January/February 2016 Omaha Magazine

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016

at 26, Omaha Native is Bernie Sanders’ National Press Secretary

MYRON POURIER Black Elk Still Speaks

TRANS • LOGIC

UNO Professor Jay Irwin

MOUTH OF THE SOUTH Down-Home Grub

8361 Mormon Bridge Rd, Omaha

$724,950

16 acres of beautiful countryside. Enjoy gorgeous sunsets off the quiet deck or from the patio of the private guest house. 4 bedroom, 4 bath home with over 4,200 finished sq. ft. Horses are permitted and the grounds are fenced with fresh water livestock tanks.

Ryan Gibson • 402.598.4615

21701 Elk Ranch Point, Elkhorn

$695,000

Spectacular setting with unobstructed Elkhorn River valley views. Gated private lane leads you to this 10 + acre walkout two story. Spacious 4 bedroom, 4 bath with 3 car built in garage plus a 28’ x 40’ detached 3 car carriage house with upper level storage.

Bring your horses!

Bob & Debbie Jensen • 402.670.3471

5502 Webster St, Omaha

$675,000

Stunning early 20th century storybook home with room to grow. Over 4,000 fsf with 5 bedrooms and 5 baths.

Original woodwork and doors, beautiful moldings, stunning banisters, and glass doorknobs. A dramatic sunken living room with 9 ft ceilings is highlighted by original tile work . This home is must see!

1330 S 105 Street, Omaha

$646,300

One of the finest homesites in District 66. Approx. 1 acre overlooking Happy Hollow Country Club. Wooded and private backyard. Once in a lifetime opportunity.

The Rensch Group • 402.391.5333

Kristen Wehner Jacobsen • 402.672.7701

1907 S 220 Avenue, Elkhorn

$589,500

This unique 1.5 story home features 4 bedrooms, 4 baths and 2nd floor bonus room. Open plan with 14’ ceiling in great room, large kitchen, walk in pantry, SS appliances, hardwood floors, mudroom/drop zone. Master suite on main level has 10’ ceiling with walk in shower and free standing tub.

Julie Arp • 402.250.5850

19263 Pierce Street, Omaha

$542,500

Four bedroom, four bath two story with bonus room upstairs. Granite countertops, large kitchen island, mud room with lockers, walk-in pantry, master suite with sitting room and fireplace. And so much more!!!

John Greguska • 402.612.0594

627 N 162 Street, Omaha

$689,000

Immaculate 1.5 Story in Barrington Park features a wonderful kitchen/hearth room with granite tops, and stainless steel appliances. The master bedroom features a covered deck, recently renovated bath + large walk-in closet. All 2nd floor bedrooms have bath access. LL walkout. Unbelievable built ins!

Steve Hansen • 402.618.6689

9726 Brentwood Road, Omaha

$599,900

Regency 1.5 story in District 66! Updated inside and out with the utmost care and attention to detail. Including 95% high efficiency furnaces, newer windows, and granite. Spacious master includes sitting area and Jacuzzi. 2nd floor includes 3 bedrooms and 2 bath.

Dramatic lower level with open floor plan.

Deanne Fairfield • 402.212.1343

9742 Brentwood Road, Omaha

$589,500

Premiere tree-lined private District 66 Regency cul-desac with mature trees. This custom 1.5 story home, with main floor master and 4 additional bedrooms and 6 baths is perfect for entertaining. Walkout lower level features rec/theatre room, large bedroom and full bath.

Deanne Fairfield • 402.212.1343

8102 Legacy Street, Papillion

1817 S 186 Street

$559,000

An amazing 1 1/2 story in the Ridges with panoramic views of the golf course sitting above the 8th green! Top of the line amenities and an awesome finished walk-out basement. New roof. High end finishes and tons of built-ins throughout. All bedrooms have walk-in closets & bath access!

Hopkins Home Team • 402.659.7200

$530,000

This home has it all from the breathtaking lake views, to the walk out basement, the covered synthetic deck, flat .35 acre lot, 5 car garage, expansive open concept main floor, 3 bedrooms above grade, with 2 bedrooms, large living room and office below.

Johnathan O’Gorman • 402.595.8857

16811 Spring Plaza, Omaha

$520,000

This rare find free standing 3 car ranch villa is located in the gated community of Legacy Villas. Geo thermal HVAC, radiant heat in garage and on deck, surround sound throughout, true gourmet kitchen with oversized pantry, both a main floor laundry and office and more!

Dirk Blume • 402.672.0391

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C A M e rON M A C K iN TO S h ’S SpeCTACul A r N eW p rOduCT iON Of

A N d r e W l l O y d W e B B e r ’S

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PEOPLE

38

28

26

Laura Marlane Omaha Public Library

32

Kamrin Baker Huffington Post Contributor

48

Rock and Roll Family Angie, Andrew, and Townes Norman

58

Hugo Zamorano Painter, Pugilist

68

Chris Cook Seeing the Light

FOOD 166 Dining

Noli’s Pizzeria

172

170 Chef Profile

36

Maru’s Joy Wang

172 Mystery Review FEATURES

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

28

10

From the Editor

13

Between the Lines

14

For Starters

17 36

Myron Pourier Black Elk Still Speaks

38

Django Greenblatt-Seay Video Vacation

42

The Nelson Mandela Way New School, New Vision

50

Trans•Logic UNO Professor Jay Irwin

62

Symone Sander’s Iowa Odyssey From Donna Burns to the Campaign Trail

176 Dining Guide ARTS & CULTURE 24

An Ode to Omaha Matt Mason

Calendar of Events

46

History Urban Legends

Noah Diaz So Far to Go

54

Jamie Danielle Hardy Guiding Light

163 Obviously Omaha

Lincoln’s Haymarket District

191 Explore!

SPECIAL SECTIONS

194 Not Funny

125 March of Dimes &

OMAHA HOME

Omaha Magazine’s Nurse of the Year Awards

Mouth of the South

Seeking the Voice of Nebraska

GIVING 132 Giving Calendar

73

60PLUS IN OMAHA

164 Stuart Chittenden

139

January // February • 2016 | 8 | omahamagazine.com

134 Talking it Out

Omaha Table Talk Series

January // February 2016 VOLUME 32 • ISSUE 7

EDITORIAL Editor

DAVID WILLIAMS Associate Editor

Expanded Content On Your Digital Device Watch videos, and view photo galleries of select editorial from Omaha Magazine.

DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Editorial Intern

KATHERINE NOWICKI Contributing Writers

LINDSEY BAKER LEO ADAM BIGA BEV CARLSON MAGGIE LEHMICKE MATT MASON TOM MCCAULEY CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI MAX SPARBER JAMES VNUK JAMES WALMSLEY ANDY WILLIAMS SARAH WENGERT OTIS TWELVE

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38

CREATIVE Creative Director

BILL SITZMANN Art Director

KRISTEN HOFFMAN Senior Graphic Designer

RACHEL JOY Graphic Designer

pag

MATTHEW WIECZOREK

2 e H3

e pag

H3

6

Graphic Design Intern

DEREK TAUBERT Contributing Photography & Illustration

LAWRENCE ANDERSON KEITH BINDER COLIN CONCES SCOTT DRICKEY SARAH LEMKE LAURIE AND CHARLES PHOTOGRAPHS

1 Download the App Browse the Apple App Store or shop Google Play for the LayAR app.

2 Look for this icon You’ll see the ‘ar’ icon on pages with expanded content.

January // February • 2016 | 9 | bestofomaha.com

3 Scan the page Load the LayAR app on your digital device. Hold your phone/table over theentire page to load content.

Omaha Magazine • Letter From the Editor

THE MONK IN ME

D

O YOU REMEMBER Sleeping With the

Enemy, the chiller where Julia Roberts’ character faked her own death to escape an abusive husband who was made more evil by the fact that he was a big bundle of control freak, anal-retentive compulsions?

And how she came to realize that her ex had discovered her new identity and broken into her home because of the way the towels were hung in her bathroom and how the canned goods were neatly arrayed—labels face-out, naturally—in the kitchen cupboard?

EDITOR DAVID WILLIAMS

I am that guy.

No, not the abusive monster part, just the compulsive thing.

I count as my heroes Felix Unger and Adrian Monk. It is a habit of mine to rewrite my wife’s shopping list on tidy little index cards (one of the greatest creations of all time) if it’s my turn to go to the store, sometimes going through a second or even a third card before I am fully satisfied with my crisp, boxy printing. Clipping coupons is an exercise in exactitude where the objective is to not only cut along the dotted line, but to perfectly bisect every little dot along the way. Folding laundry is a veritable ballet. Packing a suitcase is a thing of beauty. And don’t get me started on how a spice cabinet should be alphabetized.

My New Year’s resolution is to lighten up a bit. I will do my darnedest, for example, to not tense up when a co-worker picks up some memento from my bookcase to inspect it. And I’ll try not to dash over the minute they leave to make sure the bauble was returned to its exact. Same. Place.

I imagine that it will be quite liberating to let go of some of myself this way, or at least so says a friend who once described my frenetic,

January // February • 2016 | 10 | omahamagazine.com

jingle-jangle demeanor as akin to Woody Allen on acid.

The confessional above is rather embarassing to put out there so openly for our readers to see, but there’s one area of my life where I simply refuse to bend.

My perfectionist quirks, I happen to believe, are vices that become virtues when sitting at an editor’s desk. Sure, a cloyingly overdeveloped attention to detail-detail-detail seems a natural for a job like this, but it goes beyond that.

Putting together this and our five other titles is not unlike how I approach the spice cabinet in my kitchen. Sure, we could just toss a bunch of stories onto the shelves and hope the reader can find some semblance of order in the mess, but I subscribe to the notion that a certain amount of overthinking is a good thing in this business—that it pays off in curating just the right blend of compelling stories, ones that are easily accessible and not hidden behind a tin of dill weed or obscured by containers of pepper or thyme.

I suppose there are smallish efforts I can make even here in the office. I resolve, for example, to write this piece in one fell swoop. I promise to not return to it—as is my wont— for repeated polishings in the run-up to deadline day.

But it’s three weeks from upload day—an eternity—as I write this, and my typing fingers are twitching before I even hit the “save” command.

Deadline Day Update: Failure. Utter and complete failure. Couldn’t even keep that one simple promise to myself. Well, there’s always next year…

January // February 2016 VOLUME 32 • ISSUE 7

Publisher

TODD LEMKE

ACCOUNTS Publisher’s Assistant & Omaha Home Contributing Editor

SANDY MATSON Vice President

GREG BRUNS Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing

GIL COHEN Senior Sales Executive & 60Plus in Omaha Contributing Editor

GWEN LEMKE Branding Specialist

SHELBY DEVENY KYLE FISHER ANGIE HALL GEORGE IDELMAN

LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE

JAN. 22–FEB. 14, 2016

FEB. 12–MARCH 20, 2016

sponsors: College of Saint Mary and Gale and Judy Wickersham media sponsor: CW15

sponsors: Friends of the Playhouse orchestra sponsor: Whitmore Charitable Trust and Kathy and Jack Lewis media sponsor: Cox

6915 CASS STREET

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(402) 553-0800

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OPERATIONS Vice President of Operations

TYLER LEMKE Accountant

HOLLEY GARCIA-CRUZ Distribution Manager

MIKE BREWER For Advertising & Subscription Information:

402.884.2000

All versions of Omaha Magazine are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. Subscription rates: $19.95 for 6 issues (one year), $24.95 for 12 issues (two years). No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. Best of Omaha®™ is a registered tradename of Omaha Magazine.

January // February • 2016 | 11 | bestofomaha.com

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January // February • 2016 | 12 | omahamagazine.com

Between

THE LINES A LOOK AT THREE OMAHA MAGAZINE TEAM MEMBERS

KATHERINE NOWICKI A native of California and the daughter of two Midwesterners, Katherine left the Golden State to study journalism and English at Creighton University. She discovered that she likes the Midwest and enjoys the change of seasons (with the exception of driving in the snow). She is passionate about storytelling and has been writing fiction since childhood. Katherine attended the University of Iowa’s Young Writers’ Studio while in high school and has twice been published in Shadows, Creighton’s literary magazine. She currently writes for The Creightonian and spent last summer writing feature articles for a southern California community newspaper.

She especially likes writing pieces that focus on the arts. Katherine’s outside interests include literature, dogs, history, and Broadway musicals. She hopes to someday visit Europe and figure out this thing called adulthood.

MAX SPARBER Max was born in Minneapolis in 1968, his biological mother a scholar of Irish folklore, his biological father still unknown but possibly a bar-owner in Anchorage. He was quickly adopted by a Jewish family, the Sparbers. Max grew up in an artistic household—his mother’s cousin is the award-winning actor Judd Hirsch, and his babysitters were Matt and Dan Wilson of the band Trip Shakespeare; Dan later went on to found Semisonic and win a Grammy for cowriting “Someone Like You” with Adele. Max grew up fascinated by the intersection of art, history, family, culture, and myth, and these themes found their way into Max’s work as a playwright, poet, arts critic, and most recently as the research specialist for Douglas County Historical Society. Here he has created programs around the Irish language, using DNA for genealogy, the early history of theater in Omaha, and collecting antiques that tell the story of Douglas County.

SEAN MCCARTHY When he’s not compiling needless Top 5 lists (e.g. Top 5 Tracks That Nearly Kill Perfect Albums), Sean tries to infuse old-school, print-style journalism into the digital realm. He earned his degree in news-editorial journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has written for alt-weeklies and such pubs as PopMatters and Paste magazine. He has guest-blogged for USA Today, and his work has been referenced in both The New York Times Sunday Magazine and Newsweek. Until The New York Times has an opening for a hard-news investigative journalist/ music writer/video game blogger/vodka critic that pays around $200,000, he will continue to write about what needs to be covered in the Omaha area.

January // February • 2016 | 13 | bestofomaha.com

BLACK SABBATH

NEWSIES

We’re the beginning of the end, Omaha. Black Sabbath’s farewell tour, The End, makes its first stop at the CenturyLink Center.

Extra! Extra! The award-winning Disney musical Newsies will be performed in Omaha as part of the show’s North American tour.

Nearly five decades ago a band of barely-adults from Birmingham, England, came alive with a crack of thunder, a distant bell ringing, and then a monstrous guitar riff that shook the earth.

Based on a 1992 movie/musical of the same name, Newsies is a David and Goliath story based on the historical paperboy strike of July 20, 1899.

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler are now closing the final chapter in their book. The group, who twice won Grammy awards for Best Metal Performace (2014’s “God Is Dead?” and 2000’s “Iron Man”), was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Black Sabbath has produced 19 studio albums and sold more than 70 million albums. Their career has come full-circle, as lead singer Osbourne, fired in 1979, went on to a successful solo career and reunited the group in 1997.

Jack Kelly is a rebellious newsboy living on the streets of New York City with hundreds of other impoverished children who sell papers.

After publishing giants Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise post-Spanish American War newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack and the other newsies take action. With help from reporter Katherine Plumber, New York City soon realizes the power of the underdog.

CenturyLink Center January 20

CenturyLink Center 455 N. 10th St. Tickets: $35-$149 800-745-3000 / ticketmaster.com

Orpheum Theater February 16-21

Winner of the 2012 Tony Awards® for Best Score and Best Choreography, Newsies is a high-energy explosion of music and dance.

Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th St. Tickets: $28-$77.

402-345-0606 / ticketomaha.com

January // February • 2016 | 14 | omahamagazine.com

OMAHA DANCE PROJECT

Mary Joy and Tal Anderson Performing Arts Center February 26-28

The Omaha Dance Project—Omaha’s original city-wide celebration of dance—kicks off its second decade.

ODP 2016 features works by some of the best dancing that Omaha has to offer, with a mix of classical and contemporary works by local and regional choreographers. Presented by the Omaha Academy of Ballet, the event also features offerings by Tbd. Dance Collective, Omaha Dance Lab, and Creighton University Dancers.

