Nebraska Life Magazine May-June 2023 by Flagship Publishing

MAY/JUNE 2023

For more than 70 years, Stromsburg has invited guests from near and far to join in the celebration of Stromsburg’s Swedish heritage on the THIRD WEEKEND IN JUNE. Enjoy Swedish foods, dancers and crafts, BBQ and brats, a Swedish parade, musical performances, kids' entertainment, cornhole tournament, crowing of the king and queen, and much more!

All entertainment during the festival is free. Most will be held in the city square around the renovated 100-year-old bandstand and new stage. Plan to bring your lawn chairs and enjoy. A carnival and midway will be available Friday and Saturday.

Friday, June 16

4:30-7 pm

5-10 pm

5:30-6:30 pm

Chicken BBQ

Taste of Sweden, food

Kid’s entertainment: Overall Buddies

6:45 pm Swedish dancers, local children

7:30 pm Crowning of the King and Queen

8:30 pm Community choir

Saturday, June 17

7 am

Swedish pancakes, two locations

8 am 5K-10K-1M, Earl “Helge” Byleen run/walk

8 am-9 pm Taste of Sweden, food

9 am-5 pm Midsommar market arts and crafts

11:15 am State-sanctioned children’s tractor pull

Noon-4 pm Edgerton Explorit Center from Aurora

4:30 pm Swedish dancers, local children

4-7:30 pm Firemen serving BBQ and brats

6 pm Parade: “Here come the Swedes”

7:30 pm Nebraska Pride Chorus musicians

Sunday, June 18

11 am-TBD Boy Scouts hamburger meal

11 am-4 pm Car, motorcycle and tractor show

Noon Cornhole tournament

11 am-6 pm Anna street trolley, ice cream treats

5 pm Covenant Praise singers

TASTE OF SWEDEN

Open Monday-Friday 9:30-5, Saturday 10-Noon www.spindleshuttleneedle.com www. bremill.com

MAY/JUNE 2023

FEATURES

24 Reclaimed Remnants

Take a trip back in time with this photographic collection of crumbling homesteads, long-lost barns and recollections of days gone by. Places may come and go, but memories last forever!

By Tom Hess

34 Remembering Epworth

The only remaining pieces of Epworth in Banner County hold the history of a devoted town and its residents. Pioneers brought the small town to life, and their descendants continue to work together to keep the memory alive.

Story by Deb Carpenter-Nolting • Photographs by Jessica Rocha

38 S andhills Journey Scenic Byway, Part Two: D unning to Alliance

In this second installment of the Sandhills Scenic Byway journey, Nebraska Life Photo Editor Joshua Hardin explores the Sandhills from Dunning to Alliance. On his journey he encounters a sprawling national forest, gets up-close with exotic animals and greets a classic attraction. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Story and photographs by Joshua Hardin

52 Van’s Fishing Camp

A camp and all-stop-shop for those visiting Lake McConaughy to fish, Van’s Fishing Camp reels in regulars and visitors alike. Follow one family’s journey in business and the memory of the man who started it all. Will you take the bait?

Story by Alan J. Bartels • Photographs by Joshua Hardin

60 Hola, Muchachos!

Nick Maestas brought the combination of love and good food from his grandparents’ dining table to a popular Lincoln eatery. Sprinkle in a passion for Nebraska athletics, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

By Tim Trudell

72 Laura Farms

A young Aurora farmer takes the internet by storm with her easy-going attitude and a smile. Log in and learn why Laura Wilson’s videos of Nebraska farm life are topping the social media charts and entertaining fans around the world.

By Cheyenne Rowe

84 House of Prairie and Sun

Two years at sea in a catamaran inspired one Omaha couple to build the home of their dreams, complete with ample opportunities to view sunlit skies and a yard full of Nebraska prairie plants to harbor a space for nature.

By Tom Hess

Laura Farms, pg. 72

Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, pg. 38

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Gering, pg. 14

Epworth (Banner County), pg. 34

Ellsworth, pg. 38 Alliance, pg. 38

Hyannis, pg. 38

Seneca, pg. 38

Halsey, pg. 38

Antioch, pg. 38

Ashby, pg. 38

Mullen, pg. 38

Dunning, pg. 38

Lake McConaughy, pg. 52

Loup County, pg. 102

Comstock, pg. 92

Aurora, pg. 72

Kearney, pg. 14

Gibbon, pg. 92

DEPARTMENTS

Blair, pg. 104

Ashland, pg. 92

Hampton, pg. 14

Seward County, pg. 24

Lincoln, pg. 60

Omaha, pg. 14, 84, 92

Bellevue, pg. 92

Backcountry tours of Scotts Bluff National Monument, Chief Standing Bear on a stamp, beef for lunch in Hampton, firefighters on display in Kearney and a postcard from Gene Leahy Mall. Plus: Try out your knowledge knowledge of quirky laws in Nebraska. Answers on page 97.

Add spice to life, and to the dinner table, with a collection of suppers from south of the border.

69 Poetry

Nebraska and families go together in these poems featuring mothers and fathers from the heartland. A mother awaits the arrival of hummingbirds and spring; a dad inspires love for life in Nebraska.

92 Traveler

Full moon hikes in Bellevue bring Nebraskans out to explore the night, the Comstock Windmill Festival welcomes country music lovers, and a trio of “glamping” destinations give retreat options for all.

102 Naturally Nebraska

Alan J. Bartels, renowned Nebraska photographer Michael Forsberg and their daughters observe prairie chickens and learn a little more about life.

104 Last Look

Photographer Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston followed a late June storm system rolling through eastern Nebraska to capture a picturesque posttempest rainbow.

Above: Megan Feeney, Danelle McCollum, Kimberly Creek Retreat

Joshua Hardin, Cheyenne Rowe

JULY/AUGUST 2023

Volume 27, Number 4

Publisher & Editor

Chris Amundson

Associate Publisher Angela Amundson

Assistant Editor

Cheyenne Rowe

Photo Editor Amber Kissner

Design

Karie Pape, Rebecca Velazquez, Hernán Sosa

Advertising

Marilyn Koponen, Stephanie Kanai Griess

Subscriptions

Lea Kayton, Katie Evans, Janice Sudbeck

Nebraska Life Magazine

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CONTRIBUTE

Send us your letters, stories, photos and story tips by writing to us, visiting NebraskaLife.com/contribute or emailing editor@nebraskalife.com.

Nice to meet you, friends

NEBRASKA HAS A universal truth: it’s people are friendly, down-toearth (and fond of Runza) – even if they’ve only called the state home for a short while.

White in college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I met people learning English for the first time, first-generation college students and those returning to school later in life as non-traditional students. Some called the Cornhusker State home, others did not. My roommate, though a family friend, had moved back to Nebraska just for school. I still remember the day she received one of her first doses of Nebraska kindness – making friends with strangers – courtesy of yours truly.

She hailed from the coast (both east and west, at some point, being a military kid). Once upon a time, her family had lived in Nebraska. After little persuasion, her grandma and my aunt set us up to be roommates. We had just moved in, fighting the rush of other freshmen and the nerves of not knowing a single face on our floor, and elbowed our way onto the elevator to make it down for the last load of groceries.

We had no choice but to get cozy. The space was tight with a moving cart, empty totes and somebody’s mom. The rest of her family had opted to take the stairs. I then enacted the Nebraska way. I made a “dad” joke, something along the lines of, “They left you behind, huh?” and the tension in the small space disappeared.

The mom and I laughed and departed with smiles. My roommate hauled me to a standstill outside the elevator and looked at me, shaking her head.

“You are so Nebraskan,” she said. “You make friends in elevators.”

What can I say? People in Nebraska do it differently. Eventually, she remembered her roots and fit right in.

As I was welcomed on to the Nebraska Life team in March this year, I had ideas already set into place about Nebraska. It is my home, after all, and has been my whole life. I spent the first 18 years in Omaha (graduated a Benson Bunny, thank you), followed by college in Lincoln and finally coming to rest in Central City.

I have already learned so much in the short time I’ve been able to explore the nooks and crannies that make up this great state.

I spent time with Laura and Grant Wilson, two young farmers blazing their own path in an industry laden with tradition and hard-learned lessons. They farm outside of Aurora and, like many farmers, truly embody the grit and determination it takes to live here.

In “In a Tractor and Online,” we learn more about the duo, Laura specifically, and just how she fits (and breaks) the mold of a Nebraska farmer. They’re adaptive (the weather, right?). They’re genuine (stopping work to help those that need it). They’re honest (farm life isn’t always pretty).

Nebraska and its people are truly unique. Our kindness spreads across elevators, through cornfields, and grows into a culture that is difficult to put to words. I am thankful to be among fellow Nebraskans everyday and cannot wait to meet more just like Laura and Grant on my travels.

Cheyenne Rowe Assistant Editor editor@nebraskalife.com

Emma Bullerman

MAILBOX

Happy, with Alan I concur with Alan Bartels’ article on walking (“Naturally Nebraska: SAD no more,” March/April 2023). I live in Omaha and walk to St. Robert Bellarmine Church almost every morning, Monday through Friday, which is about 1.1 miles.

I leave our home about 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled prayer time, and my wife drives there to join me, and I drive us home. The number of steps getting there is about 2,200. A local grocery store is 3/4 mile away, and sometimes I walk there for an item or two if they are not too heavy or bulky to carry. Extreme cold, snowpack, illness or icy roads are my only reasons for not walking.

Getting in 10,000 steps is a normal day for me. One day when I was cutting and hauling firewood, I put on 18,000 steps. I rarely use the treadmill downstairs. I am 81 years old, stand 5 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 130 pounds.

I have been a subscriber of your magazine for more than 10 years and look forward to each new issue.

Donald Hawk Omaha

Lifetime pass privileges

Having grown up a few short miles away from Minden in Funk, I visited the Pioneer Village many times as a youth (“Harold Warp Pioneer Village,” March/Apri 2023).

Fast forward a few years, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Warp while I was a young man flying for a commuter airline (Air Nebraska) based out of Kearney. Mr. Warp routinely used the airline to travel back to Minden, and I spent time talking to him about his business and the Village, as well as his interest in aviation. After one of our conversations Mr. Warp presented me with a lifetime pass to his beautiful historical creation!

While I have not visited the Village in

years, your wonderful article has reminded me that I am well past due to return and enjoy the beauty of a vision of a very special man. I am honored to have had the opportunity to spend time with a gentleman who wanted to save history for all of us to enjoy.

Roger Haddan Omaha

Village visitor

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Pioneer Village featured in the March/April 2023 issue. I worked there in 1963 in the cafe. I also cleaned some of the displays. The following years, I cleaned rooms. I learned how to make hospital corners on beds, and I have taught that to my children and grandchildren.

My dad’s cousin made the brooms, and I still have some with tags on that I bought there. It is wonderful to have Pioneer Village that shows us and our children how things were before computers and cellphones.

Cheryl Paulsen Nielsen Harlan, Iowa

Southern support

A great big “thank you” from the Peach State to the entire staff of Nebraska Life for the outstanding job y’all do. Lady Catharine and I have thoroughly enjoyed each fine issue since 2006, when it was first gifted to us by her sister in Pender. We have used your publication to plan vacation trips to the Good Life state for places to go, see and eat.

A special “Bravo Zulu” (Navy lingo for “well done”) to the young lady in your subscription department who handled a request

for me last week. She was the epitome of what customer service is all about. May just have to put a crowbar in my wallet, pry out that credit card, and get me a Colorado Life and a Utah Life subscription.

Keep up the good work on the Good Life.

Nobles Jeffersonville, Georgia

Brotherly love

Chris, I love you like a brother, and you are a great... very good ... well, you are an above-average writer, but I must believe you spent enough time as a boy in northern Minnesota’s “Land of 10,000 Lakes” to know you can’t just dig a hole in the backyard and call it a lake (“From the Publisher: Lakeview Drive Lesson Plan,” March/April 2023).

Here in lake country, we call that a pond.

But having grown up on a farm with a river running through the middle of it, I could not agree with you more on the value and non-stop, year-round entertainment of any body of water for a boy without video games and smartphones. We were expected to entertain ourselves, and a river and/or lake (pond) went a long way to doing that.

As all ways, great magazine, and keep up the great… I mean, above average… work.

Brent Amundson McGregor, Minnesota

Star-struck list

As usual, the January/February 2023 issue is a tremendous hit with both me and my wife, Robin. We were especially pleased with a couple of the highlights in your “Good Life

Roger Haddan

List” article. First, #4 (Genevieve Randall). We whole-heartedly agree with you. Genevieve is my sister’s daughter-in-law. She is such a hoot, and we just love her. We enjoy listening to her program, but she also is an amazing person to talk to. In fact, she did a spot on the Nebraska Star Party on her show once.

That brings me to #10 (Dark Skies). Fantastic! We are well underway in planning the 30th anniversary of the Nebraska Star Party (July 16-22, 2023). We expect it to be an amazing event, especially this year with all the interest in Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area getting the International DarkSky Association’s Dark Sky Park designation.

This was the 200th designation of a Dark Sky Park in the entire world. We cordially invite all readers of your magazine to consider attending the star party this summer or in the future. Come see what the Milky Way galaxy really looks like in a pristine dark sky.

farm. I jumped about halfway off the tractor before I realized it was just an airplane.

Gene Gausman Milford

Flat iron focus

Our family discovered the flat iron steak while on vacation in Wisconsin (“Nebraska meat scientist staked out new stake,” January/February 2023). It was in a steak house located in the middle of nowhere and named the “Flat Iron Steakhouse.”

After I was elected to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, I convinced my fellow board members to invite Professor Chris Calkins to a meeting to share with us the story behind the flat iron steak. In a way, it was a story that brought together the administration with the faculty.

Kent Schroeder

John Johnson Outreach and Promotions Director Nebraska Star

Party,

Omaha

Rabbit tales

Supernatural psych-out

I read your article on UFOs in the January/February 2023 issue with interest (“Is There Anybody Out There?”). I’ll tell my own story, although it doesn’t involve an actual sighting.

In the summer of 1964, my father, a farmer some 20 miles west of Lincoln, required surgery. I did his farm work that summer until he got back in the saddle. I had my own job to hold down during the day, so I did most of the farm work in the evenings and at night. The Lincoln Air Force Base was still active at the time.

