DRIVE
Location: African Farms -calistusfoundation.org
November 1
HOLIDAY GIVING
Benefits: Goodfellows in partnership with the United Way of the Midlands
CHILDREN’S SQUARE JASON AWARDS
Location: Mid-America Center -childrenssquare.org
November 6
Benefits: Assistance League
Benefits: Calistus Multiple Myeloma Foundation
CHRISTMAS CARAVAN OF HOMES
November 1
Benefits: United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska
BENSON BARSTOOL OPEN 2023
Location: Christ Community Church nami.org
November 2
PURSEONALITIES 2023
Benefits: Child Saving Institute
Location: Hilton Omaha -interland3.donorperfect.net
BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE PROGRAM
Location: Champions Run -alomaha.org
November 4
Benefits: NAMI
Location: Global Virtual event -childrensomaha.org
November 2
Location: Virtual event -goodfellowsomaha.com
CRISIS INTERVENTION PARTNERS
EXTRA LIFE GAME DAY
Nov
4
Location: Downtown Benson -events.r20.constantcontact.com
November 4
CITIZENSHIP PREPARATION PROGRAM
Benefits: Heartland Integration Center
Location: Prairie Lane Church -hicnebraska.org
Location: African Farms -calistusfoundation.org
November 7
VOLUNTEER CLUB
Benefits: Open Door Mission
Location: Garland Thompson Men’s Center Chapel -opendoormission.org
November 9
MILAGRO AWARDS DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION
Benefits: OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc.
Nov
9
Location: Omaha Mariott Capitol District -e.givesmart.com
// 48 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
// GIVING CALENDAR // November 9
LIVE @ LOW END | MARC VILANOVA
Benefits: Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
Location: Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts -bemiscenter.org
November 11 FALL MUSICAL
Benefits: Acapella Omaha Chorus
Caterer
Nov
11
2023 First Place
Location: Marion High School -acapellaomaha.com
November 11
FLP THANKSGIVING
Benefits: Project Houseworks
Location: Mike & Josie Harper Center -eventbrite.com
November 12
NEIHARDT FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL LAUREATE’S FEAST DINNER & AUCTION
Benefits: Neihardt Foundation
Location: A View on State St. -neihardtcenter.org
November 15 TAROKY CLASS
Benefits: Czech and Slovak Educational Center and Cultural Museum
Location: Czech and Slovak Educational Center and Cultural Museum - czechandslovakmuseum.org
November 16
GIVE 2 GROW (PHELPS COUNTY)
Benefits: Give 2 Grow
Location: Online -give2growphelps.org
November 17
MAPLE ST. CONSTRUCT ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
Benefits: Maple St. Construct
Nov
17
Location: Maple St. Construct -maplestconstruct.com
November 17 CREDIT 101
Benefits: Credit Advisors Foundation
Location: Virtual event -creditadvisors.org
November 18
NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS
Benefits: Nebraska AIDS Project
Location: Mariott Downtown Omaha -nap.org
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November 22
BLUE COLLAR BOXING
Benefits: United Way of the Midlands
Location: Liberty First Credit Union Arena -unitedwaymidlands.org
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// GIVING CALENDAR // November 23 TURKEY TROT
Benefits: Make-A-Wish Foundation
Location: Downtown Omaha -wish.org
November 29
YOUTH OF THE YEAR
Benefits: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands
Location: Scott Conference Center -bgcomaha.org
December 1
COMEDY FOR A CAUSE WITH JEFF ALLEN
Benefits: Rejuvenating Women
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Location: Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church -restoredwings.org
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
December 2 – 3
HOT SHOPS WINTER OPEN HOUSE
Benefits: Hot Shops Art Center
Location: Hot Shops Art Center -hotshopsartcenter.org
December 3 Charlene Hills, LCSW, LIMHP KG Langdon, APRN Mary Loftis, LMHP, CPC Kim Mueller, LIMHP, CPC Nicole Obrecht, LIMHP Kara Schneider, BA Marty Stoltenberg, APRN-BC Kristi Tackett-Newburg, PhD, LIMHP Greg Tvrdik, LIMHP, CPC Sarah Wenzl, LMHP, CPC Michele Yanney-Wehbi, LIMHP, CPC
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MIDWEST MAYHEM FIGHT KNIGHT WITH THE OMAHA HELLHOUNDS
Benefits: Toys for Tots
Location: Nebraska Brewing Company -toysfortots.org
December 3
AVA’S ARMY SUGARPLUM BALL
Benefits: Sammy’s Superheroes
Location: A View West Shores -sammyssuperheroes.org
// GIVING CALENDAR // December 7
LIL’ SPROUTS: MY 5 SENSES
Benefits: Lauritzen Gardens
Location: Lauritzen Gardens -lauritzengardens.org
December 7
PARTY WITH A PURPOSE HOLIDAY MIXER
Benefits: Salvation Army
Location: Even Hotel -ihg.com/evenhotels
December 11 GOLF FOR HOPE
Benefits: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
ody Rep to B air Au
ody Rep to B air Au
Location: Top Golf -afsp.org
December 16
DECEMBER SUPPORT GROUP
Benefits: Nebraska Ataxia
Location: Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center -nebraskaataxia.org
December 17
WALK THRU NATIVITY & SANTA’S WINTER WONDERLAND
Benefits: Scatter Joy Acres
Location: Scatter Joy Acres -scatterjoyacres.org
2023 First Place
1ST PLACE 18 STR AIGHT YEARS!
2023 First Place
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December 17
KENDRA SCOTT GIVES BACK
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Through December 31
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NEBRASKA GOLF MARATHON
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KocaChiropractic.com 11420 Blondo St, Ste. 102 | 402.496.4570 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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Giving Profile Story by Chris Wolfgang Photography by Bill Sitzmann Design by Rachel Birdsall
Wit h S a sh a B Lov ing Holi erscheid ’s day G Inte nt: to Caregiverifst and C hildren
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n December of 2019, Sasha Berscheid was holding her daughter, Kyan, in her nursery. Kyan was 18 months old and not yet diagnosed with stage three autism. Sasha had delivered her son, Drako, just three months earlier.
“I was postpartum and hormonal,” Berscheid confessed. “Andrew walks in and asks me, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ And in that moment, I was just hit with a wave of how do single moms do this? Especially single moms with children with special needs, how?”
Berscheid is quick to acknowledge the resources she had at the time—a nanny, a mom, and sisters ready to help; a job with good benefits.
“I am fortunate and blessed, and I was still struggling.” —Sasha Berscheid
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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“I am fortunate and blessed, and I was still struggling,” she said. That holiday season, she told her husband she wanted to adopt another mom. Four years later, Project Intentional, Inc. is poised to support 1,500 caregivers in Omaha at its annual Winter Wonderland Holiday Emporium event, potentially impacting 6,000 children from newborn to age 18.
“It’s one thing to be able to give out toys, it’s another thing to equip people with resources in Omaha.” ‑Sasha Berscheid
The event has certainly evolved from the Facebook post Berscheid posted in 2019, rallying her friends to adopt local moms in need. In 2020, Project Intentional became an official 501(c)(3), with its first donation event held online. December 2021 saw the addition of a board of likeminded volunteers. “We met in person for the first time in 2021 at a coffee shop,” said Becca Starks, vice president of Project Intentional. She and Berscheid worked together professionally but had only ever communicated online due to COVID lockdowns. During their first face-to-face conversation, Berscheid slid the keys to Project Intentional’s storage units across the table to Starks. “I was not prepared at all,” Starks recalled with a laugh. “But she has the vision, and now I’m the integrator. You just know she was like, ‘this is gonna happen, of course she’s gonna take the keys.’” The vision must be catching on. In December of 2022, Berscheid was on The Kelly Clarkson Show talking about Project Intentional to a nationwide audience. Despite its rapidly growing scope, Project Intentional is a hobby for everyone on the board, including Berscheid. “We keep all of our funds strictly for the nonprofit,” she said firmly. “We’re a bunch of moms who want to love the city. I don’t care if you celebrate Kwanzaa or Hanukkah
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or Christmas or you don’t celebrate at all. This is just a place for us to say, ‘Hey, I love you, you matter, I see you—it’s okay.’” December 10 at Baxter Arena, Project Intentional is set to host the event it prepares for all year. For one day, the Winter Wonderland Holiday Emporium is a festive place for Omaha caregivers to “shop” for their kids…and maybe change their own lives. On November 11, Project Intentional’s social media will announce the release of 1,500 free tickets to the Winter Wonderland Holiday Emporium. Ticket holders register how many children they’re shopping for, and the appropriate number of toys, socks, underwear, and hygiene products will be ready for them to select from the carefully decorated holiday pop-up shop. Before attendees can dive into the shopping, they must visit a bingo card’s worth of resource booths set up at the event. This year, over 50 nonprofits will have a presence at the Winter Wonderland Holiday Emporium. “It’s one thing to be able to give out toys, it’s another thing to equip people with resources in Omaha,” Berscheid noted. “We’ll have LinkedIn coaches there to help people create a profile. We’ll have companies who will conduct on-the-spot interviews. Omaha Underground Railroad will be there, we’ll have youth emergency services there.”
GIVING PROFILE // WITH LOVING INTENT
“This is not an event where nothing happens afterward,” Starks affirmed. “We link arms with the other nonprofits in town for this.” “It’s free for all booths to attend,” Berscheid continued. “I do not want money to be an issue for the nonprofit, I don’t want it to be an issue for the shoppers.” In addition to the Winter Wonderland Holiday Emporium, Project Intentional also organizes a year-round project: a series of ‘hygiene banks’ placed throughout Omaha. “We call them Hope Lockers,” Berscheid said. “Right now, they’re primarily in coffee shops—Zen, Karma, Pause, Myrtle & Cypress. Our mission statement is intentionally restoring dignity in women and families one project at a time. If we can help you with your hygiene items and keep them in a place you actually want to go to, I feel like we’re doing that.” Berscheid hopes to have a total of 20 hygiene banks throughout Omaha by the end of 2023. In fact, she’d like to have one in every high school and middle school in Omaha. Berscheid says she’d love to partner with someone with a bigger voice than hers. “I need a partner who could help us purchase in bulk. Right now I’m doing everything online; taking things to my home, to my storage unit. I’d love to see if we could get a warehouse. It’s all very mom-and-pop,” she said. “If you see a $40 toy on our shelf, I’ve been bartering with the Walmart manager for months to help me knock it down to $10 so I can buy all of them.” “I’d say it’s at least one to two hours a day for Project Intentional work,” Starks estimated. “It’s about multitasking and efficiency. As I’m out and about, I’m popping into this nonprofit to make a connection or invite them to the holiday event. You make time for what you’re passionate about.” True to her word, Starks intends to take up the mantle as president of Project Intentional in 2024, while Berscheid focuses on maximizing their purchasing efficiency. “I hear ‘Mom, that’s a lot of boxes’ all the time,” Berscheid said with a laugh. “And it is a lot of boxes, and it’s a lot of time, and there has to be a better way. I wish I could get good toys at scale. I’d love to see us offer coats and pajamas [at the event], but we can’t afford it yet.