OMAHA HOME AND GARDEN EXPO AND LAWN FLOWER AND PATIO SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY CenturyLink Center Omaha February 18-21

The Omaha Home & Garden Expo is a tradition for many in Omaha.

Whether looking for ways to remodel their homes, decorate, build a new one or explore creative landscaping, show visitors will find millions of ideas and everything for the home—inside and out.

Attractions include a new home completely decorated with a backyard garden display, a fountain café, live entertainment, an exotic animals display, and special activities for the kids.

Modern-dance maverick Nichol Mason Lazenby and Lincoln choreographer Ashley Durst will unveil new works, and emerging choreographers Katrinka Stayton and Allyson Dickey will show their choreographic chops as they make their ODP debuts this year. Classical offerings include a reconstruction of the 19th-century ballet Le Réviel de Flore, set by Juliette Henning, and a newly created neoclassical ballet by Marcus Oatis of the Kansas City Ballet.

Gardeners will find landscaped gardens with ponds, waterfalls, and blooming flowers, and will be able to ask questions of The Greater Omaha Garden Clubs and “Ask the Master Gardener” Answer Desk.

Mary Joy and Tal Anderson Performing Arts Center 7400 Military Ave. Tickets: Adults $15; Students/Seniors $10.

402-346-0469 / oabdance.org

CenturyLink Center Omaha 455 N. 10th St. Tickets: Adults $8; Children ages 5 and up $4, children under 5 free.

402-341-1500 / centurylinkcenteromaha.com

Home consumers will be able to view the latest innovations, compare products, and visit with experts in the industry. A fresh local showcase will feature locally grown plants and products made in the Omaha area.

January // February • 2016 | 15 | bestofomaha.com

Spring is coming to the

February 18-21, 2016

Don’t Miss The Home & Garden Event of the Year!

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January // February • 2016 | 16 | omahamagazine.com

CALENDAR EVENTS of

Brad Kahlhamer FAMILY & MORE

MUD PIES Through Jan. 28, Fontanelle Forest—1111 N. Bellevue Blvd., Bellevue Looking for a unique setting in which to have fun with your child while learning about the natural world? Mud Pies is a relaxed, drop-inand-play program that encourages interaction between adult and child. Each week, a natural science topic is explored through station-based activities, free play, and a guided walk. Come discover the joy of sharing nature with your child! This program is for children ages 5 and younger accompanied by an adult. One adult is required for every two children. This program is free for members or with daily admission. 402-731-3140 - fontenelleforest.org

SUPER POWERS

ART AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS

BRAD KAHLHAMER Through April 17, Joslyn Art Museum—2200 Dodge St. Kahlhamer is an artist influenced by a variety of sources, including Native American traditions, graffiti, comic books, and much more. He created original art just for this exhibition.

A Riley CAP Gallery exhibition. 402-342-3300 - joslyn.org

GO WEST! ART OF THE AMERICAN FRONTIER FROM THE BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST Through April 17, Joslyn Art Museum—2200 Dodge St. Explore the exploration and excitement of the western frontier in this exhibit, featuring more than 90 paintings, sculptures, and American Indian artifacts dating from the 1830s to the 1920s. 402-342-3300 - joslyn.org

40TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW: “ARTISTS INVITE ARTISTS” Jan. 5-31, Artists’ Cooperative Gallery Ltd.— 405 S. 11th St. A 40th anniversary special show in which current members invite non-member artists to show their work. 402-342-9617 - artistscoopomaha.com

WILLIAM JOYCE: GUARDIAN OF CHILDHOOD Jan . 16-May 15 , Joslyn Art Museum– 2200 Dodge St. This Mind’s Eye Gallery exhibition features art by author, illustrator, and Academy Award winning animated short filmmaker William Joyce, including work from his most recent The Guardians of Childhood book series. 402-342-3300 - joslyn.org

WATER Feb. 5-April 23, KANEKO—1111 Jones St. Water is essential to life, at times calming, at other times powerful and difficult to control; seemingly abundant, but increasingly scarce. Exploring and understanding water in a multitude of forms—as a conduit for transportation and civilization, as an environmental resource, and as one of nature’s most versatile tools—is the theme of KANEKO’s Spring 2016. Water will explore issues impacting water quality and sustainability both within the midwestern region and globally. These concepts will be highlighted through the combination of scientific data and fine art, while encouraging visitors to consider their own relationship with water—how water impacts our community, our health, and our perspectives. 402-341-3800 - thekaneko.org

January // February • 2016 | 17 | bestofomaha.com

Through April 17, Omaha Children’s Museum— 500 S. 20th St. Discover your inner hero and unlock your super powers in this kid-sized super power training ground. Fly, scale, zip, and smash your way through a real-life comic book city. Build your body and your bravery as you tackle challenges and complete missions throughout the exhibit and gear up with gadgets and gizmos that enhance your powers. Test your agility and nimbleness in the Laser Light Rope Maze, create your own superhero comic at the Comic Creation Station, grab a cape, and take flight in the Soaring Simulator, and gear up by creating your own cape and mask at the Super Powers Headquarters. 402-342-6164 - ocm.org

GINNY COOPER’S WAR: THE STORY OF WAR, LOVE, AND TIBBET’S ENOLA GAY Jan. 3, Sarpy County Museum—2402 Clay St., Bellevue Author Lawson McDowell presents information on his historical novel, Ginny Cooper’s War, which highlights events that happened at Omaha’s Martin Bomber Plant. Free. 2 pm. 402-292-1880 - sarpycountymuseum.org

OUTLAND TROPHY AWARD DINNER Jan. 14, Downtown DoubleTree Hotel—16th & Dodge Sts. For the 19th consecutive year, Omaha will present the Outland Trophy to college football’s top interior lineman. Greg Sharpe will be back to emcee again this year. The Outland Trophy has been awarded annually by the FWAA since 1946 and is named after John Outland, an All-America lineman at Pennsylvania in the late 1800s. It is the third oldest player award in major-college football behind the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. 7 pm. 402-346-8003 - showofficeonline.com

Omaha Magazine • Calendar of Events

MIDLANDS INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW Jan. 28-31, CenturyLink Center—455 N. 10th St. All the latest cars, trucks and SUV’s, and motorcycles!

Potential buyers and auto enthusiasts can check out new auto technology and hundreds of models. 402-341-1500 - centurylinkcenteromaha.com

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER Feb. 14, Lauritzen Gardens—100 Bancroft St. Experience one of the most beautiful, exquisite Valentine’s Day dinners in Omaha at Lauritzen Gardens, in the intimate surroundings of the visitor and education center. All guests receive the first course, their choice of one main course, the dessert course, and one glass of wine (Chardonnay or Merlot). Reservations required. 402-346-4002 - lauritzengardens.org

GIRLS’ DAY: JAPANESE DOLL EXHIBIT Feb. 18-March 3, Lauritzen Gardens—100 Bancroft St. Hinamatsuri, also called Doll’s Day or Girls’ Day, is celebrated each year in Japan on March 3. On this day, platforms covered in red fabric are used to display a vast set of ornamental Imperial dolls, or hina-ningyo, representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period (A.D. 794-1185). Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the March 3 festival. This wonderful collection of dolls belonged to Omaha resident Michiyo Mastumoto, AKA David “Michi.” 402-346-4002 - lauritzengardens.org

EXTREME BEERFEST Feb. 27, Ralston Arena—7300 Q Street, Ralston The culmination and one of the highlights of Omaha Beer Week, this festival features unlimited sampling of over 300 different beers. Extreme also showcases Omaha’s vibrant homebrew scene with the best locally produced homebrews around. Each attendee will get a sampling glass, access to beer seminars, a program, and up to four hours of unlimited sampling. 3-7 pm. 402-934-6291 - ralstonarena.com

CONCERTS

OMAHA SYMPHONY: I HEAR AMERICA SINGING Jan. 10, Joslyn Art Museum/Witherspoon Theater—1200 Douglas St. Sweeping, tuneful works by American composers come together in an appealing program that is part of the 2015-2016 city-wide “Westward O” celebration of the American West. 2 pm. 402-342-3560 - omahasymphony.org

G. Love and Special Sauce JASON ALDEAN: WE WERE HERE TOUR

GUSTER

Jan. 22, CenturyLink Center—455 N. 10th St. The “Burnin’ it Down” singer will perform with special guests Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses. Tickets from $35. 7:30 pm. 877-970-2925 - centurylinkcenteromaha.com

Feb. 5, Slowdown—729 N. 14th St. Since forming at Tufts University in 1992, Guster has become one of the leading indie/alternative bands, releasing seven critically acclaimed albums in 20 years, starting with Parachute in 1995. Their new album Evermotion features adventurous turns on slide guitars, brassy trumpets and even a glockenspiel, with sax and trombone accompaniment by Jon Natchez, whose stints with the War on Drugs, Beirut, Passion Pit and others have led NPR to call him “indie rock’s most valuable sideman.” 9 pm. 402-345-7569 - theslowdown.com

OMAHA SYMPHONY: NOW PLAYING ON BROADWAY Jan. 30-31, Holland Performing Arts Center— 1200 Douglas St. Hear favorites from long-running blockbusters Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Motown, Wicked, and Jersey Boys performed by Broadway stars and the Omaha Symphony. 402-345-0606 - omahasymphony.org

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

Feb. 10, Slowdown—729 N. 14th St. The band toured and recorded incessantly from 1998-2002 and BRILLZ gained a reputation for mesmerizing live shows marked Feb. 4, The Waiting Room Lounge—6212 Maple St. by orchestral dynamics, epic rock power, and clunky, Turning heads with his trapped-out blend of hip-hop and beautiful film loops. October 2012 saw the release of EDM, Brillz’s interest in music stems from his history Allelujah! Don’t bend! Ascend! their first recorded work in the dance music scene. Introduced through the dance in a decade, to widespread critical acclaim. Anyone itself, Brillz was a founding member of a dance crew called under 18 years must have a notarized parental perLiquid Pop Collective before producing and DJing. The mission slip to attend a concert. 8 pm. 402-345-7569 group merged the dance styles of funk and hip-hop with - theslowdown.com the rave culture dance “Liquid”. 9 pm. 402-884-5353 - waitingroomlounge.com

January // February • 2016 | 18 | omahamagazine.com

Four Old Market

Unique holiday décor, ornaments, collectibles and gifts for every season.

Chocolates and fudge made in our own kitchen, plus many other sweet temptations.

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Travel essentials plus downtown’s largest selection of souvenirs and Nebraska-made gifts.

Authentic Italian desserts, coffee, and FlavorBurst TM soft serve ice cream.

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OMAHA SYMPHONY: A CELEBRATION OF SPIELBERG AND WILLIAMS Feb. 13, Holland Performing Arts Center—1200 Douglas St. Steven Spielberg and John Williams—no collaboration between director and composer has spawned more movie blockbusters. Hear the unforgettable music of their work in such films as Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and more! 7:30 pm. 402-345-0606 - omahasymphony.org

G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE Feb. 20, Slowdown—729 N. 14th St. Alternative hip-hop band G. Love & Special Sauce brings their unique sound from Philadelphia to Omaha for one night only.

Anyone under 18 years must have a notarized parental permission slip to attend a concert. 8:30 pm. 402-345-7569 - theslowdown.com

All located at 10th & Howard Simulcast Racing and Wagering From All The Top Tracks • Over 700 TV’s

PAPADOSIO Feb. 21, The Waiting Room Lounge—6212 Maple St. Mesmerizing, spellbinding and genre-defying: With their fourth full-length studio release Extras In A Movie, Papadosio reveals a striking cinematic cornucopia of sounds: orchestral, electronic, organic, acoustic, psychedelic, and celestial. Extras In A Movie balances Papadosio’s celestial sonic ambience with an organic edge and multiple guitars, both electric and acoustic. Across the span of songs emerges subliminal echoes of prog-rock forefathers like Jethro Tull, Yes, and Genesis. 9 pm. 402-884-5353 - waitingroomlounge.com

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May 20 - 22 July 29 - 30

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402.731.2900

January // February • 2016 | 19 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Calendar of Events

UNTITLED SERIES NO. 7: A COMEDY BY ELLEN STRUVE Jan. 22-Feb. 14, Shelterbelt Theatre—3225 California St. Artist David Hockney once said,“You can’t take a photograph of Hell.” Art, failure, divorce, failure, dating, and the internet try to paint that picture when a white lie sets off a Rube Goldberg machine of events in this romantic comedy set in Chicago’s contemporary art scene. 402-341-2757 - shelterbelt.org

MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET

Moscow Festival Ballet OMAHA SYMPHONY: SCHUBERT’S FIFTH SYMPHONY Feb. 28, Joslyn Art Museum/Witherspoon Theater—1200 Douglas St. Ballet music from Rameau and Mozart operas prepare the way for Schubert’s luminous and lively fifth symphony, plus the deft artistry of the Omaha Symphony’s principal flute shines in Reinecke’s heartily Romantic concerto. Time TBA. 402-345-0606 - omahasymphony.org

PERFORMING ARTS

ROB SCHNEIDER SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT Jan. 8-9, Omaha Funny Bone Comedy Club— Suite 201, 17305 Davenport St. Rob Schneider is well known for his trademark blend of character and comedic acting. The comedian has opened for Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld and he later made his major network television debut on The David Letterman Show. Schneider was a regular on SNL for four seasons in the 1990s, during which he was nominated for four Emmys and a Peabody Award. Tickets start at $27. Times vary. 402-493-8036 - omaha.funnybone.com

A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES Jan. 9-30, Rose Theater—2001 Farnam St. This is a multi-sensory, highly interactive play for very young audiences. Its words and actions are inspired by the classic book of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. A few actors and a musician, puppetry and play, help audiences grow a garden and their imaginations as they frolic in the leaves, feed a bird, sing in the rain, dance with the wind, build a boat, and discover treasures including the greatest of them all—friendship. They also plant seeds and words that with careful tending grow into flowers and poems to bring home. 402-345-0147 - rosetheater.org

LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE Jan. 22-Feb. 14, Omaha Community Playhouse— 6915 Cass St. Love, Loss, and What I Wore is an endearing and witty collection of stories shared by a cast of women sitting side by side, accompanied by illustrations from the original work. The fabric of their tales of life’s struggles and celebrations is woven with the common thread of the all-important outfits they wore for each occasion. This production is presented in its original and intended form of script-centered storytelling. Enjoy an evening of reliving poignant milestone memories and hilarious coming-of-age chronicles with this unique theatrical experience. 402-553-0800 - omahaplayhouse.com

THE LIGHTNING THIEF Jan. 22-31, Rose Theater—2001 Farnam St. Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his worries since creatures from Mount Olympus seem to be walking right out of the mythology textbook and into his life.

When Zeus’s lightning bolt is stolen, Percy becomes the prime suspect. He must recover the stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus in this rousing modern pop-rock musical. 402-345-0147 - rosetheater.org

January // February • 2016 | 20 | omahamagazine.com

Jan. 23, Orpheum Theater—1200 Douglas St. The Moscow Festival Ballet returns to the Orpheum Theater for Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty. One of the most renowned ballets in the classical repertoire, the Moscow Festival Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty transports audiences to a storybook kingdom of fairytale princesses, malevolent witches, and a true love’s kiss. 8 pm. 402-345-0606 - omahaperformingarts.org

FROST/NIXON Feb. 4-28, Blue Barn—1106 S. 10th St. Richard M. Nixon has just resigned the United States presidency in total disgrace over Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. British talk-show host David Frost has become a lowbrow laughing-stock. Determined to resurrect his career, Frost risks everything on a series of in-depth interviews in order to extract an apology from Nixon. The cagey Nixon, however, is equally bent on redeeming himself in his nation’s eyes.