During August, there had been some UFO sightings around Ashland. One night, after dark, I was plowing wheat ground. All alone on the tractor out in the field, I let my mind wander and got lost in thoughts about UFOs. About then, an airplane with its landing light on came over the hill east of the

The Villages, Florida

The jackrabbit story (Flat Water News, “Could jackrabbits bounce back?”) and “Last Look” of the pheasant rooster in your January/February 2023 issue brought back wonderful memories.

As a child living on a farm near Bruno we had easily visible open pasture. Nearing nighttime, the jackrabbits would come out, so numerous it looked like the ground was moving. Our farm cats gave chase but usually couldn’t get very close. I loved to watch them – simple entertainment for a child in those days.

Pheasants also were abundant. You never went a day without hearing their calls and seeing them gliding through the air. I am saddened that we have all but lost both wonderful animals in our area and certainly wish they could rebound in population.

Kent Schroeder

The Villages, Florida

SEND YOUR LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Please send us your letters and emails by June 10, 2023 for possible publication. One lucky winner selected at random will receive a free 1-year subscription renewal. This issue’s winner is Dawn Hawk of Omaha. Email editor@nebraskalife. com or write by mail to the address at the front of this magazine. Thanks for reading and subscribing!

Noteworthy news, entertaining nonsense

Backcountry tour shows new side of Scotts Bluff

BY MEGAN FEENEY

A caravan of SUVs and trucks bumps along a canal road, typically closed to the public, on the north side of Scotts Bluff National Monument. The dust is so thick it’s blinding. Park Ranger Matt Salomon reaches the first stop on this “Scotts Bluff Backcountry Tour,” which provides visitors a unique view of Scotts Bluff National Monument’s nature, history, geology and paleontology.

Tour attendees park their vehicles and follow Salomon single file across a narrow bridge crossing a culvert. As the visitors approach a prairie dog town, there is a high-

pitched barking. That’s one of as many as 50 different calls that prairie dogs can make, Salomon said.

When pioneers traveled through the area, there were endless miles of prairie dog towns. This prairie dog town is smaller but still impressive. Mounds stretch into the far distance. Each mound leads to tunnels dug as deep as 10-12 feet underground, with branches to areas for food storage, nesting chambers and escape routes.

Humans have also done construction work in the area. The next stop on the tour is the former location of a Depression-era

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. In 1933, newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt created public relief agencies, including the CCC, to put men to work and protect America’s natural resources. Men aged 18-25 were given basic training and enlisted for six months at state and national parks. They constructed tunnels and roads and built the parking lot at the summit, the Oregon Trail Museum, a restroom and utility building and a three-room ranger’s residence. They also planted trees, helped with erosion control and collected fossils and prehistoric remains.

The Scotts Bluff Backcountry Tour gives monument visitors a unique viewpoint of one of Nebraska’s most famous sites. Participants also see a prairie dog town, a Depression-era camp and geological finds, all while a park ranger passes on valuable historical stories.

Megan Feeney

Tour guests also enjoy close encounters with prehistoric fossils at the last stop – a hike through the badlands, where Salomon talks about the area’s prehistoric beasts and passes around the remains of ancient turtles. Then the group is set loose to explore the rugged hills and crests. Before long, one guest discovers the tooth of an oreodont –an extinct sheep-like creature. Salomon inspects it, puts it back where the guest found it and tags its GPS location for the National Park Service. The guests are excited by the finds, but as the sun begins to set they fall silent, watching until the brilliant orb dips below the horizon.

This year’s hike is planned for June 27. Those who wish to participate are required to have a pickup truck or other high-clearance SUV. Registration is limited to the first 50 participants (opening June 19). Call in advance to make reservations: (308) 436-9700.

Park Ranger Matt Salomon leads the tour and helps to tag tour-goer fossil finds for the National Park Service.

New Forever stamp postmarked for Chief Standing Bear

BY LISA TRUESDALE

Ponca Chief Standing Bear has long been a symbol near and dear to Nebraskans. He stands for some of the most cherished freedoms, including fighting for one’s people and beliefs.

Thanks in part to his dedicated vigilance for the Ponca people and serving as a historical keystone in the United States, Chief Standing Bear will be honored as the face of a new USA Forever postage stamp.

But what brought the native chief to this point in the present?

When the U.S. government tried to relocate the 700-member-strong Ponca Tribe from their native land along Ponca Creek in northeastern Nebraska in 1877, Chief Standing Bear originally complied. Yet after much sickness, suffering and death among the tribe – including the loss of his son – Standing Bear longed to return home. While trying to do just that, he and 29 other Ponca were promptly arrested.

Objecting to the idea that natives were not citizens, Standing Bear was historically quoted saying, “I am a man. The same God made us both.” He cited the

14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved persons.

So, in 1879, he filed a lawsuit – one of the first civil rights cases in the country –and won. Standing Bear returned home to Nebraska and lived here until his death in 1908.

The U.S. Postal Service is honoring the life and legacy of Chief Standing Bear with a commemorative USA Forever stamp in May. The stamp featuring the Ponca leader was designed based on a portrait by renowned artist and illustrator Thomas Blackshear II, which he in turn based on a photograph taken of Standing Bear in 1877, while he was in Washington, D.C., to appeal to government officials for the right to return home.

Megan Feeney

Where’s the (Hawk) beef?

BY CHEYENNE ROWE

By nature, hawks are carnivorous birds. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’d pick off a steer in a fight, however.

That said, it’s a common sight in Hampton, where the school proudly displays the Hawk as a mascot. FFA advisor and ag teacher Joel Miller has helped his students create an all-hooves-in experience on school grounds.

The Hawk Herd program has been making serious headway since its inception in 2021 with a hands-on experience for students to take cattle from birth to slaughter. What started as “Animal Lab” has turned into a source of homegrown protein for the school’s lunch program

Hampton High School students like Trey Klieir work together to complete chores, taking care of their stock of “Hawk Beef” until it’s time to process the meat for school lunches.

Cheyenne Rowe

MARK TWAIN arren Brown)

EDITH WHARTON aren Vuranch)

ROSA PARKS ecky Stone) CHIEF STANDING BEAR aylor Keen)

Stu

the Prairie Pioneer

FLAT WATER

all serviced by a selection of up to 10 high school students. And while the beef itself provides for some tasty burgers, it also has a hand in teaching the students who care for it a subset of uniquely Nebraskan values, passions and set of responsibilities.

As a class, Mondays start the process with rationing feed for the week into plastic 5-gallon buckets. It fills the air with dust

and is often a dirty job, but the students don’t seem to care much. Those taking care of the animals are also in charge of knowing what these rations look like based on age and future intentions – whether for breeding or slaughtering.

Daily chores consist of some students donning muck boots and gloves, feeding prepared rations, pitching hay into

some pens for additional nutrients, and of course, everyone’s favorite activity, scooping cow patties. Other students break off to check on and feed the chickens in the coop, followed by collecting eggs. Weekend chores are similar, except one individual student is assigned.

The first steer born on property two years ago, Wally, was processed in February this year. He’s currently being served for lunch to approximately 188 students.

To have the entire process from start to finish was “a huge moment” for the program, Miller said.

Now that everything is in line, the program is on pace to process the next two steers, Dwayne and Hank, this fall. There’ll be another one in the spring of 2024.

“People always say that fresh produce out of the garden tastes better because they grew it themselves,” Miller said. “I’m sure that some would say that Hawk Beef just tastes a little bit better now, too.”

Beef. It’s what’s for lunch in Hampton.

Cheyenne Rowe

Senior Shayna Klute dumps a feed ration into a cattle pen to help “beef up” its occupants.

Firefighters volunteer at Kearney museum

BY CHEYENNE ROWE

The Nebraska Firefighters Museum and Education Center in Kearney holds many fire stations’ worth of artifacts and equipment specially donated by fire and rescue departments across the state. It is equally equipped to douse the curiosity of all who enter its halls.

After the funeral of a fellow Nebraska firefighter, a trio of fellow firemen – Norman Hoeft (David City), Robert E. Vogltance (West Point) and Arthur “Pooch” Gulzow (Grand Island) – dreamed up a way to recognize the profession and serve as a resource for fire prevention

Melenbacker Photography

The Nebraska Firefighters Museum and Education Center showcases the love and dedication of first responders around the state through a yearly rotation of on-loan exhibits.

education. Thirty years later, their dream came to reality.

Located in a quaint space near I-80, a tall atrium greets guests immediately inside the museum. Meer steps past the threshold is a cherry-red hose cart, used by the rural Kearney Volunteer Fire Department a long time ago. This is a favorite of museum volunteer Terry Eirich, fire inspector for the Kearney VFD.

School children are frequent visitors to the museum. One group of 26 from South Platte Schools was caught giving its rapt attention to Eirich and fellow fireman Lucas Frey. Serving as co-chairs of Kearney VFD’s fire prevention committee, the pair are often on call with their 90 pounds of gear, ready to teach at about fire safety.

They start the students’ field trip with a breakdown of the gear commonly worn by a fireman. Their primary goal, they said, is to ensure children know what to do in case of a fire and aren’t scared of the masked men carrying bulky, loud gear.

Eirich, a 36-year Kearney VFD veteran, teaches with experience gained from his fair share of fire calls. “The first week I got on (the department) we had five structure fires, and, of course, I was brand new with no training,” he said. “(The first one) was just three blocks over from my house.”

No pumpers on scene, Eirich put on his gear haphazardly and did what he could –with a garden hose. “That was the worst feeling of my life, getting there and not knowing what to do,” he said.

Eirich’s mission to educate the public on fire prevention and safety is accomplished often with the help of the museum that his department helped create. It’s a symbiotic relationship and one that the past chief walks around viewing with a smile – even in the face of a blaze of children asking questions.

The museum, featuring a new rotating display each year, is open to the public Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

FLAT WATER

The 260-acre Arbor Day Farm is packed with fun and adventure for the entire family. Join us for one-of-a-kind activities that take you high into the trees, along wooded trails, into a historic mansion, and under the soaring timbers of Lied Lodge.

Your vacation awaits; start planning at arbordayfarm.org.

Cheyenne Rowe Kearney volunteer firemen Terry Eirich and Lucas Frey often educate youth on fire safety via museum field trips.

Historic Omaha park dawns new look

The soft and serene sight of waterfront sidewalks ushers guests through the iconic Gene Leahy Mall in Omaha. Only now it looks a little different!

This landmark location, nestled in the heart of Nebraska’s biggest city, recently received a long-awaited facelift. While maintaining the preservation of park favorites, the mission to bring a new and more updated vibe to the park was a huge success.

The new and improved space has a lot to boast about – to the tune of 40,000 additional square feet of lush and natural lawn space. This was achieved by raising the park from the depths and bringing it, literally, to street level.

While still surrounded by iconic Omaha buildings, visitors to the area now have the chance to experience live music at a new pavilion, view a sculpture garden overflowing with art, and enjoy a playground and dog park – all while surrounded by an unforgettable atmosphere.

August 11,12 & 13

Grand Entries: Fri-7 pm, Sat-1 & 7 pm, Sun-1 pm

Take a scenic tour of Northeast Nebraska, and visit the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska for our Annual Powwow!

All Dancers, Vendors and Spectators Welcome. For more information on this year’s Powwow, please visit our website at www.poncatribe-ne.org.

A recent renovation to the Gene Leahy Mall in Omaha gives residents and visitors alike a chance to enjoy the outdoors. This updated space gave a 40,000 square feet boost of lush lawn.

Santee

Verdigre

Wausa

2023 PATRIOTIC PARADE & CONCERT

In Downtown Omaha

Go to HiBid.com to bid on a ﬂight in the P-51!

July 29, 2023 • 9 am-4:15 pm

Featuring the 2024 Golden Sower Award authors

Alice B. McGinty • Dusti Bowling

Makiia Lucier

A wonderful way for literature lovers of all ages to spend a summer day! Join us for presentations, workshops and more! Tickets available online or at the library.

QUIRKY LAWS

Challenge your knowledge of rights and wrongs

Questions by YOGESH RAUT

GENERAL

They’re called “Munchkins” at Dunkin’ and “Timbits” at Tim Hortons. What bite-sized confections were illegal to sell in Leigh until 1997?

Some 17 states permit the hunting of what migratory bird under restricted circumstances, but Nebraska is not one of them?

To prevent people with disabilities from begging in the streets, in the late 19th century many U.S. cities passed so-called “ugly laws” prohibiting the “unsightly” from appearing in public. Surprisingly, police in Omaha attempted to enforce that city’s inhumane “ugly law” as late as what decade?

4 In 2018, Nebraska passed LB596, which exempts practitioners of what kind of therapy on horses, cats and dogs from being required to possess a license?

5 A common urban legend states that hotels are required to provide guests with a clean white cotton nightshirt in which Nebraska “Tri-Cities” community?

Magdelena Paluchowska

Connie Allen

Barbers in Waterloo are prohibited from snacking on veggies, specifically onions, during working hours.

Omaha and Bellevue allow the keeping of pot-bellied pigs as pets, although many other Nebraska cities (like Lincoln) don’t.

Nebraska law says that bar owners cannot sell beer unless they brew a pot of soup at the same time.

Contrary to the widely repeated urban legend, there is, in fact, no specific Nebraska law that outlaws whale hunting.

Under no circumstances is it permitted to lead or ride horses, mules, oxen or other draft animals on the streets of Grand Island.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Nebraska state law (Revised Statute 42-102) sets the minimum marriage age at WHAT and states that, “No person who is afflicted with a venereal disease shall marry in this state”?

a. 16

b. 17

c. 19

Olivia Locher’s book I Fought the Law features photographs of her breaking quirky laws in each of the 50 states. What does she do in Nebraska?

a. Pump her own gas

b. Cash a check without her husband’s permission

c. Perm a child’s hair

13 According to Nebraska law 28-1465, the legal limit for alcohol consumption for those operating, or in physical control of, an airplane is WHAT percentage of body weight?

a. 0.08%

b. 0.00%

c. 0.05%

Nebraska Revised Statute 60-6,181 requires drivers to stick as near to the right-hand side of the road as reasonably possible while traversing highways near what geographical features that are quite rare in Nebraska?

a. Mountains

b. Deserts

c. Oceans

15 According to the Nebraska DMV, which of the following individuals are exempt from needing a Commercial Drivers License?

a. Farmers

b. Over-the-road truckers

c. Bus drivers

Boyhood Home of Johnny Carson

AP Photo/Scottsbluff Star-Herald, Rick Myers

Fade Kings Barbershop

from its

Decades removed

heyday, Kracl and Son garage remains standing in the Colfax County town of Rogers.