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“We’re all human. That’s why I want to create a party.” For more information, visit projectintentional.com. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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SPONSORED PROFILE //
views her role not merely as a legal advisor but as a trusted partner in her clients’ financial journeys. She takes the time to understand their unique circumstances, goals, and concerns, ensuring that every aspect of their estate plan is tailored to their needs. “Mary’s commitment to people is rare,” said Anne Collier, CEO of Arudia®. At a time when I was struggling with family and estate matters, her guidance and technical assistance were critical. But even that isn’t the entire picture. Mary cares deeply about her clients, colleagues, and people in general. Thus, it’s not just that she’s a strategic thinker, it’s that she gets results as she provides support and kindness.” As CEO, Founding and Managing member of Vandenack Weaver, LLC, Mary is a highly regarded practitioner in the areas of tax, private wealth planning, high net worth estate planning, asset protection planning, philanthropy, business exit planning, executive compensation, equity fund development, business succession planning, tax dispute resolution, state and local tax, and tax-exempt entities. She has been consistently chosen as one of America’s Best Lawyers in Trust and Estate by Martindale-Hubbell. Throughout her career, Vandenack has continuously expanded her expertise, staying up to date with the ever-changing landscape of estate planning and tax law. Her continuing education includes the Federal Institute of Taxation at New York University and the Heckerling Tax Institute. She also serves on the Council of the American Bar Association Real Property Trust and Estate Section and as Chair of the Law Practice Division.
Mary Vandenack:
A Beacon of Excellence in Tax and Estate Planning and a Hall of Fame Inductee
I
n the world of tax and estate planning, expertise, dedication, and a passion for helping individuals and families secure their financial futures are qualities that define the best in the field. Mary E. Vandenack is a shining example of these attributes, and her election to the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) Estate Planning Hall of Fame® as an Accredited Estate Planner® is a testament to her outstanding contributions to the industry. According to the NAEPC, this // 56 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
honor is “awarded only to estate planning professionals who meet special requirements of education, experience, knowledge, professional reputation, and character” and is a significant milestone. Mary’s journey to becoming a member of this prestigious group is a remarkable one. She has dedicated her career to the fields of tax, estate planning, and asset protection and has consistently demonstrated her commitment to helping her clients navigate complex legal and financial matters. She
Beyond her client work, Mary is an active participant in the estate planning community. She shares her expertise through publications, speaking engagements, and contributions to industry publications as well as her weekly podcast, Legal Visionaries. As a lifelong resident of Nebraska, Mary cares deeply about her community as well and is involved with several organizations including Women Investing in Nebraska, Creighton University Law School Advisory Board, the Entrepreneur’s Organization, the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Nationwide Gift Planning Advisory Council, and NAMI.
Vandenack Weaver LLC 17007 Marcy St., Suite 3 Omaha, NE 68118 402-504-1300 VWTLawyers.com | MaryVandenack.com
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Murphy’s conversation with music started early, but his ability to hear where the music was leading him has taken him places he never could have guessed. “I started piano when I was 6. I already loved music, but I didn’t love practicing,” he said. “I was just a wild little boy who would rather play outside with my friends that be trapped inside sitting still and focusing. Who wants to sit and focus in a Nebraska summer, stuck inside with no air conditioning and practicing your scales? Not me.” But his paternal aunt was a piano teacher, and she lived nearby, so Murphy spent those hot summers in the ’50s and early ’60s appeasing his parents. “I was raised a white Irish kid, but was aware that my mother was Native. She was beautiful, and I was her little boy, so I never gave it any more thought than that,” Murphy reminisced. “I didn’t realize until a lot later in life that there was some contention in my family about my parents' marriage. My mom and dad really did a great job protecting us from all of that. “My maternal grandfather was Mohawk and Scottish. And my maternal grandmother was Huron and French. She was from a Canadian tribe, right on the Huron fault. They always say they have no reservation, just a lake.” Murphy’s love of music would eventually wind around his native roots, but as a teen, he knew exactly what he wanted his music to say. “I had learned the piano out of obligation, but then I got old enough to recognize that girls were cute, and a skinny kid like me needed a hook to get their attention,” he said. “I saw the effect The Beatles seemed to have on girls I liked, so I started playing guitar and grew my hair long.” Whatever his recipe for success, Murphy ended up landing his dream girl, Rita, and they settled down and found harmony together. He found work as a carpenter, and the pair built a home just outside of town, filling it with the sounds of their three children. In 1984, Murphy lost his father to lung cancer, and his mother followed a year later. He immersed himself in parenting his children, but found himself listening closer for some divine instruction—guidance he found himself lacking in his parents’ absence.
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60 PLUS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
“My son, he’s now a PhD and teaches at UCON, had this project on his first day of kindergarten. They were assigned to do a craft with their parents. I was thinking of my own mother, and how without her my son had lost access to knowledge of his native heritage,” Murphy recalled. "So we checked out a book on building dreamcatchers. On the last page of the book were instructions for making a flute. “When people ask me who taught me to play, I say my mother. She never played, but in all of her talking and singing and existing, just as she was, the logic of this music was somehow planted. When I blew into it…it sounded like her voice to me. It sounded like a gentle conversation. It made me think of how my parents rarely ever raised their voices to us, and never to each other. I’ve been an orphan longer than I had parents, but the flute feels like a continuation of my mother teaching me.”
60 + PROFILE
“Music is a conversation. It’s not just you singing or playing for someone to hear, it’s about listening,” he said.
STORY BY SARA LOCKE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK
M
ichael Murphy listens closely for the music in life, and for the message it sings
Murphy followed that sound and it created connections for him within the local Native community. He found himself being drawn into Native Rights campaigns, was invited to speak and play at fundraisers and protests, and performed once a month at the Sienna Francis House. “Ten years ago, I was invited to play at the Smithsonian in Washington. It was such a privilege to be asked, and it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But Rita had been diagnosed with cancer, and as the event approached, she was hospitalized,” he said. "There was nowhere else in the world that I needed to be but beside her. She was so mad at me for passing up the event, and kept telling me that a chance like that would never come again. But the chance to be there with my wife when she needed me never came again, either.” Murphy wouldn’t have regretted spending time with his wife no matter how the rest of the story had played out. After she passed, he found himself listening once again for direction. “The following April I was asked to come out and play at the Keystone Pipeline protests,” Murphy said. “I didn’t have the money at the time and planned to decline, but my transportation and accommodations were somehow covered. I got to spend a week in Washington DC playing all kinds of venues. I got to play with Neil Young. All because I played the flute. And I played the flute because I lost my mother. And I try to find these moments woven throughout my life. “The moments when the conversation is happening, and I just have to listen—so much is being said in the silence and in the rests.” Listen to Murphy’s music on his YouTube channel, @MichaelMurphyMusic.
SECTION // STORY BY XXXXXXX // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK // SECTION //
Headline Subhead
ollegiate background. She noted his capability to “enforce policies in a consistent manor and make sure our water chemistry is where it needs to be.”
“My hopes are that Robert decides to continue to be a lifeguard, he is a great asset to us and our community,” she affirmed. ently retired administrative assistant shows no signs of theatrical slowing: currently, Lee is working on costuming for a SNAP! theater production, has just been asked to do a play reading for the Great Plains Theater Conference, and, of course, has been looking for potential shows to audition for. Lee is a wonderful example of what poet Maya Angelou suggested life’s mission should be; that is, “not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Music,
The Mother Tongue
Michael Murphy
SECTION // STORY BY XXXXXXX // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK // SECTION //
Headline Omaha, Nebraska
We Don’tSubhead Cruise)(A nymore 60 + Nostalgia
ollegiate background. She noted his capability to “enforce policies in a consistent manor and make sure our water chemistry is where it needs to be.”
“My hopes are that Robert decides to continue to be a lifeguard, he is a great asset to us and our community,” she affirmed. ently retired administrative assistant shows no signs of theatrical slowing: currently, Lee is working on costuming for a SNAP! theater production, has just been asked to do a play reading for the Great Plains Theater Conference, and, of course, has been looking for potential shows to audition for. Lee is a wonderful example of what poet Maya Angelou suggested life’s mission should be; that is, “not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
60 + NOSTALGIA // STORY BY CATHERINE A. DUNN // DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY RENEE LUDWICK
W
hen my brothers and I were in high school in the 1980s, there were no personal computers, the internet did not exist, and nobody had cell phones. To speak or otherwise communicate with anyone outside of your home, you had to use your parents’ olive green or harvest gold teen landline to call a friend, or, if you had enough change, you could make a call from a public phone—booth or not.
In those days, our underage in-person socializing largely took place at school dances, occasional house or farm parties, Skateland, Rosenblatt Stadium, the Golden Spike Drive-In Theater, Gizmos Arcade, Putt-Putt, Henry Doorly Zoo, Godfather’s, and Peony Park. However, on summer weekends, when nothing was going on, when other plans cost more than we could afford, when all else had failed, we could always go cruising on Dodge Street, out of the presence of our parents, to see and be seen.
On weekend evenings, after taking a few bends around Dodge Street to take in the scene, hundreds of young adults from Omaha and surrounding communities would park their cars in the soccer field-sized lots that butted up against either side of Dodge Street in front of the Indian Hills Theater, Children’s Hospital, and the Crossroads Mall among other commercial establishments.
The drafters wisely put teeth into the no cruising ordinance—a violating citizen was not fined or imprisoned, but instead could be placed on probation for up four months with driving privileges suspended for 30 days of the probationary period (within city limits). In the end, the bark was enough to avoid having to administer the bite. For newly licensed teenagers, the horror of losing driving privileges for an entire month served its deterrent purpose. Within months of passing the ordinance, cruising on Dodge Street slowed and soon stalled altogether.
Since that time, several towns and cities have embraced and organized legal cruising Once parked, they sat on the hood or trunk revivals. While I’m no stranger to nostalgia, of their cars, checking out who was passing and continue to reflect on great memories of by, playing music, drinking pop, talking, and cruising back in the old days, I don’t think sometimes, making ‘googly eyes’ at a crush. it would be as much fun in my fifties as it was in my teens. As a mom, I pretty much lived in my “No person shall drive or permit a motor car for decades, driving my six vehicle under his care, custody and control to kids to and from be driven past a traffic-control point three and endless circuit of events. In the end, times within a two-hour period, from 9pm. to carpool took the 6am, Monday through Sunday, in a posted sheen off the whole cruising thing. no-cruising area.”
Dodge Street begins right after it crosses the Missouri R iver from Iowa. It is the main east-west street in Omaha and serves as the d iv id i ng poi nt between north and south numbered street addresses. From the 1950s until the late 1980s, Dodge Street was the main strip for cruising in Omaha.
In fact, my younger brother met his first girlfriend while cruising on Dodge Street.
Cruising culture in the United States was an evolution of the old traditions of strolling down Main Street or around the town square to meet and socialize with other people in the community. In the 1950s, cruising started as a way to show off cars, a place where boys and girls could meet; allowing youths to go out, have fun, and make a bit of mischief.
Over the years, with thousands of cars cruising Dodge Street on weekend evenings, the police received numerous noise complaints from neighborhood residents and reports of theft and property damage from business owners. However, it was the sharp increase in car accidents occurring on Dodge Street after 9pm that moved the City to act.
My mom recently shared with me that when she was in high school, she and her girlfriends occasionally cruised Dodge Street on a strip east of 72nd Street, always keeping an eye out for a coveted open parking spot at Tiner’s Drive-In Restaurant, located mid-strip on 44th Street.
With public safety issues outweighing the social niceties of cruising, in March of 1992, Omaha City Council Member Lee Terry introduced an ordinance prohibiting cruising on Dodge Street from 69th Street west to 96th Street, promptly signed by then Mayor P.J. Morgan.
When my brothers and I came of age, cruising involved slowly driving your car in a big circle, west on Dodge Street just past 90th Street, pulling a U-turn and then driving back east on Dodge Street, just past 72nd Street for another loop.
Still on the books, Sec. 36-149 of the Omaha Municipal Code prohibits cruising, stating that, “No person shall drive or permit a motor vehicle under his care, custody and control to be driven past a trafficcontrol point three times within a two-hour period, from 9pm to 6am, Monday through Sunday, in a posted no-cruising area.”
In lieu of hopping in your car, you can cruise vicariously by watching the 1973 film, American Graffiti, which provides an excellent snapshot of cruising and an outstanding rock and roll soundtrack with Wolfman Jack as the disk jockey. Dazed and Confused, a 1993 film directed by Richard Linklater, is another cruising movie set in the 1970s with an amazing soundtrack that features Matthew McConaughey in his first speaking role as a cringy 20-something-year old who still hangs out with high school students. You know…“Alright, alright, alright.” For those who are risk adverse, you can still cruise down memory lane without violating Omaha’s no cruising by using your personal computer or cell phone to access and search the internet for Cruising Dodge Street Omaha, NE—a private Facebook group created for people to share stories, pictures, and to reconnect with people from the cruising heydays. Though the ambiance of growling motors, flashing headlights, and the occasional cop siren might be absent, for better or worse, it’s still a great place to see and be see. Visit facebook.com/groups/CruisingDodgeSt/ for more information.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 • 60 PLUS
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One Step at a Time
60 + ACTIVE LIVING
MSfoward’s Daryl Kucera
Treats MS Not as a Disease,
But a Challenge
A
lmost anyone who visits the gym operated by Daryl Kucera near the Millard Airport might think it's a regular place to work out. Its large, bright, and airy rooms have exercise machines, various weights, and thick pads for floor workouts.
Yet, this gym isn't simply full of athletes striving to be faster and stronger for sports events; the majority of the people here are staving off conditions that are slowly robbing their bodies of normal lives, like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and ataxia, among others. When Kucera opened the gym in August 2001 near 149th Street and Industrial Road, he called it Fast Forward and intended it to be for middle school and high school athletes desiring to improve their speed and agility for athletics. A Columbus native who’s long held a passion for strength training, Kucera was a director of credit risks at First Data Resources when he created the gym as a side job where young athletes could work out safely. "Just seeing 300 to 400 athletes in a weight room with just three to four coaches," he said about school programs before pausing. "Something bad was going to happen." Kucera wanted to teach the kids proper strength training, plyometrics, and speed training with safety and proper form at the forefront. However, a month later, Kucera lost sight in one eye…then the other. When a spinal tap confirmed multiple sclerosis was tearing through his body, he and his wife Pattie, a registered nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital, closed the gym.
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Despite the onset of MS, the couple thought about re-opening the gym, but physicians warned Daryl. "They said, 'Your MS is going to get worse; your symptoms will get worse. You're going to get tired,'" Kucera recalled, adding that no one really knows if MS will worsen or stay mild on a case by case basis. Sticking with his job at FDR, Daryl went ahead with reopening his gym after a couple months and worked out there with the athletes. When his sight returned, Kucera believed his MS was under control. It returned in March 2002. "It took out my entire right side," he said. Eventually, he wound up in a motorized wheelchair. Once more, he closed the gym and reopened it after another two-month absence. Determined to not let MS get the better of him, Kucera returned to working out. As he did, he noticed something—the workouts didn’t cancel out the symptoms of MS, but they appeared to slow them down. Kucera mentioned this to Mary Filipi, a nurse practitioner who was caring for him at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. "He told me, 'I've been going to the gym and working out and that's what's improved everything. It worked for me, do you think it would work for anyone else?'" Filipi remembered, who noted that doctors were saying that a person with a neurological disease should not stress their body, exercise, nor get overheated lest they accelerate symptoms.
STORY BY MIKE WHYE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK
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Wondering if Daryl might be onto something, Filipi, who has a PhD in neurological science, sent six people with MS to Kucera’s gym. There, with the aid of a physical therapist, he modified workout programs for them. Most importantly, Filipi told Kucera that he must monitor how everyone fared. Gradually, Kucera upped the ante by encouraging 20 people to participate in the program, then he had 36 people and, after a year, participants numbered 96 in all. Kucera’s records showed that those who exercised did much better than those who didn't, observed Filipi. "So, I would send my patients there," she said. "There were a lot of people and providers, even today, who say you can't do that but Daryl showed them you can do that and you should do that. He's held fast to this belief and that's why he did what he did.” At the time, Kucera began to wonder what happens to individuals with MS once their therapy is complete. Insurance companies tell people with MS that the individuals don't have any more coverage after a while, he said, and the therapy departments tell the patients there is not much more that can be done for them. "So, we modified our gym and began working with individuals with MS in May of 2003," Kucera said, who left FDR shortly after. He renamed the gym MSforward to stress its new emphasis and made it a 501(c)3 entity. Now, it's the only facility in the nation to handle MS like this. About 75% of the people using the gym during the daytime have MS or another debilitating disease. The gym, which is open six days a week, was relocated to a strip mall at 13530 Discovery Dr. in Millard in 2016, and still works with athletes in the evenings. As he spoke in the gym recently, Kucera was occasionally nuzzled by his white lab, Vander, who has something of a soothing old soul personality which endears him to those visiting the gym. Because of what he's been through, Kucera, who's 60, said he can relate to anyone who comes into the gym. // 64 //
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"The illness wants to take you down, down, down," Daryl explained. "Maybe you can lift five pounds, six pounds and now seven pounds. Even if you're at five pounds for 20 years and you maintain that. Then we've done a good thing." Patrice Gorup began going to MS Forward last October to help with his primary lateral sclerosis, an ultra-rare disease that affects about 2,000 in the U.S. He was officially diagnosed in 2018, although he had sensed earlier that it was subtly affecting his balance, dexterity, and strength. On Mondays, he has a private one-hour session at the gym with a trainer. "We work on eye-hand coordination, cardio (exercises) and I'm working at getting stronger so risk hurting myself or breaking a bone if I fall," Gorup said. He also attends a Friday group session. "We do an exercise and always have a group share," Gorup continued. "There's a social component to what we do. You share your stories, tell about what helps us, muscle tightness, baths, and so on." Evaluations show Gorup is holding his own against PLS and has improved in some areas. "That's highly unusual for a degenerative disease and I attribute that to my attitude of being positive and grateful for what I have,” Gorup said. He said is also grateful for what Kucera has done with the gym—plus the physical therapists, occupational therapists, and occupational therapist assistants who work at MSforward. After hearing about MSforward, a woman from Texas who could not stand or walk came to exercise in the gym. "After two weeks, she stood without help and took a few steps,” Filipi said. "She was crying, her husband was crying, everyone was crying." Meagan Murphy, who graduated this spring from Creighton University with a doctorate of occupational therapy, said that she
was attracted to work for the gym by the positivity that exists there. "There's a passion that shines when you walk through the facility, how unique and different it is," the Minnesota native said. "It's different from how health care practitioners think." Kucera said, "Our biggest component is the person. Everyone else, be that the doctors, the pharmas, they look at the illness. We treat the person, not the illness. They need laughter, community, and they need much more than just working with their illness." MSforward has broadened its scope beyond its original dealings with MS, expanding to help people with dementia, Parkinsons, ataxia, and sight impairment. The gym also hosts video conferences to reach people across the country. While insurance does not pay for MSforward to help people, the gym has raised money to help, tallying up $500,000 over the past four years, Filipi said, who writes grants and helps with fund-raising. MSforward also works individually with patients about expenses. Beyond grants, Mary has enlisted University of Nebraska–Lincoln engineering students to design exercise machines to augment what's at the gym. Recently, they won a competition held by the International Consortium of MS Centers with three inventions: a wheel chair with flippers on it to "kick" the ball, a horizontal hip sled which is a workout machine, and a cardio-exercise machine that accommodates wheelchairs. "Nobody had anything like them in the world," Filipi noted. As for what Kucera has done in the last 20 years, Filipi said, "He's very special, not just to the world but to MS. He said people with MS don't have disabilities. They have challenges. He's also said your day is not complete until you have done something for someone who can't pay you back." Visit msforward.org for more information.