In the television age, image is king, and both men are desperate to out-talk and upstage each other as the cameras roll.

The result is the interview that sealed a president’s legacy. 402-345-1576 - bluebarn.org

AN AFTERNOON WITH GARRISON KEILLOR Feb. 14, Holland Performing Arts Center—1200 Douglas St. With a wonderfully dry sense of humor, Garrison Keillor, the acclaimed host of A Prairie Home Companion, shares hilarious anecdotes about growing up in the American Midwest, the people of Lake Wobegon, and “late-life fatherhood.” This master storyteller returns to Omaha with his unique blend of comedy, class, charisma, and wisdom that has made audiences laugh for decades. 3 pm. 402-345-0606 - omahaperformingarts.org

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TOM JONES Feb. 24-28, Lied Center for Performing Arts— 2500 California Plaza Adapted from the classic novel by Henry Fielding. Abandoned as a child to the care of Squire Allworthy, Tom Jones is now grown up and madly in love with the virtuous Sophia—but her father is determined to keep the two apart. Regardless of his good intentions in pursuing his love Tom finds himself involved in romantic complications. Will his misadventures ruin any chance he has with Sophia? 7:30 pm. 402-280-1448 - creighton.edu

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM Feb. 25, Orpheum Theater—409S. 16th St. Dance Theatre of Harlem brings their innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression to Omaha.

Described as “unequivocally cool” by the Washington Post, this renowned company performs a collection of celebrated works including Return, a contemporary piece with music from James Brown and Aretha Franklin. 7:30 pm. 402-345-0606 - omahaperformingarts.org

preSenting SponSorS:

Contributing SponSorS:

Supporting SponSor:

Additional support provided by Nebraska Arts Council and Nebraska Cultural Endowment

General Museum admission is free. Go West! is a ticketed exhibition. Tickets are FREE for Joslyn members. $10 for general public adults; youth ages 17 and younger and college students with ID are free. Special Thursday pricing (4-8 pm): $5 for general public adults. IMAGE: Thomas Moran, Golden Gate, Yellowstone National Park, 1893, oil on canvas, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming, Museum purchase

2200 Dodge St. | Omaha, NE | (402) 342-3300 | joslyn.org

OPERA OMAHA 2015-16 SEASON

THE GIRL OF THE

GOLDEN WEST PUCCINI

Stage Director: LILLIAN GROAG

FEB. 12, 7:30 PM | FEB. 14, 2:00 PM ORPHEUM THEATER / SLOSBURG HALL

An Afternoon with Garriosn Keillor

MAIN FLOOR SEATS START AT $19 TICKETS: 402-345-0606 | TICKETOMAHA.COM operaomaha.org

January // February • 2016 | 21 | bestofomaha.com

S I M P LY D I S T I N C T I V E Ann Taylor | Anthropologie | Borsheims | Christian Nobel Furs | Evereve | Francesca’s Collections Garbo’s Salon & Spa | Learning Express Toys | LOFT | Parsow’s Fashions | Pottery Barn | Pottery Barn Kids Rhylan Lang | Tilly | White House|Black Market | Williams-Sonoma DINING: Bonefish Grill | Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar | Paradise Bakery & Cafe

HOME TO

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~ fine artisan chocolates ~ 180th — South of Pacific www.thecordialcherry.com 402.679.3011

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @ENCOUNTEROMAHA January // February • 2016 | 22 | omahamagazine.com

PLASTIC DRASTIC Feb. 26-March 13, Rose Theater—2001 Farnam St. When a colossal storm dumps a mountain of plastic trash onto their shoreline home, a young brother and sister are left alone to find their missing parents and fend for themselves. The boy and girl set out on the open sea where they encounter one gargantuan monster after another, but nothing is as terrifying as when they shipwreck upon the monster they unknowingly created themselves, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Utilizing grand scale puppetry and original live music, Elena Araoz and team have created a theatrical spectacle unlike anything your family has ever seen. 402-345-0147 - rosetheater.org

For over 80 years, the Omaha Jaycees has presented an award to Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (TOYO!) who have exemplified the ideals of their communities and exhibited extraordinary leadership qualities.

TOYO! honors individuals between the ages of 21 and 40 who show exemplary commitment to improving the Omaha community through selfless acts of kindness while excelling in their professional careers.

Recipients of the 83rd Annual TOYO! Awards

JANE LYNCH Feb. 28, Orpheum Theater—409 S. 16th St. Fresh from her iconic portrayal of Sue Sylvester on Glee and her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jane Lynch brings her comic skills and musical prowess to the Holland Center. The Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winner offers a side-splitting evening of musical comedy, with more than a dash of wit as she explores her love of the beauty and absurdity of the American standard and show tune. 7 pm. 402-345-0606 - omahaperformingarts.org

David Arnold Managing Director Straight Shot

Butch Burgers Associate Athletics Director Creighton University

Shonna Dorsey Managing Director and Co-Founder Interface: The Web School

Roger Garcia Executive Director El Centro de las Americas

Heidi Mausbach President and CEO Ervin & Smith

Andres Torres Engineering Project Manager Valmont Industries

Julie Sebastian President & CEO New Cassel Retirement Center

Mosah Goodman Counsel Gavilon

Beth Morrissette Board of Education Westside Community Schools

Eric Williams Natural Resources Planner Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District

The 83rd Annual TOYO! Banquet honoring the 2015 recipients will be held on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, at the CenturyLink Center.

Individual tickets ($60) and tables ($550) are now available.

www.omahajaycees.org All sponsorship questions can be directed to Christopher Snyder, 2015 Director, at csnyder@avadynehealth.com.

January // February • 2016 | 23 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Arts + Culture | Poetry

AN ODE TO OM

BY MATT MASON ILLUSTRATION BY GRAHAM BURKUM PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURIE AND CHARLES PHOTOGRAPHS

W

HAT BETTER WAY to celebrate a city as it enters a new year than to commission an original work from noted local poet Matt Mason?

Mason’s poetry has been published in over 100 journals and anthologies, including Laurel Review, Prairie Schooner, and From Page to Stage and Back Again.

Mason participates in readings both locally and nationally, and is co-editor of Slamma Lamma Ding Dong: An Anthology of Nebraska’s Slam Poets, which won the 2006 Nebraska Book Award for Best Anthology.

He received his M.A.Ofrom the University of California, Davis.

The city is river, is hills, is slopes, is creek beds, the promise that if you can hop a river who’s strong as anything on this musclebound Earth that it’s gotta be worth it; the city is the fruit of the ferry, the bridge, the rails and the ties, this campsite turned settlement turned quiltwork of neighborhoods, downtown bolted down to what rock beds deep under floodplain silt; the city is the river, is the hills; you, in your patch’s fabric, forget that, think you are the zoo, the fort, the Reuben sandwich, the airbase, the market, Boys Town, the campus, Dodge, Center, Lake, 10th Street, 72nd, 208th, lines and landscaping; you are what was here first, you are

January // February • 2016 | 24 | omahamagazine.com

that water dragon roaring across this continent from sulpher springs to gulf, that river of whatever name you have for it in whatever language your mouth shapes; what was here before buffalo hunts, before trading posts, before Jefferson, before Mormons, before Standing Bear’s words about the color of his blood, before meatpacking plants, a shortlived State Capitol, before a mob flung ropes over Harney Street lamp posts, before Jobbers Canyon and Union Station, before baseball games and TV dinners, before Highway 6 and I-80, before proclamations and markers for President Ford and Malcolm X, before prairie turned cornfield

MAHA

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The Helix turns on means you burn more fat than during its side— literally. With lateral a traditional workout—in the same ( or side-to-side) movement, you amount of time. use more muscles, which means you burn more fat than during a THANK traditional workout–YOU in the same OMAHA! amount of time.

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turned houses turned bowling alley turned superstore, a few hundred neighborhoods gathered under one city’s name; you Bible verses, stanzas, movements, you don’t stand on your own, you are all part of this artwork because you, in yourself, in your forbears, came across this impossible river, found a spot in hillside, creek bed, floodplain, you brothers and sisters who rarely meet, you division of acres and enclaves, your boundaries don’t mean a thing to the river, to the hills, to the slopes, to the creek beds, to the promise to all there is which welcomes you, together, here.

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Omaha Magazine • Faces

LAURA MARLANE

A New Chapter for the Omaha Library WORDS BY BEV CARLSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT DRICKEY

L

AURA MARLANE’S FIRST clue should

have been the card catalogs she created for her personal library…while she was still in elementary school.

“Organization has always been my compulsion,” she says, “And I didn’t want to buy the same book by accident.”

But it took years—volunteering and then working in libraries from high school onward—before Marlane finally had an epiphany. It happened somewhere between the Young Adult and Mysteries sections. The library, she realized, was her calling. In fact, other than a stint at a retail book store, she’s never worked anywhere else.

Now, as executive director of the Omaha Public Library system, Marlene is excited to open a whole new chapter of her life, both personally and professionally.

Born in a small Rhode Island town, she’s never lived away from New England and wasn’t quite sure what she’d find when she landed in Omaha last summer.

“Wide open spaces!” she laughs. “Even downtown. I was surprised at how big the city is.

How wide the streets are…how much more open it is. All of the public art, the theaters.

And ‘Nebraska Nice’ is real!”

Marlane and her husband flew out one day and bought a house the next. Her two sons are 25 and 19. The oldest is still attending college and working in a library in Rhode Island, but her youngest has joined the family in Omaha. “He’s planning to attend UNO and study business, as well as do volunteer work,” she says proudly. The whole family loves reading, movies, and ethnic cooking.

Both of her sons have worked with her and inherited her passion for reading, education, and engagement.

“Libraries should be reflective of the people they serve,” Marlane says. “It’s important that they exist and that they give back. Collections and resources should be community-driven by knowledgeable staff dedicated to supporting the public and infrastructure.”

But for Marlane, it’s so much more than stacks of books.

In Rhode Island, she saw how instrumental libraries were in providing support and guidance to constituents shattered by job losses that accompanied the economic downturn.

“Many people who lost their jobs chose to start businesses. Libraries became powerful small business incubators that helped people know how to get started and find the information they needed, especially on complicated government sites.”

January // February • 2016 | 26 | omahamagazine.com

She’s excited to already see that same kind of engagement here.

“Omaha Public Library is doing an amazing job with facilitators in the community,” she says. “This amazing program pulls together different organizations in the city to work together to solve a problem. The library has these facilitators on staff, available to anyone.

It’s just terrific.”

Marlane is also impressed by Omaha itself and its focus on entrepreneurship, research, and a positive, “can-do” attitude.

“I’m intrigued by how the library can help make new breakthroughs available at the grassroots level. What kind of services can we provide?”

She points specifically to the growth of 3D printing and how making it accessible to the community can be pivotal in a wide array of applications.

“Just think about what that could mean to families who have children needing new prosthetics every year,” she says. “Maybe they just come to the library O and print one off.

How cool is that?”

Visit omahalibrary.org to learn more.

BLACK ELK S The Lakota holy man’s great-great-grandson honors his vision.

WORDS BY CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

T

HE BLOOD OF a warrior, holy man,

healer, mystic, and visionary runs in the veins of Myron Pourier, whose broad face, jet-black hair, and dark, narrow eyes provide a window to his proud heritage. Pourier’s great-great-grandfather, an Oglala Lakota named Black Elk, straddled two distinct eras in the history of Native Americans.

“For 16 generations of our family, we lived the good,” says Pourier, 45. “But when Grandfather (Black Elk) was still a young man, we started living the bad, when the first European settlers came.”

The story of Black Elk became the stuff of legend in 1932 when author, teacher, and critic John Neihardt—Nebraska’s first poet laureate—published Black Elk Speaks, a moving account of his historically fascinating life.

The “good” for Black Elk and the Oglala Lakota lasted only a few years after his birth in 1863, when “everything was in harmony and you only took what you needed from the earth,” says Pourier.

At age 13, Black Elk took his first scalp from one of General George Custer’s soldiers at the Battle of the Greasy Grass—the Lakota translation for the Little Big Horn River.

Wounded during the massacre of Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in the winter of 1890, Black Elk surrendered his way of life. He lived out the rest of his days at Pine Ridge where, at age 68, he entrusted Neihardt, whom he considered a kindred spirit, to “spread the word.”

TILL SPEAKS

Omaha Magazine • Feature

Like Black Elk, Pourier possesses the heart of a warrior.

Unlike his great-great-grandfather, Pourier’s warrior instincts have drawn no blood. They arise from deep despair.

“Life on the reservation is a struggle,” he says with slumped shoulders, looking out the window of his trailer in Porcupine, South Dakota. “We have 85 percent unemployment among 44,000 enrolled members.” Pourier, who receives a small military pension, goes through a litany of ills plaguing Pine Ridge: cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, alcoholism, fetal alcohol syndrome, and teenage suicide rates soar above the national average.

Pine Ridge, considered the poorest reservation in the country, spans 3,468 square miles of prairie grass, most of it unsuitable for growing anything. Tattered trailers and rusted-out cars and trucks dot the landscape. Children play on large propane tanks. The sound of laughter: nonexistent.

Why does Pourier stay? “To keep fighting for my people and mend the sacred hoop of Grandfather’s vision.”

The vision to which Pourier refers comprises the longest chapter in Neihardt’s book, one that makes Black Elk Speaks a spiritual classic.

Rich in Native symbolism and almost biblical in its content, the vision came to Black Elk at age 9 during a severe illness.

It eerily foreshadowed the decimation of the Lakota. Black Elk sees his people dead or dying, only to be revived through the power of a sacred hoop he’s been given. As he stands “on the highest mountain of them all,” he sees the whole world as one, with the hoops of many nations united in one hoop, “living together like one being.”

Black Elk’s vision defined him in later life. “He believed his people could be saved if we fix the hoop one generation at a time,” says Pourier, one of only an estimated 6,000 who can still speak the Lakota language. “That has been my mission in life, to stand up for our rights as a people and to make others understand who we are as a people.”

January // February • 2016 | 30 | omahamagazine.com

One way to heal, Pourier believes, involves changing the name of Harney Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota—the “highest mountain” in the vision—to Black Elk Peak. The tourist site is the highest point east of the Rockies and bears the name of a U.S. Army general blamed for wiping out a Brulé Lakota settlement in 1855.

“I went to Washington in August and met with the Board on Geographic Names,” says Pourier. “I told them the name is as offensive to the Lakota as waving the Confederate flag is to African Americans. I felt a positive energy at the meeting.”

South Dakota’s process for such name changes seeks consensus, so the state opted against the name change after a huge backlash from citizens who pointed out that blood was shed on both sides during the Indian Wars. But after Mount McKinley was recently renamed Denali in Alaska, Pourier believes the Feds will override the state’s decision soon. A large photograph of an elderly Black Elk standing on top of Harney Peak, arms outstretched, hangs in Pourier’s home.

Curiously, John Neihardt ends Black Elk’s narration at Wounded Knee, omitting the next 60 years of his life and his conversion to Catholicism in 1904. Baptized Nicholas Black Elk, he embraced Christianity fully.

“HE BELIEVED HIS PEOPLE COULD BE SAVED IF WE FIX THE HOOP ONE GENERATION AT A TIME. THAT HAS BEEN MY MISSION IN LIFE, TO STAND UP FOR OUR RIGHTS AS A PEOPLE AND TO MAKE OTHERS UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE AS A PEOPLE.” -Myron Pourier

A Native Catholic church in Milwaukee began a petition drive last summer to make Black Elk a saint, based in part on this inexplicable occurrence: “The night he died [Aug. 19, 1950], Grandfather told his children some sign would be seen in the sky,” says Pourier. “The next day at his wake, the skies filled with a brilliant light.”