Ken Smith

Abandoned but Not Forgotten

Crumbling homesteads and barns conjure memories of the Nebraska of yesteryear

by TOM HESS

Paint peels from the weathered sides of an old house nestled among leafless trees near Scotts Bluff National Monument.

TRISH EKLUND IS a writer who one day simply couldn’t write. Grief blocked her thoughts after her father, Jerry, died in 2014 from congestive heart failure. To move forward, she needed another creative outlet and found it when she passed by an abandoned Nebraska homestead.

“I became more and more obsessed with abandoned homesteads and barns,” Eklund said. “They’re quickly going away, being torn down, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. I’m their voice to share with everyone else.”

Eklund started a photo blog, which got the notice of a publisher. She published her first book, Abandoned Nebraska: Echoes of Our Past, in November 2018, and her second book, Abandoned Farmhouses and Homesteads of Nebraska: Decaying in the Heartland, in February 2021.

She continues taking day trips to the Nebraska countryside, sometimes returning to her favorites. Among them had been the Israel Beetison House in Ashland, an Italianate mansion built in 1874, until it burned down in April 2022 and was demolished a month later.

Eklund drives a Kia and brings with her a Nikon, a Canon and Olympus mirrored lightweight cameras. She usually seeks permission before photographing homesteads.

“Sometimes newer owners will let you photograph them, but not inside because they may be unstable,” Eklund said. “The more rundown they are, they’re very dangerous, with animal excrement, mold, asbestos.”

When she visits and sees an old tire swing outside, Eklund imagines kids playing in the yard, while Mom prepares supper.

Like Eklund, Joan Knoell of Seward County turned to photography of abandoned homesteads and barns after losing someone precious – in Joan’s case, her husband, Don, who died three days after New Year’s Eve 2013, three months shy of their 49th wedding anniversary. Knoell began her country drives as a way to fill her empty calendar.

Richard Teller

Clockwise from bottom left: Weeds grow on an antique combine on the Doug and Deb Ablott farm near Inland. The setting sun highlights a partially leafed out cottonwood tree near an abandoned farmhouse in Nuckolls County. A cow skull lies in the grass in front of a gradually collapsing house near Garland; the trees had been propping up the listing structure, but it has since fallen down almost completely. It has been a long time since anyone made a home inside an old sod house in the Sandhills near Gordon.

Jorn Olsen (top); Joan Classen (above) Erik Johnson (above); Erik Johnson (opposite)

Erik Johnson Roy Swoboda (above); Jayson Basilio (opposite)

“I wanted to get out, go down the road,” Knoell said. “At first, I noticed two old buildings and started taking pictures.” Next she opened a Facebook group, Abandoned in Nebraska, later renaming it Abandoned Nebraska, where she posted her photos and invited others to do the same. The page now has 20,000 followers.

Knoell is fond of the 2012 book Home Held Up by Trees, written by Nebraska poet Ted Kooser, which weaves a wistful story of a single father whose two children grow up watching him dutifully tend to their prairie property. The father clears their lawn of the sprouts from the encroaching forest. The family is living the good life.

The children grow up and move away, and so does the father. With no one to stop the forest from advancing, it takes over, the trees gently lifting the abandoned and deteriorating home on its branches.

Knoell says the book perfectly captures the experience of driving her Chevrolet Equinox through the countryside. She chooses the back roads, away from modern development, and visits and visits again abandoned homes and barns that have become something like friends. She’ll stop and lift up her camera with a zoom lens, shooting from a distance. She doesn’t want to trespass.

Certain homes and barns became favorites, but eventually she would see in her own travels or in the photos that Facebook followers took that those buildings, those old friends, would be torn down, they would burn down, or they fell down. Like in the poet’s book, the good life meets the cycle of life.

The northern lights make a rare appearance as stars twinkle above an abandoned house on a frosty evening near Crawford. A disused windmill rises from a lake in Madison County; the windmill was likely put in place long before the dam was constructed to create the lake. Class is out of session for good at a one-room schoolhouse near the town of Craig in Burt County.

The setting sun casts its glow on an old shed and turns the clouds pink on a serene evening on the west side of DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge near Blair.

Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston

Epworth survives in memory

story by DEB CARPENTER-NOLTING photographs by JESSICA ROCHA

ATOWN SPRINGS

TO life when homesteaders stake claims and build their community with a post office, school, church and, sometimes sooner than later, a cemetery. The story is a common one in Western Nebraska and could be telling of more than one location across the expanse of the Great Plains.

One such place is Epworth, Nebraska. It won’t be found on the newer maps of Banner County. But it was once a town like so many forgotten. Today, there are two reminders of the community that once was. The first is the Epworth Cemetery. The second is a log home, an original structure from homesteading days, down the road east of the cemetery.

Nature takes its toll in these lost places. Blizzards, drought and grasshopper infestations can make or break it for settlers there. Sometimes progress also takes its toll. One town becomes the hub in a large area – schools consolidate, buses run and little towns die. Buildings find their way to new places. People do, too. The post office closes, and the school and church fall into disrepair.

All that remains are, perhaps, the graves in the cemetery, nearby descendants and the stories.

In the case of Epworth, the worn log home still standing as a memory of times long gone was built by Thomas Cox, the son of Jacob and Hermina Cox. They were proudly one of the early homesteading families in Epworth who moved from Missouri to Nebraska in 1887. At that time, there was no Banner County. The area was still in Cheyenne County, which was later subdivided into six counties, with Banner being one of them. Three of the Cox boys took claims in this community – John B., Thomas and Erastus. Three more homesteaded after 1904, when the Kinkaid Law passed, and Thomas took over the homestead that brother Charles didn’t prove up.

Many years down the road, in 1921, the Thomas Cox family moved to Oregon and sold the place to Martin and Anna Kryger, who came from Denmark. Anna planted a black walnut grove. Their son, Elmer, married Doris Cox (Thomas’ daughter) and brought her back from Oregon to live in the log house her father had built. Elmer

died in 1933 and Doris remarried, first to Elmer’s brother, George, then after George died to Joe Person.

She and Joe rented the log house and grounds from Anna, and they continued to live in the old log home until Joe purchased a place to the north in 1943. When they moved, Anna decided to sell the home.

The rest of the Cox family also had strong ties to the Epworth community. One of those young men, John B. Cox, is buried in the cemetery. When John and his wife, Lydia, moved from eastern Nebraska to take a homestead, they lived in a dugout for the first few years until they built a log cabin of their own. Life for the couple reflected that of many of the pioneers of that age. Together they hauled water to their homestead for 12 years, until 1900, when they were able to drill a well.

Thanks to John, the first school in town was built in 1892. He donated an acre of his homestead, hauled logs from the hills along Bull Canyon and, with the help of his neighbors, brought the much-needed structure to life. Water had to be carried here, too, until a well could be dug. Mae Snyder was the teacher for the first three-month term.

Though much of Epworth now amounts to memories, there are lingering physical reminders of what once was. Myrt Hughbanks and books on Banner County’s history serve as one link, while the Epworth Cemetery (with residents new and old) and an original log home serve as another window to the past.

The town’s timeline continued and eventually saw another teacher, Ona Cecil Ogg, welcomed to the schoolhouse. She had worked in Lincoln for William Jennings Bryan, who would later be appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to serve as the secretary of state. Ogg came westward to teach, and Epworth was her first school. She instilled knowledge in her students there from 1908 to 1911. According to historical records, one such pupil said that when Ogg’s future husband, John Dunn, came courting at school, the students had long recesses.

In 1910, the old log school was torn down, and a frame one was built. Epworth School District #20 was in operation until Banner County schools were consolidated in 1957 and students were bussed to the new school in Harrisburg.

Throughout its life, the Episcopal Methodist Church was another key part of this small community. Though it is not documented, the town’s name “Epworth” was

potatoes; Elizabeth is at the door.

most likely in honor of England’s Lincolnshire town of Epworth, where John and Charles Wesley (founders of Methodism), were born and raised.

Over 80 congregants were registered in 1918, and the church remained active through the mid-1930s. The church was built on land donated by Erastus Cox in 1910. According to the “History of the Epworth Church” in the Banner County Museum’s collection of papers, “the blocks were made by a hand-operated press and dried a few days before being used in the construction.” Reverend Nelson was the first minister, followed by Reverend Schakelford.

The Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church had an active Ladies Aid that held socials – ice-cream, strawberry, oyster soup and box suppers – in the basement of the church. The building was eventually condemned for public use and fell into disrepair. It was demolished approximately 15 years ago.

Another member of the Cox family, Elizabeth, was very supportive of the church and her community. She began the Epworth Post Office in her home on Jan. 25, 1906, and later added a grocery store. Her brother John brought mail from Harrisburg. The post office was discontinued Oct. 15, 1918. Mail was then delivered from Harrisburg by route drivers.

LONGTIME BANNER COUNTY

resident Myrt Hughbanks’ family had mail Route 1 for 14 years, delivering to houses in the Epworth community three days a week. They rarely saw another person on the entire route. According to Myrt, one of her favorite memories was stopping at the bottom of the hill between Epworth and Harrisburg, in Bull Canyon, and getting a cool refreshing drink of water from the windmill when it was running. A tin cup hung on a nail for passersby.

Myrt was born in 1930. Her father, Morris, took his pregnant wife, Myrtle (Schindler) Sandberg, by wagon across the country to Bushnell to stay with the midwife until the baby was born. She was their seventh child, and as Myrt said, “They ran out of names.” The parents called the infant girl “Babe” for the first few months until the oldest daughter took matters in hand and named the baby after their mother, Myrtle.

Myrt’s grandfather, George Schindler, homesteaded in Banner County 3 miles from the Epworth church and cemetery. Her other grandfather, August Sandberg, is buried in the cemetery. August, who emigrated from Sweden, came to Banner County with his sons Morris and Earnest, as well as his daughter and her husband, Amelia and Charles Swan. Mary Lore, Myrt’s sister, is also buried at the Epworth Cemetery. Having died of pneumonia, she is buried next to her grandfather, August.

There are a total of eight graves in the Epworth Cemetery. Beside John Cox, August Sandberg, and Mary Lore Sandberg, Samuel and Elizabeth Edwards lie buried there, as do two graves whose stones are weathered beyond reading. That makes seven. The eighth grave marks the burial place of baby Shelby Ruth Anderson, born in February 2006. She died in October of that same year.

The old log home was lived in by two generations of the Cox family, but now sits empty. The family was also instrumental in the creation of Epworth’s school and church, with John donating the ground. He is seen here with a cart of

ment filled with tumbleweeds. Some trees are just a whisper of memory, far distant cousins of the walnut grove once plant ed, turned to paper on which records are marked, stories are remembered, bound into magazines and books.

The leaves of these documents are fad ing, withering and blowing away in the stiff Nebraska wind. Some leaves regenerate in spring times, as do the budding lives of grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who first homesteaded in the area. This earth, this land, was once prairie grass scratched by the plow and blown east during the 1930s to unwillingly enrich the soil of communities with water more read ily available than what those first pioneers hauled by hand. The dirt that remains is not only the earth that cradles their strands of DNA, but the ground roots those people currently living in Banner.

Edna Johnson wrote it well in County and Its People: of character or virtue they possessed is a part of the inheritance they received from their folks as they were reared on the fam ily farm in Banner County.”

The Last Frontier Sandhills

Journey

National Scenic Byway, Part Two

story and photographs

by JOSHUA HARDIN

The National Scenic Byway that winds throughout Nebraska is filled with wide-open horizons, sunsets and special stops, such as Carhenge, near Alliance.

THE BORDER OF the nation’s western frontier is blurry. No river, mountain range or longitudinal meridian marks its beginning. Maybe the West starts somewhere in Nebraska, lost in a sea of sand.

Once thought by explorers to be part of a “Great American Desert,” Nebraska’s Sandhills spread for 19,000 square miles in swells of prairie grasses, fed by an underground ocean. Hardy pioneers built windmills, center-pivot irrigation systems and expansive barbed-wire-lined ranches to water and settle there. Yet, a large portion of this region has never seen a plow and remains a pristine reminder of how open the West once was – and still is in places.

Nebraska Highway 2, called the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway, rolls over the hills like a bridge linking the humid hay farms surrounding Grand Island to the arid cattle ranches around Alliance. Visitors on this stretch of concrete see more than bright grass and an expansive horizon.

In this two-part series, Nebraska Life travels the byway to discover its hidden natural wonders, human-made landmarks and fascinating personalities. Our first story (September/October 2022) covered the road from Grand Island to Dunning. In this edition, we continue our second segment on the stretch from Dunning to Alliance, a journey of 151 miles.

No matter on the shore or in the water, stops along the byway, like the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, are welcoming of those who wish to explore the state.

Halsey

Thedford

Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway

This beautiful byway runs from Grand Island to Alliance. In the second section of Nebraska Life’s journey, we explore the history, culture and natural beauty of the second 151 miles starting at Dunning.

The highway crosses over the Middle Loup River just west of Thedford. The area is plentiful with cliff sparrows and blue skies.

DUNNING TO MULLEN

We rejoin the highway in Dunning near the site where the Dismal and Middle Loup rivers converge just to the east. Trappers named the Middle Loup after the French word for “wolf.” It was also a tribute to the area’s Native American Pawnee Skidi band known as the “Wolf People.” As the byway bounds northwest into increasingly hilly territory, the bubbly river dances like bouncing prairie chickens along the road’s periphery. The river commonly persuades many to stop and partake in aquatic activities unique to this pastureland.

Halsey is the next village on the route and home to the 90,000-acre Nebraska National Forest, North America’s largest human-planted forest. In 1902, Charles E. Bessey established a nursery and ranger district here as an experiment to see if historical forests could be regrown in treeless portions of the Great Plains. The experiment was a success, and the forest continues to serve as a timber reserve. The landscape here has seen profound changes – some a century in the making. Recent cataclysms have caused others.

The Bovee Fire, sparked by an overturned off-highway vehicle in October 2022, consumed about 18,000 acres of drought-dried forest and grasslands. The U.S. Forest Service and firefighters, some assembling from more than 150 miles away, successfully defended the Bessey Nursery, a historic Civilian Conservation Corps campground and a staff house. Unfortunately, the Nebraska 4-H Camp’s lodge and cabins, as well as the Scott Lookout Tower, were destroyed. Time will tell when trees will be replanted and structures rebuilt, but the area remains a fascinating example of forestry in an otherwise inhospitable environment.

