Omaha Magazine - Jan/Feb 2023 - The 2023 Health Issue

REFLECTIONS OF RESILIENCE

T racing H eal TH and W ellness in 2022 H elps d emys T ify TH e n e W y ear

Hello dear readers, and welcome back. This is Omaha Magazine associate editor Julius Fredrick, wishing you well as a new digit enters our lives sure to line trash bins with misdated checks and expired coupons, but also the pages of journals with fresh goals. I’m talking about the number ‘3,’ the latest amendment to the turbulent twenties, and the designation of a new year: 2023. As the calendar resets and New Year's resolutions take flight, our January issue focuses on the important, yet fluid topic of Wellness.

To investigate this wide-encompassing subject properly we’re inviting you to a tripe-feature, together exploring the finer points of mental, physical, and even spiritua l wellness.

Our cover story traces the harrowing journey of former Husker fullback Willie Miller, wherein stardom on the football field fizzled into a life overcast with pain, anger, and addiction. Miller, having stared into the abyss for nearly two decades, appeared all but certain to be consumed. However, a pinprick of light shone through after a chance conversation introduced him to an area nonprofit. Through the belief of friends and family, both new and old, and the resilience of Miller’s heart, that same light now illuminates operating rooms throughout Methodi st Hospital.

This issue’s second and third features, on the new 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, and the intense realm of ultra marathoners, magnify the extremes both the highs, and the lows of health and wellness. Between these features, we intend to provide a cross-section of the varied and intermingled domains of physical and me ntal health.

In addition to Miller, another medical professional graces this issue: retired otolaryngologist Dr. Iris Moore, as profiled in our 60+ section. Despite a late stage IV cancer diagnosis, Moore continued to see and treat patients prior to her retirement, demonstrating compassion, resolve, and a devotion to the Hippocratic oath that’s come to define her career as a metro physician.

Of course, wellness also extends to food, and while the menu curated by owner/chef Wilson Calixte of Le Voltaire won’t necessarily help diners tackle the next diet fad, its fusion of traditional French and African cuisine invites guests to slow down, recharge, and to enjoy the finer things in life. Beyond Le Voltaire’s inspired plates, Calixte’s professional journey from humble dishwasher, to revered chef and restaurant owner is certain to provide generous servings of motivation.

On behalf of the hardworking and dedicated staff that aim to inform, entertain, and above all, celebrate the people of Omaha, I wish you well as 2022 comes to a close and 2023 commences. While it’s impossible to know what new hurdles await, the individuals and organizations detailed in the stories above, and throughout this issue, offer me a sense of hope, courage, and peace of mind as I brace for tomorrow’s challenges.

I trust they’ll do the sam e for you.

*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.

Former Husker Willie Miller dons a new uniform, one befitting his new life as a medical professional.

JESSE KUHNLE Free lance Writer

Kuhnle grew up “just across the river” in Honey Creek, Iowa, but after spending some very formative years as a resident of Dundee, has long considered Omaha home. While earning a news-editorial journalism degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Jesse wrote stories for the sports page of The Gateway while also working at the sports desk of the Omaha World-Herald .  He later returned to UNO to earn an elementary education degree and has spent the last 10 years telling stories to sixth-graders. When he’s not spending time with his wife and three small children, Kuhnle can be found reading, watching football, listening to paranormal podcasts, or exploring the gre at outdoors.

LUIS DE LA TOBA Social Media Manager

De la Toba is a recent graduate from Universidad Tecmilenio in Mexico. He’s a marketer with experience in the digital world, sales, and market intelligence having worked for various digital marketing agencies before landing a position at Omaha Magazine. De la Toba blends data-driven analytics with a flare for the creative to produce unique and engaging content. Aside from marketing, he’s passionate about creative writing. You can often find him drafting novels and short stories in his free time, pursuing his dream: becoming a published author. He loves books, music (pop, indie, and alternative rock), horror movies, walks on the beach, playing the piano, and cats.

MEGAN BARTHOLOMEW Free lance Writer

Kitten cuddler, amateur baker, freelance writer, and ravenous reader all relevant terms when describing Bartholomew. Originally from the mountains of Utah, she moved to Omaha in 2020 with her husband, Ben, who is pursuing a law degree at Creighton University. They currently live in downtown Omaha with their two cats, Ophelia and Summer, and love exploring the metro. During the 9 to 5 grind, Bartholomew works as the editor of Utah Bride and Groom magazine, but by night she can be spotted sniffing around Omaha’s restaurant districts, taking arboretum walks in Lauritzen Gardens, and hiding out among the shelves at Omaha Public Library.

EDITORIAL

E A of 9 16 23

L D 8 15 22

HALL OF HEROES

Jan. 28 through April 16 at Durham Museum 801 S. 10th St. This exhibition explores the science and history behind superheroes introduced throughout the 20th century and beyond. This immersive exhibition allows viewers to learn how superheroes, gadgets, and crime fighters were created. Viewers canto experience a full-scale recreation of the 1960’s Batcave and Batmobile, which are interactive. Additionally, visitors see life-sized statues of Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Black Panther, and the Hulk. Noon-4pm. Sundays; 10am-4pm Tuesdays-Saturdays. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

GABRIELLA QUIROZ

Through Jan. 11, at Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam St.

Working primarily in colored pencils and painting, the artist develops works of symbolic imagery that showcases the beauty often overlooked in day-to-day life. By appointment only, 9am-4pm. Mondays-Fridays. 402.595.2122. —artscouncil.nebraska.gov

EVENTS

» Exhibits «

CSM ALL-STAR REVIEW ART SHOW

Through Jan. 6 at College of Saint Mary’s Hillmer Art Gallery, 7000 Mercy Rd. This show features artists who have presented in the Hillmer Art Gallery over the last 15 years. Exhibiting artists include Gary Day, Becky Herman, and Jeff Spencer. 9am-7:30pm. Mondays-Thursdays; 9am-5pm. Fridays; 8:30am-12:30pm. Saturdays. Admission: Free. 402.399.2400. —csm.edu

THEATER ROW: STAGE AND SCREEN IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY OMAHA

Through Jan. 29 at Durham Museum 801 S. 10th St.

MICA LILITH SMITH AND ANTONIO MARTINEZ

Through Jan. 18 at Metropolitan Community College Gallery of Art and Design, Elkhorn Valley Campus, 204th Street and West Dodge Road. The dual exhibition explores the work of both artists. 9am-7pm. Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays; 9am-1pm & 2pm -7pm. Wednesdays; 9am-5pm. Fridays. 402-457-2369.

—mccneb.edu/gallery

Through Jan. 8 at Durham Museum 801 S. 10th St. This costume exhibition highlights fashion from Downtown Abbey, one of the most widely watched television dramas in the world. The public can view the cast’s original costumes, which depict fashions of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century and showcase the turbulence and changes in the late Edwardian era through the 1920s. The London-based Cosprop Ltd. created the award-winning costumes for the British hit drama and include both the fictional aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. Costumes range from country tweeds and riding outfits; servants’ uniforms and footmen’s livery; to lavish evening attire crafted from sumptuous fabrics and decorated with intricate embroidery, lace, and beading. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

This exhibition underscores the four main theaters in Omaha during the first half of the 20th century. The focus is on The World Theatre, The Moon, The Rialto, and The Empress, all beautiful architectural structures. This area quickly became known as the “theatre row” because they were all between 14th and 16th streets. Through the use of objects from the Durham’s collection and photographs, this exhibition ties together the story of these theaters and Omaha’s history. Viewers will be able to learn how the growth of Omaha and the development of the theater industry impacted each other. Noon-4pm. Sundays; 10am-4pm. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

SMALL WORKS

Through Jan. 28 at Anderson O’Brien Fine Art, 3201 Farnam St. This exhibition features artwork no larger than 12 inches created by dozens of artists with a multitude of styles and mediums. 10am-5:30pm. Wednesdays-Saturdays & by appointment. 402-884-0911.

—aobfineart.com

JEFF SEDREL

Through Jan. 29 at Garden of the Zodiac, 1042 Howard St. Color is the primary focus of the mixed-media artist whose recent series of floral paintings were executed by infusing ink-andbrush painting with impressionist sensibilities. Noon-8pm.Tuesdays=Saturdays; noon-6pm. Sundays. 402.341.1877.

—gardenofthezodiacgallery.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 // 7 //

REGIONAL

BIENNIAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

Through Jan. 2023 at Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth St.

The juried exhibition of photography highlights the best photographic artwork being created in Nebraska and the states it touches, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Artwork was selected by this year’s judges, Diego and April Uchitel. 11am-5pm. Wednesdays-Sundays; appointments preferred. 402.305.1510.

—gallery1516.org

RICHARD HUNT: MONUMENTAL

Through Feb. 5 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. One of foremost American sculptors of the past century, Hunt has established himself as one of the most important and prolific “monument makers” of the past fifty years. This exhibition grounds this work within Hunt’s broader artistic practice and more critically contextualize his tremendous contributions to the history of American sculpture over the past seventy-five years. 11am-5pm. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 11am8pm. Thursdays. 402.341.3800.

—thekaneko.org

SARAH ROWE: POST

Through Feb. 5 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. Featuring a new body of work created in the exhibition space, this exhibition showcases how Rowe draws from the energy of Heyoka, the sacred clown of the Lakota. The Omaha artist’s work is participatory and opens cross-cultural dialogues through painting, casting, fiber arts, and performance. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; 11am8pm. Thursdays. 402.341.3800.

—thekaneko.org

CHARLES KAY JR: UNSEEN

Through Feb. 5 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. Charles Kay Jr. is a first-generation Thai-American who wishes to become visible. In his work, the photographer uses black-and-white layers, with subtle details between them, trying to become visible. He uses different landscapes and sharp twists and turns to expose those spaces. Thursdays-Saturdays 1pm-7pm and Sundays 1pm-6pm. 402.341.3800. —thekaneko.org

EMBEDDING THE ART AND ADVOCACY OF MARGARET BURROUGHS

Through Feb. 5 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. Artist Faheem Majeed found inspiration from American artist, Margaret Burroughs, a large advocate for art being accessible to everyone. With this exhibition, Faheem focuses on “deconstructing and embedding her imagery” while also alluding to the lack of knowledge of her work. He does this by the use of manipulation of scale, materials, and appropriated images. Thursdays-Saturdays 1pm-7pm and Sundays 1pm-6pm. 402.341.3800. —thekaneko.org

OPULENCE: PERFORMATIVE WEALTH AND THE FAILED AMERICAN DREAM

Through April 15 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. This group exhibition assembles a range of creative practices–including painting, sculpture, video, fashion, and nail artistry–that embrace lavish, sumptuous aesthetics to examine how America’s obsession with wealth and the ways it is displayed shapes class, race, and gender. 402.341.7130. —bemiscenter.org

ST. CECILIA FLOWER FESTIVAL

Jan. 27-29 at 715 N. 40th St. The perennially popular events returns for its 38th year as local flower designers and musicians present a burst of vibrant colors in the depth of winter. 402.558.3100.

-cathedralartsproject.org

FACULTY EXHIBITION

Jan. 27-Mar. 1 at Creighton University Lied Art Gallery, 2500 California Plaza. This wide-ranging exhibition features work by Creighton University faculty in a variety of artistic mediums and styles. 8am-8pm Mondays-Fridays; 10am4pm. Saturdays & Sundays. Opening Reception: Friday, Jan. 27, 4pm-6 pm. 402.280.2290. —creighton.edu

AFRI Jan. 28 at the Sunderland Gallery through the Cathedral Arts Project. 3900 Webster St. “Afri” is the Latin work referring to the African diaspora, and this exhibition features works from throughout it, ranging from central African wood carvings to Ethiopian and Coptic icons and crafts. 5pm-7pm. 402.558-3100.

—cathedralartsproject.org

NANCY LEPO

Jan. 20-Mar. 8, at Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam St. The self-taught artist works primarily in paper, creating pen and ink drawings and origami paper sculpture. Her work embraces what can be done with simple materials of pen, ink, and paper. By appointment only, 9am-4pm. Mondays-Fridays. 402.595.2122.

—artscouncil.nebraska.gov

ELISABETH KLEY: MINUTES OF SAND

Through April 15 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Organized by the Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM), Kley’s first solo museum show features a new body of work. Invited to print yardage utilizing FWM’s world-renowned screenprinting facilities, the artist, whose work sits at the distinctive confluence of pattern, decoration, and contemporary art, interwove her ceramic and painting practices with three new yardage designs and a new suite of ceramic sculpture. 402.341.7130. —bemiscenter.org

SIX

Jan. 3-8 at the Orpheum Theater 409 S 16th St. This musical is a modern retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives through a combination of pop sensations and Tudor queens. This performance will showcase each wife telling their story with King Henry VIII and who suffered the most. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES

Jan. 20-Feb. 12 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. Set in the 1950s, this play follows the story of an African American former baseball player who continues to struggle with racial trauma from his years spent playing on the field. He then begins to struggle with his own adversities, which leads to complications with his family. 402.553-0800.

—omahaplayhouse.com

NEBRASKA CHINESE ASSOCIATION

2023 NCA LUNAR NEW YEAR’S GALA

Jan. 28, 7pm, at the Orpheum Theater 409 S 16th St. Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, the Nebraska Chinese Association hosts a group of world-acclaimed traditional Chinese instrument performers and Yue Opera performers from Los Angeles as well as other cultural performers from the Heartland of America. This exclusive performance promises to dazzle the entire family with an exquisite production. It will be a journey through Asian culture and history combining colorful pageantry, stunning costumes, masterful choreography, and beautiful music. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

EVITA: LA REVOLUCIONARA

Feb. 2, 6pm, at University of Omaha CEC 201/205, 6400 University Dr S. Discover more about the life of one still the most influential persons in South American culture and how it’s still told today through music and dance. Hosted by and featuring Cristián Doña-Reveco and Claudia Garcia from the Office of Latino/ Latin American Studies and members of Ballet Hispanico. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

BALLET HISPÁNICO: DOÑA PERÓN

Feb. 4, 7:30pm., at the Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St. This ballet debuts the story of Doña “Evita” Perón, as one of the most controversial and recognizable women in history. Born as an illegitimate daughter to a well off farmer, Evita conceals her dishonorable past as she makes her way in the dance world. She quickly moves from dancehall performer to Argentina’s First Lady. This show looks into Perón’s activism for Argentinian women and how she faced backlash from the general public. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

HARPER LEE’S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Feb 7-12 at the Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St. Based on Harper Lee’s 1960 award-winning novel, this stage dramatization has quickly become, “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR). This theater production summarizes the story of 10-year-old Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and her relationship with her father Atticus at he defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman. A reflection on racism, social injustice, and heroism, the story is as timeless now as it was when it debuted over 60 years ago. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

RENT

Feb. 10-Mar. 19 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. A raw and emotional year in the life of a diverse group of friends and struggling artists, chasing their dreams under the shadow of drug addictions and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize, this iconic rock musical has become a cultural touchstone, rite of passage and source of joy and strength for millions. Contains adult content and language. 402.553-0800. —omahaplayhouse.com

BARLAAM AND JOSAPHAT

Feb. 17, 7 pm, at St. Cecilia’s Cathedral Cultural Center, 3900 Webster St. UNO and the Cathedral Arts Project showcase one of the newest takes on a medieval mystery that traces the different versions of the lives of two legendary saints with the conversion of Josaphat to Christianity. 402.558.3100. —cathedralartsprojegt.org

MEN ON BOATS

Feb. 23-26 at UNO Theatre, 6505 University Dr. S., Weber Fine Arts Building. A (somewhat) true theatrical exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869, by a one-armed captain and his dedicated crew, with all the twists and turns of a rafting trip. Features a cast of non-binary and female performers.

—unomaha.edu

SUOR ANGELICA

Feb. 24-26 at the Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St. This heart wrenching one-act opera tells the story of Sister Angelica, a woman forced by her aristocratic family to join a convent and give up the child she birthed out of wedlock. Puccini’s glorious music captures the profound emotion of a mother’s love and loss of that which is held most dear. Conductor Judith Yan, soprano Elaine Alvarez, and mezzo-soprano Jill Grove will all make their Opera Omaha debuts in this poignant production directed by Keturah Stickann. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

TRIXIE AND KATYA LIVE

Feb. 27, 8pm, at the Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St.

It’s a comedic musical drag show spectacular with the dynamic duo and is the first time these long-time collaborators and RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni have hit the road with a concert-style show and scripted satire inspired by classic road trip comedies. Contains adult themes and language. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

» Concerts «

BEETHOVEN 2 & HUMMEL’S TRUMPET CONCERTO

Jan. 8, 2pm., at the Strauss Performing Arts Center; 6305 University Dr. N. Maestro Ankush Kumar Bahl and The Omaha Symphony join together to present the orchestra world’s changeover from the Classical to the Romantic period. Scott Quackenbush, the Omaha Symphony’s principal trumpeter, takes the stage in Hummel’s trumpet concerto. 402.342.3836.

—omahasymphony.org

BIG HEAD TODD AND THE MONSTERS

Jan. 11, 8pm., at the Slowdown 729 N. 14th St., The rock band, which has become a touring institution during the past three and a half decades, brings their best-loved classics to the venue. 402.345.7569.

—theslowdown.com

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO

Jan. 13, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. This group is a mixture of “feel-good music” and jazz music. Delvon Lamarr is the multi-intrumentalist of the group who is self-taught with perfect pitch. Jimmy James is a guitarist with a mixture of fiery leadership and smooth jazz skills. On the drums is Dan Weiss with explosive energy, which locks in the group’s skill set. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

MASUR CONDUCTS MOZART & BRUCKNER

Jan. 13-14, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Milwaukee Symphony music director Ken-David Masur returns to Omaha for this tour-de-force of Romantic masterworks. 402.342.3836.

—omahasymphony.org

KODY WEST

Jan. 12, 8pm, at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Rising star Kody West brings his blend of Texas country and bluegrass to Omaha for this one-night show. 402.884.5707.

—reverblounge.com

BOYZ II MEN

Jan. 19. 7:30pm, at the Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St. See the group that redefined popular R&B and continues to create timeless hits that appeal to fans across all generations with their soulful multi-octave sound and incredible vocals. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

SARAH DAVACHI

Jan. 19, 8pm, at Low End, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. The composer and performer is concerned with the close intricacies of timbral and temporal space, utilizing extended durations and considered harmonic structures that emphasize gradual variations in texture, overtone complexity, psychoacoustic phenomena, and tuning and intonation. Her compositions span both solo and chamber ensemble formats, incorporating a wide range of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. 402.341.7130 —bemiscenter.org

THE MUSIC OF STEELY DAN & THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

Jan. 20, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Experience the best of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, with hits for band and orchestra like “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Boddhisatva,” and “What a Fool Believes.” 402.342.3836. —omahasymphony.org

FINAL FANTASY: 35TH ANNIVERSARY DISTANT WORLDS

Jan. 21, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. This new orchestra concert experience is specially curated by Nobuo Uematsu and features a program that is a monumental, retrospective celebration of the incredible Final Fantasy music catalogue. Conductor and GRAMMY-Award winner Arnie Roth leads the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra and chorus, with exclusive HD video direct from creators at Square Enix. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

THE TAYLOR PARTY: TAYLOR SWIFT NIGHT

Jan 21, 7:30pm, at the Slowdown 729 N. 14th St. Calling all Swifties! Haters gonna hate, but dance the night away to Swift’s greatest hits. 402.345.7569.

—theslowdown.com

LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

Jan. 22, 2pm, at the Strauss Performing Arts Center; 6305 University Dr. N. Join the Omaha Symphony and assistant conductor Deanna Tham in a celebration of the Lunar New Year. The concert introduces the Year of the Rabbit and celebrates the season, often known as “Spring Festival,” with works by Chen Yi, Li Huanzhi, Kabalesky, and Dvorak. The concert also explores each animal of the Chinese Zodiac and their characteristics with special excerpts that reflect each one’s significance. 402.342.3836. —omahasymphony.org

MAESTRO AND THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS

Jan. 28, 7:30pm, & Jan. 29, 2pm. at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. It’s a night of classic Pops as Maestro Ankush Bahl leads the Omaha Symphony in music by John Williams, one of America’s greatest composers for film and the concert stage, performing music from the scores of The Cowboys, Star Wars, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and more. 402.342.3836. —omahasymphony.org

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS

Jan. 31, 8pm, at the Admiral 2234 S 13th St. This sensational pop band is a fun mixture of pop and indie genres. Songs like “HandClap” will get the audience moving and grooving on their feet as they dance along to the upbeat music. 402.706.2205.

—theadmiral.com

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS

Feb. 1, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Led by Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center managing and artistic director, this remarkably versatile orchestra comprises 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today to perform a vast repertoire ranging from original compositions and Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works to rare historic compositions and masterworks by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, and many others. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

THE DOLLY DISCO

Feb. 3, 9 p.m., at the Slowdown 729 N. 14th St. Grab your dance partner and hit the dance floor to swing along to your favorite country hits. The main feature of this disco party is Dolly Parton and her greatest hits along with music by Miley Cyrus. Madonna, Sheryl Crow and more. 402.345.7569.

—theslowdown.com

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

Feb. 4, 7pm, at the Admiral 2234 S 13th St. The horticulturist-turned-musician has cast an impressive presence on the indie-rock and folk worlds with his five full-length studio albums. 402.706.2205. —the admiral.com

SCHUBERT “UNFINISHED”

Feb. 5, 2 p.m., at the Strauss Performing Arts Center; 6305 University Dr. N. founder and artistic director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra Jeri Lynne Johnson makes her Omaha Symphony guest conducting debut with a program that juxtaposes the best of antiquity and modernity. 402.342.3836. —omahasymphony.org

THE JUDDS: THE FINAL TOUR

Feb. 9, 7:30pm, at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St. Wynonna Judd sings the duo’s best-loved songs in this moving farewell tour in honor of her mother. 402.341.1500. —chihealthcenteromaha.com

CURLEY TAYLOR & ZYDECO TROUBLE

Feb. 10, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center | Holland Music Club, 1200 Douglas St. From the heart of Creole country in Louisiana to the Holland Music Club, Curley Taylor and his band Zydeco Trouble perform soulful, bluesy vocals and a hard-driving zydeco beat blend that keeps audiences dancing all night 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA

Feb. 10, 8pm, at the Slowdown 729 N. 14th St. Celebrate the legendary sounds of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain with national traveling Nirvana tribute ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ as they perform songs from Nevermind, In Utero, Bleach, and more (b-sides/rare songs). 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com

ROMEO & JULIET

Feb. 10-11, 7:30pm at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. In an evening of drama, intrigue, and stunning symphonic beauty, Maestro Ankush Kumar Bahl and the Omaha Symphony present the 19th and 20th-century takes on one of literature’s most tragic love stories. 402.342.3836.

—omahasymphony.org

ANTHRAX AND THE BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

Feb. 13, 6:30pm. at The Admiral 2234 S 13th St. The legendary metal band, who helped break down race and genre barriers, celebrates its 40th anniversary with this world tour. 402.706.2205 —theadmiral.com

KOLBY COOPER Feb. 17, 7 pm, at the Slowdown 729 N. 14th St. The singer-songwriter brings his signature blend of Lonestar State roots, rough-hewn vocals, and wailing electric guitar to Omaha with this allages show. 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST IN CONCERT

Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m., & Feb. 19, 2 p.m., at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. The Omaha Symphony will present a screening of Disney’s beloved animated classic, “Beauty and the Beast” with the Oscar®-winning score performed live to the film. 402.342.3836. —omahasymphony.org

UNSANE

Feb. 23, 8pm, at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. The American noise rock trio, formed in NYC in 1988, performs with Violenteer and Big Water. 402.884.5707. —reverblounge.com

BRIA SKONBERG

Feb. 24, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center | Holland Music Club, 1200 Douglas St. Hear the fiery trumpet playing, smoky vocals, and story-telling of this trailblazing trumpeter, vocalist, and songwriter who is shaking up the jazz world. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

CHAPEL HART: GLORY DAYS TOUR

Feb. 24, 8pm, at the Admiral 2234 S 13th St. Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart along with cousin Trea Swindle combine Mississippi roots with Louisiana spice for their unique sound. 402.706.2205. —theadmiral.com

RANDALL KING

Feb. 16, 8pm, at the Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Both gritty and graceful, King shares his new modern traditionalism with audiences. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com » Family & More «

FIRST DAY HIKES

Jan. 1 at Nebraska State Parks through the Nebraska Game and Parks Association. What is a fun, active way to celebrate the New Year with your family? A brisk morning hike throughout the different state parks in Nebraska. Make sure to dress in warm clothes, bring snacks and water, camera, and bird ID book. There will be different opportunities for snacks and warm beverages at each location. Admission: Free, park entry permit is required. 402.471-0641 —nebraskagameofparks.com

LIL’

SPROUTS: OWLS

Jan. 5 at Lauritzen and Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Through the month of January, this class will focus on owls, specifically barn owls’ habits and habitats. Not only will students be able to learn about this animal, but also participate in garden exploration, story time, crafts, and hands-on activities. Admissions: $18.00 $8.00 for garden admissions, which additionally includes garden admission. Pre-registration required. 402.346-4002.

—lauritzengardens.org

PLANT TO PAPER: WATERMARKS

Jan. 7 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. This event will allow families to make hidden images on paper by using watermarks. These images appear when light shines through the paper. In this class, you can learn how to create and design your own watermark. You can use these skills at home, for fun art projects, or utilize them in personal letters. Pre-registration required. 402.346-4002.

—lauritzengardens.org

WATERCOLOR PENCILS: FRUIT

Jan. 10-12, at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. This two-day class allows families to learn how to utilize fun watercolor paints when painting lush fruits. Children will have a fun time with their guardians while drawing botanical pictures. Pre-registration required. 402.346-4002. —lauritzengardens.org

INDOOR AIR SHOW

Jan. 15, 10am-2pm at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, 28210 W. Park Hwy., Ashland, NE. Model pilots demonstrate all the barrel rolls, loops, and flips in the museum’s climate-controlled hangars. The show includes control line and remote-controlled models. Variations of R/C clubs will debut throughout the day. 402.944-3100. —sacmuseum.org

LIVING THE DREAM

Jan. 16, 5:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. The City of Omaha Human Rights & Relations Department presents the fifth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. “Living the Dream” Competition. Omaha area schools and students compete in this original social justice short essay, poetry, music, and dance competition at the Holland Center. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Jan. 20-Feb 5 at the Rose Theatre. 2001 Farnam St. This musical debuts 12-year-old Percy Jackson as he realizes that he holds magical powers, much like the Greek gods. Jackson and his two friends, Grover, and Annabeth set out to recover Zeus’ lightning bolt in order to prevent a war between the gods. On their journey, they will solve the riddle of the Oracle, discover how resilient they are, and experience mythological creatures. 402.345-4849.

—rosetheater.org

WINTER STARGAZING

Jan. 21, 7pm-9pm., at Neale Woods, 14323 Edith Marie Ave. Forget the Big Dipper! Find Canis Major, Orion, Taurus, and Gemini in the night sky! Features a brief hike, learning constellations, and stargazing. 402.731.3140.

—fontenelleforest.org

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

Feb. 2–26 at the Blue Barn Theater, 1106 S 10th St. This play follows fifteen-year-old Heidi as she recreates her teenage self as she retells the story of how she won the Constitutional debate competition. In this performance, the audience will be able to see how Heidi traces four generations of women and how the founding document formed their lives. This play helps bring the constitution into a new light, offers different viewpoints on it, and how this document can mold future generations. 402.345.1576.

—thebluebarn.org

MAGICAL SCIENCE

Feb. 3-April 16 at the Children’s Museum, 500 S 20th St.

Children will have a magical time encountering the world of science at this unique science exhibition. Kids will learn about kinetic energy while experiencing it through zip-lining plus so much more. 402.342-6164.

—thechildrensmuseum.org

DRAGONS AND MYTHICAL BEASTS

Feb. 5, 2pm., at the Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. Children and grownups alike will be in awe as they come face-to-face with the mythical world of dragons, magnificent beasts, and terrifying monsters. This interactive show brings wonderful puppets to life. Beyond dragons, audience members encounter the Tooth Fairy, the Indrik, Stone Troll, and more. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

HAVANA HOP

Feb. 10-19 at the Rose Theatre, 2001 Farnam St. Due to Yeila’s crippling stage fright her dream of becoming a superstar seems almost impossible. Yet, through the help of her mother and mentors, she gains her confidence and learns about her heritage. When struggling to find her hip-hop-style, Yeila travels to Cuba to visit her grandmother and gains inspiration for her dance. 402.345.4849.

—rosetheater.org

FORCE OF NATURE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE SERIES

Feb. 21, 7:30pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. From the towering mountains of the Himalaya to the slot canyons and stone arches of the desert, Earth is shaped by the raw power of Mother Nature. Capturing this might and majesty takes a special skill set—and a willingness to sign up for the seemingly impossible. Whether chasing storms, getting up close and personal with wildlife, or documenting extreme feats of adventure, photographer and filmmaker Keith Ladzinski’s fearless spirit leads him to the furthest reaches of all seven continents. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

Event times and details are correct as of presstime, but are subject to change.

Omaha Magazine encourages readers to visit venues' websites and/or calling ahead before attending an event or visiting a museum.

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“

I know deep down in my heart this isn’t going to stop me or define me. I’m not my medical issues. ” Waverle Monroe

ince joining ABC affiliate KETV in 2017, viewers have come to know Waverle Monroe as a high-energy Omaha native with a passion for community storytelling. Now they know her as a cancer wa rrior, too.

Last July, Monroe shared on social media her stage 1 cancer diagnosis, regularly updating followers about her chemotherapy regimen thereafter. Well-wishes inundated KETV, especially when she sported a bald head and beaming smile on camera exhibiting the bold, positive attitude she displays on-air to this fight.

“I am always trying to be 100% authentically me. That’s what you see on the screen, at my desk, at home or out with friends. I am that sassy firecracker... It’s how I move about in the world,” said Monroe, who since 2019 has co-anchored the weekend newscast.

She truly appreciates the public’s outpouring of love, especially the encouragement from those likewise touched by cancer. “It really helps make me feel like I’m not alone.”

She also appreciates her colleagues rallying behind her.

“It’s great to come into a workplace and know that people really do care and are concerned about my health. It feels like I have a second family.”

A close friend is weekend co-anchor Jonah Gilmore. They shared the distinction of anchoring the market’s first all-Black newscast last Juneteenth. He’s taken aback, he said, by “how, from the jump, her attitude has been don’t be upset or sad or cry for me; just be here with me along this journey because I’m going to b eat this.”

Added Gilmore, “We get so many messages about how inspiring and uplifting she is to people. She teaches us how to be strong, how to stand in the face of adversity with a smile, and hope for the best.” Being with her through the experience, he said, “has built our bond even more.”

Health trauma is nothing new to Monroe or her family. Her late father suffered heart and kidney issues, while her mother survived a bout with breast cancer. At 16, Monroe developed sudden-onset kidney failure during her junior year at Burke High. She went on dialysis while awaiting a match from the organ trans plant list.

Remaining Unapologetically Herself

“You’re thinking about going to college, worrying about your ACT scores, or what party you’re going to get invited to, and then you get the news that basically stops your life,” Monroe recalled. “You feel like everyone’s moving on around you and you’re just standing still.”

After six months in limbo, a donor was found. On December 29, 2010, she received her new kidney at the University of Nebraska Med ical Center.

“I celebrate it every year as a birthday because it not only gave me my life back, but this perspective on not to take life for granted,” Monroe said. “I can’t express how grateful I am because I don’t think I would be able to be who I am today without that transplant. Since then I’ve truly tried to live life with no regrets.”

Following an interest in broadcast journalism stoked during her time at Alice Buffett Middle School, Monroe studied communications at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. As a WOWT intern, she found a role model in one of the station’s then-anchors, Serese Cole. However, a year into her first professional gig in Duluth, Minnesota, a kidney infection prompted her to return home for treatments.

Monroe was five years health-crisis-free when diagnosed with cancer. Yet, this new challenge hasn’t diminished h er optimism.

“Like, I have other stuff I have to do, frankly, and I’m not going to let this slow me down,” sh e affirmed.

Drawing inspiration from morning news icon and cancer survivor Robin Roberts, Monroe embraced her new appearance after chemotherapy caused her hair t o fall out.

“I threw a rooftop party surrounded by people that love me and cheer me on,” she recalled. “We had mimosas and played Beyonce and Lizzo. We shaved my head. It was really fun. That’s what set the tone for how I was able to say, ‘This is wh at it is.’”

Monroe

Still, she’s surprised by the scope of public embrace.

“It’s amazing and lovely. It’s a little scary, too, because I didn’t realize I was reaching that many people,” Monroe confessed. “But I’m not scared to lead the path and open doors. If people are silent about it, then people continue to be in these d ark places.”

Monroe remains open to where her career may ta ke her next.

“I don’t try to put a map on my life because then I think you put up barriers and close yourself off to other opportunities.” Used to being on the go, she said, “I’m learning to be less hard on myself, to give myself a little grace, and to just take a beat, take a breath.”

Even though her cancer fight continues and a second kidney transplant is likely in her lifetime self-pity isn’t her style.

“I know deep down in my heart this isn’t going to stop me or define me. I’m not my medica l issues.”

Visit facebook.com/waverlemonroeketv/ for more info.

of Medicine and Musicmaestro

Nick Yeutter

Nick Yeutter, MD is a modern-day renaissance man, having navigated the complexities of how to integrate music with his burgeoning medical practice. An internal medicine specialist in residency at UNMC, Yuetter is articulate and imaginative, combining his eclectic musical interests with his medical career.

Although he received extensive training in music growing up, Yeutter didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket when it came to his career medicine was always the end game.

A self-professed medical history geek, Yeutter describes music as his first love, but practicing medicine has been a lifelong pursuit. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Yeutter received his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond, and his master’s at NYU, double majoring in music a nd pre-med.

A residency at UNMC led him to practice and study internal medicine; consisting of diagnosis, treatment and prevention, he describes internal medicine as a bit of evidence-based det ective work.

An avid composer, Yeutter’s compositions have made waves, his work having been featured in short films, a TV pilot, and the 2019 Amazon Prime film, Greta , shot in New York and revealed at that year’s Sundance Fil m Festival.

A verified artists on Spotify under the pseudonym Yites Yeutter’s musical training has been robust enjoying the tutelage of a voice coach who sang backup for Prince.

Alzheimer’s, to depression, stress and pain, exposure to music has been proven to be therapy for the body as well as the soul, even speeding up recovery. Additionally, music improves the body’s immune system functions, which ultimately reduces factors that lead to stress, such as the hormone cortisol. Music also increases the body’s production of immu noglobulin.

As part of the ensemble Nebraska Medical Orchestra, comprised entirely of medical professionals, Yuetter has discovered a creative outlet that balances his identity as both a physician and a composer. Yeutter was able to showcase his original composition, “Distant Reality,” at a semester concert held at the Strauss Performing Arts at the University of Nebrask a at Omaha.

Matthew Brooks, the Director of Orchestral Activities in Music and Medicine, as well as founding music director and conductor of the ensemble, waxes lyrical, seeing Nick as a standout professional on and off the stage.

“Speaking as an orchestral conductor, it is always so exciting to work with a living composer when the majority of our standard repertoire is from hundreds of years ago. Nick is a valued part of the Nebraska Medical Orchestra, and I’m always excited to highlight the talents of our members,” Brooks said. “Our talented musicians are also talented health professionals or pre-professionals in health sciences. Nick is no different. His composition is of a professional level, his rehearsal input was thoughtful, and he’s just a warm, approachab le person.”

An array of eclectic influences have led him to where he is today. EDM has proved foundational to his compositions, though classical music is in his roots counting Lizt, DeBussy, Beethoven, and Gershwin among his greatest influences.

“I think outside the box while respecting tradition,” Yeutter said. “Everyone has their niche, and everyone should be given the space to make mistakes and learn from them.”

Yeutter recognizes that his musical talents often align with his medical practice, firmly believing in the healing power of music. According to the American Psychological Association, studies have shown that music improves quality of life for individuals suffering from neurological diseases such as Parkinson, or those who have suffered a stroke. Music also has an impact on one’s psychological wellbeing; from

Yeutter strives to be a well-rounded individual, full of optimism and positive to a fault, albeit spread “a little thin” at times.

-nick yeutter

“The positive benefits far outweigh the negatives,” Yeutter affirmed. “Sometimes you get the chance to unplug and just be that artist. There are certainly rewarding aspects of practicing medicine, but I will always h ave music.”

As he merges his passions with his training, a promising career path stretches out before him composed of music, medicine, and desire to heal, wherever it may lead.

Visit soundcloud.com/yites/distant-reality for more information.

“Sometimes you get the chance to unplug and just be that artist. There are certainly rewarding aspects of practicing medicine, but I will always have music.”

Lexi Zeiss Balances

Family Life with Olympic Dreams

SPORTS // STORY BY GREG ECHLIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

“

TO EVEN HAVE A CHANCE FOR THIS WORLDS TEAM IS UNBELIEVABLE. ”

-Lexi Zeiss

here’s still much ahead for goal-oriented Lexi Zeiss, an Omaha gymnast with a realistic shot at competing for the USA team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But there’s no mistaking 2022 as a breakthrough year for the 17-year-old phenom.

Between traveling to Brazil, being awarded a silver medal at last summer’s Rio de Janeiro Pan American Championships, and taking it up a notch by accompanying the USA team for the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Liverpool, England, last October/November, the year was huge. While at worlds, Zeiss earned a gold medal as an alternate with the USA team that captured its sixth straight world team title.

“I didn’t think it would turn out the way it did,” Zeiss said during one of her occasional returns to Omaha, where she truly feels at home. She’s currently training and completing her schooling in Minnesota. “It was a learning year, and [I was] trying to change how I looked to the national staff, change perspective, and get their eyes on me a l ittle bit.”

She did just that with a Pan Am silver medal in the allaround the floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault, c ollectively.

“I think, for everybody around the world, [they were] putting me on the hypothetical world list and not thinking I was going to do what I did there and being able to beat some big names,” Zeiss said.

Throughout the year, Zeiss continued to flip, twist, and turn toward being invited to compete among the 10 elite USA gymnasts at the World Team Selection Camp last October for a spot on the USA ros ter of six.

“To even have a chance for this worlds team is unbelievable,” she said moments after the camp in subu rban Houston had ended.

Unlike two opposing baseball teams who know the outcome after the last recorded out, Zeiss left the gym in limbo after the two-day trial. A three-person selection committee hashed out its decision a few hours before announcing that Zeiss would accompany the five other gymnasts. The next day, they were off t o Liverpool.

Going into the trial, Zeiss said, “I definitely felt nervous.”

Regardless of Zeiss’s nerves, Twin City Twisters (Champling, Minnesota) coach Sarah Jantzi attested to the gymnast's immense progress in all facets through the year, deciding she was ready physically and mentally for the camp, even after upgrades to each routine were installed.

“[The camp] is probably the most high-pressured situation that you can be in,” said Jantzi, who traveled with Zeiss to Liverpool. “You’re trying to make a worlds team, which is basically an Olympic team in the off-year. The best athletes all over the world are at that c ompetition.”

Jantzi shared a huge vote of confidence when mentioning Zeiss among the world’s best gymnasts. But from the Zeiss family's perspective, they’ve had too many other things to think about to allow themselves to grasp the enormity of Jantzi’s remarks. Balancing the demands of training an Olympicscaliber athlete with that of raising a normal teenager still connected to her friends at Westside High, wanting to attend the homecoming dance, and managing schoolwork not to mention the demands of their own adult lives and jobs has been a challenge.

The obstacles confronting the Zeiss family are in a sense broader than the 4-inch width of a gymnastics beam, and as delicate to manage as a gymnast’s ability to stay upright without falling.

Jess Zeiss and wife Dana have known since early on that having a daugher compete in elite sports would be a difficult road because of its demands financially as well as on her education. On the emotional side, the Zeiss parents dealt with the trepidation of Lexi’s transition from the Omaha Gymnastics Academy in Papillion to Minnesota in the summer of 2021. But Lexi convinced them it was necessary to step up her training.

The fact is, life for an elite gymnast is anything but normal. Nevertheless, the Zeiss parents have been all in.

Jess Zeiss, an investment banker, has since found a place to live and work from home in Minnesota, while Dana stays back in Omaha working as a nurse practitioner. At first, Jess was adamant about staying put in Omaha, but changed his mind when his daughter said somethin g profound.

“My 16-year old daughter says, ‘Dad, you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” Jess shared.

Having her father nearby has offered Lexi great emotional support, as has gaining a greater comfort level with other elit e gymnasts.

“I remember watching them at the Olympics and being like, ‘Those girls are so cool,’” Lexi said.

These days, she counts seveal of those atheletes as friends. Their numbers are listed in her phone, and Facetime sessions are a regu lar thing.

Visit USAgym.org/pages/home/nationalteams/national_ teams.html for more information.

WHILE AT WORLDS, ZEISS EARNED A GOLD MEDAL AS AN ALTERNATE WITH THE USA TEAM THAT CAPTURED ITS SIXTH STRAIGHT WORLD TEAM TITLE.

VISUAL

STORY B Y C H A S E MURPHY

Nic Thurman on

BY BILL SITZMANN

itsch (/kiCH/), rhyming with the traditional pronunciation of niche, is an art form that sings an ode to the old masters of painting while embodying a timeless element: human emotion. Kitsch is often misunderstood, ill-defined by cursory internet searches alone. Nic Thurman, a 23-year-old Omaha native, seeks to express the true meaning of Kitsch to the modern art world, and moreover, socie ty at large.

Thurman was introduced to art and painting as a freshman at Creighton Prep. His friend enrolled in drawing class and persuaded him to stop by the studio during lunch one day, seemingly knowing that he’d enjoy the ambiance and energy that emanated there. Thurman, with no previously known passion for painting, walked into a room which would serve as a figurative dry field of creativity awaiting a single, stray spark.

Jeremy Caniglia, the art teacher at Creighton Prep, provided Thurman with the flint he needed a paintbrush, paint, a canvas, and a mentor.

Caniglia said, “The world has no idea the amount of perseverance it takes to succeed in art, but I saw that in Nic before he was even in my class.”

Caniglia released Thurman from the confines of a high school syllabus by allowing him to focus on a single painting for months at a time.

“You’re going to learn more creating a face with muscle, bone structure, and layers over the course of three months, then you would turning in six different assignments during that time,” Cani glia noted.

He also granted Thurman full access to the art studio as much as possible. These freedoms, along with constant mentorship and Nic’s marked dedication to his craft allowed the burgeoning artist to hone painting techniques and skills at a r apid clip.

Three-and-a-half years after commencing his painting journey, Thurman was awarded the National Scholastic Gold Key, a prestigious award given to 1% of the 325,000 (on average) applicants who submit annually.

He was flown to New York to accept his award, and his art traveled around the country as a part of this exhibition for about a year. Doubtless an impressive feat, Thurman managed to one-up himself by securing an even more exclusive opportunity: an apprenticeship with the world-renowned Kitsch Master, Odd Nerdrum.

Thurman was the youngest apprentice Nerdrum had ever accepted, fresh from high school at 18 years old. He spent two years at Nerdrum’s estate in Sweden, learning the ways of the old masters a position which is granted to a mere three to five students globally each year. It was during this apprenticeship when Thurman learned more of the deep philosophy ingrained in Kitsch, as well as the modern art movement the latter having attempted to destroy, pacify, and degrade the former throughout its course as a movement.

“In the 1800s, Kitsch was coined from a German word and used to describe art or an artist that copied and imitated the old masters, strictly as a derogatory term,” Thurman said. “It was used to insult the artist by implying they are a bad painter without orig inal ideas.”

However, Nerdrum has been on a quest to redefine the meaning of Kitsch based on the philosophies and stories within the art of the old masters and in turn, Thurman grew determined to spread its meaning to the world. “Kitsch is the opposite of modern art. It’s about the story and philosophy in the paintings. There is something that reaches out and grabs onto your heartstrings,” Thurman explained. “Kitsch makes you feel a certain way, it touches your emotions, and it leaves enough interpretation for the observer to then create a world and a story surrounding the painting bein g observed.”

Thurman believes that a painting, or any form of art, should have philosophy rooted i n its core.

“It should fundamentally serve people. It should help them have a better life,” Thurman said.

This goal is not accomplished by modern art, in Thurman’s view. A white canvas with splotches of brightly colored paint doesn’t typically invoke an intellectual response. It doesn’t serve humankind with a message, a philosophy, or a related emotion by which the observer can take something positive from, according to Thurman, and Nerdrum’s definition of Kitsch.

“Anyone who tries to derive meaning from those forms of modern art is simply engaged in intellectual masturbation, attempting to be perceived as sophisticated and cultured,” T hurman said.

Thurman makes a compelling argument for the utility of Kitsch in the modern world. After all, these old masters are some of the most respected and compelling artists in history: Leonardo da Vinci, Michealangelo, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio, among other emine nt figures.

Thurman currently supports himself with his art commissions and other endeavors, including conducting workshops and private lessons, and working at a painting supply company. Relentless in his mission, the mores of modernity provide him defiant inspiration and ample canvas to make his mark on the infamous world of Kitsch.

Visit Nic thurman.com, patreon.com/nicthurman, and Kitschmeister.com for more information.

“KITSCH IS THE OPPOSITE OF MODERN ART. IT’S ABOUT THE STORY AND PHILOSOPHY IN THE PAINTINGS. THERE IS SOMETHING THAT REACHES OUT AND GRABS ONTO YOUR HEARTSTRINGS.” -Nic Thurman

-Tasha Bang

Breast cancer survivor Michelle Aganor shoulders a fly fishing rod, the quintessential tool provided by nonprofit Casting for Recovery toward reeling in fresh perspective post-cancer.

it was amazing to meet 15 other women going through the same thing i’ve gone through yet, our stories were different. we could all relate to what each other went through.”

ensuring breast cancer survivors needn’t wade alone

ast September, Michelle Agonor of Omaha stood in fishing waders in a Ponca State Park pond waving a lightweight fishing rod back and forth. More line played out every time she swept the rod forward, a motion that was also exercising her upper-body muscles.

Nearby, 15 other women were doing the same, guided by volunteer fly-fishing experts. The women, all survivors of breast cancer, were learning more than back casts and fly rigging they were forming bonds over their shared yet nuanced experiences. Originally founded in Manchester, Vermont, in 1996, Casting for Recovery offers free fly-fishing excursions to rebuild and strengthen muscles affected by radiation and surgery during and after breast cancer treatment. To date, about 11,000 women have participated in CFR’s retreats across the nation, including 250 in Nebraska.

“The more important part of the retreat was getting together with people like me,” said Agonor, 63, who works at Union Pacific. “Everybody there involved had had cancer had been going through it, coming out of it, or starting it. We all had a commonality,” she said.

At 37, Tasha Bang was the youngest survivor in attendance.

“It was amazing to meet 15 other women going through the same thing I’ve gone through, yet our stories were different,” reflected Bang, a perinatology nurse at Methodist Women’s Hospital who completed her treatments last May. “We could all relate to what each other went through.”

“We had the same kind of emotions and thoughts,” Bang said. “Some had been cancer-free for years and they were like, ‘Hey, you’ll get throu gh this.’”

Bang said the casting motions left her a bit sore, not altogether bad news.

“It was a good sore,” she qualified.

According to Faye Nelson, CFR’s national director, the motions required in fly-fishing prove effective physical therapy for those who’ve ungergone surgery, whether a mastectomy, a lymph node removal, or the removal of a breast. She explained that CFR holds more than 40 retreats a year in 39 states, with participants selected randomly from applications submitted from across the nation to attend the free retreats. Those chosen must attend a retreat in their home state but if their state has no retreat, they can attend one in a neighboring locality.

Omahan Linda Lovgren, head of CFR’s Nebraska chapter, described how each retreat is attended by a physician’s assistant and a psychosocial worker experienced with oncology. They conduct sessions with the women to talk about managing the side effects and what

to expect during and after treatment. Questions collected in a box are discussed in a group setting.

“The women learn from each other, as well as the experts,” said Lovgren, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. An angler herself, she read about CFR in a fishing magazine and looked into hosting a retreat in Nebraska, which came to fruition in 2011 and has been held annually since (except during the pa ndemic).

“One thing we know is that 80% of women diagnosed with cancer don’t go to any kind of support group, so to be in a setting like this, you can feel safe asking anything and know that others in the group are going through the same thing,” Lovgren said. “This creates an environment for amazing bonding and f riendships.”

She said many organizations and donors contribute to the retreats in Nebraska and other states. These include Cabela’s/Bass Pro Shops, Werner Foundation, Omaha Beady Bunch, Donna and Ed Robinson, and at least 50 other entities

Shirley Kelsay, of Falls City, Nebraska, underwent treatment in May 2019 and formed a small support group to talk about cancer. Attending the Ponca retreat expanded that circle. It also taught her, already a skilled angler, a new form of casting.

“It was a little different, a little trickier,” she said.

The retreat was also different in that it was a catch-and-release event, something Kelsay, 62, is unaccustomed to, as she likes to catch fish to dre ss and eat.

Another rule was anyone who caught a fish had to kiss it before returning it to the water. Bang thought one she caught was slimy, so she just ran a finger across it.

“I was totally being a girl, just grossed out,” she laughed, adding that she got hooked on fly-fishing in spite of herself.

Nationally, up to 60% of CFR participants continue fly-fishing after the retreat. More importantly, about 96% are inspired to do more activities outdoors. Beyond communing with nature, the retreats have other lasting effects: women feeling their voices were heard, and forming lifelong bonds with other survivors.

Agonor ho doesn’t plan to fly-fish again but looks forward to more outdoor activity said of the retreat: “I’ve never met a more willing group of women who really were about helping people navigate future processes of healing.”

Visit castingforrecovery.org for more information.

JULIUS FREDRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN MATT WIECZOREK

WILLIE MILLER’S PATH TO HEALING

RE SS U RECTED

By all appearances, 2000 was a standout year for Willie Miller. A senior at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Miller donned the scarlet and cream as the Cornhusker’s starting fullback, thundering down the field for a career-high 225 yards on the season. Sell-out crowds roared and reveled in the wake of his physicality; pumping legs, heaving shoulders, and cracking helmets rippled The Sea of Red.

On the surface, Miller appeared to absorb it all the fanfare, the impacts, his studies earning his second First-Academic All-Big 12 award and recognized as a Brook Berringer Citizen Team Member for his dedicated commun ity service.

As his tenure as a collegiate athlete drew to a close, the horizon beyond Memorial Stadium’s uprights shone bright and clear. Yet, behind him, darkness lingered. Quietly, it settled at the base of his neck.

“When I was starting my junior year, when I started fullback and the season was going really well […] I was the fastest I’d ever been. When it came to hitting in any kind of way, when it came to running the ball, I was definitely at my peak,” Miller recalled, now sporting surgical scrubs over shoulder pads, some 20 years later. “And I can tell you, by the time I got the end of my senior year, I had games where I could no longer feel my arms, or lift them by the end of a game […] being a fullback, you’re a battering ram, face mask to face mask all game long. The crazy thing is, once that [final] game was over, I found out that it was all over, because I was told that I had played through three spinal concussions t hat year.”

Perioperative registered nurse (RN) Willie Miller scrubs up and prepares to enter the operating room at Omaha's Methodi st Hospital.

ack then, with injuries, it was different, you really didn’t sit and wait and let it heal you played through it,” he said.

Nebraska’s 2001 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Eric Crouch, echoed his former teammate’s assessment.

“I’m all for safety, but back then, it wasn’t at the forefront of thinking. It was a war. It was a warrior mentality,” Crouch said. “It was, sacrifice your body, and your mind, and your spirit, and hopefully if you do that to a certain level, you’re going to have success in your team.”

Miller’s existence unraveled. He lost his livelihood, his family, and even his home. For two years, he scraped by at the Sal vation Army.

As Huskers, Crouch and Miller were bound to this tradition, and fulfilled its agreement with sacrifice, both immediate and gradual. Miller, however, would pay dearly for it and in the end, receive something of far greater value: redemption.

After graduation, Miller pursued a career in pharmaceutical sales. Cognizant of the effect his sheen as a local celebrity might have on prospective customers, he chose to start anew in Denve r, Colorado.

“I’m all about competition. I didn’t want to remain in Nebraska, have people that are just willing to write a prescription because of my name, and that I played football. I wanted to be on the same ground as everyone else,” Miller said.

As the years toiled on, Miller’s first marriage buckled, and finally broke under what he described as “a combination of work, stress, drinking, and painkillers.” He remarried and fathered a child, his daughter Regina. The pressure manifested physically. The 250-pound star athlete had become engulfed by a man Miller hardly recognized; one who stared dejectedly back at him from the bathroom mirror. It was 2008, and Miller now weighed over 400 pounds and life was about to get e ven heavier.

“In my mind, my life’s ruined, and this the where I’m going to spend the rest of it. I had times where I had been suicidal, I felt I was better than that, right?” Miller recalled. “Because there wasn’t anything positive going on. I felt like anyone I came across, I was just this cancer. I didn’t have anything positive to say to anyone, and by the time they were done with me, they’d just be zapped. So I went down to Mississippi in 2015, because I knew in order to stay alive, I needed to be with my mom. ”

A retired nurse, his mother’s support kept death at bay, and set the scene for a fateful encounter. A longtime fan reached out to Miller over Facebook, after which the two frequently commiserated over shared struggles with substance abuse. One such conversation proved pivotal: it introduced Miller to the organization that would change the course of his life.

“That’s when I got in trouble,” Miller said. “I ended up having a road rage incident with a guy and he was in a regular car with his regular clothes. And, it was just a bad day. But every day was a bad day that t ime period.”

“The Nebraska Greats Foundation is set up to help former athletes that attended any college in the state of Nebraska,” explained Crouch, a member of the foundation’s board. “Jerry Murtaugh is the one who started the organization, a former [Nebraska] football player. We help, both male and female athletes with their medical or emerge ncy needs.”

With the support of Crouch, and administrator Margie Smith, whom Miller now describes as his “second mom,” a skeptical Miller worked with Nebraska Greats. To his astonishment, Miller received the back surgery he’d long consider ed foregone.

Despite early success in his field, it grew increasingly difficult for Miller to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Month after month, year after year, vertebrae by aching vertebrae, the pain in his neck crept ever downward. Miller sought respite in booze and prescription pain pills, a pairing notorious for slow-burn addiction. A disc replacement operation only quicke ned matters.

“Honestly, I can tell you, from the time I first took one of those pills, I liked the way it made me feel. It took away my pain, all of my pain, like the mental pain,” Miller confessed.

A collision occurred, a volley of words were exchanged. As it turned out, the man in the regular car, wearing regular clothes, was an off-duty Omaha police officer. The following year, a judge ruled Miller guilty of felony criminal mischief the lowest degree of felony in the state, but damning nonetheless and sentenced him to 18 months probation.

A warrior’s contract is writ in simple, yet iron-clad terms, well summarized in the Southwest corner of Memorial Stadium: “Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory.” continued on pg.52

“Yeah, that was the moment where things really hit the fan,” Miller continued, his voice faltering between acceptance and self-reproach. “That was the first 10 years of that, and I hadn’t had enough punishment, at all. I had too much pride still. So, obviously, when you have that, you lose things; freedoms, everything else. And for me, it was: ‘Okay, my li fe’s over.’”

Miller’s condition vastly improved as a result. Familial wounds began to heal, and he met the woman that stands by him today his wife, Karrie. Still, one surgery couldn’t possibly mend 20 years of self-destruction. Miller’s greatest adversary still lay ahe ad: himself.

“I’m still on all these medications, and all of a sudden my 80 milligrams worth of Oxycontin, combined with wearing a fentanyl patch, is gone,” Miller said. “It didn’t take me long to figure out it did a lot more than nu mb my pain.”

Those hollow spaces ate at Miller, and he grew desperate to satiate them. He turned to his other vice, and overcompensated to near-f atal effect.

“I’M ALL FOR SAFETY, BUT BACK THEN, IT WASN’T AT THE FOREFRONT OF THINKING. IT WAS A WAR. IT WAS A WARRIOR MENTALITY” -ERIC CROUCH

STORY BY SARA LOCKE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

It can be difficult to know where or when to begin a serious discussion about mental health. For many, the stigma that surrounds asking for help prevents them from reaching out to friends and family, even as symptoms mount and begin impacting their livelihood. While newfound understanding has ostensibly improved perceptions surrounding mental illness, the issue remains steeped in stigma, with a “tough it out” mindset still prevailing in a variety of professional and personal contexts. A great many of those touched by mental illness with conservative estimates suggesting one in five people

grow over time as awareness spreads. But managing to deescalate over the phone really continues to remain the goal, to connect those people with sustainable resources and help within their community.”

Although the numbers suffering are staggering, finding commiseration, resources, and treatment too often feels beyond reach. Left untreated, depression and anxiety can lead to psychosomatic responses, including cardiovascular disease, malnutrition, and a host of otherwise preventable, life-shortening illnesses. That’s without factoring in that suicide is currently the 10th-leading cause of death in Nebraska overall, and is the second-leading cause of death among yo ung people.

While the nation’s collective mental health endured the challenges of pandemic isolation, economic instability, and political and societal unrest over the past several years, mental health resources haven’t matched the increasing demand. But that’s beginnin g to change.

On July 16, an easy-to-utilize suicide prevention and crisis hotline rolled out nationally. Dialing 988 works in tandem with the previously existing number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), and both will bring you to the same qualified and compassionate counselors armed with the tools and training to respond to nearly any mental health crisis. While the program is national, calls are filtered by location data and directed to local responders.

Kyle Kinney, program manager of Boys Town’s crisis center, has seen improvement in the accessibility of resources since 988 was incorporated into Boys Town’s existing suite of crisis preventio n services.

“We have provided crisis intervention at Boys Town since 2005, as well as offering national backup [for the existing hotline]. New federal legislation took it from a national structure to a local structure, and transitioned what was in place for the suicide prevention hotline,” Kinney explained. “For years, calling was the only available option. We have now implemented a mobile crisis activation, but the goal is for them not to be necessary...[rather] for us to continue assessing safety, deescalating the crisis, creating a safety plan, and helping them navigate resources remotely. Then we always follow up.”

An estimated 97% of calls received by the hotline are handled directly on the phone, according to Kinney, who said, “Increased awareness of the hotline has definitely increased utilization. We had about 30 calls a day for years, and then July 16th, 2022, came and overnight it jumped to 50 to 60 a day. It has stayed pretty consistent since then, and we may see that number

“That really speaks to the intent.” Kinney continued. “There are a lot of spokes involved with getting help sometimes people need a safe place to go, peer support, resource navigation... The crisis line is important, but everything needs to evolve together to create a robust system that grows to meet the needs of the community. There is a big difference between helping someone, and someone feeling helped. Our counselors are truly motivated to help every call that comes in. And that really sets the tone for what happens after the call.”

When isolation is part of the illness, community is the cure. Kinney and his team of counselors assist callers in navigating an often-complex system of care, costs, and insurance deductibles to identify and mobilize a course of action hopefully leading to long-term and lasti ng success.

As the state planner for 988, and system of care administrator, Michelle Nunemaker oversees the use of a grant provided through SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). This includes reviewing answer rates and other metrics, and evaluating problemsolving with the c risis team.

CONSERVATIVE NUMBERS SUGGEST THAT ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITH SOME FORM OF DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY—FEELING ISOLATED AND “OTHERED”.

suffer from depression and/or anxiety feel isolated an d “othered.”

“Kyle [Kinney] and I work hand in hand, seeing that this is more than a phone number, but a transition to a full crisis continuum. That ranges from mental health to substance abuse, to counseling callers who are concerned for a loved one’s safety,” Nunemaker said. “I also work with our six regional behavioral health authorities to raise up those community-based crisis services for mental health and substance u se respite.”

Once the automated navigation system has matched callers with a qualified local counselor, their task goes beyond talking someone off the ledge, proverbial or otherwise. Sometimes, a compassionate ear is all it takes to get through to an especially difficult day. However, the mental health experts on-call are determined to help ensure that those hard days are fewer and furth er between.

“Crisis counselors are connecting people with long-term care over the phone. Even our crisis mobile is working to help people find support. We expect follow-up calls and contact to be made. We want to see how the caller is doing, if they’re feeling better, if they connected with the services we helped them find, and then help them overcome any barriers to getting the resources they need,” Nunemaker said. “Providers identify same-day services for medication management, counseling services, and then support and problem-solving for any possible fut ure crisis.”

While crisis deescalation is a core function of the 988 hotline, the service is also positioned to reduce strain community-wide via preemptive counseling and a wide network of mental healt h resources.

“988 has a preventative focus as well,” Nunemaker continued. “The goal is to help decrease folks accessing emergency rooms when facing a crisis. We are also decreasing the response of law enforcement and letting health providers and law enforcement officers do what they need to do, while behavioral health professionals are doing what they are tra ined to do.”

Helping remove some of the burden on first responders ensures that resources are directed where they are needed most. Additionally, 988 has the capacity to connect callers with Spanish-speaking counselors, veteran support services, eating disorder specialists, substance abuse counseling, financial assistance, and a host of other local, context-specific supp ort options.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, dial 988 for 24-hour support, cou nseling, and other resources.

Visit 988lifeline.org for more information.

“THE CRISIS LINE IS IMPORTANT, BUT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO EVOLVE TOGETHER TO CREATE A ROBUST SYSTEM THAT GROWS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.”

- KYLE KINNEY

the passing of a loved one can compel some to change their lives. For Jodi Semonell, the death of her father from lung cancer at age 60 in December 2011 put her on a different path from how she had been living many paths. Spanning countless miles, they’ve tested the limits of her body and mind to metamor phic effect.

Describing herself something of a party girl, drinking frequently and smoking up to a pack of cigarettes a day for 25 years, Semonell realized she didn’t want to be end up like her father. His mortality raised a mirror to Semonell’s own lifestyle, reflecting a predictable fate she simply could not accept. Determined to change course, she began running regularly to get fit.

At the time, Semonell didn’t consider herself much of a runner, though she had participated in a few 5K and 10K races. But after her father’s death, she felt the need to challenge herself. She set her sights on running in the Lincoln Marathon the fol lowing May.

On her first day of practice, she ran roughly 3 miles. In a few weeks, she ran around Lake Zorinsky near her Omaha home, a distance of about 8 miles.

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I ran the entire day,’” recalled Semonell, who kept running further and further with each pass ing week.

“I wasn’t very good. I’d just plod along and get it done,” Semonell said. Running on streets, in marathons, and Zorinsky’s paved trails for training, she began suffering shin splints–inflamed muscles of the lower legs. When she sought medical advice, her doctor asked her if she had considered running on d irt trails.

“I thought that sounded awful,” remembered Semonell, now 50 and an employee with Conifer Health S olutions.

Nevertheless, she signed up for a 50-mile race along the dirt trails of Hitchcock Nature Center one of several races of varying lengths being held over a winter weekend at the center in Iowa’s L oess Hills.

“I went to Hitchcock to practice and thought, ‘Oh my God, this isn’t even running,’” she said, noting that the pace of trail-running was slower than that of a marathon.

While training at Hitchcock, Semonell met some long-distance runners and earnestly listened to them describe participating in 100-mile races. She requested a switch to Hitchcock’s 100-mile race as a result, going the distance against competitors from across t he country.

That ultra the name of any race longer than the 26.2-mile length of a marathon marked the beginning of Semonell’s journey as an ultra runner. Since that fateful race in December 2015, she has run in every Hitchcock 100, including one where nearly 8 inches of snow fell the night befor e the race.

“We all had to wear screw shoes during that race just to stay upright,” she said of the cleats that had been attached to the soles of the shoes. “Ice is the only thing that scares me on t he trails.”

Because runners take at least 18 hours to complete the Hitchcock 100, they must navigate portions of the course after nightfall, carrying lights to illuminate the trails. While some runners use headlamps, Semonell prefers to wear one around her waist.

“It’s so bright, it’s almost like driving a car,” she observed.

Ultra runners always carry their gear, including jackets, nutrition, and water, even in the races that have aid stations, as those can be up to 25 mi les apart.

“In a 100-mile race, you need at least 3 liters of water,” she explained. “In a 200-mile race, you have to also carry pants, a rain jacket, a spare lamp, and spare battery. That’s about 10 to 15 pounds worth of stuff, and it’s for days. A 250-mile race can take you 90 to 110 hours to complete, and while you might wear a parka and hat on a 20-degree morning, you still have to carry those in the afternoon when it’s 40 to 50 degrees.”

Although Semonell no longer endured the impact of pavement, the pains in her legs continued. Having qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon, she thought it was time to bring in some outside expertise and hired a running coach licensed in physic al therapy.

“I told her my goals, which were that I had a race coming up in Des Moines and the Boston Marathon in April, and she says, ‘I’m going to give you a training plan. Each day of the week, you’re going to do x-number of miles at this pace, and six hours at Hitchcock on Saturday and five hours on Sunday.’ Since then, I’ve gotten faster, run further, and have not been injured,” Semonell said. To date, she has finished at least 50 marathons, 15 100-mile races, and four races that were at least 200 mi les long.

FEATURE // STORY BY MIKE WHYE

running ultra

a step beyond the marathon

Marathon s and Ultras

Just as marathons have spread since the first modern one was held in London in 1896, ultras have too. A precursor to ultras called “pedestrianisms” date back to 18th century England, exported to the U.S. after the American Civil War. The first true ultra marathon was 55 miles long and held in 1924 in South Africa. In the U.S., the first 100-mile ultra was held in Californ ia in 1974.

Ultra Running magazine reported that a little over 34,000 ultra runners were competing in the U.S. in 1996. In 2021, 611,098 people were engaged in ultras, one-third of them women. Similarly, ultra race events have exploded from 220 in 2000 to 2,2 37 in 2021.

Ultra Races —

Long a nd Demanding

Last August, Todd Nott, 58, a retired high school teacher and coach in Plattsmouth, ran in the Badwater 135, which some have branded ‘The World’s Toughest Foot Race.’ Nott started at the lowest point in North America, 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley National Park, and came in eighth out of the 100 chosen to participate crossing the finish line 8,360 feet above sea-level, along the slope of Mt. Whitney. He had run for 25 hours and 47 minutes in temperatures reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Two months later, he ran the Moab 240, a race that crossed red-rock canyons, mesas, and mountai ns in Utah.

“This was my first over 200 miles,” Nott said. “It used to be a big deal to do more than 100 miles. The long ones are getting more popular.”

Running since his high school track days, he started with 10Ks, half-marathons, and triathlons before taking on marathons.

“I thought I’m not getting any faster in marathons, so I did my first ult ra in 1996,” he said.

Out of the 800-plus races he’s run since, more than 140 have been ultras. To practice, he runs in the hills near Plattsmouth and enjoys training in Platte River State Park, Hitchcock Nature Center, and Swanson Park in Bellevue. Nott runs 60 to 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on Saturdays and Sundays. He also bikes, swims, and lifts weights a couple times a week, and he started yoga this fall.

Like many other ultra runners, he prefers trails t o pavement.

“They’re so much easier on your body,” he said, also noting the rambling variations of the trails exercise many mu scle groups.

Phantoms o f the Trail

The night before the Moab race, Nott didn’t sleep well, getting only an hour of sleep. After completing about 200 miles, he somehow managed to wander off the marked course. He had a map app on his phone, but its battery had died. Eight to 10 hours passed before race officials found him back on the course, trudging down a mountain.

“I was out of it,” he said, noting visual hallucinations plagued his descent. As he traveled along a road, bushes appeared to him as animals including elephants and monkeys. He even saw Macy’s Parade balloons. At one point, he thought he was hiking with his kids. He wanted to run to a town that didn’t exist. The course was so remote, he said, that no towns were anywhe re near it.

She continued to run more frequently and over greater distances, eventually falling in with the ultra community. In February 2019, she ran her first ultra in Arizona.

“I’m never going to be in the top 10 or top 40% of a race,” said Welch, who finishes any race she runs. “I’m a completer, not a competer.”

At times she has served as a “pacer” for other runners, wherein an unregistered runner helps a competitor maintain safety, momentum, and morale.

“I’d rather run with someone as a pacer than run the race itself because it’s like your job to make sure your runner is safe,” Welch said. “Having a pacer is just for sheer safety. It’s nice to have someone with you to make sure nothing happens.”

As a nurse practitioner at Immanuel Pathways PACE Center, Welch said much of her life is devoted to taking care of people her frequent role as a pacer simply an extension of what she already does. During a friend’s first 100mile run, she helped keep him on the trail, stay awake, and maintain food and wa ter levels.

“It was kind of comical, but it was scary,” he said.

People faded in and out of view. He called to some for help, but received no answer. Though he was hungry and thirsty, Nott attributes his warped m ind-state to sleep d eprivation.

“In retrospect, I should have rested somewhere,” he said. “In every race you learn something. I learned my lesson.”

Omahan Amber Welch, 37, has had similar hallucinations while running extreme distances. During a night run, she ‘saw’ people in tents who were laughing at her alongside rabbits that didn’t re ally exist.

Welch began running in January 2018 when a physician and nurse she worked with asked if she’d run with them in a half-marathon and she agreed, igniting a new passion in the process.

She also serves on crews. Much like pit crews that aid professional racecar drivers, those on ultra crews man aid stations.

“You get things ready, refill the pack with water, change their shoes, change their pants. You go as fast as possible to get your runner back out,” she e xplained.

GOATz

Many runners in Omaha and its neighboring towns belong to Greater Omaha Area Trails Runnerz, GOATz, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit that promotes trail running. Officially, it has no members, but GOATz president Ron Muhs, of Blair, said about 4,000 people belong to its Facebook page. GOATz hosts several races ranging from 5K to 100 miles in length, plus three, six and 12-hour races.

on pg.51

As he traveled along a road, bushes appeared to him as animals including elephants and monkeys. He even saw Macy’s Parade balloons.

Left-Right: Ultra marathoners Jodi Semonell, Todd Nott, and Amber Welch stand proud of their long-distance a chievements.

Open to

These famous words by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encapsulate his strong feelings about the discrepancy in quality medical care that African Americans and other minorities have received throughout U.S. history versus that of their white counterparts. Segregation didn’t just affect schools, housing, lunch counters, and drinking fountains; it impacted every aspect of daily life, including where Black residents of any town or city could receive medical attention, no matter how mild or serious.

Omaha was no exception. Although hospitals like Methodist, Immanuel, and St. Joseph’s at Creighton University treated some Black patients throughout the year, none accepted them on a regular basis, nor did they grant privileges to Bl ack doctors.

As a result, the Black community founded its own hospitals, including Mercy Hospital, which ran from the 1910s to circa 1924, and the People’s Hospital, which was open from 19 48 to 1953.

Although the latter existed for only a few years, its history offers a fascinating glimpse into one of North Omaha’s most prestigious health care practitioners at the time and the sundry challenges that faced citizens in this part of the city.

Dr. Aaron Manasses McMillan, born in 1895 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, was a noted surgeon, medical missionary, and politician. He graduated from Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, in 1919 and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1923. Both were educational institutions geared toward African American students. He moved to Omaha after visiting his father, Rev. Henry R. McMillan, a minister at Mount Moriah Baptist Church on North 24th Stre et, in 1922.

The young doctor quickly became a prominent member of the North Omaha community, winning a seat in the state legislature as a 9th District candida te in 1928.

His tenure in office, however, was brief. The following year he left with his wife, Willena, to become a medical missionary in Portuguese West Africa (modern-day Angola). He was the first Black medical missionary to Africa and often traveled as far as 200 miles to care f or patients.

McMillan served in West Africa for 17 years. While there, he secured funding to build a hospital with 45 buildings, including: an infirmary, surgical unit, medical training facilities, and a chapel. The hospital boasted 130 beds and state-of-the-ar t equipment.

Adam Fletcher Sasse, a nonprofit executive and amateur historian who has written prolifically about North Omaha, is impressed with the doctor’s accomplishments.

“He did all of that, in Africa,” Sasse said. “That’s the clincher.”

When McMillan returned to Omaha in 1948, he saw an immediate need for a hospital to treat the local Black population. An effort by doctors three years earlier had stalled, so McMillan raised the necessary funds to equip and staff a hospital at 1844 Nor th 20th St.

The two-story building was named the People’s Hospital because it was open to anyone needing medical care. Touted as “a new venture in Negro hospital management” by the Omaha Guide , it housed 25 beds, featured the latest medical technology, and provided general medicine, obstetrics, and surgical procedures.

Unfortunately, establishing a hospital in Africa proved easier than doing so in the United States. “The building was shut down by the city in 1953 for code violations,” Sasse said.

McMillan tore down the hospital and erected a building where he continued to treat patients in private practice. He also became a member of the local NAACP chapter and served on the Omaha Housing Authority Board from 1956 to 1967. He later retired to Inglewood, California, and died ther e in 1980.

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

STORY KIM CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED DESIGN MATT WIECZOREK

VValo Wellness Spa’s full day spa experience is couched in an all-encompassing approach to wellness, so it’s no surprise that founder Kelly Davis also considers the company’s larger impact on the environment in every decision from the material used for business cards to the ethically sourced products she purchases. Everything is recyclable, reusable or biodegradable.

“Not only do we help clients find the wellness lifestyle that best suits their needs, we also help clients find products and wellness modalities that serve the planet as well. We have a huge focus on sustainability and clean wellness,” she said. “For example, all of our trash bags are compostable. For every uniform that is purchased, there is a tree that is planted.

Every company that we work with has a sustainability a very high sustainability standard…even our business cards are recycled cotton (from) T-shirts.”

Valo, a Finnish word for “light,” is not only woman-owned, but caters to a largely female clientele. Davis said around 90% of its product lines are from female-owned businesses. Valo’s team of 10 is a lso female.

“We focus on empowering everyone in our community, especially women,” Davis said, adding that all employees have access to both industry-specific education and personal education on topics such as financial wellness, among others. “Each one of the girls has their own specialties and they are able to work together and

learn in a supportive environment…it’s kind of a sisterhood, and it’s so fun to watch and see them all interact. They all get along and I just love se eing that.”

Davis said that, although wellness spas typically serve more women, men are welcome; Valo even carries products that are formulated especially for men. The spa also provides services suitable for teens (who must accompanied by an adult guardian), such as facials design specifically for adolescent skin, or light therap y for acne.

“Anytime anyone has asked me, ‘What’s your demographic?’ I say we really have something for everyone,” Davis said. “We don’t want to exclude anyone, we want to welcome anyone. And because we have all these different modalities available in the spa, we have all these things we offer that pretty much anyone can use and benefit from.”

Valo’s spa services include facial treatments and enhancements, from serums to LED revitalization; massages with enhancement options like Himalayan salt stones and aromatherapy; an innovative Wellness Playground featuring touchless wellness modalities like vibration therapy and guided meditation; and a tea bar.

Additionally, the spa is introducing carefully curated wellness workshops throughout the year on a variety of wellness practices intended to better the mind, bod y, and soul.

“Wellness is such a broad umbrella,” Davis said. “We want to be that resource for clients to know that when you walk through the doors, we’ve already vetted everything that is in here and everything that we’re presenting to you. We would not present or give you anything that we do not believe in or anything that does not fall in line with our m ission.” VW

history

“The People’s Hospital was a hospital designed just for us. The standard of care wasn’t there. We weren’t treated. Dr. McMillan believed we should be taken care of.” -Eric Ewing

“It’s unfortunate the People’s Hospital only existed several years,” observed Eric Ewing, executive director of the Great Plains Black History Museum in North Omaha. “I can only imagine that for Dr. McMillan to have even started the hospital, there must have been a real need in the African American community. No one out-of-the-blue establishes a hospital; maybe a clinic, but not a hospital.”

Such was the People’s Hospital presence for its short duration, Ewing said, that locals claimed Malcolm X worked there as a janitor after he got out of prison, although the assertion was never su bstantiated.

“The People’s Hospital was a hospital designed just for us,” Ewing remarked. “The standard of care wasn’t there [before its inception]. We weren’t treated. Dr. McMillan believed we should be tak en care of.”

Sasse lamented that the People’s Hospital isn’t really remembered today there’s not even a landmark commemorati ng the site.

“It went ‘poof’ and just disappeared. It was always under the radar and not validated. But that story is so thick and a starting point for complex conversations. The People’s Hospital represented challenges that are uncomfortable to t alk about.”

Visit northomahahistory.com for more information.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 // 43 //

“(AS A KID) I REMEMBER THINKING DEATH MUST BE REALLY, REALLY SCARY OR WE’D TALK ABOUT IT MORE AND I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF PHOBIA IN OUR SOCIETY BECAUSE WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IT.”

Herchenbach

PHOTOGRAPHY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN MATT WIECZOREK

A Good Death

From her earliest memories, language has always been important to Jenni Herchenbach.

“I remember going into preschool, and there is this little boy and everybody is crying,” Herchenbach recalled.  “I asked what happened, and the little boy said, ‘I lost my grandma.’  And I was like, ‘Why are you here? Why aren’t you looking for her?’ It seemed so odd to me.”

The moment stuck with her, and would inform her relationship with death, and especially, the language that surrounds it. Such language still matters to Herchenbach, which is why the officially licensed sacred passage doula refers to herself as a “death doula.”

“I deal with death,” she said.

Dealing with death encompasses a variety of specialized services. Herchenbach founded Omaha-based Flourish Collaborative to offer her services as an end-of-life coach and grief navigator for clients across t he country.

After raising six daughters, Herchenbach returned to school and earned a master’s in occupational therapy. With a special passion for mental health and trauma care, she found herself drawn to sitting with people during “really tender, difficult moments.” Working with patients in intensive care units, Herchenbach often noticed a gulf between words and feelings when questions of mort ality arose.

“Some well-meaning aunt would walk in the room saying something like, ‘You’re so lucky to be alive’ and that person didn’t feel like it,” Herchenbach remembered. “I always thought it was such a strange thing to say to someone.”

Herchenbach recalls conversations with “bruised and broken” patients whose lives had been rapidly, irrevocably changed. Then, when COVID hit, Herchenbach was away from work for a time allowing her to take a deep dive into “all things death, dying, a nd grief.”

The sheer volume of death brought on by the pandemic encouraged a willingness for people to discuss it more candidly, drawing Herchenbach’s ear.

“[As a kid] I remember thinking death must be really, really scary or we’d talk about it more, and I think there is a lot of phobia in our society because we don’t talk about it,” she said.

The term doula means “service mother” and is commonly known as a professional labor assistant who provides emotional support and advocates for clients throughout the childbirth process.  A death doula does much the same thing, but on the other end of life; serving and advocating for the dying.

Herchenbach said, “Death is coming for you no matter what, whether we talk about it or not so I really try to get people to talk about ‘What would your good death look like? ‘Have you told anyone?’”

René Harper first worked with Herchenbach in fall 2021. Harper was the primary caregiver of her mother and had grown concerned about her health.  Harper had recently communicated with her mother about moving into an assisted living facility. Shortly thereafter, her mother succumbed to a stroke.

“I had to work through a lot of my own guilt,” Harper said. “Did I take good enough care of her? Did I do everything I could do?”

Herchenbach worked to “tend” Harper’s grief, listening without judgment and without trying to “fix” anything.

“I remember it so well,” Harper said. “It was just a beautiful time. A respite for me. To sit there with her and express my feelings and feel safe to cry and for her to be in that with me. That was a really amazing gi ft she gave.

“It also brought up a lot of fears of my own mortality...if I would have the death I wanted to have. Because I don’t feel like my mom got that. I want to create my own scenario.  What I love about the death doula process is it allows you to have some control over that.”

Herchenbach serves a mix of clients, from terminal patients to those who “just want to plan for what their good death looks like.” A common exercise is to ask, “What would you do if you had 90 days lef t to live?”

This question and the ensuing conversations often serve as a wake-up call, helping prioritize between “what has to be done”  and “what doesn’t have to be done.”  Herchenbach broaches oft-overlooked considerations, such as sharing passwords to online accounts, creating a “burnbox” (a collection of items you wish to be kept private or destroyed upon your death), writing down family history and life stories for children and grandchildren, or naming a power-of-attorney.

“The people who are most afraid to die are also the most afraid to live,” Herchenbach said. “When you can finally have the conversation of ‘What if later doesn’t come?’ it really helps people decide, ‘Why am I waiting?’”

It may seem counterintuitive, but end-of-life-planning is often a joyful and illuminating process. As Herchenbach facilitates end-of-life conversations, family members find joy discovering things they never knew.

“Some of the stories and conversations that come up…the things families learn about each other. It just tickles me so much,” Herchenbach said.

“I think we can go out just the way we live. We all have the right to pursue our own good death. We just have to talk about it.”

Visit flourishcollab.com for more information.

A GUIDE IN THE DARK

GEN O STORY BY CHRIS HATCH PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

To hear Luke Woosley tell it, his family reached shore around five years ago.

They found it after much time adrift months treading water in the riptide of his brother Bo’s second year of life.

Guided out from those stormy days, and reflecting on the times he and his large family were left heaving and reeling over rough waves, Woosley is now ready to man the light to safety himself.

This is the story of The Lighthouse that guided him, and of someone ready to shine its beacon for the next fam ily in need.

Woosley, an Omaha native, was just a sophomore in high school when his family began grappling with Bo’s rare form of brain cancer (Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumors, or ATRT) and the overwhelming emotions that came with it. That’s when his Mom heard about a program designed to guide families in simi lar plights.

The Lighthouse Family Retreat is a faithbased nonprofit designed to help families with children fighting cancer. With offices in Atlanta and Florida, the group provides weeklong retreats at various resorts for families in addition to counseling, therapy, and perhaps just as valuable, a place for pediatric cancer patients and survivors to find a small piece of normalcy.

“My mom kind of was just like, ‘Hey, I heard about this really cool thing, and I think it would be really good for all of us.’ She pitched it more as a vacation, less like ‘we need this help,’” Woosley said. “Our family was doing okay. Bo had gotten out of treatment, thankfully, so we thought he was going to make it. But she knew the strain and toil that it had put on my siblings and I, and also my stepdad.”

Woosley was heavily involved in submitting his family’s application for the retreat, but still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect after they were chosen as one of 12 familie s to attend.

Upon arrival at the Tops’l Beach and Racquet Resort, a gorgeous resort located on the Gulf of Mexico in Destin, Florida, Woosley said, “There’s 130 people standing, waiting for you, smiling and waving. They’re super excited,

super exuberant. It was very overwhelming, but an hour in, I saw my little siblings playing with other kids, my parents were talking to other people their age for the first time in God knows when.”

The impact on his family was both immediate and profound. Having struggled against the current for so long, Woosley enjoyed the prevailing calm and sense of freedom the retreat provided. Forward motion felt good.

“The biggest thing I noticed was the dynamic between my parents my mom and my stepdad. You could feel that they weren’t able to invest time into their relationship or their marriage. Bo and the other kids were always the No. 1 priority,” he said. “Coming out of that week, just the love that they saw for each other, that then kind of trickled down, even between me and my siblings.”

Woosley was overjoyed to see his family, unencumbered. He caught a glimpse of them just… being. Breakthroughs, tears, carefree parties all occurred in the span of a life-altering week.

“Like, when you go through something hard like that, you don’t understand that what you’re going through is difficult in the moment. Like, that’s just life,” Woosley said. “[The retreat] made us love each other whole-er.”

“This was the first time, as a family, that we had collectively taken a sigh of relief,” Woosle y reflected.

A shift had taken place internally as well. Even after he put the oceanside memories of that retreat behind him, marveling at Bo’s recovery and growth, there was something calling him, a pull somewhere inside his chest.

He knew he had to return and shine his own light.

Over the past two years, Woosley has worked as a summer intern at Lighthouse Family Retreat, forgoing idle days poolside or

hanging out with friends, or even working a summer job, to give back what he was given.

“I got to be served in the way that I serve others [now],” he said of his position as a Work Crew lead, and he appreciates the opportunity to help others. “A lot of these kids look different. They’re in wheelchairs, their bodies are manipulated in ways that other kids their age may not understand, but they’re not different t han we are.”

And, he’s not the only one serving. This past summer he recruited a fellow University of Nebraska-Lincoln student to join Lighthouse, too.

“[Luke] always said, ‘John, this is gonna change your life! This is exactly like what you’ve been looking for.’ I originally didn’t believe him, but something kept stirring in my heart to go, and my life really did change,” said John Grindey, a former dorm mate and friend who was evangelized by Woosley. “It’s broadened my horizons, but it’s also left a tattoo on my heart for families who are struggling with childhood cancer.”

Woosley said he plans to pursue a career in child health care, and is following a pre-med track at UNL. His experiences with brother Bo’s illness and with the resort most certainly played a role in that choice.

“Ten thousand percent,” he emphasized. “Before Lighthouse, I was going to be a lawyer. I remember very, very strongly wanting to be a lawyer But once my senior year came around, I started to kind of shadow people in the medical field,” he explained. “Coming back as an intern, getting to be so close with the kiddos 100% made me want to go into pediatrics.”

In the meantime, he intends to keep the light shining at Lighthouse, helping others find shore in the midst of whatever storms may come.

“That feeling of normalcy,” he said. “Of letting them be a kid again...is so huge and so critical.”

Visit lighthousefamilyretreat.org for more information.

“Coming out of that week, just the love that they saw for each other, that then kind of trickled down, even between me and my siblings.”

-Luke Woosley

IN THE WAKE OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHER’S BOUT WITH CANCER, LUKE WOOSLEY REFLECTS THE LIGHT

Jan. 11

OUTLAND TROPHY AWARD DINNER

Benefits: Greater Omaha Sports Committee Location: Hilton Omaha —showofficeonline.com

GIVING CALENDAR

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

FEATURED EVENT

Jan. 13—14

HABITAT BUILD DAY

Benefits: Habitat for Humanity Location: Habitat for Humanity Omaha —habitatomaha.org

Jan. 21—27

2023 BLACK HILLS REGIONAL SKI FOR LIGHT

Benefits: Black Hills Skis for Light Location: Deadwood, South Dakota —bhsfl.org

Jan. 22

Jan. 20-May 14

Carnival

of

Love Gala BENEFITING: HEARTLAND FAMILY SERVICE

Location: Embassy Suites La Vista

Hosted by the Heartland Family Service Friends Guild, this event supports the organization’s mission to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through advocacy, education, counseling, and support services. The under-thebig-top gala provides the opportunity to see how programs help people create their own path toward healing and sustainability while sharing their stories of success. —heartlandfamilyservice.org

WASHED ASHORE: ART TO SAVE THE SEA

Benefits: Washed Ashore Location: Lauritzen Gardens —lauritzengardens.org

Jan. 22

BLOOD DRIVE

Benefits: American Red Cross Location: St. Andrews United Methodist Church —redcrossblood.org

Jan. 27-28

ST. JOHN VIANNEY WINTER RUB 11TH ANNUAL BBQ COMPETITION & DINNER

Benefits: St. John Vianney Community Outreach Location: St. John Vianney Catholic Church —sjvbbq.com

Jan. 28

Jan. 28

CONGÈ 2023: FAIRMOUNT FOREVER

Benefits: Duchesne Academy Location: Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart —duchesneacademy.org

Jan. 28

SECOND ANNUAL TAKEDOWN THE TUMOR NATIONALS

Benefits: Team Jack Foundation for pediatric brain tumor research Location: UNO Sapp Fieldhouse —teamjackfoundation.org

Feb. 3

MARIANFEST 2023

Benefits: Omaha Marian High School Location: Marian High School —marianhighschool.net

Feb. 4

14TH ANNUAL ULTRA CHIC BOUTIQUE

Feb. 04

Benefits: The Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter Location: Truhlsen Campus Events Center at UNMC —maxiwalker.com

Feb. 4

TEXAS HOLD’EM TOURNAMENT POKER NIGHT

Benefits: Bags of Fun Location: Modern Work Suites Starlight Auditorium —bagsoffunomaha.org

Feb. 11 2023 OMAHA HEART & STROKE BALL Benefits: American Heart Association Location: CHI Health Center —heart.org/omahaheartball

Feb. 11

I WILL SURVIVE…WINTER IN THE ‘70S Benefits: Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center Location: Mid America Center —wingsofhope.org

Feb.

—shareomaha.org

Feb. 18 FIESTA 2023

Benefits: Omaha Mercy High School Location: Mercy High School —mercyhigh.org

Davin Dickerson, APRN

Dumayi Gutierrez, PhD, LMHP

Kristi Tackett-Newburg, PhD, LIMHP

Lucy Hancock, MA

Marilyn Erickson, APRN

Marty Stoltenberg, APRN-BC

Mary Loftis, LMHP, CPC

Michele Yanney-Wehbi, LIMHP, CPC

Nicole Obrecht, LIMHP

Peggy Deaver, LIMHP, CPC

Salina Anderson, APRN

Sarah Wenzl, LMHP, CPC

Feb. 18

WISH BALL: WISHES ARE FOREVER Benefits: Make-A-Wish Nebraska Location: Embassy Suites by Hilton Lincoln —wish.org/nebraska

Feb. 18

SNOBALL Benefits: Imperial Court of Nebraska Foundation Location: The Max —imperialcourtofnebraska.org

Feb. 24—26

AMP IT UP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Benefits: Academic Mentoring Program Location: TBA —saveprogram.org

Feb. 25

Feb. 24-26

TEAM JACK FOUNDATION GALA Benefits: Team Jack Foundation for pediatric brain tumor research

Location: Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel —teamjackfoundation.org

Feb. 26-28

TANZANIA FABRIC, FUN, AND FACTS RETREAT Benefits: Tanzanian Women’s Scholarship Fund

Location: Swanson Center at Carol Joy Holling Camp —cjhcenter.org

Feb. 27

MOM PROM

Benefits: Creighton Prep Location: CHI Health Center —creightonprep.org

Event times and details are correct as of presstime, but are subject to change.

Omaha Magazine encourages readers to visit venues' websites and/or calling ahead before attending an event or visiting a museum.

Dr. Kristi Tackett-Newburg Founder/Owner

“Things tend to go the ultra way, but that’s not our intention,” Muhs said.

Mark Nygaard, a golf pro at Eagle Hills and Willow Lake Golf Courses in Sarpy County, ran a GOATz 50K as his first ultra having already completed three marathons, including The Boston.

“I started running as a lifestyle change at 45,” said Nygaard, now 54. “I threw on a pair of shoes and decided to start running a 3-mile loop around Memorial Park, never walking, always running.”

That was in 2014. Just two months later, he had lost 50 pounds, and his chiropractor didn’t recognize him the next time they met.

He refers to his wife, Brandi Griess, as his crew chief, who makes sure he is eating and drinking right. Running 6 to 8 miles on Saturdays with a group of GOATz who call themselves The Breakfast Club, Mark has come to pre fer trails.

“I’m not for roads anymore,” he joked. “It’s hard to get run over on the side of a mountain.”

Running the trails at Hitchcock, occasionally with Semonell, Nygaard prefers 100-mile events, especially in the mountains. In September, he ran 30 hours and 42 minutes in the Mogollon Monster 100 near Pine, Arizona. By the time he finished, he had also climbed 18,000 vertical feet over the mountainous course, which he found bea utiful.

Welch is in agreement regarding the beautiful scenery the ultra runners visit, often places that cannot be reached by cars.

“You get to see things no one else will get to see. There’s something magical that happens during runs,” she affirmed. “I don’t even know how to explain it. I have no way to let anybody else know what it f eels like.”

A runner’s high paired with a Rocky Mountain high just can’t be beat.

Visit ultrarunning.com/calendar/state/ nebraska to learn more information about upc oming races.

“You get to see things no one else will get to see. There’s something magical that happens during runs.”

- Amber Welch

d from pg.31

“October 20th, 2018. I literally drank myself into a coma,” Miller said. “That was when I had my bright light experience: I saw the brightest light I’d ever seen, this figure that you can’t define that lifted me up, holding me, so I felt held and loved. I saw myself at like, 5 years old, when I was most innocent, and it told me it that it’s seen some of the dumb decisions I’ve made, but it knows I’m doing it because I feel unloved. But it said to me, ‘This is your last chance I’m letting you know right now you are loved. I love you.’”

“When I came out of it, they were yanking out the tubes from being intubated. They had me there for seven days, because they thought I was going to take my life,” he said.

The ethereal encounter ignited something in Miller a burning desire to live, more than merely existing. Humbled, he made a series of calls.

When Devaney-era Husker and retired Seattle Seahawks guard Bob Newton lifted the receiver, he didn’t hesitate to act. After recovering from drug addiction in the 1980s with the support of coach Tom Osborne, Newton dedicated his life to battling substance abuse, working at Rancho Mirage, California’s Betty Ford Center for 15 years while performing outreach in Lincoln.

“When I first got the phone call from Willie, I could tell by the tone of his voice he was really hurting, and that he needed to get into a place as soon as possible to start getting help,” Newton said. “I had a friend who was also from Nebraska, named Pat Gleeson, up there at Recovery Ways, and I said ‘Look Pat, this guy is hurting financially, he needs help. He’s a Husker and we need to get him to some residential treatment,’ and Pat made that happen.

“I could tell he was really, really motivated to get help […] he knew he was at the end, pretty close. Nebraska Greats helped him with his other medical issues, so it was combination of all those things coming together at the same time, and him reaching out and being humble, and saying ‘I need help.’”

“THE THING I REALLY LOVE ABOUT MY LIFE TODAY, I REALLY TRY TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE, AND THAT’S WHAT I TRY AND DO EVERYDAY. ”

-WILLIE MILLER

Miller had plenty of space to think during his recovery, and lighted upon an idea: for all the suffering he’d seen, caused, and endured, maybe, at last, it was t ime to heal.

“A high school classmate of mine, Margie Smith, reached out to me and said she wanted me to meet with me and Willie and talk about the possibility for him to come through our accelerated nursing program,” said Creighton University Dean of Nursing Catherine Todero. “So we met, and to be honest, I was a little skeptical that he’d be able to do it, because it’s a very rigorous, very intense 12-month program.”

Todero was thrilled to be proven wrong.

“I give the guy a lot of credit,” she said, “because there’s been a lot of things that’ve tried to derail this man, and he got to the end. I actually wrote his letter of reference to the state board. I told him you have to be 100% honest with them. It’s not about what you’ve done in the past, it’s what you’ve done to correct those past issues. He was able to write a pretty compelling letter about the intensity of the program, some of the legal issues he was dealing with, all of that stuff and he never lost his sobriety ”

As for Miller, his time in the program was indeed arduous Yet, the warrior born of Memorial Stadium’s hallowed fields, the very same who stubbornly trudged toward annihilation, stared down a better future. Willie Miller, the healer, met his gaze.

“It was interesting, because I was so focused, I was laser-focused [...] everything was study, study, study, and I wasn’t doing anything else in life,” Miller recalled. “So I made a decision to include my wife, and then my daughter. I started to learn and understand that part of the saying amends process is not really saying that you’re sorry it’s giving back what you took.”

Miller graduated from Creighton’s Accelerated Nursing Program in December 2021, and taking Todero’s advice, received board approval after passing the NCLEX last February. Today, Miller serves as an Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN) at Methodist Hospital.

“The thing I really love about my life today, I really try to help other people, and that’s what I try and do everyday,” Miller said. “And another I love about being a circulating RN, is that I’m part of a team again, right? You rely on one another, and the goal is to take care of that patient.

“It’s the coolest thing to be able to do everyday. I mean, it really is.”

Visit nebraskagreatsfoundation.org for more information.

“You can see it on their faces as soon as n ell Y comes in. s ome of these kids are homesick or struggling on their own for the first time. i t can be a lot, and having n ell Y show up and just be there for these athletes can make such a difference in their day and in their mood.”

-Molly Trevathan

Macy Stevens’ father, Jordan Stevens, is all smiles with a litter of Macy’s Way’s serv ice puppies.

GIVING PROFILE // STORY BY SARA LOCKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

m acy’s w a Y is p aving the w ay for puppy love to save the day m

acy Stevens’ heart may have failed her, but it never failed those around her. In just under 21 years, she managed to leave a legacy that will impact countless lives as her family spreads the word about Macy’s Way.

In 1998, Jordan Stevens and his wife were excitedly looking for 10 fingers and 10 toes at their baby’s 20-week anatomy scan. “We decided to wait to find out her gender, we wanted to be surprised.”

But the surprise wasn’t one they’d hoped for.

“During the ultrasound, the tech skipped the results of her heart exam and stepped out,” Jordan said. “Then the doct or came in.”

After a flurry of appointments and specialists confirmed the diagnosis, the outlook was grim.

“They said she had major heart abnormalities, congenital heart defects. Tricuspid atresia, transposition of the great arteries and pulmonary stenosis,” Jordan recalled. “Macy’s first surgery was at 1 month old, her second at 6 months, and her third at 3 years.

“Macy went into heart failure around her 3rd birthday. We had to choose whether to list her for a transplant, or to try a new medication and wait. We thought we had more time, and knew if we could wait, medications would catch up, technology would catch up.”

Then in 2008, Karen picked up 10-year-old Macy from a friend’s house and noticed swelling. Another trip to the doctor revealed that Macy was once again experiencing heart failure. In August 2008, the Stevens made the 432-mile journey to Saint Louis, Missouri, the nearest transplant center at the time, and l isted Macy.

The family did their best to provide Macy a sense of normalcy between hospital stays, while frequent tail-wagging visitors to the children’s ward did their part toward making the rest of the tim e bearable.

“They always brought therapy dogs to visit the kids, and she would always ask about them,” Jordan said. “It was a huge comfort to have this furry friend she could look forward to seeing.”

Macy experienced life anew when a heart became available on Decem ber 2, 2008.

She made the volleyball team just 10 months after her transplant, went skiing with her family in Colorado, and became an opinionated teen who loved art and music. Jordan refused to was te a moment.

“Teenagers get to a point where they don’t talk much. That’s why I loved driving her home from volleyball. For 20 minutes, she was trapped in that car with a choice between talking and us playing each other music,” he recalled. “Our playlists ended up becoming intermingled. She would sometimes play me a song when she was struggling, and it really helped me rel ate to her.”

Macy’s love of animals would develop into a vocation, and she took a position as a d og groomer.

“She started developing ideas for a shop where people could bring their pets for grooming that would serve coffee. She had figured out a job for everyone in the family. Her sisters, Mia and Sophia, would work with her. Her mom would be the accountant. She was really figuring it out,” Jo rdan said.

“ a nimals meant so much to her. w e wanted to honor that and launched m acy’s w a Y .”

-Jordan Stevens

Then, during the family’s 2019 vacation, Macy started to feel sick once more. When the family returned home, a visit to Nebraska Medical Center showed Macy was experiencing transplant rejection and resultant hea rt failure.

“She had to be sedated and her heart just got worse and worse,” her father recalled. “There was no chance for another transplant. June 12, 17 days before her 21st birthday, she p assed away.”

In time, the family would regain their bearings and come to realize that sharing Macy’s love of dogs would help them heal while helping others.

“Animals meant so much to her. We wanted to honor that and launched Macy’s Way,” Jordan explained. “Our mission is to place service animals with families undergoing hardships. Lulu, Macy’s Goldendoodle, had a litter on September 17th. We’ll be placing those four pups with families who’ve applied through our website.”

Molly Trevathan was working as an athletic trainer for Creighton’s volleyball and soccer programs when she applied for puppy placement through Macy’s Way.

“Creighton puts a lot of emphasis on mental health, and it’s really been a focus for several years,” Trevathan said. “[CU is] improving resources and removing the stigma of struggling, and making the topic more comfortable for their athletes.”

Puppy Nelly was placed with Trevathan and immediately set to work, introducing the service pup to students to help reduce their stress levels and ra ise spirits.

“You can see it on their faces as soon as Nelly comes in. Some of these kids are homesick or struggling on their own for the first time,” Trevathan said. “It can be a lot, and having Nelly show up and just be there for these athletes can make such a difference in their day and in their mood. It matters.”

Every new friend Nelly makes is a new opportunity to share Macy’s story her courage, and her admiration for the power of animals to bring comfort, dispel grief, and unite people.

Visit macysway.com for more information.

Nancy, Daughter of CountryHouse resident

Nancy’s parents recently moved into CountryHouse and right away she appreciated the homelike atmosphere and welcoming community. If she has any questions or her parents need accommodations, Nancy knows she can count on the expert staff.

“I feel comfortable and at ease knowing that the staff is caring for my folks with fun, helpfulness, compassion, understanding and expertise.”

Discover care exclusively designed for those with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.

Schedule a tour of one of our Omaha Metro CountryHouse communities!

CountryHouse.net or 402-307-2004

Omaha I Elkhorn I Council Bluffs

“ I made the right choice for my parents AND for me!”

story by Kara Schweiss // photography By Bill Sitzmann // design by renee ludwick

Treading with Care in Matters of

Life & Death

Dr. Iris Moore Keeps

Patients Front of

Mind Through Bout

As a successful otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor/ENT), Dr. Iris Moore who very recently retired was known for her compassion and attentive care for patients.

“I truly cared about what happened to each individual that I saw. I care about people and want to help them, but mostly, as a physician, I listened,” she said. “I listened to what they had to say and what their major concerns were.”

“She graduated as a physician in 1979 and completed her training as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon in 1983. She has run a highly successful practice since that time,” said friend and fellow physician Dr. Alan Richards, a retired head and neck cancer surgeon. “Iris has always been incredibly hardworking and caring for he r patients.”

Moore grew up on a cattle ranch in Colorado, then spent her teenage years helping her parents run an orphanage in equatorial Brazil as she completed her education via correspondence coursework. In childhood, Moore struggled with allergies and asthma, but eventually outgrew the conditions. As an adult, Moore enjoyed a healthy and active lifestyle that has long included pursuits like horseback riding and hunting. She also possessed the stamina to run a busy ENT practice with her husband, Dr. Gary Moore, while raising three children.

However, a routine procedure in 2021 would go on to reveal a formidable, lifealtering threat: appendic eal cancer.

“I woke up in a hospital bed. I expected to be in a recovery room and going home from a simple hysterectomy, and I was more sedated than I had anticipated,” she recalled. “My doctor came in and said they found the unexpected. They thought it was just benign disease, but instead it was stage IV cancer.”

with Cancer

Despite the staggering diagnosis, Moore continued to see patients at her practice over the course of her own treatment and recovery.

“She underwent major surgery, followed by three months of chemotherapy. After that she had a second major operation,” Richards said. “Iris is a true fighter… during this very stressful period, she was more concerned about the welfare of her patients and her family than her own well-being.”

As a patient, Moore said she trusted the expertise of her medical team, which included physicians Carolyn Maud Doherty, Niyati Nadkarni, Robert Langdon, Jason Foster, Paul Kolkman, and Kat hryn Wildy.

other areas, colleagues from different states who had patients go to different locations, and to try and find care for them there was difficult…I had exceptionally good care from everyone I e ncountered.”

The care was so exceptional, Moore added, that she questioned at times whether it might have been because medical personnel knew she was an area physician.

“I would hope that they would give everyone that care,” she said.

Recovery has been gradual, but Moore is starting to more fully return to the activities she loves. Only a few years before her cancer diagnosis, Moore was quoted in an Omaha Magazine article declaring: “I just don’t quit. That’s probably the best advice I can give whether someone’s starting out or barely h anging on.”

“The fact is, I had minimal knowledge about appendiceal cancer,” Moore conceded. “There is so much to know, there is so much we don’t know. But you have to realize someone has much more knowledge about a specific area than you do. I mean, I have a lot more knowledge about (otolaryngology) than they do. When people come to me, they expect me to know what I’m talking about, and to do the right thing for them. And that’s what I expected of the people that I went to.”

Moore also expressed confidence that she’d receive quality care clo se to home.

“I talked to those who had a reputation of listening and deep knowledge of the problem. Fortunately, in Omaha, we have more of those people than in most other areas of the country, of the world,” she said. “Omaha has really high quality medicine. I’ve talked with friends from

While Moore’s late-stage cancer diagnosis proved a shocking revelation, her conduct and demeanor over the difficult months to follow crystalized what many in the Omaha community had glimpsed before an indomitable spirit, equal parts compassionate and unyielding.

“That is kind of my attitude for life,” she said. “And if you just keep trying, first of all, everyone else is more willing to help you. Usually, if you keep trying and sometimes you have to alter your path a little you usually wi ll succeed.”

“It becomes very obvious that when Iris decides to do something, nothing will get in her way,” Richards affirmed. “What struck me about Iris is her determination with everything she does. It is who she is.”

“I truly cared about what happened to each individual that I saw. I care about people and want to help them, but mostly, as a physician, I listened, I listened to what they had to say and what their major con cerns were.”

-Dr. Iris Moore

O O O

On any given day, in virtually any Omaha neighborhood, runners help compose the urban scene trotting along a sidewalk, gliding through the park, or striding beneath the steel, glass, and brick of the Old Market.

“I think Omaha would rate pretty high nationally as far as a running community,” said John Ritland, 70, a Kansas City native who’s lived and ran in Omaha for almost 30 years. “We may not have the scenic runs that you have in Colorado, but we have some very nice places to run a round here.”

Ritland first took up the sport competitively in high school, didn’t fully hit his stride until the 1980s. A victim of the groundand-pound coaching mentality of the 1960s, he was struck by advancements in shoe technology and sports science that minimized injury and prolonged runners’ careers. These revelations encouraged Ritland to lace-up once more, completing his first marathon after moving to Omaha some 20 years ago. The experience was profound, producing a runner’s high he’s yet to come down from participating in over 60 mara thons since.

“Fast forward to today, the main social groups in running are often at pubs or bars with organized running groups on Tuesday or Wednesday nights,” he explained. “There are still running clubs, and those are great too, but there’s so much more of a social scene now. That has changed so much from back then. Back then, it was just run ning clubs.”

The early days of running in Omaha, not unlike elsewhere in the U.S., scarcely resemble the day-glo spandex and $250 shoes dominating the landscape today. Runners were considered an odd sect, nocturnal beings running gauntlets in the pre-dawn cool, risking run-ins with cars and the leery eyes of their drivers over their odd uniforms. Chuck Cooper recalls the scene well.

“In the ’80s, this was serious,” he said. “People were training and people were racing and people were running really, really fast. They’re still not running as fast as we were running in the ’80s and ’90s. People were doing 60 to 80 miles a week and running marathons pretty much all over t he country.”

Early on, runners were considered so fringe even, according to some psychological journals of the time, borderline mad it was only natural they would find each other and form running clubs. There, they could indulge their passion for the grueling sport, pushing each other through intense traini ng sessions.

“There got to be a group of 20 of us who started doing track workouts, and it was pretty serious stuff,” Cooper said. “We got together every Sunday morning and every Wednesday night, all winter. We ran y ear around.”

Cooper’s dedication rendered an impressive career spanning 35 years and 65 marathons, including five Boston Marathons. He established himself early on as a local race organizer, a role that’s allowed Cooper an up-close view of the sport’s explo sive growth.

“I put on the largest prize money race ever run in Omaha, the Festival of Races, in the early ’90s,” he said. “We did a walk, a 5K, a 10K ,and a half-marathon simultaneously. In the 10K, we had a $5,000 prize which was unheard of in the Midwest. I think in its last year, we had over 2,000 runners. It got to be really big.”

“Running is no longer just a sport; it is a market,” wrote the Washington Post , a declaration so obvious it could be mistaken for parody. Except, this passage was written in 1979 prescient for the time, yet oblivious to the true scale of the phenomenon to pass.

Today, around 50 million Americans, 15% of the nation, participate in some form of running or jogging per a 2020 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Of these, more than 18 million entered a road race in 2018, according to Running USA’s 2019 U.S. Running Trends

Report. Running shoes account for more than half of all athletic shoes sold in the U.S. $30 billion market as reported by Grand Vie w Research.

For Cooper, who after some 40,000 career miles gave up running due to injuries, mass popularity has done nothing to diminish the sport’s un ique appeal.

“The biggest change I’ve seen is it’s gotten much more casual, relaxed,” he said. “Back then, I didn’t know somebody who ran a four-hour marathon. Now, probably half the field comes in over four hours. It’s almost a vacation sport, and I think that might be better, to be hone st with you.

“I miss it today. I’m cycling now 40 or 50 miles a day at age 70. But I’d go run, if I could, in a heartbeat. I miss it e very day.”

It’s a Marathon, Not a Race It’s a Marathon, Not a Race

‘80s

- Chuck Cooper

“In the

this was serious, People were training and people were racing and people were running really, really fast. People were doing 60 to 80 miles a week and running marathons pretty much all over t he country.”

Dawn and M ark Fountain

STORY BY JARRETT VAN METER // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK

A Chop Above

The Fountain Family Shares Karate Passion, Knowledge, and Dojo with Omaha Community

60+ Active living

Something was amiss; he could tell even before anyone spoke. In 2016, Greg Fountain was walking in for his managerial shift at an Omaha pharmacy and sensed that someth ing was off.

“A guy attacked a woman in the bathroom,” his coworker blurted out as soon as he walked in. “He just ran out of here.”

The sentence was barely uttered before Fountain had bolted out back the automatic sliding door, catching up with a small platoon of employees already in pursuit of the attacker.

One by one, Greg surged past the group, tackling the perp. It’s easy to imagine comic book sound bubbles popping abov e the scene: “WHAM! SN AP! WAPOW!”

Two men on the ground, one on top of the other. Greg subdued the assailant until the pol ice arrived.

The timing of the incident was eerie given that only a few weeks prior, Greg’s mother found herself in similar circumstance. Dawn Fountain, a pharmacist, was at work at a different Omaha store when she too was attacked in a bathroom stall. Within seconds, the man, who possessed a great size advantage, was on the floor beggin g for mercy.

Attackers typically use the element of surprise throw their victims off-kilter, opening lanes for further assault. They rely on the chaos of the moment to generate fear and adrenaline-induced paralysis as they seek to achieve whatever criminal outcome they am bushed for.

In both these incidents the attackers were met with decades of martial arts training training that allowed Greg and Dawn to maintain focus, to keep the flames of mayhem from engulfing their senses, and then to retaliate with neutralizing force. But you don’t need to be a black belt to protect yourself, said Mark Fountain, Dawn’s husband and Gr eg’s father.

The Fountain family Dawn, Mark, Greg, and Greg’s wife Chris are here to te ach you how.

“For me, it’s really about shaping people to be the best that they can be, whether it’s adults o r children.”

Ch ris Fountain

Even before opening their new dojo this past July, Fountain Studios of Self Defense, the Fountains were well known within Nebraska martial ar ts circles.

Mark’s journey began at age 17, when he was looking for something to fill the void at the conclusion of his high school wrestling career. He fell in love with the selfdefense element of martial arts, and the requisite humility came natura lly to him.

“I came pretty much with an empty glass,” he explained. “When you are studying martial arts at any level, it’s very humbling. So, I didn’t really come in with a ‘Hey, I’ve been wrestling since I was in third grade’ mentality. It was, ‘I want to learn.’”

He moved to Omaha from Missouri Valley, Iowa as a young adult, a highkicking, motorcycle-riding car salesman. One evening at Arthur’s, a bar formerly at the corner of 75th and Dodge, he met Dawn an aspiring pharmacist and PharmD candidate.

Dawn played basketball and ran track in high school, but had no martial arts experience. That was back in 1984. 38 years later, the couple have raised two grown sons and a shared love for both motorcycles and karate. Dawn’s initial introduction came around the same time as that of sons Greg and Jordan. Mark hired private coaches to come to the house to train the boys, beginning when Greg was 5.

“And close to a year later, I had to make it a family affair,” Dawn said.

She commenced her own practice in 2000, and between all of the family members, the Fountains have earned enough black belts to tie down King Kong. Mark is a fifth degree black belt Shihan, Greg is a fourth-degree black belt Sensei, and Dawn is a third-degree black belt Sensei. Younger son Jason chose not to pursue martial arts to the extent of the others, but earned a junior black belt before turning his attention to filmmaking. Mark, Dawn, and Greg each exude a steely peacefulness that they credit to their decades of practice in ma rtial arts.

“It makes you more calm,” Mark explained. “And not just that it centers you and puts you in a situation where you can relax in that situation, which it does, but how many situations do they not get themselves into to begin with because they have a certain self-confidence. They have a certain walk, they have a certain posture, they have a certain eye contact, and those people who

are out there looking to bully, pick on, or attack, they see that and subconsciously are going to think, ‘eh, let’s move on to some body else.’”

Their prowess carried them to teaching, and for two decades they have been involved in the tutelage of many of the city’s black belts. Jayson Lucas, who is helping out at Fountain Studios teaching children’s classes, is a former student of Mark’s.

Chris Fountain, Greg’s wife who also helps with the young students at the dojo, met her future father-in-law at her firstever self-defense class. She had gone with a friend, clad in Nike shorts and a t-shirt rather than the traditional gi. She was instantly hooked, but it was the introduction at the end of the class that changed her life forever. Mark approached her from across the room as the crowd began t o dissipate.

“He said, ‘You know, if we never see you again, I want to make sure you leave here with some really important self-defense skills that you can remember and will help you,’” Chri s recalled.

Mark gave her a brief tutorial on some fundamentals, leaving her both touched and impressed. She immediately signed up to take more lessons with him, and it was at one of those succeeding classes that she met Greg. They started dating a year later, and have been together f or 11 years.

Chris was already hooked on martial arts, but it was on her and Greg’s honeymoon to Japan that she realized that teaching passing on her knowledge was her calling. She was struck by how polite and caring Japanese culture was, by the variances she observed between the nation and her own. She wanted to bring back some of what she encountered there.

“For me, it’s really about shaping people to be the best that they can be, whether it’s adults or children. That’s my way of trying to put a positive mark on this world…it’s like Greg says, the skill expires,” she said. “I would love for them to be able to defend themselves, but I also want them to be better people than when they walked in because of our influence.”

Lucas first met the Fountains in 2009 upon moving to Omaha. Mark became his coach, within the dojo and beyond.

“A couple years back he made a comment to me, I was applying to a new job and was worried that I wasn’t going to get it because of politics within the

office,” Lucas reflected. “I was talking to him about it and he stopped me a goes, ‘Jayson, you can do anything, you’re a black belt. You got this.’ I can’t think of a better friend and a better teache r than him.”

Fountain Studios offers a variety of classes for all ages. They have students as young as five, up to individuals in their 70s. The self-defense-based instruction is designed to meet students where they are, and to cater to individual needs. The Fountains believe everyone can benefit from a practice of their own, whether it be to reduce stress, restore clarity, or rise to the moment in the event of a true fight-or-flight scenario, like Dawn’s or Greg’s.

“Everybody in this world, they need to know how to defend their self,” Greg affirmed. “They need to understand that there are bad people out there that don’t think the same way that we think. They don’t value life the way we value life. They don’t treat each other like we treat each other. We have to understand that, we have to know that, and we have to be ready for it, because when we meet a violent situation, we have to meet it with violence.”

“Violence isn’t slow and methodical, violence is violent.”

TO A TEA

OMAHA’S TEA COZIES

It’s that time of the year when few drinks are as comforting as a bracing cup of tea. Toss the tea bags and indulge yourself with local offerings that elevate tea to a new level. Whether you like a basic British cuppa or want to meet your matcha, these businesses help you cross your teas and introduce you to new blends a nd leaves.

1. DIANA’S PAPILLION TEA SHOP

134 North Washington St., Papillion | 531.250.0685

Reminiscent of tea shops of old, this cozy locale provides high-quality loose-leaf tea one can sip in, take out, or brew at home. The shop features over 15 categories of teas, ranging from yellow, black, green, and white to more exotic blends such as rooibos, inclusions, Pu-ehr, and wellness. Whether you’re looking for something to aid sleep (“Serenitea”) or want something smooth and decadent (“Honeybush Chocolate”), the knowledgable proprietors, Timothy and Angie Hokanson, will guide you through their wide and varied collection. dianasteashopandroom.com.

2. 13TH STREET COFFEE & TEA COMPANY

519 S. 13th St., Old Market | 402.345.2883

Omaha’s oldest coffee and tea shop, this charming downtown locale brings in tea aficionados with its heady mixture of looseleaf teas arranged in gleaming antique copper canisters. This calming environment is ideal for getting work done or meeting up with friends—or patrons can bring their tea home in brown paper packages.

13thstreetteaandcoffee.com

3. TEA SMITH

345 N 78th St. | 402.393.7070

This artisan-quality tea shop prides itself in their quality tea and knowledge. The owner, Tim Smith, confesses he founded this shop out of frustration, annoyed with the vast misconceptions about tea, the preparation, the history, and its properties. This welcoming store invites patrons to not only learn about the history of tea and enjoy it, but also to participate in local teacentered events. The shop hosts chocolate and tea tastings, ugly mug contests, holiday specials, and more. theteasmith.com

4. ARTEMIS TEA & BOTANICAL

4013 Farnam St. | 531.375.5844

Founder and clinical herbalist Andrea Lawse strives to honor the connection between plants and people through the craft of making tea. She incorporates every part of the plant in her tea blends, including the flowers, bark, seeds, roots, stems, berries, and leaves. Her blends are intentionally hand-crafted for what the consumer needs—whether that be for relaxation, healing, or vitality. Artemis Tea brings awareness to what tea drinkers consume and how it influences both body and spirit.

artemistea.com

5.

CHIPPY’S OMAHA

2718 S 123rd Ct. | 402.330.3020

Open since in April 2021, Chippy’s is the only British store in the state. Not only do Anglophiles flock to this unique place, but U.K. expats find a sense of home here. Chippy’s stocks an impressive array of British teas, such as PG Tips, known for its conical tea bags. Whether customers are looking for a Yorkshire tea for bedtime or an English Breakfast tea for dunking biscuits, Chippy's is a must. chippysomaha.com

6.

THE URBAN ABBEY

1026 Jackson St. | 402.898.7600

This unique coffee shop not only sells tea but also offers books for customers to enjoy while sipping a hot beverage. The store's friendly vibe presents an inclusive environment for different backgrounds to come together and enjoy a peaceful, welcoming space. There are a variety of tea options to choose from, including different add-in flavors. This is a wonderful space to read books, attend a progressive church, and indulge in delicious tea. theurbanabbey.org

DINING FEATURE

STORY megan bartholomew PHOTOGRAPHY bill sitzmann DESIGN matt wieczorek

SAFFRON

URBAN INDIAN KITCHEN ELEVATES OMAHA’S DINING SCENE

A New Era

Omaha’s dining scene offers nearly endless possibilities, especially in the concentrated hub of Aksarben Village. However, few match the urban splendor and aromatic dishes of a newer addition to the shopping center’s cast of characters: Saffron Urban Indian Kitchen.

With soaring ceilings, trendy furnishings, and a contemporary architectural finish, Saffron’s city-chic vibe delivers an airy urban retreat, raising the bar high for fine Indian cuisine. Every space in Saffron’s dining area has been carefully curated; a wine tasting room boasts modern-industrial lighting and floor-to-ceiling wine displays, and the sleek bar area provides a view directly into the heart of the kitchen.

Facilitated by the minds behind Omaha favorites Kathmandu Momo Station and Nori Sushi, Saffron Urban Kitchen boasts a small tried-and-true menu of Indian staples, with added focus on freshness delivered by a small-batch mentality.

“We have a lot of the same menu items as other Indian restaurants, but the experience we want to give is a combination of elevated food, drinks, and service,” said chef Diwesh Bhattarai. “We want to bring great quality and clean ingredients to the table.”

That mantra is recognizable throughout Saffron’s menu. The chicken tikka masala features rich and creamy tomato curry sauce, infused with visibly fresh herbs and spices. Each biryani is garnished with freshly chopped vegetables, prepared daily by Bhattarai and his team of cooks. All contributing to the overarching goal of the restaurant’s team: an elevated Indian dining experience.

“We didn’t want to do something entirely fine dining, but very ‘New York,’” explained Rocky Shrestha, host and part owner of Saffron. “It’s very laid back, sticking with a modern, casual, chef-centric vibe.”

A passion for cooking is something that Bhattarai developed a bit later in life. He originally landed in Omaha in 2007 as an engineering and information technologies student. While completing his degree, Bhattarai worked as a dishwasher at the now-shuttered Tandoori Fusion restaurant, under the guidance of chef Raj Bhandari.

Tender rib e ye , s pi c y vind al oo sa u c e , a n d b a tams i r eci grevnoc e ni norfaS s’

,,

n my progress through that kitchen, I fell in love with the restaurant industry,” Bhattarai said. “I didn’t worry about the time while I was there, and realized this is something I could do for my whole life.”

However, newly married Bhattarai didn’t take the leap right away. For several years, he continued with a career in engineering with a role in IT at FirstData while dabbling in further kitchen work alongside his wife, Aagya Subedi, who is part owner of Kathmandu Momo Station.

“The passion for food kept growing in me, so I changed absolutely everything,” Bhattarai affirmed.

Chef Bhattarai went back to school, completing degrees in both culinary arts and hospitality at Metropolitan Community College, and continued his hands-on industry and management learning in the kitchens of Kathmandu Momo Station and Nori Sushi. Within these settings, with the help of business parters Shrestha and Sagar Gurung, Bhattarai and his wife were able to take their love of cooking from their home to the Omaha dining community.

In early 2020, what started as casual conversation among industry friends set Saffron Urban Indian Kitchen on the path from concept to full-fledged enterprise. Bhattarai, Gurung, and Shrestha had been discussing their desire for more high-end Indian dining experiences in the city.

“We were dreaming, really, but then this space opened up and we thought ‘you know what, let’s go for it,’” Bhattarai recalled.

After six months of careful planning, that dream of elevated Indian cuisine became a reality with a next-level concept: Bhattarai’s expertly crafted menu items, a chic interior, and specialty cocktails.

The bar lineup consists of reimagined classics, each concocted by award-winning bartenders with Indian twists. Their rum is sourced from a small distillery in India; the Bombay Old Fashioned is infused with chai, orange, and chocolate flavors; and the tequila-based Torchlight delivers a hint of spice balanced by fresh cucumber and honey.

“You don’t see many casual dining restaurants with a full bar, especially when they serve Indian cuisine,” Bhattarai said. “We saw the bar as an element that could be a great opportunity to elevate the experience. Guests can enjoy delicious food, and a nice drink. What more could you want?”

Drinks paired with Saffron’s from-scratch menu provide diners an array of unique, yet complementary flavor profiles. The culinary skill delivered with each serving is readily apparent; the deep knowledge presented by Chef Bhattarai leaves an impression on customers and fellow employees alike.

“I came into this project with an impression that Indian food is basically chaos,” Shrestha confessed. “What I saw was a mess of no measuring, where everything is eyeballed and there is no structure, like you see in French cooking, for example. In working with Diwesh, I’ve learned that the chefs who really can cook know exactly what each ingredient does, and use it to their advantage. No matter the cooking style, his knowledge is pretty impressive.”

Though culinary chops are requisite for any upscale restaurant, at the heart of Saffron’s panache and polish is Chef Bhattarai’s exacting attention to detail.

“He wants things executed perfectly,” Shrestha said. “It is great to have a leader who is so engaged.”

The team shared that, while nearly all customers leave Saffron immensely satisfied, if even one negative comment makes its way to Chef Bhattarai, he’s certain to course-correct, down to the last detail.

“I could be here working on this menu all day, and I love getting better every day,” he said. “I love the daily challenges, and I love being appreciated for what we are creating. It keeps me motivated.”

While Bhattarai maintains a standard of personal perfectionism, according to Shrestha, the typical high-pressure kitchen environment is nowhere to be found at Saffron. Guests seated at the bar are likely to hear snatches of good-humored banter and laughter bouncing between chefs and the front-of-house team across the counter.

“Most big kitchens are chaotic, noisy, and have an army-like hierarchy,” Shrestha said. “Ours is very laid back. Diwesh makes it peaceful. He makes it a priority to treat employees with respect and to keep them as involved as possible.”

Chef Diwesh’s unique vision has taken Saffron Urban Indian Kitchen from an empty space in Aksarben Village to a beloved industry favorite in less than two years, with many fresh offerings yet to come. Continued visits to Saffron may reveal a brand-new select whiskey bar for tastings, a ceiling installation of forest greenery, and a lush pergola for next season’s summer dining days.

“We are very young and are still learning all the time,” Bhattarai said. “No matter what, you can’t do any of this by yourself. We are building a really solid team first and foremost, and after we’ve grown we would love to expand in the future.”

Visit saffronurbankitchen.com for more information.

“WE WERE DREAMING, REALLY, BUT THEN THIS SPACE OPENED UP AND WE THOUGHT ‘YOU KNOW WHAT, LET’S GO FOR IT,’”

-chef Diwesh Bhattarai

Salmon meets creamy masala sauce over a

Achieving

CALIXTE COOKS WITH SALT, PEPPER, LOVE, AND AFFECTION

the

The fragrant aroma of simmering stew floats from the kitchen to the entryway as Wilson Calixte unlatches the front door of his home. Herbs and spices mingle with a warm greeting from Calixte chef and owner of Omaha’s Le Voltaire French Restaurant at 569 N 155th Plaza. He sits down to describe his journey to the metro, one that began in distant Haiti, where his love of food began at his mot her’s side.

“She would always tell me if I [kept] up my grades, she would cook for me. That was the way of me bonding with my mom,” Calix te recalled.

As a young man, Calixte would travel with his family to sample the cosmopolitan cuisine of New York City. After the passing of his father, he moved to New York in 1990 to live with his eldest sister. His entry into the restaurant business was as a dishwasher at a now-closed soul food restaurant, Five Spot, in Brooklyn. Paying his bills and his dues with hot suds eventually led to graduating to line cook. However, his career accelerated with a move to a liquor store-turned-French fusion restaurant, aptly nam ed Liquor.

When the head chef departed in 2006, Calixte stepped in as the chef of both its locations while maintaining his catering business, Travel Chef. The catering proved to be a lifeline for Calixte, as both Liquor locations faced closure, and he was able to leverage the business to remain in his desired profession.

“Food is my passion,” Ca lixte noted.

Another love his wife, Tonya, whom he met while in New York led Calixte to the metro when she took up a teaching post in Omaha in 2010. There, Calixte's chef’s knife found a home at an Old Market staple , V. Mertz.

“I stayed at V. Mertz for about a month, and a friend of mine that was working there told me about an opening at Le Voltaire,” he said.

Calixte connected with then-head chef/ owner, Cedric Fichepain.

“[Cedric] gave me a mystery basket” containing steak and vegetables as materials to demonstrate his culinary skills, Calixte

said. He passed the test. “[In June 2010] he hired me, and after three months I became the sous chef. Once he opened the bakery [Le Petit Paris, next door to Le Voltaire, in 2013]...I started running the whole kitchen.”

“It has always been a dream of mine to own my own business. Before the pandemic, I told myself, I’m giving myself three more years. Either I own my own restaurant or I move back to the East Coast,” he confessed.

The dream was fully realized in August 2021 when Calixte the dedicated and knowledgeable chef of Le Voltaire of 11 years became Calixte, chef/owner of L e Voltaire.

“[When] you have a dream, you have a passion, but [sometimes] you’re not sure how you’re going to get to the next level. The American dream is not easy to get… but if you work hard…dreams can come true ,” he said.

Omaha Chef Jamil Djibril Bah-Traore of House of Bah said of Calixte: “He is resilient, determined, and passionate about his craft. His journey to ownership of Le Voltaire is like the kind you read in books or watch in movies.”

That dream is something that Calixte is living day to day, working to balance his scaling business with precious hours spent with family.

“As a person, he is one of the most giving, loving, and unselfish people that I have met in my life,” Bah-Traore said.

“Life is all about learning. You never stop learning 'til you die,” Calix te affirmed.

Calixte has core Le Voltaire dishes on the menu, though his creativity receives ample breadth fusing classical French cuisine with Caribbean, African, and an array of continent-spann ing flavors.

“I want people to enjoy the experience. When they come to Voltaire, they think of me, but it’s a place where people could make it their home,” Calixte said. “Salt, pepper, love, and a ffection.”

Visit levoltaireomaha.com for more information.

DINING

“The American dream is not easy to get…but if you work hard…dreams ca n come true” -chef Wi lson Calixte

ZINC OMAHA

MEALS AND MATI N EES

B[ ]

link and you could easily miss it–Zinc Omaha, a small fine dining restaurant in the Holland Performing Arts Center, that's only open concurrent with Holland performances and offers a seasonal menu. When my husband and I visited, the restaurant had just switched to their autumn dishes, and their dessert offerings were enough to make me revel in the season.

You can find Zinc across from the Ovations bar in the lobby of the Holland. On a recent Saturday, I made an afternoon reservation, and we were seated promptly upon arrival. A runner brought us ciabatta rolls, water, and an impressive trio of butters for our bread. The generous helpings included regular, cranberry and chive, and a lemon herb butter that made me lament the fact that I didn’t have more rolls on which to slather the t asty spread.

As we ate our buttered rolls, I noticed the chef walking about, asking the people around us what they thought of their meals. Their responses varied from praising the salmon to the French fries, with one person even applauding the server. Everything I heard was positive and I could he ar it all .

he way the dining room is set up, there’s no noise buffer. And while the space is quite pretty, with glass walls providing pleasant views of the Holland’s courtyard, patrons' voices reverberated throughout the room. Two women seated behind me became progressively louder as the drink in their wine bottle dwindled, and I learned far more about the other diners than I probably should have.

I glanced at my watch and realized about 20 minutes had passed since we received our bread and water. The sole server wandered around the room, checking in on guests' experience, but didn’t stop by our table. We couldn’t catch her attention, and to be fair, we were seated behind a pillar, so she may not have realized we were there.

After 30 minutes had passed, my husband flagged down the hostess and asked her to please send our server to the table. Instead, the apologetic hostess took our meal order, and it wasn’t long before our server appeared with our appetizer goat cheese covered in orange marmalade with fresh thyme accompanied by crostini. She apologized for the confusion and remained available and personable for the duration of our meal.

The appetizer was well worth the wait. The tartness of the cheese was nicely complemented by the sweetness of the orange marmalade, and a pairing of crusty bread provided the perfect canvas for spreading the savory and sweet combination.

My husband ordered the Burger der Maestro, a grilled chuck patty smothered in jalapeño bacon jam, beer cheese spread, and cheese curd on a toasted pretzel bun. He commented that the sauces were delicious, and he delighted in the flame-grilled flavor of the patty. He likewise praised the fries that accompanied the burger, particularly the pepper y seasoning.

This seasoning must be a chef specialty, because the grilled chicken atop my mac & cheese had a pleasant, peppery taste. This far-too-big-a-portion-for-one-person serving featured smoked gouda cheese sauce and elbow macaroni with a toasted breadcrumb topping. As far as high-end macaroni and cheese goes, the dish was a winner. I took home my leftovers to my teenage son, who took one bite and deemed it “banging” (or something to t hat effect).

Zinc’s seasonal dessert menu was packed with the classic flavors of autumn. We settled on the apple spice cake an impressive assemblage of circular spice cake pieces sandwiched between mascarpone frosting and roasted apple chutney. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side proved the perfect accompaniment to the cake. The presentation was appealing, and the taste was everything a fall dessert should be packed with warm spices and not overly sweet.

The chef visited us after the meal to ensure we enjoyed everything, and our server comped the dessert on our tab in light of the initial delay. Other than the long stretch waiting at the beginning of our visit, we found the staff to be amicable and highly attentive.

The menu isn’t extensive, but beyond their standard fare there are options for both vegetarian and gluten-free diners. There is a nice variety of entrées from which to choose. A tad pricey, but the presentation and taste along with the proximity to upscale entertainment justifi es the cost.

Though we didn’t catch a show that day, I imagine a visit to Zinc in tandem with attending a show would make for a near-perfect Omaha afternoon (or evening). The next time we're at the Holland, we’ll be sure to tack on a reservatio n at Zinc.

Visit o-pa.org/our-venues/Dining-at-the-Holland for more information.

A DOLLOP OF VANILLA ICE CREAM COZIES UP TO SPICED ROASTED APPLE LAYERED BY MASCARPONE FROSTING IN ZINC’S APPLE SPICE CAKE DESSERT.

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, crave-able 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

DINING GUIDE Omaha

JAMS- $$

7814 Dodge St. - 402.399.8300 17070 Wright Plz, Ste. 100 - 402.810.9600 1101 Harney St. in the OldMarket - 402.614.9333

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 award-winning 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.co m

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

T ED 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

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, Millard and Dundee. 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

ITALIAN

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.co m

S PEZIA - $$$ 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 woodfired 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

MEXICAN

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.co m

Omaha

DINING GUIDE

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 Omaha’s # 1 Mexican Restaurant 19 Years in a Row! Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. lamesaomaha.co m

R OMEO’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

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: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.midnight. Closed Sunday. —beercornerusa.co m

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.co m

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

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.co m

T HE 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. Open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Dinner nightly at 5 p.m. —droverrestaurant.com

NEBRASKA

BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL January 21 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career spanning more than 40 years in Broadway, television, film, recordings, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. —liedcenter.org

HOLDREGE-EMPIRE WILD January 21 at the Tassel Performing Arts Center, Holdredge. A genre-bending, crossover trio, Empire Wild has brought their signature mix of original music, inventive covers, and twists on the classical canon to audiences across the country. —kearneyconcerts.org

LINCOLN FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSICSEASON 58: THE AXIOM STRING QUARTET January 22 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. The Axiom Quartet is a dynamic and passionate string quartet that explores all genres of music with no boundaries or limits. Axiom Quartet has become known around Texas for its inventive programs that mix music from the classical canon with transcriptions, and new compositions along with the inclusion of popular rock, electronic, indie, jazz, and pop genres in a single concert experience. —liedcenter.org

E.N. THOMPSON FORUM PRESENTS: MARTHA SCHWARTZ January 23 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. Martha Schwartz is a landscape architect, urbanist, and climate activist. Her work and teaching focuses on the urban public realm landscape and its importance in making cities “climate ready.” For more than 40 years, Martha Schwartz Partners has completed projects around the globe, from site-specific art installations to public spaces, parks, master-planning and reclamation. —liedcenter.org

ON YOUR FEET January 27-28 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. The inspiring true story about heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent— and each other—to become an international sensation: Gloria and Emilio Estefan. —liedcenter.org

TRAVIS ANDERSON TRIO February 4 at the Merryman Performing Arts Center, Kearney . A Minneapolisbased ensemble, the Travis Anderson Trio, gives a modern twist to classic jazz and pops favorites. This creative ensemble will perform a familiar program of 1960s TV theme music, Disney hits, and pops/jazz standards that will charm both seasoned connoisseurs and jazz newcomers alike. —kearneyconcerts.org

VIVA LIED VEGAS February 4 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. Don’t miss the fabulous new Vegasinspired fundraiser at the Lied Center with four stages of live entertainment. Enjoy a martini on the Main Stage to the smooth sounds of jazz with Kathy Morrow & Friends, eat your heart out with Joseph Hall as Elvis in the Commons, or shake your tail feather to the 402 high-octane dance band in the Carson Theatre. Then, visit the High Roller Lounge and be serenaded to Sinatra style tunes by Bobby Gadoury while you try your hand at blackjack, craps, roulette, and more. —liedcenter.org

PREDICTOR: WORLD PREMIERE February 10-19 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. The real-life story of Margaret Crane who, in 1967, defied all odds and expectations to become the inventor of the first home pregnancy test. Energetic and theatrical, PREDICTOR illuminates Meg Crane's lost contributions to both science and design, celebrating her persistence, her relentless positivity, and her desire to make the world a better place—for everyone. —liedcenter.org

JAZZMEIA HORN February 14 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album and recently voted as No. 1 Jazz Vocal Album by NPR Music’s Jazz Critics Poll, Jazzmeia Horn makes her Lied Center debut in a Valentine’s Day concert you won’t want to miss. —liedcenter.org

BLAKE SHELTON SPECIAL GUESTS CARLY PEARCE AND JACKSON DEAN February 16 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln. Superstar entertainer Blake Shelton returns to the road in 2023 for his headlining Back to the Honky Tonk Tour. Set to join the lineup are reigning ACM Female Artist / CMA Female Vocalist of the year Carly Pearce and rising artist Jackson Dean. —pinnaclebankarena.com

REZA: EDGE OF ILLUSION February 18 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. REZA has taken the art of illusion to a new level, delivering his rock concert-style magic show to audiences across the globe. His new production “Edge of Illusion” features the most incredible cutting-edge magic in existence today, with breathtaking, signature grand-scale illusions, including making motorcycles and helicopters materialize out of thin air, live on stage. —liedcenter.org

PARALLEL EXIT February 22 at the Fairbury Junior/Senior High School, Fairbury. A New York City-based nouveau vaudeville company of three. The ensemble combines song and dance with slapstick physical comedy to produce a delightful show for any audience. —kearneyconcerts.org

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL February 23-25 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Lincoln. Fabulously fun and international award-winning Legally Blonde - The Musical is the ultimate Broadway tribute to girl power. The story follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery, and scandal in pursuit of her dreams—proving that you can be legally blonde and still the smartest person in the room. This contemporary, sassy musical moves at a breakneck pace driven by memorable songs and explosive dances. Legally Blonde - The Musical warms the heart by proving that self-discovery can be way too much fun and hilarious to boot. —liedcenter.org

IOWA

CATS January 3-8 at the Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines. The recordbreaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, is headed to the Des Moines Civic Center. CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

SOMI January 19 at the Temple Theater, Des Moines. Somi Kakoma—the vocalist, composer, and writer born in Illinois to parents who emigrated from Rwanda and Uganda—discovered her musical identity traversing the cultural bridge between America and Africa. That sense of discovery continues to guide a career in which she has forged a musical signature, channeling the jazz, soul, and the music of her roots. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

COLLISION OF RHYTHM January 21 at the Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines. A duo comprised of tap-dancing classical virtuoso, Aaron Williams, and beatbox-juggling keynote speaker, Bronkar Lee. They’ve previously worked with companies like GoPro, Coca Cola, and Google, and have been featured on The Tonight Show, America’s Got Talent, and in SuperBowl commercials. Both have achieved internet fame with “rhythmic” viral videos. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

NATE BARGATZE January 22 at the Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines. Hailing from Old Hickory, Tennessee, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze is selling out shows across the world on his lauded Raincheck Tour. Bargatze’s comedy is both clean and relatable, ensuring the whole family can enjoy a night of gut-busting humor. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE IN CONCERT January 27-28 at the Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines. Grab your broom and prepare for the trials ahead. The Triwizard Tournament comes to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert. Relive the magic of Harry Potter soaring across the big screen in high-definition, accompanied by the Des Moines Symphony performing Patrick Doyle’s unforgettable score live at the Des Moines Civic Center. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

MISS GAY IOWA USOFA 2023 January 28 at the Temple Theater, Des Moines. Miss Gay Iowa USofA is proud to celebrate its 34th year honoring some of the best female impersonation artists in the state of Iowa, as they compete to be the state representative on the national stage. Join us as we honor the reign of national top 12 finalist, Destiny Michelle and explore “The Wizardly World of USofA” to discover who shall be the next to wear the crown on their journey to the national contest in Dallas, Texas. The evening will feature the reigning Miss Gay USofA, Tonica Cavalli of Houston, Texas plus a host of former winners and special guests. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: THE NEXT GENERATION January 31-February 5 at the Temple Theater, Des Moines. From FROZEN to PHANTOM to WICKED, this all-new fall-down funny, satirical roast of over 30 Broadway hits features outrageous costumes, silly spoofs of the songs you know by heart and madcap impressions by a stellar cast. Recent spoofs include HAMILTON, DEAR EVAN HANSEN and MOULIN ROUGE. It’s never been more fun poking fun at your favorite musicals and stars. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

SIX February 7 - 19 at the Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines. From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power. This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

COMEDY XPERIMENT February 10-11 at the Stoner Theater, Des Moines. Comedy XPeriment, Des Moines’s longestlasting improv troupe returns to the Stoner Theater. Celebrating 17 years of bringing laughs to audiences of all sizes, CXP is thrilled to be performing for the home crowd once again. Comedy XPeriment specializes in improv based on suggestions from the audience—no two performances are the same. The group cooks up hilarity in a sports-themed format, a series of nonsensical scenes, or even a short 1-Act play. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

IN THE YEAR OF THE BOAR & JACKIE ROBINSON February 18 at the Temple Theater, Des Moines. In 1947, the Year of the Boar, a young girl leaves China with her parents for a new beginning in America... but it's far more difficult than she expected. Though her classmates in Brooklyn come from a variety of backgrounds, Shirley is the only one who doesn't speak English, and she worries that she will never have a friend. Yet, through a new love of the Brooklyn Dodgers (especially her hero, Jackie Robinson), Shirley begins to feel at home. Based on the book by Bette Bao Lord and told through humor, Chinese and English, and a rich multimedia staging, the play celebrates the bravery and sacrifice of those who bring new perspectives to our country. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY February 25 at the Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines. The immersive concert-style theater show chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. It tells the story from their

humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the '60s to their dramatic split in 1970. It culminates with the famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 with more than half a million fans in attendance. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

LARRY MCCRAY February 26 at the Temple Theater, Des Moines. Larry McCray first emerged on the international stage with his debut release on Point Blank/Virgin in 1990. Through the 1990’s, and behind 4 albums on that label, he quickly ascended the hierarchy of the blues and roots world—not just as a guitarist who could slay—but also as an impassioned singer who could knock out audiences with his soulful, barrel-chested vocals. —desmoinesperformingarts.org

KANSAS

2023

CARS FOR CHARITIES ROD & CUSTOMS

CHARITIES CAR SHOW January 13-15 at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Wichita. The 66th Annual Cars for Charities is chocked full of events for the whole family, featuring a free kids zone with face painting, a coloring stations, and special appearances by their favorite cartoon characters. —century2.org

APRIL 4TH, 1968: DARE TO DREAM January 14 at the Lied Center, Lawrence. Written and directed by local playwright Rita Rials, April 4th, 1968: Dare To Dream honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, bringing to life the joy, pain, sorrow and hope of those who dared to dream. This dynamic production includes music essential to the life of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, and it will inspire audiences to keep the dream alive. —lied.ku.edu

THE GREAT LOVER January 21 at the White Concert Hall, Topeka. The Topeka Symphony is delighted to offer Chen Yi’s beautiful “Romance and Dance,” featuring concertmaster Zsolt Eder and assistant concertmaster Kenya Patzer. The Young Artist Competition Winner will also be crowned, and Sibelius’s Second Symphony, which Sibelius described as “a confession of the soul,” is set to be performed. The symphony is grandiose, profound, and ecstatic, and its love themes range from love of country to a meditation on Don Juan, the notorious Italian lover. —topekasymphony.org

CALENDAR

WICHITA BRIDAL EXPO January 21-22 at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Wichita. The Wichita Bridal Expo features more than 150 wedding professionals and drawing thousands of brides from all over the state of Kansas—the largest live wedding fashion stage show in the state. This area's top wedding professionals gather, while guest enjoy tastings, decor, photographers, DJ sets, and more. Visitors have a chance to win two $7,000 grand prizes, among others. —century2.org

AFTERNOON IN PARIS January 22 at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Wichita. Escape Wichita's winter with dreams of springtime in Paris with this concert of enchanting French music. The music of 19th-century French composer, Louise Farrenc, has emerged in recent years with newfound and deserved respect among musicians and audiences. Considered her supreme masterwork, discover her Third Symphony charged with turbulence and romanticism. —century2.org

HAIRSPRAY February 2 at the Lied Center, Lawrence. You Can’t Stop the Beat! Hairspray, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour. Join 16-yearold Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? —lied.ku.edu

BLUE ELECTRA February 11 at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Wichita. Multiple adventures await in the music of this concert. Superstar violinist Anne Akiko Meyers ascends with Blue Electra, the brand-new violin concerto from Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty. American & Kansas icon Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed 10-E Electra inspire the music and audience imagination in this symphonic adventure. —century2.org

BLUE MAN GROUP February 13-14 at the Lied Center, Lawrence. It’s everything you know and love about BLUE MAN GROUP— signature drumming, colorful moments of creativity and quirky comedy—the men are still blue, but the rest is all new. Featuring pulsing and original music, custom-made instruments, surprise audience interaction and hilarious absurdity, join the Blue Men in a joyful experience that unites audiences of all ages. —lied.ku.edu

KBA WINTERFEST23 February 17-18 at the Wichita Marriott Hotel, Wichita. The Kansas Bluegrass Association will be throwing its annual festival, which will include songwriting workshops, activities for kids, and fun throughout. —kansasblugrass.org

ARETHA: A TRIBUTE February 18 at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Wichita. A Tribute to the Queen of Soul, this program features Broadway veteran Capathia Jenkins and Darryl Williams performing the iconic hits “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Amazing Grace,” and more. Broadway guests are joined by Wichita's own gospel choir A.R.I.S.E. and the talents of local celebrities Injoy Fountain, Koko Blanton, and Jaslyn Alexander. —century2.org

MISSOURI

FEB.

02

UPTOWN NIGHTS January 6-8 at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City. Byron Stripling is heralded as a “powerhouse trumpeter gifted with a soulful voice and a charismatic onstage swagger.” He’ll explore a magical world of song and dance popularized in the clubs of the ’40s and ’50s. Inspired by Harlem’s famed musical hot spots like The Cotton Club and The Savoy, this swingin’ night of musical sensations focuses on Harlem’s heyday — a time when Duke Ellington’s orchestra was the house band, and Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ethel Waters showcased the classics. —kauffmancenter.org

TRIBUTE TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. January 16 at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis. The IN UNISON Chorus and Director Kevin McBeth join the SLSO and Music Director Stéphane Denève for a free, one-hour concert honoring the legacy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. —slso.org

MARVEL STUDIOS’ BLACK PANTHER IN CONCERT FILM + LIVE ORCHESTRA January 25-28 at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City. In 2018, Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what superhero films could be. Rolling Stone raved, “The film lights up the screen with a full-throttle blast of action and fun. That’s to be expected. But what sneaks up and floors you is the film’s racial conscience and profound, astonishing beauty.” Now audiences can relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger, all while the Kansas City Symphony performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar and Grammy-winning score live to picture. —kauffmancenter.org

SHEN YUN PRESENTED BY FALUN DAFA ASSOCIATION OF KANSAS CITY January 27-29 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kansas City. Through breathtaking dance and music, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking audiences on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired. —kauffmancenter.org

BERNSTEIN AND SIBELIUS January 28-29 at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis. The great civilization that once flourished just across the Mississippi River comes to musical life in James Lee III’s new work, written for the SLSO. Violinist James Ehnes returns with Bernstein’s exploration of love, inspired by Greek philosophers. Sibelius’ Second Symphony glints and gleams, becoming synonymous with the fight for Finnish independence. —slso.org

PHILHARMONIA FANTASTIQUE January 29 at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City. An animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. This collaboration between composer and DJ Mason Bates,

director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animator Jim Capobianco is guided by a magical sprite who makes violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drumheads resonate. Imaginatively blending traditional and modern animation styles, it is a kinetic and cutting-edge guide to the orchestra. —kauffmancenter.org

HAPPY HOUR CONCERT February 1 at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, Kansas City. Musicians of the Kansas City Symphony present free Happy Hour concerts that will add delightful music to the middle of one’s week. Bring friends and family to enjoy familiar classical works and exciting modern compositions, too. The beautiful Kauffman Center Brandmeyer Great Hall lobby will be serving drinks after work starting at 5pm, followed by a short and casual concert starting at 6pm. —kauffmancenter.org

STÖRLING DANCE THEATER’S UNDERGROUND February 3-4 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kansas City. It’s time to go subterranean. Störling Dance Theater, together with UniteKC, presents the 16th annual performances of UNDERGROUND in Kansas City. Don’t miss the performance that has brought Kansas City together for 16 years and was chosen as one of the “Top 10 Performance of the Decade!” by Paul Horsley of The Independent. The story of the Underground Railroad is told like never before—capturing audiences’ hearts and reviving their spirits anew. —kauffmancenter.org

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS IN CONCERT February 3-5 at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis. Light and dark. New and old. The Star Wars saga begins anew with Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren. The SLSO performs John Williams’ iconic score live to film as audiences travel to a galaxy far, far away… —slso.org

MY FAIR LADY February 7-12 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kansas City. 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? Director Bartlett Sher’s glowing production is thrilling, glorious, and better than ever. —kauffmancenter.org

CINDERELLA February 17-19 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kansas City. Devon Carney’s world premiere choreography accompanied by Prokofiev’s captivating music brings this enchanting story to life. Enjoy a special twist on this favorite fairy tale where the characters are sure to delight. The Fairy Godmother, the pumpkin that becomes a carriage, fairies weaving spells, the handsome prince, and of course, the wicked stepmother and riotous, bumbling stepsisters all come together to tell this beloved story. —kauffmancenter.org

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS February 4 at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for Performing Arts, Springfield. As far as lovers go, Romeo and Juliet need no introduction. Their ill-fated love story endures through the centuries, and Prokofiev’s score for the ballet is stormy, passionate, and full of the fervent feelings of young love. Alas, tragedy never felt so right. —springfieldmosymphony.org

EVENT TIMES AND DETAILS MAY CHANGE. Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings. Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.

HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE

Iam all about Health and Wellness.

Isn’t it obvious? I try to eat healthy at all times even if some people I know have advised me that it’s better to eat healthy just a few times a day rather than constantly.

My healthy diet routine mostly centers on never eating anything if the “Best if Used By” date is more than two years in the past. True, I did once use some Crisco that was so old that there was no such date on the package. The so-called “shortening” had been produced, I suspect, previous to the issuance of the “Use By” regulation, sometime during the Johnson Administration Lyndon, not Andrew but as it offered no exact date data, I felt okay using it to grease a cake pan for a birthday confection. I was wrong…very wrong.

I also try to eat wholesome vegan foods on a regular basis. In fact, I have eaten so many vegan meals that I have even learned how to pronounce quinoa correctly. Vegan food, such as lentils, chickpeas, tofu, seaweed, and fermented soy beans, is all very delicious and appetizing when prepared by a skilled cook such as myself, and when served with a bone-in Wagyu ribeye.

It is also of course important to eat in moderation. Or, as we used to say in the monastery, “Ut in omnes moderato est.” Of course, Father Roger also was known to say, “Pass the potatoes.” I find both maxims to be words to live by, especially when accompanied by gravy.

What’s my best nutritional advice for unhealthy eaters? Drink lots of tap water and avoid restaurants with drive-thru lanes, unless you have a car.

I also try to be well, because that’s what Wellness is all about.

I recently bought a Fitbit wrist-thingie that keeps track of my wellness, because as a busy human, I can’t be expected to keep track of anything on my own. It counts the number of steps I take every day, and as a bonus tells me what time it is, which is useful so that I don’t miss any meals.

In the brochure that came with the wrist-thingie, it said I should take 10,000 steps. So, I got started right away. I used the Fitbit every day for a month and got up to 1,235 steps. Much to my chagrin, later, upon re-reading the manual, I discovered they meant 10,000 steps every single day. I was so discouraged...

Thank goodness I eventually discovered that if I rocked back and forth in my rocking Barcalounger, my “steps” added up rather quickly. In fact, one weekend as I watched my favorite college football squad play a hated rival, I discovered that when I’m agitated, I rock quicker and quicker and quicker…until I had darn near knocked off an entire week in one Saturday afternoon. Then, the next day when I learned what our fired coach’s severance package added up to, I rocked away another fortnight’s worth.

I intend to keep my Health and Wellness habits going strong. I will always eat healthy, unless there’s a big slice of onion on it…and I will keep on stepping.

Just as soon as I get a new battery for the wrist-thingie.

Otis Twelve hosts the radio program Morning Classics with Otis Twelve on 90.7 KVNO, weekday mornings from 6-10 a.m. Visit kvno.org for more information.