In fact, a spectacular electrical storm, documented around the world that day, was so pronounced that it disrupted military communications in the Korean War. Perhaps the last chapter has yet to be written.

O

January // February • 2016 | 31 | bestofomaha.com

January // February • 2016 | 32 | omahamagazine.com

T

HE COMMON TRAJECTORY for aspiring

Kamrin

Baker Millard West Senior Splits Her Talents Between the School Paper and The Huffington Post

BY SEAN MCCARTHY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

journalists is that you work at the school newspaper, get into college, work at that college paper, graduate, then take a lowly entry-level job somewhere and work your way up from there. Then, after years of amassing a portfolio, maybe, just maybe, you can get a gig at a place like The Huffington Post.

But thanks to a quick reply to a call for contributors on The Huffington Post’s Twitter feed, Kamrin Baker, 18, pole-vaulted past all those traditional, dues-paying markers and landed a spot as a contributor for the popular news site…all while still working on the high school yearbook at Millard West, where she’s a senior. She co-edits the yearbook with Keegan Holmes (also a senior).

The first major news story Baker remembered was the September 11 terrorist attacks. She was a pre-schooler in 2001. In kindergarten, Baker said she wrote a picture book, and in third grade, she brought stories to her Georgia Wheeler Elementary class.

Now sitting with her mother, Grace, at Stories Coffeehouse, Baker says she originally thought about being an English teacher.

“Then, I started realizing I was really impatient. And don’t love children. Or ignorance,” Baker says.

January // February • 2016 | 33 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Gen O

Baker has written blogs both serious (a call for schools to better handle mental health issues) and not (a eulogy to Parks and Recreation). Like many Huffington Post bloggers, she is an unpaid contributor. However, the freedom to write about the topics she wants, and the site’s flexibility with her busy schedule, were worthy trade-offs for her.

“I’m not super keen on the politics and the economy of The Huffington Post,” she says, “but I like what they’re doing.”

Stirring a strawberry Italian soda, Baker recalls one of her most popular posts, one about living with anxiety.

Though Baker and her mother went backand-forth trying to figure out when her first panic attack occurred, Baker definitely remembered the first one that sent her to the school nurse. It was during an intro to behavioral sciences class. She was watching the movie Mockingbird Don’t Sing.

“I was watching it…and then I couldn’t breath. I thought I was just sick,” says Baker.

She went to her teacher, who quickly sent her to the nurse.

“I sat there for an hour, and I just shook,” she recalls. “I had no idea what was going on.”

Baker was diagnosed with panic disorder.

She used her position at The Huffington Post to unveil her Joy is Genius campaign, which is an online resource on Tumblr for teenagers struggling with anxiety.

“I’m at a point where I don’t think it’s smart or cool to ignore it,” Baker explains.

In our post-newspaper media landscape, the mode you select is almost as important as the content. Like many savvy journalists, Baker quickly toggles between Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and, yes, even print.

“I usually use Pinterest for yearbook design and dog pictures. I’ll post more comedy-based things (on Twitter). I like Instagram because I can tell more of a story with it. The caption content is longer.”

Baker is currently weighing going to UNL or UNO to study journalism. She’s sure to find new role models in college, but for now, she explains, ”The two people that inspire me the most, and are not on the same spectrum whatsoever, O are Diane Sawyer and Taylor Swift.”

Visit huffingtonpost.com/kamrin-baker to read her work.

January // February • 2016 | 34 | omahamagazine.com

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January // February • 2016 | 35 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • History

OMAHA’S URBAN LEGENDS Things That Go Bump in the Night WORDS BY MAX SPARBER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

E

VERY PLACE HAS its urban legends, some quite

famous. The Tower of London, as an example, has a group of ravens, and an urban legend to accompany them: If they ever leave, the story goes, the crown of Britain will fall.

Omaha has its share of unusual tales—perhaps more than its share. There doesn’t seem to be an old house or a building in Omaha without its own haunting.

Everybody has an ancestor, it would seem, who was connected with a notorious crime in some way.

It’s understandable. Omaha was a frontier town, one in which vice was a major industry and a gambler ran the city as a crime boss for three decades. This memory lingers, and encourages tall tales, but some of the city’s most noted urban legends are outside the realm of the underworld.

Take the stories of Hummel Park north of the city, which is such a locus of fanciful speculation that it is the subject of a new book, The Legend of Hummel Park and Other Stories, by Jeremy Morong. The entry

to the park, we are told, has trees that bend inward, a reminder of an era when lynchings were common in the park.

There is, however, no credible evidence that anyone was ever lynched there. Neither is there evidence of Satanic ritual murder, another popular Hummel legend. One of the oddest stories about the park is the presence of an “albino farm.” This one has been kicked around since at least 1966, according to Omaha World-Herald clippings. The idea of a band of feral albinos living in the park is likely an Ozark legend that migrated north as there are also stories of an albino farm in Springfield, Missouri.

The park was long used by Boy Scouts and was the site of a day camp, and it’s likely that this is where many of the legends came from. There is one story, however, that has some credibility. Hummel Park was a former Indian burial ground. Native remains have been found in the area, including a skull that was used as decoration O for a totem pole by the Boy Scouts in 1945.

Here are some other Omaha legends, and the truth behind them:

THE WHITE HOUSE APARTMENTS This imposing structure on 10th street is widely reported to have been a military hospital during a past war, and now haunted by those who died there. The building has no military provenance, but it was used as a retirement home for a while.

OMAHA’S TUNNELS There are a lot of tunnels under houses in Omaha, but it is unlikely many, if any, were used for transporting bootleg liquor, which everybody claims. Omaha was an open town during Prohibition, and booze could easily be transported by truck. Some home brewing probably took place in tunnels, but most date to pre-Prohibition days, and were more likely used as fruit cellars and other legal uses.

THE MURDER AT MYSTERY MANOR Mystery Manor, one of the city’s popular Halloween attractions, likes to tell a story of a brutal murder that took place in the building in 1929. Owner William Hall, it is said, took a hatchet to his wife. The story is a marvelous marketing device, but nothing else. In 1929, the house was occupied by Lillian Baum, who sold terrier pups.

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Django Greenblatt-Seay Preparing a Tree Speed Photo Shoot in the Badlands of South Dakota

A drone is the latest tool in the Tree Speed arsenal.

Omaha Magazine • Feature

D

JANGO GREENBLATT-SEAY HAS

made 133 music videos, but never for any of his own bands.

That changed in mid-December when his quartet, Gramps, released a self-titled debut recording, a four-song EP that coincided with the creation of a video produced through his side project, Love Drunk.

Launched in 2011, Love Drunk is a collection of one-take music videos of various local bands created with sound recording equipment backed by from four to six camera operators. They are shot in the most unlikely of places—amid the mishmash clutter of a thrift store, on a desolate rooftop, in his own bedroom. The videos of such notables as Cursive, Icky Blossoms, and See Through Dresses are hosted on the Love Drunk website and premiere simultaneously on the Hear Nebraska site (see related story on page 47).

Both organizations exist to support local bands and their fans.

“This isn’t meant to be art,” says the former member of Midwest Dilemma. “It’s about connecting. It’s about being able to get an idea who you might want to see this weekend if you’re not already familiar with the bands we shoot.”

And as for the claim of not setting out to make art? We’ll let that slide, but the videos belie what one would expect from a one-take, all-or-nothing approach to an art form that too often is given to overly glitzy productions where the music itself can seem almost an afterthought. There is nothing herky-jerky or amateurish about a Love Drunk video.

The works are eminently watchable and engaging—a juxtaposition of the raw and the refined, the simple and the sublime.

Greenblatt-Seay, who by day works in video project management at Union Pacific, has slowed a pace that once had his team shooting a video nearly every week. That’s because he partnered with JJ Dreier in 2013 to create Tree Speed, a time-lapse video project that has the pair traveling to wide-open spaces all across the western states in capturing dramatic footage of night skies in some of America’s

most iconic settings, including Utah’s Arches National Park and South Dakota’s Badlands National Park (where the photography accompanying this story was shot).

While Love Drunk is a decidedly social—and loud—affair, Tree Speed sessions are a serene, contemplative, Thoreau-esque communal with nature.

“ONCE WE’RE SET AND THE CONDITIONS ARE AS OPTIMAL AS WE THINK THEY’LL GET, WE HIT THAT BUTTON…AND THEN THERE’S NOTHING…NOTHING TO DO FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS.” -Django Greenblatt-Seay “I’m really bad at taking vacations,” Greenblatt-Seay says. “And when I do fit one in, it always seems that I’m trying to turn it into a video project. Instead of just enjoying myself, I’m always looking for what I’m going to film next on the trip and how I’m going to do it just right.”

This doesn’t mean that True Speed’s journeys are all rest and relaxation. He and Dreier may drive for as many as 18 hours straight through to a destination only to scramble to unpack, set up, and carefully calibrate their array of gear in a race against sundown and the canopy of stars (fingers crossed for a clear, cloudless night) that will follow.

“Once we’re set and the conditions are as optimal as we think they’ll get, we hit that button…and then there’s nothing…nothing to do for two hours” while the camera does its thing, Greenblatt-Seay explains.

“You feel so very small” under the vastness of the heavens, he says. “It helps me understand my place. It’s beautiful.

“And I finally get to relax,” he adds, O “even if it is only a two-hour vacation.”

Visit lovedrunkstudios.com and treespeedphoto.com to see the videos.

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M A N N D O E S L L A E WA N New School Adds E Y H Another Building Block T to North Omaha’s Future WORDS BY LEO ADAM BIGA PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

Omaha Magazine • Feature

Nelson Mandela Elementary School Principal Susan Toohey

N

ORTH OMAHA MAY be reversing five

decades of capital resources leaving the community with little else but social services coming in. Emerging business, housing, and community projects are spearheading a revitalization, and a new school with promise in its name, Nelson Mandela Elementary, is part of this turnaround.

The free, private school in the former Blessed Sacrament church and school on North 30th Street blends old and new. An addition housing the library and cafeteria joins the original structures. The sanctuary is now a gym with stained glass windows. Vintage stone walls and decorative arches create Harry Potteresque features. South African flag-inspired color schemes and Nelson Mandelathemed murals abound.

The school that started with kindergarten and first grade and will add a grade each year is the vision of Dianne Seeman Lozier. Her husband, Allan Lozier, heads the Lozier store fixture manufacturing company that operates major north Omaha facilities. The couple’s Lozier Foundation supports Omaha Public Schools’ programs.

Their support is personal. They raised two grandsons who struggled to read as children. The odyssey to find effective remedies led Dianne Lozier to new approaches, such as the Spalding Method used at Mandela.

Mandela sets itself apart, too, using Singapore math, playing jazz and classical background music, requiring students to study violin, holding recess every 90 minutes, and having parents agree to volunteer. Mandela “scholars” take College for Kids classes at Metropolitan Community College’s Fort Omaha campus.

It’s all in response to the high-poverty area the school serves, where low test scores prevail and families can’t always provide the enrichment kids need.

Most Mandela students are from single-parent homes. Sharon Moore loves sending her son, Garrett, to “a new school with new ideas.”

Eric and Stacy Rafferty welcome the researchbased innovations their boy, William, enjoys and the opportunity to be as involved as they want at school. Moore and the Raffertys report their sons are thriving there.

“Parents are really getting into this groove of being here,” says Principal Susan Toohey.

“It’s building a community here and a sense that we are all in this together.”

Community is also important to the Loziers.

“We’re just really connected here,” Dianne Lozier says. “Allan and I have really strong beliefs that the economic inequality in the country and north Omaha is a microcosm of a huge issue. It’s a fairness issue and a belief that, if we want it badly enough, we can make a difference.”

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She and Toohey are banking that the school demonstrates its strategies work as core curriculum, not just intervention.

“I’m hoping by the end of the first school year here we’ll be able to compare students’ literacy against other places and show that children have developed stronger reading skills,” Lozier says. “Our longterm goal is that all kids will be grade-level proficient readers by the end of third grade.”

For Toohey, launching and leading a school in a high-needs district is appealing.

“What an incredible opportunity,” she says.

“Rarely do you get a chance to start a school from the ground up and pick everything that’s going to happen there and hire every person that’s going to work there. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but my heart has always been in urban education.”

In preparation for opening last August, she says, “I spent a year researching educational practices and curricula and developing relationships with people.” Her outreach forged partnerships with Metro, College of Saint Mary, the Omaha Conservatory of Music, The Big Garden, and others.

“We really want to be a model of what makes a school stronger, and I think having the community involved makes it stronger so it’s not working in isolation.”

Omaha Magazine • Feature

Dianne Lozier, whose foundation funds the school with the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, is a frequent visitor.

“I help out with breakfast,” she explains. “I tie a lot of shoes. I get and give a lot of hugs.”

Lozier says her presence is meant to help “faculty and staff feel a little more supported— because this is hard. Every teacher and para-educator here, even the head of school, would say this is the hardest job they’ve ever had.”

The former sanctuary of Blessed Sacrament Church is now the gymnasium of Nelson Mandela Elementary School.

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Toohey says the difficulty stems from teaching a “very different curriculum” and “starting a culture from scratch. Families are getting to know us, we’re getting to know the families, and this is a really challenging population of kids. Many have not been in preschool programs that helped them moderate their behavior.”

Despite the challenges, Lozier says, “We have incredible families and kids.”

Drawing on the school’s inspirational namesake, each morning everyone recites “the Mandela mantra” of “Education is the most powerful weapon you can produce to change the world,” and “I will change the world with my hope, strength, service, unity, peace, and wisdom.”

“I hope all those things are what this community sees coming out of this school,” Toohey says, “and that our kids develop those qualities of grit and resilience so critical for success.”

Lozier adds that Mandela is a symbol of hope and opportunity.

“To accomplish the things we’re capable of,” she says, “we have to believe we can do that.

It’s an opportunity to make improvements and get past impediments, to use internal strengths andObe recognized for what you can bring.”

Visit nelsonmandelaelementary.org to learn more.

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Noah Diaz’s Journey of Self-Discovery WORDS BY ANDY WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

Omaha Magazine • Arts + Culture | Theatre

SO FAR TO GO A

T A MERE 22 years old, he’s already

one of Omaha’s most accomplished theatre talents, but Noah Diaz doesn’t have his sights set on a bigger stage.

“Broadway or something else would be cool,” Diaz says, “but it’s been important to me over the years to try to keep my head down and focused on what I’m doing now.

“If I don’t do that, I won’t be focused on the right things.”

With the fast start he’s had in his young life, no one would blame Diaz for looking beyond Omaha for his future.

After getting started in theatre as a fourth-grader in a Council Bluffs school production, Diaz has acted in more than 90 shows in the Omaha area and has also tried his hand at directing and writing— his personal favorite.

“I don’t think I was ever meant to be in theatre,” Diaz says. “I think I was meant to be a writer.”

Diaz’s prolific acting vitae, and anyone who has seen him on a local stage, might beg to differ.

While filling up a trophy case with Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards and Theatre

Arts Guild nods, Diaz has turned such notable performances as The Cat in the Hat at the Rose Theater, the Scarecrow in the Omaha Community Playhouse’s Wizard of Oz, and a high-school misfit in SNAP’s production of Speech and Debate into a career fit for someone much farther along in life.

He performed in Chicago in a special adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo’s family is deaf and Diaz’s character interprets for the audience. In one of his most challenging roles, Tribes at the Omaha Playhouse, Diaz portrayed a deaf person, but not without struggling over whether to even take the part.

Even as a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Diaz has kept up a blistering pace—acting in five to eight shows every year. Some local aficionados see him as “the next big thing” in Omaha theater.

“Eighty percent of the audience the first night was deaf, and I about had an aneurysm I was so nervous,” he says. “But it was very well received, and a deaf friend of mine said afterwards he was glad someone with a heart for the deaf community did the part.”