The hills gradually grow in girth as the highway blissfully bumps like a bucking bronco toward Thedford. One of the region’s largest high school rodeos is held here on the first Saturday of June and celebrates life in the heart of cattle country.

The fan-favorite Nebraska activity of tanking draws visitors to the area too.

Tanking is a tradition born from adventurous Sandhills ranchers who used livestock water tanks to float on local rivers. A range of outfitters offer trips on metal or

The Middle Loup River continues to wind alongside the byway, through the Nebraska National Forest and beyond. Small turtles are helped across the road outside Thedford, and bright red barns (like the Stable Productions Exotic Animal Ranch in Seneca) stick out among the hilly landscape. Treasures are hidden in plain sight.

plastic tanks specially fabricated to skim perfectly along the shallow water. Also a popular feature, tanks feature enough room inside for several people and space for picnic tables, benches or beverage coolers. Tankers rarely even get their feet wet when boarding the tank. Trips usually take 2-5 hours with outfitters providing shuttle transportation, safety gear and paddles. The currents are gentle, and tanks move slower than canoes or kayaks – like a slow-motion Tilt-O-Whirl ride.

Individuals like Anna Baum, general manager at the Upper Loup Natural Resource District (NRD), are given the opportunity to travel the byway to work daily. Living south of Mullen and working in Thedford, Baum has a special appreciation for the scenery in all types of weather.

“When I first started making the drive, I didn’t get it,” she said. Her tune changed on a drive sunset drive home one evening before the 2012 drought. The sunset was picturesque; the grass was green and flowing in the wind. “The hills looked like the ocean,” she added. “It was at that point in time that I got it. This is gorgeous.”

Yet, further down the road there’s nary a cow in sight in Seneca, where travelers are more likely to spot reindeer, camels or llamas at Phillip “Flip” Licking’s Stable Productions Exotic Animal Ranch. Lodging in a bright red barn is available, as are tours featuring a petting zoo, which serves special-needs children and veterans at no charge. The ranch even sells animals, for those in the market for unfamiliar species like zebras or water buffalo. They also

carry more customary farm creatures like goats and lambs.

From the road, the river recedes into the distance near Mullen, where it will branch to its spring-fed sources deep in the Sandhills to the northwest. Don’t be fooled, however, tanking is a popular pastime here too. The scenery along the highway’s periphery is replaced by the railroad and frequent sightings of bright orange BNSF train engines. These metal beasts powerfully pull (and push) seemingly endless strings of freight cars, often packed with coal.

“It’s not like anything else,” Baum said. “People need to think about not even comparing it to any place else that they have ever been.”

HYANNIS TO ANTIOCH

Between a parade of small communities along the highway, penstemon wildflowers paint the landscape with pockets of purple bouquets. These blooms beautifully contrast with the aquamarine-shaded bluestem and grama prairie grasses. Largeleafed penstemon grows along the highway and disturbed edges of gravel ranch roads. The rarer blowout penstemon is found protruding in a seemingly impossible manner from the dry, eroded edges of the sand hills themselves.

A prairie flower of a different sort, a stocky windmill made to draw water from the underground Ogallala Aquifer, is the centerpiece of the community of Hyannis. This scenic stop is nestled into the Sandhills, just south of the highway. Here, the Grant County Museum displays the collection of local rancher and rodeo competitor, turned Hollywood stuntman, Charles Bert Hayward. A saddle used by John Wayne while filming True Grit and one of his cowboy hats anchor the exhibit. Equally intriguing is a wall of personal correspondence from actors like Sidney Poitier and photos of Hayward’s stunts, including a leap from a train during the filming of The Great Escape Nearby, in Ashby, CaLinda’s Pot Shop & Art Gallery combines Linda and Cal Lacy’s names and artistic influences into a 1960s cafe – converted into a gallery. Cal’s handmade cedar countertop displays Linda’s pottery tiles and other work. Visitors and locals alike can experience throwing clay on the pottery wheel, or learn techniques in watercolor through camps and workshops. The Lacys also keep the cafe spirit alive by serving specialty coffees, like the “Cowgirl’s Ride,” ice cream sundaes and edible “cow pies.”

The highway then pulls into Ellsworth, where cattleman Bartlett Richards founded a company store and offices for the sprawling Spade Ranch. The ranch raised 60,000 cattle on a half-million acres, about 25 miles to the north. Richards, who died in 1911 while jailed for illegally fencing government land, wasn’t the last operator of the building. Today, it’s called “Morgan’s Cowpoke Haven,” named for Veldon Morgan. Morgan was a former Spade Ranch cowboy who made custom horse tack onsite (which he sold at Cabela’s.) His son, Wade, bought the prop-

A Rocky Mountain bee plant offers a pop of color in a former industrial site near Antioch.

erty after the manufacturing operations ceased, but he still stocks everything from firearms to Western wear. The store serves as the post office for Ellsworth’s 32 residents. There is a silver lining to the sparsity of settlements in this section of the Sandhills. At night visitors can sleep under a shim-

mering blanket of stars, unimpeded by the light pollution of more populated regions. The Milky Way is readily seen in summer skies to the delight of photographers and stargazers. Perhaps it is in places like this where CBS News journalist Charles Kuralt wrote of the byway.

Parts of the byway in western Nebraska are flanked by rolling Burlington Northern Santa Fe locomotives, like this one passing the Antioch ruins at sunrise. Morgan’s Cowpoke Haven in Ellsworth serves as a Western wear shop and town post office, among other titles.

“This road will take you to one of the last unexplored frontiers where vast treasures can be discovered,” he wrote.

Hundreds of sapphire lakes are tucked into the emerald expanse along the highway’s stretch. These spots make an idyllic stopover for birds in the middle of a migration path, also known as the Central Flyway. Sandhill cranes, the flyway’s most famous feathered visitors, have long since migrated north toward Canada by early summer. However, other flying jewels like hummingbirds, sandpipers and avocets remain. The wealth of avian attention to these wetlands makes the Sandhills a world-class bird-watching destination.

As the byway bounds between some of the Sandhills’ steepest slopes, drivers pass Antioch, an even quieter town than Ellsworth. Circles of curiously columned ruins sit west of this boomtown. These pieces of the past are the remains of an industry which briefly exploited an unusual local resource, potash (potassium salts). Used to manufacture fertilizer, soda and explosives, European potash supplies dried up during World War I. When two University of Nebraska chemistry graduates devised a way to separate potash from the surrounding alkaline lakes, reduction plants and pumping stations sprang up, and the town swelled to more than 2,000 residents. The boom collapsed after the war, and the last Antioch plant closed in 1921. It is now no more than a ruined reminder of a bygone economic anomaly.

EXPLORING ALLIANCE

The potash boom and cattle industry wouldn’t have been possible if the railroad had not expanded into the region by the late 19th century. Alliance, the byway’s western terminus and a major transportation hub, still hosts a large BNSF rail yard. Train enthusiasts can track the region’s rich railroad history by visiting the Burlington 719 locomotive, located southeast of the city’s Laing Park. Built in the modern-day Lincoln neighborhood of Havelock, the 86-ton engine served for half a century as a coal carrying workhorse. Children love to climb its cab to examine its mechanical gauges and levers while dreaming of being engineers.

Alliance offers plenty to see and do. Josh and Joe Scott, and Corbin and Kaelen Johnson explore the old Burlington Locomotive 719, while others see the Central Park Fountain.

Railroad history as well as artifacts from Native Americans and early settlers are highlighted at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center. Among the museum’s most unusual items is a jar of cherry preserve dating to 1871. More practical relics include cameras belonging to beloved photo studio owner Mabel Worley and workwear worn by rail workers like James Olaf Butcher, the last engineer to pull a passenger train out of the city.

A fitting finale to any byway journey is a jaunt to Carhenge, a replica of England’s Stonehenge expressed with automotive creativity. Jim Reinders imagined the idea during a London residency while guiding visitors through the original landmark. The similarities of the Wiltshire terrain and his Nebraska home inspired him to reconstruct the monument using cars in-

stead of heavy, oblong stones. Reinders’ family drove and towed classic cars to Nebraska from across the nation, arriving just in time for the 1987 summer solstice. Jim placed 39 cars in the same positions and alignment with the sun as the Stonehenge stones are arranged. Carhenge is now a free city park, driving more than 10,000 visits annually.

It isn’t required to see a solstice sunset at Carhenge to admire the independent spirit of Sandhills people. Nor is it necessary to saddle a stock tank skimming the Loup to appreciate the region’s rugged nature. The place where the western frontier begins is surely somewhere along the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, still waiting to be uncovered amongst the verdant undulating prairie waves that makes this Nebraska trip so special.

Becci Thomas, director of the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center, examines this rendition of Sioux Chief Sitting Bull. This piece lives among those from early settlers at the museum.

Hard work and lake living hooks family on Lake McConaughy

story by ALAN J. BARTELS

photographs by JOSHUA HARDIN

Keith County Visitors Committee

Friendly faces and a helping hand are always offered at Van’s Fishing Village. This Lake McConaughy destination is a onestop shop for visitors.

SNAPSHOTS IN THE bait shop at Van’s Lakeview Fishing Camp preserve memories of the ones that did not get away. Hundreds of those images fill cardboard boxes and drawers in owners Albert and Collette VanBorkum’s office. The photos show smiling Lake McConaughy anglers holding big walleye, huge stripers and lunker catfish. One special picture captures another Lake McConaughy giant, Albert’s father – Albert “Van” VanBorkum.

The black and white photograph shows Van and three buddies shooting the breeze on the log bench in front of the camp store – an unofficial coffee club of sorts. The bench is still there all these years later. So are some of the men, but not Van. He died in 2017, but his memory remains, as does the family that he and his wife of 53 years, Karel, raised in this fishing camp rooted on a sandy knob on Big Mac’s southern shore.

Collette has a perfect view of sunrise over the lake as the first visitors of the day began trickling in. The aroma of fresh coffee blends with the hopeful anticipation of anglers purchasing lively minnows, wriggling night crawlers, bags of ice and must-have tackle they didn’t know they needed until now.

Rows of Rat-L-Traps, bins of bobbers,

stacks of spinners and racks of rods and reels cover one bait shop wall. Preserved fish hang above the counter. There’s a toothy northern pike posed as if striking at a red and white spoon, a chubby yellow perch and a varied school of others.

TODAY THE CAMP features towering shade trees, providing the perfect rest spot for well-sunned fishermen. There are also long, sandy beaches, warmed by the sun, over 100 camping spots, glowing campfires, a playground and other camping necessities (like a tile shower house). The village general store displays a river-rock exterior, dark brown log benches and concrete keystones above the doors

displaying the words “Van” (complete with cowboy hat emblem), “Karel” and “1966.”

Previous owners Andy and Ann Stuart sold the camp – three times. When their buyers couldn’t make it work, the Stuarts would always take the camp back until they found another interested buyer. “Dad had always wanted to do something like this,” Albert said of the camp that at the time included a trailer park, a restaurant and former military barracks repurposed as cabins.

The Stuarts thought they’d surely get the camp back a fourth time after a young married couple, Van and Karel, purchased it in 1966. “We were young, dumb and broke,” Karel said.

The log benches outside the village’s shop have long served as a meeting place. Longtime visitor “Sarge” Thorson still occupies a seat there often during open season. Van himself can be seen in the cowboy hat among his friends, Nic Wilson, Carlyle James and Sarge.

VanBorkum family

Van’s Fishing Village is a popular place over the summer season, whether sunbathing on the beach, rocketing around on a jet ski, buying bait at the shop or waiting for one of the village’s famous “tug” trucks to push a pontoon (which are available for rent) into the lake.

The couple met at Kearney State College – now University of Nebraska at Kearney. Van studied history and biology, and Karel studied home economics and English. They taught school in Dix to supplement their income before moving to the camp full time in 1969.

“Van planted all of these trees,” said Larry Webb, one of the regulars staking claim to a spot on one of the log benches most summer mornings, noting that many are a half century old. “They should charge for the shade.”

Van dragged a hose from tree to tree to keep them alive, as well as requiring new lot owners to plant their own, added Gary “Sarge” Thorson, fellow member of Van’s unofficial Coffee Club. But Van was not an all work and no play kind of guy. “He took

Tuesdays off to go fishing and joked that it was work,” Albert said. If Van fished, it meant he could tell customers where the best ones were biting.

The camp springs to life on the first weekend of May and is open through mid-September. The rest of the year, Albert fixes the things that broke during the summer. Van’s Lakeview Fishing Camp includes a repair shop with a hydraulic lift. Albert gets by being a self-trained mechanic and said he learned everything by doing it wrong. One impressed customer told Albert that his “level of redneckery is outstanding.”

Every day is different at the fishing camp. Summer heat brings out the water-savvy and sunbathers. Van’s rents paddleboats, pontoon boats, kayaks and 18foot aluminum fishing boats. But visitors

beware, boat traffic slows to a screeching halt when Sandhills winds blow up whitecaps. Storms force visitors to their campers, or to the store, where bored city dwellers stock up on clothing, children’s toys, cowboy hats and other miscellany.

THE VANBORKUMS’

THREE teenagers help at the camp. Four local kids work in the store scooping up minnows, stocking shelves and ringing up sales. Five other young workers run the camp’s fleet of tugs – an armada of former government trucks once used to maneuver aircrafts around runways. Lower water levels during irrigation season make the tugs a necessity.

“Have you ever watched a man and wife put a boat in? With these tugs, Van probably prevented a lot of divorces,” Karel said. T-shirts for sale in the bait shop

Lake McConaughy is Nebraska’s largest reservoir, coming in at approximately 30,000 surface acres. It’s affectionately nicknamed “Big Mac.”

Chris Amundson

read, “I’m sorry for what I said while we were trying to back up the trailer.”

Van called Lake McConaughy an “ABC lake” – fish it after breakfast and before cocktails. But Collette was fishing after midnight when she hooked a striper weighing 36 pounds. “It was as long as I am tall,” she said. Stripers now a rare sight. Due to an unwillingness to reproduce in a foreign environment, the last one was caught in the area around 2008.

“I assume they are gone,” Albert said. “But I guess there could be a Loch Ness monster striper still out there.” The lake is known far and wide for its chunky walleyes, which bulk up on gizzard shad and alewives. “Our fish are a little obese here,” Albert joked.

Van spent his life at the village doing a combination of what he loved the most. He talked, fished, worked and created memories for lake visitors a thousand times over. Also true to his nature, Van knew what he wanted and was firm in letting his family know he wanted to be cremated after his death. And so he was. After the legend’s life came to an end due to a short, but well-fought, battle with pulmonary fibrosis, he was turned to ash.

Further plans have since been made so that one day, after Karel passes too, half of their combined ashes will be reunited with the remains of a trusted dog in their quail hunting grounds in Arizona. The other half will mix eternally in the coarse grains of the sandy shore of the lake they loved so much.

Also something he was sure about, Van made it clear he didn’t want a funeral. So instead, the store was closed, a big tent went up and the VanBorkum family had a party. Generations of customers and employees past and present, friends and some of the VanBorkums’ former school students – easily 1,000 people – descended on this sandy knob on the shore of Lake McConaughy to pay respects and share stories.

The whole scene reminded Karel of the bench outside the general store. Van would sit with his friends for an hour or more before going back to work. He loved to talk. “I’m not sure that those fish stories were always entirely true,” Karel said, laughing, “and, boy, they told some whoppers.”

Live bait and comical

are just a

T-shirts

few of the bits and baubles offered to visitors at Van’s Fishing Camp. Even the most unprepared angler will find the right supplies.

VAN’S FISHING CAMP

Experience Nebraska’s original long-distance garage sale Enjoy the beauty and charm of Central Nebraska across 350 miles, 33 towns and more than 500 vendors selling their prized “Junk.” Mark your calendars, then call or go online today to pre-order your 2023 Shopper Guide

MUCHACHOS:

MADE WITH LOVE

A legacy healing through food equals culinary success

story and photographs by TIM TRUDELL

IT’S 1 A.M. and Nick Maestas tends to his food truck. It should be the last item on his to-do list as he approaches the end of a 24-hour day of smoking meat for his Lincoln restaurant, pouring a hot cup of cereal-infused coffee at his Omaha coffee shop and prepping his new Omaha restaurant for its spring grand opening.

He makes a last-minute trip to Bellevue and drives the final hour of his day home, where he’ll lay his head on a pillow, grabbing a few hours of sleep before starting another day of much the same.

For Maestas, it’s all a labor of love. He has created his own little kingdom, beginning with a food truck named Flo-Rida and morphing it into Muchachos - a downtown Lincoln eatery that has infused New Mexico flavors with midwestern barbecue. Muchachos has quickly become a favorite for many in the Capital City. Maybe it’s because everyone feels like family there.

The entrepreneur incorporated his love of the Cornhuskers into one of the first deals to compensate college athletes under the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy created in 2021 by the NCAA. Husker volleyball player Nicklin Hames and football long snapper Cade Mueller signed a deal to be compensated for din-

ing at Muchachos and sharing the experience on their social media platforms. Maestas quickly gained a reputation as a strong Husker sponsor.

Also in 2021, the cuisine creator dreamed up one of his most famous menu items – the “Pipeline” burrito. This monster of meat and flavor is filled with three different meats, as well as rice, beans and crushed chips. Just a year later in 2022, Malachi Coleman, then a junior at Lincoln East High School, approached Maestas about creating another NIL agreement that would benefit children in foster care.

Coleman, a 2023 Husker commit, became one of the first high school athletes to have his own NIL deal with the “Giveritto,” featuring two meats, Hatch chile mac and cheese, and red or green chile.

MAESTAS’ AFFECTION FOR

Husker sports and athletes is an extension of the love he has for people in general. And it started in his grandparents’ home in Cozad. The pair could cure a skinned knee and a broken heart with a meal.

“My grandfather and grandmother … showed me how to love people just by making a meal for them,” Maestas said. “That was love.”

Nick Maestas, owner of Muchachos, has created a vibrant space serving positive vibes and delicious New Mexico-inspired cooking. His love for the culinary arts stemmed from the support he found at his grandparents’ dinner table. In turn, Maestas supports the Lincoln community whenever he gets the chance.

93% of 2022 grads found work or continued their education.

89% of 2022 employed grads are working in Nebraska.

82% of 2022 grads continuing their education are doing so in Nebraska.

He and his mother lived with his grandparents while he grew up. His mother was 18 when he was born, the child of two high school sweethearts. His father didn’t have a role in his life, Maestas said. His grandfather was the true father figure for him. His mother later married, and Maestas loves his stepfather like a father, too, he said.

But it was his grandparents who made a lasting impression and helped guide his life choices, Maestas noted. Bonifacio Maestas was of Spanish ancestry. Florida Maestas was indigenous, though the family doesn’t know her tribal affiliation. The couple met and married in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and traveled the United States. They even worked farm fields near Bakersfield, California, before ending up in Cozad. They resided there for decades, raising a family of four daughters.

New Mexican cuisine was prevalent in the Maestas family. Recalling trips to his grandparents’ hometown, Hatch chile was the obvious star of dining experiences. “Everywhere we went in New Mexico, it was Hatch chile,” Maestas said.

Bringing the Big Red into his restaurant was an easy decision. Maestas studied broadcasting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and spent time behind the mic for KRNU, a student-operated radio station.

After his grandfather died in 2012, Maestas sought an avenue to honor his grandparents (his grandmother died earlier). The way that came to mind? Food, of course.

The Maestas family decided to create New Mexico-inspired dishes and give the culinary arts a serious try. Maestas ended up serving tacos and enchiladas during an event at Fire Spring, a Lincoln marketing agency. Giving the food away, he sought feedback on the food. He was shocked by one person’s comments.

“He called my enchilada a Mexican Runza,” Maestas said.

Heading back to the kitchen, Maestas became a Nebraska version of young Dr. Frankenstein. Following a stroke of inspiration, he smoked pork butts with a Hatch chile rub. The rest was history.

He and his wife used the meat for tacos, complete with a Hatch green chile salsa and avocado cream. They sold them at a garage sale in Eagle. “We sold 200 of them in an hour and a half,” he recalled. “We had guys buying 10 at a time – and that’s when we knew we had something.”

After that Maestas decided to sell his food by way of a food truck. In 2017, he searched and found what he thought was the perfect truck. In St. Louis, Missouri. Despite a lessthan-ideal breakdown, he and the truck made the trip to Lincoln (sometimes going a maximum of 30 miles an hour).

The food truck business took off, with the Maestases serving food at breweries and other outlets. Its success led him to make a life-altering decision – it was time to open a restaurant. So, after devoting his full attention to Flo-Rida, he found a brickand-mortar location complete with a tur-

Tasty tacos and warm and cheesy quesadillas are only some of the most popular items that server (and Maestas’ sister) Rosie Sprague served the Cotter family of Fremont.

Warm and inviting, Muchachos is based off everything Maestas learned from his grandparents, who helped raise him as a child. Maestas said his grandpa was a great father figure.

quoise blue exterior. Muchachos opened its doors for the first time in 2020.

DESPITE CREATING A unique business concept, Maestas has had his fair share of struggles. A mental health battle surfaced following the loss of Bonifacio. The strong culinary leader explained he’d always experienced abandonment issues regarding his biological father. He was later diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

It all came to light following a series of traumatic events – his grandfather, the tragic loss of a friend and trying to save people involved in a vehicle accident near Nebraska City. “It sent me into a place I don’t ever want to go back to,” Maestas said.

Handling his depression and anxiety with counseling and medication, Maestas currently shares his mental health concerns publicly via Twitter. He has become a voice of acceptance in the community.

“It was an outlet,” he said. “Even if I have to deal with idiots being mean, if one person can see that they’re not alone in this, it’s worth it.”

Adding Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to his list of mental health challenges, Maestas said he appreciates being able to address them.

The secret to Muchachos menu begins and ends with the Hatch chile salsa, its creator revealed. It goes in everything, from a breakfast taco to mac and cheese. Diners won’t find lettuce and tomato add-

ed to their tacos or burritos, either. The restaurant sticks close to New Mexico style of southwest food, except for adding Midwestern barbecue (smoked) meat and the absence of lettuce, tomato or cilantro.

Burritos come in 14-inch griddled flour tortillas and feature the Hatch chile salsa, crema and a protein. The Hatch Mac Burrito adds mac and cheese. Told by customers they needed to serve nachos, Maestas added those too, with his own flare. This dish features a Hatch chile-infused queso that is liberally spread over nacho chips. Nachos are among the restaurant’s most popular items. The list of menu items goes on.

After creating a successful eatery, Maestas expanded his business again. He’s added two food trucks (after selling the original one), bought Meta Coffee Lab (also in Lincoln) and opened CTRL Coffee in Omaha (a cereal and coffee bar which sports a colorful 1980s Saturday morning cartoon-watching theme). This spring he also opened a second Muchachos location, in Omaha’s Little Bohemia.

There are still appearances by food trucks for catering and special events –like Nebraska football outings.

Every location (mobile or not) is filled with a warm and fuzzy feeling, ready to welcome all walks of life, because the original mission has stayed the same. Maestas honors his grandparents.

“Muchachos was created to share the legacy of love through food,” he said.

Explore Lincoln’s Best

Treasure hunt 25,000 sq-ft-plus of antiques and collectibles. You’ll find something for everyone at the Aardvark Antique Mall. Lincoln’s best kept secret! Located off I-80 and Exit 405. Open daily, 9 am-8 pm

5800 Arbor Rd • Lincoln

South Border of the

No shortage of flavor in this culture-packed cuisine

recipes and

photographs

by DANELLE McCOLLUM

SOMETIMES ADDING SOME spice to life is a necessity at the dinner table, which is easy to do with this collection of suppers from south of the border. Thanks to the combination of savory and fresh flavors almost always present in this style of cuisine, dishes like the “Slow Cooker Chicken Posole” are favorites no matter the season. Settle in and celebrate this culture through cuisine.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole

This slow cooker soup is perfect to leave simmering away during the day for a stellar dinner later. The recipe features warm chicken and broth to contrast with cool and fresh veggies and is perfect for picky eaters when you serve toppings and mix-ins on the side.

In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the broth, hominy, diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, garlic and seasonings. Add the uncooked chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Return the chicken to the slow cooker, along with the 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with desired optional toppings, including: lime wedges, sliced radishes, diced avocado, chopped onion or green onion, diced tomato, chopped cilantro, cotija cheese and hot sauce.

4 cups chicken broth

1 25 oz can hominy, drained

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste

Ser ves 8

Green Chile Chicken Chimichangas

These baked chicken chimichangas are set to satisfy any craving, loaded with savory flavors, chicken and cheese. The chicken for this recipe also works well in tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Make a big batch and serve as leftovers the next day.

Add the chicken to a lightly greased slow cooker. Combine the diced tomatoes and green chiles, spices and cornstarch in a small bowl; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Combine the shredded chicken mixture with the cheese. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese mixture. Roll up tortillas burrito style, tucking the ends in, and place them seam side down on the cookie sheet. Spray the tops of the chimichangas generously with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine the salsa verde, sour cream, cream or half and half, lime juice and honey in a medium saucepan. Simmer over gentle heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Spoon sauce over chimichangas before serving. Garnish with sour cream, tomatoes, avocado, shredded lettuce, additional cheese and cilantro, if desired.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cornstarch

Salt and pepper, to taste

6-8 medium size flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 16 oz jar salsa verde

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp honey

Ser ves 6-8

Won’t you dish with us?

We’re ravenous to taste your favorite family recipes. Nebraska-sourced ingredients and stories that accompany beloved dishes feed our stomachs and our souls. Please submit by emailing kitchens@nebraskalife.com.

Grilled Steak Tacos with Mexican Crema

This recipe features simple, fresh ingredients that don’t need a lot of work to be delicious. With three basic ingredients, those who want an easy supper need only add preferred toppings to please everyone around the table. Try the crema on other dishes, too.

Cut skirt steak into 10-12-inch strips. On a large baking sheet, drizzle steak with olive oil, turning to coat evenly. Season with steak seasoning of your choice, salt and pepper. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Place steak on grill and cook 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove from grill and slice steak into thin strips. Serve in warm tortillas with Mexican crema and your favorite taco toppings. To make the crema: whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.

2-3 lbs skirt steak

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning

Salt and pepper, to taste

Small flour or corn tortillas

Crema

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp adobo sauce

(from canned chipotle peppers)

1-2 Tbsp lime juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Ser ves 8

CEDAR CREEK POTTERY

Featuring the work of Ervin Dixon, a country potter who makes and displays salt-glazed stoneware at his refurbished 1895 Lutheran church near Beatriceworth a day’s drive from any direction.

Join our celebration of the Homestead Act with family-fun activities including: duck races, fireworks pyromusical, car shows, children's activities, live performers, parade, swap meet, cruise night, historical exhibits, Ribfest, activities with Homestead National Historical Park, and more! (402) 223-23338 HOMESTEADDAYS.COM

Delight in small town shopping, savor the flavors of dining, hunt for barn quilts, and tour our museums and outdoor art. Cozad’s outdoor art projects celebrate our art heritage while making art accessible at all times of the day.

• Barn Quilts of Dawson County Trail • 50 States Barn Quilt Display •

• Wilson Public Library sculpture garden • Rhakenna’s Wings •

• “Cozad Creates” paint palette icons

For more information and maps, visit barnquiltsdc.com Also visit roberthenrimuseum.org and cozadhistory.org Paid for by Cozad Tourism Funds Cozad Tourism • P.O. Box 411 • Cozad, NE 69130 • cozadtourism@gmail.com

GOOD LIFE Poetry

From teaching us the ways of the land, to being there for comfort in times of need – Nebraska mothers and fathers play an important role. In these poems, our Nebraska poets honor the guidance and love of their parents. Family is everything in the Cornhusker State. AJ Dahm

Happy

Mary Ann Marko, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

“I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy.”

Willa Cather, My Antonia

Hearing mother’s laughter

Float across the room

At the church bazaar

Listening to Grand Ole Opry

snug in our family circle around the radio,

Wiping dry a baby calf

Dad brought in from the blizzard

To warm by the furnace

Hearing Grandpa’s voice

Rise with incense At Benediction

Sometimes only later

Do we realize Happiness had paid a visit.

Arrival of the Hummingbirds

Judy Lorenzen, Central City

Mother and Father loved these days admiring winter’s close, awaiting spring –two children of The Great Depression who never got over being grateful –their huge maple tree out back, budding, filled with bird feeders for birds and squirrels – always full.

She’d tell me of the robins hopping from green tuft to tuff, looking for worms, to feed their babes in their nests, and the waiting little yellow beaks wide open that she could see –hungry to grow up, she said, and participate in this wild and wonderful life.

Life is busy in spring, she’d say. Dad, farmer at heart, chef by trade, loved the deep rich soil in his garden, Nebraska’s sweet dirt, he called it –produces the best tomatoes and lushest grapevines and grapes, he’d say, with longing for the vineyards of Greece in his voice.

Mother couldn’t wait for her beard tongue to bloom in late April and her brilliant trumpet vine a little later. She readied her red hummingbird feeders for the garden –awaiting the flying jewels’ return.

How she loved their ruby throats and emerald capes.

She’d start her watch in late April, early May –because she knew hummingbirds remembered where the sweetest flowers and feeders were – and returned.

There is a sweetness to this life they loved that they never got enough of.

Dad’s rescue cats walking figure eights around his legs as he stood to gaze over his work in the garden for the day, or sitting in his lap in the evenings, meowing at him silently, looking drowsily into his eyes, telling him, time to eat.

The mind, like the hummingbirds, always remembers the sweetest of loves and returns to those memories that grow lovelier each year.

Emily

Lynn Foster Sheehy, Anderson, California

To have some understanding of what you went through, That cold Nebraska night Dying six weeks after the birth of your fifteenth child.

You, the mother of my great grandmother.

I sense your strength when I look in the palm of my hand; Revealing generations of women who struggled With the burden of fertility and death.

On the plains that evening, as your husband and ten children gathered around, you took your last breath; Not knowing that I, on some future day, would be wondering who you are.

My Dad

Jim Bahm, Norfolk

He used to bounce me on his knee or take me for a walk, play ball and take me fishing, or sometimes sit and talk.

He’d scold me when I was bad, and praise me when I was good, and whenever something was wrong –he always understood.

He taught me how to give, to be patient and to care, “work hard and be proud,” he always said, “and someday, you’ll get somewhere.”

He taught me all the values of a Pilger, Nebraska life, and to know what’s right or wrong, “always try to do your best, son, and you’ll always get along.”

The advice and memories I have of Dad are forever in my heart, his guidance, love and friendship are a lasting counterpart.

Mothers and fathers are keystones in life, espeically in Nebraska. They can be found in families at home, and in pools at Schramm Recreation Area.

Mother and Father Land

Larry Jirsak, Fremont

He was not born of this land, Borne from a land restless, wild, Across a rolling, troubled sea, Came when but an infant child.

She was his Eve, by first dawn light, When time was good, when good was few, They worked the land to make it right And the land, it worked them too.

He plowed the land, he planted seed, He reaped what he had sown, always He loved that land.

His polished plow turned rich dark soil, Franklin’s gulls followed, hovered, Cried their approval of his toil –They too from a distant sea.

Their trace upon the land is gone Only memories remain, memories in the soil turned, Flood, drought, million-dollar rains.

They loved the land Their land This land.

NEBRASKA LIFE IS seeking Nebraska-inspired poems on the theme “Pumpkins, Gourds and Ghouls” for the September/October 2023 issue, deadline June 15, and “Pioneers and Ancestry” for the November/ December 2023 issue, deadline Aug. 15. Send to poetry@nebraskalife.com or to the mailing address at the front of this magazine.

Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston

Nebraska Wine Country

FLAGS Parade of SEWARD

Welcoming V isitors to the 4th of July Cit y

Located East of Seward on Hwy 34

• Features as its focal point a large American flag on a fifty-foot pole. This flag is surrounded by six smaller polesthat display the flags from the five military branches and POW flag

• A walkway extends beyond this focal point and features the ﬁfty state ﬂags on either side

• A special pathway, donated by Don and Barb Suhr, connects the display to the nearby walking trail and features ﬁve territory ﬂags

• Display of all 50 states flags and flags from the five military branches and POW

• Flags lit at night for spectacular viewing opportunity

• Entire display is handicap-accessible and open year round

• Additional donations to assist with maintenance would be greatly appreciated

Made possible by the Seward County Visitor Bureau

For more information or to donate contact: Seward Kiwanis Foundation • Attn: Mar v Taylor c/o Parade of Flags PO Box 245 • Seward, NE 68434

Immigrants who first traveled to this area in the 1860s were amazed by the beauty of the hills & valleys of the Blue River. They quickly staked their claim and made it their home.

Aurora farmer shares the good life with her legion of social media fans

by CHEYENNE ROWE

Cheyenne Rowe

farmer

showcases the “Good Life” from the ground she shares with husband,

Laura’s YouTube channel, Laura

educates approximately 435,000 social media subscribers every week.

Aurora

Laura Wilson

Grant.

Farms,

Laura Farms

THE SUNSHINE IS bright on the eastern-facing front porch of a quaint rural Aurora farmhouse. Laura Wilson sits with her ice water, a laptop and her trusting and dusty companion, Scotty the farm cat. He’s blind in one eye but still a good mouser.

Laura, though young, prides herself on being an upstanding community member, a wife, a daughter – and a fifth-generation Nebraska farmer. A unique set of circumstances led her to internet fame, where she works tirelessly to educate her 430,000 YouTube subscribers around the world about Nebraska farm life.

The 22-year-old wakes up between 5 and 7 a.m., sometimes getting in a workout before sitting down to log in. Breakfast usually consists of a blueberry bagel and strawberry cream cheese. Checking emails is one of

her first to-dos, correspondence like potential sponsorships and questions from fans around the world.

After that she moves from the front porch into her home, shared with husband, Grant, and gets ready for the day by picking out a pair of jeans and a hoodie. Next, Laura enters the bathroom, putting on only a light layer of makeup, before moving to gather beverages and snacks in a small cooler and picking a pair of sturdy, but stylish, Blundstone work shoes. “If I look good, I feel good,” Laura said with a laugh.

Grant is already off discing a field at the southern edge of Hamilton County, though he was sure to leave Laura with a peck before jumping into his work. Such is the life for a married couple, both working the land. The pair works together on the farm as often as they are apart. On this day they’ll

see each other later, no doubt. Dinner together while watching a show is usually how the day ends.

THOUGH SHE HAS a goal to take a few loads of corn to the local co-op today, everything else in the middle is up in the air. As any Nebraska farmer knows, it’s impossible to plan too far ahead in this line of work. “I’m in a constant state of evolution around here,” she said. “But I like to at least pretend that there is some sort of schedule or routine to my life.” She represents a typical “get it done” attitude penned by Nebraska farmers. This independence, found commonly on Nebraska farms, is something her YouTube followers admire.

Out the door, down the steps and across the yard, the young farmer pushes her belongings into a white Peterbilt semi-truck,

As multi-generation farmers, Laura and Grant Wilson are both productive members of the family farming operation. They spent most of April in the field planting with their “big tire” John Deere 8335 R. They also work together to produce and edit videos for Laura’s channel.

Cheyenne Rowe

complete with grain trailer. The massive metal hood of the beast is propped open; Laura knows she’ll have to lower it, but she has other plans first.

Under the crunch of gravel, the social media content creator moves to position a thin tripod, sets up her shot, and mounts her camera and microphone to record. She runs through her scene once before hitting record.

“I still get nervous,” Laura admitted after she finished her shot. “Even after this long.”

The young Hamilton County native started her YouTube channel three years ago – a year after she committed to farming full-time – though becoming a celebrity was an accident. What started as posting short clips from the seat of a combine or tractor for her cousins in Texas (who were bored during COVID) turned into a week guest-tweeting for a much wider audience from the “AgOfTheWorld” account on Twitter in April 2020.

Laura grew the Twitter account’s fanbase from 13,000 to more than 27,600 when she signed off a week later. Her personal Twitter, @laurafarms_, was flooded with direct messages and feedback. “Some of them were marriage proposals,” she said. “But I also got a lot of crazy awesome feedback from people all over the world.”

Laura posted her first video, one that had gone viral on Twitter, to YouTube on April 25, 2020. The vertical video clip featured the young farmer sitting in the cab of a tractor, walking her viewers through the operational bits to accomplish planting seed corn. She recalled looking at it a few days after it was posted. The video at that point was just shy of 1 million views. It’s currently cresting at 1.2 million, though some of her more popular videos are well over 2 million.

The videos on the Nebraska farmer’s YouTube channel, Laura Farms, look a little bit different in present day. Her first few postings reflect innocent inexperience, with vertical framing and short, truncated clips. Today, Laura’s videos are much longer (usually coming in at about 20 minutes) and feature thought-out landscape and point-of-view shots, as well as extra videography. This “B-roll,” like scenes of her pulling her tractor through the frame, pull it all together.

From fixing a tractor, to hauling corn to the co-op and visiting overseas implement dealers, Laura Farms features it all on her channels in videos she posts several times a week.

LAURA

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“Safety is a choice you make”

BACK IN HER driveway in rural Aurora, Laura has already filmed a quick intro to her video, explaining what viewers could expect to see for the day – hauling corn. After figuring out how to lower the hood on her semi, Laura, who had been all but lifted off the ground during the process, climbed back in the truck, moved the seat forward with a definite click and was off toward the co-op (but not without pausing quickly out of frame to retrieve her recording equipment). This was only the second time she’d ever dropped off a load by herself, too, so focus quickly took over. Her usual smiley face was still positive, but this time also determined. All in all, she made hauling approximately 83,000 pounds (of semi and a full load of corn) look easy.

While driving, Laura took a few moments to note farmsteads passing by, including that of the Wilson family. Grant’s grandma still helps on the farm by doing paperwork at 86-years-young. His parents have their own farmstead, where Laura frequents to fill up the grain trailer with corn stored in a bin. The whole family works together to keep Wilson Farms, and by proxy Laura Farms, running. It’s a family unit.

Shortly later, Laura shifts gears and straightens up in her seat momentarily. A note of seriousness takes over her and she scans what she can see of the horizon on the crest of the hill. “We call this the Lord’s bridge,” she said. Was there a legend behind that? Had someone died here?

After making a pass with the planter in this freshly-disced field, Laura takes a handy screwdriver back

feet to check the depth of the seed she just put in the ground.

Cheyenne Rowe

“No, no,” she clarified with a laugh. “Grant and I came up with that. It’s just really narrow. I think two semis could fit on it if they were pressed, scraping together, side by side.” She revs up, needing momentum to cross the bridge, and says a silent prayer. It’s all clear.

Throughout Laura’s time on YouTube and the farm, things like making it over the bridge alone and successfully hauling corn to the ethanol plant haven’t always gone so smoothly. Though she has a rough estimate for the day, there are times, like on April 7, 2021, that all that goes out the window to help those in need – even when they’re supposed to be the ones helping themselves.

She started the day by moving cattle with her father, Cale, but that was short-lived. The next scene in her vlog (a video “blog” of her daily events) changed to Laura in a pickup alongside Grant. It was later revealed Laura’s dad, Cale, had discovered a quickly spreading fire in the dry foliage in the river near her family home. The riverbank itself, however, was the real cause for concern.

After attempts to free the smaller of the responding firetrucks that had gotten stuck in the riverbed mud with their own pickup were unsuccessful, Laura and Grant returned home to call in the big guns. And Laura was behind the wheel of one – a John Deere 8530 tractor. “We’re just going to pull the firetrucks out and help them with the fire,” Laura exclaimed to her invisible audience. “Laura and Grant to the rescue!”

They may have missed their plans for a Good Friday church service, but it’s all in a day’s work for a Nebraska farmer. Stewards of the land, like the Wilsons and beyond, readily give up plans and other duties at the drop of a hat to help a neighbor. Laura has shown this trait and shares the Nebraska spirit with all those who interact with her online content. This is who she wants to be at the end of the day: a neighbor, a friend and a farmer first.

OCTOBER 2020 WAS a bad month for the Remple family in rural Henderson. Their combine, grain cart and semi had burned during a bad fire, and the heat of harvest season was on. Much longer and the crop would likely be too wet or frozen to harvest.

Laura, Grant, Cale and Grandpa Curt dropped what they were doing to help more

Thanks in part to Laura’s internet fame, she often has the chance to demo pieces of equipment on her channel and in her fields, like this Fendt 939, provided directly by the business.

than a dozen other farmers wrap up the Remples’ harvest. The young farmer and YouTube sensation also quickly decided to put together a charity T-shirt drive through one of her sponsors. All the proceeds from shirt sales went directly to the Remple family. “It was inspiring and comforting to know that there are good people willing to pitch in in this world,” Laura said. “The Good Life still exists in rural Nebraska.”

Back in the present day, just over an hour after Laura had started her journey to deliver corn to the ethanol plant, she was pulling into Grant’s dad’s farm to reload the trailer with grain. She looked across the cab before piling her long chestnut curls on top of her head (secured with a claw clip) and pulling the hood of her hoodie up and over her head. The drawstrings were pulled tight and tied. Laura resembled something of a Nebraska Eskimo, for reference, but there was “no way” she was going to get corn dust in her hair if she didn’t have to.

“That stuff takes literally forever to get out,” she said. “Trust me.”

Another task completed solo and even more hard work completed for the day by the young farmer. She remembered to capture bits for her YouTube fans but was always ultimately focused on the task at hand.

Cale, who operates a farm of his own in rural Marquette, has seen his daughter blossom since starting her farming journey – first with him and then on her own. “She says ‘yes’ to new challenges and tries them on, tries them out – right, wrong or indifferent,” he said. His daughter’s willingness to give back at the drop of a hat is “just her,” he added.

As a Nebraskan, one must form a resiliency to outside forces, like weather. Laura handles this like a champ. “She hardly ever gets down or stays down,” he said, expressing his pride. “It’s always a new morning, even though there might have been or will be challenges.”

Laura Farms

Grant is careful to get the perfect shot of Laura filling the reservoirs on the planter with corn seed. The microphone puff attached to her phone helps get clearer audio for her videos.

She shows no fear.

“If you do that long enough, anything else that comes up in life that is uncontrollable you can handle,” he said. “You’ve seen worse. This is just a Tuesday in Nebraska.”

Laura’s video from her day of filming, “A Girl and Her Big Rig,” posted April 23, 2023. In the first three days online, it earned more than 215,000 views and 1,100 comments. “Is everyone so impressed with her or is it just me?” one fan commented. “I love everything she does, and she can be really proud of herself!” Another viewer, a retired truck driver from Canada, was also among commenters.

“I am super impressed with your driving ability and how you caught on so quickly,” he wrote. “The next level is to reverse without looking through the window behind you, that’s cheating!”

Other fans with experience give Laura tips and tricks of the trade, like not worry-

ing too much about “cold engine coolant leaks” or grinding gears. According to video comments, viewers from places as far as the United Kingdom and close as Minnesota liken watching Laura’s content to “sitting down with an old friend.” She’s easygoing, doesn’t give up and has a positive attitude toward the profession, comments add.

Laura ends her day by kicking off her boots, right alongside Grant’s, and flopping down on a couch in the living room. The sunset’s rich golds and reds melt into the rural Nebraska horizon, bringing warmth in through the tall picture windows in the couple’s dining room. She’s signed off her video for the day but still must edit others for posting.

“I’m just educating the general public on a girl and her husband’s farm life in Nebraska,” she said. “There’s a lot of reasons why I farm, but if you boil everything down, farming is my job. It’s my life.”

ROA D 6 FARM

Don't disappoint the grandparents! Book now for the summer!

Check out our progress and additional spaces on AirBNB!

Set amidst the quiet, small town of York, each light-filled guest room has a private bath and comfortable furnishings. A personal lodging experience tailored just for you.

Book your stay today!

Cheyenne Rowe

#CodyFarrallPhotography

Explore ancient Rome, the Near East and much more. Special Bible exhibit shares the story of scripture from scroll to modern translations. Children’s interactive Little Kingdom now opened!

View rare artifacts from the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Roman Empire! Young and old can experience the museum’s Little Kingdom interactive area. Uncover objects in an archaeological dig, “live” in an ancient house and “shop” a Roman market. Admission is FREE with donations always accepted.

ADMISSION IS FREE Open Tues-Fri, 9 am-5 pm Check Facebook page for updates!

Open Tues-Fri, 10 am-5 pm • Sat 1-4 pm claytonmuseumofancienthistory.org

ClaytonMuseumOfAncientHistory.org

402-363-5748

402-363-5748 • 1125 E 8 th St • York

1125 E 8th St • York, NE

Paid for in part by a grant from the York County Visitors Bureau

Located in the lower level of the Mackey Center on the York College campus Paid

NEBRASKA MUSEUMS

Nebraskans owe the preservation of their past to museums around the state. Big or small, these locations offer the chance to go back in time for all those who pass through their doors. An adventure awaits!

BANCROFT

John G. Neihardt State Historic Site p 80

BAYARD

History Nebraska/ Chimney Rock Visitor Center p 37

BOYS TOWN

Boys Town Visitors Center p 81

BROKEN BOW ??

Custer County Historical Society p 49

CHADRON Museum of the Fur Trade p 83

CLARKSON

Clarkson Historical Museum p 99

FORT CALHOUN

Washington County Historical Association and Museum p 82

FREMONT

Dodge County Historical Society Museum/ Louis E. May Museum p 81

Dedicated to the courageous ﬁreﬁghters of our state ...past, present & future

GERING

Legacy of the Plains Museum p 100

GRAND ISLAND

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer p 50

KEARNEY Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) p 56

Nebraska Firefighters Museum and Education Center p 80

LA VISTA

Czech and Slovak Educational Center and Cultural Museum p 81

LINCOLN

International Quilt Museum p 82

History Nebraska p 37

MADISON

Madison County Historical Society Museum p 81

NEBRASKA CITY

Wildwood Historic Center & Period House p 83

NELIGH

Pierson Wildlife Museum Learning Center p 80

OMAHA

Omaha Children’s Museum p 83

SEWARD

Nebraska National Guard Museum p 71

TEKAMAH Burt County Museum p 81

WEEPING WATER

Weeping Water Valley Historical Society/Heritage House Museum Complex p 83

WYMORE

Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project p 68

YORK COUNTY

Clayton Museum of Ancient History at York College p79

Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park p 81

Wessels Living History Farm p 79

madisoncountyhistory.org

HOUSE OF PRAIRIE AND SUN

This Omaha home is a modern marvel among native Nebraska prairie flowers and grasses. With a hidden front door and several wide windows, the space is private but welcoming of natural light and sky.

Tom Kessler

Travel-inspired dwelling offers sunny Omaha oasis

by TOM HESS

SPENDING TWO YEARS at sea on their catamaran, “The Amazing Marvin,” gave Greg and Melinda Burnett a love for nature and light – especially sunsets. They took this vision and brought it life, building a home in an Omaha neighborhood that gives them endless, bright daylight and an unobstructed view of Nebraska’s golden-hour skies.

Their home, completed in November 2020, sits on a trapezoidal lot in the Broadmoor Heights addition to the Golden Valley neighborhood, built in the early 1950s. They leveled a ranch house and replaced it with a two-story modern marvel that stands out among its peers.

Passersby traversing the intersection of 88th Street and Edgevale Plaza find a skyhigh and structured tower, rising just under 32 feet – a height threshold posed by Omaha regulations. This tower, a true focal point to the front of the house, beams with multicolored LEDs after dark. The tower can confuse the unaware. The home itself is often confused for the front of an apartment building. The exterior is covered in 1.5-inch-thick stucco for look and durability – another choice inspired by their adventures abroad. On their trips through Mediterranean waters, the Burnetts saw surprisingly durable stucco buildings along the shorelines of Spain, Italy and Greece. “That stucco is hundreds of years old, and it’s still doing well,” Greg said. Stucco on many American homes is a thin layer and less enduring, but this is not true of the Burnett home. It took a three-man crew nine months to apply stucco in layers, all while keeping the expansion joints in line.

Filled with personal touches and pops of color, features like the bright red front door and the “Amazing Marvin” blue kitchen cabinets remind owners Greg and Melinda Burnett of their travels abroad in their catamaran. Sleek and stylish surfaces highlight the kitchen and bathroom, complete with even more windows to allow natural light and views of nature. A twisting staircase, which is a focal point of the home from the outside, adds to the flair and straight-lined views of the space.

The Burnetts wanted to give the architect, Steven Ginn of Omaha, a blank canvas facing the street on which to design something beautiful, without a garage and front porch drawing all the attention. There is a rhythm to the arrangement of windows and stucco joints along the front, street-facing wall, Ginn said. Placement of the home’s windows was strategic. The multitude of large, open windows throughout their home is reminiscent of the wraparound portals on their catamaran.

“At sea, we were surrounded by windows above the water, so we had good sunlight all the time,” Greg said. “We wanted to re-create that here.”

Several sharp, rectangular windows at the front offer small glimpses inside, or

out, while filling the interior of the home with natural light. Equally as unique, the red-accented front door is not visible from the road, something that brings the homeowners a peace of mind, while also removing them from the hustle and bustle of neighborhood traffic. One side benefit of their preference: Those entering the front door are greeted with an uninterrupted 50-foot, straight-line view of evergreen trees outside the kitchen window.

Thanks to a streamlined design, the two hard-working professionals and their children can head straight into a spacious kitchen, dropping off their groceries on the sleek, stone counters. Though at times there were opposing opinions on what direction to take the build, both Steven and

Tom Kessler

Stephanie Ling/studio951

Tom Kessler

SOLAR HOUSE

The Burnetts’ solar prairie oasis is even equipped to host friends, with a wide concrete back patio space, complete with pool and lounge accessible via garage door. The white-washed rear exterior brings a relaxing and clean feel to contrast with the hustle and bustle of Omaha life.

Tom Kessler Tom Kessler

the Burnetts agreed on adding a pop of color. They wanted color inside their otherwise back and gray home and because their catamaran was white and “Amazing Marvin” blue, the decision to pick bold blue kitchen cabinets was smooth sailing.

Upstairs is a black ladder, made of 200 pounds of steel with 13 steps straight up to the roof. It’s a climb for those unafraid of heights. Greg took six months designing the ladder, and it took another three months to build. The steps exist at a 3-degree slope toward the wall. Climbers can place their wine glasses in an alcove at the top to free a hand for opening the latched window at the top while keeping their balance with the other. Once at the top, the wide expanse of sunshine and sky encompasses the senses. The Burnetts invite willing guests up the ladder in summer and fall for sunsets and hospitality. Also, on the top floor there are four bedrooms. One of the sleeping spaces is serving (for now) as a home office, equipped with a Murphy bed. And, of course, each bedroom has at least one window, letting in light.

The home is heated and cooled with help from a geothermal system that involved a drilling crew going 300 feet deep into the Burnett property and installing a 3,000-foot loop of pipe. Fluid in the 1.5inch pipe circulates through the earth’s constant temperature, 60 degrees. This puts less demand on the heat pump when it’s needed. The Burnetts’ property – twothirds of an acre and oddly-shaped – required greater depth than would be required for a larger property.

The Burnetts didn’t often host guests on their catamaran, and a walk-through of the home shows that they live their busy dryland lives on the run. When they do entertain, they can choose to host people on the roof, or around the pool. There’s also a lounge adjacent to the kitchen with retractable garage door, to open entertainment to the outside depending on the season.

The rear of the house is fresh and clean with white stucco. A sparkling in-ground pool helps give the couple a taste of the watery-ways they left behind. The roof is almost flat – with a slope of a half inch per foot, to drain rainfall and avoid dam-

Ever mindful of the environment, the Burnetts power their home and hybrid vehicles via a number of solar panels. Likewise, the space is heated and cooled thanks to a geothermal tube system, circulating 60-degree fluid, installed 300 feet beneath the property.

Tom Kessler

age from the freeze-thaw cycle that comes with Nebraska’s hard freezes throughout the year. Solar panels generate 15 kilowatts, making their home energy nearly self-sufficient and powering two hybrid vehicles.

THE COUPLE’S CATAMARAN

voyage, travels and the eventual home those travels inspired was possible in part to Greg selling his stock in the California company he helped grow – Bluetooth headset innovator Jawbone.

Upon settling back on land, Melinda looked for a job teaching neurology and found one at CHI Health in Omaha. She’s on loan to Creighton University, where she supervises the clerkship program, giving medical students exposure to her specialty. Living in Omaha also put the family close to her parents in southern Missouri.

A Minnesota native, Greg also appreciates that the Big O gets its fair share of sunlight, too. He spent eight years commuting in California, and he sees his new drive as a big improvement. Furthermore, his experience at sea and in the elements convinced him to build a home and create landscaping to take full advantage of Nebraska sunshine, rain and native prairie plants.

The prairie garden, designed by Benjamin Vogt of Monarch Gardens in Lincoln, includes native Nebraska flora. Perfect for attracting pollinators, what would be a simple grass yard is instead filled with the likes of dotted blazing stars, nodding onions, rattlesnake masters, stiff goldenrods, little bluestem and butterfly weed.

This outdoor space is just another element of the home that ties in pops of

color and nature. Upon closer inspection, there is an abundance of purple prairie clover, dwarf blue indigo, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine, round-headed bush clover, sideoats grama and plains oval sedge. It is a contrast to the stark and straightlined exterior, but it all goes back to a love for sunshine and that which flourishes beneath it.

“I’ve mowed enough faux green lawns in my life,” Burnett said. “I wanted a refuge for mammals, birds, insects, rabbits – a place full of life. In winter, in our prairie, we can be washing dishes and we see robins.” Burnett cuts back the garden just twice a year – for him, that alone makes it better than bluegrass.

Sitting around with a cool drink and watching the tall native plants sway, it’s almost like being back at sea.

One of the highlights of the home for owner Greg Burnett is the natural prairie grass and flower-filled yard. Paying homage to his love of sunshine and all that flourishes beneath it, the prairie garden serves as a place for area pollinators to get their fill and requires little upkeep.

Tom Kessler

We protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow The trails and grounds are open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. We encourage everyone to visit our outdoor spaces and enjoy fresh air and nature. Our visitor center building is open on Weekdays 8:30 am-4:30 pm Weekends 8:30 am-12:30 pm springcreek.audubon.org |

Nebraska Traveler

TAKING TO THE ROAD FOR FOOD, FUN AND FESTIVITIES

by CHEYENNE ROWE

MUSIC

COMSTOCK WINDMILL FESTIVAL

JUNE 8-10 • COMSTOCK

Back for another year, this famous “pasture party” hopes to cause Nebraskans to clear their schedules and come be part of the action yet again.

This country-lovers’ paradise of a festival was founded in 1999. What started as Love is Alive singer Glenda Lynn performing on a flatbed trailer quickly grew from 300 attendees to 3,000 the next year when a guest performer was then up-andcoming county star Brad Paisley.

Since inception, the event has brought in close to half a million fans to Comstock, a Custer County village of fewer than 100 people. Most of the event’s yearly visitors stick around for the weekend. Those buying tickets for the 2023 festival have a lot to plan for, including the best of America’s young country artists.

Headlining June 8 is WIlliam Michael Morgan, followed by second-time festival performer Chevel Shepherd (2015 winner of “The Voice”) and Jay Alan.

The second day will feature Mitchell Tenpenny, who is currently touring with Luke Bryan, as well as Cooper Alan. Day three ramps up again, shuffling Alli Colleen (a third-time festival performer), Ned LeDoux, Canaan Smith, Shane Profit and CJ Solar onto the stage.

To keep festival-goers going, a selection of refreshments at a beer tent (with a tent band), a food court and various other vendors will also be available. Side entertainment this year will include extreme bull riding on Saturday. Converted soybean and corn fields provide home-away-from home with 3,000 campsites. windmillfestival.com.

WHERE TO STAY COMSTOCK PREMIER LODGE

This luxurious lodge gives visitors the best of sights and sounds of the Sandhills. With 10 rentable rooms, private bathrooms and balcony access guests are sure to recover from concert-going. 81785 Rd. 457, Sargent (308) 527-4199

WHERE TO GO

ARCADIA DIVERSION DAM

Those wanting a quiet break after the hustle and bustle of the festival can find nature at the Arcadia Diversion Dam. A quick drive from Comstock, guests here can explore 777 land acres and 109 water acres home to various wildlife. 6 miles south of Comstock, recreation.gov/camping/gateways/1799

Country fans are blown away at the Comstock Windmill Festival.

Grand Island Independent/Crystal LoGiudice

NATURE

FULL MOON HIKES

JUNE 2 & JULY 7 • BELLEVUE

While things that go bump in the night are usually cause for concern, during the full-moon hikes at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue they’re celebrated!

Creeping through the towering timbers of the forest after dark could present a few unique opportunities for those willing to walk by moonlight. For example, the eastern screech owl is a probable sight at night. This feathered friend nests in tree cavities in wooded environments. This nocturnal hunter has a large, rounded head with ear tufts and yellow eyes. Its song also is fitting for its nighttime flights, echoing in a series of melancholy whistled whinnies, descending in pitch.

Another popular dark-sky visitor that hikers can check off their bucket list is the big brown bat. This species of vesper bat is assumed to be common in Fontenelle Forest, but it is seldom seen in daylight. Keep a keen eye out for this 4-5 inch-long creature, complete with

brown fur and elongated ears (not to be confused with the also-present northern long-eared bat). Other common sights are sure to include raccoons, beavers and other mammals, as well as bugs (like moths).

Guests to these nighttime hikes are welcome to explore how the forest comes alive after the sun goes down. Questions like “How does the full moon affect nocturnal animals?” will be answered on this guided adventure. The program will also feature educational discussion and a brief talk about the lore of full moons.

To view the forest by the light of the strawberry moon (June) or the buck moon (July), those interested are invited to register. Capacity for the hikes is set at 35 and cost to participate ranges from $10 (for members) and $20 for non-members.

Don’t forget to stick around for the s’mores. fontenelleforest.org/calendar.

Hikers learn what goes bump in the night during full-moon hikes at Fontenelle Forest.

WHERE TO EAT

ROMA ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Homemade, from-stratch, Italian food is the perfect way to carbo-load before a nighttime hike – this location is even open late. Warm up with fresh-baked, creamy cheese tortellini, or opt for a fresh salad. 605 Fort Crook Rd. N, Bellevue (402) 916-5820

WHERE TO GO

OMAHA’S HENRY DOORLY ZOO AND AQUARIUM

Spend time before your moonlit stroll at one of Omaha’s biggest, and most wild, attractions. Take a journey through several unique landscapes, spread out over 160 acres, and explore plants, animals and habitats from around the world. 3701 S. 10th St., Omaha (402) 733-8401

Fontenelle Forest

PITCH THE TENT TO GLAMP IN NEBRASKA

by BECKY McCARVILLE

Getting back to nature doesn’t just mean roughing it in the great outdoors – whoever dreamed up “glamorous camping,” also known as glamping, has captured the hearts of those yearning for the camping experience without the hassle.

Drink in panoramic Nebraska views from a yurt, treehouse, glamping tent, geodesic dome, tiny house or even a hobbit house. This trio of Nebraska locations will get even the hesitant packing a bag!

With fond childhood memories of family camping excursions while growing up, Gina Samci and her sister, Tracey Bendams, started Prairie Fireflies, partnering with Lake Cunningham in Omaha to offer a turnkey glamping experience. No

need to stake the tent or pump up the air mattress - Prairie Fireflies has it all under control, with comfy beds, electricity, coffee maker, mini-fridge, pillows and blankets. Splash in the lake with optional paddle boards and kayaks, catch an outdoor movie and enjoy a pre-packaged meal or s’more kit. theprairiefireflies.com

At Kimberly Creek Retreat in Ashland, glampers can choose from a variety of unique dwellings amidst the trees for a solitary stay, getaway for two or big family gatherings. Weaving through wooded trails, the bright white geodesic domes stand out among the trees. Stay in “The Nook” or “The Cranny” (Euro-style pods), a tiny house “Homestead” cabin,

or modern and traditional cabin layouts with names like “The Sundowner” and “The Ranch.” kimberlycreekretreat.com

Thursday

June 8th

Finally, just 20 minutes from Kearney, the sandhill crane migration draws bird watchers from around the world, along with more than 500,000 birds to this humble hideaway. Dancing Crane Yurt, in Gibbon, offers front-row viewing from the deck. The 700-square-foot round structure provides a pellet stove, private bathroom and small kitchenette. But fear not, connecting with nature isn’t just for the spring birding season – it’s a yearround destination.

Nestled near Rowe Sanctuary and Iain Nicolson Audubon Center, this experience is in close contact with hiking trails, Windmill State Recreation Area and public access to the Platte River. Book through Airbnb, VRBO or Glamping Hub.

Kimberly Creek Retreat

Photo: Arturo Banderas

Sponsored by a grant from Cozad Tourism

OTHER EVENTS YOU MAY ENJOY

MAY

Patriotic Parade and Concert

May 27 • Omaha

With a goal to honor our nation’s military, first responders and Gold Star families, the 2023 event will feature the USMC’s 40-member marching band and Fort Riley’s Mounted Color Guard. With the parade set to step off at 10th and Jackson, it will march into the hearts of all in attendance (north via The Old Market to the new Gene Leahy Mall). Other parade segments include black, riderless horses, the nation’s largest Thin Blue Line flag

JUNE

Polish Days

by CHEYENNE ROWE

June 2-4 • Loup City

Polish ancestry is not required to enjoy this fun family event, so witamy (welcome)! Live polka music plays as folks line up for Polish cuisine and various tournaments and competitions. Other events for the family include a large parade, rides and games. loupcitychamber.org

History

of Games

June 2-25 • Nebraska City

In celebration of International Tabletop Game Day (June 3), Arbor Lodge is set to host fun (and games) for the whole family. Games will be set up and located

throughout the mansion for guests to enjoy. arbordayfarm.org.

Leashes at Lauritzen

June 5 • Omaha

The garden has gone to the dogs. Bring your canine friends to walk the grounds and enjoy the great outdoors together. With 100 acres to explore, family members – canine and human alike – can walk the trails, take photos among the foliage and more. Don’t miss this tail-wagging good time. lauritzengardens.org.

NEBRASKAland Days

June 11-24 • North Platte

This multi-day event is jam-packed with anything and everything that celebrates Nebraska. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission organized the original festival, which debuted in Lincoln in 1965. Featuring a widely attended and famous rodeo, games, food, live music, an antique car show, a run, parade and more, there is something for everyone. nebraskalanddays.com

Fort Kearny Time Capsule

June 30 • Kearney

The Fort Kearny Daughters of the American Revolution make history again with the opening of the 1973 time capsule. The public is invited to enjoy the event, hosted in Centennial Park, to look at the past and enjoy a reception with snacks and refreshments. visitkearney.org/kearney-150th.

JULY

Wayne Chicken Show

July 7-9 • Wayne

A fun fowl family festival, the 43rd Annual Wayne Chicken Show will leave visitors clucking. The weekend event features a big cement chicken auction, fireworks, parade, National Cluck-Off, inflatables, a car show and more. chickenshow.com.

Oregon Trail Days

July 13-16 • Gering

Four days filled with everything Nebraska in the Panhandle! In its 102nd year, Oregon Trail Days is filled with events like a

kickoff BBQ and street dance, parade, art and craft shows, fun run, chili cookoff, mud volleyball and more. Guests are welcome to Western Nebraska to one of the longest continually running celebrations in the state. oregontraildays.com.

Constellations at Merritt

July 16-21 • Valentine

Starry-eyed Nebraskans are invited to join the professionals at Merritt Reservoir SRA for “Constellations on the Landscape: Wildlife Need Dark Skies, Too!” Guests will discover the weird and wonderful world of nighttime insects and learn how dark sky conservation is wildlife conservation. See the event on Facebook for details.

Nebraska Rocks!

July 21-22 • Norfolk

Mark your calendars and set your dates for the 30th anniversary of Nebraska Rocks. The two-night spectacular at Divot’s Ballroom in Norfolk will feature several live musical guests skilled in the art of rock ‘n’ roll. There will also be

special inductions in the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame. See the event on Facebook for more details.

TRIVIA ANSWERS

Questions on p 22-23

Sandhill Cranes 3 The 1970s (1974, specifically) 4 Massage therapy

Hastings 6 False (though it is a popular legend) 7 True 8 False (but there are statutes about serving food) 9 True

Trivia Photographs 1 Donut holes

False (allowed with permission)

b. 17 12 c. Perm a child’s hair (without a state license)

c. 0.05%

a. Mountains

a. Farmers

Page 22 A sandhill crane dances on the Platte River. Donut holes are a nice treat.

Page 23 “Fade Kings” staff gives a fresh look. Max Cawiezel pioneers in Gering.

50th Western Wildlife Art Show

Oct. 14

Open during Clarkson Czech Days June 24 & 25 at 12:00 noon We are also open Aug. 13 & Oct. 1 • 11 am-4 pm

• Ewing Funfest – Memorial Weekend

• 4th of July Celebrations in Stuart

• Chambers and Ewing

• O'Neill Summerfest – July 14-6

Relax…

Atkinson

Sandhills Guest House • 402-925-5600

Holt Creek Getaway • 402-925-2528

Oregon Trail RV Park • 402-925-5117

Eagle Springs Lodge • 402-925-5475

Mill Race Park & Campground • 402-925-5313

Chambers

Winings Guest House • 402-482-5741

Ewing Two Rivers Motel • 402-626-7211 • Holt County Fair in Chambers - August 7-12 • Atkinson Hay Days – August 18-20 • Irish 'Toberfest BBQ and • Brew Rib Cooko – September

ATURALLY EBRASKA

Outdoor education Nebraska’s nature teaches important lessons

by ALAN J. BARTELS

MANY YEARS AGO, when I still had hair on my head, I allowed my daughter to skip school. A friend of mine from Lincoln, conservation photographer Michael Forsberg, allowed one of his daughters to skip.

The girls – who were both in elementary school at the time –weren’t hanging out at the mall, cruising back roads or updating social media. Michael and I were finally fulfilling overdue plans to photograph greater prairie chickens together in the Nebraska Sandhills and wanted our daughters to be part of the experience, too.

Friends and photographers, Micheal Forsberg and Alan Bartels, took time away to capture prairie chickens with their children.

Michael and I were left alone when the girls turned in for the night to their bunks in one of the lodges at Switzer Ranch in Loup County. The evening stars glowed bright as we talked about the trajectory of our careers. Turns out that photography would play a large role in each.

We didn’t outlast the girls by much and hit the rack knowing that 4 a.m. would arrive soon.

To say the girls weren’t overly excited at the sound of the alarm clock, and subsequent journey into the blackness of the Sandhills hours before daybreak, would be an understatement. On top of that it was cold, and we had to be quiet – we didn’t want to do anything to disturb the birds (fortunately, neither girl had their own cellphone yet).

With deliberate silence we climbed into our blind, which for this excursion was a former school bus parked on the crest of

a hill. The ranch owners had observed the birds returning to this same spot each spring for many years. With the girls covered in coats and blankets, we waited.

Coos and cackles announced the birds’ arrival before we could see them. Soon the birds were charging one another, leaping into the air, kicking and biting as part of mating rituals that have taken place here for uncountable millennia. Torn feathers snagged on sand dropseed and little bluestem grass glistened in the first light of the morning as Michael and I began following the action through our viewfinders. The clicking of our camera shutters, and chuckles of our little girls, didn’t seem to bother the birds one bit. Flocks of Canada geese honked from long skeins stretching over the Calamus River, pelicans soared even higher, and insistent meadowlarks did their best to put on a spring show of their own (I always get sidetracked by those golden beauties).

There was no guide to tell us what to watch for, no canned speech, no exhibits, no crowds of people checking things off bucket lists of varying depths – only two little girls and their fathers studying nature’s open book. There were many lessons that day. Lesson one is that the hills, meadows and the animals that live in those places belong there. Lesson two: We should not disrupt that natural order. Lesson three: Start again with lesson one. I appreciate classroom education. My dad taught elementary school his entire teaching career, and I was blessed with a quality education at the many Nebraska schools I attended. But I left the ranch that day thankful that my daughter was able to trade just one day of classroom time for this Sandhills spectacle that has long since faded from other places where prairie chickens and healthy prairies once thrived. I know Michael feels the same way. Our daughters are grown women now, and childhood memories can be misplaced in the busyness of everyday life. But if allowed their historic habitat on the Plains, the prairie chickens – and all of the other inhabitants of the natural world – will continue to teach to students of nature. I am confident that those lessons remain with us.

Thinking back on those memories all these years later, I’ve remembered one other lesson from that day: that time in the outdoors in Nebraska (or anywhere), should at least occasionally be shared with family and friends.

Micheal Forsberg

LAST LOOK EDITORS’ CHOICE

photograph by DERRALD FARNSWORTH-LIVINGSTON

WHEN PHOTOGRAPHER

Derrald

Farnsworth-Livingston saw a typical storm system rolling through eastern Nebraska, he brought out his camera in hopes of capturing a picturesque tempest landscape.

He traveled out just north of Blair to a cemetery overlooking the Missouri flood plain in search of an arrangement of clouds and the potential of lightning, but that’s when his luck changed. As he arrived, the clouds began to part in the west, and sunlight spilled through the gaps in the sky. The seasoned pro continued setting up his tripod on the cemetery fence anyway.

Not too long later, full sunlight escaped the confines of lingering darkness, and a pastel-painted rainbow burst onto the canvas of a heaven-sent blue sky. It did not disappoint, he said.

Farnsworth-Livingston was excited to capture the image, struck by the vibrant green grass, caused by late spring rains.

When the shot appeared on the back of his camera, he knew he’d gotten what he was looking for. The photographer often revisits this snap, he noted, even today enjoying this exciting day early in his photographic career.

IN EACH ISSUE, Last Look features a reader’s photograph of Nebraska – landscapes, architecture, attractions, events, people or wildlife.

Submit your best photographs for the chance to be published in Nebraska Life. Send digital images with detailed photo descriptions and your contact information to photos@nebraskalife.com or visit nebraskalife.com/contribute.

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 5D camera, equiped with a 17mm lens, exposed at ISO 100, f/14 for 1 second.

Join us to celebrate the 62nd Annual Czech Festival • Aug 4-6, 2023

Enjoy continuous FREE outdoor entertainment including dancing, kolace eating contests, talent contests and three big parades. Watch the Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. Pageant with contestants from all over the U.S. Festival Activities: The Czech Historical Pageant • Art Show • Quilt Show • Craft Show • Heritage Demonstration

• Accordion Jamboree • Sports Events • 50 bands • 150 Folk Dancers • Authentic Czech Foods • Three Parades • Kolaces

• 170 Member Alumni Band • Bohemian Tractor Pulls • Carnival• Car Show

Also enjoy year-round: Guided Tours • Historic Buildings • Hotel Wilber • Dvoracek Library • Heritage Room

• Outdoor Theatre • Czech Museum • Old County Sausages • Czech Baked Goods • Authentic Baked Meals

• Garnet Jewelry • Czech Costumes • Crafts & Souvenirs • Dolls & Lace • RV Camping (402-821-2966)

City of Wilber • Wilber Area Chamber of Commerce • WilberChamberOfCommerce.com Nebraska Czechs of Wilber • NebraskaCzechsOfWilber.com Call for Information • 402-821-3233 • PO Box 652 • Wilber, NE 68465 Paid for in part by the Saline County Tourism Advisory Committee