Omaha Magazine - July/August 2023 - The Annual Arts & Culture Issue

"PERHAPS THESE WORDS WILL ENDURE”:

Iturned 30 this past May a bittersweet occasion, wherein my madcap twenties were laid to rest and the possibilities of a somewhat wiser decade lay ahead. I was gifted a familiar tome at my birthday party, one I’d lost years before: The Collected Poems of W.B Yeats. Yeats’ poems, and his prose, had made a great impression on me during my studies at UNL. One passage in particular, from The Celtic Twilight (1893) an unpolished yet ambitious collection of Yeat’s essays has stuck with me:

“I have desired, like every artist, to create a little world out of the beautiful, pleasant, and significant things of this marred and clumsy world […] Hope and Memory have one daughter and her name is Art, and she has built her dwelling far from the desperate field where men hang out their garments upon forked boughs to be banners of battle. O beloved daughter of Hope and Memory, be with me for a little.”

Indeed, it seems no matter how rich or barren the landscape of one’s circumstances, artistic expression finds fertile ground.

Take for example our cover subject, prolific painter and Holocaust survivor, Samuel Bak. It was in the Vilna Ghetto in modern-day Vilnius, Lithuania with the help of Yiddish poets Avrom Sutzkever and Szmerke Kaczerginski where he first exhibited his art. Sutzkever and Kaczerginski feared it might be the then 9-year-old Bak’s first, and last, opportunity to share his talent. However, Bak and his mother managed to evade capture; the only two members of his family to survive. The 89-year-old hasn’t put down his paintbrush since, with thousands of works to his name and numerous gallery exhibitions internationally including a permanent hub at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s newly established Samuel Bak Museum.

Returning to Yeats, it was regrettable to learn that the young poet who once championed free expression and founded Dublin’s Abbey Theatre stared too long into “a gaze blank and pitiless as the sun” following the Easter Rebellion and the aftermath of the first World War turning to fanatic mysticism and even flirting with Fascist ideology to reframe his shattered worldview prior to his death in 1939.

With that said, I’d like to turn a new page one I discovered while editing our feature on Samuel Bak to a stanza by one of the Yiddish poets he met in Vilna, a fellow survivor and friend of Bak’s who passed in 2010. From Avrom Sutzkever’s “Grains of Wheat” (Vilna Ghetto, 1943):

“Perhaps these words will endure, And live to see the light loom And in the destined hour Will unexpectedly bloom?

And like the primeval grain That turned into a stalk The words will nourish, The words will belong To the people, in its eternal walk.”

*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,

TABLE of CONTENTS

048

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

003 From the Editor Home Sweet Omaha

006 Between the Lines

007 Calendar of Events

042 Adventure

On the Record with Joe Benson

060 History

Omaha’s Original “Little Theater”

081 Obviously Omaha

Concert Venues New and Olds

098 Explore!

103 Instagram

104 Not Funny Art for Your Auntie

ARTS + CULTURE

014 Theater

Graham Brook’s Opera Omaha Debut

018 Visual

Etching a Legacy with Jenna Lambrecht

020 Style La Dama Vintage Trading Co.

022 Film

What it Means to “Look Like Somebody” with WMK Media

PEOPLE

044 Gen O Magie Wadginski Explores the Meaning of GRIT

062 Sports Paintballer Enthusiast

Chad Noahr on the “Art of War”

GIVING

066 Calendar

070 Feature BFF:

Listen to the entire issue here. Open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code.

60PLUS IN OMAHA

SPECIAL SECTIONS

025

Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak reposes in his home studio, surrounded by surrealist landscapes and blooming paintbrushes. At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 53 of a planned 500 of Mr. Bak’s paintings are on display in the newly established Samuel Bak Museum—a testament to his artistry, his tenacity, and to the millions of lives extinguished under Nazi occupation, witnessed first-hand or otherwise.

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A LOOK AT THREE OMAHA MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS

KIM CARPENTER Senior Staff Writer

Kim Carpenter earned her Ph.D. in German history from Georgetown University’s Center for German and European Studies and has been both a Fulbright and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst to Germany. Much of her graduate studies centered on examining the Holocaust and what led to the German people perpetrating genocide. “It was an honor and a privilege to interview Mr. Bak,” she said. “He is the last generation of Jews who survived the Holocaust. We’ve said ‘never again,’ but people have a way of forgetting. I hope his story serves as an urgent reminder.”

JULY/AUGUST 2023

VOLUME 41 // ISSUE III

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor

JULIUS FREDRICK

Senior Editor

LINDA PERSIGEHL

Senior Staff Writer

KIM CARPENTER

Editorial Intern

ELIZABETH DIAMOND

Contributing Writers

JACOB ANDERSON · LEO ADAM BIGA · TAMSEN BUTLER

MICHAEL KELLY · SARA LOCKE · SUSAN MEYERS · CAROL NIGRELLI

SOPHIA RIDGE · WILLIAM RISCHLING

DOUGLAS “OTIS TWELVE” WESSELMANN · MIKE WHYE

SARA WIEBOLD · DAVID WILLIAMS

CREATIVE

Creative Director

MATT WIECZOREK

Graphic Designer II

RENEÉ LUDWICK

Graphic Designer I

RACHEL BIRDSALL

Contributing Photographer

SARAH LEMKE

SALES DEPARTMENT

Executive Vice President

Sales & Marketing

GIL COHEN

Branding Specialists

DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN

Over a 48-year career with the Omaha World-Herald , Michael Kelly covered police, courts, the county, and city hall, and spent a decade as sports editor and sports columnist; he also penned a column in the general-news sections for 27 years. In 2003, he received the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ first-place national award for commentary and column writing. In more recent years, he twice won first place for column-writing in the eight-state Great Plains Journalism Awards and was inducted into the inaugural class of the Great Plains Journalism Hall of Fame in 2021. Over his career and through retirement, he’s written a number of books on Omaha and high-profile figures in the metro. Kelly and his wife, Barbara, have four children and 11 grandchildren.

DAVID WILLAIMS Contrib uting Writer

After decades working for a Fortune 500 communications company, this late bloomer stumbled upon a totally accidental second career when he was published around the time of his 47th birthday. The award-winning writer went on to become the editor of the Omaha Magazine family of titles after holding the same position at both The Reader and Metro Magazine. His almost decadelong absence from writing is explained by the fact that he has been institutionalized in a clinic nestled in the Swiss Alps that specializes in the treatment of Scriptoris Obstructionum , the malady more commonly known as writer’s block.

Contributing Branding Specialists

GREG BRUNS · TIM McCORMACK

Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor

SANDY MATSON

Senior Sales Coordinator

ALICIA HOLLINS

Sales Coordinator

SANDI M cCORMACK

OPERATIONS

Business Manager KYLE FISHER

Ad Traffic Manager

DAVID TROUBA

Digital Manager

LUIS DE LA TOBA

Distribution

MICHAEL KELLY Contrib uting Writer

STAY IN THE KNOMAHA! Art Music Festivals

Summer in the metro is jam packed with tons do—art, concerts, theater, festivals—we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive list and highlighted picks!

JENNIFER LING DATCHUK; EAT BITTERNESS

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts

September 17

Admission: Free

724 S. 12th St. bemiscenter.org

“To eat bitterness,” or chi ku, is a Chinese idiom that describes enduring hardships without complaints. Both an art and a virtue, “eating bitterness” makes one tenacious—but also, submissive. Jennifer Ling Datchuk uses this concept as a vehicle for examining the complicated and sometimes overwhelming aspects of growing up in a blended family. Her combined identity as a Chinese-American woman, an American, and a third-culture kid—a child raised in a culture diff erent from that of her parents’—has led her to build an artistic practice that discusses fragility, beauty, femininity, identity, and her personal history. Trained in ceramics, Datchuk works with porcelain and other materials often associated with traditional women’s work like textiles and hair. Porcelain in particular allows her to describe dualities, because the material is simultaneously fragile and resilient. She uses adornment, blue and white patterns, reflective surfaces, and both synthetic and human hair to explore the global inequalities of labor, girlhood, and protest. 11am to 5pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; 11am to 9pm Thursday. 402.341.7130.

Holland Performing Arts Center

July 28

Admission: Ticket Prices Vary 1200 Douglas St. ticketomaha.com

Diana Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. To date, her albums have garnered two GRAMMY awards, 10 Juno awards, and nine Gold, three Platinum, and seven multi-Platinum albums. Her 1999 release “When I Look in Your Eyes” spent an unprecedented 52 weeks in the #1 position on Billboard’s Jazz chart, won two GRAMMY awards, and went Platinum in the US and Canada. Her most recent release, “Th is Dream Of You,” has garnered critical acclaim from fans and press alike. Krall’s unique artistry transcends any single musical style and has made her one of the most recognizable artists of our time. As Th e New York Times recently noted, she possesses “a voice at once cool and sultry, wielded with a rhythmic sophistication.” 402.345.0606.

NEBRASKA BALLOON & WINE FESTIVAL

Ta-Ha-Zouka Park

August 18-19

Admission: $15-21

20828 Elkhorn Dr., Elkhorn showofficeonline.com/NebraskaWineBalloon

Few sites are as majestic as a Nebraska sunset. Pair that with the glow of over a dozen hot air balloons ascending in unison, and you have one of the most breathtaking skylines of summer. Add wine, beer, food, and family activities, and it becomes one of the most memorable events of the season. Th at’s thanks to the Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival, happening this year at Elkhorn’s Ta-Ha-Zouka Park. The annual aff air, held by Mid-America Expositions and now entering its 17th year, attracts thousands of hot air balloon and wine enthusiasts for a reason. Aside from the main attractions in the festival title, the popular event off erings include skydivers, paragliders, a KidZone with pony rides, infl atables, bungee jump bouncing, face painting, and other family-friendly activities, as well as live music that includes: the island rock, funk, and reggae band the Fishheads, the rhythm and blues group Front Ro, and High Heel, a band that covers everything from classic rock to country.

Tickets: $15 general admission for adults; $8 for kids aged 6 to 11; 5 & under free. Wine tasting packages include admission, fi ve wine tastings, and a souvenir glass: $17 in advance; $21 at the gate. VIP packages and food tasting experiences also available.

DIANA KRALL

L D C E A of 8 15 22

» EXHIBITIONS «

IN THE BEGINNING: THE ARTIST SAMUEL BAK

Th rough July 16 at the Samuel Bak Museum: Th e Learning Center, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2289 S. 67 St. Th is selection of Bak’s paintings and drawings from 1946 through 2022 showcases the arc of his career over eight decades and features watercolors and drawings done in the Vilna ghetto during the Nazi occupation of the city, abstract works from the 60s, and his renowned metaphysical paintings. 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 am to 6 pm Thursday; noon to 4 pm Sunday. Admission: free. 402.554.6100.

—unomaha.edu

LANDSCAPES BY REAGAN D. PUFALL

Th rough July 23 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Documenting landscapes has long been a reason for artists to explore their country. While focusing on the roads, fields, and vistas rather than on buildings or fi gures, Pufall’s photographs acknowledge the presence and influence of humanity. Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm. Admission: free with garden membership or paid admission. 402.346.4002.

—lauritzengardens.org

9 16 23

EVENTS

OMAHA WORKERS: STRIKING A CHANGE IN HISTORY

Th rough August 6 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Tracing the history of nine incidents from the mid-30s to the late 70s, this photo exhibition explores the stories of some notable strikes in Omaha and explains what the strikers were working for and what outcomes they achieved. Noon to 4 pm Sunday; 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071.

—durhammuseum.org

JAMES SURLS: NIGHTSHADE AND REDBONE

Th rough August 13 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. Th e solo exhibition features work by the internationally recognized sculptor, one of the most preeminent artists living and working in the United States, whose sculptures, drawings, and prints reflect his unique sensibility regarding natural forms. 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 11am to 8pm Thursday. Admission: free for members; $10 general admission. 402.341.3800.

—thekaneko.org

TRAJES MEXICANOS/MEXICAN COSTUMES

Th rough August 12 at El Museo Latino, 4701 S. 25th St. Features a selection of prints from the 1940s by Guatemalan artist Carlos Mérida, one of the fi rst artists to fuse European modern painting to Latin American themes. 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday; 11 am to 2 pm Saturday. Admission varies. 402.731.1137.

—elmuseolatino.org

// 8 // JULY/AUGUST 2023

MILTON WOLSKY: A MIDCENTURY NEBRASKA ARTIST

Th rough August 20 at Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth St. Highlights work from throughout Wolsky’s career, giving visitors insight into his evolving and genre-spanning talents which included creating work for major publications like Th e Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, McCall’s, Redbook, and Collier’s. Admission: free. 11 am to 5pm Tuesday—Sunday. (Appointments preferred.) 531.375.6643.

—gallery1516.org

THE LUNCHBOX: PACKED WITH POP CULTURE

Th rough Sept. 3 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Featuring hundreds of lunchboxes from the 1950s through the 1980s as well as one-of-a-kind original paintings on loan from local lunchbox collector Mark Kelehan, the display provides an overview of the history of lunchboxes, insight into the production process, and an educational introduction into the dynamic world of collecting. Noon to 4pm Sunday; 10am to 4pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

HONORING 75 YEARS: THE HISTORY OF OMAHA’S WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL PARK

Th rough Sept. 3 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Explores the history of Omaha’s seminal park, which was formed from a 65-acre tract of land formerly occupied by the Happy Hollow Country Club and later, the Dundee golf course, to become the site of a permanent tribute for those men and women who served our country in the U.S. military. Noon to 4 pm Sunday; 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

PRESENCE IN THE PAUSE: INTERIORITY AND ITS RADICAL IMMANENCE

Th rough September 17 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Features work focusing on the complexity of everyday relationships through portraits and domestic scenes that examine personhood, memories, and the speeding up and slowing down of contemporary life. 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; 11 am to 9 pm Thursday. Admission: free. 402.341.7130.

—bemiscenter.org

FLIGHT AND HOPE

August 12—December 22 at the Samuel Bak Museum: Th e Learning Center, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2289 S 67 St. Th is exhibition explores themes of fl ight, journey, and migration through Samuel Bak’s oeuvre informed by his experiences as a forced migrant and refugee in the aftermath of World War II. 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 am to 6 pm Thursday; noon to 4 pm Sunday. Admission: free. 402.554.6100.

—unomaha.edu

Sarpy County Museum BEST ATTRACTION

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Gretna BEST HOTEL

El Vallarta Mexican Restaurant Gretna BEST RESTAURANT

The Candle House BEST RETAIL BUSINESS

Gene Leahy Mall at The RiverFront BEST ATTRACTION

Hotel Deco BEST HOTEL

Block 16 BEST RESTAURANT

Borsheims BEST RETAIL BUSINESS

Dreamland Theatre BEST ATTRACTION

Ameristar Casino Hotel BEST HOTEL

The Back Forty Bar & Grill BEST RESTAURANT

The Occasional Collective BEST RETAIL BUSINESS

PERSONICS

CONCERTS

July 1, 7 to 10 pm, at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, 2285 S. 67th St. The Saturdays at Stinson Concert Series features the four-piece Omaha cover band.

—aksarbenvillage.com

FLEETFOXES: SHORE TOUR 2023

July 2, 8 pm, at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. Showcases the American indie folk band from Seattle led by singer-songwriter Robin Pecknold. The band released their fourth critically acclaimed album Shore in the fall of 2020, which earned them their second Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. 402.345.0606.

—steelhouseomaha.com

TRACE ADKINS: SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA TOUR

July 6, 8 pm, at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, One Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. In his 25-year career in country music, Trace Adkins has sold over 11 million albums, charted over 20 singles, with hits like “Every Light In the House Is On,” “Th is Ain’t (No Th inkin’ Th ing),” and more. 712.329.6000.

—caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: LARRY MCCRAY

July 6, 7:30 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. The rust belt blues shouter and guitar slinger has been nonstop touring and recording over the past three decades. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org/jazz-on-the-green

RIVER RIOT: THE POPULAR MONS TOUR

July 12, 3 to 11 pm, at Westfair Amphitheater, 22984 US-6, Council Bluff s, Iowa. The concert line-up features Falling In Reverse, Ice Nine Kills, Underoath, Catch Your Breath, and more. 712.328.8970.

—897theriver.com/event/river-riot

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: XPERIENCE

July 13, 7:30 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. Reigning as the ultimate soulful performance, Xperience takes the crowd down memory lane to some of the greatest jazz, soul, gospel, and R&B hits of all time. 402.345.0202.

—o-pa.org/jazz-on-the-green

ICE CUBE

July 14, 8 pm, at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, One Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. Features Ice Cube—real name O’Shea Jackson Sr.—the rapper, actor, and fi lmmaker from Los Angeles, California. 712.329.6000.

—caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

COWGIRL EASTERN

July 14, 8 pm, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Cowgirl Eastern serves as a sonic playground for its listeners to wander the post-genre chaos with notes of 60s psychedelia, hints of fuzzy garage rock, and whiff s of indie brooding all swirling in the cowgirl cauldron. 402.345.7569.

-–theslowdown.com

PLAYING WITH FIRE

July 14—15, 4 to 10 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. Features Sugaray Rayford, a Texas-rooted blues singer with southern soul; Eddie 9V, Atlanta-based blues singer-guitarist specializing in soul; Twelve Bar Blues Band, an award-winning group from Amsterdam that mixes elements of Chicago, Delta, and Texas blues; Dom Martin Band, a Northern Ireland-rooted bluesman; and Justin Saladino, a Montreal-based blues, rock, and funk artist.

—midtowncrossing.com

LIVE ON THE LAWN SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: FINDING DIXIE

July 14, 6 to 9 pm, at Gene Leahy Mall at Th e RiverFront, 1001 Douglas St. Features a concert by the popular country cover band.

TORI AMOS

July 15, 8 pm, at the Orpheum Th eater 409 S. 16th St. A concert by the renowned American singer-songwriter and pianist, who is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

MUSIC AT MILLER PARK: ENJOLI & TIMELESS

July 8, 6:30 to 9 pm, at Miller Park Pavilion, 2707 Redick Ave.

Features Enjoli and her R&B/Soul band, who have opened for artists including Pleasure P, Juvenile, Angela Winbush, and CeCe Peniston. —o-pa.org/on-stage/music-at-miller-park

BÉLA FLECK: MY BLUEGRASS HEART

July 9, 7:30 pm, at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. The world’s premier banjo virtuoso, celebrated musical adventurer, and 16-time Grammy winner returns in this homecoming of sound, which also features Michael Cleveland, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, and Bryan Sutton. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

—cityofomaha.org

ZZ TOP & LYNYRD SKYNYRD: THE SHARP DRESSED SIMPLE MAN TOUR

July 16, 6 pm, at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, One Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. Th e classic rock icons take over 22 cities in North America for this co-headlining tour. 712.329.6000.

—caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

LITTLE FEAT WITH LEFTOVER SALMON

July 19, 7 pm, at the Orpheum Th eater 409 S. 16th St. Little Feat combines earthy, organic material with fi rst-rate musicianship in a combination that transcends boundaries. Feat performs California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly, New Orleans swamp boogie, and more. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

CHRIS STAPLETON

July 19, 7 pm, at the CHI Health Center Arena, 455 N. 10th St. Acclaimed musician and songwriter Chris Stapleton returns to Omaha for an unforgettable evening of live music. Omaha’s stop will also feature special guests Marty Stuart and The War and Treaty. 402.341.1500. —chihealthcenteromaha.com

LIVE/LOUD CINDERELLA’S TOM KEIFER BAND

July 19, 7:30 pm, at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. Features Tom Keifer of Cinderella and L.A. Guns. 402.345.0606.

—steelhouseomaha.com

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: RON ARTIS II

July 20, 7:30 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. Ron Artis II performs music deeply influenced by gospel, soul, and R&B. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org/jazz-on-the-green

THE FRIGHTS: GALLOW’S HUMOR TOUR

July 21, 8 pm, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Since their 2013 self-titled debut, The Frights have embodied a carefree vulnerability, setting their most awkward and painful feelings to a wildly joyful surf-punk sound. 402.345.7569. -–theslowdown.com

GREEN JELLY

July 21, 8 pm, at Th e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. With Cordial Spew, Molten, and Noizewave. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com

OMAHA JAZZ FESTIVAL

July 22, 4 to 10 pm, at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, 2285 S. 67th St. The annual jazz festival features top tier jazz talent. —aksarbenvillage.com

JULIA JACKLIN

July 25, 8 pm, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Melbourne’s Julia Jacklin has carved out a fearsome reputation as a direct lyricist, willing to excavate the parameters of intimacy and agency in songs both stark and raw, loose, and playful. 402.345.7569.

-–theslowdown.com

YOUTH LAGOON

July 26, 8 pm, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Features Trevor Powers, aka “Youth Lagoon.” 402.345.7569.

-–theslowdown.com

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: BOBBY WATSON

July 27, 7:30 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. Multi-Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and producer Bobby Watson sits among the pantheon of present-day jazz greats, with a career that spans more than four decades. 402.345.0202.

—o-pa.org/jazz-on-the-green

BOZZ SCAGGS

July 29, 7:30 pm, at the Orpheum Th eater 409 S. 16th St. Features the renowned blues performer and his music, which spans a fi ve-decade musical career. With special guest Keb’ Mo’. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

ANDY GRAMMER: THE NEW MONEY TOUR

July 30, 7 pm, at Th e Admiral, 2234 S. 13th St. Emmy award-winner and multi-Platinum artist Andy Grammer continues to engage, energize, and empower audiences with stomping stadium-size pop anthems meant to be shared at full volume. 402.706.2205.

—the admiral.com

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: CHAD STONER BAND

August 3, 7:30 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. Every band performance is an unforgettable experience of R&B swagger and funk fi re 402.345.0202.

—o-pa.org/jazz-on-the-green

THE REGRETTES

August 3, 8 pm, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Features the American punk rock band from Los Angeles. 402.345.7569.