“ACTING IS FUN AND CHALLENGING, BUT I THINK THE THING I LIKE MOST ABOUT THE THEATRE IS THE SELF-DISCOVERY.”

Diaz isn’t slowing down any time soon.

He completed a run in Beertown at the Omaha Playhouse in November. A play he wrote, The Motherhood Almanac, recently was staged as a workshop reading at The Shelterbelt Theatre, where Diaz serves on the board. And he will be directing The Feast at the Sheltebelt, which opens April 15.

-Noah Diaz “Acting is fun and challenging, but I think the thing I like most about the theater is the self-discovery,” says Diaz, who is on track to graduate from UNO in 2017 with a degree in special education and communication disorders. “Every production, I learn new things about myself—how my mind works and how I think.”

Diaz has done plenty of thinking about combining his passion for theater with his desire to serve the deaf community. He is focusing on American Sign Language at UNO and someday wants to work as an interpreter.

January // February • 2016 | 47 | bestofomaha.com

“I feel as if I have so far to go—not in terms of success, but in terms of finding out who I am supposed to be,” he says. “So I want to keep pushingOmyself and bringing more to the work.”

Andrew, Angie, and Townes Norman WORDS BY DAVID WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

W

ERE EARPLUGS ON the baby gift registry when Townes Norman was in the womb?

Here he is with parents Andrew and Angie, co-founders of Hear Nebraska, the cultural nonprofit organization that cultivates Nebraska’s vibrant music and arts community by providing resources and a voice for bands, artists, and other members of Nebraska’s creative class along with the people and businesses that support them.

The family schedule is something of a whirlwind, but even more so in the summer when Townes hits the road with mom and dad (formerly the managing editor of local alternative newsweeklies The Reader and the now defunct City Weekly) for Hear Nebraska’s Good Living Tour, a free, all-ages concert series hosted in nine outdoor settings and traditional venues all across the state.

Happy travels, O Townes. And don’t forget to wear those ear plugs.

Visit hearnebraska.org to learn more.

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January // February • 2016 | 49 | bestofomaha.com

TRANS › LOGIC UNO Professor Jay Irwin words by Sarah Wengert photography by Bill Sitzmann

Professor Jay Irwin in His University of Nebraska at Omaha Office January // February • 2016 | 50 | omahamagazine.com

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J

UDGING FROM MAINSTREAM media and culture,

transgender issues are gaining traction. Yet, for many Americans, everything they know about trans people they learned from Caitlyn Jenner. Or Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black. Or the show Transparent.

Even with a Time magazine cover trumpeting “The Transgender Tipping Point” and Vice President Joe Biden calling transgender discrimination “the civil rights issue of our time,” there’s much more to understand about trans issues than popular culture or mainstream media teaches.

Luckily for Omahans, that’s where professor Jay Irwin comes in.

“Transgender is a large category including many different individual identities, but basically is someone who feels their sex assigned at birth is not descriptive of who they are in their gender,” he says.

Irwin, associate professor of sociology at University of Nebraska at Omaha, relocated from Alabama to Omaha in 2009. In addition to core sociology courses, Irwin teaches medical sociology and has helped with the intro of a LGBTQ study and sociology of sexualities courses.

Irwin deftly engages and educates students while also making time to enlighten the Omaha community with involvement in groups like the Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative (MSHRC), through which he and colleague Sofia Jawed-Wessel hosted The Science of Transgender, a 2015 UNMC-sponsored Science Café. Held in the wake of Caitlyn Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover, the talk covered preferred pronouns, the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity, and using up-to-date language, among other issues.

“Language is a huge piece of self-identity,” says Irwin, explaining that many trans folks become empowered to better understand their own identities upon accessing the appropriate words to self-describe.

“Some people are threatened by evolving language, as if it’s a scary thing,” says Irwin, “but I think it’s a really cool thing because language is powerful. Giving young people the space to figure out who they are in the words that feel best—that’s how we build healthy adults.

January // February • 2016 | 52 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Feature

“Gender is a fluid thing that changes over time and between cultures,” he says, citing evolving American gender roles in just the last 60-some years as one example.

Irwin also notes that researchers increasingly understand sex as a social construct.

“We’ve made up what these boxes are. These don’t have to be the only boxes,” he says. “Biology is much more complicated than just female bodies and male bodies.”

Irwin says the current approach at UNO is “We need to respect everyone’s identities if we want them to do their best.”

That means using language that resonates and doesn’t distract, letting people self-define, and embracing the broad variety of identities represented on campus.

“If we really want to do best by our students, faculty, and staff—and allow them to do their best work—then we need to reflect and welcome who they are as people,” says Irwin.

Taking that to a community-wide level, Irwin worked with the Professional Transgender Resource Network (PTRN) on GenderWorks, a sold-out 2015 conference striving for the “advancement of transgender care in the heartland,” which educated people from medical, mental health, education, and legal fields on what it means to be trans and how their profession can best serve that community.

“WE’VE MADE UP WHAT THESE BOXES ARE. THESE DON’T HAVE TO BE THE ONLY BOXES. BIOLOGY IS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN JUST FEMALE BODIES AND MALE BODIES.” -Jay Irwin “My first year at UNO, I didn’t try to hide it, but I wasn’t upfront, which felt really inauthentic,” says Irwin. “I just gradually started talking about it more and more. UNO’s been great and my department has been 100 percent awesome and supportive.”

However, Irwin acknowledges that with issues of rampant transphobic violence and unemployment, not all trans people can be as open.

“I know people in Omaha who cannot be out at work because they will lose their job. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, it’s about what’s safe and comfortable for each person,” he says.

Irwin adds that it’s important to build relationships with trans people before bombarding them with questions about their identity and experience. Even then, he says, it’s crucial to give the same respect you’d offer anyone and not ask questions invasively.

Irwin’s academic career began like that of many a students: Undecided and looking for just the right groove of study to settle into.

Irwin, for example, is not just a trans man. He’s a music-lover, foodie, Doctor Who enthusiast, friend, husband, father to four “fur babies,” and so much more.

“I changed my major seven times,” he says, adding that he considered areas including music, social work, and even post-Soviet Union Russian health, before gravitating toward his current field.

While there’s always more to learn about trans issues, Irwin believes Omaha is doing pretty well.

“I was increasingly interested in sexuality and gender, from both academic and personal perspectives,” says Irwin, who himself transitioned in his 20s.

While Irwin’s now very comfortable with his identity, he has previously feared discrimination like losing employment— a common, legitimate worry for many trans folks.

“The typical person here is pretty open-minded and willing to listen,” he says.

What’s more, Irwin is very hopeful for the future.

“Our young people are out there advocating for themselves in a way that consistently impresses me,” he says. “With nuanced understanding of the world and recognition of intersectionality, they’re building an environmentOwhere they can fully develop and explore who they are.”

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Artist Jamie Danielle Hardy

G N I D I U GLIGHT y d r a H e l l e i n a D e i m Ja

WORDS BY JAMES WALMSLEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

Omaha Magazine • Arts + Culture | Visual

F

OR SOMEONE WHO

has been on the move her entire life, traversing states, countries, and continents; for someone who admittedly feels most comfortable in motion; for someone whose aesthetic demands the diversification of space, installation artist Jamie Danielle Hardy has spent a suspiciously long time in one spot.

Though if you ask her, it's been her boldest move to date.

“I think in the past year I’ve found that maybe ‘moving on’ for me is staying and accepting where I am,” Hardy, 30, says with a Zenlike air after contemplating her last decade in Omaha.

Besides, Hardy says she's finally found a true home in the city's arts community: She's the co-founder of Benson First Fridays, she's the co-founder of the Benson Petshop art gallery/ workspace, and she's recently been named a Best New Media Artist nominee for the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards.

It's the sort of workload and support, she says, that has validated her continuing artistic study of transparency and "the way light interacts with something in space.

“Especially with installation, any space you have your work within changes the piece, because lighting will always be different,” Hardy explains about her particular fascination with the art form. “So it’s defined by its space, but it’s also acting as itself in that space.”

Of course, there's a metaphor somewhere in her jargon, and it's not lost on Hardy.

The artist says she's hardly the same person who first encountered the corn-colored skies of Nebraska some 10 years before; who arrived in Omaha a recluse from a lifetime on the road, which demanded she leave a good friend behind every year or two.

"I just stopped really communicating," she says, reflecting back on one of her darker shades. "The only way I did was through art."

And then there was the car accident she had hoped to forget—the collision with a dump truck that claimed the life of Hardy's high school boyfriend in 2002 and wiped fragments of her memory from that tragic day. That was still very much on her mind, too, she says.

"That loss and the loss of friends and places due to moving is the reason that my work tends to focus on memory," Hardy confesses, citing 2010's "Dumptruck Breakdown"—a series of slightly disheveled light boxes illuminating the menacing grill of a dump truck's facade—as the first installation to emanate a self-healing theme.

"Dealing with the image of the dump truck over and over again helped me to face that past trauma head-on," she adds.

These days, Hardy's palette goes beyond her own memories. Her brush strokes are often found footage that she projects onto dead

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flower petals and shards of broken mirrors. All of which transcends the three-dimensional canvas of space with the addition of time or memory. Her works seem to be forever installed and installing.

And Hardy says she's forever learning with each installation she creates.

“It’s definitely always a sounding board. It’s always therapeutic," she says. "But I always in the end just want to make a beautiful piece that transitions into the world in a way that people can approach it and react O to it in their own way.”

Visit bensonpetshop.wordpress. com to learn more.

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Spray Paint & Sluggers Hugo Zamorano’s Dual Identity

words by James Vnuk

photography by Bill Sitzmann January // February • 2016 | 58 | omahamagazine.com

Painter/Pugilist Hugo Zamorano

Cami and Maci Schott

Omaha Magazine • Sports

P

AINTING AND PUGILISM may seem like strange bedfellows, yet the two pursuits complement each other perfectly in Hugo Zamorano.

Breaking expectations is an idea near and dear to the heart of the graffiti artist and assistant coach at Pop’s Boxing Club in South Omaha. When talking about his artistic work, Hugo waxes eloquently on the dissonance in his medium’s reputation.

“It’s widely respected abroad,” Zambrano says, “but here in the U.S. it’s looked down upon. Pitbulls are like that too. I love pitbulls. They just don’t fit the stereotype” they’ve been given.

Zamorano belies what you’d expect of a trained fighter: he’s currently wrapping up a fine arts degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. And he has been a “writer” for years.

That’s the term he prefers over “street” or “graffiti” artist, one that is a nod to the poetic, hip-hop foundation of graffiti culture. Zamorano got his start in California before moving to Omaha as a teenager, where he participated in the Kent Bellows Mentoring Program, now an arm of the Joslyn Art Museum.

It was a move, he says, that might have helped keep him off the streets.

“I got in trouble with the police for the first time shortly before I was invited to the program,” he explains in describing an incident with stolen spray paint. “It rattled me a little, but it didn’t keep me away from writing for very long.”

All the same, Hugo understands the debt his art has to street life. His current project details what he calls growing up “under the influence” of graffiti. The thesis exhibition tackles themes such as the addictive power of art, the paint-stealing culture inherent to graffiti, and the anxieties and paranoias that come with it. “My largest piece is supposed to convey nausea, because the subject feels nervous and sick—kind of like when I’m boxing someone, too.”

Even though he has boxed in over 25 amateur fights during his career, Zamorano doesn’t come off as the pugnacious type. He affirms his interest in boxing has largely been for the athleticism.

“I was never really into sports,” he says. “I tried baseball and sucked at it. Boxing keeps me in shape. It feels good to get that workout.” Zamorano has his sights set on his first professional match soon.

“It feels like a natural next step,” he says, “but that’s not my end goal.”

“OUR COACH IS KIND OF LIKE A FATHER FIGURE TO THE KIDS IN THE CLUB. HE’S A TEACHER, SO LOTS OF HIS STUDENTS COME UP TO HIM ASKING TO JOIN. HE GETS ON THEM THOUGH, MAKING SURE THEY AREN’T GETTING IN TROUBLE, THEIR GRADES ARE UP, THAT SORT OF THING. NOW THAT I’M AN ASSISTANT COACH IT’S LIKE, WHEN THEY WIN, I WIN, YOU KNOW?” -Hugo Zamorano There’s an unmistakable connection between Hugo’s ties to the streets, graffiti, and the boxing club, however. “My first friends in Omaha were other writers, and that’s also how I got into boxing,” Hugo explains. For many young people, boxing can become an outlet for their energy, keeping them out of trouble. “Our coach is kind of like a father figure to the kids in the club. He’s a teacher, so lots of his students come up to him asking to join. He gets on them though, making sure they aren’t getting in trouble, their grades are up, that sort of thing. Now that I’m an assistant coach it’s like, when they win, I win, you know?”

One could accredit Hugo’s compassion in the boxing club to his love of writing. “The recent abatement laws are a little extreme,” he says. “After a few offenses graffiti can become a felony now. But there are bigger things to worry about out there; they could be selling cocaine to 12 year olds instead.”

O Visit Pop’s Boxing Club on Facebook to learn more.

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Symone Sanders with Staffers and Volunteers in the Candidate’s Iowa Headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa

S

YMONE SANDERS’ childhood dream never came true.

As a young girl Sanders created an alter ego, that of an intrepid news professional she named Donna Burns. She would grab a spoon as a microphone and report live (from the kitchen of her home) in covering breaking news all across the globe.

“I so wanted to be Donna Burns,” Sanders said. “I so wanted to be that person.”

Donna Burns never really left her, she’s just been just turned inside out. Now Sanders is the one having microphones thrust in her face.

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Last August the 25-year-old (she turned 26 in December) was hired as Bernie Sanders’ national press secretary. At a time when many of her classmates from Creighton University’s class of 2013 were still clawing for that first entry-level position somewhere—anywhere— Sanders was taking the national stage in handling an army of “Donna Burns” for the Vermont Senator.

The Mercy High School graduate who had earlier attended Sacred Heart School is the daughter of Terri and Daniel Sanders. Her first taste of politics came as a 10-year-old through her involvement with Girls Inc. At 16 she would be selected by the organization to introduce President Bill Clinton when he spoke at a 2006 Girls Inc. event in Omaha.

Omaha Magazine • Cover Feature Inclusive Communities, Women’s Center for Advancement, and tons of others. There are so many great organizations guiding young people and kids in building better lives and a better city. They’re doing it right, and they’re doing it right there in Omaha.”

In 2014, only 11 months after graduating from college, Sanders would become deputy communications director for Nebraska Democrat Chuck Hassebrook’s unsuccessful gubernatorial bid.

Omaha Magazine caught up with her at Bernie Sanders’ state campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, the day before the Nov. 14 National Democratic Debates at Drake University.

“I feel like I was in the right place at the right time,” she demurred in describing her formative years in Omaha. “Things were pretty stagnant in this town at one time. Now Omaha is breeding superstars. This city set me up for everything I’ve done. It’s an amazing place for exposure, opportunity, and access, and there are so many efforts moving the needle in a good direction…Willie Barney at the Empowerment Network [where Sanders was once communications, events, and outreach manager], the folks at the Urban League, the NAACP, Heartland Workforce [Solutions],

S

ANDERS IS ALSO aligned with the

Black Lives Matter movement, and it was through that relationship that the campaign team first came to know her.

She was brought in to advise the candidate shortly after Black Lives Matter protesters had interrupted a campaign rally in Seattle.

She met with Bernie Sanders to help him better understand and connect with a voting bloc that skews toward Hillary Clinton.

Two hours later she was his national press secretary.