"The illness wants to take you down, down, down. Maybe you can lift five pounds, six pounds and now seven pounds. Even if you're at five pounds for 20 years and you maintain that. Then we've done a good thing." -
Daryl Kucera
S
alt anctuaries
OBVIOUSLY OMAHA // STORY BY NATALIE VELOSO // DESIGN BY RACHEL BIRDSALL
Heal with Halotherapy at Six Omaha Spas The tranquil trend of salt spas has found its way to Omaha. For those seeking a unique wellness experience, these serene spaces introduce halotherapy, or salt therapy, used to induce relaxation and improve breathing. The inhalation of minuscule salt particles is an alternative approach for respiratory issues like asthma, bronchitis, and cough. These salt-based experiences around the city offer a healthy taste of serenity.
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SALT & SPA
7822 Wakeley Plaza, Omaha, NE 68114 saltandspa.com
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Unwind in Salt & Spa's salt room, a haven of tranquility designed to cleanse and revitalize with natural salt air. The adult salt room features illuminated Himalayan salt bricks and soothing music, fostering an idyllic setting for relaxation, meditation, and yoga for up to eight participants. The children’s salt room is adorned with salt flooring and play-friendly toys. Open: Monday—Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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FLOAT DISTRICT
12744 Westport Pkwy Ste. 1F, La Vista, NE 68138 floatdistrict.com Float District offers a range of therapies, but the spotlight is on their novel halotherapy rooms. Halo-IR booths offer a perk: members’ children enjoy free halotherapy. The offer extends to the Halo sauna for children 12 and older, merging halotherapy and infrared benefits with a halogenerator. Open: Monday—Saturday 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., “Wacky Wednesdays” 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment only.
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SKILLED TOUCH HEALTH AND HEALING
11844 Standing Stone Dr #200 Gretna, NE 68028 Skilledtouchhealth.com Of the specialized therapies offered at Skilled Touch, dry salt therapy is ideal when your need for healing is multifaceted. With the use of a halogenerator, pure microscopic salt particles are dispersed via aerosol into a salt booth. This works to address respiratory concerns and skin conditions. For best results, Skilled Touch recommends a series of treatments. Open: Tuesday & Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
TRUE REST FLOAT SPA
390 N 14th St, Council Bluffs, IA 51501 truerest.com True REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy) takes a different salt-infused approach—flotation therapy. It presents a zero-gravity environment where the mind and body can wholly unwind. Using 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts, the water's buoyancy emulates a sensation of weightlessness. This flotation therapy dissipates pressure points on the body, offering pain relief of up to 100%. Open: Monday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Tuesday—Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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VALO WELLNESS SPA
120 Regency Pkwy Suite 104, Omaha, NE 68114 valowellnessspa.com Valo presents the Wellness Playground, or touchless treatments lasting 15-25 minutes on zero-gravity loungers. The Halo/Infrared Heated Salt service utilizes heat waves to warm your body and stimulate the immune, lymphatic, and cardiovascular systems. This combined with halotherapy is especially beneficial for respiratory and skin issues. Open: Monday—Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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SAKOON THE SPA
1529 S. 203rd St. Omaha, NE 68130 sakoonthespa.com Drawing from the Urdu term for serenity, the spa offers a variety of facials, massages, and treatments that begin with the Himalayan salt relaxation room. Unwind with the Himalayan salt crystal massage, enjoying benefits like reduced blood pressure and balanced electrolytes. Open: Monday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday—Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday—Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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SECTION // NAMES
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r y o t s i H o Inn & i t ova STORY tamsen butler PHOTOGRAPHY bill sitzmann DESIGN rachel birdsall
// 66 // NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
The B & G ‘Baddie Melt’: Ground Beef, Onions, and Melted Cheese on Between Sliced, Toasted Bread.
Dining Feature B&G
Tasty Foods is so much more than an eatery—it’s a playground of memories for countless Omaha natives. Originally opened in 1953, this loose-meat sandwich shop’s popularity ebbed and flowed for years and exchanged hands more than once. And though the years passed, the love affair Omaha had with the tasty recollections of B&G Tasty Foods never seemed to wane. “It was one of those rites of passage as a young Omahan,” explained Nick Bartholomew, local restaurateur and new owner of B&G Tasty Foods. “If you were with your family, and you were in that area, even if it was past lunch, you made an excuse to go to B&G and enjoy some family time together. It really put whatever you did that day behind you because there was always something on that menu that someone could enjoy.” Though the location has changed (its new storefront is located at Nebraska Crossing), Bartholomew still gets to enjoy the reminiscing that customers often share when they stop by to eat. “I can tell you that nearly every day goes by, someone walks in and says, ‘In ’67, I was one of the original carhops….’ It’s stories from people who lived it, even 10 years before I was born, this was this guy’s first job,” he relayed. Bartholomew was thrilled to bring B&G back to Omaha. When it closed back in 2019, he already knew he wanted to put in an offer to buy.
COOKED UP IN THE SAME POT
“Not only is it fun to be able to resurrect that and hear those stories,” he continued. “But I knew, ‘You better get this right and take it seriously—it’s not something you’ve done before.’” Typically known for his culinary innovation, taking on a legendary Omaha eatery—and trying to keep the recipes the same to honor the menu’s history—was a new endeavor for him. “For the people who’ve had experiences at B&G, it’s not just about food. It’s never just been about food; it’s been about that shared experience and the creation of culture,” Bartholomew said. “It’s about Omaha being able to count on something no matter what’s going on around us." How did Bartholomew and his staff get the recipe to taste like the food everyone so fondly remembered? “It was hard,” he admitted. “I wanted to get it right, that was the new challenge—to make sure that this was a pretty intricate recipe, and it took us a couple of years to get it right.” When the sandwiches just weren’t turning out NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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DINING FEATURE // B&G TASTY FOODS: WHEN HISTORY AND INNOVATION COLLIDE
right, Bartholomew brought in previous owner Eddie Morin to show them how it should be done. “I finally had the previous owner standing next to me and videotape him doing it. It was one of those things that was elusive for me,” Bartholomew confessed. “Now we’ve got to a point where we nailed it.” Morin, who bought B&G in 2009 after working there and falling in love with the place, said that when he came to teach Bartholomew and his crew how to properly make the loose meat sandwiches, he brought along B&G’s old head chef, Eric Shew. Shew’s chef history with B&G predates Morin’s, and “he always understood the food,” Morin added. It turned out that the key element Bartholomew and his team were missing was one very important factor of the meat preparation. “You get into a position where you feel like, ‘Oh, I’ve got this, it’s just a recipe. My grandma gave me thousands of these.’ But the truth is, we screwed it up before we got it right,” Bartholomew revealed. “We didn’t screw it up at this location. Within the pop-ups and those kinds of things, where we were trying to get our footing and see if this was something that was really going to draw people. We wanted to know if it would have the same appeal that it had in 1971 as it does now.” They’d been erring with one simple but important step— they were cooking the sauce separate from the meat. But it was a lightbulb moment when they realized that, of course, a recessionary food like loose meat sandwiches would be made in one big pot instead of prepared separately and then combined. Once Morin and Shew showed them the correct way to prepare the meat, everything fell into place. And, with that, the B&G Tasty Beef Sandwich was back in business. The move to Nebraska Crossing was largely because the location simply made more sense than the original storefront at Beverly Hills Plaza. With only one cash register and no drive-thru at the original spot, and rent that was surprisingly high, “it was going to be detrimental to its health if that didn’t change,” Bartholomew said. “Although we loved the location, the truth of B&G is, if there was going to be an evolution, it had to start with us, and we had to pull the Band-Aid off right away,” he continued. “We knew we weren’t going to go back to Beverly Hills Plaza, but we started looking for areas, you know spots around that area we could take on and we felt confident we’d find one." In fact, Bartholomew’s idea that B&G had to move to succeed was one of the main reasons Morin sold to him. Morin was courted by a variety of prospective buyers—some who traveled from as far as the West Coast to propose a buy. “They all wanted to keep everything the same,” Morin noted. “Nick was younger and had a better vision. It needed to be moved; Nick was the only one who seemed to get that.” Morin liked the idea that Bartholomew only wanted to buy the B&G brand, not the space. For Morin, who had also explored moving the restaurant’s location prior to making the decision to sell, Bartholomew was the only prospective buyer who understood what it would take to allow this Omaha favorite to flourish in a new era.
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It helped Morin to know that B&G would be in good hands, with a local restauranteur with demonstrated success. Ultimately, that made it easier to let go. “It’s not my baby,” Morin said, who was the fourth B&G owner in the history of the eatery. “I was the caretaker. I wanted to hand it off. I wanted Omaha to have a B&G.” Nowadays, Morin cheers on Bartholomew’s efforts from afar. “I wish them the best success. I just don’t want to run it,” he said. “Still, to this day, Eddie’s been on the spot to show us any recipe we need, day or night,” Bartholomew noted. “He’s a phenomenal human being.” While Bartholomew has proven his resolve toward honoring B&G’s history and Omaha’s love for the food by sticking with the original recipes, he’s also true to his welldocumented nature as a culinary innovator and has introduced some new menu items to complement the classic menu. “The idea now is this is going to be the evolution of B&G,” Bartholomew explained. “What carries us forward as a concept? What gets us to the next levels of what we need to be for Omaha?”
“The bourbon caramel ice cream will change your life—I mean, truly,” he said. “It’s 7.5 to 8.5% ABV so you will feel its presence. We use a nice bourbon in that and there’s one that we do for all the horchata that’s absolutely fantastic.”
It was hard. I wanted to get it right, that was the new challenge. —Nick Bartholomew
Bartholomew and his team are also working on ways to make the food more accessible. “If you want them premade with fries and condiments on the side, it’s ready. If you want it in a hot setting in a catering dish where your guests can walk down a buffet line and be more presentable like that, no problem,” he said. "If want it frozen and sent to Portland, ME, we got you. "I think that’s the next step. Moving forward with the other locations, the event style, community style creation of this is bigger than just food feeling. Because truly, B&G represents, at least in my mind and in the minds of other Omahans, this feeling of family.” With plans in the works for new B&G locations throughout Omaha, including the old Over Easy location on Q Street, it’s likely the Metro will soon witness the resurgence of this beloved brand—and the triumphant return of Omaha’s original Home of the Loose Meat Sandwich.
His introduction of alcohol-based ice cream has proven a welcome addition.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich Served with Lettuce, Pickles, and ‘Comeback Sauce.’
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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STORY david zorko PHOTOGRAPHY bill sitzmann DESIGN rachel birdsall
"That interview was the 'you make it [on the show] or you don’t' deal-breaker." -Brett Geiger
e l i f o r p f e h c
T
he pop-hiss of an air brake, a streak of headlights, and bright colors pausing curbside often indicates the arrival of a bus. However, if the sign swings out to reveal not a stop sign, but a pizza perpendicular to the driver, then something tasty has arrived on the scene: Izzy’s Pizza Bus. Helming the wheel—and the ovens within—is Brett Geiger, the pizzaiolo behind the airy, flavorful, Detroit-style pies that brown to perfection in an 8”x10” trapezoidal, flared pan. Brett’s journey in the bus, otherwise known as ‘Vincent,’ didn’t begin in Omaha. It first roared to life in Las Vegas, Nevada, when Brett was a member of the Cirque du Soleil backstage staff. While in Sin City, Geiger began making pizzas on the side because he felt pizza had become too expensive and he wanted to make it for himself. He learned from Tony Gemignani’s book The Pizza Bible and podcasts such as “What’s Good Dough?” As he moved forward in pizza, he scaled Cirque back to part time. The bus’ official birthday was October 3, 2019, with its first pizza
“There was a lot more hype than we expected,” Cherish said. “It was much more well-received than I thought,” Brett added. Both Geigers theorized that the Omaha populace may already have their favorite pizza spots locked in, but as it turned out, the city craved variety. At that first event, the crew “sold out in 45 minutes, with a huge line, like 20 minutes before we opened,” Brett recalled. Both the Geigers and their inspired take on pizza have won the heart of Stacy Winters, who oversees the active and influential Omaha Food Lovers Facebook group.
d r a o b A All
S ' Y IZZ S U B A Z Z PI
emerging from the ovens for sale that day, but as Brett stated, “It barely left; it was such a terrible day. I had no idea on how to operate, I built the bus for fun [and] I had this grand idea of showing up…not really prepping anything. It was a big, big learning day.” However, that sputtering start became a lifeline to Brett, wife Cherish, and daughter Izzy (for whom the business is named). As COVID hit in 2020, Cirque performances were halted, but the bus was permitted to continue via contactless pickup. During this time, Izzy’s started to gain traction in Las Vegas, until a desire to be closer to family brought the bus to Omaha in July, 2022. Omaha’s introduction to Geiger’s saucetopped pizzas occurred on July 15 of that year at the Bearded Brewer.
“Brett and Cherish are some of the most down-toearth people— you can’t help but root for them!” Winters exclaimed. “Izzy’s is some of the best pizza in Omaha! That focaccia-like crust and caramelized, crispy cheese edge is otherworldly…”
Outside Omaha, those cheesy Detroit-style pies haven’t escaped notice. On September 8, 2023, Brett and the bus premiered on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives hosted by Guy Fieri. Their television debut was originally shaping up in Las Vegas, with Geiger contacted by DDD a few months before moving to Omaha. At that time, likely due to the move, the production team chose not to proceed, and the emails in Brett’s inbox faded into memory. Geiger recalled that he felt “blessed that I had that email once in my life.”
A preliminary interview was scheduled and conducted, followed by a second to discuss recipes—the made-from-scratch sauce chosen by daughter Izzy, the house-made ranch, and the freshly shredded cheese selection (along with the story behind the bus itself ). That interview was the “you make it [on the show] or you don’t” deal-breaker, Geiger relayed. A few weeks later, in early May, 2023, the “you made it” was heard over the Geigers’ receiver. Izzy’s Pizza Bus was going to share parking with Triple D’s red 1968 Camaro, and Brett was going to share time in front of the ovens with Guy Fieri. Geiger and Fieri’s first meeting transpired during filming—unscripted, and “nerve wracking…the adrenaline was through the roof—I think I blacked out for part of it. I know that I made dough in front of him, but I don’t remember making it,” Geiger recalled. A seemingly foregone opportunity became reality as the Geigers were able to view the results during an open house watch party at the bus’ Trucks and Taps home base, located at 5402 S 108th St in Omaha. Geiger pulled out a piping hot ‘Honeypeño Pizza’, with its mozzarella/brick cheese blend, pepperoni, house-pickled jalapeños, red sauce, parmesan, and a generous drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey for good measure. He also cooked up a ‘Miss Mona,’ which included a medley of delectable toppings, including: pulled chicken, diced bacon, and house-made ranch. Brett and Cherish spoke of Fieri’s character, noting that he was “genuine” and even went over to greet daughter Izzy before interacting with the rest of the Izzy's staff. Geiger’s pizza accolades and recognition are well deserved; the heart, quality, and care shine through with every bite of the puffy, cheesy, crispy, frico-edged rectangular pies. Brett is focused on his craft, and Cherish is his constant partner—making pizzas, and helping customers while honoring daughter Izzy with every order. When those big red letters atop a big red and yellow bus arrive…there’s a chance the tantalizing aroma of pizza may follow. If so, the only corners cut are to frame the pie. But passengers be warned—there’s no seatbelts on Izzy’s Pizza Bus, and there’s no stops between that first bite and a newfound craving. For more information, visit izzyspizzabus. com. Dave Zorko is the host of the “Faturday Omaha”podcast and radio show.
Then, a fresh email arrived in March of 2023. Brett read it while sitting on the couch with Cherish, and he looked at her and said, “You’re never going to guess the email I just got.”
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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Dining Review
A Fusion
I t E F S A Global Flavors Converge on the Corner Kitchen
Chilango Burrito: A flour tortilla stuffed with beef barbacoa, longaniza, bacon, sweet corn, rice, pico de gallo, beans, matcha mayo, and cacahuate salsa.
STORY sara wiebold PHOTOGRAPHY sarah lemke DESIGN rachel birdsall
J
ust off I-80 in South Omaha an unassuming strip mall on the corner of 50th and Q holds a delectable secret—a food sanctuary producing consistent, unmatched flavors you won’t find anywhere else, The Corner Kitchen. Self-described as Mexican street food with global influences, this restaurant lives up to its ethos, offering a delightful fusion of Mexican, Asian, American, Caribbean, and Latin dishes all under one roof.
Quesa-Burria Taco: Beef birria garnished with cilantro, onion, and jalapeño peppers in a fried tortilla.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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DINING REVIEW
A
s soon as you walk in, you're greeted by an inviting atmosphere, with custom art pieces matching their menus hanging on the walls. The interior features around 10 cozy tables, a counter for ordering, and a big chalkboard menu that dominates the scene. The upbeat Hispanic music playing in the background sets the perfect mood for an exciting dining experience. You order at the counter when ready and the kitchen thoughtfully courses out each dish, made to order.
The menu at The Corner Kitchen is a masterpiece of creativity, freshness, execution, and beautiful plating. Its varied options provide guests with combinations where flavors play harmoniously together, often with unexpected twists. Take, for instance, the Chipotle Miso Ramen: chipotle-seasoned chicken breast, oyster mushrooms, bok choy, miso broth, and a perfectly jammy egg. The miso broth introduces an umami-adobo flavor that elevates the dish to new heights, and the ramen noodles strike an ideal balance between firm and chewy. They cater to vegetarian, vegan, and glutenfree guests, their selections not only abundant but enticing a to a number of palates and preferences. Among these options, the Korean Equites stands out—a cheesy dish featuring fresh corn with a hint of chili oil. The Elote Tots, served crispy with a generous smothering of sriracha mayo and cotija cheese, are a must-try. The burrito selection is eclectic, blending and rolling various culinary influences into flavor-packed flour tortillas. The Nashville Hot Chicken Burrito, a twist on the trendy southern sandwich, comes with mango slaw, rice, and salsa macha, balancing heat and flavor. Another standout is the Chilango, featuring Beef barbacoa, longaniza, sweet corn, rice, and cacahuate salsa—a flavor explosion that leaves you craving more. My only regret was not asking for more salsa for my leftovers.
A recurring theme of the Corner Kitchen menu is the combination of unexpected flavors that and textures merge seamlessly to create a complete, cosmopolitan culinary experience. Don't pass up the opportunity to try their tacos with handmade corn tortillas, especially on Taco Tuesday. The Korean Pork Tacos are a personal favorite, combining sweet, savory, smoky, and spicy elements, topped with a crunchy Korean coleslaw, green onions, and black sesame seeds. Another plus—all the salsas are served on the side with limes, allowing you to easily tailor each bite to your liking. For the dessert course, The Corner Kitchen continued to impress with its sweet offerings. I savored the Elote Flan, a delightful creation featuring a corn-flavored custard paired with luscious caramel ice cream. Flan, like so many other desserts, is often considered an art form, and was expertly executed here—light yet rich, with a simple yet elegant combination of ingredients that provided both comfort and luxury. The velvety sweet corn custard harmonized beautifully with the rich caramel ice cream, creating a medley of flavors. Unable to resist temptation, I also indulged in the ‘Chocoflan’, a decadent treat combining chocolate cake with velvety vanilla custard—a perfect choice for those who may be hesitant about the corn custard. Both desserts shone brightly, but my heart leaned toward the Elote Flan for its unique and unforgettable flavor profile.
What's even more commendable is their commitment to showcasing local farmers on the menu, making it not only a great deal for your taste buds but also a meaningful investment in the community. // 74 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Presentation at The Corner Kitchen is yet another standout feature. Whether it's a single taco, a heaping bowl of ramen, or a side of Elote tots, everything is plated beautifully, turning every meal into a visual delight. The price points represent an amazing value considering the quality of the dining experience offered. What's even more commendable is their commitment to showcasing local farmers on the menu, making it not only a great deal for your taste buds but also a meaningful investment in the community. The Corner Kitchen's convenient hours, from 11am to 9pm, ensure that no matter your schedule, you can savor their delicious offerings. The menu remains consistent throughout the day, with specials that change regularly. For those seeking a beverage to accompany their meal, the restaurant offers a selection of Mexican beers, seltzers, and rotating frozen drinks, often featuring seasonal margaritas. Remarkably, this restaurant has been open for just a year and a half, yet it's already making waves in Omaha's culinary scene by pushing the boundaries with their unique combinations of styles and flavors. With its creative and delicious dishes, it's a must-visit destination for anyone looking to embark on a culinary adventure that borders and expectations alike. For more information, visit facebook.com/ cornerkitchenoma.
COR N ER K ITCH EN
4 2 1 8 S . 5 0 T H S T. I 5 3 1 . 2 1 3 . 24 8 9
FOOD SERVICE AM BIANCE OVERALL 5 STARS POSSI B LE
Taco Platter: Featuring the Qusa-Birria Taco (top left), the Quesadilla Taco (middle), the Korean Pork Taco (bottom left), and the Siracha Chicken Taco
- Sponsored Content -
Omaha
DINING GUIDE AMERICAN BARREL & VINE- $$ 1311 South 203rd St., Omaha, NE 68130 - 402.504.1777
Barrel and Vine’s restaurant is an elevated food experience that is made from scratch daily with love in our kitchen. Our menu combines a mixture of Chef driven creative dishes, craveable comfort meals and premium Nebraska steaks. Barrel & Vine also doubles as a live music venue and offers a rooftop bar, outdoor patio with firepits, and dozens of high end bourbons, scotch, and over 100 wine selections. Come check out an experience that is like nothing else in Nebraska. Open 7 days a week. —bvomaha.com
DJ’S DUGOUT SPORTS BAR - $ Seven Metro Area Locations: Bellevue - 10308 S. 23rd St. - 402.292.9096 Miracle Hills - 777 N. 114th St. - 402.498.8855 Downtown - 1003 Capitol Ave. - 402.763.9974 Aksarben - 2102 S. 67th St. - 402.933.3533 Millard - 17666 Welch Plaza - 402.933.8844 Elkhorn - 19020 Evans St. - 402.315.1985 Plattsmouth - 2405 Oak Hill Rd. - 402.298.4166
Voted Omaha’s #1 Sports Bar, DJ’s Dugout is locally and Vietnam Veteran owned. DJ’s Dugout features delicious burgers, wings, wraps, salads, sandwiches and an impressive drink menu. Plus, DJ’s has huge media walls full of HD TVs and projector screens. Catch all the action at DJ’s seven Omaha-area locations. Dig In... At The Dugout! —djsdugout.com
JAMS- $$ 7814 Dodge St. - 402.399.8300 17070 Wright Plz, Ste. 100 - 402.810.9600 1101 Harney St. in the OldMarket - 402.614.9333
TED AND WALLY’S - $ 1120 Jackson St. - 402.341.5827 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. Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.- Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday. Noon-10 p.m. —tedandwallys.com
Jams is an Omaha restaurant legacy, an “American Grill” that offers a melting pot of different styles and varieties. The dishes are made with high-quality ingredients that pair well with awardwinning wines or creative cocktails. —jamseats.com
LE PEEP - $ 69th & Pacific - 402.933.2776 177th and Center St. - 402.934.9914 156th St. & W. Dodge Rd. - 402.408.1728 120th and Blondo St. - 402.991.8222
Le Peep puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood breakfast and 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 p.m. —lepeepomaha.com
STELLA’S - $ 106 S. Galvin Road, Bellevue - 402.291.6088
Since 1936, we’ve been making our world-famous Stella’s hamburgers the same way. The family secrets have been handed down to each owner, ensuring that your burger is the same as the one you fell in love with the first time you tried Stella’s. And if it’s your first time, we know you’ll be back! Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday. —stellasbarandgrill.com
VARSITY SPORTS CAFE - $$ Ralston - 9735 Q St. - 402.339.1944 Bellevue - 3504 Samson Way - 402.932.1944 Millard - 14529 F St. - 402.505.6660 Ralston, Bellevue and Millard. We are truly grateful to have been welcomed into each of these communities and welcome you in for good food, a cold drink and a comfy seat to enjoy the sport of your choosing! Determined to bring only the freshest ingredients, homemade dough and our specialty sauces to the table, we have worked hard to perfect our craft for you. Our goal is to bring the best food service to the area and show the best sports events that you want to see. Pick up and Delivery availalble. Please check website for hours of operation. —varsityromancoinpizza.com
VOTED OMAHA'S #1 SPORTS BAR! Sports Bar
20232 WINNER
2023 1 Place st
Sports Bar
2024 First Place
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
7 OMAHA METRO AREA LOCATIONS | DJSDUGOUT.COM |
Omaha
DINING GUIDE I TA L I A N
Get a Little Get Saucy.
PASTA AMORE - $$ 11027 Prairie Brook Rd. - 402.391.2585 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 osso buco. 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. Monday-Thursday 9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 10 p.m. Reservations recommended. —pastaamore.com
a Little Saucy.
SPEZIA SPECIALTIES
FRESH SEAFOOD • ANGUS BEEF INNOVATIVE PASTA • RISOTTO SPEZIA SPECIALTIES WOOD FIRE•STEAKS & SEAFOOD GNOCCHI FRESH SALMON DAILY INNOVATIVE PASTA—RISOTTO—GNOCCHI FRESH SALMON DAILY
SATURDAY LUNCH [11am–4 pm]
Open 7 Days a Week for Lunch & Dinner
$10
SPECIAL FALL/ WINTER DINING OFF ANY TICKET OVER $25 NO CASH VALUE. EXPIRES 12/31/2011 FEATURES Catering
COCKTAIL HOUR Join us for your
MONDAY – SATURDAY next lunch date or 4 – 6 PM ALLlunch COCK TAILS, GL ASS WINE meeting! AND BEERS ARE HALF PRICE
. Private Rooms•.402-391-2950 Walk-Ins Welcome CALL FOR Party RESERVATIONS 3125 South 72
Street
CENTRAL LOCATION • 3125 SOUTH 72ND STREET • nd EASY ACCESS OFF I-80 • 72ND STREET EXIT
(Easy access off I-80, take 72nd Street Exit)
402.391.2950 . Call today to make your reservation
Hamburger
thanks to our customers for voting us the
SPEZIA - $$$ 3125 S. 72nd St. - 402.391.2950 Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you’ll find a casual elegance that ’s perfect for business guests, get-togethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily. Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary/Lovers’ Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and wood-fired grill. Open Monday-Sunday. Cocktail hour 4- 6 p.m., when all cocktails, glasses of wine, and beers are half price. Evening reservations recommended. —speziarestaurant.com
“BEST BURGER
IN OMAHA 2023 First Place
“Serving World Famous Hamburgers Since 1936”
106 GALVIN RD., BELLEVUE, NE • 402-291-6088 • OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY, 11 AM - 9 PM
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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Historical Facts
Ice Cream
ROTELLA Second Generation
1967 Louis Rotella Sr. of Rotella’s Italian Bakery introduces sliced bread and plastic packaging in 1967, new innovations for an Italian bakery at the time. This allowed the bread to stay fresh longer, hence the phrase, “best thing since sliced bread”.
2023 First Place
n Sandwi ube ch Re
Since 1921 Celebrating over 100 Years of Baking Excellence! Bakery
2023 First Place
Louis Rotella Sr. 1967-Age 40
rotellasbakery.com
Rotella History Nov/Dec2023 Lou Sr Omaha Mag ad.indd 1 ek Dining Gre
2023 First Place
Family Owned Since 1983 CATERING / PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE HOMEMADE, FRESH FOOD, ALWAYS. 3821 Center St. / 402.346.1528 GreekIslandsOmaha.com
// 78 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
2023 First Place
Voted Omaha’s Best Reuben 12 Years In A Row! Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers. 3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com
9/22/23 1:03 PM
Gracias Omaha for Voting Us Best Mexican Restaurant & Best Chimichanga!
xican Dining Me
ichanga Chim
2023 Winner
2023 Winner
Four METRO Locations! 3 90th & Blondo 402.391.8870 3 146th & Center 402.330.4160 3 96th & L 402.331.5656 3 Galvin & Avery 402.292.2028
www.romeosOMAHA.com
Omaha
DINING GUIDE Breakfast
day Brunch Sun
MEXICAN Staff & Servi ce ait W
2023 First Place
2023 First Place
2023 First Place
156th & Dodge • 408-1728 177th & Center • 934-9914 120th & Blondo • 991-8222 69th & Pacific • 933-2776
Thanks for Voting Us # BREAKFAST YEARS in a Row!
15
1
Drive-Thru Open (Center St. Only) Open Daily 6:30am-2:00pm Serving Breakfast & Lunch All Day!
LEPEEPOMAHA.COM | @LEPEEPOMAHA
FERNANDO’S - $ 7555 Pacific St. - 402.339.8006. 380 N. 114th St. - 402.330.5707
Featuring Sonoran-style cooking made fresh daily. Catering and party rooms also available. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.- 11 p.m., Sunday 4-9 p.m. —fernandosomaha.com
LA MESA - $$ 158th St. and W. Maple Rd. - 402.557.6130 156th and Q streets - 402.763.2555 110th St. and W. Maple Rd. - 402.496.1101 Fort Crook Rd. and Hwy 370 - 402.733.8754 84th St. and Tara Plaza - 402.593.0983 Lake Manawa Exit - 712.256.2762
Enjoy awesome appetizers, excellent enchilada’s, fabulous fajitas, seafood specialties, mouthwatering margaritas and much more at La Mesa! Come see why La Mesa has been voted Best of Omaha’s 20 Years in a Row! Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. —lamesaomaha.com
h Steak ouse
2023 First Place
@The Drover Restaurant & Lounge | Gift Cards Available 2121 S. 73 St. | (402) 391-7440 | DroverRestaurant.com Lunch M-F 11am-2pm | Dinner M-F 5pm-10 PM Sat 4:30pm-10:30pm • Sun 4:30pm-9pm | Lounge M-F Cocktails Only 2-5pm
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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Omaha
DINING GUIDE ROMEO’S MEXICAN FOOD AND PIZZA - $ 90th and Blondo streets - 402.391.8870 146th St. and W. Center Rd. - 402.330.4160 96th and L streets - 402.331.5656 Galvin and Avery roads - 402.292.2028 29th and Farnam steets - 402.346.1110
Romeo’s is your friendly, family Mexican food and pizza restaurant. We take real pride in serving our guests generous portions of the freshest, most flavorful dishes made with the finest ingredients available. Zesty seasonings and the freshest ingredients combine to ensure the ultimate in flavor. Our savory taco meat is prepared every morning at each location. Make sure to try our chimichangas; they’re the best in town. —romeosomaha.com
SPECIAL DINING BARROCO WINE BAR AND CRAFT COCKTAILS - $$ 2935 South 108th St. - 402.885.8185 (Next to Christian Nobel Furs)
Barroco Wine Bar and Craft Cocktails is an upscale bar with an authentic European vibe. Choose from over 200 wines by the bottle, 40 wines by the glass, classic craft cocktails, beer, locally sourced pizza, charcuterie, and other light bites to compliment your beverage experience. —barrocowinebar.com
CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $ 3578 Farnam St. - 402.345.1708
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: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kitchen hours: MondayWednesday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.midnight. Closed Sunday. —beercornerusa.com
GREEK ISLANDS - $ 3821 Center St. - 402.346.1528
Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. We are well-known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests. Carry-out and delivery available. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. —greekislandsomaha.com
STEAKHOUSES CASCIO’S - $$ 1620 S. 10th St. - 402-345-8313
Cascio’s is Omaha’s No. 1 steakhouse. We have been serving Omaha for 69 years. We feature steaks, chops, seafood, and Italian specialties. We have seven private party rooms, seating for up to 400 people, and plenty of parking. —casciossteakhouse.com
THE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - $$$ 2121 S. 73rd St. - 402-391-7440 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. LUNCH: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., DINNER: Monday-Friday 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m., Sunday 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m., LOUNGE: Monday-Friday Cocktails only 2 p.m.-5 p.m. —droverrestaurant.com
ZEN COFFEE COMPANY - $ West - 132nd and Center Downtown - 25th and Farnam One Pacific Place - Drive Thru Kiosk next to Trader Joes
Zen features over 50 popular drink options including Butter Beer, Honey Bee, Lavender Lady and Sunshine Daydream. Choose from hot or iced lattes, blenders, fruit smoothies and teas! Grab a flight or double cup to try the seasonal features! Delicious pastries and toasts made in house daily. —zencoffeecompany.com
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Omaha’s Riverfront Entertainment Venue
168th & •West WEDDINGS PARTIESCenter • EVENTS 11th & Harney motsomaha.com
JAMS OLD MARKET • 1101 Harney St • Happy Hour M-F 3pm-6pm
JAMS MIDTOWN • 7814 West Dodge Road • Sunday Brunch 10am-2pm •
meetings • parties • catering
Call Michelle at 402-676-2214
JAMS LEGACY • 17070 Wright Plaza • Party Rooms & Patios • jamseats.com
OR email events@cutchallmanagement.com
Serving Omaha for 77 Years
STEAKS • CHOPS • SEAFOOD ITALIAN SPECIALTIES 7 private party rooms Seating up to 400 Lots of parking
h Steak ouse
h Steak ouse
2022 Winner
2023 Winner
1620 S. 10th Street
402-345-8313
www.casciossteakhouse.com
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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explore.
come and
LE T’S PLAN A ROAD TRIP!
COMPILED BY Claudia Moomey
DAYTR IPS I N NE BRA SKA, I OW A , K AN SA S, M I SSOURI , & SOU T H DA K OT A NEBRASKA
CURRY CL ASH 2023 November 2 at Lancaster County Event Center The
the biggest vendor show for holiday shopping in Southeast Nebraska and North Central Kansas. 402.300.1139 —frostfrolic.org
Asian Community and Cultural Center is holding its 9th annual ZOO LIGH T S November 24— Curry Clash. Attendees can Dec December 30 at the Lincoln enjoy a wide variety of curryChildren’s Zoo in Lincoln Kids inspired tastes from Lincoln and adults alike can get in the chefs. There will be a smidholiday spirit with Zoo Lights gin for everyone from savory powered by LES. The Zoo will be to sweet, mild to four-alarm spicy. transformed into one of the largAttendees will be able to vote for est lights displays in the midwest. their favorite taste and support the This experience will include a 40 ft. work of empowering new Americans Christmas tree, over 30 lit animal in Lincoln. 402.441.6545 silhouettes, holiday train rides, a tree canopy light walk, a 60-foot L ANCE LIPINSK Y & THE LOVERS light tunnel, and more. 402.475.6741 IN “SHAK E BABY SHAK E” Novem- —lincolnzoo.org ber 3—5 at Brownville Concert Hall in Brownville " Shake Baby Shake" A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND is an explosive retrospective stage MURDER November 30—December 3 show of the golden age of Rock and and December 7—9 at Northeast ComRoll. Lance Lipinsky and his authenmunity College in Norfolk "A Gentletic show band The Lovers will be man’s Guide to Love and Murder" is performing the hits of major arta killer romp filled with unforgetists of the 1950s and 60s such as table music, non-stop laughs, and Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Elvis a scene-stealing role for one actor and Chuck Berr y. 402 .825 .3331 playing all eight of the doomed heirs —brownvilleconcertseries.com who meet their ends in the most side-splitting ways. 402.258.3782 ANNUAL FROS T FROLIC HOLIDAY —nctheatre.org MARK ET November 4 at the JefferIOWA son County Fairgrounds in Fairbury Over 100 booths attract shoppers each year to this Holiday Market NATIONAL FARM TOY SHOW Novemshow. The annual frost frolic is ber 3—5 in Dyersville The National sponsored by Homeless No More Cat Farm Toy Show welcomes over 300 Rescue and Adoption Center and is vendors and 8,000 attendees to
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
the community of Dyersville every November. Held at the National Farm Toy Museum, Dyersville Beckman High School, Commercial Club Park, and other locations in town this show is a can’t miss for farmers and toy fans alike. 563.875.2727 —nationalfarmtoymuseum.com
AN EVENING WITH THE L ATE JOHN CLEESE November 15 at the Vibrant
Music Hall in Waukee Known for
being one of the founding members of Monty Python, John Cleese promises to deliver lots of laughs during this night of comedy celebrating both his life and his career as a comedian. He is widely recognized as “one of the most influential and important comedic voices in entertainment histor y.” 888.804 .0217 —milwaukee-theater.com
H A RRY POT T ER A ND T HE H A LFBLOOD PRINCE IN CONCERT Novem-
ber 18 at Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre in Davenport At this show-
ing of the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series, the Quad City Symphony orchestra provides the accompanying music. Guests will enjoy Nicholas Hooper ’s original score live while revisiting the magic of the 2009 film in a unique experience that will enchant audiences of all ages. 563 .326.8500 —qcso.org
KICK OFF THE HOLIDAYS IN SARPY COUNTY!
HOMETOWN
FESTIVALS
MILES OF
LIGHTS
HOLIDAY
SHOPPING GOURMET DELIGHTS
GOSARPY.COM
IT’S ALL RIGHT HERE. VISIT US TODAY TO FIND OUT MORE! BELLEVUE
•
GRETNA
•
L A V I S TA
•
PA P I L L I O N
•
SPRINGFIELD
•
O F SEPTEMBER F U T T A2023 FB
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E XPLORE CAL E NDAR
MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER December
20 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids This neoclassical
music group is know n for their f u sion of mo der n ro c k w it h elements of classical music. With 28 million albums sold in the U.S., this holiday concert is sure to be a night to remember. 319.398.5211 —creventslive.com alliantenergypowerhouse
DISNEY ON ICE: MAGIC IN THE STARS
November 23-26 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines This Disney
KANSAS
TANNENBAUM FOREST November 24—
December 17 at Festhalle Barn in Amana Visitors can step into the
Nov
barn and see over 60 unique Christmas trees, each decorated by a different business, organization, group, or family. The forest is free to visit, but a free will donation to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital is encouraged. 319.622.7622 —amanacolonies.com
CHRISTKINDLMARKET DES MOINES
November 30—December 3 at Principal Park in Des Moines The Christ-
performance features Elsa (Frozen) and Mirabel (Encanto) as they glide kindlmarket is a great way to learn across the ice, celebrating their about European culture with unique gifts that make them this 700-year-old tradition. The Nov special. The optional Characmarket will feature authentic ter Experience tickets allow food, artisanal products repchildren to spend interactive resenting various European time with each of these charcultures, and entertainment for acters before the show that will adults and children. 515.250.6366 surely make for an unforgettable —christkindlmarketdsm.com experience. 515.564.8000 —disneyonice.com/ magic-in-the-stars
23-26
AT
6
BUDDY GUY: DAMN RIGHT FAREWELL November 6 at the Lied
Center of Kansas in Lawrence With special guest Ally Venable, this night of blues promises to be one to remember. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 , Buddy Guy, now 87 years old, is one of the most influential musicians of all time, leaving his mark on household names like Er ic Clapton , John Mayer, and Jimi Hendrix. Boasting eight Grammy Awards and the #23 spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list, blues fans young and old will enjoy this unforgettable night of nostalgia on Buddy ’s last tour. 785 .864 . 2787 —lied.ku.edu
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: CORTEO November 9 at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita Corteo, meaning “cortege” in
Italian, features a parade imagined by a clown. This spectacular and imaginative show will dazzle audiences by blurring the lines between illusion and reality with amazing acrobatics and lyrical music. The playful characters and thoughtprovoking symbolism makes for an entertaining commentary on the nature of humanity. 316.265 .2800 —visitwichita.com
CARNIVAL OF INK November 10 – 12 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City
PRESENTED BY
This Midwest tattoo convention will be held for its 10th year in November 2023. Featuring live performance art and drawing talent, tattoo artists attending from both the U.S. and abroad will be announced on the carnival’s Facebook and Instagram pages in advance. Anyone wishing to commission artwork from the participating artists can reserve a spot with their desired artist through these channels. Single-day and all-weekend passes are available. 816.891.7694 —carnivalofink.com
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE 2023 November 16-19 at the Overland Park Convention Center in Overland Park A one-
stop-shop for holiday gifts, this boutique has all the new holiday decor, apparel, toys, treats, and more to add some cheer to the end of the year. Admission options include mu lti- day passes a nd adult evening passes. 816.601. 2707 —opconventioncenter.com // 84 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
E XPLORE CAL E NDAR
S A IN T L UCIA FE S TI VA L Decem-
RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY PRESENTS THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH November 11 at
ber 9 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Lindsborg Lindsborg ’s tradi-
the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City This reimagined specta-
tional Swedish festival is a celebration of culture and the holiday season. It will feature Swedish folk dancing performances, a ser vice honoring Saint Lucia, and many other activities throughout the downtown area. 888. 227. 2227 —visitlindsborg.com
IR E L A N D W I T H MICH A E L LONDR A LIVE! December 15
at Stiefel Theatre in Salina Londra interlaces songs and stories of Ireland to a backdrop of spectacular footage filmed for his PBS travel series. He creates an immersive journey around the Emerald Isle, including Irish dancers and Fiddles and Pipes. The audience will be drawn across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland in this unique live show. 785 .827.1998 —stiefeltheatre.org
r yes, scotches, Irish whiskeys, bourbons, Japanese whiskeys, and Canadian whiskeys at your leisure. —blackhillsthingstodo.com
Nov cle includes new technology MOUNTAIN WEST BEER FEST and a 360 -degree environNovember 11 at The Monument for a more immerment, Rushmore Hall in Rapid sive experience of classic City The Mountain West Beer superhuman feats. Adults and Fest is the largest beer tastchildren of all ages will feel like ing event in the area. Rapid City part of this live circus with will host over 70 breweries and daring, never-before-seen 200 craft beers to tr y at the 6th acts performed before their a n nu a l fes t iv a l . 6 0 5 . 3 4 3 . 6161 Dec eyes. 816.949.7100 —events.visitrapidcity.com —do816.com/events
11
15
LUMIN A RY WA L K November 28 – December 20 at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Overland Park Experience a festive
walk through enchanting woods with holiday lights, candles, beverages, and live musical performances. This event is family friendly on Friday and Saturday nights in November and December, with adult-only versions on select Thursday nights. The magic of holiday cheer, community, and peace will create a night to remember for all ages. 913.322.6467 —artsandrec-op.org
WHAT WE COLLECT Through December 30 at Mid-America All-Indian Museum in Wichita The human
desire to collect objects is being recognized in historical and cultural studies. What makes people collect things and why? This exhibit highlights different objects donated to the museum by collectors, families and individuals. 316.350.3340 —theindianmuseum.org MISSOURI
HEROES AND VILLAINS November 5 at Kauffman Performing Arts Center in Kansas City The Kansas City Sym-
phony is putting on an epic superhero showdown as the “good guys” take on villains in a fun musical battle. This concert overflows with tales of caped crusaders and wellknown music. 816. 471.0400 —kcsymphony.org
MARK T WAIN’S ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH November 25 at Mark
Twain Museum in Hannibal Mark Twain would be celebrating his 18 9th bir thday this year. This party includes crafts like decorating par ty hat and wooden ornaments, beaded necklaces and oldfashioned games with a twist like “ Pin the ‘Stache on Twain” and “Musical Mustaches.” 573 . 221.9010 —marktwainmuseum.org
DO W N T O W N L I V ING W INDO W S
December 1 in downtown Jefferson City A Jefferson City tradition for
more than 20 years, Living Windows takes place downtown where storefronts and windows come alive with dancers , singers , and holiday themes. Attendees can enjoy refreshments, listen to carolers, and watch performances sharing the holiday spirt. It is the perfect opportunity to stroll the streets and experience holiday cheer. 573 .632 . 2820 —visitjeffersoncity.com/events SOUTH DAKOTA
DA KOTA A NGLER ICE INS TITUTE
November 10—12 at Sioux Falls Arena & Convention Center in Sioux Falls
The Dakota Angler Ice Institute was star ted in 20 08 to give ice fishermen an oppor tunity to see the latest and greatest in the ice fishing industry. It has grown to be the second largest ice fishing show in the nation where attendees can make new discoveries to improve their ice fishing game. 605 .336932 —dakotaanglericeinstitute.com
2023 BIG WHISKEY FESTIVAL Novem-
ber 11 in Deadwood Tickets for this event come with 15 sample tickets to try any of more than 30 whiskeys at multiple locations in Deadwood, SD. Explore the area and sample
AUTUMN FESTIVAL, AN ARTS AND CR AF T S AFFAIR November 19-21
at Danny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls Ranked in the Top
100 Shows in the Countr y by Sunshine Artist Magazine, Sioux Falls’ autumn craft fair offers hundreds of artisans and vendors, an hourly gift certificate winner, and lots of food and drink among fun family ac tiv ities . Ad m ission is good all weekend long. 402 .331 . 2 8 89 —artssouthdakota.org/event
FRONTIER CHRISTMAS December 9 at Fort Sisseton Historic State Park in Lake City Guests of the park are
invited to celebrate the season in classic frontier fashion with Christmas crafts, homemade bread, handson activities, sleigh rides, caroling Frontier Christmas December 9 at For t Sisseton Historic State Park in Lake City Guests of the park are invited to celebrate the season in classic frontier fashion with Christmas crafts, homemade bread, hands-on activities, sleigh rides, caroling, and many other holiday traditions. 605 . 4 4 8 .5 474 —gfs.sd.gov/events
DAVE MARTINSON BIG BAND PRESENTS THE NUTCRACKER SUITE Decem-
ber 17 at the Historic Homestake Opera House in Lead Enjoy the holi-
day classic, the “Nutcracker Suite,” with a jazz flare! Dave Martinson and his Big Band group perform the entire collection of music, as arranged by Duke Ellington, in this timeless tradition. 605 .584 . 2067 —aftontickets.com
EVENT TIMES AND DETAILS MAY CHANGE.
Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings. Check with venue or event organizer to confirm. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
// 85 //
E XPLORE CAL E NDAR
Beauty gifts to make your season bright
Whether your loved one’s wish list calls for the industry’s best skin care or you’d like to treat them to the latest hair care and makeup, LovelySkin’s selection of products approved by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Joel Schlessinger has everything you need for the beauty enthusiast on your list. Not sure where to start? Our curated holiday gift guides and expert advice make gift-giving easy.
LovelySkin.com/Retail | Retail@LovelySkin.com | 402 697 6565 | Mon-Sat: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. | 2929 Oak View Drive, Omaha, NE 68144
// 86 //
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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NOT FUNNY // COLUMN BY OTIS TWELVE // PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL SITZMANN
IT'S UNANIMOUS
S
o, I was watching football—the kind where they use their feet “football”—the other day and I suddenly had some deep thoughts. Please forgive me. It was a Manchester United game, and though they were losing to Brighton— as in:
“Ever since I was a young boy I've played the silver ball From Soho down to Brighton I must have played 'em all…” Can’t get those lyrics out of my head— sorry. Anyway, I thought that it was wonderful that the city of Manchester was “United” and I found myself wishing my country could be “united” too. Then I remembered that there were two Premier League teams in Manchester – Manchester City and Manchester United. I also discovered that Man-United fans hate Man-City fans. Last summer, in fact, there was a big brawl in a London tube station after the teams met in the Cup final. Insults were hurled, eyes were blackened, souvenir jerseys were ripped, arrests were made by the Bobbies and, in a nod to modern reality, a viral video was produced. It turns out that Manchester City’s number one fan is Elton John and Orlando Bloom wears the Man-United Red & White. I don’t think those two celebrity fans have ever come to blows, but if they ever do face off, I’ll bet on Legolas finishing off the Rocket Man even though Elton did do a great version of “Pinball Wizard” as in: “Even on my favorite table He can beat my best His disciples lead him in And he just does the rest…” Again, forgive me… I am really sorry, the lines are just stuck in my head and they pop out without warning, or copyright consideration. Okay…okay… back to today’s topic. So, it turns out Manchester isn’t very “united” at all, and maybe, just maybe, it’s okay that my “United” States of America isn’t really “united” either. And, just to be clear, an Elvish bow will always beat a short guy in Liberace hand-me-downs. Like Manchester football clubs, the “United” States also has lots of celebrity fans, many of whom hope to appear
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
// 88 //
2023
at various halftimes lip synching their songs. Though it should be noted that attendance at our football games — where players don’t use their feet to move the ball all that much—and all other sporting events is way higher than the number of citizens who go to city council meetings, congressional hearings, ten-thousand-dollar-a-plate fund raisers, or voting booths. We “United” States-ians disagree about almost everything, even food, which is something we, as a species, never used to disagree about. Back when our semi-furry ancestors were hunting and gathering, if we could eat it, we did. If it was edible, we all agreed it was food. Not any more, now some folks are carnivores. Some are omnivores. There are vegetarians, vegans, and a tiny minority even like okra. That’s why America is number one in big all-you-can-eat buffets—something you will never find in Manchester. We are divided by our opinions and beliefs about politics, music, religion, the use of first-person narrators in fiction, and women with bangs. The width and depth of our disagreements and quarrels is enough to make you give up on any hope at all that America can survive. But then, out of nowhere… a ray of hope… One day earlier this year, America turned on its 287 million television sets and there it was… Something we could all agree on… And the lyrics that tried to burrow into our brains… threatening to replace the timeless rock opera lyrics I love like an invasive species of garden snail… “It’s a little pill with a big story to tell Yada yada yada… At each day’s start As time went on it was easy to see May cause a life-threatening infection…” And now, after nearly a year of almost constant, mind-numbing repetition, it’s unanimous. 100% of us absolutely hate this jingle. I even posit that Elton John and Orlando Bloom would agree if they spent even one day with me watching American cable TV. We all speak with one voice. Stop! Finally, we truly are the completely “United” States of A.
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OUR PROCESS IS EASY! We consult, measure and install to perfection. Compare our everyday value to the competition’s gimmicks. You might be surprised! WindowInnovations.com ws & Doo indo rs W
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402-905-9100
OUR SHOWROOM 8831 S. 117th St. La Vista, NE 68128
2022 Winner
The season’s best beauty The LovelySkin Retail Store and Express Spa is bustling with the best in professional skin care, hair care and makeup. Under the direction of board-certified dermatologist Dr. Joel Schlessinger, our in-store experts will guide you through over 300 brands and 14,000 products. Plus, when you shop at the LovelySkin Store, you’ll receive extra rewards points and deluxe samples.
S T O P I N T O D AY ! Store hours Mon - Sat: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. 2929 Oak View Drive Omaha, NE 68144 402 697 6565 LovelySkin.com/Retail
Best Beauty Supply Store Best of Omaha 2024 winner 9 years running!