-–theslowdown.com

KANSAS: 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

August 5, 7:30 pm, at the Orpheum Th eater, 409 S. 16th St. With a legendary career spanning fi ve decades, KANSAS has fi rmly established itself as one of America’s iconic classic rock bands. Th is “garage band” from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 and have gone on to sell more than 30 million albums worldwide with timeless hits like “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind.” 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

IN THE MARKET FOR BLUES

August 5, starting at 12 pm. Locations vary in downtown Omaha. Features 30+ blues bands for over 14 hours on indoor and outdoor stages. —omahablues.com/in-the-market-for-blues

JAM SESSION AT THE RIVERFRONT

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

August 10, 5 to 8:30 pm, at Gene Leahy Mall at Th e RiverFront, 1001 Douglas St. Part of the Omaha Mobile Stage Youth Talent Show series, performances are by youth ages 3-19.

—theriverfrontomaha.com

CROCE PLAYS CROCE

August 11, 7:30 pm, at Th e Admiral, 2234 S. 13th St. A.J. Croce performs a special night of music featuring a complete set of classics by his late father Jim Croce, some of his own tunes, and songs that influenced both him and his father. 402.706.2205.

—the admiral.com

WHISKEY MYERS

August 11, 8 pm, at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, One Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. Genre-bending band Whiskey Myers fi nds fans among country, rock, and pop fans. 712.329.6000.

—caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

PLAYING WITH FIRE

August 11—12, 4 to 10 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. The free summer concert series showcases blues, rock, soul, funk, roots, and R&B, including the Danish blues-rock band Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado; Toronto-based blues band Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar; southern soul band Bywater Call; British singer-guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor; Lincoln band Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal; and Omaha youth group Us and Them from BluesEd.

—midtowncrossing.com

OUTLANDIA MUSIC FESTIVAL

MAHA MUSIC FESTIVAL

July 28, 4 to 11 pm, & July 29, 2 to 11 pm, at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, 2285 S. 67th St. The 15th annual two-day music festival features a massive indie line-up. July 28: Turnstile, Alvvays, Ekkstacy, Icky Blossoms, Hakim, Bib; July 29: Big Th ief, Peach Pit, The Beths, Terry Presume, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Say She She, M34N STR33T, Garst, and Ebba Rose. —mahafestival.com

August 6, 2 to 5 pm, at Gene Leahy Mall at Th e RiverFront, 1001 Douglas St. Th e Great Plains Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association engages in an acoustic jam of lively oldtime fiddle tunes and bluegrass standards in a sit-down casual, old-time circle jam featuring fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass, guitar, hammered dulcimer, and autoharp.

—theriverfrontomaha.com

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: ANA POPOVIC

August 10, 7:30 pm, at Turner Park, 3110 Farnam St. Internationally renowned guitarist Ana Popovic has built her career on defi ning and describing the essence of American music. 402.345.0202.

—o-pa.org/jazz-on-the-green

August 11—12, check for times, at Falconwood Park, 905 Allied Rd., Bellevue. Features Lord Huron, Modest Mouse, Jimmy Eat World, Gregory Alan Isakov, Manchester Orchestra, Th e Faint, Cat Power, Horsegirl, Th e Good Life, Th e Envy Corps, Criteria, and Minne Lussa. 402.210.4747.

—falconwoodpark.com

MUSIC AT MILLER PARK: HECTOR ANCHONDO BAND

July 8, 6:30 to 9 pm, at Miller Park Pavilion, 2707 Redick Ave.

Features the winner of the 2020 International Blues Challenge, whose smooth, smoky voice, audacious groove, and lyrical guitar mastery weaves stories of a life lived for the love of music.

—o-pa.org/on-stage/music-at-miller-park

MÖTLEY CRÜE & DEF LEPPARD: THE WORLD TOUR

August 13, 5:45 pm, at Charles Schwab Field, 1200 Mike Fahey St. Features the co-headliners alongside Alice Cooper. 402.546.1800.

—ticketmaster.com

WHITE REAPER

August 13, 7:30 pm, at Th e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Features the American garage punk band based in Louisville, Kentucky. 402.884.5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

DARYL HALL AND DARYL’S HOUSE BAND

August 15, 7:30 pm, at the Orpheum Th eater 409 S. 16th St. One of the great soul singers of his generation, Daryl Hall also was an inventive pop/rock songwriter, both on his own and in conjunction with his lifelong creative partner, John Oates. With special guest Todd Rundgren. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

W.A.S.P. 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR…CONTINUES

August 15, 8 pm, at Steelhouse Omaha, 1114 Dodge St. Features the heavy metal band plus Armored Saint. 402.345.0606.

—steelhouseomaha.com

70’S BAND

August 19, 7 to 10 pm, at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, 2285 S 67th St. The Saturdays at Stinson Concert Series features the band that plays beloved covers from the 1970s. —aksarbenvillage.com

PINK: SUMMER CARNIVAL 2023

August 21, 6:30 pm, at Charles Schwab Field, 1200 Mike Fahey St. The three-time Grammy Award-winning singer, performer, and international pop icon performs alongside her friends and special guests, Brandi Carlile and 2022 Hall of Fame inductees Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo on select dates. Grouplove and KidCutUp perform on all dates. 402.546.1800.

—ticketmaster.com

JELLY ROLL: BACKROAD BAPTISM TOUR 2023

August 25, 7 pm, at the CHI Health Center, 455 N. 10th St. Features Jelly Roll alongside Ashley McBryde, Struggle Jennings, and Josh Adam Meyers. 402.341.1500.

—chihealthcenteromaha.com

STYX

August 26, 8 pm, at Harrah’s Casino Stir Concert Cove, One Harrah’s Blvd., Council Bluff s, IA. Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early 70s, the band is known for big rockers and soaring power ballads. 712.329.6000. —caesars.com/harrahs-council-bluff s

MASTODON & GOJIRA: THE MEGA MONSTERS TOUR 2023

August 26, 7 to 11 pm, at Westfair Amphitheater, 22984 US-6, Council Bluff s, Iowa. The summer concert series features special guest Lorna Shore. 712.328.8970.

—897theriver.com/event/river-riot

DEVON ALLMAN & DONOVAN FRANKENREITER

August 29, 7:30 pm, at Th e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Features the blues award-winning singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Devon Allman, and Donovan Frankenreiter, the American musician, songwriter, and professional surfer who entertains audiences with his unique blend of laid-back grooves. With special guest Davy Knowles. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com

THE CHICKS WORLD TOUR 2023

August 30, 7:30 pm, at the CHI Health Center Arena, 455 N. 10th St. Features the American country music band from Dallas, Texas, which consists of Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer. 402.341.1500. —chihealthcenteromaha.com

JAMES BAY

August 30, 8 pm, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Showcases the UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer’s clever lyricism, honest confessions, and instrumental proficiency. 402.345.7569.

-–theslowdown.com

STAGE PERFORMANCES

FORTUNE FEIMSTER: LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE!

July 7, 7:30 pm., at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Catch the stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who has performed on the radio, screens both big and small, and touring her stand-up across the nation. Feimster’s fi rst one-hour special, SWEET & SALTY, is currently streaming on Netfl ix and was nominated for Best Comedy Special for the Critics’ Choice Awards. 402.345.0606. —ticketomaha.com

RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE

July 9, 8 pm, at the Orpheum Th eater 409 S. 16th St. The Official RuPaul’s Drag Race World Tour returns with an all-new production featuring Angeria, Aquaria, Bosco, Daya Betty, Ginger Minj, Jaida Essence Hall, Kandy Muse, and Laganja Estranja. 402.345.0606.

—ticketomaha.com

DAVID NIHILL

July 13, 7:30 pm; July 9, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Features the comedian, businessman, and speaker from Dublin, Ireland. 402.493.8036. —omaha.funnybone.com

CHRISTOPHER TITUS

July 14, 7:30 pm; July 15, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Employing what he’s labeled “hard funny,” Christopher Titus has released seven 90-minute albums in as many years. He has six one-hour comedy specials currently running on Comedy Central , and his seventh special, “Born With a Defect,” spent four weeks on the Billboard Top Ten Comedy Chart. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

RORY SCOVEL: THE FINAL TOUR

July 20, 7 pm, at Th e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Features the American comedian, actor, and writer, who released his fi rst stand-up comedy album in 2011. 402.884.5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

MS. PAT

July 21, 7:30 pm & 10 pm, and July 22, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Declared by Th e Washington Post as “unforgiving and darkly hilarious,” Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) is a comedian, author, radio host, podcaster, and actress who helms the Emmy-nominated multi-cam series Th e Ms. Pat Show. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

BEN BRAINARD

July 26, 7:30 pm; July 9, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Features the the comedian who found viral success producing The Table, a sketch comedy series about how the various states of the US are handling current events. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

TRAE CROWDER

July 27, 7:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Features the American comedian and co-author of Th e Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin’ Dixie Outta the Dark. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.comT

DAVE LANDAU

July 28, 7:30 pm; July 9, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Getting his start in Detroit at the Second City’s Conservatory, Dave Landau has become one of the most in-demand headliners working today. As a top rising comic, Dave’s laid-back demeanor and dark style of comedy landed him on Comedy Central’s “Th is is Not Happening .” He was also a fi nalist on season 8 of Last Comic Standing on NBC. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

BROKEN MAGIC COMEDY: SATURDAY

July 29, 3 & 6:30 pm, at Millwork Arts Lounge, 2111 S. 67th St. Features a stellar comedy lineup hosted by Broken Magic Comedy. —eventvesta.com

9 TO 5, THE MUSICAL

July 15–16, 20—23, 27—30, check for showtimes, at Lofte Community Th eatre, 15841 Manley Rd., Manley, NE. Based on the 1980 hit movie, 9 to 5 Th e Musical is a hilarious, outrageous, and thought-provoking story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. 402.234.2553 —lofte.org

RORY SCOVEL: THE LAST TOUR

July 20, 7 pm, at Th e Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Features the American comedian, actor, and writer, who released his fi rst stand-up comedy album Dilation in 2011. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com

AKKASH SINGH

August 2, 7:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Features the nationally touring stand up comedian, podcaster, and actor. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

NATHAN TIMMEL

August 3, 7:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Features the viral sensation, who has amassed over 250,000 followers on social media, and they’ve watched his videos over 100,000,000 times. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

RALPH BARBOSA

August 11, 7:30 & 9:45 pm, and August 12, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Barbosa is a young comedic talent born and raised in Dallas, Texas, who has a comedy style that appeals to all. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

DINNER, DRINKS, AND DRAG!

August 17, 7:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. Showcases an evening of Omaha’s LGBTQ+ nightlife entertainment featuring some of the Midwest’s most deceiving divas and sizzling male entertainers lip-syncing and dancing to your favorite songs. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

TONY ROCK

August 18, 7:30 & 9:45 pm, and August 19, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. The comedian has a reputation as a young star in the making with Th e Hollywood Reporter picking him as one of the hot young talents to come out of New York. 402.493.8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

DUSTIN NICKERSON

August 23, 7:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. A Seattle native now suff ering in Southern California, Dustin Nickerson is an in-demand comic on the rise. 402.493.8036. —omaha.funnybone.com

TIM HEIDECKER: THE TWO TIMS SUMMER TOUR 2023

August 23, 8 pm, at Th e Admiral 2234 S. 13th St. Tim Heidecker (from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and beyond) is taking The Two Tims (his “No More Bullshit” stand-up character) back on the road across America to present his acclaimed one-of-a-kind, two-act evening of comedy and music. 402.706.2205. —the admiral.com

PAT MCGANN

August 25, 7:30 pm, and August 26, 7 & 9:30 pm, at Funny Bone Comedy Club, 17305 Davenport St., Village Pointe. The comedian is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups in the comedy world. 402.493.8036. —omaha.funnybone.com

MORE

TOWERS OF TOMORROW WITH LEGO BRICKS

Th rough Sept. 3 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Features 20 skyscrapers from North America, Asia, and Australia constructed in breathtaking architectural detail by Ryan McNaught, one of only 21 LEGO®-certifi ed professionals in the world. Noon to 4 pm Sunday; 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday—Saturday. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org

MISSOURI RIVER LITERARY FESTIVAL

July 15, 9 am to 4 pm, at Florence City Hall, 2864 State St. The arts festival makes a diff erence through reading and interaction and features activities for the entire family. 402-413-9496. —missouririverliterary.com

BUTTERFLY WALK

July 22, 10 to 11:30 am, at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Join a docent to learn which butterfl ies visit throughout the season, how to attract them to your garden areas, and how to keep them coming back year after year as you sight butterfl ies and fi nd butterfl y “hot spots” in the garden on a guided butterfl y walk. Admission: $10 garden members; $20 non-members. 402.346.4002.

—lauritzengardens.org

10TH ANNUAL RIBSTOCK

2023

& LAGERFEST

July 22, 4-11 pm, at Th e Ralston Granary, 7401 Main St., Ralston. Rib lovers and lager enthusiasts can also meet Husker athletes and Tom Osborne as eight of the top BBQ trucks compete for the coveted “People’s Choice” Award.

— ribstockbbq.com

WATER LANTERN FESTIVAL

July 22, 1 to 5 pm, at Gene Leahy Mall at Th e RiverFront, 1001 Douglas St. As the sun begins to set in the evening sky, the festival begins to shine with the launch of the lanterns onto the water. Watch your unique lantern drift out into the water as it joins other lanterns carrying hope, love, happiness, healing, peace, and connection. —waterlanternfestival.com/omaha

BENSON DAYS 2023

July 29—30, check for times, downtown Benson. Benson Days is a family-friendly summer festival that celebrates the neighborhood’s creative and diverse culture. Activities include a pancake feed, maker and local booths, unity parade, Benson bike tour, kickball tournament, and more.

—bensondays.com

IABCA’S

2023 CORNHUSKER SIEGER INTERNATIONAL DOG SHOW

July 15—16 at Companion Dog Club, 10803 N. 72nd St. An all-breed and rare breed confi rmation dog show with written critiques from each of the judges and the opportunity to earn international titles.

—iabca.com

LOKUL INDEPENDENCE DAY CAR SHOW

July 16, 12 pm, at Shadow Lake Towne Center, 7775 Olson Dr., Papillion. Lokul Car Club presents it’s annual post Independence Day car show. Enjoy cars of all makes and models, food trucks, vendors, and music by DJ Corleone.

—shadowlaketownecenter.com

OCON EXPO 2023

July 21-23 at Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way, Council Bluff s, Iowa. The expo returns for its sixth year celebrating indie comics and pop culture in the Omaha metro.

—theoconexpo.com

GREEK FESTIVAL

August 19, beginning at 12 pm, at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 602 Park Ave. Th e annual family-friendly festival celebrates Greek culture with food, music, dancing, and more. 402.345.7103.

—stjohnsgreekorthodox.org

2023 NEBRASKA RENAISSANCE FAIRE & MIDLANDS PIRATE FESTIVAL

August 26—27, 10 am to 6 pm, at RiverWest Park, 233rd & West Maple Rd., Elkhorn. Features entertainment such as Joust Evolution, food, shopping, and more.

—nebfaire.com

HIPPIE FEST

August 26, 12 to 7 pm, at Falconwood Park, 905 Allied Rd., Bellevue. Th e family-friendly arts festival features vibrant entertainment for all ages. 402.210.4747.

—falconwoodpark.com

Would you like weekly event recommendations delivered right to your inbox? Open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code (left) to subscribe to Omaha Magazine ’s Weekend Entertainment Guide online.

A Twist of Fate

Graham Brooks Seizes Opportunity, The Orpheum Stage, in his Opera Debut

In a letter to a family friend dated January 15, 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart details a visit to Prague, where his most recent opera, Le nozze di Figaro , had drawn a particularly ravenou s following:

“At six o’clock I went with Count to what is called the Breitfeld Ball, where the flower of Prague beauties assemble […] I neither danced nor fl irted with any of them—the former because I was too tired, and the latter from my natural bashfulness. I saw, however, with the greatest pleasure, all these people flying about with such delight to music of my ‘Figaro,’ transformed into quadrilles and waltzes; for here nothing is talked of but ‘Figaro,’ nothing played but ‘Figaro,’ nothing whistled or sung but ‘Figaro,’ no opera so crowded as ‘Figaro,’ nothing but ‘Figaro’—very fl attering to me, certainly.” (The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1769-1791)

Some 237 years later, that very name, “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro” echoed through the mind of 25-year-old tenor, Graham Brooks. A combination of talent, dedication, and impeccable timing—like Mozart, when he chanced to meet librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte in a partnership that would yield the maestro’s most popular Italian operas (beginning with “Figaro”)—led to Brooks’ professional debut as Don Basilio/Don Curzio on the Orpheum Theater stage this past March.

“I came by the roles in a fairly unique way; very blessed,” Brooks said. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time…I moved back to Omaha in August to help my buddy with his specialty landscaping company, and with coming back, I desperately wanted to keep taking voice lessons over Zoom, as well as fi nd a vocal coach in the area.

o, I found a coach to practice my audition arias; you have five or so arias in four or five different languages. And then in the fall, and this more for the younger artists and apprentice circuit, but you’ll go around and sing your arias and try and get a spot in a program. I reached out to the former head of music at Opera Omaha, Sean Kelly, and he agreed to work with me on my audition repertoire […] I kept working with him and established a good relationship. Then, the former professional singer had to drop the opportunity to sing Basilio/ Curzio due a scheduling confl ict […] and then Sean messaged me one morning, and I didn’t believe it at first. He’s like, ‘Graham, as my last act as head of music at Opera Omaha, I’d like to offer you Basilio/Curzio in our production of Marriage of Figaro […] I’d like to jumpstart your career.’”

While Brooks was both honored and pleasantly surprised by Kelly’s endorsement, it wasn’t without merit. For the better part of a decade, Brooks has immersed himself in the rewarding, yet challenging and often uncertain, realm of classical and operatic singing. An Omaha native, he initially discovered his voice at Papillion La Vista South High before earning his undergraduate degree at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, followed

by securing a coveted spot in the voice program at Florida State University.

“I remember my fi rst favorite type of song to sing was the ‘Neapolitan Art Song,’ the ‘Italian Art Song,’ people like Donati and Tosti are two of the composers I really jive with—a lot of their songs are about the morning, or the sun…” Brooks recalled. “I mean, they’re writing [music] off the coast of Capris, and the western coast of Italy…If I had that every morning, I think I’d be inspired to write some pretty cool music [too].”

Today, Brooks is not only a student of opera (and mathematics), but has grown skilled enough serve as a mentor in his own right.

“I have some students I picked up in Tallahassee that I still teach,” Brooks said. “There’s a lot of physics and anatomy involved in [singing], and that kind of clicks with me. In a sense, it’s all mathematical, right? And I use that in my own teaching method as well.”

However, as Opera Omaha’s Marriage of Figaro curtain call drew ever closer, Brooks’ schedule and focus honed in on memorizing his libretto and attending rehearsals.

“The first musical run-through rehearsal, when everyone shows up to sing through the opera, everything memorized, was March 6th,”

Brooks explained. “We had performances March 31st and April 2nd, so we had almost a full month to rehearse, which is actually a pretty big luxury compared to some places. We rehearsed six days a week.”

As for Brooks’ main role, the irksome and salacious Don Basilio, the young singer not only had to perfect his range, but also master his character’s expressions and unique movements. His director, veteran performer Dean Anthony, provided great insight—and a touch of pressure.

“It wasn’t only a professional debut, but a role debut. Many of the other people [in the cast] had already experienced these roles before […] all of these very, very talented people from the across the country” Brooks said. “Our director is a wonderful director, but he had a previous career as a character tenor, and for a couple of decades made a lot of his money off of Don Basilio and Don Curzio…and so he knew the role inside and out, and I was just excited to be a sponge and soak up everything he had to say about the roles.”

When the evening of the 6th arrived, and patrons began fi ling in beneath the marquee of the Orpheum, Brooks’ chest swelled with a mix of pride and excitement. The words of his librette, “ENTRA BASILIO” fi nally materialized as he took the stage to perform his terrazio at the end of the fi rst act. It’s an experience he’ll never forget.

“The funny moments were funny, the beautiful moments were beautiful, it was…it was really great,” he recalled. “Our cast just really jelled and our timing was pretty spectacular. And I know we were kind of on a show-high, and everyone was feeling good about it, but a lot of my castmates were like, ‘Yeah, this is probably my favorite ‘Figaro’ that I’ve ever done and the audiences were very receptive as well.”

As for Brooks’ future at Opera Omaha, he said, “I’m doing my best to try and sound my best, trying to act my best, and trying to make everyone else around me better…and I don’t want to say anything for certain, but folks in Omaha may see me on the Orpheum stage next year.”

Visit operaomaha.org for more information.

For an audio version of this story, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.

“I came by the roles in a fairly unique way; very ble ed. I just ha ened to be in the right place at the right time.” -Graham Brooks

“I used to love peeling the resist tape off dad’s glass etchings. I always had the patience for the little jobs.” -Jenna Lambrecht

CAROLNIGRELLI//PHOTOGRAPHYBYBILLSITZMANN//DESIGNBYRENEELUDWICK

A Legacy

Etched in Glass

Jenna Lambrecht Handles Her Heritage with Care

Walking through the door of the ivy-covered brick building nestled in Omaha’s Old Market, one can’t help but gawk in amazement at the huge, cavernous, cluttered space. How can such an industrial-looking expanse the size of half a football field and fi lled with design tables, reams of paper, and wooden shipping crates produce fragile and delicate works of stained-glass art?

Jenna Lambrecht knows. She knows every nook and cranny of the Lambrecht Glass Studio—the business her parents started in 1978. She knows how glass reacts to heat, light, paint, and a blast of sand. She knows what dalle-de-verre in epoxy means. She knows how color and design can reach people’s souls. After all, it’s her heritage.

“Mom and Dad met in college at Lincoln,” Jenna said, reflecting on the beginnings of the family business. “Mom took interior design, [while] dad was more on the business end, but he was also very creative.”

One day her mother took a stained-glass workshop and prophetically said to her then-boyfriend, “Mark, I think this is something you’re going to like.”

Mark and Kristi Lambrecht eventually settled in Omaha’s Dundee neighborhood and worked out of their home, displaying their glass creations at art fairs and restoring stained-glass windows in some of the wealt hier homes.

As their business grew, so did their family. When Kristi gave birth to the fi rst of three daughters, the couple realized, “you can’t have kids in the house around glass. So they built a garage behind the house. It had nothing to do with cars,” Jenna deadpanned.

While Mark assembled the glass in the main part of the garage, Kristi drew up the designs in the loft.

“It was our fun place,” Jenna recalled, whose earliest memories revolve around that garage. “ ere are pictures of us in boxes with peanuts. Our parents would play the Beatles and we danced on the [design] tables.”

“ e girls were all raised in the studio in their baby seats on the bench,” Kristi Lambrecht added. “I kept them close. ey all know how to make a window.”

Strong word-of-mouth about the couple’s honesty and craftsmanship kept the projects coming. Mark began working with architects and developers, many of whom had turned their attention from building houses to raising churches. Creating new stained-glass and

restoring Omaha’s vast trove of neglected windows necessitated the move to a larger workspace. In 1993, when Jenna was 8, her parents moved the Lambrecht Glass Studio to 715 South 12th Street, near Leavenworth. e Old Market building became Jenna’s second home.

“I used to love peeling the resist tape off dad’s glass etchings,” Jenna said. “I always had the patience for the little jobs.”

ough all three girls are creative, it was Jenna, the middle child, who had the deep desire to watch, learn, and absorb everything her father did.

After graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Jenna augmented her vast knowledge of art history and iconography by working with European glass masters, including multiple artists from Denmark. She always knew she’d work side-by-side with her parents.

“I would paint the flowers and foliage in the windows and Mom would do the fi gure work—all the faces and hands. en Dad and I would work together, maybe laying out the large, etched pieces, or go to meetings with clients or architects,” noted Jenna, now age 38.

Included in the Lambrecht’s extensive portfolio: the clear glass etching of the Holy Family that adorns the Holy Family Shrine, visible from I-80 in Gretna; a contemporary, kaleidoscope window design at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Omaha; stained-glass windows at Morningstar Lutheran Church, Countryside Community Church on the Tri-Faith campus, Beth Israel Synagogue, and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital; the textured glass railing at Immanuel Hospital, and the etched, ultra-clear starphire glass at Borsheims in Regency Shopping Center.

With Lambrecht creations inspiring awe throughout Nebraska and beyond, plus big projects in the hopper (even during COVID) the future appeared boundless. en, the glass shattered.

Mark Lambrecht was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and died shortly afterward in early 2020. Jenna was pregnant with her first child when he passed away. With her father gone, and her mother reeling from the loss of her husband of 40 years, Jenna suddenly found herself responsible for much more than the artwork alone.

“I never thought it would be all on me,” she confessed quietly.

But her father had never failed her before, even as his health failed him.

“When Mark got sick, Jenna sat right next to him, and he taught her the deeper parts of the business for when she would take over,” Kristi said. “It was 18 months of learning, and when he couldn’t talk any more, she translated his sig n language.”

Out of deep sadness emerged incredible joy. Baby Jude came into the world a few months after his grandfather died. True to family form, Jenna brought Jude to the studio, strapping him on her back so she could lean over a de sign table.

Jenna’s two talented and trusted full-time employees, Jimmy and Kenny, install Jenna’s designs and perform the “really dirty work” at the warehouse down the street. At home, her husband, Bellevue native Jeff Dennis, offers love and support. And Jenna’s mother has found peace in her daughter’s success, and her family’s ongoing legacy.

“I passed the baton, gave it to her, and off she went,” Kristi affi rmed. “I’m really proud of her.”

For more information, visit lambrechtglass.com.

It ,s not like I walk around in overtly costume-ish things like poodle skirts and saddle shoes. It ,s more of a subtle but serious commitment to a different era, a different style."

-Lauren Ramm

Lost InTime Lost InTime

Lauren Rammʼs La Dama Vintage Trading Co.

Awoman in Spain recently spent 500 days alone in a cave 230 feet underground as part of an experiment designed to study the physical and mental effects of prolonged isolation. Upon returning to the surface, the subject reported that her perception of time had come unraveled. It was as if the entrance to the cave had acted as a mysterious portal, one that had the power to bend time into spirals.

Lauren Ramm of La Dama Vintage Trading Co. has the same experience every time she emerges from her closet.

Th at’s where the staccato ‘clink-clank-clunk’ of shuffled hangers activate the controls of her very own time machine as she travels through much of the last century, bouncing back and forth from decade to decade.

Her retro clothing has been featured on such shows as ABC’s The Astronaut Wives Club and The Winchesters, the prequel for The CW series Supernatural . Her historic home in the Gibraltar neighborhood in Council Bluff s, Iowa, now hosts visits from costumers across the spectrum of fi lm, television, and theater.

But just as Hollywood has had to cast an increasingly wider net to source the most authentic pieces for their productions, so too does Ramm in her quest to maintain a robust inventory of the best period attire. Working against her is the passage of time. The youngest of the women who first wore the fashions that Ramm seeks, all those Ednas and Ethels and Eleanors, are now at least 80, and their wardrobes are increasingly likely to have gone extinct along with other vestiges of The Greatest Generation.

“I first built my business scouring all the usual suspects in Omaha,” Ramm explained. “But there are only so many thrift stores, estate sales and the like. Now I fi nd myself increasingly traveling all throughout Nebraska and the surrounding states in order to keep up.”

Ramm’s love of vintage fashion can be traced to something found in almost all homes, the family photo album—that black-and-white time capsule of what once was.

“Growing up, I’d leaf through all those pictures of my grandmother…my mom’s mom… born here in Omaha of Mexican parents,” she said. “All throughout the 1940s and beyond, like so many women back then and especially during the war years, she did a lot of her own sewing. She was always dressed to the nines in those pictures. So striking. So elegant. So feminine.”

An early introduction to the world of handme-downs further cemented her passion for the styles of an earlier era.

“As a kid,” she continued, “we, by necessity, shopped quite a bit at thrift shops, but I gravitated to the older things, the things that were out of time and out of place. Everyone thought I was a bit weird…and that’s okay. It’s just who I am.”

La Dama Vintage Trading Co. now presents its clothing, shoes, hats, and accessories through a number of sale s channels.

“Pop-ups at various events are great,” she noted. “And participating in runway shows at such venues as Slowdown way back when brought the increased visibility I needed, but I much prefer doing private appointments here in my home. Th at’s where I can take the time to really get to know a client and their style, all against the backdrop of having my entire collection at hand for viewing.”

While Ramm looks to many Golden Age legends as her fashion icons, her vampy, precision-cut, razor-sharp bangs are a nod to her favorite influence: Bettie Page.

“It’s hard to put one’s fi nger on it, but it is undeniable that there is a certain hint of naughtiness and shades of eroticism” in vintage looks, observed the woman whose shelves are dotted with books featuring the sort of saucy, garter-exposing pin-up art that once graced the nosecones of World War II aircraft—like those made in Omaha at the Martin Bomber Plant where her aforementioned grandmother worked as a seamstress sewing brass buttons onto Air Force uniforms.

Vintage clothing is more than a side business for Ramm, who works in senior care, and she is no mere weekend warrior when it comes to her wardrobe. She endeavors to live her entire life in vintage pieces.

“I own very few things that are not vintage,” she added. “I guess I do have Converse Chucks, but even those have a long lineage (that goes back more than a century).”

On the day of the interview with Omaha Magazine, she sported a dressed-down, Rosie the Riveter vibe consisting of a simple, bandana-print cotton top in red matched with dungarees and puff-ball lou nging mules.

The new-looking denims, however, were suspect—a little too crisp for a thrift store score.

“Next best thing,” she countered. “They’re from an English company that uses original patterns from the ’40 s and ’50s.”

When out in public, Ramm gets a good number of double-takes, but also a lot of compliments.

“It’s not like I walk around in overtly costume-ish things like poodle skirts and saddle shoes,” she said. “It’s more of a subtle but serious commitment to a different era, a different style.”

People at work have grown accustomed to her distinctive look, but in a previous job in commercial real estate one of her coworkers asked if Ramm could bring in some of her “costumes” to borrow as Halloween approached.

“Leave it to a man, the maintenance man, no less, to jump in to set things straight,” she said.

“Th ey’re not costumes,” he’d said with a wag of a fi nger. “It’s how she lives. It’s who she is.”

For more on La Dama Vintage Trading Co., visit ladamavintaget rading.com.

(L to R) Walt Sanders, Michael Murphy, and Matt Keyes o f WMK Media.

maha visual content production company WMK Media Enterprises made a splash with a 2022 SOS Heating and Cooling commercial featuring then-Husker wide receiver Decoldest Crawford. The 30-second spot puns Crawford’s name to promote the HVAC company. Hailed as an ideal NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) ad, it went viral online, netting millions of views and generating stories nationwide.

Now, WMK hopes to make waves with a documentary detailing the redemptive journey of another former Husker wide receiver, Ricky C. Simmons chronicling his transformation from addict to motivational author and speaker. Look Like Somebody: The Ricky C. Simmons Story is an hour-long dive into his prison stretches and faltering rehab attempts, before finally overcoming addiction with encouragement from his old coach, Tom Osborne.

Simmons played on the 1981, 1982, and 1983 teams headlined by ‘The Triplets’ Turner Gill, Mike Rozier, and Irving Fryar that contended for back-to-back national titles. The hotly recruited Greenville, Texas, native arrived in Lincoln already mired in addiction. His clique even had their own party house near campus.

The film, which screened at the Omaha Film Festival and won a Spotlight Documentary Film Awards prize, is the first documentary produced by WMK.

“We’d never attacked a project even remotely the size of this one. It was a trying but beautiful process. We all learned and grew so much working on this,” said Co-Director Walt Sanders.

Native Omahan actor, writer, producer, and director Randy Goodwin of Girlfriends and Vampire Diaries acclaim offered counsel to the rookie docu mentarians.

“[Goodwin’s] been an advocate [for the project] ever since,” added Co-Director Mic hael Murphy.

Prior to WMK Media’s formation, Murphy and Executive Producer Matt Keyes worked at the Stephen Center which assists individuals dealing with homelessness, substance abuse, and mental illness while Murphy served as the nonprofit’s marketing director, and Keyes a crisis intervention therapist. Both were struck by a talk Simmons gave detailing his recovery journey, prompting Murphy to invite the former Husker to a podcast he hosted a t the time.

“I really thought this was a story that should be amplified,” Murphy recalled.

When Murphy left to launch his own media company, Keyes joined him.

“We were coming across stories of rebuilding every day. People coming from literally the lowest points in their lives to turn their life around and to excel and thrive,” Keyes said. “We agreed we had to tell these stories. The world needs to know what people go through to become healthy and successful.”

Meanwhile, Sanders’ corporate branding firm shared office space with Murphy and Keyes. Not only did all three men discover they were lifelong Big Red fans; they all felt called to Simmons’ tale. When Simmons signed on, the producers merged companies to form WMK, and work began in earnest to document his message of hope a nd healing.

“We’re very proud to partner with Ricky in telling his story,” Murphy said. “It fits with what we’ve set out to do in telling inspiring stories that have a positive impact. We think this is one we can definitely hang our hat on.”

Even though the producers emphasize the story isn't unique to Nebraska, it does intersect with NU’s glory days. Thus, Rozier, Fryar, Osborne, and a Husker who received help from Ricky, Terrell Farley, spoke candidly on camera.

“Ricky has the courage to throw himself under the bus to tell his story in a way that’s so transparent and authentic it caused these other guys to open up,” Sa nders noted.

Murphy believes the players and coaches cooperated with WMK’s vision, “because of the way Ricky treats people and manages relationships people just like being around the guy.”

Indeed, Murphy marvels at his “energy and positivity,” as heard every Sunday night on the airwaves during Simmons’ Lincoln broadcast, 93.7 FM The Ticket .

“As long as this can help him get in front of more people at prisons, schools, rehab clinics, he’s happy,” Murphy said of Simmons. “He wants it out there so that people can reach out to hi m for help.”

The film proved so impactful, it was later screened in front of the entire 2022 Husker football team and coa ching staff.

“After the screening every single player stood in a single-file line, went up to him, shook his hand,” Murphy said. “He was probably there for two hours. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a great experience.”

“Two players stayed back because they were struggling with issues and needed Ricky’s advice,” Keyes reflected. “That experience was worth every nickel, every minute that went into this project. We want to reach people who are struggling with difficult situations, with mental health crises, [and] with substance abuse. That, personally for me, is the point.”

Additionally, a graphic novel adaptation of Simmons’ story, sponsored by the Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS), was provided to e ach player.

Where Look Like Somebody: The Ricky C. Simmons Story will screen next, however, is still up for debate.

“We’re in talks with different platforms to find a way to get this out there so that people can consume it,” Murphy said.

“I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to work on this project,” Sanders added. “It’s forged relationships that will withstand the te st of time.”

“I wanted to make a film my whole life,” Murphy continued. “I didn’t know who it would be with. The circumstances that brought me to Stephen Center make me feel I was being led down a path by my higher power. It allowed all of our paths to cross at the right place, at the right time.”

As Tom Osborne has always preached, Murphy believes it’s the journey t hat matters.

As for what’s next, he said, “We have some pet projects we have been documenting the last year or two. We’re also looking to assist individuals [to] build their YouTube brands and social impacts. We want to help people step up and follow thei r dreams.”

Visit wmkmedia.com for more information.

maha Magazine values your opinion. That is why we started a contest that allows the public to vote on their favorite places in Omaha. Since 1992, our Best of Omaha contest has been a fun event. Best of Omaha was established to be a true award businesses cannot buy their way into the contest.

Through the years, the contest has grown, and with it, the number of voters has grown. Best of Omaha is highly competitive with tens of thousands of votes counted each year and voter participation remains pivotal to the outcome.

In order to become a “Best of Omaha,” restaurants, retailers, and businesses need your vote. You can feel good about voting in Best of Omaha, because we are the city’s legitimate “best of” contest.

Like the local businesses you love, our voting system is fair, convenient, and free from manipulation. We use a verified email system for all voters. We only accept one ballot per verified email to avoid vote-stuffing. The ballots are free of advertising and sponsorships. It doesn’t take much time to vote, and, although there are lots of fun categories from which people can choose ’Cookies’ and ‘Wedding Videography’ are among new favorites around here the minimum number of votes is five. We also leave the category fields blank so voters are not steered toward certain businesses.

To encourage voting and say thank you, many local businesses offer discounts that the public can obtain simply by showing their proof-of-voting certificate. Anyone who completes the Best of Omaha voting ballot will receive the certificate and discounts that come with it. Who you vote for does not show or affect your ability to receive the discounts.

Please take a few minutes and vote July 1st through August 10th at best ofomaha.com

Local businesses are the cornerstone of what makes Omaha a great place to live and work. From someplace new to an old favorite you go back to again and again, there’s something special about the businesses that serve our community. Every day KETV works with local business owners to highlight the great work they’re doing and their positive impact.

That’s why KETV is proud to be a part of Omaha Magazine ’s Best of Omaha campaign. Your votes help shine a light on the amazing local businesses making a difference in Omaha. From the nominees to the winners, thanks for making Omaha such a unique and fun city.

SHAWN OSWALD General Manager KETV

165 YEARS WITH YOU.

Proud to call Omaha home. We’d love your vote for Best Bank and Mortgage.

Walnut Media is honored to once again partner with Omaha Magazine as a media sponsor of the Best of Omaha campaign! As the area’s only locally owned and operated broadcast company, we recognize how important the connection to local c onsumers is!

Being recognized by consumers as the top businesses in their category is a great accomplishment! We are excited to spread the word to our listeners and continue to encourage active participation in the vot ing process.

We happily support Best of Omaha on our radio stations, which include: Boomer Radio, playing the hits from the ’60s and ’70s; KCRO 660AM, The Heartlands Christian Voice; and through our digital divisions, Performance Digital, and Performance Podcasts!

Omaha Magazine continues to do an outstanding job of making the Best of Omaha the premier program in the country.

We encourage you to support the businesses and sponsors throughout the coming year.

PATRICK COMBS President/CEO Walnut Media

STORE WITH FABRIC, APQS LONGARMS, JANOME & JUKI SALE & REPAIR

EVERY VOTE IS A STORY

Throughout it’s 31-year history, a chord has strummed at the heart of Omaha Magazine ’s Best of Omaha contest: one of harmony and mutual appreciation between local consumers and their favorite area businesses.

For example, Clearview Pet Care Centre regular Kari Longo had this to say about her preferred pet boarding facility, and more:

“When I settled on Clearview, it was an obvious choice. [Manager] Andrea and her team are completely focused on providing a happy, healthy environment for pets. I then learned about Best of Omaha because Clearview had the contest seal proudly displayed at their entry. The contest is vetted fairly, and votes are placed by consumers. It was obvious that the contest spotlighted the best of the best. I have used the contest results in choosing auto-repair shops, home-repair services, and others. I have found the ‘Best’ choices to be all I hoped for in quality,” she affirmed.

On why Longo takes the time to vote in Best of Omaha year after year, she said:

“I use Clearview weekly and have for many years. I want folks to know what I know: that Clearview offers the Best of the Best in pet boarding and daycare. That is why I continue to vote, because that BOO seal confirmed what I found to be true about the business at Clearview, and I wanted others to know.”

As for metro businesses, the feelings are very much mutual.

“It means a lot to us when our clients show their appreciation by voting. We try our best to be the best and it feels good when our clients think the same,” said Clearview Lodging Manager Andrea Delisi. “Most people think ‘this must be a good, trustworthy place’ when they see the BOO signage at our facility and on our social media. So, I definitely think that by being voted in the top three every year gets us more and more new clients, which is amazing. We want people to know they can trust their pets with us.”

Omaha Magazine is proud to present the longest standing—and most reliable—contest of its kind in the metro. Every vote has a story, and we hope you’ll continue to add yours to Best of Omaha each year. Thank you to all who participate.

“ My name is Joe, but what does that mean? I’m everything that’s ever existed. Same with you. We’re gold, silver, and space dust. We have receptors for sound and taste and all that. So we’re part of those things. ” -Joe

Benson

STORY BY WILLIAM RISCHLING

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Omaha Teacher, Farmer, and DJ Joe Benson

Waxes Poetic on Music, Spirituality

rom vibrant highs to serene lows, music conveys the spectrum of emotion in its purest form. So strong is this allure for Joe Benson an Omaha teacher, farmer, and DJ that it extends to every aspect of his life.

On the length of his career, Benson said, “I started about 10 years ago. But I’ve been into music my whole life. The way that DJs play on the radio is kind of how I think about play ing music.”

Performing weekly at the Kimpton Cottonwood Pool Club and at Benson First Fridays, his intimate understanding of theme and melody lend coherence to his sets.

“When you can blend sound you can make a continuous thing. It’s a little different than a jukebox, for instance, where there’s one song and then it’s over, and then the next song plays and then that song is over. It’s more like a soundscape,” B enson said.

The skills required to mix and present music onstage are more complex than simply pushing buttons, twisting dials, and spinning discs; the interplay between DJ and audience entails a fine-tuned ear and a talent for showmanship. Thanks to Benson’s eclectic tastes and active lifestyle, he’s developed a wide pool of inspiration to draw from.

Elaborating on what it takes to be a DJ, he explained, “Math is important; understanding timing, reading the crowd kind of being a psychologist, if you will. Telling stories, listening to stories, stuff like that. I’m inter preting it.”

Benson’s personal connection with music is illustrated by his staggering vinyl library approximately 3,000 LPs and several thousand 45’s, ranging from well-known classics to obscure, underg round cuts.

“It could be from somebody in Russia or from somebody in Finland or Iceland or whatever like that. Everybody has something to say,” Benson noted of his expansive collection. “I have this really interesting 7-inch record. I can’t even remember the name of it, but it’s really dark and it’s nothing that I would have ever found on YouTube or anything. I would have never ran into that. So that’s where having records are really important because you can discover something somebody made in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1984, and now I have it here, and I can share it with people.”

Benson doesn’t amass records to boast, as he ends up selling many of them. In his eyes, music is as necessary to existence as any vital commodity.

ON TH E RE CO RD

“It’s essential. As much as water or anything else. Seeds, food? Nourishment, just like the sun. Sometimes you can put on some music that will make you feel better. You know, the sun comes out. I think it’s so important,” Benson exclaimed. “When I was transitioning from a difficult time in my life, that’s one thing I said to myself, like, ‘I’m gonna kind of dedicate my life to music.’ It gave me something to do. Because at first, it was like a little tiny light, like, ‘Okay, I need to go there.’ And then it became apparent music was something I was passionate about.”

Between all three of Benson’s current professions, he injects this into everyth ing he does.

Benson’s myriad know-hows stem from his openness to experience and diversity of lifestyles he’s led.

With a reminiscent smile, Benson recalled, “I’ve had lots of jobs. I spent two and a half years basically living on the road as a Tibetan tour monk. So they fly here, they go to work, visa, etcetera. They do monk stuff, and we travel around. And I basically was like a roadie, if you will, for the Gaden Shar tse monks.”

Benson absorbs something new from each c areer pivot.

“It depends on each job,” he illustrated. “Like in a kitchen, you get really mindful of sharp things. You don’t want to cut your finger off. You start noticing how chemistry works as a chef, so you have to be mindful of how you blend things, just like as a DJ, you’re blending things together. It can be two totally different things but sometimes odd combinat ions work.”

Benson speaks with an air of spirituality, and a fascination with the daily, even mundane, aspec ts of life.

“Having experience with so many different things, you just kind of blend everything together, just like us,” he said. “My name is Joe, but what does that mean? I’m everything that’s ever existed. Same with you. We’re gold, silver, and space dust. We have receptors for sound and taste and all that. So we’re part of those things.”

In regard to his teaching position, Benson explained, “About the first four weeks I had a student spitting on me every day. But again, some of the things I went through with the monks [taught me] compassion and patience. I try to take myself out of my [own] point of view. Even then, we were kind of taught to just keep teaching, to keep our attention fixed on some thing else.

"That’s actually a secret amongst teachers is none of us know what the hell we’re doing. Obviously we do to some extent, but we go to work every day not knowing what’s going to happen. Just go because you want to be there. Enrich people’s lives and teach them about something. Like when I can teach them about a piano player, like Thelonious Monk [or musicians like] James Brown and M iles Davis.”

At the core of his love for music is its capacity for human connection a rhythm, a heartbeat, that binds people across time and space.

“It’s like a little bit of time that was recorded, so you can hear it. I don’t know, I just think it’s really cool to hear something that happened so long ago, just as it happened,” Benson explained, grinning. “It’s kind of like folklore in that way, it’s from a specific time and place. A record is a direct transfer, usually from a magnetic tape, as the music was heard at that time.

“It’s awesome it makes you feel connected to older generations.”

STORY BY SARA LOCKE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Maggie Wadginski Has Studied, Struggled, and Danced Toward a Message of Hope For Those in Crisis.

Goals. Relationships. Intentions. Time Out. That’s how recent Westside graduate and current Miss Lincoln Outstanding Teen Maggie Wadginski defines GRIT. It’s a mantra she both practices and promotes in life, in speech, and most recently, in ink.

Seventeen-year-old Wadginski has loved to dance since toddlerhood; a passion threatened early by a tumor in her hip and an operation to remove it at age 3. The surgery was a success, and the youngster learned to walk, and in time, dance once more. However, she couldn’t have guessed that dancing would be the skill that would one day earn her scholarships to achieve a new dream a degree in forensic accounting.

“For a long time, I was on track to become a professional dancer,” Wadginski said, “But once I decided not to pursue dance professionally, I had to come up with a new plan for college.”

Wadginski’s time with the FBI’s Teen Academy over the past two summers proved insightful; she wanted to join the FBI’s forensic accou nting team.

“They only select 20 teens to join this day program each year. We went to the headquarters here in Omaha, and we got to take part in a mock hostage negotiation. We learned about the process of fingerprinting, molding footprints, and we got to see the cyber work they do,” Wadginski recalled. “I asked what kind of a degree to pursue if I wanted a future with the FBI, and they said that they needed people from every field. It was amazing to see just how many perspectives they use to do their work. It is by default an incredibly inclusive environment, and I wanted to be part of it.”

Now that she’d uncovered the ‘what,’ Wadginski needed to suss out the 'how.'

“My mom and I used to watch the Miss USA and Miss America pageants together when I was a little girl,” Wadginski said. “While we had always watched together, it wasn’t until I thought about college that it occurred to me to compete.”

“Some of the pageant wisdom has stayed the same,” recalled Wadginski’s mother, Wyn Sipple. Sipple not only provides her daughter encouragement and support; she also shares her pageant stage experience as Miss Michigan Teen USA 1992, and Miss Nebraska USA in 1999.

“You want to look your best, and of course Maggie is as beautiful inside as she is outside. I can say that, even though I am her mother. I’m biased, but it’s also just true. It’s also still important to be a little conservative,” Sipple explained. “You want to present yourself in a way that isn’t distracting. And it’s so important for your talent to be technically excellent and still entertaining. All of that was a constant, but the rest of this? The role of social media in the pageant system and scholarship progr am is huge.”

In the talent portion of the competition, Wadginski had only 90 seconds to earn 40% of her score and she danced her way to the crown.

Wadginski’s win was about more than accessing her education; it was about furthering a cause. After losing a friend to suicide in 2020, Wadginski learned some sobering statistics.

“The CDC said that in 2023, 44% of high school students feel persistently sad and hopeless. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teenagers, and those stats are increasing,” Wadginski said. “While I initially chose suicide prevention as my platform, I realized I wanted to reach a younger audience.”

They only select 20 teens to join this day program each year. We went to the headquarters here in Omaha, and we got to take part in a mock hostage negotiation. We learned about the process of fingerprinting, molding footprints, and we got to see the cyber work they do.

-Maggie Wadginski

GRIT Meaning of The True

The teen took to the page. She penned her first book, titled GRIT is Our Superpower. The compassionate, timely work is a tribute to the mental fortitude and the sense of community required, even at a very young age, to clear life’s unexpec ted hurdles.

“Toward the beginning of the year, I requested a meeting with the school board. The state requires just one hour of suicide prevention education each year, and I felt that our lives were worth more than just an hour,” Wadginski explained. She had hoped to bring attention to the cause, but didn’t expect what came next.

“From there I got an email from the Westside Foundation asking me to come and talk about my message,” she continued. “They suggested I apply for a grant from the foundation. No student had ever received a grant from the foundation before, but no other student had asked. I filled out the same application any school would submit, and they a ccepted it.”

Wadginski’s debut book is available on Amazon, Kindle, and at Omaha’s Public Libraries. With the grant she received, she’s handing out 1,000 free copies to children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to read it.

The charitable gesture didn’t surprise Sipple, who said, “After Maggie’s sleep away ballet camp, around her 12th birthday, she heard about a girl who couldn’t afford to go. That year for Maggie’s birthday, she requested that instead of presents, everyone donate to the dance camp so they could provide scholarships to kids who couldn’t afford it. That’s just Maggie. She sees a need and instantly wants to be part of the solution.”

“It’s not about making money; it’s about sharing this very important story in a way that children can understand,” Wadginski affirmed. “If you speak your message to a thousand people, that message is going to find the person who really needs to hear it.”

Visit gritisoursuperpower.com for more information.

Toward the beginning of the year, I requested a meeting with the school board. The state requires just one hour of suicide prevention education each year, and I felt that our lives were worth more than just an hour.

-Maggie Wadginski

THE PICTURE OF (MENTAL) HEaLTH a

rt therapy is a growing therapeutic technique that, for some, can provide healing and a deeper understanding of oneself. Christine Hennig, MH, ATR, LIMHP, a registered art therapist and mental health practitioner, has discovered art therapy has far-reaching benefits both in her professional and personal life. She describes it as the catalyst that ultimately liberated her from one of the most difficult strugg les in life.

As a child, Hennig suffered years of sexual abuse. She was ashamed. She blamed herself. It was too painful, too difficult to discuss. So, Hennig suppressed it.

That was until she discovered the healing power of art.

Now, when childhood memories of her personal trauma resurface and threaten to consume her, she picks up her brush and begi ns to paint.

“It’s a release a powerful form of communication that allows you to reach into the deepest part of your soul to explore and express your feelings about the challenges in your life,” Hennig said.

For Hennig, art has provided validation for her experiences and has helped reduce feelings of shame a nd anxiety.

“It can be soothing and centering and helps enhance your self-esteem,” she said.

The basis of art therapy lies in the idea that creative expression can encourage healing, self-expression, and overall mental well-being. While people have been using the arts for communication and self-expression for thousands of years, it didn’t formally become a part of clinical practice until t he 1940s.

For expanded content, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.

Studies have found that it can be especially effective for people suffering from mental disorders and psychological distress, such as: trauma, grief, personality disorders, self-esteem problems, anxiety, depression, stress, and chronic hea lth issues.

Hennig invites her clients to use art when words aren’t enough or simply won’t materialize to express their feelings and unique challenges.

“It’s not for everyone,” Hennig said. “But for those who find it helpful, it can have a profound impact.”

Hennig was in college pursing an art degree at the Kansas City Art Institute, in Kansas City, Missouri, when she first realized that her canvas had become a reservoir for suppressed feelings. Using a variety of mediums, Hennig found the process of creating art freeing and uplifting. The lingering helplessness she had felt as a child was gradually replaced with a new sense of control and e mpowerment.

“I found the process of art making stimulated both the cognitive and the emotional centers of the brain, resulting in a holistic therapeutic experience,” Hennig said. “It helped me tre mendously.”

Excited about the newfound insight she’d gained from her art, Hennig began seeing an art therapist. That’s when she knew she had found her vocation. After completing a degree in fine arts, Hennig went on to become a licensed mental health practitioner and a registered art therapist herself.

Today, Hennig focuses her practice on people who have experienced trauma and abuse, medical challenges, and aging difficulties. She integrates psychotherapy (talk therapy) with art for those seeking alternative avenues to healing.

“People often find there are some things that can’t be expressed with words,” Hennig explained. “Art accesses a different part of the brain that allows a person to express feelings of shame, grief, trauma, loss of independence, or control. It becomes a powerful form of communication about yourself.”

Part of the beauty of art therapy is that artistic ability isn’t necessarily required to reap the benefits of the techniques. That’s because the process is not about the finished product, but rather, about finding associations between the creative choices made and one’s inner feelings and experiences. With the guidance of a certified art therapist, clients can find deeper meaning in their creations by interpreting the messages, symbols, and metaphors that appear in their art. This can serve as a springboard to reawaken memories and help them attain a deeper understanding of themselves and their behaviors.

Kimberly Mueller, MS, ATR, LIMHP, a registered art therapist and licensed mental health practitioner, has found art therapy to be an effective adjunct to talk therapy, utilizing various tools and exercises to help her adult and teen clients find psychological relief and greater self-awareness.

She often starts new client visits with an art project that serves as an icebreaker. The project entails having the client create a picture or collage representing the relationships in their lives. This art becomes a vision board that helps them understand and express what they want from those relationships, Mueller noted.

She has also found the ‘broken bowl’ exercise to be an effective way to help patients better understand their own fragmented psyche. The exercise entails breaking a bowl and then having the client piece it back together and mend it with gold foil.

“Sometimes in life you have to destroy something before you can create something new,” she explained. “The client has to make decisions about how they are going to fit the pieces back together and make it whole again. It symbolizes the work they are accomplishing in therapy and helps them see their brokenness in a different light.”

Mueller said she always likes to keep a variety of art supplies on hand when meeting with clients, especi ally teens.

“I may hand them a clay ball and ask them to make something that symbolizes who they are,” she said. “Their hands may start to form shapes without even thinking about it. Sometimes feelings and emotions can come out in your art that you’re not even aware of. The great thing about art is that while you can’t go back and look at your words, you can go back and look at your art.”

Mueller said the healing power of art has revealed new perspectives and broken barriers for many of her clients. She has found the applications for art therapy to be endless and the insights, invaluable.

Jea Theis, MSW, LCSW, LIMHP, first encountered the benefits of art therapy approximately five years ago, and has since become an ardent proponent of its benefits. Theis is a licensed mental health therapist and is certified in expressive arts therapy, which is founded on the same principles as traditional art therapy, but incorporates other forms of art, such as drama, dance, and music to provide clients a wider range expression.

Theis has been working in the social services and mental health field for nearly 20 years. Most of her clients have experienced some type of trauma, whether it be family violence, grief and loss, or sexual abuse. She also works with professionals dealing with compassion fatigue a phenomenon that can occur among caregivers who are frequently exposed to other peoples’ traumas or stressors leading to emotional and physic al burnout.

“I found the process of art making stimulated both the cognitive and the emotional centers of the brain, resulting in a holistic therapeutic experience. It helped me tremendously.”

-Christine Hennig

She was initially introduced to the therapy by colleague Betsy Funk, LCSW, LIMHP, MPA REAT, a clinical social worker, licensed independent mental health practitioner, and registered expressive art therapist, whom she was sharing an office with at the time.

The timing proved ideal. Theis had been searching for ways to incorporate more creativity into her practice that would allow her clients to process trauma and life challenges from different angles. As the two discussed the therapy, Theis was intrigued by the potential outcomes of expressive arts therapy.

Theis decided to test the therapy by incorporating it into several workshops she was leading that focused on helping professionals address compassion fatigue.

The results proved highly positive.

“There’s something about expressing yourself through creative arts without using words that helps bring about a deeper understanding of yourself and your challenges,” Theis said. “I found the healing process can be intensified by clients immersing themselves in art and nature and through the connection with others.”

Shortly thereafter, Theis completed her training in expressive arts therapy and became a registered expressive arts therapist through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA).

In the meantime, Funk had developed a program for children and teens through local nonprofit Project Harmony called Growing through Expressive Arts Together (GREAT). The program involves a series of eight small group sessions held at schools to help teens work through mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, relationships, behavioral issues, and social skills.

Funk began leading the groups at a handful of area high schools, and the program quickly surged in popularity. To keep up with its rapid growth, Funk developed a facilitator training program in 2019 to train other therapists on how to lead the groups using the expressive arts model. It is now offered at the majority of local elementary and middle schools throughout the greater Omaha area. Theis said they expect to have nearly 50 more therapists trained to lead the school groups by this summer.

The GREAT group typically starts by taking a feelings thermometer from the students. “We use expressive arts to help teens work through things like ‘Who am I?’ ‘How do I share my feelings with others?’ and, ‘How do I identify?” Theis said. “The students can use a variety of expressive modalities including visual art, writing, music, and drama to movement anything with the body that’s expressive.”

Relaxation techniques like breathing and meditation are also central to the process.

“By the end of the eight-week session, we typically see a significant shift in stress levels, reactive emotions, acting out, and anxiety,” Theis said. “This group gives the students a voice a way to express how they’re feeling. It helps them form relationships and gain a greater sense of belonging.”

In fact, a recent survey of 141 student participants revealed a significant decrease in emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer conflicts by the end of the eight-week sessions.

Kate Kiger, an Omaha middle-schooler, is one such participant who has been touched by the healing power of art therapy. Before she began attending the group, Kate confessed she was very shy, had extreme social anxiety, and was afraid to talk to other peers in a group setting. She mostly kept to herself and avoided eye contact with others.

When her father, Jason Kiger, heard about the GREAT group, he said he knew Kate had a love for art and hoped the combination of art and therapy would be good for her.

As It turned out, it was exactly what Kate needed.

Initially, Kate didn’t like talking, so doing art projects was an escape for her.

“It allowed me to express myself through my art instead of talking,” she recalled. “It felt calming and relaxing.”

Gradually, Kate began to share her feelings, but doing art at the same time allowed her to speak openly without maintaining eye contact with others. As Kate learned to share, she realized that others in the group held similar feelings and could relate.

“The group allowed us to talk about our problems, share how we felt, and develop solutions,” she said.

As her fear of sharing gradually began to dissipate, a newfound confidence carried over to her life outside of the group.

“The change has been remarkable,” Jason said. “Today, she has a good group of friends, she has better control of her emotions, and she can verbalize herself much better than ever before.”

Success stories like these have encouraged Theis and Funk to incorporate expressive arts therapy into their practices in novel ways. They have found its benefits undeniable, especially for those dealing with trauma or mental health issues. Ongoing research validates its effectiveness.

“Expressive arts therapy continues to accrue research in support of its efficacy in improving mental health outcomes,” Theis said.

In 2016, Theis and Funk founded the Omaha Therapy & Arts Collaborative. OTAC is a therapeutic group practice dedicated to providing mental health services through traditional psychotherapy combined with other unique and specialized forms of therapy, including: expressive arts therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and eco-therapy (nature-based therapy).

In addition to private counseling, OTAC also offers mental health retreats and training to attorneys, therapists, teachers, social workers, other school personnel, and professionals. Additionally, GREAT program groups are offered at t heir clinic.

The two women, along with colleague Natalie Hogge, MA, LIMHP, registered expressive arts therapist, later founded the community-based nonprofit Nebraska Expressive Art Therapy Foundation (NExT) to provide greater access to mental health and expressive arts therapy for individuals or groups who are marginalized or underserved. Expanding training and certification opportunities in this field for students in Nebraska and the surrounding area is another important goal of NExT.

“Seeing the positive effects expressive art therapy can have on people and watching them grow and change is very inspiring,” Theis said. “It’s what inspires me to keep learning and developing new and innovative ways to help others. Through our work with the NExT Foundation, we hope to grow the pool of practitioners offering this therapy and expand the number of people who have access to it and can experience the healing power of art.”

For expanded content, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.

“Icon of Loss, For the Many Davids”

STORY BY KIM CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA

DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

SOMETHING TO SAY,

SOMETHING TO ASK an exercise in humanism

When Samuel Bak was 10 years old, his father, Jonas, roughly stuffed him into a burlap sack filled with sawdust and dropped him out of a second-story window. The act, from a contemporary viewpoint, seems appalling but not for the reasons people consider today. When given the context, the action is understood as an attempt born of love, desperation, and tenacious hope. Days earlier, the Gestapo had murdered some 250 children. The date was March 27, 1944, and the place was HKP 562, or the Heeres-Kraftfahr-Park work compound, in Vilnius. The mass murder became known as

the infamous Children’s Aktion.

This was just one of the genocidal atrocities the Nazi regime perpetrated against the Jewish people. In a split-second decision, Bak’s mother, Mitzia, hid her son under a bed with two other children. A few minutes later, staccato gunshots rang out followed by the keening of grieving parents. Knowing the Nazis would return to search for remaining children, Jonas Bak quickly returned his son under the bed and arranged his wife’s escape. After a few days had passed and it seemed safe, he tied his son into the sack and lowered the boy out the window.

Samuel heard one word as he hit the soft ground below: “Run! ”

Awoman waved his mother’s checkered scarf in a pre-arranged signal and took him to a Benedictine cloister, where he reunited with his mother. They sheltered there until liberation. His father, who had remained behind in the camp, was rounded up with other workers and executed in the Ponary forest just 10 days before Russian forces freed Vilnius from Nazi occupation. His four grandparents were also murdered.

The Bak family members were five of more than 70,000 Jews slaughtered at the mass gravesite. Only 10% of Lithuanian Jews survived the Holocaust; the Nazis massacred almost the entirety of the country’s Jewish population.

Samuel Bak turns 90 in August. He’s come a world away from the Vilnius work compound and that burlap sack. He’s far from the displaced persons camp in Germany where he and his mother began the arduous process of rebuilding their lives. He’s miles from Israel, where he served in the fledgling state’s ne w military.

Today, Samuel Bak is a world-renowned artist whose oeuvre bears witness to the Holocaust. He’s a writer, whose words work as testimony to the Nazis’ coordinated attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. And he’s the namesake for the Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center, which opened in February at the University of Nebrask a at Omaha.

This latest addition to UNO’s campus, which is free to the public, serves as a source for students, faculty, staff, and the community to gather around the subjects of art, Holocaust education, human rights, and genocide. The museum will hold more than 500 of Bak’s paintings in its permanent collection and also showcase other artists’ work on a rotating basis. The learning center will be home to the Goldstein Center for Human Rights, the Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies, the Fried Holocaust & Genocide Studies, and the office for Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion.

To understand how this ambitious project came to exist, it’s first necessary to examine the extraordinary life that inspired it.

Bak was born on August 12, 1933, in Vilnius, which was in Poland before the Nazi invasion made it part of Lithuania. He enjoyed, by his account, a very comfortable childhood. “I was born to a middle-class, Jewish family not very religious I would say quite comfortable,” he said from his home in Weston, Massachusetts, during his interview with Omaha Magazine

When asked about being born the same year that Adolf Hitler rose to power and his experience as a child during the Holocaust, Bak paused.

Obviously, I did not have the vision of the immensity of the crime against humanity that was perpetrated. I looked at everything from a very personal point of view, how it affected me, but it was a kind of gradual transformation of my childhood…the grown-ups, were certainly already becoming aware that they were very, very concerned about what was happening beyond the border of their country.

Bak was soon concerned himself. By 1941, the Nazis forced the family from their home into the Vilnius Ghetto. “We were occupied by the Germans, and very quickly the terrible laws, the discriminatory laws against the Jews, appeared,” he recounted. “We were forbidden to use the radio, read the newspapers, to get out into street we had an hour or two to go get something to eat. The regime was very frightening within a few weeks.”

Still, there was space for beauty among such brutality. From an early age, Bak had demonstrated artistic talent. Encouraged by his mother, an art school graduate, he quickly emerged as a child prodigy i n painting.

“I cannot say that I was very enthusiastic to be a painter,” the artist confessed with a laugh. “I wanted to sell candy on the street or be a clown or maybe ride on the wonderful wagon of the firefighters but the family decided that I was going to be a painter. And this was quite unusual for a Jewish family because if they had the means, the child should be either a doctor or a lawyer. In worst case, an accountant!”

While in the ghetto, other creatives recognized his remarkable talent and invited the 9-year-old to show his drawings publicly. The event, held in 1943, marked his first art exhibition.

Even with the shortage of art-making supplies, Bak continued to create within the confines of the ghetto, doing so against the stark omnipresence of unrelenting deat h and dying.

The artist describes what happened in Vilnius, which before World War II had over 55,000 Jews among a population of 200,000. “Of the Lithuanian Jews, only a small percentage survived,” he said. “When we returned, the people who were saved in the city, there were about 250. When I personally look back at that scene of my life or my many lives, something leaves me completely speechless. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Being among that tiny number is staggering for Bak, even all these decades later.

“These are incredible gifts of life, and I feel incredibly privileged and lucky to be part of something that had so very, very few chances to survive and mainly to survive in what I would say a relatively functional state,” he reflected. “I was able by means of my art in some way to survive what I have survived.”

That art demonstrates an astonishing, sophisticated mastery of genres, which include his interpretations of figurative, still life, Expressionism, Surrealism, abstract, landscape, and even digital art. Such a wide breadth of styles, no doubt, derives from a life spent in a state of perpetual migration during which Bak was constantly encountering, studying, and making art.

Immediately after the war, the artist continued creating work with supplies donated by a US serviceman’s wife to a displaced persons camp in Landsberg, Germany, where he and his mother were transferred in 1945. Although only in his early teens, he enrolled in painting lessons at the Blocherer School in Munich. Three years later, he immigrated with his mother to the new state of Israel, where he continued his education at the Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem and served in the Israeli army. In 1957, the painter moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux Arts, and then two years later, he relocated to Rome, where his first exhibition of abstract paintings took place. In 1964, Bak exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the pinnacle of success for most work ing artists.

The ensuing decades continued to be just as peripatetic. Bak returned to Israel several times and lived and worked in New York, Paris, and Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1993, he settled in Massachusetts with his wife, Josée, and today, the couple makes their home just outside Boston. He has three daughters.

No matter where Bak spent his time, art has been the defining, enduring constant of his life, and he creates art daily, art that is richly metaphorical and highly symbolic. For example, pears, sometimes decaying from within, represent the human form, while chess pieces symbolize war pawns. “I paint every day,” he said. “I have a feeling that the day I do not paint is the day I do not live.” He estimates that over the decades, he’s produced over 10,000 pieces of art.

In reflecting on his prodigious career that began with the 1943 exhibition, the painter said, “I am grateful. I opened an exhibition a few days ago. This is now more than 80 after my first exhibition. Are there any other artists in the world…who could look back at 80 years since their first exhibition?”

For as much as Bak has used art to work through his own trauma, he remains keenly aware of the gifts he has been given and the ones he also owes. “I always felt a very large part of my work shouldn’t belong to me nor to any private people, because I was given so

much,” he explained. “Life was so generous with me, I felt that it was not even the generosity of my part, it was just giving back a certain something t hat I owed.”

This is how UNO became the recipient of more than 500 of the artist’s works and why it established the museum coupled with a learning center. When the university hosted the exhibition “Witness” in 2019, over 5,000 people visited the campus gallery. The paintings and their message deeply resonated with the public.

Then-UNO chancellor Jeffrey Gold initiated a discussion with Bak to donate paintings, which led to the artwork bequest. From there, further conversations took place, and in April 2021, the Board of Regents approved a proposal to establish an academic center in his name. That expanded to include a museum when Joanne Li became chancellor three months later. In February 2023, the Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center opened to the public in temporary space in Aksarben Village. For the second phase of development,

UNO will build a standalone facility for intercultural dialogue and education.

“The conversation can be so broad here,” executive director Hillary Nather-Detisch stated. “For us it’s about having a dialogue. And of course, we want that dialogue to focus around human rights, the Holocaust, and genocide. But sometimes, it’s coming from a different perspective, and t hat’s okay.”

“This institute is exceptionally meaningful,” Li added. “It will educate students, engage the community, and ask important questions. When I talked with Sam, he said, ‘I paint because I have something to say, somethi ng to ask.’”

That something is abundantly clear in the inaugural exhibition. “In the Beginning: The Artist Samuel Bak” is on view through mid-July and features over 50 paintings that span work created in the displaced person’s camp in 1946 to the present.

It’s not just about going and admiring art,” Li said. “We want the experience to be transformative. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the fifth grade or 65. You’re meant to be impacted.”

The impact is profound. For example, Bak painted “Under a Star,” an abstract work from 1963/64, on burlap. The surface references the ubiquitous wartime textile used for the rough, loosely woven clothing Jews wore in the camps and the material that contained their meager food rations. Jonas Bak also used it to smuggle his son, bent into the fetal position, to safety. It was the conduit for young Samuel’s escape and his rebirth beyond the Holocaust. Bursting from the burlap is a Star of David, the identification badge Nazis forced Jews to display on their clothes. It is battered, tattered, and torn but still there. It exists; it failed to be ex tinguished.

The Star of David alongside Samuel Bak and others like hi m survived.

They endured.

A more recent painting from 2008, which is part of Bak’s lauded “Icons of Loss” series, features a young boy with arms raised. Based on the famous photograph of a young Jewish boy in the Warsaw Ghetto, the work references childhood innocence lost to craven inhumanity.

“It spoke to me very much, the boy with the arms raised. No one knows if this boy survived or no,” reflected Bak on how he identified with the photo’s subject. “Many years later, there were two or three men who claimed they were that boy, but it doesn’t matter. That boy became a symbol, a highly recognizable symbol, the most known symbol of the Holocaust. And this boy looked very much like me.”

“Sam takes this image and says, ‘This is a symbol: that was me,’” Nather-Detisch explained. “‘That’s what I dressed like. This is what all little boys dressed like. I wore that hat.’ He really uses this as a symbol of all the children who were killed in the Holocaust.”

One of those children remains in Bak’s thoughts to this day:

When I saw this boy, I thought immediately of my very best friend, who was called, like me, Samuel, and who was hidden by his nanny, by his Christian nanny, and whom the SS discovered and shot. They left his bleeding body on the staircase of the house so that for 24 hours no one was allowed to touch this boy so that all the neighbors would learn what happens to somebody who saves a Jew or what happens to a Jew who is hiding in these premises.

Bak, however, quickly emphasizes that while he saw the worst of human behavior during the Holocaust, he also experienced the best, especially when he thinks of people like the stranger who waved his mother’s scarf or the Benedictine nuns who sheltered him and his mother.

“I was able to think about what the Holocaust meant to me and meant to the laboratory of the maximal behavior for humans, for the good and for the bad,” he said. “If I am alive, I owe my life to maybe 10 people several of them are Lithuanian priests, a Catholic nun people who risked their lives to save ot her people.”

Li expanded on this. “Sam says, ‘When people were dying in the gas chambers, other people were outside trying to save lives. The war brought out the best and the worst of people. The best of people kept me alive.’”

“Sam doesn’t want to forget the best of people,” Nather-Detisch added. “Some people can approach his work and say this is really hard and place the emphasis on the negative, but he wants it to be also a positive conversation.”

Alexandra Cardon, the Bak Museum curator, said that while viewing the works can be challenging, it is equally enriching. “It forces you to consider the world around you and how we are functioning today as a society,” she explained. “It’s work that demands that you take a position, that demands you become an active participant in the structure of your society.”

That participation involves lectures, talks, workshops, and more exhibitions. In mid-August “Flight and Hope,” which explores flight, journey, and forced migration, opens and runs into la te December.

That theme is still fresh for Bak as he views the unfolding situation in Eastern Europe. “I look to the television screen of my home [at] the women and children of Ukraine, and I saw in them myself with my mother, and there were tears in my eyes,” he reflected. “I mean, what can I say? I never imagined that after all the horrors I have experienced that anything like that would happen again. And yet it happened.”

Bak is also aware of book banning happening in states like Florida, where in the spring the Education Department rejected the high school textbooks Modern Genocides and History of the Holocaust . This school year, the children’s book Chik Chak Shabbat about Jewish traditions was also removed from Duval County elementary school library shelves, while Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation was similarly pulled from an Indian River County high school. On May 15, legislation was passed that bars Florida’s state colleges and universities from spending state or federal funding on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, raising fears that emphasis on Jewish and Holocaust studies could be diminished. Two days later, the Ohio Senate passed a si milar bill.

“I must say you can well imagine how I feel about it,” the artist said. “It’s frightening… it’s very f rightening.”

This reflection echoes what Bak said about being forced into the Vilnius Ghetto all those decades ago.

The regime was very frighten ing within a few weeks.

Bak, however, still has hope for humans’ capacity for good and ardently believes that continued education is key to avoid repeating history. It’s why he’s so gratified about his museum and learning center at UNO.

It’s about the best of people.

“I must say, I realize it in my long life, that very extraordinary things happen when very good people meet, when interests converge,” he emphasized. “They do unbelievable things, and they attract other good people…it will be an exercise in humanism. I think that education in Omaha to the young people can, I hope, prevent such possibilities in our country.”

Cardon agrees and knows the power of Bak’s compelling art. “You can’t walk out of here and feel nothing,” she said. “And that’s why it’s such exciting work to look at because through active interpretation, you are becoming more engaged. It forces you to think.”

WIECZOREK

BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL OF

OMAHA’ S “ LITTLE THEATER ”

• •

A Spotlight on the Omaha Community Playhouse

The word ecstasy comes from the Ancient Greek drama term ‘ekstasis,’ which refers to the moment an actor releases their identity, ego, and consciousness in order to become ‘empty for the divine.’ This force then inhabits the body, the body becomes a “character,” and the audience is held in a state of suspended disbelief as reality gives way to expression. However, in early 20th century America, this experience became limited by the commercialization of theater and the advent of movies, or as they were known then: “photoplays.” Craving a more “ecstatic,” and expressive experience, amateur founders across America inspired by the work of the German director Max Reinhardt and Swiss architect Adolphe Appia for their expressionist work started the “Little Theatre Movement,” from which the Omaha Community Playhous e was born.

In the early 1900s, it was popular for department stores to have tearooms, and in one of these luxurious chatter spots is where the Omaha Community Playhouse was conceived. According to Warren Francke in The Omaha Community Playhouse Story: A Theatre’s Historic Triumph, in 1924 in the tearoom of Burgess-Nash formerly located at 16th and Harney streets in the Old Market a group of performers sick of movies purloining their gigs gathered to sit crooked and talk straight about plans to produce, direct, and design plays. The individuals in attendance were Marguerite Beckman, Rex Morehouse, Alan McDonald, Mark Levings, and the Mackin sisters, among others. Dodie Brando had missed the meeting as she had plenty of children to dote on one son, just 6 months old at the time, being future The Godfather icon Marlon Brando but later starred in many Omaha Community Playhouse productions.

According to The Omaha Morning Bee newspaper, on March 4th, 1925, the Omaha Community Playhouse introduced their by-the-people-for-the-people art organization in the auditorium of Technical High School, now the district headquarters for Omaha Public Schools. The first production was a variety show displaying much of Omaha’s talent: Susan Glaspell’s one-act drama Trifles , Francis Potter’s two banjo performances, Adelaide Fogg’s dance number titled “The Clock,” accompanied by The West Sisters’ quartette, an “All Scotch Trio,” and disappointingly (but not surprising for the time period) a student-performed “American Indian dance” by area teacher, Mary Cooper.

In April of 1925, Dodie Brando starred in Arthur Wing Pinero’s play under the direction of Greg Foley, The Enchanted Cottage, put on by the Omaha Community Playhouse, which was reviewed by The Omaha Morning Bee as “one of the strongest ever [play productions] given by amateur talent in Omaha,” with students at the Technical High School helping to create the set design.

The Omaha Community Playhouse would then host productions at the Cooper Dance Studio at 4012 Farnam Street for a couple years until the first OCP building was constructed in 1928. The original Omaha Community Playhouse was built in 28 days on 40th and Davenport, located on Sarah Joslyn’s cow pasture. In Omaha Community Playhouse Story: A Theatre’s Historic Triumph, Francke also noted that John and Alan McDonald, the same Omaha architects responsible for the design of the Joslyn Art Museum, created an extravagant blueprint for the playhouse complete with wide opera seats, a motion picture booth, and an orchestra pit. However, following the economic crash of the Great Depression, the more extraordinary features had to be omitted.

One of the biggest names to come out of the Omaha Community Playhouse is without a doubt Henry Fonda, who is decorated with film awards for works like Grapes of Wrath (1940), 12 Angry Men (1957), and On Golden Pond (1981), among other famous Hollywood flicks. According to Francke, it is said that Dodie Brando called Henry’s mother, Herberta Fonda, and stated that the playhouse needed a young actor for productions in the summer of 1925. The 20-yearold agreed to play the character Ricky for the play You and I. Fonda’s Nebraska roots followed him to Hollywood to his chagrin. The Evening Star in Washington, D.C. reported in November of 1942 that the actor “yearns for [a] film role where he can be [a] polished city slicker” and “was getting plenty fed up at people constantly referring to him as a hillbilly and a farmer.”

HISTORY // STORY BY SOPHIA RIDGE

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY OMAHA COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE // DESIGN BY MATT

When Henry Fonda returned to Omaha to perform for the Omaha Community Playhouse, he met 13-year-old Dorothy Hackett McGuire who was cast in a role alongside him in A Kiss for Cinderella (although this was a few years before Fonda gained notoriety in Hollywood films). Years later, McGuire would play the lead role in Claudia , which was then made into a film of which McGuire also played the lead role and so began her journey to fame. McGuire would go on to play leading roles in films such as The Enchanted Cottage ( 1945), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ( 1945), and The Spiral Staircase (1946) and was even nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for a film on anti-semitism titled Gentleman’s Agree ment (1947).

The Omaha Community Playhouse has changed a great deal since its founding. In a conversation with OCP’s Executive Director, Katie Broman, she explained how some things have changed about the playhouse, but the spirit of being a by-andfor-the-community theater has always remained at the heart of OCP. A major difference from then to now with OCP is that it is no longer completely volunteer work, and most workers get paid for their labor. Of course, the playhouse has grown exponentially since its establishment–the address no longer on Davenport but rather on Cass Street since 1959 with a scene shop expansion, a caravan of traveling actors (stalled recently since COVID-19), and even a tornado ripping the roof off in the ’70s followed by a huge expansion in the ’80 s and ’90s.

In June 2023, the Omaha Community Playhouse wrapped up its 98th season. What Broman and others at OCP look forward to in the coming years is the inclusive community work they hope to bring to Omaha, not necessarily carrying on, but rather progressing the same spirit the playhouse’s founders once had: ekstasis, and catharsis, for the c ommunity.

Visit omahaplayhouse.com for more information.

Henry Fonda and Dorothy Hackett McGuire in A Kiss fo r Cinderella

It’s mesmerizing to listen to someone talk about their passion in life; the gleam in their eyes meeting an atten tive audience, their spitfire speech painting a picture of joy and inti mate knowledge. Indeed, this excite ment is on full display when speaking with Chad Noahr about his favorite pastime the fine art of paintball.

Noahr is the general manager of Mad Cow Paintball, a multi-course outdoor paintball facility located in Louisville, Nebraska. However, his love for the sport began decades prior with an invitation to a friend’s birthday party an event that would color his perspective, and his clothing, forevermore.

“I actually started playing paintball when I was 9 or 10 years old for a friend’s birthday party. That turned into once, here or there, in a friend’s grandpa’s backyard. Then it turned into once every couple of months, then once a month, to once every other weekend, to once a weekend,” Noahr said.

His love for the sport eventually led to Noahr forming a team and entering local, then national, tournaments. As to be expected, the relatively inexperienced squad faced some sobering statistics only earning around three or four points during their first national outing. They suffered some major losses but continued to practice and improve, eventually training in the same circles as Nebraska’s former professional paintball team, “Vicious.” He and his teammates have since gone on to become a serious force in the nat ional scene.

In his current position as the general manager of Mad Cow Paintball, Noahr has shifted his focus away from practicing and toward maintaining and updating the courses at his facility. However, he said he and his friends are planning a “glory year,” as many of the crew are turning 40. In fact, they plan to enter another national tournament for kicks and for old time’s sake.

BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

THE ART oF wa

CHAD NOAHR WIELDS HIS ‘MARKER,’ AND HIS PASSION FOR PAINTBALL, WITH PRIDE

HELPING FAMILIES PROTECT

These lofty goals aside, Noahr and his teammates regularly get together with their families and attend local paintball festivals, or simply camp together with gear in tow the sport a reliable source of fun and camaraderie among its members.

Dan Napoli, producer and director of several documentaries on paintball, said, “You spend so much time together in airports, hotels, cars, and vans. You’re probably starting by cramming as many people as possible into a Motel 6 room and borrowing someone’s minivan to start because you have no sponsorship money.

“There’s so much intimacy in traveling that closely with a small group of people. I’ve witnessed that firsthand and been lucky to document it in a few films.”

Noahr can often be seen wandering from room to room in his house picking up various competitive paintball markers (guns), describing the significance of each. There’s one that’s been customized with laser-inscribed doughnuts, one that looks gold that’s been passed from teammate to teammate over the years, one that he describes as his “workhorse,” and one of his first markers that he still carries with him to t ournaments.

WHEN SOMEONE ASKED ME WHAT’S GRATIFICATION FOR ME AT MAD COW, I TELL THEM HIGH-FIVES AND SMILES. ,, -CHAD NOAHR

As much as Noahr enjoys his collection of markers, he wants people to know that an expansive armory isn't needed to enjoy paintball at Mad Cow. Everything is provided for nearly every age, including gear for children as young as 5, with softer projectiles for safety.

“We always say we’re in the business of making memories,” Noahr said.

For the groups that fill the facility, such memories are not only fond, but frequent.

“Groups of high school kids, the bachelor parties, the bachelorette parties, the birthday parties, the wedding parties, the trash-the-dress parties. It’s [all] amazing,” Noahr said of his guests.

It’s undeniable Noahr genuinely loves to see his guests enjoying the game he personall y cherishes.

“When someone asked me what’s gratification for me at Mad Cow, I tell them highfives and smile s,” he said.

With the passion that Noahr has for the sport and the joy it brings him to see others playing it, it's little wonder that Mad Cow is among the premier paintball facilities in Nebraska. There are three different styles of courses available for players, both veterans and newcomers. For those looking to try something unique and exhilarating on a beautiful summer day, consider making the trip up to Louisville, Nebraska, with some friends. After all, discovering new passions is often a messy, colorful, and ultimately,

Visit madcowpaintball.com for more

Omaha Public Radio

Radio profoundly changed the American culture by exposing more people to new ideas, music, news, and entertainment. Today, Omaha Public Radio continues to play a vital role in spreading information, educating and enlightening people, and it helps make listeners in our pluralistic society more responsive, informed human beings and intelligent responsible citizens.

Omaha Public Radio brings the world to the Omaha community and beyond 24 hours a day the world of politics, science, culture, and music. Through our daily lineup of fact-centered reporting, insightful conversations, and strong community focus, KIOS provides connections to the heartbeat of Omaha in ways no one else does.

In addition to national and regional programming, KIOS’s coverage of arts and culture is focused on locally produced shows that reflect how our community lives. This is reflected in jazz, blues, adult alternative, ambient and retro music shows, live interviews

on a diverse range of cultural topics and film, and conversations on how to live well physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually across fields and disciplines. KIOS also amplifies the voices of local nonprofits in a daily intervie w segment.

Full program lineup at kios.org

KIOS’S COVERAGE OF ARTS AND CULTURE IS FOCUSED ON LOCALLY PRODUCED SHOWS THAT CONSIDER HOW OUR COMMUNITY LIVES.

GIVING CALENDAR

JULY/AUGUST 2023

FEATURED EVENT

OMAHA GREEK FESTIVAL

Benefiting: St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church and Ladies Philoptochos Society

Aug. 18-20

Billed as “Omaha’s Original Greek Festival,” this annual event has brought Hellenistic cuisine and live entertainment to the metro since 1978. Attendees can enjoy authentic, delicious Greek food and pastries—including lemon-roasted chicken riganato, and everyone’s favorite, baklava—a taverna offering imported drinks, traditional dance and music performances, and are invited to browse the festival’s boutique and jewelry table. Additionally, the event features various activities for kids and historic tours beneath the cupola of the majestic St. John’s church. The party goes on rain or shine, with tents and indoor seating available on-site. Admission is $5 for adults, and free to students and visitors under 12. Guests won’t be able to stifle an exuberant “OPA!” as they enjoy a slice of Greece in Omaha this summer. —greekfestomaha.com

July 1.

VOLUNTEER AT THE COMMUNITY DONATION CENTER

Benefits: Restoring Dignity

Location: 108th and J Streets —rdomaha.org

July 8.

RELAY FOR LIFE OF GREATER OMAHA NE

Benefits: American Cancer Society Location: Stinson Park, Aksarben —cancer.org

July 10.

BLAND CARES GOLF OUTING

Benefits: Angels Among Us

Location: Champions Run Golf Course —myangelsamongus.org

July 08

July 13.

29TH ANNUAL SWING FOR YOUTH BEST BALL GOLF TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Southwest Kiwanis of Omaha

Location: Tiburon Golf Course —swomahakiwanis.org

July 13.

MERRYMAKERS SONG AND SUDS 2023

Benefits: Merrymakers Association.

Location: Happy Hollow Ballroom —merrrymakers.org

July 18.

HOLES FORE HEROES GOLF TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Heart Heroes Inc.

Location: Quarry Oaks Golf Course, Ashland —heartheroes.org

July 13

July 21.

NATIONAL BE SOMEONE DAY!

Benefits: Project Harmony

Location: Project Harmony Child Advocacy Center —projectharmony.com

July 22.

10TH ANNUAL HEAD FOR THE CURE 5K

Benefits: Head for the Cure Foundation

Location: Zorinsky Lake Park —headforthecure.org

July 22.

BLUE WATER BASH

Benefits: Boys Town

Location: Boys Town Okoboji

Campgrounds, West Okoboji, Iowa —boystown.org

July 22.

CHILDREN’S SQUARE FUN RUN & WALK

Benefits: Children’s Square U.S.A. Location: Children’s Square U.S.A., Council Bluffs, Iowa —childrenssquare.org

July 23.

THE INFUSION: BLOODY MARY MIX-OFF

Benefits: Nebraska Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation Location: Founder’s ONE | NINE —nebraskanhf.org

July 24.

BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE PROGRAM

Benefits: Calistus Multiple Myeloma Foundation

Location: African Farms —calistusfoundation.org

July 27.

July 24

6TH ANNUAL GREAT PLAINS PVA/AWBA INVITATIONAL

Benefits: Paralyzed Veterans of America - Great Plains Chapter Location: Mockingbird Lanes —greatplainspva.org

July 29.

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25 “LIVE FORWARD!” 5K RUN/WALK TO REMEMBER 2023

Benefits: Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Location: Skutt Catholic High School —keepkidsalivedrive25.org

COUNSELING CONNECTIONS & ASSOCIATES

August 4.

2023 FAIRWAYS FORE AIRWAYS GOLF SCRAMBLE

Benefits: Lungs4Life Foundation Inc.

Location: Tiburon Golf Club —lungs4life.org

August 5.

ZERO PROSTATE CANCER

RUN/WALK

Benefits: ZERO Prostate

Cancer

Location: Zorinksky Lake Park —zerocancer.org

August 7.

QLI ANNUAL GOLF CHALLENGE

OUR TOP PROVIDERS

Salina Anderson, APRN

Geraldine Alexis, LIMHP, PLADC

Julie Bierman, LCSW, LMHP

Chantel Bruha, LIMHP, LADC

Korrie Conners, LMHP, CSAT

Kirby Davis, LMHP

Peggy Deaver, LIMHP, CPC

Davin Dickerson, APRN

Beth Farrell, LCSW, LIMHP

Dumayi Gutierrez, PhD, LMHP

Lucy Hancock, MA

Aug. 05

Charlene Hills, LCSW, LIMHP

KG Langdon, APRN

Mary Loftis, LMHP, CPC

Kim Mueller, LIMHP, CPC

Nicole Obrecht, LIMHP

Kara Schneider, BA

Marty Stoltenberg, APRN-BC

Kristi Tackett-Newburg, PhD, LIMHP

Greg Tvrdik, LIMHP, CPC

Sarah Wenzl, LMHP, CPC

Michele Yanney-Wehbi, LIMHP, CPC

Benefits: QLI Brain and Spinal Cord

Injury Specialists

Location: The Players Club at Deer Creek —teamqli.com

August 11.

SAFE HAVEN GOLF TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Heartland Family Service

Location: Eagle Hills Golf Course —heartlandfamilyservice.org

August 11.

WINGS AND WHEELS GALA

Benefits: Ronald McDonald House

Charities - Omaha

Location: Signature Flight Support —rmhcomaha.org

August 12.

LYNX HOOPS GOLF FUNDRAISER

Benefits: Abraham Lincoln Lynx

Basketball Location: Dodge Riverside Golf Club, Council Bluffs, Iowa —alhslynx.com

Dr. Kristi Tackett-Newburg Founder/Owner

2023 First Place

Counseling Services

VOTED FIRST PLACE! -7 YEARS IN A ROW-

August 17.

SAVE PROGRAM GALA

Benefits: SAVE Program Location: Cascio’s Steakhouse —saveprogram.org

August 25.

RITECARE CLASSIC GOLF BENEFIT

Aug.

Benefits: RiteCare of Nebraska Location: Dodge-Riverside Golf Course, Council Bluffs, Iowa —scottishriteomaha.org

August 26.

2023 NEBRASKA EPILEPSY RUN, WALK, AND ROLL

Benefits: Midwest YouCan Foundation

Location: Chalco Hills Recreation Area —midwestyoucan.org

August 27.

THIRD ANNUAL BAGS FOR BAGS CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT

Benefits: Bags of Fun Omaha

Location: THE BARN Ackerhurst Dairy Farm, Bennington —bagsoffunomaha.org

August 28.

GOLF OUTING PRESENTED BY UNION PACIFIC

Benefits: Youth Emergency Services (yes) Location: The Players Club at Deer Creek —yesomaha.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.

STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Building Community Through Arts Engagement

BFF OMAHA LE ADS REJUVENATION OF INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

Benson has seen an entrepreneur-led evolution in its century-plus history, continuing today with visionaries like BFF Omaha Executive Director Alex Jochim. He’s witnessed Benson transform from ghost town to destination magnet to Omaha’s cre ative pulse.

Founded by namesake Erastus Benson, the Benson neighborhood began as a suburban sanctuary before being annexed by Omaha and emerging around its own bustling Maple Street business center. By the late 1960s, Benson was an inner city enclave with modest single-family homes and a thriving business hub dominated by family-owned stores.

By the ’80s, however, many storefronts sat vacant or rundown. Benson has since reemerged as a vibrant center of commerce and in-demand place to live thanks to entrepreneurs who’ve opened speciality shops, bars and restaurants, and entertainment and art venues. Helping foster the burgeoning creative scene was Jochim, a photographer, who with artist JD Hardy, launched the Benson First Friday Art Walk in 2012.

The event’s popularity begat more art walks and programs until BFF organized as a nonprofit that sponsors year-round, offbeat programming.

“We like to keep things weird, avant-garde and nontraditional,” Jochim said. “And we like to have fun.”

By the time it rebranded as BFF Omaha in 2019, Benson’s renewal was in full swing.

“Before BFF, everything was pretty sterile, and we’re the opposite of that,” he continued. “We created this sense of community not only for creatives but for Benson overall. In the 12 years I’ve been there, I’ve seen a lot of development. The good thing is that it’s mainly owned and operated by people who invest in the community. It allows for less gentrification and more sense of community. That is what drew me to Benson and what’s keepi ng me here.

We use BFF Omaha as a tool to create community and to support artists/creatives with new opportunities. It’s created this very broad mission of what we do, so we can tailor it to whatever creative endeavor we feel is our next move as long as it’s supporting the arts and artists and community, it falls within our realm.”

John-Paul Gurnett first intersected with BFF while working as a public school teacher. He’s gone from a patron to creating events that plug into BFF, to becoming its communication s director.

“BFF has continued to grow and evolve to meet the needs of our community, which legitimizes the work of so many who share their time, energy, and money,” Gurnett noted. “It has allowed me to draw upon all my areas of expertise in a creative way that benefits the place I call home.”

Professional development is part of how BFF invests in people,” Jochim added. “I love seeing people develop skills and being there as a teacher or guide to help them learn some of these processes.”

When Jochim moved to Benson around 2009, he discovered a neighborhood in transition.

“It wasn’t necessarily visually arts-focused,” he recalled. “[Though] there were a lot of musicians.”

He “got caught up” in making things happen on the visual arts front.

“I formed relationships through that,” he said. “Then those groups of people helped spark the idea to start the First Friday Art Walks. Once we started that it created this whole sense of a creative community that I didn’t even know existe d in Omaha.”

Shelby Audiss has been with BFF in various roles since the start and now serves on its executive board.

“I’m a lifer. This organization is so special to me because of the people involved,” she said, crediting much of BFF’s success to Jochim.

“The word ‘impossible’ does not exist in his lexicon. He has a knack for taking a creative vision, drumming up support, and making it happen. He’s instilled this sense of limitless possibility, acceptance, and support of everyone.”

“We canvassed the neighborhood, talked about the vision, got a lot of people on board,” Jochim recalled of the premiere art walk. “People asked what we were doing next. It was a sense of, okay, we’ve got to keep this going. Besides, we enjoyed it. We did a lot of pop-up shows in vacant spaces. It necessitated us remaining involved.”

BFF took on physical event spaces, Petshop and Sweatshop, and now supports fou r galleries.

Once established, Jochim said, “Traditions formed and we started getting more and more community involvement and partnerships.” New creative spaces have emerged in 402 Arts Collective, Maple Street Construct, and Benson Theatre.

“We partnered with nonprofits and businesses to do stuff together and to form one common vision. We had the artists and the energy, and those organizations had the resources.”

Ted and Wally’s and Jake’s Cigars, where Jochim tended bar for man y years, are longtim e partners.

The New American Arts Festival which highlights the creativity and cultures of area refugee and immigrant communities celebrates 10 years this August. BFF’s largest fundraiser, the Petfest Music Festival, is set to feature local and regional artists on August 19.

Additionally, the final big First Friday of the season on September 1 turns into ‘Furst Friday’ and features dog-friendly activities.

Outside of Benson, BFF partners with Lincoln Calling and the Omaha Summer Arts Festival. Its converted semi-truck mobile MAMO Gallery makes the trip to Maha Music Festival, the annual Earth Day celebration, and ot her events.

“We’re not limited to Benson,” Jochim noted. “Public art is a great way we can get out. We did a big social justice mural project on Farnam Hill. We installed artist-designed billboards throughout rural Nebraska advocating for abortion access services. We believe in using art as a catalyst for change.”

Still, taking on a greater volume of projects and events comes with its share of growing pains.

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“We’ve had our ups and downs, burnout moments, and doubts about making this sustainable. That’s actually why we became a nonprofit,” Jochim explained. “We needed a direction to go with it. It couldn’t be grassroots anymore.”

A small core staff and around 45 dedicated volunteers keep BFF firing on al l cylinders.

“We’re here as a backbone consultant to businesses and organizations that want to get involved. We talk with them about best practices,” Jochim said. “We work with people about getting creative with their spaces. It doesn’t need to be a white wall gallery to showcase art or a creative element. It can even be window displays. It can be digital media. It can be having a performer out in front of your business.”

All of it, he said, “provides more opportunities for emerging artists and, I feel we’ve had a big impact on t hat front.”

“I feel like we’re still growing our roots and getting our foundation. It’s taken us a while to crack that foundation code for funding,” Jochim continued, noting his transition to working BFF full time. “Before, I didn’t have the capacity to dedicate what this organization needed.”

Now that state legislation has designated Benson a creative district, he’s involved in shaping its future.

“Once we hire someone to run that, I feel like it’s going to be unstoppable because the creative district (a Nebraska Arts Council administered program) allows access to more funding from the state,” Jochim said. “You can do infrastructure changes and large-scale projects. That’s what’s going to keep Benson growing and to allow BFF, which has been kind of managing that, to step out and pursue our vision of spreading to other communities."

While the additional funding is exciting and certainly appreciated by Jochim, it’s the people BFF supports, and now employs, that keeps him c oming back.

“I love actually being with people having conversations, and working with artists in nontraditional settings, poking at their creativity, and having them see it from different perspectives and angles. I love the installation process. That is what keeps me fueled. The other thing that keeps me going is my team.”

Visit bffomaha.org for more information.

They arrived 22 years ago. One by one, 107 fiberglass sculptures appeared throughout Omaha. The anonymous and androgynous figures, or rather the project writ large, went by “J. Doe” and served as the metro’s first wide-scale public art project. Whether it was a “Jane” or a “John,” people couldn’t escape talking about the figures or, indeed, encountering them throughout the city. From Creighton University’s campus to Saint Cecelia Catholic Cathedral, Eppley Airfield to Fontenelle Forest even a No Frills Supermarket the temporary artworks dominated just about every public space, and the public discourse, throughout the sum mer of 2001.

J. Doe was

the brainchild

of

Eddith Buis.

Inspired by similar fiberglass community projects in cities like Chicago, Kansas City, and New York, the longtime arts advocate and educator came up with a novel approach in Omaha. Most urban areas had typically used animals for similar projects. (Zurich, Switzerland, started the urban craze with its “Cow Parade” in 1998). Buis, however, saw people as the main draw, and Omaha became the only city to use the human figure as the canvas for artists to interpret.

“We wanted to do humans, because Omaha is famous for its people,” she explained. “We don’t have scenery, but we do really have the friendliest people.”

Buis met with a committee of fellow arts advocates at the Hot Shops Art Center to get the project started and enjoyed a supportive, enthusiastic response from the community.

“It was pretty ambitious, but people jumped all over it,” she remembered. “We talked to everyone who made art in Omaha and got donations; we got so muc h support.”

Businesses like Lozier Corporation, Omaha Steaks, and Union Pacific Railroad played a major role in producing the J. Does, which towered over 6 feet and cost $2,500. As did local nonprofits such as the Rose Blumkin Foundation, the Omaha Community Playhouse, and the Omaha Children’s Museum. Individuals, too, opened their checkbooks to become patrons of Omaha’s urban art.

Ninety-five artists participated in the project, with some creating more than one sculpture. The roster read like a short list of Omaha creatives, including: Catherine Ferguson, Mary Zicafoose, John Thein, and Les Bruning, all of which were well-established, or well on their way. Ferguson landed the plumb role of designing sets and costumes for Opera Omaha. Zicafoose became a leading global textile artist. Printmaker and painter Thein, who died last May, was a beloved professor at Creighton University. Sculptor Les Bruning’s sculptures appear throughout the metro. Many more artists remained fixtures of Omaha’s local visual arts scene, while others have enjoyed success elsewhere.

Each artist brought their own inimitable imprimatur to their sculpture. For example, Trudy Swanson’s “Heart & Soul,” sponsored by One Pacific Place Shopping Center, depicted a bifurcated figure with a flare of

twisting, twirling metal springing forth emblematic of the positive energy people experience from their “hearts” and “souls,” and symbolic of an individual “burstin g with joy.”

“This was my first public sculpture, and it was a big, exciting project to do,” Swanson recalled. “I was so excited it went somewhere where it was really seen a nd visible.”

Public response to the army of J. Does was overwhelmingl y positive.

“The sculptures were pretty impressive. It was fun, people loved it, and it was pretty popular,” Buis remembered. “It was a happy project, and I think it put us on the map.”

The figures remained in place into September of that year before being auctioned off, with

ANDROGENOUS, UNIQUE ANONYMOUS,

REVISITING THE J. DOE PROJECT

a portion of the proceeds benefitting the City of Omaha Public Arts Commission. Many corporate donors purchased the pieces they sponsored for display at their headquarters, while some private individuals bid on sculptures for their homes. (Buis recalled one sponsor who prominently positioned a J. Doe in her living room after winning it at auction.)

The project’s legacy served as a point of inspiration for more art in public spaces. One year after Buis’s project, the copycat J. Doe II appeared in Omaha with just over 50 sculptures scattered across Omaha. In 2003, Tour de Lincoln arrived in the capital with 150 miniature bicycles that marked the city’s first pubic art project. Artist Liz Shea-McCoy, who spearheaded Tour de Lincoln, said in the project pamphlet: “What I loved most about experiencing the J. Doe Project, and others since that time, was that one really feels the desire to explore that city, searching for the next sculpture and the next!”

Several more fiberglass “nexts” were yet to come. The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art oversaw a similar initiative by Alegent Health in 2007 with the O! Public Art Project, which commissioned 22 “O” shapes throughout the city. In 2016 the Nebraska by Heart project saw more than 80 heart-shaped sculptures installed throughout Lincoln to celebrate the state’s sesquicentennial. That same year, eight Horses of Honor commissioned to memorialize police officers who died in the line of duty made their debut in key Omaha pu blic spaces. Today, Swanson’s “Heart & Soul” is the sole J. Doe still on public display at its original site near Trader Joe’s at 103rd and Pacific streets. It’s become so much a part of Omaha’s cityscape that the artist was delighted to discover it had become a location in the popular Pokémon GO mobile app game.

“My daughters were playing that game, and one of the PokéStops was my sculpture,” she shared. “They sent me the pic, and I used it to make my business cards. J. Doe str ikes again!”

Augmented reality games aside, Swanson is pleased that her contribution continues to resonate with the public.

“I still run into people these many years later, and they tell me what the piece means to them,” she said. “It’s an old friend, an old piece of myself that’s still out there bringing joy. It’s a wonderful, wonderf ul thing.”

For more information about Omaha’s public art projects, visit publicar tomaha.org.

STORY BY KIM CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK

60+ NOSTALGIA

STORY BY MIKE WHYE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY RENEE LUDWICK

maha artist Peg Watkins considered a piece of pottery she had created in 1978. The jar, done in earth tones and slightly tapered at the top, is embellished with three-dimensional cross-hatchings done in a rough style.

It’s easy to connect that jar to a cold wax oil painting that Watkins completed only two years ago its gritty surface also cut with crisscrossing, texture d lines.

One might think that Watkin’s work hasn’t changed much between the two pieces, but it has. The connections between that vase and the painting show that she loves the textures that she used as a potter and now integrates them into paintings primarily composed of oil paints and waxy substances.

“When I paint, I think I’m still a potter, because I’m concerned about the colors and textures,” said Watkin s, age 75.

Watkins, an early member of the Old Market Artists Gallery located in the shopping hub’s iconic Old Market Passageway, occasionally swaps pieces of her featured art there with others from her home. Among her recent works in the Passageway was a shallow square glass bowl with a blue center circled by iridescent colors that change when handled. A glass tray with a shallow curve shines brilliant with broad white and yellow panels separated by thin black stripes. Orange and yellow orbs dance across an oblong green glass tray. Two square, muted yellow-and-rust-colored abstract paintings are speckled with small dark r ectangles

Born and raised in Omaha, Watkins graduated from Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart and attended college there until its closure two years later. Afterwards, she married, had a son and a daughter, divorced, and returned to college in her 30s, this time at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. There, she earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, doing her thesis in ceramics.

Afterward, she became a supervisor with Omaha’s Parks, Recreation and Public Property Department, helping to direct the recreation centers, pools, playgrounds, and other public works.

“I ran five or six community centers and the day camp at Hummel Park We also had a Sundog playground program. It was a good job, a fun job,” Watkins recalled.

During her tenure with the city, she also earned a masters degree in mana gement.

Molding Omaha’s

Art Community

Old Market Virtuoso Peg Watkins Continues to Evolve and Inspire

Besides teaching art in the various recreation centers, Watkins utilized the space and supplies to create works of her own there as well. About three years before retiring in 2007, she gave up pottery because of its “dust and mess” and turned to making fu sed glass.

“When you put the pieces together, they flow into each other,” she said. “That’s great.”

Often, Watkins wore and still wears some of her glass fusion jewelry on necklaces.

“My theory is if I don’t wear them, no one else will,” Watkins said. “I sold a lot of them in the elevator at city hall. I always kept one in my briefcase so I could replace it if I sold one.”

can’t be sculpted with palette knives and non-traditional fine arts items, like paint rollers, scrapers, and squeegees. Watkins also uses sand, ash, and other materials (such as tissues and coffee filters) to layer her paintings with the textures she loved as a potter.

“I am an intuitive painter. I make a mark, paint a shape, add a texture, then see how that leads me into the next step,” Watkins explained. “I never start with a specific end in mind. I let the paint and the art elements draw me into the work until I feel it is complete.”

Though she no longer teaches, Watkins continues to inspire those around her. Lynda Tygart, who creates bromoil prints, showed some of her works to Watkins one day a few years back impressing Watkins so much, that she immediately whisked her to meet the owner of Dundee Gallery to market her works there.

“Peg has an overall creativity and shares that with others,” Tygart noted. “She’s enc ouraging.”

Being a long-time fixture of Omaha’s art community has allowed Watkins to observe it s evolution.

After about 30 years, Watkins left her post with the city and joined the gallery in the Old Market, originally founded by potters Tom Harnack and Rob Johnson and painter Za ch Jones.

Upon retiring, Watkins took to creating paintings when she moved into a new house and couldn’t abide the sight of its bare walls. At first, she used acrylics before shifting to oils. However, put off by how long the paints take to dry, she began using a cold wax process with oil paint after learning about it at the Hot Shops Art Center. She studied it more, for about three years, with Diane Lounsberry-Williams, an Omaha artist known for her cold wax paintings.

This technique allows an artist to mix oil paints with waxy substances to shorten their drying time, but not to the point that they

“The Omaha art scene has changed notably over the past several years,” she said. “Through the J. Does and art benches set up around the city, Omaha has been been wonderfully spotted with institution art. Kaneko has encouraged art around the city, and the Joslyn expansion is a wonderful gift to the city.

“More attention is is given to local artists now. Sometime ago, if art was not from California or a place like that, there was no chance to sell it here. It’s not tha t way now.”

About her own experiences in Omaha’s art scene, Watkins concluded, “I’ve built a nice life for myself. Every day’s a gift.”

For more information, visit oldmarketartistsgallery.com.

“I am an intuitive painter. I make a mark, paint a shape, add a texture, then see how that leads me into the next step. I never start with a specific end in mind. I let the paint and the art elements draw me into the work until I feel it is complete.”

-Peg Watkins

Timeless Omaha’s Duo

Bozak & Morrissey Stay Golden After 47 Years of Rock ’n’ Roll

Lou Bozak (Left) and Dan Morri ssey (Right)

Lots of duos have come and gone: Lennon and McCartney…Sonny and Cher…Kobe and Shaq…Simon and Garfunkel. As partners, they didn’t last. Nor did, say, Bonnie and Clyde…Mantle and Maris…Thelma and Louise.

But one pair who matched up in 1976 endures like milk and cookies, mashed potatoes and gravy, or peanut butter and jelly. Or like two other pals whose partnership dates to the mid-’70s, Sesame Street’s Ber t and Ernie.

Meanwhile on Dodge Street, it’s the singing, guitar-playing music-and-comedy team of Bozak & Morrissey.

“We’ve got a good thing here,” said Lou Bozak. “And we love Omaha.”

“We’re like brothers,” added Dan Morrissey. “We have our moments, but we’re as tight as can be. Lou is the godfather to my son.”

They perform danceable “oldies rock and roll” with their Bozak & Morrissey Band in recent years, monthly at the Firewater Grille near 72nd and Grover streets on “Nostalgic Wednesdays.” That’s just the latest in their long list of venues, including more than a decade at the Ozone Lounge until its closur e last year.

“A couple of years ago, a couple came out to the Ozone on their 35th wedding anniversary,” Bozak recalled. “Their first date was a Bozak & Morrissey gig. Those are the kinds of relationships we have and the gratification we receive.”

For Bozak and Morrissey, it all started in their 20s when they auditioned for Galileo at the Omaha Community Playhouse. They hadn’t met, and both sought the role of “the monk,” whose job was to confront astronomer Galileo Galilei about his controversial views on the cosmos.

“I read for the part and got a callback,” Morrissey said. “Then this guy walks in and everybody starts fawning all over him: ‘Oooh, Louie!’ He got the part and I got four small roles, so of course I instantl y hated him.

“We were put in the same dressing room, and I brought my guitar in for a minstrel role. Lou says, ‘So you play the guitar?’  I say, ‘No, I just carry one around.’ But we liked the same kind of music, and the approach to acting, and beca me friends.”

The director, Charles Jones, asked if they would warm up the cast in the Green Room, and on opening night they played 1950s doo-wop. The pair came up with something new each night, and at the end of the play’s run had polished a repertoire of 25 songs. Thus, Bozak & Morriss ey was born.

They soon played at the Wine Cellar under the Firehouse Dinner Theatre (now the Upstream restaurant) in the Old Market. Their pay was whatever Lou’s sister collected at the door. They paid her $10, and on some nights, Morrissey confessed, “Mary Lou made more t han we did.”

But they caught on and drew a following. The Wine Cellar ran ads in the Omaha World-Herald about their “songs of the ’50s and ’60s.” Some ads called them “zany.”  With a humorous nod to his ancestry, Bozak sang a “Croatian Cowboy” parody of Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

They took a break in the late ’70s when Morrissey went to graduate school in California, but reunited and performed in a comedy shop at Oliver’s Back Alley, north of 93rd and Maple streets. In 1980 they formed their band with the Van Fleet brothers, Larry and Gary, appearing at the old Peony Park, Arthur’s Lounge, the Ranch Bowl, and elsewhere. They also entertained at priv ate parties.

Morrissey and wife Kathryn met while working at Mutual of Omaha, and the band went on hiatus. But after 18 months, the musicians re-formed in 1986 for the “Nerd Prom,” adding lead guitarist Greg Fox. The ‘B&M Band’ has played ever since.

“Lou and Dan are both personable and have good chemistry,” said Fox, a founder of the popular Chevrons band in the ’60s. “They’re really good musicians, but sometimes it’s also like a standup routine and the other four guys in the band are afraid of what they’ll say next! But they have that theatrical stage sense about them and it works.”

Before they became Bozak & Morrissey, Bozak and Morrissey each performed in plays and bands as teenagers; Lou graduated

from Ralston High and Dan from Creighton Prep. In 1973, as a Creighton University student, Dan was pictured on the cover of The World-Herald’s Sunday magazine as Superman emerging from a phone booth.

The accompanying article mentioned both of them Lou was at the University of Nebraska at Omaha as part of a combined-schools “World of Jules Feiffer” revue. Three years later, they met at the Playhouse and the rest, as they say, is hysterical. Each has lived a busy life, though, besides playing music. Bozak is a carpenter by trade, as was his father, and today works in business development and marketing for Paul Davis Restoration. He also performs separately with “Lou Bozak and Friends.” In the 1990s he played a lead role in Little Shop of Horrors , and a few years ago hit the floor for a local Dancing with the Stars fundraiser. Morrissey owned an events and meetings company and served as president of the Omaha Sports Commission when it helped acquire the Olympic Swim Trials for the city. He also worked in marketing for College World Series, Inc. Earlier yet, he played rugby and ice hockey.

“Playing in a band is as close to a team sport as I’m going to get now,” he said. “Everybody has a role to play and knows his job. Egos get checked a t the door.”

Besides Fox, other bandmates include: Jay Buda on keyboards, Lloyd Brinkman on drums, and Fred Genovesi on bass. All sing, and harmonies are part of their show. For all, performing is more than a hobby. Bozak said, “It’s just what we do.”

Through the years they have played at such venues as the Interlude Lounge, the Whiskey Roadhouse, the Mutual of Omaha Dome, Le Grille, Barry O’s, Pauli’s, the Happy Hollow Club, Fontenelle Forest (indoors), Village Pointe (outdoors) and even for the Aksarben Coronation. The year that UNO Chancellor Del Weber reigned as king, they feted him with “King of the Road.”

Dan and Lou often appeared at Arthur’s Lounge, 83rd and Dodge streets, and the Ranch Bowl, south of 72nd and Pacific (now the site of a Wal-Mart).

“We’re like brothers. We have our moments, but we’re as tight as can be. Lou is the godfather to my son.” -D an Morrissey

“It was so fun to go to Arthur’s,” Kathi Jensen reflected. “I’ve been following Bozak and Morrissey forever. They not only sing well and are so entertaining, but they are quick and funny.”

Arthur’s and the old Ranch Bowl stand out in B&M history.

“One of the things Lou and I are most proud of, is that we turned Arthur’s and the Ranch Bowl into the two premier live music venues in Omaha in the ’80s and ’90s,” Morrissey said. “We were essentially the ‘house band’ for both of those venues, which never had bands before, and built up a huge following opening the doors for some other great bands to play there.”

The nutty buddies enjoy ragging on each other onstage.

“I’ll make fun of Lou’s foibles or his appearance,” Morrissey said. “And he’ll tease me about my baldness. It’s all in fun.”

Cheryl Wild Goodrich, who has danced to B&M at the Ozone and now at the Firewater Grille, said fans appreciate hearing the music of t heir youth.

“But what I love as much as their music is their humor and how crazy they are,” she said. “They can get offstage and engage the audience especially Lou. It just gets to be a big party.”

“Lou is a big personality, as vibrant as can be,” Morrissey echoed. “In his head he’s still in his 20s, which comes across on the stage. He has an innate ability to connect with the audience.”

Having paired up in the ’70s, Bozak and Morrissey are now in their 70s. Both enjoy longevity in their genes. Lou’s parents lived to 92 and 96, and Dan’s mother to 103.

In 2020, Bozak & Morrissey were inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame. So how long will they conti nue to play?

“As long as the audience still likes us and we have a place to play and can have fun with it,” Morrissey said. “When it stops being fun, it will be time to cal l it quits.”

For now, it’s still great fun.

Visit the Bozak & Morrissey Facebook page and YouTube channel for more i nformation.

“I’ll make fun of Lou’s foibles or his appearance, and he’ll tease me about my baldness. It’s all in fun.” -D an Morrissey

(L to R) Nebraska Music Hall of Fame Inductees Greg Fox, Jay Buda, Fred Genovesi, Dan Morrissey, Lou Bozak, and Lloyd Brinkman comprise Bozak & Morrissey’s fu ll ensemble.

STORY BY KIM CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

OMAHA, LEND US YOUR EARS!

THE METRO’S CONCERT VENUES OFFER MUSIC FOR ALL

Summer is in full swing, and that means Omaha’s concert scene is heating up. Whether you’re into classic rock, southern soul, heavy metal, country, funk, rap, blues, pop, indie, R&B, or smooth jazz, there's a place to get your groove on. Here, we introduce you to some of the metro’s newer venues to catch the latest tour, as well as a few old favorites that always deliver when it comes to showcasing a broad swath of mus ical genres.

1. STEELHOUSE OMAHA

1100 Dodge St. | 402.345.0606 steelhouseomaha.com

Omaha’s latest jewel on the concert scene just opened in May and is a state-of-the-art venue designed to accommodate up to 3,000 music lovers. Part of Omaha Performing Arts’ entertainment campus—that already includes the Orpheum Theater and the Holland Performing Arts Center—the $104 million venue is in the heart of downtown. Steelhouse is transforming the local music scene by bringing in acts that typically bypass Omaha for cities like Chicago, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Taking to the stage this summer and fall: Fleet Foxes, Tom Keifer (of Cinderella fame), W.A.S.P., and Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton. Standing room only with VIP seating on the upper level.

2. RIVERFRONT PAVILION

Gene Leahy Mall, 1001 Douglas St. theriverfrontomaha.com

Part of the $400 million remodel effort by the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) to revitalize downtown, RiverFront Pavilion is the latest place to catch an outdoor concert while simultaneously serving as a gateway between the historic Old Market and north downtown Omaha. Reminiscent of old-fashioned bandstands, the pavilion has hosted heavy hitters like Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth, as well as local youth. Concerts this summer run the gamut, including the Live on the Lawn Summer Concert Series in July featuring Lemon Fresh Day and Finding Dixie and acoustic jam sessions by The Great Plains Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association in August. Grab a blanket or lawn chair and settle in for a summer of great music.

3. THE ADMIRAL THEATER

2234 S. 13th St. | 402.706.2205 admiralomaha.com

New but old, the Admiral already hosted its fair share of concerts as the Sokol Auditorium. Rebranded and renovated, this venue, situated in the heart of Little Bohemia, was built in 1926 as a place to host events for the local Czech community. It’s evolved with the times, and today hosts a line-up of established and up-and-coming artists. Taking to the Admiral’s stage this summer: Andy Grammer, Orville Peck, Steve Earle, and A.J. Croce (son of the legendary Jim Croce). Standing room only with some VIP seating upstairs.

4. THE WAITING ROOM LOUNGE

6212 Maple St. | 402.884.5353

waitingroomlounge.com

Long a favorite on the Omaha concert scene, this venue is located on Benson’s main drag in what started as a 1920s car dealership. Roughly a century later, it has a well-earned reputation for bringing in future stars like Matt & Kim, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Sara Bareilles, and Macklemore before they hit it big—as well as music legends like the Psychedelic Furs. With floor space for 250, this is the place to see onstage talent in an intimate setting. Hitting The Waiting Room Lounge this summer: Green Jelly, White Reaper, and Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter. Grab a beer and settle in for a standing-room-only show.

5. SLOWDOWN

729 N. 14th St. | 402.345.7569

theslowdown.com

Affiliated with Omaha’s own Saddle Creek Records (renowned for indie bands like Bright Eyes, Cursive, and The Faint), this NoDo anchor venue, which includes two stages, is small enough to feel intimate, yet large enough to pull in established talent. The close quarters allow the crowd to connect more immediately with the musicians for an unforgettable concert experience. Featured on stage in July and August: Cowgirl Eastern, The Frights, Julia Jacklin, Youth Lagoon, The Regrettes, and James Bay. Mostly standing room only with some seats and tables available in the bar area.

6. TURNER PARK

3110 Farnam St.

midtowncrossing.com

Located in the heart of Midtown Crossing, the bandstand at Turner Park hosts an eclectic array of music from the beloved Jazz on the Green concert series to pop-up performances by Opera Omaha. This summer’s concert highlights include the free Playing With Fire concert series, held two weekend nights in both July and August. Featuring international blues-influenced bands, the lineups include: Sugaray Rayford, a Texas blues singer; Atlanta-based Eddie 9V; Twelve Bar Blues Band from Amsterdam; Dom Martin Band from Northern Ireland; Montreal-based Justin Saladino; Danish blues-rock band Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado; Toronto blues band Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar; and British singer-guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor. The verdant setting is ideal for a cooler full of cold drinks, and a night full of choice tunes.

THE FARNAM HOTEL’S DYNAMITE WOODFIRE GRILL

Turning Up THE HEAT, RAISING THE STAKES

It’s easy to imagine railroad proponent and philanthropist Henry Farnam walking through the Farnam Hotel on his way to have a meal at the Dynamite Woodfire Grill. He would probably wear a suit with a stiff collar, as most men did during his era (the 1800s).

Perhaps he’d pause at the Catalyst Lounge named for the spark that lit the dynamite used during the building of the first transcontinental railroad. He might realize that the Lone Tree Landing coffee shop is named after the lone tree where he and his cohorts frequently met to discuss railroad development in Omaha. And if he was paying very close attention, he might notice that the carpet throughout the hotel and into the restaurant is an artistic rendering of a topographical map of the river by which the lone tree stood.

“Not many people notice the carpet,” said Dynamite Woodfire Grill Executive Chef Robert Murphy. “Everything around here is done with a purpose.”

Mr. Farnam would likely be greeted warmly by every employee he encountered and some who would go out of their way to encounter him with a greeting and offer of help, a common practice at the hotel. Upon approaching the restaurant adjacent to the lobby, he might immediately realize the cleverness of the restaurant’s name and its nods to the assembly of the railroads.

The menu at the Dynamite Woodfire Grill would likely surprise and delight him, just as it surprises and delights modern-day visitors. Chef Murphy is well traveled, and it’s reflected in his cuisine. He elevates comfort food with innovative, global influences. His many travels taught him about different flavors and ingredients that aren’t common in American comfort foods.

For example, on Murphy’s menu, deviled eggs become Bloody Mary shrimp deviled eggs. Other adventurous starters include Reuben Croquettes (a favorite of the hotel’s general manager Shane Lonowki) and octopus.

“I’ve experienced a lot of stuff in my day,” said Murphy, who has 30 years of experience. “You may not recognize the Caribbean or Asian influences in my food, but they’re there.”

Food and beverage manager Robert Smith noted that the restaurant’s wood-fire grill leads some guests to believe the restaurant is all about steaks.

“People see the grill and think steak, but more things than just steak are charred on the grill,” he said, adding that he personally enjoys the grilled vegetables. Scallops, salmon, short rib, chicken, and burgers also appear on the menu.

Cuisine card is in the process of getting its seasonal update. Chef Murphy is particularly excited about adding steak tartare to the menu, but his favorite dish changes depending on “current trends, local markets, and what farms have available.”

The Sunday brunch offered by Dynamite Woodfire Grill features a “Light & Wellness” menu, which includes smoothies and fruit platters. Meanwhile, the “Farnam Signature” menu sports a salt-crusted prime rib Benedict, a brunch burger, and more. Brunch salads are also featured, including a chicken and waffle salad with fried chicken bits, waffle croutons, field greens, and a maple bourbon vinaigrette. Guests can finish brunch with key lime mousse or a slice of chocolate peanut butter cream pie.

Miso-glazed Jail Island salmon with baby bok choy, wild mushrooms, and chiles garnished with a thinly sliced ‘cucumber noodle’ and toasted sesame seeds with a cup of house jam

“Hospitality isn’t just food. SERVICE IS WHAT YOU DO, HOSPITALITY IS HOW YOU MAKE PEOPLE FEEL. We’re not just selling wine—we’re selling a lifestyle.”

—Robert Smith

At time of writing, the restaurant locally sources around 20-30% of their ingredients, but that number will increase exponentially as the weather warms, Murphy noted. Filet and ribeye come from a farm in Lincoln, microgreens are supplied by Nathan Pfeifer in Omaha, and additional fresh components are sourced from Long Walk Farm in Council Bluffs and eCreamer y in Dundee.

Murphy enjoys working in a restaurant that celebrates Omaha history and culture. Every piece of displayed art throughout the hotel and restaurant is by local artists, with one impressive piece in the restaurant’s dining room telling an important, dramatic event from downtown Omaha’s storied history.

“Do you see the pattern of the wood?” Chef Murphy asked, gesturing toward an imposing installation consisting of staggered wooden beams stacked on the wall. “That’s wood from M’s Pub. And that pattern is a recreation of the aerial shot taken after the explosion.”

This is the eighth hotel restaurant in which Chef Murphy has worked and it has proven a positive experience for him as he flourishes his take on approachable, internationally influenced fine dining. He recalled that back in the 2000s, hotel restaurants became “taboo” because they were “bland, boring, and overpriced.”

Today, as the Dynamite Woodfire Grill demonstrates, that’s no longer true.

In fact, most diners at the Dynamite Woodfire Grill are Omaha natives. Many of them don’t even realize the restaurant is part of the hotel, Murphy explained, because there’s an exterior entrance to the dining room from Farnam Street.

General Manager Shane Lonowski described Dynamite Woodfire Grill as “a cutting-edge restaurant with an innovative atmosphere” while Smith said, “It’s chic, relevant, elegant, and up to date. It’s not dated far from it.”

Lonowski added that it’s a “wine lover’s paradise” because of the extensive wine offerings. Smith, who also happens to be the only master sommelier in the state of Nebraska, has many connections within the beverage industry tapping them to expand their stock of wines and spirits that can’t be found anywhere else in the city.

“Rob opens doors for things that Nebraska is often overlooked for,” Murphy said. “Several bottles of wine that we have can only be found here in the state. He tries to appeal to a wide audience.”

Locally owned by Angie and Jason Fisher, the hotel is part of the Marriot Autograph Collection. So while they must adhere to some Marriot standards, they have the liberty to give the hotel and restaurant an ‘Omaha feel.’

The hotel and restaurant are of a notably high caliber for a smaller market.

Said Lonowski, “They’re the best team in Omaha! And Chef is a thoughtful and artistic

chef. He’s intentional,” Lonowski said, adding that some staff members have work experience in Michelin Star restaurants.

Smith agreed with Lonowki’s assessment of the team.

“Hospitality isn’t just food,” he affirmed. “Service is what you do, hospitality is how you make people feel. We’re not just selling wine we’re selling a lifestyle.”

Of his team, Chef Murphy said, “It’s a massive amount of brain power, all chugging along in the same direction.”

Smith said the Omaha population was ready for a high-end hotel to open, and had the resources to support it.

“Omaha is unique. The fifth-generation Omahans are used to coastal markets. They expect things. Omaha’s really enigmatic as far as what’s the next step,” he said. “This area’s about to explode. It’s reminiscent of big markets 20 to 30 years ago.”

As Omaha continues to expand and its people refine their tastes, Dynamite Woodfire Grill smolders as an emerging hot spot. As for how Henry Farnam would react to his namesake hotel, one can only speculate. However, if he could experience the hotel and restaurant’s attentive staff, delicious food, and expansive wine offerings, lending a smile and a tip of his hat doesn’t seem farfetched.

Visit dynamitewoodfiregrill.com for more information.

Prime ribeye steak served over a bed of roasted heir loom carrots

Brad Groesser Shows His Mettle in the Kitchen, In Life

GO, GO, GADgET CHEF

While Chef Brad Groesser of Omaha would never describe himself as wise, he’s certainly earned the epithet. That’s because the “Gadget Chef” as he’s lovingly called by his patrons, knows that experience can’t be loaned—it must be bartered with, often at great cost.

“It was a gun mount accident on board ship; a hot gun, bad powder, and a misfire, and my hand got brushed off in the recoil,” Groesser recalled of the event that claimed his right hand and most of his forearm. “I mean, that was pure shock…it took them about 45 minutes to cut me out of the gun and I mean, you’re talking about about a gun that has a 15 foot barrel, 5 inch caliber […] it was 18 hours before I actually sa w a doctor.”

Severals years prior, a listless 17-year-old entered a US Navy recruitment office. In his youth, Groesser spent half the year with his dad at his grandfather’s farm in Weeping Water, Nebraska, and the other half with his mom in Los Angeles, California, where he found his sea-legs working shipyards.

Still, the frequent moves instilled a certain restlessness in Groesser, a comfort with shifting environments, and a desire to see the world. The Navy, he thought, would stay his wanderlust. And for a t ime, it did.

“I was lucky enough to be on a ship rigged for sub warfare, so we weren’t with a big detachment we were always out on our own,” Groesser said. “And it was old enough that it broke down all the time, and we got towed into secure places. And my chief, rather than sit on the ship and wait for the repair part would be like, ‘We’re gonna rent a car to go pick it that up so we can get underw ay faster.’

“You know, I’ve skied Sarajevo, I’ve skied Mount Etna, skied the Pyrenees in Spain, surfed Morocco…so, very nice opportunities , you know?”

Yet, in a fraction of a second amid plumes of gunpowder and cries for help Groesser’s life sharply, irrevocably, cha nged course.

“I was off the coast of Nicaragua when this happened,” said Groesser, nodding toward his customizable prosthetic. “[Then] I was at Wilford Hall Medical Center in Lackland Air Force Base getting rehab. And then they sent me to Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, and I was there for six months before I finally got medically discharged.”

The result was a tremor of disbelief, and for a time, the trance of ennui.

“I was partying hard. But again, I was 20. It’s something the military teaches, sadly, but I think it keeps us sane out there,” Groesser noted.

Once again, Groesser found himself pinging between California and Nebraska, weighing and ultimately rejecting the benefits of the GI Bill. In time, memories of the ship that took his hand resurfaced, and tellingly, the good outweighed the bad.

“My best friend in the service was a cook, I was a storekeeper supply guy, so I would help him order his food […] but after hours when I wasn’t working, and he was down there working the midnight shift, I would go in there and just cook with him and hang out,” Groesser said.

After five years climbing the ranks at TGI Fridays and a stint waiting tables at then Clint Eastwood-owned Hog’s Breath Saloon, Groesser was finally ready to take the leap from front to back of house, returning to Nebraska for culinary school. This new battleground, however, demanded a more sophisticated arsenal.

“My mother, who lived in Houston at the time, read an article in the paper about this student who had a similar thing who made a similar attachment,” he said. “So now I’ve got this attachment on my prosthesis; hook up a knife or a carrot peeler or a grater, 10 different kinds of knives […] I can chop pretty fast. Don’t cut myself too much. Can’t complain.”

Following the upgrades, the newly forged “Gadget Chef” wasted no time accruing professional experience working alongside the late chef Gene Commorata at the Brass Grille while still in school, landing the executive chef position at the Dundee Dell following graduation, and later serving as the food service director at the Ralston Arena.

“After the Ralston Arena, I went back out there and was food service director for Iowa Western [Community College],” Groesser said. “And then this opportunity came up, and I opened the Sojourn.”

Named for his many journeys, the Sojourn Cafe opened in Ralston in 2019 to rave reviews the made from scratch meals and breezy, California-inspired interior earning the Gadget Chef a slew of regulars. Quality standards were exacting, as Groesser alongside his right-hand man and Iraq war veteran Jason Russell ran a tight ship.

“I was a noncommissioned officer, I got my stripes […] so my leadership style is a little more brutal,” Russell confessed. “[Groesser] does have a soft spot for people. He’s not like Gordon Ramsay, I’m more Gordon Ramsay, right? When you have kids at first-time jobs, they typically need direction and discipline, and you get that in the military.”

Despite Sojourn’s initial momentum, no restaurant could outpace the all-consuming pandemic of 2020. While mandated closures weren’t immediately fatal, they would prove to be a killing blow as the cafe hemorrhaged employees. Groesser shouldered much of the responsibilities himself, leading to burnout and the eventual closure of the Sojourn Cafe in late March, 2023.

“You know, I’ve left early, I’ve come in late, but I’ve just not been here a day we were open,” said Groesser during an interview during Sojourn’s final week. “Except one Sunday when I had the flu. So, almost four years, that’s the one day I closed down.

“I’m just…tired. I’m sad because we have a great following and reputation, it’s not because business sucks. It’s just, I’m worried I can’t keep up this pace, you know? It’s bittersweet. It’s going to take awhile to set in because I put my heart and soul into this place, it’s my family…but I have to take care of myself.”

Despite the setback, the Gadget Chef continues to adapt and reconfigure; another experience in his armory, wiser for the exchange. Today, Groesser helms the downtown Marriott’s kitchen as their new Chef de Cuisine his mettle untarnished, and stronger than ever.

Starters:A varietyof cured meets served with Midwest cheese, candied nuts, flatbread, anda witha cupof house jam (Cheese and Charcuterie) and sweet soy-glazed Brussel sprouts with wasabi almonds (Crispy Brussel Sprouts)

STORY BY SARA WIEBOLD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

A HIGH-END

MUSIC HAVEN

SERVING TASTEFUL AND WELL-TIMED FARE

Nestled in the Capitol District in downtown Omaha, The Jewell is a sophisticated music club that offers a unique and immersive experience for music enthusiasts and food connoisseurs alike. Boasting a fusion of captivating music genres, chef-driven cuisine, custom cocktails, and a remarkable ambiance, it’s unlike any other establishment in Omaha and stands as a testament to our city’s vibrant cultural scene. The location seamlessly blends with the Capitol District’s ene rgetic vibe.

From the moment you step foot inside The Jewell, you are transported to an era of timeless elegance within this modern music haven. The venue’s tasteful aesthetic and intimate seating create an atmosphere that perfectly complements the essence of live music. The plush booth seating offers both comfort and intimacy, allowing patrons to immerse themselves fully in the performance. Whether you are taking in the scene from the bar or sitting stage-side at a table, the attention to detail with their layout makes it an inviting space to relax, unwind, and indulge in the musical experience. The maître d’ whisked us to our table, and I was enthralled by the modern artistic setting. I knew I was in for an experience that I had only had in St. Louis or Chicago, and I couldn’t wait for my night to unfold. From the sleek furnishings to the contemporary design elements, the venue exudes an air of sophistication and urban charm. The inviting atmosphere immediately entices its patrons to immerse themselves fully in an odyssey of rhythm a nd melody

One of the defining features that sets The Jewell apart from a typical music venue is its commitment to culinary excellence. Its menu, carefully curated by a skilled back-of-house team, showcases a harmonious blend of flavors and textures that perfectly accompanies the musical journey. From delectable Brussels sprouts I can’t get off my mind, to a mouthwatering burger, the cuisine at The Jewell is a testament to the dedication and creativity of the culinary team. Our service was prompt and timed perfectly with the show, allowing us to fully enjoy our meal without having to manage around interruptions. The menu isn’t extensive but its intentional with its offerings, a diverse range of options that cater to various tastes and preferences. My guest and I went with a tapas-style dinner, opting for a side of Brussels sprouts, a charcuterie board, a burger (which we split), and a “liquid dessert” to finish.

In addition to the delectable cuisine, The Jewell also offers a well-thought-out selection of New Orleans- inspired cocktails. The talented mixologists behind the bar create concoctions that are as seasonally innovative as they are refreshing. From spins on classic favorites like the Sazerac, to unique signature drinks, the cocktail menu is a testament to the venue’s commitment to providing a holistic experience. In my opinion the tried-and-true French 75 (gin, lemon juice, Prosecco, or Champagne) is the perfect cocktail balanced, fresh, and effervescent. Here, they feature it with a homemade lemon cordial and Hibiscus-infused gin. I have an admittedly high standard when it comes to this classic and was pleased to

find all ingredients in perfect alignment. Gastronomists and mixologists alike say we consume with our eyes first, and every cocktail was as aesthetically appealing as it was quaffable. Sipping on a well-crafted drink while enjoying the melodic tunes established an upscale feel. The Jewell boasts a full bar, if you are looking for a lower ABV option or like to dabble in digestivos. The uniqueness of the experience was not lost on me, making it a memorable evening for all o f my senses.

While not claiming to be an expert on acoustics, I found the audio experience at The Jewell to be quite enjoyable. This venue is thoughtfully designed to ensure excellent sound quality no matter your vantage point. The artist performs in front of a beautiful custom stage piece made of wooden acoustic panels that allows the music to resonate throughout the space without distortion no matter if it’s a full jazz assemble or a solo blues artist with an acoustic guitar. Each note was conveyed with clarity, enriching the listening experience for everyone in th e audience.

Whether you are a music aficionado or a novice seeking an evening of refined entertainment, The Jewell is a destination that should not be missed. Offering an alluring escape into the timeless world of music that embodies the spirit of modern technology and culinary excellence. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere, indulge in the masterfully crafted apértifs, and let the melodies transport you to a state of pure sensual bliss.

Visit jewellomaha.com for more information.

Jewell 75 Cocktail: Butterfly-pea flower gin, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Bitter Truth

Violet Liqueur, lemon cordial, and dry sp arkling wine

AMERICAN

BARREL & VINE- $$

1311 South 203rd St., Omaha, NE 68130

- 402.504.1777

Barrel and Vine’s restaurant is an elevated food experience that is made from scratch daily with love in our kitchen. Our menu combines a mixture of Chef driven creative dishes, craveable comfort meals and premium Nebraska steaks. Barrel & Vine also doubles as a live music venue and offers a rooftop bar, outdoor patio with firepits, and dozens of high end bourbons, scotch, and over 100 wine selections. Come check out an experience that is like nothing else in Nebraska. Open 7 days a week. —bvomaha.com

DJ’S DUGOUT SPORTS BAR - $

Seven Metro Area Locations:

Bellevue - 10308 S. 23rd St.

- 402.292.9096

Miracle Hills - 777 N. 114th St. - 402.498.8855

Downtown - 1003 Capitol Ave. - 402.763.9974

Aksarben - 2102 S. 67th St. - 402.933.3533

Millard - 17666 Welch Plaza

- 402.933.8844

Elkhorn - 19020 Evans St. - 402.315.1985

Plattsmouth - 2405 Oak Hill Rd. - 402.298.4166

Voted Omaha’s #1 Sports Bar, DJ’s Dugout is locally and Vietnam

Veteran owned. DJ’s Dugout features delicious burgers, wings, wraps, salads, sandwiches and an impressive drink menu. Plus, DJ’s has huge media walls full of HD TVs and projector screens. Catch all the action at DJ’s seven Omaha-area locations. Dig In... At The Dugout! —djsdugout.co m

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.co m

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.co m

VARSITY SPORTS CAFE - $$

Ralston - 9735 Q St. - 402.339.1944

Bellevue - 3504 Samson Way - 402.932.1944

Millard - 14529 F St. - 402.505.6660

Ralston, Bellevue and Millard. We are truly grateful to have been welcomed into each of these communities and welcome you in for good food, a cold drink and a comfy seat to enjoy the sport of your choosing! Determined to bring only the freshest ingredients, homemade dough and our specialty sauces to the table, we have worked hard to perfect our craft for you. Our goal is to bring the best food service to the area and show the best sports events that you want to see. Pick up and Delivery availalble. Please check website for hours of operation. —varsityromancoinpizza.com

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.com

DINING GUIDE Omaha

LA MESA - $$

158th St. and W. Maple Rd.

- 402.557.6130

156th and Q streets

- 402.763.2555

110th St. and W. Maple Rd.

- 402.496.1101

Fort Crook Rd. and Hwy 370

- 402.733.8754

84th St. and Tara Plaza

- 402.593.0983

Lake Manawa Exit

- 712.256.2762

Enjoy awesome appetizers, excellent enchilada’s, fabulous fajitas, seafood specialties, mouthwatering margaritas and much more at La Mesa! Come see why La Mesa has been voted Best of Omaha’s 20 Years in a Row! Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. lamesaomaha.co m

ROMEO’S MEXICAN FOOD AND PIZZA - $

90th and Blondo streets

- 402.391.8870

146th St. and W. Center Rd.

- 402.330.4160

96th and L streets

- 402.331.5656

Galvin and Avery roads

- 402.292.2028

29th and Farnam steets

- 402.346.1110

Romeo’s is your friendly, family Mexican food and pizza restaurant. We take real pride in serving our guests generous portions of the freshest, most flavorful dishes made with the finest ingredients available. Zesty seasonings and the freshest ingredients combine to ensure the ultimate in flavor. Our savory taco meat is prepared every morning at each location. Make sure to try our chimichangas; they’re the best in town.

—romeosomaha.com

SPECIAL DINING

CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $

3578 Farnam St. - 402.345.1708

Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia—Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store. With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best Reuben sandwich, we are a Midtown beer-lover’s destination. Hours:

Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kitchen hours: MondayWednesday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.midnight. Closed Sunday. —beercornerusa.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

MODERN COCKTAILS MIXED WITH AMERICA’S MUSIC

zen coffee co. zen coffee co.

STEAKHOUSES

CASCIO’S - $$

1620 S. 10th St. - 402-345-8313

C ascio’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.

LUNCH: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., DINNER: Monday-Friday 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m., Sunday 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m., LOUNGE: Monday-Friday Cocktails only 2 p.m.-5 p.m. —droverrestaurant.com

First

explore.

LET’S PLAN A ROAD TRIP!

NEBRASKA

PATRIOTIC GNOME HUNT July 1—4 at Tree Adventure at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. The hunt is on at Tree Adventure. Visitors can look high and low as they use a map and solve a series of patriotic clues to find forest gnomes climbing trees and hiding in the underbrush. It’s fun for all ages and abilities and free with regular Tree Adventure admission. 402.873.8717 —arbordayfarm.org

4TH OF JULY FLEA MARKET

July 2—4 at Fairbury City Park in Fairbury.

Hundreds of vendors attend the flea markets yearly to create this antique paradise. Admission is free, and guest can enjoy fireworks at dusk sponsored by Fairbury VFW Post #3113. —fairburyfleamarket.com

July 1-4

ZOOFEST July 6—8 at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln. The festival features headliners Charlie Musselwhite, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and Shemekia Copeland. Guests can enjoy these artists and more at the Zoo Bar’s 50th annual music festival in Downtown Lincoln. 402.435.8754 —zoobar.com

THE WAYNE CHICKEN SHOW

July 7—9 in Wayne. Poultry lovers should take a trip to Ye Olde Chicken Show. With several fun contests, a parade and a plethora of food vendors, this year’s medieval-themed chicken show will be provide fun for the whole family. 402.375.2240 —chickenshow.com

July 7-9

TIM CONNELL- GIVE MY REGARDS… TO AMERICA! July 14—16 at the Brownville Concert Hall in Brownville. Critically acclaimed actor, singer, storyteller, Tim Connell makes his debut concert appearance at the Brownville Concert Series alongside Musical Director James Followed. The evening’s program will invite the audience to take a journey with him as he celebrates his Irish heritage and his ancestors who ventured to America. 402.825.3331 —brownvilleconcertseries. com

SEWARD FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION July 4 in Seward. Visitors to Nebraska’s official 4th of July city can spend the holiday enjoying the Grand Parade, car show, fireworks display and many more events that are all a part of the city’s awardwinning celebration. 402.643.4189 —julyfourthseward.com

STIR-UP DAYS CELEBRATION July 14—16 in Ashland. This year’s Grease-themed celebration will be fun for the whole family. Friday events include Stir-Up royalty coronation and a balloon glow. Saturday will feature a parade and a carnival, with a street dance capping of the night. The festival wraps up on Sunday the annual car show and craft fair. 402.944.2050 —business.aaedc-ne.org

KEARNEY CRUISE NITE: COOL CAR CARNIVAL July 15 at the Hilltop Mall in Kearney. The Cool Car Carnival allows families to explore the coolest vehicles in town at this kidfriendly event. Children can climb in the back of police cars, honk the horns of firetrucks, and experience so many other unique vehicles. —shophilltopmall.com/events

DAYTRIPS IN NEBRASKA, IOWA, KANSAS, AND MISSOURI

COMPILED BY Damian Ingersoll

THE 30TH ANNUAL NEBRASKA STAR PARTY

July 16—22 in Valentine. Visitors can learn how to search for the west star in the night sky at the Beginner’s Field School, then spend the rest of the week in the observation field looking at the sky from dusk ’til dawn. The star party offers evening meals and events to help guest get to know their fellow star-gazers. 402.333.5460 —nebraskastarparty.org

July 16-22

NEBRASKA’S BIG RODEO July 26—29 in Burwell. For over 100 years, the community in Burwell has hosted visitors from all over the world at their one-of-akind rodeo. Visitor can experience classic rodeo events such as Saddle Bronc and the wild and woolly action of the Wild Horse Race and Canadian Chuck Wagon Races. 308.346.5010 —nebraskasbigrodeo.com

SMITHSONIAN’S VOICES AND VOTES: DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA

July 19— August 20 at the Thayer County Historical Society and Museum in Belvidere. The “Voices and Votes” exhibit is based on a larger exhibit currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Through its use of historical artifacts and engaging multimedia activities, visitors can explore the story of democracy in America. 402.768.2147 —thayercountymuseum.com

TRAIN August 4 at the Pinewood Bowl Theater in Lincoln. With special guest Better Than Ezra. This multi-GRAMMY and Billboard Award-winning band from San Fransisco is bringing their 14 Hot 100 list songs and the rest of their rock repertoire to Lincoln. 402.904.4444 —pinewoodhowltheater.com

THE 2023 OLD WEST BALLOON FEST

August 9—12 in Gerring, Scottsbluff, and Mitchell. The Old West Balloon Fest has something for everybody. The event kicks off with an opening ‘night glow’ and features a craft fair, a corn-hole tournament, a Weiner dog race and the main event: the “mass ascension,” in which 30 hot air balloons take off at once. —theoldwestballoonfest.com

Aug.

KOOL-AID DAYS FESTIVAL August 18—20 at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings. The annual Kool-Aid Days Festival is celebrating their anniversary with 25 flavors for 25 years. Visitors and fans of the soft drink can celebrate with the Grand Parade, 5K Run, the Kool-Aid drinking contest and many more events. 402.463.8669 —kool-aiddays.com

NEBRASKA STATE FAIR August 15— September 4 at The State Fair Grounds in Grand Island. Participate in traditional fair activities like livestock exhibits, dirt competitions, and lots of fried food. The fair also includes The Nebraska Lottery Concert Series with live performances by Oak Ridge Boys, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, TobyMac, Bush (with special guest Pop Evil), Lee Brice, and Banda Maguey. 308.328.1620 —statefair.org

IOWA

SOUTHEASTERN IOWA KENNEL CLUB

DOG SHOWS July 8—9 at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa. American Kennel Club licensed All Breed Dog Show. Conformation, Junior Showmanship, and National Owner Handler Series competitions are to be held on both days, and a pee Wee competition will be held on Saturday only. Entires from all over the USA will compete for Best in Show each day. 641.684.4303

SNAKE ALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

How much fun can you pack into a trip to Lincoln? A relaxing and stress-free vacation is waiting for you. Trek around town at your leisure and discover a surprise around every corner.

July 13—16 at the Capitol Theater in Burlington. The Snake Alley Festival of Film is dedicated to showcasing the best short films from around the world. Prized will be awarded for Best of the Fest, The Audience Choice, Best Iowa Film, and The Directors Award for outstanding performance. —snakealleyfestivaloffilm.com

Lincoln Children’s Zoo

LINCOLN.ORG/ OMAHAMAG

DRAMA LLAMA IN LINCOLN, NEBRASK A

THE ACCEL CRAWFISH CRAWL July 22 at the River Place Plaza in Cedar Falls. The Accel Group is bringing something different to the Cedar Valley. They are hosting the first annual Accel Crawfish Crawl in downtown Cedar Falls. This will be a family-friendly event with a festival and celebration feel. With a riverside 5k run for adults, a race for kids, a delicious meal, and a live band, the Accel Crawfish Crawl is the perfect summer event. —acceladvantage.com

HINTERLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL

2023 August 4—6 at the Avenue of Saints Amphitheater in St. Charles. Bon Iver, Zach Bryan, and Maggie Rogers headline this 4-day indie rock festival in St. Charles, with local vendors providing food, drinks, and merchandise. Festival-goers can bring a tent and camp on the festival grounds (camping pass required), with shuttles available from Des Moines. —hinterlandiowa.com

Aug. EXPLORE CALENDAR

SUMMER CELEBRATION August 12 at Starr’s Cave Nature Center in Burlington. This free family event will let guests have fun while learning about the natural world. They can hike, play, catch critters, make s’mores- all while learning from conservation officers and naturalists about Iowa’s wildlife habitat, insect species and more. 319.753.5808 —dmconservation.com

FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS August 13 at the Amana Colonies. Set beneath a historic Amana barn complex, the juried Amana Festival of the Arts showcases handmade works of art with 30+ vendors, demonstrations, food trucks, children’s activities and more. The festival will be celebrating its 45th year this summer and serves as a fundraiser for the Amana Arts Guild, a local nonprofit. 319.6223678 —amanacolonies.com

KANSAS

OSAWATOMIE’S LIGHTS ON THE LAKE July 1 at the Osawatomie City Lake & RV Campground in Osawatomie. Attendees can spend the afternoon at Osawatomie City Lake with fun acuities including all-ages bounce equipment, face painters, balloon artists and more. The lakeside party also includes a variety of food trucks and hours of live music. 913.755.2146

—travelks.com

123RD KANSAS WHEAT FESTIVAL

July 11—15 at the Wellington Visitor’s Center in Wellington. The Kansas Wheat Festival has been a Kansas tradition since the year 1900 when Sumner County came together to celebrate a bumper wheat harvest that earned Wellington the title of “Wheat Capital of the World.” This festival features a carnival, food trucks, contests, baseball, a cowboy action shootout contest, a beer garden, The Kansas Wheat Festival Parade, and nightly free outdoor concerts. 620.326.7466 —wellingtonkschamber.com

THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

July 21–22, 28—29 at Swenson Park in Lindsborg. The 2023 production of the musical Brigadoon will be held in Swenson Park on the Band Shell under the stars. Audience members can grab their lawn chairs and lemonade for a shady evening in Swenson Park to enjoy the musical produced by Broadway RFD, the longest-running outdoor theatre in Kansas. 785.227.8687

—visitlindsborg.com

MISSOURI

Aug. Digital Advertising Solutions Reach your ideal audience, wherever they are. EMAIL MARKETING SOCIAL MEDIA DISPLAY ADVERTISING business by contacting our digital manager, Luis De La Toba, at 402.884.2000 luis.delatoba@omahapublications.com

FRIDAY FLAMINGLE-

CHRISTMAS

IN JULY July 14 at the Kansas City Zoo in Kansas City. The Kansas City Zoo invites guests 21-andover to get in the holiday spirit for their Christmas-themed night. They can show off their competitive spirits in Reindeer Games and may get the chance to see the jolly man himself. 816.595.1234 —kansascityzoo.org

INNOVATION FESTIVAL August 3—5 at Crown Center Square in Kansas City. The convergence of music and innovation is headlined by national touring and breakout alternative rock artists. Taste the biosciences in the Midwest as flights from everyone’s favorite bio manufacturers —breweries—are served. 816.274.8444 —theinnovationfestival.com

PRISON BREAK RACE

August 27 at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. The Prison Break is not a typical fun run. Runners will set out on a 3+ mile course that will test every facet of their athleticism. Participants will face wall climbs, mud pits, army crawls and more. Breaking out of prison isn’t easy, and this course won’t be, either. 573.632.2820 —visitjeffersoncity.com

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

don’t know art, but I know what I like.”

“I ART FOR YOUR AUNTIE

Somebody said that. I tried to research it to discover who… I can say that it was either Thomas Jefferson, one of the Kardashians, Sigmund Freud, Larry David, the ancient Greek novelist Longus, or Morley Safer. Who said it first? It just seems to be one of those mysteries whose solutions are hidden by the mists of time.

So, join me now in those mists.

Imagine you are one of our ancient furry ancestors on the tree of evolution. I mean way back in the “Wandering Around Looking for Roadkill (Before There Were Any Roads), Seeds, and Berries Age.”

Imagine that winter is approaching and your clan has returned to that cave that “We Always Return To” because that’s the cave they always return to whenever Winter approaches, and the clan has noticed a few dozen great-grandmothers ago that winter always approaches, so it’s time to go back to the cave and you do. That make sense?

Imagine, that when you got to that cave, you would crawl back deep into the dripping stalagmite and stalactite festooned depths of that cave. Those were the good old days when they didn’t have any specific words that differentiated the deposits that hang down from the roof of the cavern with the ones that built up from the floor, so you didn’t have to know which was which. Even better, in those olden days they had not yet invented the word “festooned.”

Imagine you carry with you the bones of your auntie who was half-eaten by a Sabertooth Marmoset back last spring. It is your duty to deposit her bones in the sacred cave “We Always Return To.” As you slip through narrow passages and descend deeper into the gloom, the leather pouch holding her bones keeps snagging on stalactites… or are they stalagmites? You can’t remember which is which…no matter…on you go, nightmarish, frightening images of bloodspattered marmosets in your head.

Imagine as you crawl further into the darkness, you spot a rusty pool of water turned red by iron oxide leaching out of the rock. You realize you have reached the inner sanctum. There in front of you is a large pile of bones of your ancestors–many of them also victims of murderous little monkeys. You add your auntie’s femur and a few salvaged metatarsals to the pile and whisper a little prayer to the stalactites or…stalagmites…whatever.

Imagine you put your mouth to the rusty puddle and take in a mouthful of the water. You place your hand on the wall of the cave, spread your fingers wide, and, with all of your might, you spit-spray the water explosively across your hand.

Imagine that when you remove your hand from the cave wall you see revealed your own appendage’s stencil-like image your splayed-out fingers all surrounded by the red pigment of rust…iron oxide. A human hand on the wall…forever.

And finally, imagine as you hold your torch up to illuminate the new mural you have created more clearly that in the echoey subterranean chamber you find yourself muttering those now famous words for the first time in human history:

“I don’t know art, but I know what I like.”

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.

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