“Symone is the kind of person that people just love to be around,” said Hassebrook, “The original Civil Rights Movement,” who spent his career at the Center for Rural Sanders said, “is a phrase that was coined so Affairs, including 18 years as a University of that everyday Americans could understand Nebraska Regent. “She’s very smart, but it is the issues…so they could wrap their heads her principles and ethics that I perhaps most around it. That’s what Black Lives Matter is. admire. I’m a huge It’s the same moveSymone fan. She’s a ment, the same person that I hope “SYMONE SANDERS IS A VISIONARY. ideals, but now will be running for a new generaSHE HAS THE POWER TO BE THE things someday.” tion. There’s nothing new about the VOICE OF HER GENERATION." The day after votes movement. It’s the -Dr. Cornel West were tallied in same struggle. It’s the 2014 election the same people Sanders was on a plane to Washington, D.C. shaking things up for social justice. Malcolm to begin a job with Global Trade Watch, an X, John Lewis, and Martin Luther King arm of Public Citizen, the nonprofit advocacy didn’t call themselves Civil Rights leaders. think tank founded by Ralph Nader in 1971 They were just…leaders.” to represent consumer interests in Congress.

Sanders has a magnetic personality and speaks in a rapid-fire, staccato fashion. Trying to LSO PASSIONATE ABOUT issues keep up with her words in transcribing the surrounding juvenile justice, Sanders interview from a micro-recorder was a nighthas served on the board of the mare of stops and starts, pauses and rewinds.

Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice But just as she is known for her mile-a-minute and recently stepped down as the national delivery, Sanders also knows when to take it chair of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice down a notch or three.

Youth Committee.

During the pre-debate walkthrough of the “The system isn’t set up well for minority auditorium, spin room, and media center on communities,” Sanders explained as staff and the Drake campus later that day, she became volunteers scurried throughout the campaign a deliberate, finely modulated machine that headquarters in Des Moines in the run-up spoke in an even, deliberate tone in asking to the debate. “Young people need to be questions and soaking up every detail of involved in juvenile justice because this is where, when, and how the candidate and so often a young person issue. My brother campaign team would navigate the crucial was incarcerated when he was young. I’ve debates in the state where America first goes been arrested myself—I told Bernie all about to the polls in the process of nominating and that right upfront—and this is an epidemic. electing the next occupant of the Oval Office.

Black and brown kids are being locked up at a disproportionate rate. It’s a school-to-prison And a chance encounter in the spin room had pipeline. What so many of them need is help, her taking her foot completely off the gas in jobs—not jail.” coasting into a warm, engaging exchange

A

January // February • 2016 | 65 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Cover Feature

with Donna Brazile, the political strategist and analyst who ran Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign and now acts as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Sanders demonstrates a razor-sharp grasp of issues, policy, facts, and figures, and only hesitates when the ever-focused media pro is tossed questions about her personal life that take her at least temporarily out of campaign mode.

It took her seemingly forever, for example, to be able to conjure up her Burlington, Vermont, mailing address when that information was requested so that she could be sent a copy of this magazine. And a query about how many nights she’s slept in her own bed since taking the press secretary gig drew—if only for a nanosecond—a blank stare.

And then she was instantly “on” again in flashing her broad, trademark, light-up-theroom smile in replying, “Bed? You mean my air mattress? I don’t have time to furnish a place. The only beds I sleep in these days are in hotels.”

O

VER THE COURSE of the campaign

Sanders has spent a lot of time crisscrossing the nation with Dr. Cornel West. The activist, author, and philosopher is a major Bernie supporter and was again stumping with the candidate in Des Moines.

“Symone Sanders is a visionary,” West told Omaha Magazine the next evening moments before he was to take the microphone as the headliner at a pre-debate tailgate rally where, true to its name, he and other speakers addressed the crowd from the tailgate of a well-worn farm truck in the state where agriculture rules and corn is king. “She has the power to be the voice of her generation.

She has the intellect, the moral compassion, and the energy to become a great leader.”

Also “Feeling the Bern” at the rally that night was Creighton senior Dawaune Hayes.

“Symone was always involved in everything on campus,” Hayes said. “She was involved in everything all over town. Everyone at Creighton knew she could change the world someday. Now she’s actually doing it.”

Sanders may already be well on her way to becoming a world-changer, but one thing she hopes remains the same is the secret recipe at Time Out Chicken on North 30th Street.

Symone Sanders in the Spin Room with the CBS News Production Team the Day Before the November 14 Democratic National Debate at Drake University in Des Moines

“BE SMART. BE STRONG. BE BOLD. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO. ANYTHING. OMAHA NEEDS YOU. THE WORLD NEEDS YOU.” -Symone Sanders “The first job I ever had was at Time Out,” she said, “and I worked there all through high school and college when I could—even after college. I miss Omaha. I miss my family. I would kill for some Time Out Chicken right now. And I miss the girls at Girls Inc.” “Symone was the epitome of Girls Inc. girl,” said Roberta Wilhelm, the organization’s executive director. “She was heavily involved in our media literacy program called Girls Make the Message. That’s where the girls made their own public service announcements and created their own messages to the world. Not surprisingly, Symone took to that like a fish to water. Ironically, the theme was Girls for President, and now she’s working on a real presidential campaign. Symone is doing big things. She’s going to matter.”

January // February • 2016 | 66 | omahamagazine.com

And what message will Sanders deliver the next time she has a chance to visit her hometown Girls Inc.?

“Be smart. Be strong. Be bold,” she said in echoing the nonprofit’s tagline. “You can do anything you set your mind to. Anything.

Omaha needs you. The world needs you.”

Donna Burns covered a lot of stories from that kitchen in north Omaha, but it looks like she missed the most important one. Now her creator would be the interview of a lifetime O for the ace reporter.

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Run. If you didn’t catch my Morse-coded pen clicks when I interviewed you last October, your first month in town, that’s my only advice to you as a fellow transplant: Run. Run back to Florida, back to Miami and Cannonball and all the great things you did there in innovative forms of cultural production and education to advance critical discourse and understanding of contemporary art.

Look, I get it. The Bemis Center’s executive director position is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’re 40, ready to make your mark at an internationally renowned artist-in-residence program.

But believe me when I tell you this: Omaha will husk your heart and butter it and consume every last morsel of it, and then you’ll never be able to feel whole outside of this town again.

The ice age of January will be underway when this article is printed. And you’ll also have one of the organization’s fabled annual art auctions under your belt. By then you’ll have a manic sense of community and belonging...

That’s just the prairie fever kicking in.

It has something to do with the wind and isolation.You’ll soon find out. Then again, you seemed to already have at least a Wikipedia’s grasp of our climate:

“I’m certainly looking forward to four true seasons and rotating the wardrobe and dusting off my winter driving skills for sure,” you joked with me on that false autumn day.

It was all I could do to keep from laughing.

“Four seasons.” Good one. You’re going to need that sense of humor to survive our dry (as in wry) climate. As for the seasons, there are only two: too hot and too cold.

But you knew that. You’ve dabbled in Midwestern affairs curating at the Sioux City Art Center, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, and the Salina Art Center in Salina, Kansas.

“Returning to this part of the country is returning to an old friend,” you confessed.

“I seem not to be able to get away from the Missouri River.”

But you’re not here to rekindle old relationships, are you? You’re here to make new ones.

“I’m trying to download as much information as possible in terms of the history of the organization [the Bemis Center], so I can try to better understand the context here,” you said. “And it’s also a period of establishing relationships and asking relevant and sometimes critical questions to better understand where we are and where we need to go as an organization.”

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“It’s not just about the Bemis, and it’s not just about the history and legacy that the organization has,” you said. “It’s about a certain quality of life one can have O in Omaha. I’ve finally seen the light.”

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January/February 2016 VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 7

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/ H6 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

Table of Contents

H22

H14 FEATURES H32

PLAINS LIVING ON A MOUNTAINOUS SCALE Western State of Mind Creates a

H36 DEPARTMENTS H9 H10

Lodge-Style, Lake-Front Residence

FROM THE EDITORS

SPACES putting the fun in functional A Plattsmouth Couple “Wows”

STATEMENTS

With Design Originality

Peter cales building Relationships

H36

H22

STORIES FROM HOME

and Furniture

H26

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES Unblemished Beauty

chip davis

H14

(Except, Of Course, for

AT HOME

That Bullet Hole)

hazy shades of winter Monochrome for All Seasons

H20

H28

Deep Roots and Budding Potential

INDULGENCES

Vinton Street

A Track’s Trek Through the Garden Jerry Paladino’s Model Railroad

NEIGHBORHOODS

H42

TRANSFORMATIONS 10,000 ideas in 10,000 square feet a home to love

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from the Editors

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM OMAHA HOME

C

Sandy Matson & Angie Hall

"Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day. " —Michael Josephson AN YOU BELIEVE 2016 is here? Does it seem like, as we get older, each year

goes faster than the one before?

What about all those New Year’s resolutions? Did we accomplish them, or are they added to this year's like some of mine? Those tasks that we just didn’t get done and will be the first on our list to tackle—good intentions, I say! I read the quote somewhere that said "Commit to doing less of some things, so you can do the important things better."

And speaking of another type of project, you might notice I do not have one in this issue. You might say I'm just giving myself some time to fuel up the ole creative tank.

In this issue we have some unique, beautiful spaces and homes from which to get plenty of inspiration. Sometimes a decorative piece can pull ideas in other forms to other rooms. Take bits and pieces and make it work for you and your home.

We also get to take a peek into where magic is made. Chip Davis has the perfect serene place to make his music amid rolling hills lots of grass and trees. A subtle reminder for me growing up on the farm in Iowa, well minus the beautiful wolves and postcard picture horses. You’ve got to love the Midwest!

We hope you and your friends and family find peace and have a safe, healthy, and happy new year!

Sandy & Angie If you have any ideas you would like to see us tackle or you yourself have a project you would like to have featured, please contact us at sandy@omahapublications.com or angie@omahapublications.com

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

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Statements words by Daisy Hutzell-Rodman / photography by bill sitzmann

/ H10 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

PETER CALES

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND FURNITURE

P

ETER C ALES SITS on a comfortable couch and rests a

glass of orange juice on a coffee table. Nearby sit shelves and shelves of record albums, and atop and beside the albums sit record carriers made by Cales.

He created the table as a summer project while attending college.

The rustic, yet sophisticated, piece foretold his career.

“I alternated between fine arts and English in college [at Creighton], but I didn’t see a clear path between that and making a living,” Cales says of discovering how to meld fine arts and woodworking.

“My father always had a woodshop,” Cales recalls fondly. “I just decided to make furniture. I wanted to do something artistic that had a practical application.”

Cales worked part-time for noted Creighton Associate Professor of Sculpture Littleton Alston, who helped him obtain studio space and taught Cales about the process of building things. He became fascinated by the beauty of woodworking. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he belonged in the woodshop.

In 2009, he became a full time wood artist in launching his studio, Measure Cut Cut. Cales’ process of woodworking turns nature into refined beauty. He finds working out, and on, details meditative.

He finds inspiration in music, especially pop and rock ’n roll from the 1960s and 1970s.

Cales says. “I think it’s inspiring hearing something that someone put together perfectly. >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

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Statements

< “I do a lot of furniture design, but I don’t identify as a designer because I think that could be offensive to people who went to school and studied it,” Cales says. “But I also have a hard time identifying as an artist.”

Along with hand-crafted wood pieces, Cales also sells a line of ceramic hot air balloons.

“I just love how it was the first form of flight, and so much scientific development went on through ballooning,” Cales explains. “My parents took us [Cales and his sister] to a hot air balloon international festival around 1990. It definitely left a mark on my brain.”

Customers won’t see a similar mass production of furniture.

“Furniture is furniture to me,” Cales continues. “It’s the process of making something for someone else. That’s why I’ve never done lines of furniture. There’s nothing personal about that for me.”

Personalizing pieces is vital to Cales’ craft. When he meets with clients he asks them about their lifestyle and what is important to them. He asks to hear stories, particularly those involving events or locations. From that meeting Cales selects materials from significant locations, particularly reclaimed materials when available.

“I like working with people and creating something that will be in their house for a long time,” Cales says. “It’s a reflection of my brief relationship with them.”

Designs are never repeated. Much thought is put into what will happen to a piece of furniture long-term. Cales wants his work to be retained, to perhaps be passed down to future generations, and he seeks clients who share his aesthetic and personal values.

Keeping these principles creates lasting relationships with the clients.

Cales’ love of playing and collecting record albums inspired these boxes.

“Most of the commissions I like I have made for people I ended up being friends with. They were relationship starters.”

Leaving a lasting impression—creating a lasting relationship— that’s the essence of Cales. OmahaHome Visit measurecutcut.com to learn more.

“I like working with people and creating something that will be in their house for a long time.”

-Peter Cales

/ H12 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

Flying high are several of Cale's ceramic hot air balloons.

January/February 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ omahamagazine.com

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At Home words by Danielle Herzog / photography by Bill Sitzmann

HAZY SHADES OF WINTER MONOCHROME FOR ALL SEASONS

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OmahaHome • January/February 2016

Christian, Cayden, and Gina Bessmer

T

HE GREYS AND whites of winter do not bother

Dr. Christian Bessmer and his wife, Gina.

In fact, they designed their home around the color (or is that color-less?) scheme.

Their story is colorful. They picked out a property at Beaver Lake, purchased land, and made plans to build their first home together. But life threw them a curve ball that left things less black-and-white.

In December 2013, Christian, 36, and Gina, 37, found out they were expecting their first child. After 12 years as a couple, they left their carefree lifestyle and settled down in parenthood.

They quickly realized that their original plan of building a home at Beaver Lake might not be the right fit. Their priorities were now changing and they found themselves thinking about school districts and being closer to family and friends.

The couple opted to build at Ashbury Farms development in Bellevue, a smaller development that allows them the more rural setting they desired.

“There won’t be more than 45 homes built here so it can keep that small community feel,” explains Christian.

The grey palette reveals subtle color changes, from the stone to the paint to the number on the house.

A visit to Street of Dreams inspired Gina’s idea of designing on a neutral plain. She also wanted an open floor plan for the kitchen, dining, and living room; granite countertops; and Jack-n-Jill bathrooms. Christian wanted a large garage for all his tinkering projects and “a shower that was just like a car wash.” >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H15 /

At Home

< Jack Gifford, design specialist at Advantage Development, made sure their desires were met. Each room embodies a monochromatic mindset and approach.

An invariable feeling starts when approaching the home. The contemporary design includes lots of right angles surrounded with paint the color of a nimbus cloud and light-colored stone on the face of the house.

The kitchen features curved white stone island countertops with smokey marbling that allow guests to see each other while sitting in the kitchen set against a backdrop of raven cabinets and minimalist lighting. Stainless steel appliances add luxury and also the barest hint of shimmer.

The main bathroom includes Christian’s human car wash, with multiple shower heads and a remote control water system.

The results were better than they imagined. There’s definite cool factor to it—a house with many unique aspects, including a hidden pocket-door in the kitchen that opens to a pantry on the right and hallway on the left, which in turn sends people toward a second entrance to the mudroom and garage.

Warmth is found in the bedroom, where hints of gold glimmer alongside a metal poster bed. In the master bathroom a Jacuzzi tub with a mounted television and heated backrest give a feel of being a guest at a luxurious hotel. >

/ H16 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

Now is about making memories as a family in a home they can call their own.

January/February 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ omahamagazine.com

/ H17 /

At Home

< The garage, at almost 1,500 square feet, obtains warmth from a hot/cold water supply. Christian’s play space includes elevated ceilings and enough room to store five vehicles. “It’s definitely my dream garage,” says Christian, laughing.

The outdoor space acts as an extension to the house with a living room, complete with sectional sofa, and soon-to-be kitchen right off the dining area. The in-ground pool spans the length of the backyard, its Mediterranean turquoise shocking viewers after seeing so many Russian blues. The serenity of this space continues with an alternating pattern of grass and river rocks.

The Bessmers are thrilled with how the house has turned out but look forward to eventually turning the unfinished basement into a game room—complete with bar and pool table. But not now. Knowing they are expecting their second child in April, now is about making memories as a family in a home they can call their own.

OmahaHome

/ H18 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

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/ H19 /

Indulgences words by Ryan Borchers / photography contributed by jerry paladino

Paladino's railroad is equally magical in the winter.

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OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2016

A TRACK’S TREK THROUGH THE GARDEN JERRY PALADINO’S MODEL RAILROAD

A

TR AIN’S SONG IS iconic, and with

the flip of a switch, Jerry Paladino’s garden railroad roars to life. When not in use, the cars and engines live on shelves that line the walls of his garage. From there, they chug through a tunnel in the wall, out to the backyard and on to elevated tracks.

“I had to do a lot of talking to knock a hole into a brand-new house,” Paladino says. “My wife is very understanding.”

Trains run through Paladino’s blood. His own father was an employee of Railway Express Agency and Union Pacific, and Paladino fondly remembers riding the California Zephyr in the 1960s.

Today, rather than riding his father’s magic carpet made of steel, he operates N-scale models. Perhaps it was natural he became enamored with garden railroads when he was invited to see the layout of a track run by the Gold Creek Railroad. It included hand-cut ties, hand-spiked rails, and a painted background.

“It just kind of blew me away,” he says.

“It was just amazing. Museum-quality.”

Paladino started with his garden railroad hobby in the early 1990s. Indeed, garden railroading is a popular hobby across the country, and Paladino is a member, and serves as the current president of the River City Railroaders Club.

An outdoor railroad with tracks of brass and UV-resistant plastic ties curves through the garden. Trains with classic looks from U.P., Burlington Northern, and other railroads run along a track laid around the edge of a raised concrete planter. The planter, measuring 15 feet by 50 feet, houses a garden of miniaturized plants and model buildings.

The model buildings are both scratch- and kit-built and the layout features figurines of people and animals. There’s a water tower, a gazebo that lights up at night, and a golden spike where Paladino laid the last of the track.

Many buildings sport signage and name tags noting Paladino’s family members, including his wife and grandchildren.

It takes tender care for these trains to roll past houses, farms, and fields. Paladino can’t use weed killer for the health of the garden’s miniature evergreens, roses, chrysanthemums, and other plants. The trains can run in all weather and temperatures so long as they have traction and the rails are clean and clear, but the track requires rebalancing from time to time.

“You gotta trim, you gotta prune, you gotta pull weeds,” Paladino says. “There’s always something out there to repair.”

For Paladino, the building and construction is his favorite part of the hobby, although he does enjoy conducting the trains for his grandchildren, who in turn enjoy racing toy cars along the track.

Some enthusiasts like to make their tracks adjustable, but Paladino prefers to keep his permanent.

“I put the tracks and the main lines up against the outside edge of the layout,” he says. “It’s completely flat, there’s no grade to it at all.

That’s how I like it.”

One thing is certain—that constant clacking of the wheels on the tracks take him to far away places.

“I just turn it on and sit in a lawn chair and watch it run.”

And then the rhythm of the rails is all he feels.

OmahaHome

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H21 /

Spaces words by Carol Crissey Nigrelli / photography by bill sitzmann

PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNCTIONAL A PLATTSMOUTH COUPLE “WOWS” WITH DESIGN ORIGINALITY

/ H22 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

Clerestory windows help the space evoke a barn theme.

F

IRST-TIME VISITORS TO the home

of Cory and Teri Wehrbein often let out an audible “wow” or “whoa” when looking up, around, and through the property. Located on an acre of land off Bay Road in rural north Plattsmouth, an area still confusing to MapQuest and GPS, the home elicits spontaneous utterances of amazement for its creative, distinctive qualities.

The white exterior of the U-shaped home catches the eye immediately, contrasting with earthtoned neighboring homes spaced generously along the street. A row of oblong windows rises above the roofline, giving the illusion of a twostory home, when, in fact, it’s a one-story design.

The windows, architecturally known as clerestory (pronounced clear story), catch the sun’s morning rays from the east and fill the white and gray interior with plenty of light and warmth during the cold Nebraska winters.

Columns of untreated cedar hold up the front porch’s metal overhang, while several cedar planks lie horizontally across the front window. More than an act of whimsy, the modern, external window treatment pays homage to Cory’s roots.

“I grew up on a dairy farm between Plattsmouth and Louisville,” says Cory, who, along with his brother, owns a landscaping and design company.

“Teri’s and my goal outside was to have a modernlooking farmhouse and the clerestory mimics a barn.” Looking around, Cory adds, “There’s a story to everything we designed.” >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H23 /

Spaces

Mila reads in solitude at the dining table. < The Wehrbeins’ story goes back to fifth grade, when they met. They married 15 years ago and have two children Mila, 9 and Micah, 7.

Their ideas mesh perfectly and the house they designed, with the help of architect Jeremy Carlson of Omaha, reflects their personality: warm, welcoming, and lots of fun.

Walking through the front door, the eye catches a family restaurant-style dining booth of light hickory wood across the large room, just off the kitchen. “One of our children’s cousins says, ‘This is like eating at Applebee’s’,” laughs Teri. The space is just as social as a neighborhood bar and grill.

The kitchen, dining room, and living room encompass one area.

/ H24 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

True to the Wehrbeins’ vision, the open-floor design with clean lines and vaulted ceilings, coupled with a modern, yet simple, décor, makes interacting with guests a breeze.

Windows on three walls add extra airiness and openness to a surprisingly boundary-free interior. Heck, even the dishes, cups, and glasses sit in full view on open shelves above the sink, an idea Teri grasped long before it became a more commonly accepted convenience.

The dining booth’s cool factor is surpassed only by the fireplace, which fills the entire north wall. Built from hundreds of interlocking pieces of hickory wood treated with four different colors of stain, the fireplace resembles a giant Tetris video game. There’s a story here, too.

“There's a story to everything we designed” -Cory Wehrbein

“We knew we didn’t want stone, so Doug Kiser [of d KISER design.construct] came up with the wood idea,” explains Teri. “He had all the pieces cut, had them all numbered, and just pieced it all together.” The fireplace won a top national award among entries from 1,600 woodworkers, and the home was featured in the 2011 American Institute of Architects' Home Tour.

A stairway next to the fireplace, the only steps in or around this “zero entry” home, leads to an unfinished basement, which the couple plans to renovate soon.

Oh, the possibilities…

OmahaHome

Doug Kiser's dramatic woodwork forms the backdrop as Micah, Cory, Teri, and Mila relax.

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H25 /

Architectural Styles words by David Williams / photography by bill sitzmann

“One of the best examples of Spanish architecture in the middle west.”

- Omaha World Herald, 1931

/ H26 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

UNBLEMISHED BEAUTY (EXCEPT, OF COURSE, FOR THAT BULLET HOLE)

I

N THIS CONTINUING series of explor-

ing architectural styles, we’ve covered such diverse genres as Jacobethan Revival, Art Deco, and Victorian, but deciding what the heck to call a home has never been much of an issue.

Until now.

This space was slated for “Spanish Colonial.”

Seems simple enough, we thought. But just to be doubly sure in assigning that moniker, we sent the photograph you see here to three different architects and asked them to chime in. We got three different answers, only two of which had the word “Spanish” in them.

And none of them were a flat, straightforward “Spanish Colonial.”

So let’s default to an Omaha World-Herald story from 1931 that called this home on North Happy Hollow Boulevard “one of the best examples of Spanish architecture in the middle west.”

A permit was issued in 1928 for the home now owned by George and Christine Greene.

It was built—for the then princely sum of $16,000—by noted architect Bert Hene, whose timeless mark was made all throughout Happy Hollow, Fairacres, Dundee, Country Club, and beyond. The space features a handsome library/music room and a 40-foot sunroom with broken marble and a tile.

While this beauty looks like something straight out of Sunset Boulevard (“All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.”), it is the library that tells one of the home’s most intriguing stories.

The tile-roofed stucco home with arching windows was purchased in 1933 by Dana Van Dusen, a Harvard law school graduate who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1934. A former city attorney, he was then the general counsel of Metropolitan Utilities District.

On Sept. 29, 1947, a pair of prominent MUD officials were menaced by a former district employee.

A car driven by Personnel Director Earl Frederickson was forced to the curb by another vehicle at 18th and Cuming streets.

The disgruntled former employee climbed in Frederickson's car and threatened him.

A half hour earlier in Happy Hollow, a shot had been fired through a window of the Van Dusen home. The former MUD worker had no gun on him when he was arrested, and none were registered in his name.

The window has long since been repaired, but a bullet hole remains to this day on a shelf in the library…and Christine and George Greene have no plans to repair the blemish that speaks to the quirky history of their stately home. OmahaHome

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H27 /

Neighborhoods

VINTON STREET

DEEP ROOTS AND BUDDING POTENTIAL words by Chelsea Balzer photography by Bill Sitzmann

Louie M’s Burger Lust is a long-time anchor on Vinton Street.

Age-old traditions continue at Capitol Bindery.

/ H28 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

T

HE HE A RT OF a city may be its

Capitol Bindery is also a longtime community business, and has provided book repair and restoration since 1929. The familyowned company is currently run by Kevin Brown, whose grandfather purchased it in 1953. Originally located downtown, the bindery moved to its Vinton Street location in 1984.

The historic Vinton Street neighborhood is a perfect example. Irish immigrants who came to work in the stockyards initially settled the area in the mid-1800s. A majority of residents now claim Hispanic heritage, many growing up with deep familial ties to south Omaha

And the Larry Ferguson Studio (photography) has long been a neighborhood anchor.

downtown, but the true identity of a metropolis is found in its neighborhoods.

As Omaha’s culture becomes more dynamic, its neighborhoods also evolve, growing more connected to the communities around them that develop distinct energies fusing history and potential.

The current vibe on Vinton Street reflects the addition of eclectic creative businesses. The rent is still low, and the buildings display unmistakable character.

The Apollon is one such new business.

Opened in 2013, the art and performance center is the brainchild of Ryan Tewell, who, along with a group of artists, developed the idea over a period of years while searching for the right location. The organization now produces original, collaboratively-built, interdisciplinary shows that appeal to a variety of ages and tastes.

The Works of Mary Zicafoose at Gallery 72

During this season, they’ll debut a life-sized, playable board game exhibit that should bring families out for an evening of surreal, uninhibited fun. A themed dinner is presented alongside the original entertainment, which is exactly the kind of unexpected charm Vinton Street delivers.

Not all of the business on Vinton Street display new signs. Some, occupied for decades, continue to draw regulars. Louie M’s Burger Lust opened in 1980 and has attracted Omaha burger lovers since. The Marcuzzo family still runs the joint, and their presence is wellknown among business owners and locals.

Affordable rent is only one reason business owners open shops on Vinton Street. Sisters Jennifer and Nelly Hernandez grew up two blocks from their new fitness center, Club Pura Vida. Jennifer says they simply saw the building become available and, with no previous experience running a business, decided to take a leap of faith. Because they had strong roots in the community, they felt confident others would support their idea.

Two months after launching, a Wednesday night dance class bursts with about 40 attendees, the place buzzing with laughter and loud music.

The club offers childcare during classes, and as many attendees are local, the kids seem to already know one another. Walk-in classes cost five dollars each, which includes a cup of pre-workout energy tea and a post-workout protein shake.

More than all that, though, the club captures the warmth of Vinton Street, combining small-town connection with big-city activities.

Jennifer affirms this supportive vibe with a large grin. “I love the people. We’re our own little town.”

While that may draw many people, others hope Vinton Street becomes a more integrated part of Omaha at large. >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H29 /

Neighborhoods

Ryan Tewell of The Apollon

“There’s not a ton of red tape. You can just get a couple of excited people together and start doing something.”

-Ryan Tewell

< John Rodgers, owner of Gallery 72, feels that the area lacks some essential attractions which would help bring in more traffic. His art gallery, featuring local, regional, and national work, opened in the area primarily because he loved the building.

Vinton Street looks anything but ‘cookie cutter,’ and while that made the move worthwhile, he believes the location inconveniences some patrons.

“It’s a bit out of the way, and you have to sort of be a destination to bring people here. I’d like to see more professional spaces open, but the trend of this neighborhood is up.”

Also adding to the destination appeal of the neighborhood is the new gallery space, Project Project, which was featured in last month’s issue of this magazine.

Everyone seems to agree on the feeling of support Vinton Street provides. As a part of the Deer Park Neighborhood Association, local representatives meet regularly to discuss issues of importance to the community.

/ H30 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

Oscar Duran, the association’s current president, is working to create a network of communication between business owners and locals. One of the ways they do this is by partnering with local organizations to host family-friendly, affordable events that bring together residents of the area.

Ryan Tewell raves about the neighborhood association, adding that “the upside of being in a not-as-developed neighborhood is that there’s not a ton of red tape. You can just get a couple of excited people together and start doing something.”

Combining this kind of accessibility with a rich history and a bevy of interesting things to do means it’s no wonder Vinton Street is one of Omaha’s up-and-coming locales. OmahaHome Visit deerparkomaha.blogspot.com to learn more.

Scan the page with the LayAR app to view a virtual tour of the Wheatley home.

/ H32 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2016

cover Feature words by Leo Adam Biga / photography by Bill Sitzmann

PLAINS LIVING ON A MOUNTAINOUS SCALE WESTERN STATE OF MIND CREATES A LODGE-STYLE, LAKE-FRONT RESIDENCE

W

HILE DRIVING TOWARDS Waterloo, Nebraska, Jana Wheatley

came upon a sign reading "Live a more fluid life,â&#x20AC;? touting a coming residential lake community to be named West Shores. She longed to live in nature. Taking in the lake, the beach, and empty plots, she envisioned the Colorado lodge-style home she ended up building there. >

cover Feature

“It's worn but it shows it's lived in, that people are having fun and it's not a museum. I want people to enjoy themselves here.”

-Jana Wheatley

< She and her now-ex bought the lakefront property in 2004. She served as general contractor for the build, subbing out jobs. Working with budgets and subs was old hat, as she owned a grounds management business with her then-husband.

She describes the resulting four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 6,000 square-foot house near the western limits of West Dodge Road as "comfy, rustic, chic," adding, "We always kind of had an idea about what we wanted.

I like simple. I don't like foo-foo."

Covenants prevented her from building with logs so she went with an exterior of cedar shingles and stone, and an interior with wide plank pine floors and ceilings, hickory cabinetry, granite counters, and variegated stone. The plaster walls are finished in a soft Texas leather. The rooms conform to her desire for "big, open, flowing spaces with natural light." The living room, dining room, and kitchen open onto each other, and light from multiple windows brighten and soften the space.

She likes the unfinished floors' character in their flaws and scrapes. / H34 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

"It's worn but it shows it's lived in, that people are having fun and it's not a museum. I want people to enjoy themselves here.â&#x20AC;?

The living room has an unimpeded lake view through sliding glass doors that lead onto a south-facing deck running the full width of the house. Her bedroom opens onto the deck and its 180-degree view.

"There's nothing like watching the sunrise, and the sunset, and the geese flying over," she says.

Her bathroom features a free-standing deep tub and a tall enclosed shower. The bathroom and kitchen plumbing fixtures are Industrial Age antique-inspired.

The floors everywhere are warmed by an in-floor water heating system.

Her love of nature is expressed in a mammoth antler horn chandelier fixed high above the living room. A slightly smaller antler art piece hangs from the ceiling above the staircase, connecting the main floor living area and the lower level rec area, where a miniature horn fixture crowns the billiards table.

The mantles above the two fireplaces continue the horn theme.

"It just says Colorado to me," she says.

A hand-wrought iron chandelier sets off the kitchen island.

Her favorite space is a kitchen nook she calls "my little Indian corner" for its Native American wall art and traditional furniture designs.

Southwestern-style pots and paintings add decorative flourishes.

The lower level offers more lake views.

"The house is like a frame to look outside and that's what I end up doingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;gazing outside."

In the last 10 years she's added a son and lost a husband but she still has her home.

"Can you tell it's a labor of love? It's a piece of me.

It's my dream. I'm having my Colorado right here."

OmahaHome January/February 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ omahamagazine.com

/ H35 /

Feature words by Lindsey Anne Baker / photography by Colin Conces

STORIES FROM HOME CHIP DAVIS

C

HIP DAVIS IS picking me an apple. He’s stand-

ing on a small stepstool in a small copse of trees on his 150-acre Ponca Hills property, and he’s looking for the perfect red apple. It’s the first year in a while the apple trees have fruited, he says—one of his pilots, who also farms, thinks the temperatures might have been structured just right this year. Davis comes back to the golf cart I’m sitting in, which he drove to the trees, which we’re going to keep driving as soon as I put this perfect red apple—and it is pretty perfect —in my bag for later.

This is the first time I’ve met Davis, but I feel like I know him, a little. The Mannheim Steamroller and Fresh Aire founder has soundtracked every Christmas I can remember, and quite a few family road trips besides, so it seems somehow right that this Nebraska icon is giving me a ripe fall fruit, taking me on a little drive, introducing me to his on-property tree farm and his horses and his pet wolves.

I mean, what else does one do with the king of new-age Christmas music?

Scan the page with the LayAR app to view a virtual tour of the Davis home.

Ghoster awaits a treat from homeowner Chip Davis.

“I’m going to show you my critters,” he says. On the way, he tells me about his garden, where he plants eggplant and, sometimes, berry bushes. We pass an observatory and several pastures, and as we approach three horses, they come running. Ghost, a dapple gray, is pals with one of Davis’ wolves, he says, a friendship that inspired a trilogy of tales written by Davis and a film-writer friend, possibly to be released next year.

“Hey you, Ghoster,” Davis says. “I’ll come back with apples.

Don’t you worry.”

The wolves, in a separate seven-acre fenced-in area, “are big puppies, but they’re really, really nice,” Davis says. Appropriately, Ramses, a white wolf, is carrying a horse ball—his favorite toy.

These stories all come before we get to Davis’ house, which is why I’m here, and these stories are as good an introduction as any I could’ve hoped for.

Yes, there’s a large swimming pool with a waterfall, and a guest house, and the main house, designed by Davis and Omaha architect Bob Torson 30 years ago. The nearly 10,000-squarefoot home has onyx and walnut floors, and in the center, there’s a 44-ton fireplace that carries the house’s weight—Davis’ attempt to mimic the fundamentals of castle building. There are photos of Davis with George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. There’s also more conventional green carpet and traditional furnishings.

But mostly—inside and out—there are stories. >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H37 /

Feature

Chip Davis in His Home Studio

Ramses, a white wolf, patrols the grounds of the estate.

< There’s a curved staircase behind the fireplace, installed almost as an afterthought—when the house was being built, Davis and Torson relied on a ladder to get from floor to floor and “completely forgot about a stairwell.” Now, it’s graced with a custom-curved whale photograph Davis got from photographer Bob Talbot.

There are Egyptian replicas—a sarcophagus, a death mask of Ramses II, royal chairs, and one stunning five-panel Egyptian pictograph Davis scored in a trade with one of the creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The use of Davis’ music for art—or art for art, as it were.

Across the main room are a harpsichord, a clavichord, and a toy piano built by Davis’ father. There are antique wind instruments passed down through his family since the Civil and Revolutionary Wars and there are kid-sized ukuleles and Russian instruments collected from Davis’ travels.

Above them, there’s a series of paintings

by Gilbert Williams, and they’re all representative of Davis’ ideas and themes for Fresh Aire albums.

/ H38 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

“Nature plays a big part in what I do...Trying to bring nature from the outside in is a cool, symbiotic thing with the house.”

-Chip Davis

“All my stuff’s got some kind of significant meaning,” Davis says.

We keep walking, and he points out art from people he knows—Terry Redlin— and people he doesn’t—Omaha’s Tom Mangelsen. He shows me film memorabilia he’s been able to get while on tour, and an American Indian headdress he saw in a gift shop and thought was beautiful (he also used to wear it around the house on occasion).

It’s a whole collection borne of Davis’ life and career —a span from Sylvania, Ohio, to Omaha, from writing ad jingles to selling more than 40 million records—housed in a space where he also shows me as many photographs of his three children, and the basement stage where they used to put on their own concerts for the neighbors.

His children still have instruments in his basement studio, which has big windows framing the farm outside.

"I've got a lot of windows," he says. "Nature plays a big part in what I do." >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H39 /

Feature

The property's original home now acts as the guest house. < We go back upstairs.

"Here's just a simple little thing," he says. "See the green carpet?"

He points to the carpet leading to the open door we'd come through to get inside the house. There's a breeze blowing.

"See how it continues on to the green grass? he says. "Trying to bring nature from the outside in is a cool, symbiotic thing with the house.

"The lifestyle here in Omaha is what I'm used to," he says. "I'm just from a small farm town in Ohio.

I live on a farm now with my horses and wolves.

I just re-roofed [the house], just repainted it.

New caption goes here I think I'm good for about another 20 years."

OmahaHome

/ H40 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2016

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3330 N. 72nd St. Omaha | 6061 L St. Omaha 5254 S. 133rd Ct. Omaha | 809 Cary St. Bellevue | 1600 Avenue A, Council Bluffs January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H41 /

Transformations words by Gwen Ahrens, ASID, NCIDQ, The Interior Design Firm / photography by Thomas Grady

MEET THE DESIGNER

Gwen Ahrens, ASID, NCIDQ The Interior Design Firm

Transformations is a regular feature of Omaha Home that spotlights a recent project by a local ASID interior designer. The story and photos are provided by the designer. Homeowners’ names may be withheld for privacy.

/ H42 /

OmahaHome • January/February 2016

10,000 IDEAS IN 10,000 SQUARE FEET

F

A HOME TO LOVE

ROM CONFINED, CONCISE rooms to open,

flowing spaces…this 10,000 square foot home has been completely transformed. The foundation and exterior frame remain, but the entire interior has been reconstructed. New floor plans were created within these constraints based upon the homeowner’s needs, desires, and existing furnishings. Along with builder Choice Homes, architect Ron Hackett, and the homeowner, we worked together to reconstruct this home into a modern take on a natural and rustic-inspired design with hints of old world tradition. Not one detail was overlooked. >

January/February 2016 • omahamagazine.com

/ H43 /

Transformations

< Hand-scraped wood floors and beams invite guests into the entry and move throughout the entire home. The curved staircase with custom ironwork, glass accents, and tiledetailed risers flow through the three levels.

The great room ceiling was raised to the second floor and larger windows were installed to open the home. A two-sided stone fireplace with a floating limestone hearth opens the great room to the hearth room and raises the eye to the exposed distressed beams. An additional roof was integrated to incorporate a covered back patio where a built-in bar, grill, and fireplace formed an outdoor living area.

A color palate composed of rich copper, red, turquoise, and mink streams throughout the home. Bronze plumbing and lighting selections were made to compliment these tones and add touches of timeless charm. >

/ H44 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ January/February 2016

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Lesa

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/ H45 /

Transformations

< The stone encasing the dining room and kitchen range wall, along with custom wall finishes, add warmth to the space. A distinctive bar-height and angle within the kitchen island inspired unique granite and stone selections. Pedants with hammered amber glass and metal detail in combination with an antique mirror backsplash are featured in the dinette to add a tinge of an old world feel.

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/ H46 /

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/ H47 /

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60PLUS FROM THE EDITOR

LIVING AN INTERESTING LIFE T

HIS ISSUE OF 60 Plus has stories of several active men and women living interesting lives and “doing things.”

Like our cover feature on Dave Webber. Dave is certainly a guy who does “things,” wonderful things like emceeing for hundreds of charitable events.

Maybe the New Year is a time to do something new and different—make changes!

Perhaps, like me, you’ve had thoughts of moving to a smaller abode, cutting down on “stuff,” or living where there is more activity. You’ll find one couple who did just that on page 14 of this issue.

You may want to travel, go on a cruise—why not?

You may want to remain where you are but join an organization where you can meet new friends. Rita Paskowitz, featured on page 12, belongs to several organizations where she meets people.

Whatever it is—NOW is the perfect time—go for it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Gwen

Gwen Lemke Contributing Editor, 60PLUS In Omaha

CONTENTS volume 3 • issue 6 ACTIVE LIVING Omaha Ski Club Socializing from the Big O to the Big Mountains................................ S4

FACES Jane Beran Selling Sage, Waxing Sage Advice.............S6

COVER FEATURE Dave Webber A Multitalented Sportscaster Looks Back on His Career..........................S8

FACES Rita Paskowitz Storyteller, Comedienne, and Curly-Haired Compassionist....................S12

FEATURE From the ‘Burbs to the City Lights Moving Downtown Leads to Lifestyle Change..................................S14

HEALTH Tackling Male Pattern Baldness Is “The Donald” Right For You?................S18

NOSTALGIA Do You Remember?

Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack.............................S20

THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES Under a Full Moon............................................S22 january/february 2016 | 60PLUS

S3

60PLUS ACTIVE LIVING by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann

Teri Hammon S4â&#x20AC;&#x192; 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

OMAHA SKI CLUB socializing from the big o to the big mountains

W

HEN JANET TUTTLE WAS in her 40s, she wanted to take up skiing again, an activity she started at age 14 but stopped when home and family life took over. She joined the Omaha Sports Club, but when that group decided to focus less on skiing, a new group branched off from it: the Omaha Ski Club.

Today, Tuttle is 79 and still going strong as a member of the Omaha Ski Club. Her favorite part of skiing is the scenery.

“I love the mountains,” she says. “When you ski in the mountains, you see things you don’t see when you’re driving.”

Teri Hammon, 57, a board member who plans all of the club’s trips, says about three quarters of the members are age 60 or older.

“We’re not old fuddy-duddies,” Hammon says. “We ski hard and ski all day.”

The Omaha Ski Club generally takes two to five skiing trips a season and members bicycle in the summertime (“to stay in shape for skiing,” Hammon says). The group has skied in Colorado, California, Utah, Wyoming, and Canada.

“Anywhere there’s powder!” Hammon says.

The group recently traveled to Snowmass, Colorado, for their first trip of the 2015-2016 season. Trips vary in length and typically involve the members meeting at a ski resort.

Members enjoy participating in social activities, including a pre-trip party to discuss travel arrangements and a welcome party on the first or second day, along with lots of skiing.

In order to go along on a trip, one must be a member of the Omaha Ski Club (or one of its reciprocal clubs with the Flatland Ski Association). Annual dues are reasonable.

Each member pays for his or her own travel, lodging, and equipment, but group discount rates often apply.

One need not be an expert skier to join the club, which welcomes all skill levels along with non-skiers who want to go to the resorts and do something else. Knowledgeable, experienced members often help beginners. Tuttle says she particularly likes to go out with the beginninglevel skiers along some of the easier slopes.

Tuttle and Hammon agree that the club gains stability from the large percentage of retired members, who tend to have more free time and savings that allow them to go on the trips. Tuttle says she appreciates the social aspect of the club, which includes and welcomes anyone regardless of age.

“The socializing is a nice part of the skiing,” she says.

What about the risk of injury? Tuttle and Hammon have bumped and bruised themselves on the slopes—that’s why Tuttle says she’s become more careful as she’s aged.

But it takes more than a few accidents to keep her from returning to the mountains.

“It’s kind of like falling off a horse,” Tuttle says. “If you love what you’re doing, you get back on the horse again.”

Visit omahaskiclub.org to learn more.

january/february 2016 | 60PLUS S5

60PLUS FACES by greg jerrett | photography by bill sitzmann

S6â&#x20AC;&#x192; 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

JANE BERAN

selling sage, waxing sage advice

A

CORNERSTONE IS A BUILDING block of importance, architecturally joining two walls. Metaphorically, it signifies that everything worthwhile begins somewhere, often connecting the past and the future.

In Benson, where business and culture are booming, it is fair to argue that Jane’s Health Market, 6103 Maple Street, has been a community cornerstone since the mid-1980s.

It sets the tone. There is a peacefulness in the store that spills out onto the street. Maybe it’s the freshly cut wheatgrass on the juice bar counter or the organic, locally sourced meat, produce, facial cleansers, store branded vitamins, and more lining the shelves of Jane’s where locals go for answers and healthful seekers browse free-range.

“If you support local people, you keep money in Nebraska.”

-Jane Beran

The Omahan behind the healthful magic of Jane’s is one of Benson’s most amicable sages, 67-year-old Jane Beran. Jane has been in Benson for 30 years, 25 of those at her current location, which smells of delicious organic soups and sandwiches—especially pleasant this time of year. It’s hard to imagine, but this woman with a patient word of advice for everyone—along with a big glass of carrot juice—is quite reserved on the subject at hand.

“I don’t like talking about myself,” says Jane, who majored in home economics at Kearney State and worked at House of Nutrition for 20 years before moving to Benson. “Let’s talk about the store. This store is my life.”

One day, as she tells it, a realtor wanted to speak to Jane at her desk at Nutrition World.

He said she should consider opening a store in Benson, but back in those days, that meant a daunting amount of work in an unrevitalized part of Omaha. Jane was undaunted.

“We decided we wanted to open a juice bar,” says Jane, and the rest was attention to detail, a well-publicized realty deal that kept The Waiting Room in the neighborhood and expertise in knowing which trends and philosophies would pan out.

“The local thing has been a big deal for me. We’re trying to do more local products: arugula, kale, sweet potatoes...I even have a supplier for turmeric and ginger,” Jane says, advocating for a more neighborly economic system. “If you support local people, you keep money in Nebraska.”

To keep healthy customers coming back, Jane uses aluminum-free cookware and will be featuring bone broths in the near future.

She recommends juicing with added shots of wheat grass to help with alkalizing and energizing the body, especially for the over-60s.

One might assume the owner of a health food store to be vegan or vegetarian, but that would be embarrassingly off-target in this case.

“I’m not a vegetarian,” Jane says. “I have to be open to tasting a lot of foods for the deli.”

But when it comes to eating out, Jane’s feelers are still out for the veggies.

“My main goal when eating out,” says Jane without hesitation, “is finding good salads.”

Her current favorite is Benson Brewery’s kale salad. Now, that’s better than a Yelp! recommendation.

As 2016 begins and this Benson cornerstone remains at the intersection of 61st and Maple streets, the past and the future show no signs of slipping. It’s gotta be the wheatgrass.

Visit shopjaneshealthmarket.com to learn more.

january/february 2016 | 60PLUS

S7

60PLUS COVER FEATURE by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann

Dave Webber

S8â&#x20AC;&#x192; 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

DAVE WEBBER

a multitalented omaha sportscaster looks back on his career

D

AVE WEBBER COVERED ALL five Big Red national championships during a broadcast career that spanned 46 years; but he will never shake free from the “Legend of the Lucky Corncob.”

The story started in 1995 toward the end of the Orange Bowl championship game against the Miami Hurricanes. A fan in the stands pleaded with Webber, “You have to will the team to victory.”

Obligingly, the then-WOWT sports director picked up a corncob that happened to be in the end zone and held it up for fans to see.

“A few minutes later, they scored the touchdown that won the game late in the fourth quarter,” he remembers. “I got chills.

I couldn’t watch.”

The Huskers came from behind to win.

It was the Big Red’s first national title since 1971 and the first for Coach Tom Osborne.

“I put that sucker in my pocket and took it next year to the 1996 Fiesta Bowl,” he says.

Nebraska was again trailing, this time against the Florida Gators, so Webber pulled out the lucky corncob. