Omaha Magazine - July/August 2020 - The Arts & Culture Issue

MAURICE BAILEY • KURT ANDERSEN • BRIGITTE TIMMERMAN • GROOVIN’ GROVER LIPKINS • MODERN LOVE

J U LY / A U G U S T 2020 | U.S. $4.95

Arts & Culture

The

Issue

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Be s t o f

TH E CITY 'S

Om a h a 2 0 2 1

L E G ITI M ATE B EST O F "

CO N T EST.

Since 1992, Best of Omaha has been a staple of our community, and of Omaha Publications. It is the legitimate "best of" contest in the area, and we take many steps to protect this. We only accept one ballot per verified email, and we also require a minimum of five categories be completed to ensure validity.

Each year brings new categories and old favorites, and we want to hear about all your favorite businesses around Omaha. The categories range from appetizers to luxury cars, and everything in between.

BALLOTS ARE ACCEPTED BETWEEN JULY 1 & AUG. 20.

HELP OMAHA BUSINESSES—YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

14th Annual

Friday & Saturday, August 7th - 8th, 2020 Ta-Ha-Zouka Park — Elkhorn, NE DAYS & TIMES th

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To Order Tickets & for More Information:

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FROM THE EDITOR // LETTER BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN, MANAGING EDITOR

ONLINE, ON-AIR, ON THE COASTS O mahans C r e at e A rt E v e ry w h e r e

I

nstead of being a year of perfect clarity, 2020 has proven to be a year of change, in a variety of ways. One was the violence sprouting from the protests against the death of George Floyd, which became local on May 30 (one week before our press deadline) with the death of James Scurlock.

Omaha Magazine’s motto is “It’s About All of Us.” To that effect, we have five core company values: community, respect, passion, integrity, and creativity.

We adhere to this motto, and these values, in the creation of our magazine, where we provide our readers with articles about Omahans. We feature people who live in Omaha proper as well as people from the surrounding area. People who create as a hobby and people who have made a career of creating. This month’s issue is all about Arts & Culture.

Creating is something that helped many people who spent this spring in their homes, hunkered down as they tried to avoid COVID-19. Several people are still avoiding leaving their homes as much as possible. Large events have been canceled, and people are replacing those events with other forms of art and culture, whether that means baking, picking up the kids’ colored pencils and reminding themselves how much they enjoy drawing/coloring, learning to play that guitar bought years ago on a whim and left in the corner, or curling up in the corner chair reading a classic novel that has eluded them for years.

If this virus has taught us anything, it is that art and culture play a vital role in our lives. We at Omaha Magazine knew that, which is why we bring you arts and culture-based stories in each issue—those of local artists performing side gigs while working a day job, chefs who have created local restaurants that leave us craving more, and people who have created careers for themselves working in the arts.

One other word of note: July and August around here means voting season for our Best of Omaha contest. Each year brings great new additions to the list. This year, one category I am excited about is “Bloody Marys.” I may need to conduct some research before casting my ballot.

A great Bloody Mary in my book includes the perfect combination of olive juice and horseradish—I can live without the Worchestershire sauce and clam juice. Do you agree or disagree with my choice? Go to bestofomaha.com to cast your vote July 1 through Aug. 20.

* Note: The hotel edition of Omaha Magazine has a different cover and does not include all of the editorial content included in the magazine’s full city edition. For more information on our city edition, visit OmahaMagazine.com.

I have watched performances of Shakespeare from the Globe, read three thick books that I had picked up and put down a couple of times, practiced yoga from free videos, and learned to make candied orange peel.

In Omaha, several organizations provided and/or are continuing to provide online art options, including KANEKO, which is producing the Tessellation Project, and Omaha Community Playhouse, which is holding classes online and has streamed past performances. One of our features takes a look at several arts organizations in the city and how they are showcasing art while staying apart.

Who else is sad that Kurt Andersen has retired? I know we in the editorial department are disappointed to not hear Andersen’s voice on-air anymore. The popular host of American Public Radio’s Studio 360 is originally from Omaha—he graduated from Westside before making his way to the East Coast for college.

Omaha Magazine caught up with him for another feature article.

The magazine then takes readers to Los Angeles—without straying far from our city. Omahan Maurice Bailey has worked with musicians such as Bell Biv Devoe and En Vogue, and created music for movies and television shows. Although his work ultimately comes through L.A., he creates from his Midwestern home.

Our final feature this issue celebrates the Omaha Symphony. The venerable organization turns 100 this year, and prepares to say goodbye to music director Thomas Wilkins. His final season (2020-2021) might include performances by well-known guests such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and musical group Pink Martini.

“We strive to bring you a variety of arts and culture-based stories in each issue.”

JULY/AUGUST

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2020

TAB L E of CON T E N T S THE USUAL SUSPECTS 003 From the Editor

Online, On-Air, On the Coasts

006 Between the Lines 008 Calendar of Events 073 Obviously Omaha History Tours

092 Explore! Calendar 095 Instagram 096 Not Funny

Talking To Myself

A R T S + C U LT U R E 014 Ceramics

Megan Schroll

016 Music

Juanjosé Rivas

020 Writer

Beaufield Berry

F E AT U R E S

036 038 044 048 // 4 //

048

ART IN ISOLATION

COVID-19 Changes the Local Arts Scene

WELL…HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Kurt Andersen on Saying “Goodbye” to Studio 360 and More

ALCHEMY IN THE MUSIC

Maurice Bailey Creates Songs With Universal Appeal for Film and Television

FAREWELL MAESTRO

Omaha Symphony Marks Centennial While Paying Tribute to Musical Director Who Shaped Its Trajectory

JULY/AUGUST 2020

022 Theater

Savannah Savick

SPECIAL SECTION 026 Best of Omaha Campaign PE O P L E 052 Profile

Brigitte Timmerman

054 Sports

Skylar Heinrich

GIVING 056 Calendar

507 trees have been reforested

due to the printing of our last round of publications.

Learn more at

.com

MAURICE BAILEY • KURT ANDERSEN • BRIGITTE TIMMERMAN • GROOVIN’ GROVER LIPKINS • MODERN LOVE

J U LY / A U G U S T 2020 | U.S. $4.95

Arts & Culture

The

Issue

60PLUS IN OMAHA

016

A B O U T T HE COV ER

One can almost smell summer in this photo. Model, artist, performer, and activist Dawaune Hayes was photographed at Lauritzen Gardens, now open to the public.

Art director and stylist for this cover was Jared Spence.

061 Publisher’s Letter 062 Active Living Karen Fox

066 Health

Music Therapy

068 Profile

Groovin’ Grover Lipkins

070 Feature

Radio Theatre Omaha

DINING 074 Review

Modern Love

078 Feature

How Two Restaurants Faced the Fire

082 Profile

The Jewell

084 Dining Guide

082

read online at omahamagazine.com

Between

THE LINES A LOOK AT FOUR OMAHA MAGAZINE TEAM MEMBERS HANNAH AMROLLAHI—Contributing Writer Amrollahi started with Omaha Magazine as a copy editor and freelance writer in 2017. She has been freelancing in Omaha since 2012, working with 13th Floor Magazine and others.

Growing up in Omaha, The Bookworm was her neighborhood bookstore, and the first job for which she applied (though she did not get that job). She has been working as a bookseller at The Bookworm since 2011, with sabbaticals to study abroad and teach English as a second language with the Fulbright Program. In July 2019 she started as the department manager for the children and young adult sections.

MARY HIATT—Senior Branding Specialist Hiatt grew up swimming at the local pool in Glenwood, Iowa. With her non-swimming mom frantically looking on, she was jumping off the high diving board before she started kindergarten.

Now she spends her summers with her wonderful husband, Scott, entertaining family and friends in the backyard pool. She is blessed with three beautiful daughters—Amie, Chloe, and Madison— and three adorable “grandmuffins.” Mary spends the winter playing board games and music bingo at Twisted Vine. She loves to travel and has a goal of visiting all of the national parks before she moves to heaven. Mary has been with the company since February 2016 and has enjoyed contributing to the growth of native advertising in B2B, Omaha Magazine, and Faces of Omaha.

She has embraced digital and delights in working with her clients and showing them results. She loves her job and the friendships she has built with her clients.

JILL NELSEN HING—Contributing Writer Hing grew up in northeast Nebraska on a large farm situated on the Elkhorn River. She was fortunate to be raised by a mother who was wary of processed foods, and instilled in her an elevated conscientiousness about what to eat (and not eat) that Hing carries with her to this day.

Immediately after high school, Hing moved to New York City, where her career in food and beverage service began. The ’90s were an amazing time to be working in some of the coolest joints in New York City, and it unquestionably informed what was to come next. Hing married, and, while pregnant with their second child, she earned her culinary degree, doing her externship under Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill. For more than two decades, she and her husband have owned and operated two Gringo-Mex style restaurants, which have become institutions in the East Village and Lower East Side of Manhattan.

JOEL STEVENS—Contributing Writer Stevens was born and raised in Omaha. As the ninth of 10 sons he barely survived childhood and the inevitable deep trauma associated with having eight older brothers. After graduating from Central High School, he went on to study journalism at UNO. He’s worked as a researcher for an environmental nonprofit and as a film critic, entertainment reporter, and sportswriter. When he’s not writing or in therapy, he’s spending time with his wife Angee, a school social worker; children Beckett, Finnegan, Juno, and Iris; and dog Zeke. He has also served as a judge for the Omaha Film Festival and is active in several local charities and social causes with his wife and children.

// 6 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

JULY/AUGUST 2020 VOLUME 38 // ISSUE 3

Get tickets now for best prices and seating!

EDITORIAL Managing Editor

DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Senior Editor

TARA SPENCER Associate Editor

LINDA PERSIGEHL Contributing Writers

J. D. AVANT · LEO ADAM BIGA · RYAN BORCHERS JENNA GABRIAL GALLAGHER · VIRGINIA KATHRYN GALLNER CHRIS HATCH · JILL NELSEN HING · JOSEFINA LOZA KATRINA MARKEL · SEAN MCCARTHY · JOEL STEVENS LIZ STEVENS · SCOTT STEWART · TIM TRUDELL DOUGLAS “OTIS TWELVE” WESSELMANN · SALLY MONTANA

CREATIVE Creative Director

MATT WIECZOREK Senior Graphic Designer

DEREK JOY

Aug. 7 –16

Graphic Designer II

MADY BESCH Contributing Photographers

JUSTIN BARNES · KEITH BINDER · COLIN CONCES SCOTT DRICKEY · JOSHUA FOO · WILLIAM HESS · SARAH LEMKE

SALES Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing

GIL COHEN Senior Branding Specialist

MARY HIATT Senior Sales Executive & 60PLUS in Omaha Contributing Editor

6915 Cass St. | (402) 553-0800 | OmahaPlayhouse.com OmahaMag_PopRock_June.indd 1

4/14/20 10:29 AM

GWEN LEMKE Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor

SANDY MATSON Senior Sales Coordinator

ALICIA HOLLINS Branding Specialists

DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN Digital Sales Manager

JILLIAN DUNN

OPERATIONS Operations Officer & Local Stubs Ticketing Representative

JOSHUA PETERSON Ad Traffic Manager

MIKE BREWER Accounting Associate

KENDRA HILL

EXECUTIVE Executive Publisher

TODD LEMKE Vice President

GREG BRUNS Associate Publisher

BILL SITZMANN For Advertising & Subscription Information:

402.884.2000 Omaha Magazine Vol 38 Issue III, publishes monthly except February, April, August, November, December, totaling 8 issues by Omaha Magazine, LTD, 5921 S. 118 Circle, Omaha, NE 68137. Periodical postage at Omaha, NE, and additional offices and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Omaha Magazine, 5921 S. 118 Circle, Omaha, NE 68137

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NICK SWARDSON

Aug. 28-29 at Omaha Funny Bone, 17305 Davenport St. As a writer, producer, and director for “Grandma’s Boy” and “The Benchwarmers,” Nick Swardson has become a fi xture in Happy Madison Productions. Times vary. Tickets: $35-$65. 402-493-8036.

—omaha.funnybone.com

» Concerts « JAZZ ON YOUR GREEN

Thursday evenings in July, online. In lieu of hosting concerts on the Midtown Crossing green, the Omaha Performing Arts team will be streaming live jazz performances via Facebook and YouTube. 6 p.m.

—facebook.com/pg/OmahaPerformingArtsOrg/videos/

23

of

EVENTS

» Exhibitions « JENAL DOLSON

Through July 31 at BFF Omaha, 2729 N. 62nd St. Th is exhibition features paintings composed of abstract structures and shapes in bright colors as well as mixed media sprinkled throughout the space. Admission: free.

402-203-5488.

-bffomaha.org/petshop

PRO:CREATE ART SHOW

Starting Aug. 7 at BFF Omaha, 2729 N. 62nd St. Th is art show is family-centric, focusing on artwork collaborations between children and their parents.

Admission: free. —bffomaha.org/petshop

CLAUDIA WIESER: GENERATIONS

Through Aug. 15 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Th is exhibition is an intimate view of Claudia Wieser’s work from the last seven years. Th rough mixed media, Wieser references spirituality and mysticism. Admission: free. 402-341-7130.

—bemiscenter.com

LIV SCHULMAN: THE GOBERNMENT

Through September 19 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Th is exhibition is a collection of visual media focusing on women, lesbian, and genderqueer artists who lived in Paris between 1910 and 1980. Admission: free. 402-341-7130.

—bemiscenter.com

// 8 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

“THE CUTTING EDGE” FIRST FRIDAY RECEPTION

July 3, online and at The Passageway Gallery, 417 S. 11th St. Take a first look at Danielle Easdale’s paper exhibition at this First Friday Reception. Admission: free. 6-9 p.m. 402-341-1910.

—facebook.com/passagewaygallery

FIRST FRIDAY RECEPTION

Aug. 7 online and at The Passageway Gallery, 417 S. 11th St. Take a first look at featured artist Ashley Stevens’ photography exhibition and Rhonda Bruggeman’s glass exhibition at this First Friday Reception.

6-9 p.m. Admission: free. 402-341-1910.

—facebook.com/passagewaygallery

STAGE PERFORMANCES

Billy McGuigan’s Pop Rock Orchestra Aug. 7-16 at the Hawks Mainstage Theatre of Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. For a special series of rock ‘n’ roll shows, Billy McGuigan has offered to give 100% of his proceeds back to Omaha Performing Arts once 3,000 tickets have been sold. Times vary.

Admission: $38. 402-553-0800.

—omahaplayhouse.com

STEPHEN LYNCH

Aug. 13 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Sit back and enjoy this two-in-one comedy and music performance. 8 p.m. Tickets: $30-$50. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVESTREAMS

Ongoing, online. Omaha Live Music is streaming live music from artists across the metro. Free, tipping encouraged. Saturday nights at 7 p.m.

—facebook.com/Omahalivemusic

THE GOOD LIFE

July 3 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Th is four-member indie rock band, named after Nebraska’s original state slogan, returns to Omaha to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the release of their LP titled Album of the Year. 9 p.m. Tickets: $15.

402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

ANDREA VON KAMPEN

July 10 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Lincoln-based Andrea Von Kampen delivers wistful vocals to Midwest-inspired lyrics. 8 p.m. Tickets: $13 advanced, $15 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

HIGH HEEL

July 11 at Stinson Park, 2232 S. 64th St. Th is band fronted by high heel-clad vocalist Lisa Larsen performs popular classic rock, country, and disco hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Admission: free. 7 p.m.

402-672-6816.

—highheeltheband.com

REGGAE GOLD

July 17 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Get together and be alright at this dance party featuring reggae hits curated by local DJs. Doors: 9 p.m. Tickets: $10. 21+ only. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

THE SHINEYS

July 18 at O’Leaver’s, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Road Omaha-based Tica Felise and Carrie Ann Buchanan lend smoky and sultry vocals to original music and cover songs. Vince Giambattista and Fox will also perform.

10 p.m. Tickets: $5 (21+). 402-556-1238.

—oleavers.com

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REVEREND HORTON HEAT

July 23 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Punk-infused rockabilly meets revelator gone sinner in this high-octane show. 8 p.m. Tickets: $20.

402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

POTTERY

July 25 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Groove along to the dreamy yet jarring songs of this Montreal-based band. 8 p.m. Tickets: $10 advanced, $12 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

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DAVID ARCHULETA

July 27 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. “Crush” singer and winner of season 7 of American Idol, David Archuleta comes to Omaha following the release of his new album, Therapy Sessions. 8 p.m. Tickets: $25-$165.

Doors 7 p.m. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 9 //

OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR

LATE NIGHT RADIO AND DAILY BREAD

DAN + SHAY

DAVID RYAN HARRIS

FLAW

PAUL FESTERBERG & THE IMPEDIMENTS

THE FLOOZIES

Aug. 7 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Late Night Radio and Daily Bread will co-headline a night of DJs, hip hop, funk, and fun. 9 p.m. Tickets: $12 advanced, $15 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

Aug. 8 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, David Ryan Harris performs soul-fi lled vocals. 8 p.m. Tickets: $15 general, $60 VIP. 402-884-5707.

—reverblounge.com

THE DOLLYROTS

July 27 at Lookout Lounge, 320 S. 72nd St. Jump around to the sounds of this sunny-sounding punk trio. 8 p.m. Tickets: $10 advanced, $13 day of show.

402-391-2554.

—lookoutomaha.com

THE GROWLERS

July 28 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Disco-infused surf rock meets outlaw country in hits such as “Dope on a Rope” and “When You Were Made.”

9 p.m. Tickets: $32.50 advanced, $45 day of show.

402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

CHUCK PROPHET & THE MISSION EXPRESS

July 30 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Chuck Prophet comes to Omaha following the May release of his single, “Willie and Nilli.” 8 p.m. Tickets: $17 advanced, $20 day of show. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

RANDALL KING

July 31 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Randall King embodies classic Texas '90s country with a modern touch in songs such as “Mirror, Mirror” and “Takin’ Me a Heartbreak.” 9 p.m. Tickets $15.

402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

TENNIS

Aug. 3 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Following the release of Swimmer, Tennis brings their indie pop sound to Omaha. 9 p.m. Tickets: $18 advanced, $20 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

NAPPY ROOTS

Aug. 4 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Th is southern rap quartet produces hip hop music that pulls from all genres and examines reason and truth through their lyrics. 8 p.m. Tickets: $20 advanced, $25 day of show. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

// 10 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Aug. 8 at O’Leaver’s, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Road Paul Festerberg & The Impediments will perform the hits of 1980s indie rock band The Replacements, including titles such as “Androgynous” and “Swingin Party.”

8 p.m. Tickets: $5 (21+). 402-556-1238.

—oleavers.com

TINY MOVING PARTS

Aug. 10 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. A self-described “family band,” Tiny Moving Parts carries a pop-punk and emo sound throughout their music and tackles issues such as mental health and morality in their lyrics. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $17 advanced, $20 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

JOHN MORELAND

Aug. 11 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Following the release of his most recent album, LP5, John Moreland delivers poetry in the form of folksy acoustic sets. 8 p.m. Tickets: $15 advanced, $17 day of show. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

WILD RIVERS

Aug. 11 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. A culmination of folk, indie, and country, Wild Rivers drives home autobiographical lyrics with easygoing vocals. 8 p.m. Tickets: $16 advanced, $18 day of show.

402-884-5707.

—reverblounge.com

BRANDY CLARK

Aug. 12 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. At least partially responsible for writing hits such as “Follow Your Arrow” (Kacey Musgraves) and “Mama’s Broken Heart” (Miranda Lambert), Brandy Clark has also made a name for herself over the past decade as a country singer. 8 p.m. Tickets: $29 advanced, $34 day of show. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

CYCLES

Aug. 12 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Inspired by Rage Against the Machine and Primus, Cycle achieves a unique prog-rock sound. Omaha-based Mr. E & the Stringless Kite and Slow Stoics will also perform. 8 p.m.

Tickets $10 advanced, $12 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

Aug. 13 at CHI Health Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St. Country pop artists responsible for songs such as “10,000 Hours” and “Speechless” perform. 7 p.m. Tickets: $36.50-$225. 402-341-1500.

—chihealthcenteromaha.com

Aug. 13 at Lookout Lounge, 320 S. 72nd St. Hard rock and nu-metal group Flaw performs songs such as “Persistence” and “Get Up Again.” 7 p.m. Tickets: $13 advanced, $15 day of show. 402-391-2554.

—lookoutomaha.com

Aug. 13 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Electronic meets futuristic funk in songs such as “Nothing to Lose” and “Funk Jesus.” 8:30 p.m. Tickets $22 advanced, $25 day of show. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

MARCO ANTONIO SOLIS

Aug. 14 at Baxter Arena, 2427 S. 67th St. Especially popular in Mexico, Marco Antonio Solis is known for his numerous albums, as well as for lending his voice to Ernesto de la Cruz, the main antagonist of Coco. 8 p.m. Tickets: $59-$179. 402-554-6200.

—facebook.com/baxterarena

OUIJA MACC

Aug. 14 at Lookout Lounge, 320 S. 72nd St. Prepare yourself for a night of hardcore rap from Ouija Macc, Rozz Dyliams, and Death Plus. 7 p.m. Tickets: $15.

402-391-2554.

—lookoutomaha.com

THE HIP ABDUCTION

Aug. 14 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Chill out with indie and alternative pop songs such as “All I Need” and “Holiday.” 8 p.m. Tickets: $12 advanced, $15 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

ANNA BURCH

Aug. 15 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. The singer's second album, If You’re Dreaming, takes listeners down a different path than her first, shedding nervous energy in favor of a deeper exploration of an internal world. 8 p.m. Tickets: $12. 402-884-5707.

—reverblounge.com

BUILT TO SPILL

Aug. 15 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. The eclectic, upbeat, and slightly off-kilter indie rock of Built to Spill was the result of hours of experimentation.

8 p.m. Tickets: $25. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

PETFEST 2020

Aug. 15 at BFF Omaha, 2729 N. 62nd St. Th is popular local festival plans to feature drag performances by Queer Nite, live grafiti by Ryan T. Kinsch, and music from many local artists, such as All Young Girls Are Machine Guns and Bach Mai. 2 p.m. 402-203-5488.

—bffomaha/petshop

THE SECRET SISTERS

Aug. 16 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Haunting harmonies, twangy smoky vocals, and sweeping strings collide to create witchy Southern rock songs such as “Iuka” and “He’s Fine.” 8 p.m. Tickets: $20. 402-884-5353.

—waitingroomlounge.com

OMAHA EVENT GROUP HELLO@OMAHAEVENTGROUP.COM • 402.819.8792 • OMAHAEVENTGROUP.COM

220 - 600 GUESTS 1502 CUMING ST., OMAHA, NE

STYX

Aug. 18 at Ralston Arena, 7300 Q St. The '70s and '80s rock band responsible for hits such as “Renegade” and “Come Sail Away” perform. 7 p.m. Tickets: $39.50$125. 402-934-9966.

—ralstonarena.com

GOOD TO BE KING

1 - 220 GUESTS 1510 CUMING ST., OMAHA, NE

Aug. 21 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Th is cover band performs hits from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $12 advanced, $15 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com 500 COCKTAIL-STYLE, 350 SEATED 200 S. 31ST AVE., STE 4107, OMAHA, NE

DUMMY HEAD TORPEDO

Aug. 22 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Omaha-based Dummy Head Torpedo delivers fast-paced hard rock. Scabby Ghouls and Blandford also perform.

8:30 p.m. Tickets: $8 advanced, $10 day of show.

402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

400 GUESTS 5110 N. 132ND ST., OMAHA, NE

HILLSONG WORSHIP

Aug. 22 at Ralston Arena, 7300 Q St. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $26.50-$199. 402-934-9966.

—ralstonarena.com

THE GARDEN

Aug. 24 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. The Australian Christian music worship group, responsible for “Who You Say I Am” and “What a Beautiful Name,” performs. 8 p.m. Tickets: $15 advanced, $18 day of show. 402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

RYAN SUMMERS

Aug. 29 at The Barley Street Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St. Th is critically acclaimed electronic artist specializes in live looping guitar, keyboard, and voice. 9 p.m. $7 Cover (21+). 9 p.m. 402-408-0028.

—barleystreet.com

St. Frances Cabrini The spiritual home of the Little Italy and Old Market neighborhoods since 1857.

stcabriniomaha.org 10th and Williams Street

THE

FUTURE

OF BUSINESS omahamagazine.com/subscribe JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 11 //

OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR

Four Old Market

Unique décor, ornaments and collectibles for every season. oTannenbaum.com • 402-345-9627

Fresh chocolates and fudge made in our own kitchen.

OldMarketCandy.com • 402-344-8846

» Family & More « Travel essentials plus souvenirs and Nebraska-made gifts.

OldMarketSundries.com • 402-345-7646

Authentic Italian desserts, coffee, and FlavorBurst TMice cream.

DolciOldMarket.com • 402-345-8198

All located at 10th & Howard // 12 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

FARMER’S MARKET

Check individual venues for guidelines on social distancing and restrictions on pets.

• Council Bluffs (Bayliss Park) 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursdays.

• Old Market (10th and Jackson streets, 1011 Jackson St.) 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

• Village Pointe (168th and Dodge streets) 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

• Aksarben Village (Baxter Arena Parking Lot 26, 2425 S. 67th St.) 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays.

• Papillion (Papillion Landing, 1046 W. Lincoln St.) 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays. [This location will be a non-traditional drive-through. The order form is online. More information at facebook.com/papillionfarmersmarket] • Gifford Park (Gifford Park Neighborhood Market, 520 N. 33rd St.) 5-8 p.m. Fridays.

BENSON FIRST FRIDAYS

First Friday of each month in Downtown Benson, Military Avenue and 60th Street. Visit artists and vendors and grab a bite to eat along the Benson strip. 5 p.m. Admission: free. 402-203-5488.

—bffomaha.org

LEASHES AT LAURITZEN

First two Monday evenings of July and August at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Take your pups for a scenic stroll in the gardens. Two dogs permitted per adult. 5-8 p.m. Admission: $10 for non-member adults, $5 for non-member dogs and children ages 6-12, free for members and children under 6. 402-346-4002.

—lauritzengardens.org

CONCERT AND FIREWORKS SHOW

July 3 at Rockbrook Village, 2800 S. 110th Court.

The U.S. Air Force Heartland of America band and The Brits will perform ahead of the fireworks show.

Concert: 7-9:30 p.m., fireworks 10 p.m. Admission: free. 402-390-0890.

—rockbrookvillage.com

SCIENCE CAFE

July 14 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Scientists speak about a socially relevant topic, followed by a Q&A session. The first 50 people to arrive receive free pizza. Doors open at 6. Admission: free. Ages 21+.

402-345-7569.

—theslowdown.com

OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR

FIFTH ANNUAL FOOD TRUCK RODEO

July 17 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Munch on cuisine from 15 different food trucks and sip on a drink from the beer garden or one of the outdoor bars. 4-11 p.m. Admission: free. 402-203-6145.

—fsomaha.com

NEBRASKA BRICK DAYS

PICK A POOCH ADOPTION DAYS AND PET EXPO

July 25-26 at Baxter Arena, 2427 S. 67th St. Visit pooches looking for foster and forever homes, learn about volunteering with Northern Plains Boxer Rescue, and browse vendors. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 402-639-5235.

—www.petsinomaha.com

July 18-19 at Mid America Center, 1 Arena Way, Council Bluffs. LEGO fans unite! Guests can build brick structures at play-brick tables, enter contests and play games to win prizes, stare in awe at LEGO creations, and buy goodies from LEGO vendors. Admission: $9 adults, $5 children under 8, $25-$50 VIP packages. Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 402-434-5040.

—brickdayscom

FIBER ARTS FESTIVAL

OMAHA BEER FEST

NEW AMERICAN ARTS FESTIVAL

July 18 at Horsemen’s Park, 6303 Q St. Drink samples of craft beer, seltzers, ciders, hard sodas, and wine at Nebraska’s largest craft beer festival while listening to live music including local bands Hi-Fi Hangover and Lemon Fresh Day. Home brewers will be allowed to participate this year. $35 advance, $40 day of, $65 VIP. 4-11:30 p.m. 21+. 402-731-2900.

—omahabeerfest.com

Aug. 1-2 at Bancroft Street Market, 2702 S. 10th St. Meet people with an interest in stitching, needlework, textiles, sewing, paper making and basket weaving, and support fiber vendors and artists while taking a class or workshop over the weekend. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Admission: $10/day or $15 weekend pass. 213-375-5911.

—fiberartsfestivalomaha.com

Aug. 7 at Military Avenue & Maple Street. A brainchild of Lutheran Family Services and BFF Omaha, this festival features artwork, performances, and cuisine crafted by New Americans (refugees and immigrants).

Peruse the street artist market or attend a workshop along the Benson strip. Admission: free. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 402-203-5488.

BACK TO SCHOOL FAMILY NIGHT

Aug. 8 at Gifford Farm Education Center, 700 Camp Gifford Road. Guests can experience hands-on demonstrations from the farm, take a hayride, and visit the animals. Admission: $5 ages 2 and older, free for educators, day care workers, and mentors who show their work I.D. Cash or check only. 5:30 - 8 p.m.

402-597-4920.

—esu3.org/GF

23RD ANNUAL TASTE OF OMAHA

Aug. 14-16 at Elmwood Park, 67th and Pacific streets. Th is food-centric event temporarily relocates to Elmwood due to the Riverfront Re-development Project. Set your tastebuds on everything from pizza and barbecued ribs to tacos and dumplings or take a stroll in the wine and beer gardens. While getting your fi ll of the metro’s best food, watch performances from Flemenco and Irish Dancers, or take your children to the amusement rides or family-friendly entertainment.

Admission: free. Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sunday: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. 402-346-8003.

—tasteofomaha.info

HIGH VIBE FESTIVAL

Aug. 28-29 at Aksarben Village, 67th and Center Streets. Spend the whole weekend practicing yoga, nourishing your body with plant-based foods and drinks, attending workshops, seminars, and panels designed to expand your mind. Admission: $128. Saturday 2-9 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-7 p.m. 402-281-4218.

—highvibefestival.com

THE MIDWEST PIRATE FEST

Aug. 29-30 at Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch, 11001 S. 48th St. Visit pirates, mermaids, and fairies and watch fantastical skits and music shows at this family-friendly event. Admission: $12 adults, $7 children ages 12 and younger, free for children 2 and under. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 402-301-0901.

—mwpiratefest.com

DOGGIE DIP

Aug. 9 at Benson Gallagher Pool, 2936 N. 52nd St., and Lee Valley Pool, 10605 Charles St. Bring your pup to a fun day at the pool. Admission: $5 for each dog, which covers two handlers, $1 for each additional human. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 402-444-7800.

—nehumanesociety.org

Event times and details are correct as of presstime,

EIGHTH ANNUAL RIBSTOCK BBQ FESTIVAL

July 25 at Stinson Park, 2232 S. 64th St. Guests can sink their teeth into barbecue dishes from 12 different local vendors and watch a cornhole tournament. While there will be an ATM on site, vendors and bars will be accepting cash only. Admission: free. Noon - 10 p.m.

402-981-3171.

—ribstockbbq.com

but are subject to change. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, many events are canceling and/ or changing dates/time/places as needed. Most venues base these decisions on direction by the Douglas County Health Department and Nebraska’s publication of guidance on canceling events and limiting the number of people in public gatherings.

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

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 13 //

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

A+C CERAMICS // STORY BY LIZ STEVENS

a statement t all starts with a vision and a smooth mass of clay on a spinning pottery wheel.

Megan Schroll, the creator behind Megan Schroll Art, followed her passion and started creating and selling hand-painted, food-safe ceramic mugs, bowls, and other trinkets in 2015.

Her passion for ceramics began while she was a studio art major with a concentration in ceramics and sculpture at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK).

“I didn’t start to play with clay until I went to college at UNK…I’ve drawn my whole life. I really like how, with ceramics, it is such a tangible thing,” Schroll said. “I liked having the two outlets.”

Schroll dove directly into the local art scene after graduating. “It’s been such a weird journey,” Schroll said. “With art, you get to pave your own way.” Currently, she works out of her home, where she creates ceramic dishware, home accents, jewelry, and whatever sparks her imagination. Her designs feature bold, black lines against a white background. Through this design aesthetic, Schroll tries to illustrate the contrast and balance in nature.

“IN GENERAL, IT’S VERY NATURE-RELATED, OR NATURE-INSPIRED,” SCHROLL SAID. “IN LIFE THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD AND BAD—DARKNESS AND LIGHT. YOU NEED SOME DARKNESS TO FULLY APPRECIATE THE LIGHT. WITH MY POTTERY, I USE A LOT OF BLACK AND WHITE. I REALLY LIKE PULLING ON THOSE THEMES.” Schroll said she often gets inspired by unconventional things like an abandoned shack or snails. She adds that she never knows where her creative process and inspiration will take her.

With every piece, she just tries to make what she likes.

Some smaller pieces such as the ring dishes and suncatchers are entirely formed by hand, while larger pieces are made on the wheel, Schroll said. After the clay hits the wheel, Schroll’s creation starts to take shape and she can put necessary holes in the piece and create texture. From there, she paints her black underglaze designs on each item. Once the design is completed it goes into the kiln, after which a clear finishing glaze is added and the piece is fired a third time. From start to finish, the process usually takes between five and six days.

Gradually, she started sharing her creations on Instagram.

“I try to be very real on it and authentic—not so much as it's just a brand but the fact that I'm a person selling a part of me,” Schroll said.

Schroll said she started by selling her creations at fairs, earning the majority of her income that way. “I started out doing Art in the Park Kearney and Grand Island. Then, [I] grew into doing out-of-state shows in Colorado.”

In addition to craft fairs, Schroll’s ceramics are now available at Revival Omaha in Benson.

Schroll was connected to Revival Omaha through Mikey Thompson, whom she met at Handmade Omaha last winter.

Thompson makes and sells furniture under the name Mid Mod Vintage at the Benson shop, said owner Steph Lambert.

Revival Omaha opened in July 2017. From the beginning, Lambert wanted to feature local artists in the community.

Lambert said she tries to get each artist she features in once a year for a Benson First Friday (BFF) event, so shoppers can meet the creators. Schroll was the featured creator in February 2020, and her work has been in the shop ever since.

Schroll said she enjoys working with Revival because they make sure artists take home as much money as possible.

Along with stocking goods in select stores, she said she is working on building inventory for a new website.

Being a creator doesn’t come without a set of challenges.

Schroll said all the new work she is doing keeps her busy and excited, “but I think maybe the hardest part would be...burnout, as far as like not allowing myself to take a break.”

Schroll said she is learning to set boundaries and trying to navigate which projects make the most sense.

“Another thing, like with my art and what kind of drives me is...I'm such a collector of things,” Schroll said. “I am very observant of nature. With art, I like very ‘trinkety’ items or things that you can collect and things that are original.”

The desire for originality translates into her art. Even if Schroll repeats a design in a piece, each one is unique.

Moving forward, Schroll said she is looking forward to building inventory to share and sell on her own website once she gets it up and running.

“What I'm looking forward to the most is more opportunities as the years go on,” Schroll said. “Seeing people excited about my stuff—it’s awesome.”

Visit meganschroll.com for more information.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 15 //

//I/I A+C MUSIC I/I

JUANJOSE RIVAS CROSSES BOUNDARIES

STORY BY VIRGINIA KATHRYN GALLNER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

// 16 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

-JUANJOSE

W

“THE SIMPLEST INSTRUMENTS ARE THOSE THAT CANNOT BE PLAYED IN A NORMAL WAY. I REALLY LIKE THESE INTERFACES BECAUSE THEY [OFFER] ANOTHER TYPE OF CONNECTION BETWEEN PLAYER AND INSTRUMENT.”

When I

//I/I A+C MUSIC I/I

Think about SOUND

or experimental music, I think in a physical way,” said Juanjosé Rivas, as he touched his hand to his heart. “There is no rhythm, there is no harmony, there is no[thing] musical.”

Rivas approaches sound experimentation as a sculptural process, using the tools and technology of sound engineering to create auditory environments. He studied visual arts at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado, also known as “La Esmeralda,” in Mexico City.

For Rivas, sound art is all about experimentation. In most orchestral and popular music, there are the traditional ingredients of scales, harmonic information, and structural patterns. In the world of experimental music, “you make something that you can never repeat. You put another kind of energy, electricity into the instrument. It’s always changing.”

He said he finds the creative process liberating.

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts invited Rivas to participate in their sound arts and experimental music residency last year. He agreed, and his residency was from Jan. 22–April 17, 2020.

“When I talk with [other] musicians…they told me ‘you have a lot of freedom because you don’t know what you are doing.’” His lack of formal education in classical music allows him to experiment in ways that may not occur to others.

Rivas lives in the center of Mexico City.

When he wakes in the morning, the streets are filled with noise. In Omaha, he awoke to the sound of birds chirping and trains rolling by near his temporary home at Bemis Center. There were new sounds as well, such as snow crackling underfoot.

Working with physical space is an important part of his craft as well. He has created several sound installations, site-specific projects such as his 2015 Escombro project at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Oaxaca, Mexico, where audiences could move through the exhibit and experience the sounds around them.

“When I go from one country or city or place, I always think about that relationship with the sounds of the city. For me it could be noise. For you, music.” When listening, he wants to “know the space, to see the sounds.”

Environmental sounds are only a part of his palette. Rivas builds his own digital and electronic instruments. He does not use traditional instrumentation or compositional methods in his work, instead working with circuitry and synthesizers. He likes the challenge of creating something new every time.

“The simplest instruments are those that cannot be played in a normal way. I really like these interfaces because they [offer] another type of connection between player and instrument.”

“The body is an amazing instrument. You can talk, you can make muscles mumble.

[You] just need to amplify, reorganize, rearrange the way you [produce sound].”

Rivas does not always create alone. In Mexico City, he hosts the VOLTA concert series, where he invites different artists every week to create a new work around a common theme. He approaches this as a multidisciplinary project with artists from many mediums, and he views it as an opportunity to share knowledge.

“There’s the public, and the space for the music. There is that distance.” He described different ways of arranging the space for his concerts. “[In VOLTA,] there is no stage. I put the people on the floor, on the same level of the public, in the center, in the corners, moving with the public. We need to break these forms.”

He breaks this barrier through educational workshops as well. But he teaches more than sound experimentation.

“I’m not teaching improvisation. I’m teaching how to question relationships with technology.”

Most of the time, Rivas explains, people accept technology like it is finished. He encourages students to push the limits of these relationships. “In my workshops, [we] build sound system circuits, like little synthesizers or speakers, or radios with very simple circuits. The really important thing is they can learn how or why it’s working in that way.”

People tend to be passive consumers, he laments. If something is broken, we throw it away. But there are ways to reverse engineer this technology, to open the circuitry and find out how it works.

“We have two options: to be technophobic, or technophiliac,” he said.

Technology is a tool. When we push its potential, improvisation is always the result.

“If you don’t know how it works, then you can try it. The result? It doesn’t matter.

The most important thing in my work is the process.”

For the culminating performance of his residency at Bemis Center, Rivas created a unique audience experience: a deep listening session, incorporating soundscapes and environmental textures from Mexico City.

“This kind of work helps you to discover your relationship between sounds and the world…your way to see the world or explain the sound in your body, in the space, in the city.”

Visit juanjoserivas.info for more information and to listen to Rivas’ work.

Physical space and architecture are equally essential to performance, and often forgotten. Rivas wants to cross the boundary that separates artists from audiences.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 19 //

A+C WRITER

Beaufield Berry

PlaywrighT HER FAMILY FAMILY AND AND THE THE LARGER LARGER HER BLACK EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE BLACK STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA

B

eaufield Berry long explored worlds other than her own in her fiction.

Since becoming a mother, the Omaha playwright has mined the riches of family and the larger black experience.

“I realized I was averse to the advice ‘write what you know’ because I wasn’t appreciating what I knew. When I opened the doors to myself and my family and started peeling back those layers, I found the honeypot.

Having kids has made me more inquisitive about who I am, where I’m from, where I’m going,” said Berry, a mother of three.

Her play In the Upper Room draws from her multi-generational black clan’s strong personalities, conflicts, secrets, and abiding love. It was a finalist in the O’Neill Center’s 2018 National Playwrights Conference and earned a spot in the 2019 Colorado New Play Summit, where it was workshopped and read.

Berry earlier proved her chops and range with the comedy Psycho Ex-Girlfriend and the drama The Waiting Line.

artist-writer mother Pamela Jo Berry. She’s been published as a journalist (American Theatre) and a novelist (Childhood Friends).

Berry is also an Omaha Performing Arts teaching artist.

“I love all forms of writing. I love language. I love just getting it out.”

She got bit by the theater bug early on in Omaha. After trying to find her fit as a performer, once running a burlesque troupe, she found her niche as a playwright.

“Theater is so alive, reciprocal, and human that, honestly, it’s my church. The writing feels so natural it’s like breathing. It is where I find connection and know there’s something bigger than myself.”

In between O’Neill and Summit, Upper Room made a splash with a staged reading at the Great Plains Theatre Conference, where Berry is a veteran participating artist.

GPTC producing artist director Kevin Lawler has seen her evolution: “Beau’s work and influence on the Omaha theater scene has grown exponentially. She is able to balance the paradoxical qualities of a strong critical eye and a wildness into her work…

With Beau you get the sense she is always ready to look and move outside the lines of what is set as ‘proper’ by society.”

Omaha playwright Ellen Struve is an admirer of Berry’s versatility. “Beau is my favorite kind of artist in that she is impossible to define,” Struve said. “She is comedienne, social activist, historian, and pop culture commentator. Playwright, novelist, poet, musician—the list goes on. Her work never fails to engage. She pushes back on any boundary.”

Upper Room was to have a full GPTC production this year, but the pandemic forced its cancellation.

A writer’s life has been fated for Berry since she began reading at 4 and penning poems at 11. She was homeschooled by her

The work is part of a seven-play cycle she’s developing. Others include Branch and Bone, Ivory, Mulatto, and Spectrophobe.

“THEATER HAS SO MUCH TO GIVE…BUT NOT EVERYBODY CAN AFFORD THE TICKET PRICE OR HAS THE RIGHT OUTFIT TO WEAR OR A CAR TO GET THERE.” -BEAUFIELD BERRY // 20 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Red Summer, a work outside the cycle, stirred the local scene in 2019 with its sold-out Blue Barn Theatre run. Its achingly human portrait of Will Brown, a black man lynched by a mob in downtown Omaha, took the stage in the 100th anniversary year of his killing.

While Berry developed Red Summer over several months, Upper Room poured out of her in three days.

“I can’t say it was a specific choice to begin writing about my family because I did not choose it, it chose me…I was newly pregnant and working on a different play altogether,” she said. “I was in our office very late at night when I was visited by my ancestors, particularly by my great-grandmother, Rose. Her voice was so strong and loud in my ear.”

BERRY FELT GUIDED THE WHOLE WAY TO GET THINGS RIGHT.

“I remember so vividly I’d feel like a tap on my shoulder, ‘Uh-uh. Nope, rewrite.’

I was never alone in that room while I was writing.”

She ascribes the play’s warm reception to the universality of the family experience it presents.

“This is specifically a black family, unapologetically themselves…but also showing black family life is the same as any other family life.”

Her script was workshopped for two weeks at Summit by an all-black cast and crew.

“They supported and nurtured me and my show…I swear when you get people working towards the same end there is nothing you can’t do.”

A REVELATION FROM THE PROCESS INVOLVED THE PROTAGONIST.

“Rose is a mystery in the play because she’s a mystery to me. She died before I was born,” Berry said. “But I grew up with all these stories of her as this bigger-than-life person. The way she inserted herself in people’s lives, even posthumously, makes her immortal to me. My collaborators wanted me to break all that down. They wanted to know what makes her mysterious. Where I only had questions, they pushed me to find the answers…It helped me make sure everything my audience experiences is truly earned.”

A similar fruitful union happened with Omaha playwright Denise Chapman, who served as dramaturg for Red Summer.

“She knew what I was trying to do and where the thing was falling short. When you’re in the weeds of a play you can’t pull out and see it from an aerial view…She did a great job of looking at the big picture.”

Berry said Chapman checked her on historical accuracy, including language.

Beaufield Berry with daughter Georgia Pearl, or “Gigi”

“She pointed out I gave characters the language of revolution when there wasn’t any revolution yet. That was such an informed piece of advice and expertise,” Berry said. “I’d been voicing characters in the '70s and '90s, which is the post-civil rights era, but characters in the heart of Jim Crow sound different when there’s no language for revolution yet.”

BERRY IS CONSCIOUS OF MAKING THEATER MORE DIVERSE.

“Theater has so much to give…But not everybody can afford the ticket price or has the right outfit to wear or a car to get there.”

Parenting hasn’t slowed Berry’s productivity. “It helps to have a supportive and trustworthy partner in all of this,” she said of her husband, Rob Fisher.

But COVID-19 has meant a slowdown in her writing. “In this quarantine, it’s all about my kids and family.”

Navigating this surreal time “has definitely shown me that nothing is certain.”

“Will it end up in my writing? Yes, but not in the expected way. It won’t be anything like ‘the pandemic play.’ But I think there are things I’m learning about myself and specifically about society that will absolutely make their way in some work.”

Her current project is a musical tentatively titled Buffalo Women, about real-life black women cowhands, Pony Express riders, and stagecoach drivers.

“I’m using country music’s black origins to tell the story of this hidden history. The music’s going to be live, only consisting of what the women have: guitar, banjo, fiddle, jugs, saws, boots, harmonies galore.

Oh, and I want a giant skirts-andboots-up dance sequence,” she added.

“I hope it finds a home.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

22

P H O T O G R A P H Y BY B I L L S I T Z M A N N / / D E S I G N BY M AT T W I E C Z O R E K

A +C THEA TE R

S T O RY BY V I R G I N I A K AT H RY N GA L L N E R

S

AV A N N A H S AV I C K F O U N D H E R L I F E ' S C A L L I N G W H E N S H E D I S C OV E R E D S H E C O U L D C O M B I N E V I S UA L A R T A N D T H E AT E R F O R A L I V I N G .

Savick’s decision to become an artist was a “stair-stepping process.” During college, she worked a series of odd jobs around town, including Sweet Magnolias Bakery and Artifact Bag Co., as well as volunteering with the exhibits departments at The Durham Museum and Omaha Children’s Museum.

In summer 2016, she had the opportunity to work on Peter Pan with the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre as an intern, which served as her entry into the wild world of props design.

Upon graduating with her BFA in technical theater, she worked as prop master for Nebraska Shakespeare on their productions of King Lear and Merry Wives of Windsor. After that summer, she started working with Opera Omaha, where she built props for Falstaff, Faust, and Proving Up. One of her most challenging projects from that time period was creating a leopard for Faust.

After asking her colleagues for ideas, she ended up building the leopard around a foam taxidermy core in the shape of a bobcat.

“Props is just like really crafty theater,” she said.

In June 2018, Savick started her position as a scenic painter at The Rose Theater. The collaborative environment at The Rose has helped her creativity soar both in and outside of work.

Master carpenter Jackson Curtright said they work closely to coordinate the set-building process in order to give her enough time to paint. The Rose brings in a number of outside designers to collaborate on sets. Adam Rowe, for example, is an Emmy Award-winning designer based in Los Angeles who has worked on television shows such as The Good Place, Dexter, and Parks and Recreation. He has also designed for The Rose, “trying to do a little vacation away from the hustle and bustle,” as Curtright describes.

OF ALL THE PEOPLE DENN-YOUNG HAS WORKED WITH IN THE W O R L D O F T H E A T E R , SHE S A Y S THAT SAVICK IS AMONG THE KINDEST

One of the biggest challenges of working on a production team is following another designer’s vision.

“Making your own thing is a lot easier than trying to recreate what someone else has done,” Curtright said. Savick does both.

Devon Denn-Young, props mistress, appreciates Savick’s attentiveness to community outreach and collaboration. “The Rose has a skeleton crew for a production staff…[so we] make sure that we are supporting one another.” Of all the people DennYoung has worked with in the world of theater, she says that Savick is among the kindest. “She drops off little notes and gifts, randomly, for no reason.”

The 2020-2021 season was due to start in September and feature the production of Corduroy, which was filmed and shared as a time-lapse video on The Rose’s social media platforms. Savick was most excited about Up and Away, a low-sensory show designed for individuals who are on the autism spectrum. Together with the production team, she was creating a world where audience members took an elevator up to the Hitchcock Theater, riding a hot air balloon into the sky. At presstime, The Rose was changing its season offerings due to COVID-19 and the resulting social-distancing guidelines.

She finds the camaraderie at The Rose empowering.

She still has energy at the end of the day to go home and work on her own projects.

In quarantine, Savick found solace in art. She returned to her first love, illustration, when she began self-isolation. Her latest major project was a Freddie Mercury calendar—with cats. Each month depicts the rock star with his cats, and the calendar itself features many feline-themed holidays.

In addition to creating time-lapse videos of her scenic painting for The Rose Theater’s YouTube channel, Savick was inspired to create similar content for her illustration projects.

“It’s very Bob Ross, very chill,” she said, describing the videos. Some take place in real time, while others are narrations over a time-lapse.

23

A +C THEA TE R

“B E N S O N F E E L S L I K E SUCH A SPECIAL NEIGHBORHOOD IN OMAHA, BECAUSE THEY REALLY EMBRACE DIVERSITY AND WEIRDNESS” Music serves an important inspirational role for Savick. Her wife, Haley Clark, works at Homer’s Music in downtown Omaha, so they enjoy listening to records together at home. One of her favorite projects was illustrating a Panic!

At The Disco song as a picture book. She has created live paintings at local concerts and events.

Many of her illustrations are driven by food. She painted a picture of their cat, Thea, as a whimsical watercolor cinnamon roll. Another surreal piece, featured on her Instagram, depicts an astronaut walking their dog, Poppy, across a desolate planet.

Savick also collaborates with artists outside of work. She and one of her closest friends, Carley Kleffner, started the artist booth and shop Captain and Sailor's Nautical Oddities on Etsy. Together, they host booths at events such as Benson First Friday Artist Market.

Kleffner has found the Benson artist community very welcoming. Everyone goes the extra mile to take care of each other, from the organizers to the artists to the customers themselves. “Benson feels like such a special neighborhood in Omaha, because they really embrace diversity and weirdness,” she said. It is a gathering place of many different minds and mediums.

“I met Savannah in sixth grade, and we bonded over our mutual love of art,” Kleffner said. “As kids, whenever we got together, we were either drawing or making cardboard castles or baking.

Crafting and making things helped my mind feel lighter and gave me a sense of self-worth.”

That same sense of playfulness and wonder still characterizes Savick’s art. Her work has been displayed around town at Daisy Jones' Locker in Benson, Legends Comics & Coffee on Leavenworth Street, and recently, in a virtual art gallery at the Apollon Art Space on Vinton Street.

Follow Savick on Instagram: @sharpsavick

24

Celebrating 20 Years in Business!

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// 25 //

BEST OF OMAHA MEDIA SPONSORS

TELL US WHO IS THE BEST

Best of Omaha Voting: July 1- Aug. 20

Omaha Magazine values the opinion of the public. That is why we started a contest that allows the public to vote on their favorite places in Omaha. Through the years, the contest has grown, and with it, the number of voters has grown. Please welcome our new sponsor, Boomer 1490 AM. We are excited to add this radio station and equally appreciate our longtime sponsor KETV. In order to become a “Best of Omaha,” restaurants, retailers, and businesses need your vote. Voting begins July 1 and continues through Aug. 20. And 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 only accept one ballot per verified email in order to avoid vote-stuffing. It doesn’t take much time to vote, and there are no paid advertisements on our online ballot (bestofomaha.com).

We also leave the category fields blank, allowing each voter to write in their favorite businesses as opposed to picking them from a preset list.

To encourage voting and to 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 affect your ability to receive the discounts.

// 26 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020 . BESTOFOMAHA.COM

SHAWN OSWALD President and General Manager KETV

PATRICK COMBS Vice President/General Manager Walnut Media

I’m excited to be back in Omaha working with the local businesses that make our community unique and help it thrive.

At KETV we’re committed to helping local businesses succeed.

All of us at Boomer Radio are excited to partner with Omaha Magazine and KETV to present of the 2021 Best of Omaha campaign. This program has become an institution in the Omaha market and gives well-deserved recognition to many of our great businesses. The Best of Omaha is a great source of pride for the Omaha business community and we are honored to be a part of this incredible effort. As Omaha’s only locally owned and operated media company, we have a vested interest in promoting local businesses and helping them spread the word about their products and services.

We partner with Omaha Magazine on the Best of Omaha to celebrate the hard work and passion of local business owners.

From the nominees to the winners, thanks for helping make Omaha a great place to live.

The Best of Omaha has become an institution in our community, and we are thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of it. Omaha Magazine has done an incredible job of developing the premier ‘Best Of’ contest in the nation and business owners as well as consumers look forward to voting season with great anticipation.

Walnut Media takes great pride in our role as sponsor and looks forward to spreading the word to all our listeners.

Best of luck to all the participating businesses, and we encourage everyone to vote.

We Would Appreciate Your Vote for

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WE DELIVER!

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// 32 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020 . BESTOFOMAHA.COM

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Art in Isolation COVID-19 CHANGES THE LOCAL ARTS SCENE

Q

feature // STORY BY KATRINA MARKEL

UARANTINE AND SOCIAL DISTANCING HAVE AFFECTED THE WAY MOST PEOPLE CONDUCT BUSINESS, SOCIALIZE, WORSHIP, AND SHOP. IT’S NO DIFFERENT FOR ARTISTS WHO ARE NAVIGATING A TOUGH LANDSCAPE WHERE THEY CAN’T EASILY CONNECT WITH PATRONS, COLLABORATE IN PERSON, OR NURTURE YOUNG TALENT FACE-TO-FACE. DESPITE THE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, THE DRIVE TO CREATE DOESN’T DISAPPEAR.

“YOU CAN’T JUST STOP BEING AN ARTIST, YOU’RE CREATIVE ALL THE TIME,”

said Tim Guthrie, professor and program director of Graphic Design and Filmmaking at Creighton University.

“Creativity is problem solving. I’m just always looking for something that I can do that doesn’t just make a difference for me, but also the people around me.”

Kimberly Faith Hickman, artistic director at Omaha Community Playhouse, said OCP staff are working on solutions for engaging audiences and students remotely until it’s safe to share physical space again, including streaming some past productions on YouTube.

“It is a little bit of an unknown time, but I feel like theater people are very creative and one of the things you learn doing theater is how to be in the moment and react to what’s being given to you, and so I feel like if there are people that can survive this, it’s artistic people,” Hickman said.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

For arts educators, it’s also a matter of serving students who are no longer learning in a traditional classroom setting.

Normally, Creighton film students can check out university equipment, but once they started learning from home, Guthrie said, “the disparity was really broad in terms of what they have access to.” He encouraged his pupils to use whatever tools they had available to complete projects, even if that’s only a smartphone. He said he was more concerned with his students’ well-being than their performance in class.

“Some of my students—the emails that they [sent] me—they’re really anxious and they’re really lonely,” Guthrie added.

OCP is also conducting classes online. “It’s been really great. We’ve had great responses from families,” Hickman said.

“OCP feels like a home to a lot of our students, so it’s a good way for us to keep that connection going.”

Fran Sillau, artistic director of the Circle Theatre, is positive about using video conferencing tools for arts education and the possibilities that it might

ILLUSTRATION BY DEREK JOY

have in the future. Part of the mission of his organization is to serve “differently abled” individuals, his preferred terminology.

The theater has been conducting playwriting workshops for special needs students in Omaha and Millard public schools with grant money administered by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

“We were doing a series of in-person playwright residencies,” Sillau said, “In this case, self-contained classrooms for individuals with disabilities, seven visits and they learn how to write a play with a professional playwright.”

Sillau said that he’s received mixed reactions to moving the classes online. “Some of (the students) love it because there’s anxiety in public and they can control their own environment, when to talk and when not to talk. So those folks love it.

Some of our friends think it’s weird to do acting on a camera through a computer.”

Music teachers are also adjusting. Ernest Richardson is the resident conductor and principal pops conductor at the Omaha

DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Symphony. He and wife Tara Cowherd, executive director and founder of the vocal ensemble Résonance, said that their son switched to online dance and music classes this spring. It’s not ideal, but it keeps the kids and the professional instructors going.

“That’s not only how they make a living.

That’s how (arts teachers) find meaning,” Richardson said.

While many of the symphony musicians and guest artists are teaching lessons and performing solo recitals and concerts on social media, not all artists can work online.

Cowherd said that Résonance is open to a variety of online performance options. One challenge to staging large ensemble performances on a platform like Zoom is that unreliable broadband connections could destroy the required split-second timing of an orchestral or choral performance.

Instead, Richardson found a new method of creative expression.

/ JULY/AUGUST 2020/ / //3 535 ///

“WE ARE NOT ESSENTIAL IN THE WAY THAT THE HEALTH WORKERS ARE ESSENTIAL, BUT WE’RE ESSENTIAL FOR WHAT’S IN [YOUR HEART], WE’RE ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR SOUL. WE’RE KEEPING YOU FED IN THAT WAY.” -FRAN SILLAU

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JULY/AUGUST 2020

// feature //

“One of the things that I’ve been working on is woodturning because I want to turn the baton handle, so it works in the way that I want,” Richardson said.

“For conductors, we don’t have much to do if we don’t have an orchestra,” Richardson said. “We are boring by ourselves.”

A common refrain among many local artists is that they need to be creative, even if it’s not in their primary discipline or the activity they’d be pursuing if life were normal.

At OCP, Hickman said they’re exploring ways for the performers whose shows were canceled this spring to perform in a safe, probably online, venue. They’re calling it “Cancelled Cabaret,” and as of this writing, it was in the early phases of preproduction.

Guthrie said he was taking this time to learn to play guitar. He’s also encouraging artists of all stripes— amateur and professional— to submit work to a new project at KANEKO. The Tessellation Project at KANEKO draws its name from a style of design that features a repeating pattern, such as a chess board or a tile floor. The world-renowned art center and gallery in downtown Omaha is seeking digital submissions from across the globe that are formatted to fit an eight-inch by eight-inch square. Anyone can participate and while it was conceived before the global pandemic took hold, the overarching theme of the project is ‘isolation.’

“We decided to call it Tessellation because not only are we going to be putting the same sized thing right next to each other in a big mural, at least for the first iteration, but we know that there’s going to be some pretty interesting patterns that emerge from this with regards to what people are thinking and feeling and what they’re using to distract their time,” said Stephan Grot, executive director at KANEKO. Having worked with KANEKO on past exhibits, Guthrie said he’s confident that professional artists will participate.

It’s the novice artists he’s encouraging to submit work to Tessellation.

He said his early reaction to the project was, “Oh, I’m going to get all these people, who wouldn’t ever submit anything to these people, to submit.”

Grot and his team have received submissions from at least 27 states and six different countries. Student artist contributions range from school children in Omaha to youngsters at an academy in Hyderabad, India. Work from a professional artist based in Los Angeles will be displayed alongside that of a retired Marine Corps veteran whose only formal art training was at Omaha Central High School.

“We’re telling people right now that the theme is isolation, but people are coming back with a picture of a bird or an abstract picture of color, so it isn’t necessarily a subject matter to read into objectively,” Grot said.

“We definitely want to have many different kinds of themes that are going to tell us many different kinds of stories.”

Storytelling and connecting through story are intrinsic to the human experience. Arts organizations are finding new ways to make those connections.

“A really important part of what we’re doing during the social distancing is staying in contact with our patrons and donors,” said Bob Fischbach, interim director of Marketing and Publicity at OCP. OCP partnered with Pitch restaurant to offer patrons “Dinner and a Play” in the comfort of their homes for the streaming premieres of locally created productions.

They launched the partnership with Eminent Domain, a play about a Nebraska farm family facing conflict over the construction of an oil pipeline through their land. It was developed as an original work at the Shelterbelt Theatre and then premiered at OCP in 2017. It’s a rare chance for Nebraskans to see themselves on stage.

OCP staff emphasized that they were able to get the rights to record and stream these previously produced shows because the playwrights are local.

Additionally, the partnership with Pitch was a winwin for two organizations in industries hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis.

“Pitch has always just been a really good partner with us,” said Art Director Amanda Hoklin. “They took it farther than we ever expected so we’re really pleased with what they came up with.”

Omaha arts leaders are also thinking ahead to how they might help the community heal once we are safely able to gather with one another again.

It’s a role that the arts have played throughout human history, including in ancient Greece where theater provided catharsis for a hurting population following traumatic societal events.

“We need to develop a case that the arts are essential and they always have been,” Richardson said.

“Sometimes we forget that this is a critical part to being a human.”

Sillau echoed those thoughts,“We are not essential in the way that the health workers are essential, but we’re essential for what’s in [your heart], we’re essential for your soul. We’re keeping you fed in that way.”

The streaming productions on the OCP YouTube channel have provided sustenance for isolated audience members.

“One person, this is my favorite quote, said watching it was like ‘balm for her soul.’ And I really loved that and it was really nice that we’re still able to connect with people in that way because we’re missing connection so much right now,” Hickman said.

No one can predict how events will unfold over the next few months, but Richardson believes that local artists will keep moving forward. “Artists are optimists, they have to be otherwise you’d choose a different business.”

Visit omahaplayhouse.com, omahasymphony.org, and thekaneko.org for more information.

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F E AT U R E // S T O RY BY SEAN McCARTHY

T

HE SATURDAY MORNING NPR LINEUP ON OMAHA PUBLIC RADIO, UNTIL T H I S P A S T F E B R U A R Y, R E S E M B L E D A S O R T O F B O O K N E R D V E R S I O N O F N B C ’ S O L D T H U R S D A Y N I G H T “ M U S T- S E E T V ” L I N E U P. T H E I R R E V E R E N T Q U I Z S H O W W A I T W A I T… D O N ’ T T E L L M E ! W A S F O L L O W E D B Y THIS AMERICAN LIFE, A RADIO SHOW SO POPULAR THAT IT RAN FOR TWO SEASONS AS A TV SHOW ON SHOWTIME. AT NOON, STUDIO 360 NOURISHED AUDIENCES WITH A DEEP DIVE INTO A CULTURAL THEME EACH WEEK.

Well…

For almost two decades, Studio 360 aired on more than 200 radio stations. The show had a not-so-secret tie-in with Omaha as its host, Kurt Andersen, repeatedly found ways to mention his hometown roots in segments. In 2004, Studio 360 earned a Peabody award for its show devoted to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. In 2012, it won a second Peabody for its program about the National Recording Registry.

How Did We Get

Here?

Studio 360 aired its final episode on KIOS on Feb. 29. True to its Midwestern roots, it had its own Johnny Carson-style sendoff, complete with big guests (Alec Baldwin gave Kurt Andersen an “exit interview”) and a “lump in your throat” serenade provided by Rosanne Cash. Part of that episode’s theme: series finales and how to go out on the right note.

K U RT A N D E R S E N ON SAYING ‘GOODBYE’ TO

Andersen is the youngest of four children of the late Bob and Jean Andersen. He went to Westside and he won a National Merit Scholarship. He attended Harvard, where he studied economics and sociology. While there, he chose to join the Harvard Lampoon over the institutional student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson.

Like most students who worked on a college paper, the time and devotion to that mistress oftentimes took priority over academic studies.

STUDIO 360 AND MORE

“It’s hard to overstate how much of my life was the Lampoon,” Andersen said in a Skype interview from his home in Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut.

“I went to class and I graduated and all that…but that was most of my life.”

Despite devoting a significant chunk of time to the Lampoon, Andersen graduated magna cum laude in sociology from Harvard in 1976. He then moved to New York, where he began his writing career with the Today show and Time magazine.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SALLY MONTANA // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

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JULY/AUGUST 2020

Andersen co-founded Spy magazine with E. Graydon Carter in 1986. Ten years before The Onion became an online comedic fixture, Spy reveled in mocking the excesses of the ’80s, with New York City being the focal point of most of its targets.

Carter later served as editor of Vanity Fair for 25 years, from 1992 until he stepped down in 2017.

In the ’80s, Spy gleefully skewered the media’s dual obsession of celebrities and the wealthy. It was dubbed in media circles as “The MAD magazine for grown-ups.”

The magazine found its perfect target with Donald Trump, who published his book The Art of the Deal a year after Spy’s founding. Trump graced several of its covers, and in 1988, the magazine described him as a “short-fingered vulgarian.”

Trump’s threats to sue newspapers and even public figures who disparage him (he threatened to sue Bill Maher for $5 million after the comedian challenged him to prove he was not the son of an orangutan) go back to how he reacted to Spy’s coverage. In a 2015 article in Vanity Fair, Bruce Fierstein, a contributing editor of Spy, wrote of Trump’s repeated threats to sue the magazine. But in a move to show how Trump believes any press can be good press, the real-estate mogul sent a copy of The Art of the Deal to the Spy desk with his handprint outlined in gold to prove the “short finger” dig wasn’t true. Fierstein said that seemingly good-natured response to a joke included a not-so subtle note that stated “If you hit me, I will hit you back 100 times harder.”

Trump continued to be a subject for Andersen long after his tenure with Spy ended. In his book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500 Year History, Andersen examines the cultural and political landscape that led to the election of Trump. As its title lays out, the book explains how America’s appetite for fake news and conspiracy theories is not a new trend, but a logical extension of a country that gave us the Salem witch trails, P.T. Barnum, and the cultural revolution of the ’60s.

Fantasyland examined Trump’s takeover of the Republican party through an academic and cultural lens. Another book by Andersen came out around the same time that was purely satire, and co-written by someone who was a perfect target for Spy in the early ’90s: Alec Baldwin.

Baldwin’s portrayal of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live has become one of the longest-running gags in the show’s history. Baldwin and Andersen met a few times while both were living in New York. Baldwin even filled in as guest host for Studio 360 in 2010.

Andersen said Baldwin floated the idea of

doing a satiric book about Trump. When Baldwin became enthusiastic about the prospect, he asked Andersen to help write the book. In an interview with The New York Times, Baldwin said “We have that arrangement whereby he [Andersen] doesn’t put on the wig, I don’t open up a Word document.”

Like most topical humor, the shelf life is short, so there was a rush to get something on shelves soon, even though Andersen had just finished writing Fantasyland. He compared the challenge to writing a movie.

“I’ve never written anything so fast in my life. It was a whole book in four months,” Andersen said.

The finished product, You Can’t Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year as President Donald J. Trump (A So-Called Parody), was released in November 2017. Andersen traveled with Baldwin to promote the book. He likened the tour to “being the wingman to a movie star.”

While there are several advantages of being on a book tour with a mega-celebrity, Andersen was reaching a breaking point in terms of juggling all his projects. He was promoting Fantasyland and beginning to lay the formations of a companion book that would later become Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History. On top of that, he was also working on the concept for a television show for Amazon.

“I was just crazed,” Andersen said.

Andersen approached Public Radio International (PRI), the producers of Studio 360, and said he felt like he had approached the end of what he could do with the series. In late 2019, Public Radio Exchange (PRX), which merged with PRI in 2018, announced the ending of Studio 360. Andersen said he was able to end the show on his own terms. The staff was able to have a wrap-up celebration after its final episode aired shortly before COVID-19 stay-at-home orders were implemented in New York.

// F E AT U R E //

“The last party before there were no more parties,” Andersen said. “It worked out nicely.”

“It was the most delightful moment of pure joy,” Lawton said. “It totally zapped the cynic right out of me.”

Studio 360 was bookended by two major historical events. Its first episode aired days before the chaotic 2000 presidential election. It wrapped up a week before stores shuttered and Americans were urged to stay indoors in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In between these two historic events, Studio 360 examined how artists responded to 9/11, the second Iraq War and its resulting fallout, Hurricane Katrina, countless mass shootings, and the 2016 election.

Omahans may remember an episode that focused on Andersen’s hometown. In 2007, Studio 360 aired a segment that profiled Saddle Creek records, artist Jun Kaneko, and the North Downtown development effort that brought forth the Slowdown and Film Streams. In the segment, Andersen interviewed Rachel Jacobson, founder of Film Streams. Before moving to Omaha to start the independent theater, Jacobson lived in New York and talked with Andersen a few times when she was working at WNYC.

Arguably the most famous episodes on Studio 360 were from its “American Icons” series, which took an in-depth look into some of the most iconic American cultural contributions. Along with Moby Dick, other subjects of the “American Icons” series included I Love Lucy, The Great Gatsby, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, folk hero John Henry, and Disney parks.

Jenny Lawton traveled with Andersen to Walt Disney World for the “American Icons” piece. Lawton joined Studio 360 in 2007 as an assistant producer and became the executive producer in 2015. She currently is a senior editor at WNYC studios.

In a phone interview from her home in Brooklyn, Lawton remembered being ushered backstage by the Disney park staff and seeing such banal moments as people putting on their costumes or taking a break.

All of this was away from the public eye and “shrouded in mystery,” Lawton said.

Lawton then ventured out into the park with her team and remembers seeing a three-year-old child meeting Goofy for the first time.

In a phone interview from her Omaha home, Jacobson said she sent an email to Andersen while the theater was being built. She asked if he would be interested in joining Film Streams’ advisory board.

She was surprised when he responded back, accepting the offer.

Andersen remains on the Film Streams advisory board. He has moderated discussions with director Steven Soderbergh as well as the cast of the Alexander Payne movie Nebraska. Jacobson said his panels recall the best moments of Studio 360.

“You’re just kind of right along with him.

He’s an amazing moderator,” Jacobson said.

Andersen’s latest book, Evil Geniuses, is set to be released in August.

Evil Geniuses is far more concentrated in its scope than Fantasyland. Instead of five centuries, Andersen examines what has happened to the United States over the past 50 years in terms of wealth inequality. In February, the Pew Research Center reported that the top fifth of earners in the United States brought in 52% of all U.S. income. The wealth gap between the richest and poorest families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016.

OMAHANS MAY REMEMBER AN EPISODE THAT FOCUSED ON ANDERSEN’S HOMETOWN. IN 2007, STUDIO 360 AIRED A SEGMENT THAT PROFILED SADDLE CREEK RECORDS, ARTIST JUN KANEKO, AND THE NORTH DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT EFFORT THAT BROUGHT FORTH THE SLOWDOWN AND FILM STREAMS.

// 40 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Within Evil Geniuses, Andersen writes about the individuals whom he believes played the biggest role in creating the growing wealth gap in the United States.

Like Andersen’s previous works, it touches on how income inequality is reflected in the culture (see Ayn Rand, the celebration of Wall Street villain Gordon Gekko, and popular TV dramas that celebrate the excesses of the wealthy). However, Evil Geniuses spends far more time delving into the political and economic realities of the past 50 years.

The cast of characters of Evil Geniuses is familiar to anyone who followed the ascension of the Tea Party in the late ’00s and early ’10s. The Koch brothers and the late economist Milton Friedman, along with Joseph Coors, who was one of the founders of The Heritage Foundation, are among the “geniuses” Andersen writes about.

One of Andersen’s biggest targets is Grover Norquist, who founded Americans for Tax Reform in 1985. Norquist was one of the loudest supporters of the Tea Party. The differences between Norquist and Andersen go back to their college roots. Norquist was an editor at the Harvard Crimson, the yin to the yang of the institution-spoofing Harvard Lampoon Andersen edited.

“The single key guy (Norquist) to never, ever raise taxes,” Andersen said.

Many of the key figures in Evil Geniuses constitute a different wing of the Republican party that was elected in the ’80s and ’90s. In those two decades, the social conservative platform oftentimes overtook their economic platform in terms of what was most heavily promoted during election season. It was reflected in Vice President Dan Quayle’s remarks against the sitcom Murphy Brown for promoting single motherhood in 1992. In 2004, the number of anti-gay marriage state ballot initiatives was credited for giving George W. Bush another term. The economic hard right of today has put far less priority on abortion, gay rights, and religion in the classroom, Andersen said.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 41 //

// F E AT U R E //

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A lesser-known figure in modern conservatism that Andersen writes about is the late Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. Like Ronald Reagan, Powell was a Democrat who later became a staunch conservative.

Powell’s rightward shift coincided with the ending of the ’60s.

“He had been so freaked out by the late ’60s,” Andersen said. “He thought the socialist revolution was imminent.”

Before he was appointed to the Supreme Court, Powell worked as a corporate lawyer and sat on the board of Philip Morris. In 1971, he was commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to write a confidential memo. Titled “Attack on the American Free Enterprise System,” the memo disparaged the New Deal and urged conservatives to attack the media for having an “anti-business” bias if they were critical toward industries in their stories. Andersen said the Powell memo helped bring many of the dreams of the economic hard right of the Barry Goldwater era into reality during the Reagan presidency.

Though Andersen’s latest book contains plenty of cultural observations, it’s more similar to modern-day economics books such as Freakonomics or Michael Lewis’ The Big Short. Andersen used books and academic journals about economics, automation, and technology as research. He reached out to his sister, Kristi Andersen, to assist on the academic-leaning portion of the research. Kristi is a professor emeritus of political science at Syracuse University.

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Kristi and Kurt will share the same stage in August at the 8th Circuit Judicial Conference. The conference, which is closed to the public, will mark the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The event will feature an appearance by Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and will be moderated by Kurt. Kristi will speak on a panel about women’s suffrage.

As a writer who has spent his career documenting the intersections of culture and historic events, Kurt Andersen sees the 2020s as possibly having an even more historical significance than the 1920s, a decade that arguably shaped the 20th century more than any other decade in that century. The 1920s gave women the right to vote, birthed jazz music, showcased both lavish wealth (“The Roaring ’20s”) and the mass-scale poverty that became such a fixture of the first part of the 1930s, not to mention the political environment that gave us World War II. Andersen believes the 2020s will likely be closer to the 1930s, which gave us the New Deal.

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// 43 //

Ain lchemy // FEATURE //

the

Music

MAURICE BAILEY Creates Songs with Universal Appeal for Film and Television “WE HAD SOME POTENTIAL DISNEY FILM PROJECTS, BUT THINGS WERE PUSHED BACK. UNFORTUNATELY, HOLLYWOOD IS SHUT DOWN.” HE REMAINS POSITIVE, AND LOOKS FORWARD TO THEIR NEXT COLLABORATION AND VENTURE. “OPPORTUNITIES ARE STILL THERE, AND MAURICE IS AT THE TOP OF MY LIST. I KNOW IN MY SPIRIT HE WILL BE EXCEPTIONALLY SUCCESSFUL AND PAY IT FORWARD.” -ARTEZZ “BIG TEZZ” MORGAN

STORY BY J.D. AVANT // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

M

aurice Bailey sits behind

the mixing console at legendary Make Believe Studios, surrounded by an assortment of musicians and lyricists. Sapphire lights and candles illuminate the room, creating an atmosphere of melancholy creativity.

Bailey is comfortable in the dimness, his lean frame dressed headto-toe in black as he directs the players from behind the equipment.

Despite moody lighting, the artists are lively and energetic. They write lyrics and sample instruments searching for sounds to enhance the bluesy song “HumANIMALS,” by Bailey’s longtime friend and collaborator, Jonathan “L.P.” Brice.

“This record is off of my upcoming live debut album, The Tales of Rolley Stoney,” Brice said. “Maurice is the executive producer and co-engineer. We’re each other’s longest-lasting friend, so we’ve gone from best friends to business partners.”

One by one, different artists enter the booth, including singers, an orchestral bass player, and a string specialist strumming soulful, bluegrass chords on a Dobro resonator guitar. They find themselves at the mercy of Bailey’s thoughtful instruction as he records numerous takes of each performer’s effort, suggesting subtle changes to guitar licks, intonation, and timing to create the best sound.

“This is more of an engineering session for me,” Bailey said, radiating coolness even when maneuvering chords and wires on the mixing console. “Engineering is more technical. I enjoy creating and producing songs.”

Music has been a huge part of Bailey’s life since childhood. He credits multiple family members who assisted his melodic progressions like cousin Swehla Hunt, who taught him to play the piano, and his late grandmother, Ruby Roundtree, who gifted Bailey his first Casio keyboard.

“She was the spark,” he recalled. “My grandmother identified my love of instruments when I was young. I can remember playing along with the theme song of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? on that keyboard.”

His knack for recreating his favorite songs inspired Bailey to revamp the powerful gospel hymns his father and grandfather played during their concerts at local churches when he was a child.

45

// FEATURE //

A

fter reproducing a

multitude of his favorite tunes, including Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World,” and “Butterflies,” and numerous tracks from Dr. Dre’s album The Chronic, his cousin, Courtney Fullwood, encouraged the young musician to create his own songs.

Bailey would spend his high school years at Omaha Northwest honing his musicianship, taking inspiration from Prince to learn the guitar, and dabbling with the saxophone. His musical journey continued post-graduation, taking him to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, after a short stint at UNO in 2006.

“I wanted to concentrate on music technology, but UNO required playing the sax and being in the marching band,” Bailey said. “I wasn’t into that, so I decided to pursue my focus at Full Sail after a semester at UNO.” He attended Full Sail from 2007-2009, taking accelerated courses to achieve his bachelor’s degree in music business. Bailey appreciates his spell in Florida, which gave him essential in-studio time and valuable experience outside of Omaha. One lesson he takes to heart is the importance of making connections and linking with people to step into the music industry.

“Creating and maintaining a relationship is one of the biggest challenges,” Bailey said.

“I remember one professor saying if you don’t have the passion for this business, go work at McDonald’s.”

The start of Bailey’s professional career is hard to pinpoint, since his connections at Full Sail allowed him to submit music to different artists and repertoire agents immediately after graduating.

MORGAN WOULD ULTIMATELY DELIVER A MAJOR PROSPECT BAILEY’S WAY WITH A SONG PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR BET’S AMERICAN CRIME FAMILY DRAMA, CARL WEBER’S THE FAMILY BUSINESS.

// 46 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

“It took a while to find the right situation,” he recalled. “I originally had a song accepted for the movie Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, but that fell through. So, I just kept going.”

The young producer felt he was hitting a wall after moving back to Omaha from Florida, but excellent networking skills and a slight chip on his shoulder would pay off. He eventually found Fitted Music Publishing owner Artezz “Big Tezz” Morgan on LinkedIn in 2013. After researching Morgan’s history, Bailey reached out to ask the industry veteran how to break into the music business.

Fortunately, Morgan was in “talent scout mode.”

“Man, Maurice is the gift,” Morgan said from his home in Panorama City, California. A multi-talented songwriter and producer with over 20 years of experience in the music business, he has found success working with major publishers like Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

Morgan has worked with notable artists, including Bell Biv Devoe, En Vogue, and B.J. the Chicago Kid. His songs have made their way to Hollywood movie and network television soundtracks, including XXX: State of the Union, starring Ice Cube in 2005, and Shots Fired on FOX Network starring Sanaa Lathan in 2017. This was the relationship Bailey had been searching for.

“When Maurice reached out I was getting a lot of successful song placements. I wanted to venture out and form a roster of writers and producers with real musicianship,” Morgan said. Impressed with Bailey’s attitude and sincerity, they started a dialogue.

Eventually, Morgan offered to send some a cappella vocals via email for Bailey to build music around.

“I was kind of scared to send my music to someone I didn’t know, but I did it anyway,” Bailey admitted. The melodies Morgan received made him immediately take notice of the up-and-coming producer’s talent.

“This brother came back and took the song to a whole new galaxy,” Morgan said. “I had to pull over while driving on the highway in L.A. to take it in. His chord progressions and rock guitar was beautiful work.”

Morgan pursued an ongoing musical relationship with Bailey, motivated by the young producer’s consistency, morals, and the fact he’d found talent in a place not widely known for hip-hop and R&B. “I was blown away when I learned he was from Omaha,” Morgan said. “I had no idea black people were in Nebraska, and he’s doing this type of music? The musicians I’ve met through Maurice are eye-openers. I think his songs with Ria Gold are beautiful. They hit me in my soul.”

Morgan would ultimately deliver a major prospect Bailey’s way with a song placement opportunity for BET’s American crime family drama, Carl Weber’s The Family Business.

“I had the initial song since 2015,” Morgan said. “A beautiful Filipino girl, Roann Mesina, recorded vocals to the original music, but that producer was a head case. Since he’s Grammy-nominated with the platinum status, he wanted to charge a huge amount.

That’s why he isn’t getting song placements like he used to.”

Morgan decided to pull the track from the show until he could find a new musician to create a beat around the vocals.

Remembering the promising music he’d heard from Bailey, Morgan decided to send the a cappella to his new associate.

Bailey would exceed his expectations, creating a powerful, synth-tinged groove entitled “Trying to Prove Something.”

“Man, he brought it with that track,” Morgan said. “The rock guitars give the song a Rhianna-type feel. I think a major artist like her would appreciate him as a new artist building his signature sound.”

Morgan also commends Bailey’s ability to make quick adjustments despite their distance.

“Maurice’s quality of music was perfect and already mixed. I had some minor suggestions, but his track sounded great when played with the vocals. When I pitched the remixed song to the showrunners, it was immediately picked up. I got a lot of good feedback, and felt me and this brother are on a roll.”

After their song collaboration appeared on the series’ season finale, the hot music team was itching for their next project. A call from the music supervisor for the Oprah Winfrey Network series David Makes Man in 2019 would set things in motion for their next venture.

“Big placements draw more opportunities,” Morgan said, explaining how he pulled the previously recorded track due to disagreements with the producer.

“I was wondering who could add music in a timely manner.

Suddenly, Maurice popped up on my phone, asking what’s going on. I felt this guy is always on time!”

With vocals previously recorded by Anjolee the Free, Bailey went on to create a pumping track in his home studio in one night. Highlighted by glitzy bass and rising crescendos, their song “Life of a VIP” was a success.

“I was blown away,” Morgan said, admitting it can be tough working with collaborators remotely.

“Maurice has never failed and always comes [through] with music that’s dynamic and accessible. Once the deal is done, the song is plugged. We’re just sitting back asking, ‘where’s the bread?’”

Morgan has grown to trust and appreciate his Midwest collaborator.

He speaks of brotherhood and staying connected with a positive tribe so Bailey can learn the business and excel.

“MAN, HE BROUGHT IT WITH THAT TRACK. THE ROCK GUITARS GIVE THE SONG A RHIANNA TYPE FEEL. I THINK A MAJOR ARTIST LIKE HER WOULD APPRECIATE HIM AS A NEW ARTIST BUILDING HIS SIGNATURE SOUND.” -ARTEZZ “BIG TEZZ” MORGAN “We had some potential Disney film projects, but things were pushed back.

Unfortunately, Hollywood is shut down,” Morgan said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. He remains positive, and looks forward to their next collaboration and venture. “Opportunities are still there, and Maurice is at the top of my list. I know in my spirit he will be exceptionally successful and pay it forward.”

Bailey puts that energy to work in studio, preparing for his next professional undertaking. Fellow Full Sail graduate and Make Believe Studios owner Rick Carlson frequently opens the studio so the producer can chop up samples, edit vocals, and run recording sessions.

Along with his Alchemy Harmony Group mates L.P., Ria Gold, and guitarist Colin Smith, Bailey is motivated to create songs that will hit on a worldwide level. After finally meeting Morgan face-to-face in December 2019, he is committed to working with Omaha artists to make music worthy of television and film.

“Alchemy is transforming something negative into positive,” Bailey said when describing the name of his music group.

“With music, you have that ability. I want to create a space in the industry where you feel like you can trust people, surrounded by others that motivate you and have your best interests at heart. One of my favorite quotes to live by is, “Let me make them songs of the nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”

Visit mauricebaileyproductions. com for song links and booking information.

FARE WELL MAESTRO F E A T U R E / / S T O R Y B Y S C O T T S T E WA R T

OMAHA SYMPHONY MARKS CENTENNIAL WHILE PAYING TRIBUTE TO MUSICAL DIRECTOR WHO SHAPED ITS TRAJECTORY

H

allmark Channel movies have a certain rhythm to them.

The soundtrack cues the viewer on what emotion to feel—even if they forgot the plot of that particular film.

The same holds true for most action flicks, television shows, podcasts, and other artistic works. And, more often than not, that soundtrack features orchestral music. The tempo drives the narrative towards its eventual crescendo. The stopping of the music signals suspense—silence is eerie, and the story can’t go on long without it.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK JULY/AUGUST

// 49 //

2020

// FEATURE //

“T

hey don’t know how much symphonic music has already impacted their lives,” said Ernest Richardson, principal pops conductor of the Omaha Symphony.

“They don’t make blockbuster movies with soundtracks that feature rock-and-roll bands or didgeridoo consorts, it is a symphony orchestra, sometimes with a choir, because that is the most powerful, compelling sound that Western art has ever made.”

The Omaha Symphony is preparing to celebrate its centennial this upcoming season, even as the coronavirus pandemic has presented a challenge in the institution’s history. It also plans to honor the community that’s supported it over the decades and its outgoing music director, Thomas Wilkins, who has pushed the symphony to greater heights.

“The arts represent the soul of the community,” said Jennifer Boomgaarden, the symphony’s president and CEO. “When we think about music, we are able to help celebrate. We are able to help connect. We are able to help more. We are able to help a city evolve and find the best in itself. That is one of those really unique powers that music has.”

Wilkins will step down at the end of the 2020-2021 season, but he won’t leave the orchestra world. He plans to continue in other roles, including working with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, teaching at Indiana University, and guest conducting.

“I am having to say ‘no’ to some things that I want to say ‘yes’ to,” Wilkins said.

“I have always believed that after a period of time, an orchestra and a community deserve a new and a different voice.”

Wilkins has spent the last several years commuting from his home in Florida to Omaha; Boston; and Bloomington, Indiana, although he praised the time his family spent living in Omaha and the resources the city has available, including the Holland Performing Arts Center.

As music director, Wilkins has guided that evolution. He has been the artistic steward of the symphony, shaping its direction and leading the team that chooses programming and guest performers. He has grown the orchestra’s core to 42 musicians and been the organization’s main conductor.

“Omaha prides itself on being exceptional,” Wilkins said. “It was just a tremendous blessing for us to be a part of that community, because that community embraced us with open arms.

It made it easy to live there, and it made it easy to love living there.”

Wilkins has served the Omaha Symphony in his role since 2005— making him the longest-tenured music director in the organization’s history.

Danielle Meier, vice president of artistic administration and a double bassist, said Wilkins gives the players the guidance they need and the freedom to be an artist.

“It’s really about commitment and passion and believing that those things go into every single thing that you do,” Wilkins said. “That’s the thing that really separates the great artists from the pedestrian.”

“Artistic growth has been something that he has been championing since the moment he stepped on the podium,” Meier said. “He really allows the music to happen.”

Richardson said the maestro is a remarkable person on and off the podium.

“With Thomas, it’s hard to separate the character of the man from the quality of the conductor,” he said. “It’s the depth of who is he as a person and how that is reflected in his musicianship and his leadership as the music director that has shaped this time that he has been here. He’s changed this organization for the better. He’s changed my life for the better.”

Wilkins plans to celebrate his time in Omaha with the 2020-2021 centennial season. He has invited several of his friends to perform, including legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and musical group Pink Martini.

The season is scheduled to begin with a free event Sept. 12 at Turner Park in Midtown Crossing, featuring patriotic pieces such as “Stars and Stripes Forever” and cinematic favorites including a selection from the Star Wars films.

The season includes the orchestra playing along to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Nov. 28-29), Mary Poppins (Feb. 21) and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (April 30-May 1), as well as a program of popular Broadway tunes (Oct. 17-18), the music of Carousel (Jan. 23-24), and “Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra” (Sept. 18-19) by John Williams—considered among greatest film composers of all time.

“John Williams cannot just be a movie theater experience but also a Holland Center experience,” Meier said. “Our hundredth anniversary season is a reminder that classical music is for everyone, the symphony is for Williams.”

WILKINS PLANS TO CELEBRATE HIS TIME IN OMAHA WITH THE 2020-2021 CENTENNIAL SEASON. HE HAS INVITED SEVERAL OF HIS FRIENDS TO PERFORM, INCLUDING LEGENDARY CELLIST YO-YO MA, SAXOPHONIST BRANFORD MARSALIS, AND MUSICAL GROUP PINK MARTINI. // 50 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

The symphony makes it a point to bring its sound throughout the community in a variety of educational and outreach efforts, in addition to offering a wide range of programming.

“If you broke the orchestra down and you followed each musician throughout the day, you would not only see them practice and going to rehearsal, but you would also see them working with students,” Meier said. “You would see them going to hospice or Children’s Hospital to play for residents. You would see them performing chamber music.

You would see them using the thing that they love the most in order to make Omaha a better place.”

Excellence, education, and collaboration are the core values of the Omaha Symphony, and those values drive its efforts to impact the community, Boomgaarden said. Those values have also been critical to the organization surviving the challenges it has faced in its past.

The Omaha Symphony was founded in 1921, although several civic orchestras preceded it. Operations were suspended in 1932, during the Great Depression, but resumed in 1936. World War II again caused it to pause, but Henry Doorly—along with the Associated Retailers of Omaha and Omaha Junior League—rebuilt the orchestra as a full symphony after the war.

Boomgaarden credits the organization’s ability to adapt for its longevity, along with the support of its community. Those virtues were also on display during the financial crisis of 2008.

Orchestras with better financing serving larger communities than Omaha faltered during the crisis, Wilkins said. Omaha Symphony’s approach was making smart decisions—limiting spending while preserving as many jobs as possible—and it made the organization stronger.

“We were really blessed to be in Omaha because Omaha is a community that believes in giving and believes in supporting the arts,” Wilkins said. “That period solidified the entire organization, including the board of directors and every member of the orchestra, because we knew what a challenge it was. We saw the worst effects in artistic organizations across the country all around us.”

Omaha was well positioned to weather the crisis, in part because it could see the writing on the wall. But knowing a storm is coming doesn’t mean you’re prepared, and Omaha stepped up— once again—to financially support its cultural institutions, including its symphony orchestra.

“A community that is going to support something for 100 years is a pretty special community,” Boomgaarden said.

Richardson has spent the bulk of his career in Omaha, moving here to become a conductor in 1993. He points to the community’s many other successes—its Fortune 500 companies, the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, and, all the more evident this year, the University of Nebraska Medical Center—that were quietly built over decades of investment.

“We keep building what become leading organizations,” Richardson said. “It is one thing to have the idea, which is a miracle, but it’s another thing to have it sustain over time and have it grow and have Omaha be the center of so many different, but now world-class, organizations. It is an amazing thing, and it’s something that I never take for granted about this community.”

Now the symphony, along with the rest of the community, faces a new crisis: COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, along with associated physical distancing and bans on large public gatherings that accompanied it, which curtailed the symphony’s 2019-2020 season.

This time around, the symphony has some advantages, including technology that allows it to bring music into peoples’ homes directly via its website, livestreams, and social media. The suddenness of the distancing requirements also has fueled pent-up demand for togetherness.

While it’s unclear what long-term effect the coronavirus will have on the symphony, or musical performances more generally, Boomgaarden said the pandemic has forced organizers to think differently.

“Our concert hall right now is quiet, but I would say the organization is very much active and very much alive,” Boomgaarden said. “There’s a need for what we do right now. I think people crave it. I think there’s a hunger for it— this ability to engage in things that are beautiful, things that are thoughtful, and things that connect directly with me as an individual.”

It’s a matter of finding a delivery mechanism. Recently, that’s been social media, recorded concerts, videos by musicians at home, and even a virtual classroom. The symphony has doubled down on its commitment to engage the community and encourage learning about music.

When it does return to recital halls, Wilkins doesn’t believe it will be the same.

“It may look slightly different than it looked 10 years ago. It may look profoundly different than it did 10 years ago. But it won’t look exactly the same,” Wilkins said.

Richardson believes there will always be a need to gather to enjoy the collaboration among performers and the audience. The city will come together to enjoy the Omaha Symphony once again, he said.

“Humans haven’t gone through this genetic change that suddenly means that we’re no longer social, we no longer care about music,” Richardson said. “Great music prepares the heart and the soul for great truth, and that truth can come in all different sizes and packages, and it can be very specific to the person who is listening to the music. But we will never change our core nature of wanting epiphany, appreciating beauty—that’s not going to change.”

Visit omahasymphony.org for more information.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

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P R O F I L E // ST O R Y B Y J O E L ST E V E N S

H I ST O R Y I N T H E

FILMMAKING B R I G I T T E T I M M E RM A N D O C U M E N T S N E B RA S K A N S

P H O T O G RA P H Y B Y B I L L S I T Z M A N N // D E S I G N B Y M AT T W I E C Z O R E K

F I L M , I T I S O F T E N S A I D , I S A C O L L A B O R AT I V E E N D E AV O R .

Brigitte Timmerman took that axiom to heart for her first feature-length documentary.

The Omaha-based director, writer, and producer of UmoNhoN Iye: The Omaha Speaking, her film on the Omaha Nation’s native language, was made with the full support and blessing of the Macy, Nebraska-based tribe. The film focuses on the Omaha’s fluent-speaking elders, their reflections on growing up with their native language, outsiders’ many efforts to phase it out, and the importance of language preservation in reclaiming cultural identity.

Timmerman came into the project with little awareness of the issue. She left with an award-winning film that’s both a historical record and an educational tool.

“All of the editing and interviews were controlled by the elders and how they wanted to tell their story, not me,” Timmerman said of her Omaha tribe-approved production.

T I M M E RM A N CAME INTO THE PROJECT WITH LITTLE AWA R E N E S S O F THE ISSUE. SHE LEFT WITH AN AWA R D -W I N N I N G FILM THAT’S BOTH A H I ST O R I C A L RECORD AND AN E D U C AT I O N A L TOOL.

“It was imperative that they be documented in the way they wanted to be documented and recorded. This was their voice and I wanted to make sure their voice was heard.

That was the most important thing to me for the documentary.”

After three years of work, UmoNhoN Iye debuted in 2018 to rave reviews. It was picked up in April for streaming by Amazon Prime after winning Best Documentary at the Red Nation International Film Festival in Los Angeles and Outstanding Documentary at The Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s Western Heritage Awards in Oklahoma City.

The film, which is narrated by actor and comedian Tatanka Means, eschews the well-documented issues of alcoholism, drug abuse, and poverty on reservations and remains hopeful and positive. The power of language in the face of shifting cultural identities comes across in almost every vintage photograph and the dozens of interviews, many in the native Omaha language.

“I knew almost right away there was a very important, historical documentary here,” Timmerman said. “Hopefully it will last the test of the time and people will go and view it years from now for historical purposes. It has a lot of historical value that was really guided by the elders.”

A self-described ranch kid, Timmerman grew up rodeo barrel racing in Springfield, and graduated from Gretna High School in 1987. While working in marketing and advertising in Chicago, she joined the Chicago Filmmakers Co-op. It was in the labs and workshops with other aspiring filmmakers where she discovered her passion for documentary storytelling.

“It was an awesome experience,” she said.

“The classes and networking were an incredibly valuable experience. It was a great opportunity to get in touch with the independent film community.”

When Timmerman returned to Omaha in 2012 she joined the Nebraska Film Association. She is currently the president of the organization that brings local filmmakers together and advocates for tax incentives to lure more film and television productions to the state.

It was in 2015 that she was first approached

by John Pappan, a friend and member of the tribe, with a request she record his 87-yearold father, one of a handful of remaining Omaha speakers.

In all, she recorded 14 Omaha speakers for the project. Eight have passed since she interviewed them.

Native American culture has always been close to Timmerman’s heart. She spent the spring and summers of her childhood on her family’s ranch in the Sandhills, “across the road” from the Pine Ridge Reservation. She also helped out on a documentary on Pine Ridge and during the making of UmoNhoN Iye she was ceremoniously adopted into an Omaha Nation family.

Timmerman’s first film, a short documentary called Sandhills Cowboy, was an intimate portrait of a working cowboy in Cody, Nebraska, whose poetry speaks to the stark beauty and isolation of the region.

“I just felt like I couldn’t say no,” Timmerman said of taking on the Omaha language project. “As much work as it was, I was close to this tribe, and how important it was as historical preservation, it just took a life of its own. But it also took a lot of patience in developing the trust and relationships.

It felt like something that had to be done.

Somebody had to do it.” continued on page 60

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 53 //

I t’ s a m e t h odology t h a t has s e rved her w e l l as she m ov ed from a d ecorated p l a yer at E l k h orn High S c h ool — c u l minating i n a s tate c h am pio n ship f o r her tea m a n d over 100 g o a ls in t h ree years.

// 54 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

SPORTS // STORY BY CHRIS HATCH PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

KNOWN FOR SPEED

There is the art Skylar Heinrich creates when she is painting; the gentle discourse between brush and canvas as she stares out at the morning sun shimmering off the stillness of Youngman Lake.

Then there is the art she creates when she is on the pitch; the frenetic, attacking blur of her cleats as they weave across the artificial turf towards the defense at Morrison Stadium under the artificial full moon of stadium lights on full blast.

Same artist. Different mediums.

“I got into an art class my freshman year of high school. I have been doing it, casually, ever since...when I have time. I’ll start a project, just because it works a different side of my brain,” said the Creighton sophomore majoring in biology who hopes to become a veterinarian.

When the reigning Big East freshman of the year is on the pitch, analyzing the line of the defense and then scorching the field on her way towards the goal, she’s constantly moving. So, it’s in the quiet moments, when she gets that rare time to catch her breath, to enjoy that two-syllable moment of college athlete bliss called down time that she gets to pull out her easel and exercise in a whole other way.

“I tend to paint at the end of the day. I would do it in between stuff as a little break. I always did my workouts in the morning, I would go paint outside and then come in to do homework.”

While her newest form of self-expression involves color palettes and the unique perspective of capturing a moment or an emotion, her old love—the one that she’s been playing since she was kicking a size 3 ball around in her backyard with her older sister—was almost always there.

Almost.

“I quit for a little bit,” she said, laughing.

“When I got hit in the face by the ball. And I remember thinking ‘this is not my sport’.”

Fear of facial ricochets behind her, she climbed the ranks of youth soccer in Omaha, starting out in her local recreational league.

Like any art, though, Heinrich’s game took time to develop and patience to form, and it found itself in need of a place to be showcased.

When she tried to make the leap to a more competitive division, she didn’t make the team.

“I [initially] played for a rec team, and when it came time for select, I actually did not make the team and the coach said ‘actually we don’t have any spots for you.’”

Heinrich wasn’t the type to be discouraged.

She had her blank canvas when she joined a new team in Elkhorn, and she was determined to get to work.

Work, she did. Even having her parents drive her for hours at a time to get her to a developmental program in Kansas City.

“If someone would’ve asked us if we’d consider driving to K.C. three times a week for soccer, the answer would have been a hard ‘Not a chance’,” said Heinrich’s father, Kevin. “But we did, and if all things were equal I’d do it again. Getting to spend the time, even driving, with your teenager was pretty special.”

When she’s standing in front of her paintings, she starts small. Humble. Then she puts in the work.

“I kind of just see where it goes,” said Heinrich. “I always start off with a little pattern that I think of and then I get going and think ‘Oh, this could look cool’ and it always starts off with a plan and I just go from there.”

It’s a methodology that has served her well as she moved from a decorated player at Elkhorn High School—culminating in a state championship for her team and over 100 goals in three years—to her time spent in FC Kansas City’s Development Academy. It’s what has allowed her to continue to excel in her time at Creighton, where she found herself notching 11 goals and two assists.

This human perpetual motion machine finds a stillness with a brush in her hand that defenders and opposing coaches wish they saw between the lines.

Along the way, Heinrich’s brought her friends, putting up assists numbers that have nothing to do with a ball, or feet, or putting one into the net. Whether they’re willing participants, or looking at their own paintings with raised eyebrows and the side-to-side head vibrato of a true skeptic, like her family pet.

“My dog would just look at me the entire time like, ‘this is what you do for fun? Really?’.”

“I was really impressed, it was really good, nothing like the art projects I recall from art class. Now we have some of her paintings framed and on the wall in our house,” said her father about some of her early work and how it’s progressed.

At the end of her painting sessions, Heinrich likes to trade canvasses in a kind of paint-stained handoff that has since become a tradition. Artwork from many of Heinrich’s friends ends up on her dorm room wall, a rogue’s gallery of pieces passed, given, and gathered, a constellation of creation for any passersby to see from her constantly open door.

and Finding t i m e f o r still lifes

With both her team and her park painting sessions curtailed by the uncertainty of the coronavirus this spring, she found herself in the choppy waters of the unknown.

Working out solo, painting from the back porch of her house, waiting for the time when she can bring her unique flair back to the pitch and back to the paint.

“I have a soccer field that’s about five minutes away. I’ve been using that a lot to get in my juggling [the soccer ball] and fitness stuff everyday.”

With all her past successes, she’s already found the perfect frame. Her blank sheet awaits. Now, all she needs is someone to hand her the brush.

Visit gocreighton.com/sports/womens-soccer for more information

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 55 //

GIVING

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Children’s Hospital & Medical Center will be the recipients of this event, which will be hosted by Steve Lundy and Gina Melton with the KAT 103.7 morning show. DJs EJ and Hoss Michaels will broadcast live from Children’s lobby.

July 11 OWL RIDE Benefiting: Meyer Foundation for Disabilities Location: Lewis & Clark Landing —owlride.org

July 20 THE FAIR DEAL OPEN GOLF OUTING Benefitting: The Fair Deal Location: Oak Hills Country Club —@TheFairDealOpen on Facebook

July 27-Aug. 2 PINNACLE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP Benefitting: TeamMates Location: The Club at Indian Creek —thepinnaclebankchampionship.com

July 13 ANGELS AMONG US/BLAND CARES GOLF OUTING Benefiting: Angels Among Us Location: Champions Run —myangelsamongus.org

July 20 THE FAIR DEAL OPEN DINNER Benefitting: The Fair Deal Location: Oak Hills Country Club —@TheFairDealOpen on Facebook

July 27 HELP BUILD A HOUSE GOLF EVENT Benefiting: Gesu Housing Location: Champions Run —gesuhousing.com

July 17 WINE, WOMEN & SHOES Benefitting: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Location: Omaha Design Center —winewomenandshoes.com

July 23 DAIRY QUEEN MIRACLE TREAT DAY Benefitting: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Location: Participating stores —childrensomaha.org

July 29 SONGS & SUDS Benefitting: Merrymakers Location: Champions Club —merrymakers.org

July 18 PURPLESTRIDE OMAHA 2019 Benefiting: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Location: Online only —pancan.org

July 27 SWING 4 KIDS GOLF BENEFIT Benefitting: Partnership 4 Kids Location: Tiburon Golf Club —p4k.org

// 56 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

July 29-31 NEBRASKA GREATS GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefitting: Omaha Home for Boys Location: Dismal River Club in Mullen, Nebraska —omahahomeforboys.org

// GIVING CALENDAR //

July 30 TASTES & TREASURES Benefitting: Salvation Army Location: The Field Club of Omaha —centralusa.salvationarmy.org July 30-31 A-CROSS AMERICA RELAY FOR LIFE! Benefitting: LIFE Runners Location: TBD —liferunners.org/across Aug. 1 HEAD FOR THE CURE 5K RUN/WALK Benefiting: Head for the Cure Foundation Location: Lewis & Clark Landing —headforthecure.org Aug. 1 SPIRIT OF COURAGE GALA Benefitting: Jenny Edmundson Foundation Location: Mid-America Center —jehfoundation.org Aug. 2 WALK & RALLY FOR HOPE Benefitting: ALS in the Heartland Location: Baxter Arena —alsintheheartland.org Aug. 3 QLI GOLF CHALLENGE Benefitting: QLI Location: The Player’s Club at Deer Creek —teamqli.com Aug. 7 FAIRWAYS FORE AIRWAYS Benefiting: Lungs4Life Foundation Location: Tiburon Golf Club —lungs4lifefoundation.org Aug. 7 STEP OUT FOR SENIORS WALK-A-THON Benefiting: Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging Location: Benson Park —stepoutforseniors.weebly.com Aug. 8 HAULIN’ BALES 5K Benefitting: Omaha Home for Boys —omahahomeforboys.org Aug. 13-18 BLACK TIE & TAILS (VIRTUAL) Benefitting: Nebraska Humane Society Location: Online —nehumanesociety.org

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JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 57 //

// GIVING CALENDAR //

Aug. 15 JDRF ONE WALK Benefitting: TD Ameritrade Location: TD Ameritrade Park —jdrf.org

Savor the experience

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Aug. 16 30TH ANNUAL CORPORATE CYCLING CHALLENGE Benefitting: Eastern Nebraska Trails Network Location: Heartland of America Park —showofficeonline.com Aug 20 SUMMER BASH FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER Benefiting: Metro Area Youth Foundation Location: Embassy Suites-La Vista —nebraskaoptimists.org Aug. 20 ISC WORLD BASH Benefitting: Intercultural Senior Center Location: St. Robert Bellarmine Mainelli Center —interculturalseniorcenter.org

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JULY/AUGUST 2020

Aug. 28 FORE! THE CHILDREN GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefitting: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Location: Tiburon Golf Course —childrensomaha.com Event times and details may change.

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// 59 //

// P R O F I L E // “ T H E B E ST C O M P L I M E N T I EVER GOT ON THE F I L M WA S S O M E O N E TOLD ME, ‘THIS FILM MAKES ME PROUD TO BE OMAHA.’”

Thanks Omaha for over 30 Years! ®

continued from page 53 UmoNhoN Iye took three years to complete. Timmerman brought on Scott Conrad, who won an Academy Award for editing Rocky, to help carve the story out of her nearly 50 hours of footage down to its 67 minute running time.

“I figured there was no way he’d take my project, but it turned out he was an advocate for Native American issues,” she said of Conrad. “The first thing he said was he wanted to do something to help Native Americans. He took it as a passion project.”

The hours of footage that didn’t make it into the film has since been donated to the Omaha Nation schools to use in their cultural education.

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“The best compliment I ever got on the film was someone told me, ‘This film makes me proud to be Omaha,’” Timmerman said.

Timmerman has plenty of irons in her filmmaking fire. In addition to playing a small role in an upcoming horror film, she’s currently penning a screenplay that combines her interest in Native culture and the environment.

“It’s a story set in a dystopian future with an activist and her family that must find a Native American community for survival,” she said of the script she hopes to complete in May. As for her nonfiction films, she has no shortage of material she’s circling. She hopes to return to the Sandhills for another story on Native American culture somewhere down the road. She also has been following a group of American Indian Movement (AIM) activists in Minnesota and would love to do something on mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“There’s always something out there,” Timmerman said. “The thing with documentaries is you have to spend a couple years on it, so you have to really be intrigued by the subject matter.”

Visit theomahaspeaking.com for more information. // 60 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

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// 60 PLUS //

Gwen Lemke Mom, Entrepreneur, and Saleswoman Extraordinaire My mom, Gwen, is retiring from Omaha Publications. She has worked the past 69 years of her life, starting at age 15 as an elevator girl for the Blackstone Hotel. My mom has set an example of discipline and work my entire life. And what a successful and varied work life example she has given to me and my brothers. She taught dance lessons, owned an insurance agency, and owned one of Omaha’s largest real estate companies, before spending 20-plus years at Omaha Magazine. Mom lives in Plattsmouth, but was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave. She taught us “work comes first.”

I grew up in an entrepreneurial family where I was encouraged to take chances and live by the golden rule. Mom never offered excuses, only opportunities. I remember when Mom wanted to retire after her real estate days, but I approached her with needing help selling small ads in high school sporting programs. Without hesitation, she said yes, and turned into one of our top, and most consistent, salespeople, producing sales across nearly all of our 20-plus publications. Thank you, Mom. Many of you know my mother for her passion and compassion when helping companies with marketing—whether it was print display space, emails and web ads, or programmatic advertising. She tackled each new project with an open mind, curiosity, and vigor. Mom was our associate editor for this section called “60-Plus in Omaha,” and she conceived and coordinated our popular “Prime Time” section every January.

I was often asked “Todd when do you plan to retire?.” My answer was always the same, “I can’t. How would it look to retire before my mom?.” These last several years Mom lost my father, Ray, and my youngest brother, Tyler, yet remained positive and engaged. She misses them both immensely, but also knows she must stay active and connected. Mom is always there for every family member. She has been the example of compassion and encouragement.

Mom you have paid your dues, job well done.

You have set the bar high, and now is the time to take some time for yourself.

Todd Lemke

Publisher

JULY/AUGUST 2020 • 60PLUS

// 61 //

h

�ever Too �ld to �ream Theater Newcomer Wows Omaha Arts Community 60+ ACTIVE LIVING // STORY BY JOSEFINA LOZA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

S

ome might say time is humans’ most precious commodity. If people are living longer than ever before, and retiring younger than ever before, one would want to fill that time with activities that heighten his or her quality of life.

“I’ve always tried to be a people-pleaser by putting on an act,” she joked. “I never thought of myself as an actress. I didn’t want to be a movie star, nor did I ever believe that something like this would happen to me.”

Yet, so often, people dedicate so much time to their daily routines; they forget their passions and the importance of learning new skills.

Karen spoke of how quickly she went from being a student to earning a lead role in a local production after taking one acting class.

Theater newcomer Karen Fox of Bellevue said people should find a hobby that nurtures their interests. Most importantly, they should try new things, even if they are reluctant at first.

Her straight-laced career had been focused in her role as an administrator. Her last position, until her 2016 retirement, was working for a housing management company. A typical retirement day for Karen was filled with friends and social engagements. More often than not, she spent the day at her friend’s beauty shop gabbing about random things to make the time pass.

Her daughter, Krystal Fox, urged Karen to explore her hidden talents. She invited Karen to skydive. That was a no-go. She invited her to the gun range. Nope, not for Karen.

“She’s very insistent,” Karen said.

Finally, she took an Omaha Community Playhouse acting class with her daughter.

Karen, who is 62 and had never been on stage before, enjoyed attending productions. But to be the center of attention? “Whoa,” she exclaimed. This was going to be new.

Acting was never something Karen dreamed of doing.

That is until Krystal encouraged her to shake up her routine, which eventually led to the acting class they took together.

“If anything,” Krystal would say, “think of it as an experience.”

“I had so much fun,” Karen stated. “The teacher was so complimentary and supportive.” She did not think anything more of the class after it concluded.

Krystal was impressed with her mother’s talent and began sending her audition announcements as a way of urging her to try out for parts that seemed right.

“The process seemed a bit overwhelming,” Karen said. A year passed, and one day she heard a play announcement for A Raisin in the Sun. A special role in the production caught her eye.

“It has somebody my age,” she said of the character. “Let me go try out, I thought. I was just going to think of it as an experience and go for it.”

She debated whether she was good enough.

She wondered if she would make the right impression. She worried she wouldn’t get the part.

After much internal discussion, she decided, why not? Why not take a chance? What’s the worst that could happen?

The audition day came. Karen didn’t tell a single person where she was going.

Nothing to fear now. Secretly, she attended the Omaha Community Playhouse audition for the role of Lena Younger, the matriarch of a South Side Chicago family in the 1950s. In the production of A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers have received an insurance payout they know can enhance their lives, but the family debates how the money should be spent.

Karen was attracted to the role because she fit the age range and had a historical perspective.

JULY/AUGUST 2020 • 60PLUS

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// 60+ ACTIVE LIVING //

She was raised by a modest family in Denver.

“We grew up kind of poor, close to the projects,” she explained. “By the time I was going to school, we moved into a different area in town.

“We were one of the first black families in Park Hill,” she continued. “We were one of the first black families to go to school there when districts began integrating students in the 1960s.

“At the time, we didn’t know we were paving a path for others,” she said. “My older brother probably did. He took the brunt of it because he has darker skin. I was too young to understand or be affected by [racist attitudes].”

She recalled a time when a man accused her older brother of peeping in his family’s window. Her father worked as a window washer and had her brother alongside him that day, so he knew the man was lying.

The frightful accusation opened dialogue in her family to have tough conversations about race.

Reflecting on the play, Karen said it was beautiful and helped people understand certain things. Some of the material involved in the theatrical—racism, red lining, poverty, and more—were sometimes tough to digest.

“With Karen being kind of like the seasoned one of the group, she had those personal experiences that she was able to translate on stage in a way that everyone could relate to,” said Omaha actor David Terrell Green, who played Walter in the production.

During the audition, Karen reflected upon her lived experiences and read the lines provided to her. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes because the emotions and memories were all too real. Days later, she received a callback to read a few more lines and was subsequently offered the role as Lena Younger.

“I thought they were going to call me to let me down easy, but instead the offered it to me,” she said. “I screamed [with delight] over the phone.”

In her first production, she landed a signature role, an achievement in which her entire family took pride. She furthered her theater education with director Tyrone Beasley, who selected her for the callback because she was “such a natural.”

“Tyrone always encourages [people] to be natural and authentic with the acting,” Karen said.

Green said she was perfect for the part.

“She is graceful, [and] has a very warm presence about her,” he said.

Her supportive family—daughter Krystal, and sons Jason, James, and Ja Keen—celebrated the accomplishment.

In fact, they have been supportive of everything that Karen has done.

Karen’s voice raised a few octaves as she spoke of her husband, James. The couple met in 1983 on Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado, where James was stationed. “It was a whirlwind romance,” she said.

Shortly after the couple met, James received orders that he would be transferring. They didn’t want to be apart. So, in 10 days of knowing one another, he proposed and she accepted.

“We met and fell in love,” she explained.

“We’ve been married for 37 years. Let’s just say we had a lot of getting to know one another.”

The couple moved to Bellevue in 1992.

“James is very supportive of me,” Karen said. “When he saw me acting, he said, ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’ Ha! Neither did I.” Her 63-year-old husband drove her to rehearsals, which were eight hours a day, six days a week. The couple never missed a day.

She enjoyed acting because she was, “In a character that really was not me,” she said.

“A lot of it was but a lot of it wasn’t. I’ve never been that wise nor could I entertain people the way that she did.”

IN HER FIRST PRODUCTION, SHE LANDED A SIGNATURE ROLE, AN ACHIEVEMENT IN WHICH HER ENTIRE FAMILY TOOK PRIDE. SHE FURTHERED HER THEATER EDUCATION WITH DIRECTOR TYRONE BEASLEY, WHO SELECTED HER FOR THE CALLBACK BECAUSE SHE WAS “SUCH A NATURAL.” // 64 //

60PLUS • JULY/AUGUST 2020

But entertain she did those early January dates in 2020.

Although she didn’t get stage fright, she said there were a few moments while performing that she was caught off guard.

“The only time I had a problem is if I looked directly out and saw someone’s face in the audience. But I didn’t want to throw myself out of this play and into reality.

So, I avoided looking at the crowd until I became more comfortable on stage.”

“I think it’s no secret that a lot of people were shocked that this was her first time acting,” Green said. “The way she was able to dominate on the stage you’d think she was a veteraness. It was incredible to sit back and watch her as a fan.”

Lena Younger was a pivotal character, as she was the pillar of strength that held her family together. She was loving, but not in a mushy way. More like in a tough-love, straightforward kind of way.

Karen is the matriarch of her family and continues to care for them in the same loving manner as Lena. She said of her four adult children, three still live at home.

Karen hopes to continue acting, but only if the right part comes along. She suggested other retirees open their minds and hearts to the idea of trying their hand at the creative arts.

“It’s going to keep your brain and body active, especially being around people in our retirement age,” she said.

She said those who are physically capable should, “be around people, and young people at that. Don’t just sit around at home and wait until you can’t move anymore. Get out there and find something you like and that interests you. Who knows? It might even lead to you helping other people.”

Green agreed with Karen’s advice.

He said: “Get out of your head. You have to get out of your head. A lot of times we stop ourselves from jumping in to have these amazing experiences and from growing. There are plenty of success stories from people who were considered ‘too old.’ If you’re willing to do [or] learn something new, just do it. Who says that because you reach a certain age you have to just sit down?”

Visit omahaplayhouse.com for more information about future performances.

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A LWA Y S L O C A L, S H O R T- T E R M R E H A B I L I TAT I O N

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SKILLED NURSING

A LWA Y S B E A U T I F U L.

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60+ HEALTH // STORY BY JENNA GABRIAL GALLAGHER // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

In Tune With Her Clients

Music Therapist Connects with Older Adults to Help Chronic Conditions hen Emily Wadhams’ audience W falls asleep while she’s performing for them, she considers the gig a success.

“Honestly, it means I’ve done my job,” Wadhams said. A board-certified music therapist and founder of Omaha Music Therapy, she has worked with clients age 2 months to 103 years, using music to achieve nonmusical goals.

With older adults, those goals can include pain management, tremor-calming, memory recall, relaxation, mood and quality-of-life enhancement, coordination and balance improvement, and an increase in general engagement.

Wadhams said that music therapy reaches people in a way that drugs often can’t, citing an experience with a patient who has Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

“He loves his Joni Mitchell and his Bob Dylan and when I come in, he recognizes me because of my guitar,” she recalled. “A nurse was in his room doing an assessment on a recent visit. She said that he’d been trembling uncontrollably before I arrived, and his tremors stopped almost completely the moment the music started.”

Music therapy evolved into a profession in the 1940s when the first music therapy college training programs were created. Since then, numerous studies have shown the benefits of music therapy for people of all ages and with practically every conceivable condition. “Music uses and stimulates every part of the brain and changes it to make connections that weren’t there before or have been lost,” Wadhams explained, noting that, in addition to esoteric academic research, there are hundreds of videos on YouTube that illustrate this in research labs and care facilities all over the world. “You can practically see the different areas of the brain lighting up when it hears music.”

Monica Tvrdy, director of patient and family services at Hillcrest Hospice Care, said her team finds music therapy particularly helpful in enhancing quality of life for patients with issues of depression, // 66 //

60PLUS • JULY/AUGUST 2020

isolation, anxiety, agitation, and falling. “For example, we had one patient who was often anxious, but had a love for Elvis. After the initial assessment, Emily told me this patient was talking to her and answering questions during the music therapy session. The sessions are the one time the patient is truly verbal and able to communicate how she is feeling.”

Of this patient, Wadhams added, “Besides Elvis, she loves hymns, and sometimes angry girl music like [the song] ‘These Boots Were Made for Walking.’ As soon as I walk in, she goes from over-the-top anxious to her whole body calming down. I love pulling out new music and seeing what she will respond to.”

Wadhams chooses different instruments for different needs. “If my client likes to play guitar or sing, we can really jam out. It’s great for lung capacity and fine motor skills. But, if someone is no longer ambulatory, maybe I’ll put a drum under their feet, and the movement of their feet helps them engage in the session,” she said. “Also, for those with Parkinson’s, drumming can help provide a successful musical experience without the patient having to worry about their tremors. Or for traumatic brain injury and stroke patients, establishing and maintaining a rhythm can help them regain some of those brain connections that had been lost.”

Wadhams said it’s always about meeting clients where they are. Even when she and her staff can’t do it physically.

During the COVID-19 quarantine, Omaha Music Therapy, which has clients as far away as Grand Island, has expanded their remote therapy capabilities. “We definitely find ourselves being creative in ways that we weren’t before.

We’ve done hallway music therapy because we couldn’t go into the rooms of clients due to social distancing. We’ve done therapy over the phone or via Zoom with a bucket and a spoon. It’s just a matter of thinking outside the box.”

With a couple of exceptions (such as Frank Sinatra, whom she prefers to play from iTunes—after all, when a client wants to hear Ol’ Blue Eyes, nothing else will do), Wadhams will sing and play any genre from any decade: from classical to country, from spiritual to soul. “Johnny Cash is a big favorite,” she said with a tender smile, recalling one of her early hospice patients who was quietly slipping away. “I played ‘Ring of Fire’ for her and she opened her eyes and smiled, and told me and her son that she’d gone to see Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis in concert when she was 14 years old. After that, whenever I played Johnny Cash, she would open her eyes and give us these little snippets of her life.”

Tess Fogarty, whose aunt Nancy Fogarty, Ph.D., was a longtime client of Omaha Music Therapy following her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, said that sometimes her aunt would fall asleep to the music, while other times she got involved. “Nancy always had a smile on her face, but when she saw Emily, she had an extra smile.

My daughter used to say that her eyes would get glittery.”

Fogarty said that music therapy was as beneficial for the family as it was for Nancy. “Emily was a critical member of the care team. She would email us after each session and let us know what Nancy was responding to and what she wasn’t.

She helped Nancy in 1,000 different ways, but she helped us, too.”

Sometimes, that help comes in unexpected forms. Wadhams recalled one such time, playing at the bedside of a hospice patient, surrounded by the lady’s family who were passing around tissue boxes and crying. “I had never met this patient and I didn’t know anything about her, so I asked if they could tell me any of her favorite songs. One of her kids said, ‘Do you know “Purple People Eater”?’ It told me so much about her. [The patient] was someone who loved to laugh and wanted there to be laughter in her final moments. So that’s what we sang.”

Because laughter and music are medicine.

“A NURSE WAS IN HIS ROOM DOING AN ASSESSMENT ON A RECENT VISIT. SHE SAID THAT HE’D BEEN TREMBLING UNCONTROLLABLY BEFORE I ARRIVED, AND HIS TREMORS STOPPED ALMOST COMPLETELY THE MOMENT THE MUSIC STARTED.” Emily Wadhams

“As far as my music, I am just going to throw it out there and if people like it I’ll be very happy.

If they don’t like it that is cool too.”

Grover Lipkins

60+ PROFILE // story by Liz Stevens // photography By Bill Sitzmann // design by Derek Joy

Just Keep Groovin’ T

GROVER LIPKINS ANSWERS THE CALL TO MUSIC

here aren’t many days where local music legend Groovin’ Grover Lipkins isn’t playing one of his Fender Stratocaster guitars. The instruments call to him, Lipkins said.

Lipkins first heard the call to play music at age 7, when his brother brought home a Custom Craft six-string electric guitar.

Lipkins was mesmerized by the instrument and would sneakily practice on his brother’s guitar until acquiring his own at age 9. From there, Lipkins taught himself how to play—and he’s never stopped.

“I HAVE FRIENDS WHO LIKE WHAT I DO—I AM NOT AN EGOTISTICAL CAT—I AM JUST A GUY WHO LIKES TO PLAY GUITAR AND I JUST HAPPEN TO BE GOOD AT IT BECAUSE I’VE INVESTED A LOT OF YEARS IN IT.”

GROVER LIPKINS

Lipkins owns his craft by mastering different music styles and perfecting his technique. Playing countless shows from Omaha to Las Vegas, the songwriter continues to pull inspiration from a variety of music genres, but he is mainly influenced by Jimi Hendrix.

In the late 1970s, his path crossed with local musician Nathaniel Bray. At the time, Bray was familiar with Lipkins’ family. One day, Lipkins’ older brother walked up to Bray with a boom box over his shoulder and played Bray a recording of Grover playing the guitar.

“Immediately, I went to his house and met Grover. I thought, ‘I’m going to get this young cat in my band.’”

“I listened to a lot of different music because there wasn’t a particular soul station,” Lipkins said. “I ended up listening to a little bit of everything. Rock and roll was the first thing that made me want to play because the guitar stood out— and I had one.”

Lipkins was a high school student at the time, so Bray discussed the idea with his father. “That day Grover was working in the garden outside the house. I’m responsible, in a lot of ways, for him putting down the [gardening tools] and picking up the guitar,” Bray said.

Lipkins said his first performance was in sixth grade at a school contest, where he performed music from the Jackson 5, dance moves and all, with a few of his friends.

To this day, Bray and Lipkins continue to make time to play and perform together.

“One big prerequisite—there had to be a spiritual component that had to be part of all the musicians I worked with or it wouldn’t last. Meaning that the love and respect among the people that was family.

That spiritual component is a part of Grover as well.”

“IMMEDIATELY, I WENT TO HIS HOUSE AND MET GROVER. I THOUGHT, ‘I’M GOING TO GET THIS YOUNG CAT IN MY BAND.’”

NATHANIEL BRAY

The most challenging part of being a musician is simply waking up every day, Lipkins said. Truly, there is always something new to learn. When it comes to writing music or recording a song, Lipkins makes what he likes.

“As far as my music, I am just going to throw it out there and if people like it I’ll be very happy. If they don’t like it that is cool too,” Lipkins said. “You never know if you have anything until you put it out there. My stuff is not as modern sounding as the music you hear today. It still has an old-school kick to it. I don’t use a lot of musical tricks, you know, a lot of sound.

“It all starts with practicing, practicing, practicing,” he continued. “You have to start there first. You can’t be afraid of failure in order to be successful, because not everyone is going to like everything you do, no matter how good it is. You’ve got to be able to accept that and be happy in your own skin.”

Lipkins is recording his own music. He plays every instrument on the track. He said some of the more technical tracks can take up to a year while others can be done in a week. There are moments where every musician considers giving up, Lipkins said. In those times, he just picks up his guitar and starts playing. “I am hooked on the thing,” he said.

The coronavirus brought his live performances to a standstill. Normally, Lipkins said he plays in bands and will occasionally do duets with a friend. His favorite moments happen when everything comes together on stage and the music jells.

“I have friends who like what I do—I am not an egotistical cat—I am just a guy who likes to play guitar and I just happen to be good at it because I’ve invested a lot of years in it,” Lipkins said. “I appreciate people who appreciate what I do—they’re my friends not fans.”

JULY/AUGUST 2020 • 60PLUS

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60+ FEATURE // STORY BY RYAN BORCHERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

Omaha’s Got Talent Local Radio

Theater Group Engages With

the Community // 70 //

60PLUS • JULY/AUGUST 2020

Kent Garlinghouse

// 60+ FEATURE //

“Every show we’ve done has had amazing audience reaction. Even regular theatergoers, when they come see our shows, come up and say, ‘Oh my! I’ve never seen anything like this before!’”

- Stephanie Kidd

Radio Theatre Omaha

Together, Garlinghouse and she make up the whole of RTO’s regular staff.

Garlinghouse writes scripts and Kidd directs and recruits acting talent.

RTO produced its first show, a piece written by Omaha author Jamie Taylor called The Ballad of Anna the Brave, in November 2018 with 10 voice actors, two sound effects people, and live music.

The show, held at Gallery 1516, was attended by 130 people. Others that followed also went over well, Kidd said.

“Every show we’ve done has had amazing audience reaction,” Kidd said. “Even regular theatergoers, when they come see our shows, come up and say, ‘Oh my! I’ve never seen anything like this before!’”

RTO typically produces a quarterly event at OutrSpaces with two scripts performed back-to-back. The script is generally “G-rated,” somewhere in the realm of 5,000 words–including cues for music and sound effects–and about 30 minutes long. And all the performers, Garlinghouse and Kidd said, get paid.

isn’t just about radio theater. It’s all about Omaha.

“We’ve been very committed to paying everybody in the cast and crew,” he said.

“An artist must be paid for their gift.”

“We’re committed to local,” said Kent Garlinghouse, founder and artistic director of RTO. “We are using scripts written by local authors, local voice actors, local sound effects people, and local musicians.

Garlinghouse said audio dramas have made something of a comeback in roughly the last 25 years with the rise of mobile phones and earbuds. The popularity of podcasts has also helped.

“There’s so much talent here. There’s no reason to go beyond the area.”

RTO produces audio dramas, which, simply put, are scripted stories told entirely through recorded audio. One of the most well-known audio dramas was Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, which was recorded live on stage and broadcast on American Public Media. Garlinghouse got involved with radio theater when he lived in western Minnesota, where he worked with Lakes Area Radio Theatre for 10 years as a voice actor, writer, director, and sound effects guy. He moved to Omaha four years ago to be closer to family, and even though audio dramas were not then being produced in the area, he piqued some fellow creatives’ interest in the form.

“Theaters do readings of plays, that happens in town,” said managing director Stephanie Kidd, who has acted in Omaha since 1997 and works as an adjunct professor at Iowa Western Community College.

“But to do audio drama is very different.”

“Joggers, people working out in gyms, people going for a walk, students studying, everybody’s listening to their phone, or to [their] iPad, or to something,” he said.

“There’s kind of a built-in audience already.”

Listening to an audio drama is one thing, but attending the show as it is being recorded offers another kind of experience.

Kidd said, for example, if a character in the story walks across a floor, the audience gets to see a sound effects person put his or her hands in a pair of shoes and mimic the sound of steps against a table.

60PLUS • JULY/AUGUST 2020

Like many organizations these days, RTO has seen its activities and projects disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garlinghouse said they’ve developed a workaround and will broadcast the shows via video conferencing.

“I think that we will work at doing relatively regular performances again, but via Zoom or something like it,” Garlinghouse said.

RTO produces several genres of stories and is putting together shows about local history. One such project is an adaptation of author Ted Wheeler’s book Kings of Broken Things, a novel that depicts the Omaha race riot and lynching of Will Brown outside the Douglas County Courthouse in 1919.

“I spoke with Kent Garlinghouse after he read my novel and expressed some interest in adapting it to the radio play format, as he also is passionate about telling stories about Omaha,” Wheeler said. “I’m intrigued to see what RTO does with the historical material and expands the story. There are so many choices that are made while writing a novel, having a chance to hear a production with the same starting point is an exciting prospect.”

RTO is interested in finding more writers, but one need not have experience writing audio dramas in order to submit.

“It’s my conviction that virtually anybody can write a successful audio drama,” Garlinghouse said. That includes beginning writers and people who have never put together a script, though experience helps. “It just is a matter of learning sort of the boundaries of what works,” Garlinghouse continued.

“We have the talent, right here,” Garlinghouse said. “We don’t have to apologize for being in Nebraska.”

Visit @radiotheatreomaha for more information.

“That, to me, is one of the neatest things that our audience can really participate in,” Kidd said. “Especially

“We have th e talent, right here.

We don’t have to apologize for being in Nebraska. ” -Kent Garlinghouse

// 72 //

kids, but adults, too, really like to come up to the table and watch and then make those sounds themselves.”

OBVIOUSLY OMAHA // STORY BY LINDA PERSIGEHL // PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED

01

ROYAL TO WICKED

Six History Tours in Omaha Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” One of the best ways to understand a city’s culture and arts scene is to study its history. Omaha offers several historical tours that lend insight into the people who founded and built this town nicknamed “the Gateway to the West” and the events that shaped it.

Here are some of the offerings ideal for history lovers, those new to our fair town, and trivia buffs.

(They’ll also provide you with interesting tidbits for table talk at your next dinner party!) In most cases, reservations are required, and can be made online. Please call ahead, as the ongoing pandemic means not all these tours are operating at this time.

01. JOSLYN CASTLE

3902 DAVENPORT ST. 402.595.1415 JOSLYNCASTLE.ORG George and Sarah Joslyn, printing industry entrepreneurs and major philanthropists of Omaha in the early 20th century, lived in an actual castle. Guests can visit the first, second, and third floors of the 35-room, Scottish Baronial mansion built in 1903 in Midtown, as well as the garden and grounds on the five-acre estate. The castle is an Omaha Landmark Historic Structure and on the National Register of Historic Places.

02. WICKED OMAHA TOURS –

HISTORY WALKS LLC

10TH AND FARNAM STREETS 816.616.9162 HISTORYWALKSNEBRASKA.COM This group provides intimate walking tours of downtown Omaha’s Central Park Mall and new Capitol District, once home to saloons, mediums telling fortunes, rowdy music halls, and brothels. Notable civic leaders, including political boss and racketeer Tom Dennison, conducted many of their dirty deeds in these establishments The group also leads walking tours of Omaha’s oldest cemetery, Prospect Hill.

03. RIVER CITY HISTORY TOURS –

THE DURHAM MUSEUM 801 S. 10TH ST. 402.444.5027 DURHAMMUSEUM.ORG

The Durham offers six historical tours year round, both private and public. Guests ride Ollie the Trolley through the streets of Omaha while knowledgeable guides narrate stories of Omaha’s unique and varied past. Tour titles include: Millionaires and Mansions; Last Call for Alcohol; From Expositions to Jazz Musicians; Parks and Boulevards; and its newest, the Remember the Ladies tour, which recounts the contributions of Omaha’s founding first ladies of business, including brothel owner Anna Wilson.

02

04. SOUTH OMAHA MUSEUM TOURS 2314 M ST. 402.734.3240 SOUTHOMAHAMUSEUM.ORG

This museum, which held a grand reopening in March 2020, tells the unique cultural history of South Omaha, once dubbed the “Magic City.” It offers five tours: Taste of South O, South Omaha Walking Tour, Heritage Murals, Ethnic Neighborhoods, and Omaha & South Omaha History.

Guides share tales of the immigrant food and culture brought to the area, the history of the Stockyards and meat-packing industry, the influence of baseball and Rosenblatt Stadium, and more.

05. OLD MARKET DISTRICT HISTORY TOUR

03

04

10TH AND FARNAM STREETS 402.881.3548 NEBRASKATOUROMPANY.COM

A Nebraska Tour Co. guide escorts groups through the cobblestone streets of Omaha’s famous historic business and entertainment district, now home to trendy boutiques, fine eateries, breweries, art galleries, and more. Guests will learn about the history and architecture of the Jobber’s Canyon buildings (restored in the 1970s), as well as hidden passageways and secrets of the Old Market. The group also offers an Old Market Beer Tour and a food tour. Reservations are required and can be made online.

05

06. BOYS TOWN TOUR

13628 FLANAGAN BLVD. 800.625.1400 BOYSTOWN.ORG Learn about the history of Father Flanagan’s village, founded a century ago with the mission of helping struggling young people grow into responsible, productive members of society. Today it is one of Omaha’s most recognized sites. Guided group tours take guests throughout the campus, the Hall of History, Dowd Chapel, Garden of the Bible, and Chambers Chapel, where Flanagan is entombed.

Private, custom tours are available.

JULY/AUGUST

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2020

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DINING REVIEW // STORY BY JILL NELSEN HING PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Modern Love in the time of COVID-19

I

sa Chandra Moskowitz made a groundbreaking move when she opened her swanky little vegan restaurant, Modern Love, in the meat-loving heartland of America in 2014. Showcasing ingredients grown locally makes perfect sense in the agricultural Midwest, yet few others seemed to be doing it. The restaurant has since proven that even devout Omaha carnivores can get on board with well-crafted, delicious vegan food.

Modern Love did something special; it revealed the Midwestern vegan hiding inside all of us.

I first discovered Modern Love while visiting family and friends in Nebraska. I was intrigued: who was this brave soul inviting Nebraskans to venture into the unexplored world of plant-based eating? I couldn’t wait to find out and made a reservation immediately.

On our first visit (it was then at the Saddle Creek location), my sister and I started with a couple of glasses of hibiscus tea and looked over the smart menu. The dishes artfully walk the line between familiar and unfamiliar ingredients, allowing newbies to vegan cuisine to decide whether to play it safe or get adventurous.

We opted for some locally grown grilled asparagus, served cold and dressed with a simple lemon vinaigrette, so the focus was on the bright, summery flavor. A kale Caesar salad was next. Although many have grown weary of kale appearing on every menu for the past decade or so, I really like it, so I continue to order it. I especially like it at Modern Love: the kale holds its own against the strong flavors of a reinvented Caesar dressing, which gets a punch of salt from the addition of capers instead of traditional anchovies.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 75 //

// DINING REVIEW //

O

rdering gnocchi when I see it is almost an involuntary reflex for me, but while I am always hopeful, I am often disappointed.

Making a good tender gnocchi is a skill not mastered by all. I am pleased to report that Modern Love’s gnocchi did not disappoint. It was perfectly chewy, served with a tasty, substantial sauce well-suited to the heartiness of the potato pasta. My sister ordered the delicious polenta romesco. This red pepper–almond romesco with chickpeas, potatoes, kale, and Brussels sprouts really hit the mark.

Serving it alongside perfectly grilled poppyseed polenta balanced the dish by adding textural dimension. The effect was homey, with deep flavors that made us want to keep going back for more.

Discovering this sweet little restaurant with its open kitchen and friendly vibe was an unexpected treat. I was impressed; I headed home to New York, knowing I would eat at Modern Love next time I was in town.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I found Modern Love about to open in my own Brooklyn neighborhood. Since it opened in 2016 I have eaten at the Williamsburg restaurant a number of times. The dining room, with high ceilings and industrial chandeliers, has a cool, modern vibe. And, even with plenty of room to accommodate a large party, the space manages to feel cozy and welcoming.

As in Omaha, the Brooklyn menu is a vegan take on classic comfort food. To recreate the slow food that we all crave, the kitchen embraces meat substitutes. Nuts, in lieu of dairy, are used to add depth and creaminess to sauces. (A mac & shew, made with cashew milk, may satisfy a cheese craving for a dedicated vegan, but I found it too rich to eat more than a few bites.)

The standout dish on the menu was the Asian-inspired lettuce wraps with crumbled seitan. The seitan filling captured the always satisfying sweet/sour/salt/spice flavor that we all look forward to when ordering an Asian-inspired dish. The cool crunch of the fresh lettuce made it a perfect bite.

The cauliflower wings were easily sharable and a unanimous success; crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and all around addictive–as spicy fried food often is. These were especially delicious washed down with a sweetly tart passion fruit margarita, rimmed with salt of course. Although I am always wary of Brussels sprouts being overcooked and tragically dying in vain, I cross my fingers and order them anyway; these, perfectly cooked and served with garlic aioli, did not disappoint.

A grilled Caesar salad was fantastic (although the portion was unnecessarily large). Grilling romaine proves a delicious way to showcase the natural sweetness of the lettuce. Serving it whole prevents it from being overdressed, allowing the lettuce to remain the star of the dish. Polenta croutons, instead of the usual bread, were a nice touch.

Everything we ordered was plated beautifully, though the literal plates were large–almost uncomfortably large. They sometimes made sharing difficult and often left the waitperson struggling to navigate the table.

Modern Love successfully created a menu with enough diversity and artfulness to satisfy appetites both vegan and not. The cuisine– beautiful, satisfying, plant-based, and delicious–reflects the love it is made with.

Under the weight of the current COVID-19 crisis, Modern Love thought it best to temporarily close their Brooklyn location. A recent dinner–meant to inform and update this review–was canceled as a result.

Visit modernloveomaha.com and modernlovebrooklyn.com for more information. // 76 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

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I FIRST DISCOVERED MODERN LOVE WHILE VISITING FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN NEBRASKA. I WAS INTRIGUED: WHO WAS THIS BRAVE SOUL INVITING NEBRASKANS TO VENTURE INTO THE UNEXPLORED WORLD OF PLANTBASED EATING?

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Modern Love

3157 FARNAM ST. | 402.614.6481 FOOD SERVICE AMBIANCE PRICE OVERALL

$$ 5 STARS POSSIBLE

D I N I N G F E A T U R E // S T O R Y B Y S E A N M C C A R T H Y P h o to g ra p h y by B i l l S i t z m a n n // D e s i g n by M a t t W i e c zo re k

H o w Tw o O m a h a R e s t a u ra n t s Fa c e d t h e F i re

O

ver the past five years, fires have been especially brutal to the Omaha restaurant community. It’s an inevitable risk, given that stoves and grills are in regular contact with flammable liquids, dripping fats, and cooking oils that can turn a flicker to a full-on blaze in a split second.

JULY/AUGUST

// 78 //

2020

Dan Matuella

// D I N I N G F E A T U R E //

M

ost fires are unceremoniously contained: remove a flaming pan from the heating source, suffocate the mini blaze by putting a lid over it. In some cases, a fire extinguisher is called in to solve the problem. But for several highprofile restaurants in Omaha, these fires showcased the worst possible scenarios, sometimes in spectacular, explosive fashion.

The most famous of these was the 2016 M’s Pub fire in the Old Market. On a frigid January day, a contractor struck a gas line. The resulting gas leak was ignited and caused an explosion inside the fabled Omaha institution. Firefighters battled the blaze well into the night and for the next few days. The gutted historical building looked like the crystal Fortress of Solitude setting in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies.

Other Omaha institutions suffered similar, if less dramatic, fates. In 2017, the Sons of Italy Hall, near 10th and Briggs streets, had a two-alarm fire that burned its structure down to the studs. On Christmas Eve 2018, while vacationing in Vail, Colorado, the co-owner and current general manager of The Drover got a text, telling them their restaurant was on fire. The Sons of Italy and The Drover were able to reopen after the fires, but had to close again due to the coronavirus pandemic. (The Drover has reopened for dine-in, following the guidelines in place. The Sons of Italy plans to reopen for their Thursday lunch and Friday dinners in late July.)

One restaurant, Rivera’s Mexican Food, was damaged from a late summer fire in 2018 that affected other businesses in the strip mall near 120th and Blondo streets.

Owners Tracey and Jesus Rivera kept their restaurant afloat by doing pop-ups and setting up temporary shop at the Sandbar Grille at 3809 N. 90th St. Other restaurants were not so lucky. The beloved southern-themed restaurant Mouth of the South suffered a fire in 2017 that caused them to relocate to 70th Street and Ames Avenue. After a brief run at their new location, the restaurant closed its doors in late 2019. However, in their Facebook feed, Mouth of the South declared their intentions to reopen.

And this past January, a fire damaged the popular Chinese restaurant Three Happiness Express, causing them to close. In a Facebook post to their followers in April, Three Happiness estimated their opening date to happen in either June or July.

Before Christmas Eve in 2018, The Drover hadn’t experienced a fire in its 40 years of operation. Owners and sisters Wendy Anderson and Amy Leise took over the restaurant after their father, Robert Anderson, one of the founders of The Drover, died of a heart attack in 2014. Anderson and Leise remembered growing up within The Drover’s walls.

Amy remembered playing restaurant with her sister when they were young.

Wendy remembered them both being put to work by her father.

“I remember spending a lot of weekends there cleaning during the days and also having free range of the fountain sodas.

I would mix all of the flavors,” she said.

Leise and Anderson both worked at The Drover in high school, either as a hostess or waitress. The two worked with longtime co-managers Gregory “Buddy” Goodman and Mike “Spike” Sabin.

Goodman and Sabin were the faces of The Drover through its 40-year history.

Goodman died in 2019. Sabin has since retired. Daryl Leise, Amy’s husband, took over as general manager in 2019.

Amy and Daryl got a text around 9 a.m. stating The Drover was on fire. A friend who was working in the nearby Travel and Transport building sent a live feed via FaceTime to Anderson, showing the flames that were escaping through the roof. Anderson was in Omaha at the time and sped toward the restaurant.

EVEN THOUGH SONS OF ITALY HAD TO CLOSE ITS DOORS FOR LUNCH AND DINNER SERVICE DURING THE PANDEMIC, MATUELLA SAID IT WAS HEARTWARMING TO SEE THE PUBLIC OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT THOSE FIRST FEW WEEKS THEY WERE REOPENED. // 80 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

“When I pulled in, there were fire trucks there. John Chapman was there with WOWT,” Anderson said.

“Buddy and Spike were down there too. We were all just right there at the same time.”

Amy Leise remembers feeling like her heart sank. She cut her family ski vacation short and drove back to Omaha. Leise and Anderson were relieved to hear that no one was injured, and because of the early time of the fire, only one employee was inside the building and was able to escape.

“When I knew they (the employees) were good and nobody was hurt or injured, I knew we could get through this,” Anderson said.

Fire investigators determined a motor malfunction in the hood above the grill caused the blaze. The roof, kitchen, and salad bar were damaged. And for the first weeks, both Anderson and Leise believed they would be back in business within a few months. The owners met with Sabin and Goodman as well as insurance agents and contractors. Once work began on tearing down the rubble, it became evident that extensive work would be needed to get The Drover’s doors open again.

“It’s like an onion,” Leise said. “Every time we peeled back a layer, new fire-related issues presented themselves.”

The first major problem Leise and Anderson encountered was they didn’t have the original blueprints to the 50-plusyear-old building. Because of this, they had to hire an architect and engineer to locate the plumbing and the electrical layout of the building. Much of the restaurant’s plumbing was four feet underground within the building. Trenches had to be dug to get to the pipes.

“There was dirt piled up against the walls as high as my shoulders,” Leise said.

Along with fixing the fire-related damages, Leise and Anderson had to do additional work to get the building up to code.

One regulation required them to move a load-bearing wall that was behind the grill station. That required a construction crew to literally raise the roof of The Drover to accommodate the change. Modifications to the bathrooms to accommodate the Americans with Disabilities Act were also done. The total cost of the repairs was about $800,000, Leise said.

During the nine months The Drover sat, its employees were paid their full wages, including tips, Leise said. Shortly after her father died, Leise did an audit of the restaurant’s insurance policy. She determined the need for business interruption insurance, which paid her employees.

“We did not lose one single employee from an employment standpoint,” Leise said.

While much work went into keeping the feel of the original restaurant, some upgrades were inevitable. New cooking equipment demanded an updated electrical setup. New registers were installed to replace the melted ones. To test out the new digs, the staff had a private dinner service for the contractors as well as the fire stations that responded to the blaze.

On August 26, 2019, almost nine months after the fire, The Drover reopened for business. Its menu, including its famous whiskey-marinated steaks, remained virtually unchanged. To commemorate the reopening, a dedicated group of patrons who had been going to The Drover for more than 30 years held a small ceremony and chipped in for some additional landscaping outside the restaurant. Seeing that group, dubbed “Geezerville,” was one of the most rewarding moments during the busy weeks leading up to The Drover’s reopening, Leise said.

“Their faces are part of The Drover,” she said.

The hood motor malfunction that caused The Drover’s fire is a common hazard for restaurants that have grills. However, the 2017 fire that devastated The Sons of Italy at 1238 S. 10th St. in the Little Italy neighborhood could have been mentioned in the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. In a phone interview, Dan Matuella, president of the Nebraska chapter of the Sons of Italy, said the official cause of the fire was due to a “spontaneous combustion” of rags.

Matuella laid out the likely scenario that led to its nearly three-year shuttering: the staff of mostly volunteers at the lodge wiped up cooking oil (most likely canola) with rags, which were later put in the wash.

After the rags were dried, it was assumed they were put in a pile. The friction from the remaining dried oil on the rags ignited. Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick, a department spokesman for Omaha Fire Department, said while this type of spontaneous combustion of rags was more

common in settings like garages where more flammable liquids are present, the ignition of cooking oils on rags could still pose a risk of fire, as was the case with Sons of Italy.

“The whole building pretty much burned down,” Matuella said.

Matuella said he was supposed to volunteer that night. While not a textbook definition of a restaurant, the Sons of Italy dining hall serves lunches on Thursday and dinner on Friday. The money raised during those food services funds causes such as Alzheimer’s and autism research as well as scholarships.

The initial cost to rebuild was $1.2 million. Unfortunately, the lodge was only insured for $700,000. So began a three-year process of fundraising to make up the difference. During that time, the cost of lumber rose, further increasing the repair costs. Matuella said Sons of Italy received a major donation from a member who chose to remain anonymous. During the three years of fundraising, there was various stoppages to construction as money ran out, and more had to be raised. Matuella remembered the frustration from himself as well as the members during that time.

“The membership was fractured on it,” Matuella said.

The Sons of Italy organization was able to secure a loan to cover the increased construction and lumber costs. Matuella said they are still about $165,000 short of fully paying off the balance of the loan.

Matuella estimated that 640 lunches were served for their first service, even with temperatures in the teens. The second and third weeks saw attendance jump to about 700 for lunches. On their fourth week, just before they had to close because of the coronavirus pandemic, they had close to 800 lunch customers and roughly 375 for dinner service.

Even though Sons of Italy had to close its doors for lunch and dinner service during the pandemic, Matuella said it was heartwarming to see the public outpouring of support those first few weeks they were reopened. He said he hoped to continue to whittle down their debt for the rest of the year now that restaurants are cleared to reopen.

“We just like to get those white shirts dirty with sauce,” Matuella said.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the same insurance policy that covered The Drover’s employees during the fire also paid for their wages while the restaurant was closed. Leise said the coronavirus situation was different because of the unpredictability and fear associated with the virus. At the time of the interview, Anderson said she hoped the same resilience that kept them afloat during the fire would help them during the pandemic.

“The comeback is always stronger than the setback. That’s our focus,” Anderson said.

Visit droverrestaurant.com and sonsofitalyne.org for more information.

Sons of Italy finally reopened this past February. The renovated building included a larger dining area as well as a modernized kitchen. The former sous chef is now the head chef, responsible for the spaghetti sauce. Four volunteers help with the weekly preparation for the lunch and dinner services.

Prep begins on Monday when the mix for the spaghetti sauce is made.

Tuesday is for rolling meatballs.

Wednesday is for making the sauce.

Matuella said he was able get two dry runs in before their first service on Feb. 13, 2020. They needed the practice to face the crowds that had waited years for a spaghetti dinner at the lodge.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 81 //

“It just reminds me of hanging out in my grandfather’s study with Duke Ellington vinyls and his cigar smoke.”

-Granville Sharpe

// 82 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Jazz DINING PROFILE // STORY BY TIM TRUDELL // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

ALL THAT AND

The Jewell Jazz Club Features Tasty Food, Great Sounds

P

eople once packed Omaha’s dance halls to listen and dance to the sweet sounds of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald. Even the great Nat King Cole performed in Omaha. It was a different world then. Clubs such as the Dreamland Ballroom, Carnation Ballroom, and Allen’s Showcase Lounge routinely drew large crowds in North Omaha's 24th and Lake area known as “The Deuce.”

The area was booming. Businesses filled storefronts. People had money in their pockets. They wanted to party. And jazz clubs were there for their enjoyment.

Celebrating jazz's influence on Omaha's music scene was the impetus of opening The Jewell jazz club, said Granville Sharpe, the club's general manager. The longtime jazz fan has been involved with The Jewell since shortly after it opened in February 2019. Located in the Capitol District, next to Omaha Marriott Downtown, The Jewell took its name from the North Omaha building that was home to Dreamland Ballroom. Located on the top floor of the Jewell Building, the ballroom remained one of the area’s major night clubs until it closed its doors in 1965. The Jewell Building was named to the National Register of Historical Places in 1983.

Sharpe, an Orlando, Florida, native, has loved jazz music for as long as he can remember. Family friend Eric Rutledge gave him a saxophone when he was around 10. He became infatuated with the sound and continued to play through

his youth. The chance to work at The Jewell brought back childhood memories.

“It just reminds me of hanging out in my grandfather’s study with Duke Ellington vinyls and his cigar smoke,” Sharpe said.

Following a stint in the Air Force as an intelligence specialist, he was stationed at Offutt. He decided to stay in Omaha.

Having worked in the hospitality industry at places such as Le Bouillon and the Marriott, he joined The Jewell as a bartender in spring 2019. He later took over as beverage manager before agreeing to become the club's general manager in July 2019.

In addition to listening to the sounds of national and local acts—David Sanborn performed at the club’s grand opening—guests can enjoy a delicious meal and drinks at The Jewell, Sharpe said. From small plate items, including seasoned deviled eggs and cheese curds, to entrees such as a New York strip steak and roasted tomato penne, the menu is strong on comfort food. continued on page 91 JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 83 //

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LISA’S RADIAL CAFE - $

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636 N. 114th St. - 402.498.8855 1003 Capitol Ave. - 402.763.9974 10308 S. 23rd St. - 402.292.9096 2102 S. 67th St. - 402.933.3533 180th and Q streets - 402.292.9096 192nd & West Maple St. - 402.315.1985 HWY 75 & Oak Hill Road - 402.298.4166 Catch all the action at DJ Dugout Sports Bar’s seven Omaha-area locations. DJ’s Dugout features delicious wings, burgers, wraps, salads, appetizers, and an impressive drink menu. Plus, DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar has huge media walls full of HD TVs and projectors. Dig In at the Dugout! —djsdugout.com

JAMS- $$

7814 Dodge St. - 402.399.8300 17070 Wright Plz, Ste. 100 - 402.810.9600 1101 Harney St. in the OldMarket - 402.614.9333 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 streets - 402.934.9914 156th Street & W. Dodge Road - 402.408.1728 120th and Blondo streets - 402.991.8222 Le Peep puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot.

Fresh. Simple. Elegant. Inviting. We put the emphasis on people, both patrons and staff. We focus on providing each of our guests the fresh food and friendly service that they have come to expect.

Open daily 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. —lepeepomaha.com

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

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// 84 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Keepin' it real in a renovated mattress factory built in 1883, remodeled in 2007 within walking distance to Omaha's major entertainment venues. Three private dining rooms for your own events, or stop in before or after any downtown Omaha event. Open daily at 11am-1am. themattomaha.com

ROTELLA’S - $

106 S. Galvin Road, Bellevue 402.291.6088 Since 1936, we’ve been making our world-famous Stella’s hamburgers the same way. The family secrets have been handed down to each owner, ensuring that your burger is the same as the one you fell in love with the first time you tried Stella’s.

And if it’s your first time, we know you’ll be back!

Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday.

—stellasbarandgrill.com

TED AND WALLY’S - $

1120 Jackson St. - 402.341.5827 Come experience the true taste of homemade ice cream in the Old Market. Since 1986, we’ve created gourmet ice cream flavors in small batches using rock salt and ice. We offer your favorites, plus unique flavors like margarita, green tea, Guinness, and French toast. Special orders available. Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.- Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday. Noon-10 p.m., —tedandwallys.com

I TA L I A N ek Dining Gre

LA CASA PIZZARIA - $$

45th and Leavenworth streets 402.556.6464

La Casa Pizzaria has been serving Omaha its legendary Neapolitan-style pizza and pasta for 60 years. We offer dine-in, carry-out, party facilities, catering, and now pizza shipments to the 48 contiguous states. Open TuesdaySaturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

—lacasapizzaria.net

Greek Islands Restaurant Omaha, NE

Family Owned Since 1983 CATERING / PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE HOMEMADE, FRESH FOOD, ALWAYS.

3821 Center St. / 402.346.1528 GreekIslandsOmaha.com

Omaha

DINING GUIDE LO SOLE MIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO - $$

3001 S. 32nd Ave. - 402.345.5656

The restaurant is located in a residential neighborhood, surrounded by charming homes.

Everyone is greeted with homemade bread, a bowl of fresh tomatoes and basil, a bowl of oven-roasted garlic cloves, specially seasoned olive oil, and (at night) a jug of Chianti! The menu includes a large variety of pasta, chicken, veal, seafood, and even a delicious New York steak. Traditional dishes such as lasagna, tortellini, and eggplant parmigiana are also available. Lunch offerings include panini, salads, and one of the best pizzas in town. Patio seating, full bar, and a great wine list complete the atmosphere. No reservations, except for private rooms. —losolemio.com

Get a Little Saucy. CHANGE

PASTA AMORE - $$

11027 Prairie Brook Road - 402.391.2585

SPEZIA SPECIALTIES WOOD FIRE STEAKS & SEAFOOD INNOVATIVE PASTA—RISOTTO—GNOCCHI FRESH SALMON DAILY

Open 7 Days a Week for Lunch & Dinner

NO CASH VALUE. EXPIRES 8/31/2020 Not Valid with Happy Hour or Any Other Promotions.

One Per Check.

Catering

Patio Dining, Take Out, & Curbside Pickup Available!

. Private Party Rooms . Walk-Ins Welcome 3125 South 72 nd Street

(Easy access off I-80, take 72nd Street Exit)

402.391.2950 . Call today to make your reservation Sports Bar

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. Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. Reservations recommended.

—pastaamore.com

PITCH - $$

5021 Underwood Ave. - 402.590.2625 An OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice for 2014 HotSpot Restaurant in America. Keeping up with the traditional way the first pizzas in Italy were made, our pizzas are cooked in a coal-fired oven. The menu also features seafood, handcut steak, housemade pastas, and burgers full of flavor. Our goal is to provide you with local, housemade, and imported ingredients.

We offer a happy hour menu through the week. Our bar provides an array of in-house concoctions as well as your traditional libations.

Our wine selection is well-thought-out and most impressive. You will enjoy Pitch. Monday 3 p.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 3-10 p.m.

—pitchpizzeria.com

Sports Bar

SPEZIA - $$$

3125 S. 72nd St. - 402.391.2950 2016 First Place KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

VOTED OMAHA’S #1 SPORTS BAR!

DJSDUGOUT.COM

Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you’ll find a casual elegance that’s perfect for business guests, get-togethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily.

Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary/Lovers’ Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and wood-fired grill. Open Monday-Sunday. Cocktail hour 4-6 p.m., when all cocktails, glasses of wine, and beers are half price. Evening reservations recommended.

—speziarestaurant.com

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 85 //

rotellasbakery.com

SINCE 1921

Omaha

DINING GUIDE Breakfast

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

JULIO’S - $

156th & Dodge • 408-1728 177th & Center • 934-9914 120th & Blondo • 991-8222 69th & Pacific • 933-2776

Thanks for Voting Us # BREAKFAST YEARS in a Row!

12

1

Drive-Thru Open (Center St. Only) Open Daily 6:30am-2:00pm Serving Breakfast & Lunch All Day!

LEPEEPOMAHA.COM | @LEPEEPOMAHA

OMAHA’S

#1 MEXICAN RESTAURANT

17 YEARS IN A ROW!

2820 S. 123rd Court - 402.330.2110 Locally owned since 1977, Julio’s prides themselves on serving the finest Tex-Mex cuisine and offering top-notch customer service. Our loyal customers are the reason we have been around for nearly 40 years. We have an extensive menu that has both classic and innovative dishes—giving everyone the opportunity to find something they love. Salivating for Southwestern fare? We have tacos, tostadas, a dozen different enchiladas, and classic fajitas. And, of course, nachos! —julios.com

LA MESA - $$

158th St. and W. Maple Road - 402.557.6130 156th and Q streets - 402.763.2555 110th St. and W. Maple Road - 402.496.1101 Fort Crook Road and Hwy 370 - 402.733.8754 84th Street and Tara Plaza - 402.593.0983 Lake Manawa Exit - 712.256.2762 Enjoy awesome enchiladas, fabulous fajitas, seafood specialties, mouth-watering margaritas, and more at La Mesa. Come see why La Mesa has been voted Omaha’s No. 1 Mexican restaurant 16 years in a row. Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

—lamesaomaha.com

MARGARITA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT - $

4915 S. 72nd St. - 402.393.7515

Margarita’s is a business with more than seven years in the food world. We offer authentic Mexican food where you can enjoy a nice moment with your family.

—margaritasmenu.com

ROMEO’S MEXICAN FOOD AND PIZZA - $

90th and Blondo streets - 402.391.8870 146th St. and W. Center Road - 402.330.4160 96th and L streets - 402.331.5656 Galvin and Avery roads - 402.292.2028 29th and Farnam streets - 4402.346.1110

OMAHA – 158TH & MAPLE (402) 557-6130

PAPILLION – 84TH & TARA PLZ (402) 593-0983

OMAHA – 110TH & MAPLE (402) 496-1101

BELLEVUE – FT. CROOK RD & 370 (402) 733-8754

OMAHA – 156TH & Q (402) 763-2555

COUNCIL BLUFFS – LAKE MANAWA EXIT (712) 256-2762

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

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 87 //

STEAKS • CHOPS • SEAFOOD ITALIAN SPECIALTIES 7 private party rooms Seating up to 400 Lots of parking

1620 S. 10th Street

402-345-8313

www.casciossteakhouse.com

Bringing Italy to Omaha Since 1919

Take a Taste of Italy Home Today!

HAPPY HOUR:

Tues–Sat 3-6pm & All Day Sunday

Tues-Thurs: 8:30am-8pm Friday: 8:30am-8:30pm Saturday: 7:30am-8pm Sunday: 7:30am-6pm

REVERSE HAPPY HOUR:

Friday & Saturday 9-11pm $1 OFF TACOS, $3 MEX BEERS, $5.50 MARGS 735 N 14th St. Omaha, NE 68102 402.933.4222 | hookandlime.com

An Omaha favorite for over 100 years (1919-2019)

402.345.3438 621 Pacific St, Omaha NE orsibakery.com

Follow us on Instagram! @OmahaMagazine

Seafood - Mexican - Sushi

5101 S 36 th St, Omaha, NE 68107 - 402-213-5723 - Daily Food & Drink Specials Home of the

h Steak ouse

FAMOUS WHISKEY STEAK

@The Drover Restaurant & Lounge | Gift Cards Available 2121 S. 73 St. | (402) 391-7440 | DroverRestaurant.com Open Monday - Friday 11am - 2pm | Dinner nightly from 5pm

// 88 //

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Omaha’s Riverfront Entertainment Venue

Omaha

DINING GUIDE SPECIAL DINING BÄRCHEN BEER GARDEN - $

JAMS OLD MARKET • 1101 Harney St • Happy Hour M-F 3pm-6pm

JAMS MIDTOWN • 7814 West Dodge Road • Sunday Brunch 10am-2pm

6209 Maple St. - 402.502.9902

BOOK NOW!

Located in Benson, Bärchen is a modern American beer garden and beer hall influenced

by German communal drinking culture.

Indoor seating for approximately 125 people and outdoor seating in our beer garden for approximately 125-150 people. The laid-back atmosphere pairs well with our 30 rotating taps, international beer list, unique sausage & sandwich menu, and locally made pretzels. We are family and dog friendly—all are welcome.

Hours: Tues-Thurs 3 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri & Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information or to host an event, please email gm@barchenbeer.com —barchenbeer.com

BRUSHI BISTRO+BAR - $$

721 N. 132nd St. - 402.884.6878

JAMS LEGACY • 17070 Wright Plaza • Party Rooms & Patios • jamseats.com

151 FREEDOM PARK ROAD OMAHA www.rivercitystar.com

Swiss-trained chef Paul Braunschweiler combines the best of Europe’s epicurean delights with an American flair. Brushi’s casual and open atmosphere combine to create a true bistro experience. Fresh ingredients highlight the menu. Happy Hours and nightly specials.

Private dining available. Patio seating weather permitting. —brushiomaha.com

CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $

3578 Farnam St. - 402.345.1708 Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia—Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store. With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best Reuben sandwich, we are a Midtown beer-lover’s destination. Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kitchen hours: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight. Closed Sunday. —beercornerusa.com

is proud to recognize many black-owned restaurants in Omaha.

Visit OmahaMagazine.com to see our list.

Did we miss anyone? Email

editor@omahapublications.com and let us know.

FIRST WATCH - $

1222 S. 71st St. - 402.932.5691 2855 S. 168th St. - 402.330.3444 3605 N. 147th St. - 402.965.3444 304 Olson Drive - 402.965.3444 2015 Pratt Ave., Bellevue - 402.991.3448 We begin each morning at the crack of dawn, slicing fresh fruits and vegetables, baking muffins, and whipping up our French toast batter from scratch. Everything is made toorder here at First Watch. We use only the finest ingredients possible for the freshest taste around. —firstwatch.com

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

JULY/AUGUST 2020

// 89 //

Omaha

DINING GUIDE GREEK ISLANDS - $

3821 Center St. - 402.346.1528 Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. We are well-known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests. Carry-out and delivery available. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. —greekislandsomaha.com

STEAKHOUSES Thank You, Thank You,

CASCIO’S - $$

1620 S. 10th St. - 402-345-8313 Cascio’s is Omaha’s No. 1 steakhouse. We have been serving Omaha for 69 years. We feature steaks, chops, seafood, and Italian specialties.

We have seven private party rooms, seating for up to 400 people, and plenty of parking.

—casciossteakhouse.com

Thank You

For Continually Voting For Us!

Serving Lunch & Dinner Mon-Sat 3001 S. 32nd Ave / Omaha, NE 402.345.5656

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PARADISE BAKERY - $

17305 Davenport St. - 402.934.5757 120 Regency Parkway - 402.991.3000 Paradise Bakery offers freshly prepared baked goods made from scratch every morning with the finest ingredients available. Offering a variety of meals including soups, salads, and sandwiches. Our associates are extremely proud of the reputation Paradise has earned for providing exceptional service and producing the finest-quality products.

—paradisebakery.com

an Dining Itali

THE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - $$$ 2121 S. 73rd St. - 402-391-7440

Try Omaha’s Favorite Reuben!

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., cocktail hour 3-6 p.m., dinner nightly 5 p.m.

—droverrestaurant.com

Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers.

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

Dine-in / TakeouT / CurbsiDe / ouTsiDe available Pasta

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Rockbrook Village (108th & Center) 402.391.2585 www.pastaamore.com

THANK YOU FOR VOTING OUR PASTA #1

We can accommodate parties of 30 or more, by reservation only

DINNER HOURS // Mon. - Sat.: 4:30 PM - ? // Closed Sunday

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Hamburger

Catering Available

thanks to our customers for voting us the “BEST BURGER

IN OMAHA www.romeosOMAHA.com

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“Serving World Famous Hamburgers Since 1936” 106 Galvin Rd., Bellevue, NE • 402-291-6088 • Open Monday-Saturday, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

// DINING PROFILE //

continued from page 83 “My favorite is the salmon,” Sharpe said of the Faroe Island salmon, a dish that includes fried Brussels sprouts.

When it comes to drinks, Sharpe works with his team to create a broad range of cocktails. “For example, we want something fruity, something more spirit forward, a fizzy and floral cocktail, a sweet and savory cocktail, etc.” he said in an email interview.

Sharpe said he is excited for their new cocktail menu, which he was about to have printed right as the pandemic worsened. “Luckily, I hadn’t ordered all of the stuff for the new menu yet, so we didn’t waste a bunch of money during this rough time.”

He said they do suggest cocktails with specific dishes on the food menu, but haven’t yet had a full cocktail dinner tasting menu. “And though I very much love wine dinners, I think a cocktail dinner tasting would be more fitting for the jazz atmosphere. So, you can expect a tasting in the near, post-pandemic future.”

The Jewell works with the hotel’s talented kitchen staff. “We have the freedom of creativity with dishes at the Marriott,” he said. The setup is convenient too, as the kitchen is located right behind the stage wall.

In a followup interview, owner Brian McKenna said that while they will match menu items with the hotel for efficiency’s sake, the kitchen occasionally features different items just for The Jewell. They also support all of the club’s private events and prix fixe dinners, typically for holiday specials. “The food is excellent due to the farm-to-table concept,” McKenna added. “They have amazing chefs.”

A jazz fan for most of his life— McKenna’s mother was a jazz singer and his father an enthusiast of the genre—it seemed natural for him to end up owning a night club. McKenna himself has played the drums since fifth grade and started on the clarinet in fourth grade. The Syracuse, New York, native earned his undergraduate degree from Ithaca College, and then earned a master’s degree from Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Following college, he played professionally until he received an offer to work at SONY Music Entertainment in 1991. He worked his way up to being a

vice president. After the studio was sold in 2007, he opened his own agency, managing musicians and singers, among others.

Then, the McKenna family headed to Nebraska in 2015.

When McKenna and his wife, Mary, started researching potential club locations in Omaha, they were encouraged to contact the Capitol District management about a possible restaurant and music club.

After spending a few months developing a business plan, the jazz aficionado received the support he needed to open a jazz club in downtown Omaha.

McKenna believed the new club needed to be on the same quality level as Dakota Jazz in Minneapolis, or Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and Jazz in St. Louis.

“Jimmy Jewell became the conduit to bringing everyone together. People came from all over the area to see shows. Why don’t we celebrate this now down at the Capitol District?”-Brian McKenna

Brian McKenna and daughter Emily

Gaining the support of North Omaha jazz experts in opening the new club was critical, he said.

He worked with the Omaha Economic Development Corp., which is located near 24th and Lake streets.

“Duke. Count. No one could play downtown because of segregation.

Sleeping and eating at peoples’ houses,” McKenna said. “Jimmy Jewell became the conduit to bringing everyone together. People came from all over the area to see shows. Why don’t we celebrate this now down at the Capitol District?”

McKenna decided to honor the North Omaha influence by naming the club The Jewell. With about 3,000 hotel rooms in the area, McKenna believes The Jewell could attract visitors as well as locals. It offers guests an opportunity to enjoy a good meal and drinks, as well as see Omaha in a new light, Sharpe said.

“The Jewell is a great venue,” he said. “It really goes along with promoting the music, promoting the culture. It gives awareness to the culture. I think there should always be a back-and-forth between things we are doing and things The Jewell is doing.”

In the end, an enjoyable experience at The Jewell comes down to great service, McKenna said.

“I’ve always said once you make the artist happy you will make the customers happy,” McKenna said. “I have a deep respect for people who purchase a ticket. They deserve good service, good food, good cocktails, and a high-quality performance worth the overall experience.”

Visit The Jewell’s website for upcoming shows and more information at jewellomaha.com.

The Jewell helps continue the story of jazz in Omaha, said Tim Christian, president of the Love’s Jazz and Art Center foundation.

JULY/AUGUST 2020

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// EXPLORE CALENDAR //

NEBRASK A

CORNHUSKER STATE GAMES July 17-26, varying

locations in Lincoln, Omaha, and surrounding communities. This amateur sporting event offers participants the opportunity to compete in Olympic contests like gymnastics, track and field, and swimming, as well as more relaxed events like horseshoe pitching and chess.

402-471-2544. —cornhuskerstategames.com

UNCLE SAM JAM! July 3 at Oak Lake Park, Lincoln. This family-friendly event is Lincoln’s official celebration of Independence Day, featuring food, music, fireworks, and more. 402-441-7547. —lincoln.ne.gov RED, WHITE, KABOOM! July 3 at Ag Park in Columbus. The biggest Independence Day celebration in Columbus brings eventgoers a day of live music from Barrel House, activities, a bouncy house, and more. Fireworks starting at dusk. 402-564-2769. —thecolumbuspage.com

NEBRASKA STAR PARTY July 19-24 at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area near Valentine.

This week-long event dedicated to nature and the stars will entertain children and adults alike.

Guests can learn how to explore the night sky and take educational tours of the surrounding area. 402-333-5460. —nebraskastarparty.org

49TH ANNUAL FLEA MARKET July 3-5 at City

Park in Fairbury. This annual event features more than 215 vendors, where everything from dishes to clothes will be available for purchase, along with great food. A Fourth of July celebration will take place as well. 402729-322. —fairburyfleamarket.com

1898 INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

July 4 at Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island. This summer tradition includes a parade, a concert, pie-eating contests, games, and more. 308-385-5316. —stuhrmuseum.org

ZOOFEST July 10-11 at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln.

This festival will feature all-day performances from national and local musicians along with food, drinks, and merchandise for sale. 402-435-8754.

—zoobar.com JOHN C. FREMONT DAYS July 10-12 throughout Fremont. Held every second week of July, this events celebrates John C. Fremont, and includes free activities, historical tours, car and bike shows, vendors, antiques, and live entertainment.

402-727-9428. —johncfremontdays.org ALLIANCE HERITAGE DAYS July 14-19 throughout

Alliance. Celebrating more than 40 years of Alliance heritage and history, this five-day event brings carnival rides, various vendors, live musical entertainment, a parade, games, and so much more. 308-762-5400. —cityofalliance.net

FAMILY FUN CARNIVAL Aug. 1 at Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum near Ashland. This annual carnival is complete with games, bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, hands-on activities, and more.

Kids and adults will be able to learn how JULY to juggle from Omaha Juggling Club members. 402-944-3100. —sacmuseum.org

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NEBRASKA ROD & CUSTOM CAR SHOW Aug. 2 at Stuhr Museum of the Prairie

Pioneer in Grand Island. Dozens of street rods, hot rods, customized vehicles, and historical American automobiles will be on display at the museum’s 1890s Railroad Town. 308-385-5316. —stuhrmuseum.org

COLUMBUS DAYS Aug. 13-16 throughout Columbus. Attendees can spend the weekend listening to live music, enjoying food, a cornhole contest, bed races, a parade, and more. 402-564-2769. —thecolumbuspage. com/events/columbus-days OREGON TRAIL DAYS Aug. 21-22 throughout Scottsbluff. This annual event is one of the oldest community festivals in Nebraska. The celebration includes a kickoff barbecue, a hill climb bicycle ride to the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument, a chili cookoff, horseshoe tournament, and more.

308- 632-2133. —oregontraildays.com KOOL-AID DAYS Aug. 21-23 in Hastings

Nebraska. This year’s event is teaming up with the Oregon Trail Rodeo, but will still feature Kwickest Kool-Aid Drinking Contest, Jammers Boat Races, a fun run/walk, and more. 402-461-8405. —kool-aiddays.com

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NEBRASKA STATE FAIR Aug. 28-Sept. 7 at the state fairgrounds in Grand Island.

Participate in traditional fair activities like livestock exhibits, a midway, and lots of fried food. 308-382-1620. —statefair.org GERMANFEST Aug. 29 throughout Syracuse.

An event celebrating German culture brings eventgoers a grand parade, ribfest, tractor pulls, live entertainment, and more.

402-269-3242. —gosyracusene.com IOWA INDEPENDENCE DAY July 4 at Living History Farms in Urbandale. Celebrate America’s birthday with a family-oriented day of pieeating contests, foot races, a town parade, and more. The celebration will also include the Walnut Hill Bluestockings playing baseball according to 1875 rules. 515-278-5286. —lhf.org CHRISTMAS IN JULY July 11 in downtown Oskaloosa. Celebrate Christmas in the summer with this unique all-day, family-friendly event, with games, activities, live music, and more.

Funds raised will benefit Painting of Lights lighting display. 641-672-2591. —oacdg.org IOWAY CULTURE DAY July 13 at Living History Farms in Urbandale. Spend the day exploring the Ioway culture—the namesake of the state of Iowa. Guests can take a tractor-cart ride to a 1700-style Ioway farm where they can learn how the Ioway constructed their homes, farmed, and prepared food. In addition, guest speakers will impart their personal knowledge of Ioway tradition and technology. 515-278-5286. —lhf.org NORDICFEST July 23-25 in downtown Decorah. This town promotes its Scandanavian heritage by welcoming visitors from around the world for a festival full of traditional crafts, food, colorful parades, musical performances, and a Saturday night fireworks show. 800-382-3378. —nordicfest.com

AUG.

HINTERLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL

Aug. 2-4 at Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater in St. Charles. Guests will be entertained with music from a talented number of artists from around the country (and the world) with styles rooted in rock, country, and more. Performers include Tanya Tucker, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Yola. 515-333-4628. —hinterlandiowa.com

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IMAGINE • INSPIRE • INNOVATE

MISSOURI FIRST SATURDAY EVENT July 11 and Aug. 1 at Shoal Creek Living History Museum in Kansas City. This free event will introduce guests to the Missouri of the 19th century through historical demonstrations and activities.

Re-enactors dressed as outlaws, mountain men, and other characters will participate in skits and gunfights. 816-792-2655.

—shoalcreeklivinghistorymuseum.com KC FRINGE FESTIVAL July 12-26 in Kansas City. This is a 14-day festival of unjuried, uncensored performing and visual arts featuring performers and creators from all over—local, national, and international. 816- 359-9195. —kcfringe.org

Just off I-80 at Exit 426 www.SACMuseum.org

ETHNIC ENRICHMENT FESTIVAL Aug. 21-23 at Swope Park, 3999 Swope Parkway in Kansas City. This event features more than 60 different cultures selling their native foods and crafts, and performing ethnic music and dances. 816-513-7553. —eeckc.net K ANSAS JUNQUE N’ DONUTS FLEA MARKET July 11 at Louisburg Cider Mill in Louisburg. Vendors will be setting up shop to showcase their treasures. Eventgoers can peruse or stop into the Mill for not beer and delicious cider donuts.

913-837-5202. —louisburgcidermill.com DODGE CITY DAYS July 23-Aug. 2 in Dodge City. Running into early August, this twoweek celebration will mark the 59th year of the festival. This event will have food trucks, an obstacle course, barbecue contest, a car show, and more. 620-227-3119. —dodgecitydays.org ROCK & FOOD TRUCKS July 25 in downtown Topeka. Several local rock ’n’ roll bands will perform at this festival, with concessions available from food trucks. 800-235-1030 —visittopeka.com COUNTRY & FOOD TRUCKS Aug. 22 in downtown Topeka. Several local country bands will perform at this festival, with concessions available from food trucks. 800-235-1030 —visittopeka.com Event times and details may change.

Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings.

Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.

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NOT FUNNY // COLUMN BY OTIS TWELVE // PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL SITZMANN

TALKING TO MYSELF

S

o, I was talking to myself the other day.

I was in my car. I have found over the years that, if I want to talk to myself, being in my car is the best place. If I am in my car, it only takes a second to check and be sure that I am alone. I have also found over the years that, if I want to talk to myself, being alone is the best company.

If you talk to yourself around the wrong people, your spouse or children for example, they may produce some sort of document and get it signed by a quack or two, who are unsympathetic concerning the art of self-conversation. They may then file that document with a nearby court presided over by a judge of one sort or another who also thinks such solo-chats are suggestive of a weak and unstable character. Said jurist might then issue some sort of ruling, or order, or such, that might occasion a change of address for me.

Now, though I do rather like rural living, quiet country mornings, and that sense of healing solitude one can get when spending a few months at an institution that dedicates itself to providing such restful accommodations, I do not favor being forced there under duress by shady lawyers. Thus, I maintain that it is best to get into my car, a smallish sedan that offers no nooks or crannies where a child or my rather petite wife might secrete themselves, check three times to ascertain that I am quite alone, turn on the radio to country music, and crank the volume to max. And drive at least three blocks from my home–the one that they want to take away from me–before beginning any conversation with the said “self.”

So, anyway, I was talking to myself the other day.

I was in my car. I have found over the years, and especially in these days of anxiety, that talking to myself offers me the best chance to interact with and improve the most important relationship in my life–the relationship between me and me. I have found that if I am honest and open with myself, I grow to like myself more and more. I like that.

I can relate to myself without reservation about the most significant issues that we face on the journey through this incarnation. The other day I told myself exactly what I should have told Tommy Fangman after he bullied me in third grade. I spoke honestly, and openly about my profound disappointment in the final season of Game of Thrones—I even cried a bit about that. Maybe at long last I can let go of that sense of betrayal that follows me all these years later. Lately I have been re-living the Chiefs Super Bowl win over and over—talking to myself about how much I deserve Patrick Mahomes being on my team. I deserve him.

I recommend that everyone spend more time talking to themselves.

One bit of advice, don’t talk to yourself about politics or religion. You’ll just end up in an argument.

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

JULY/AUGUST

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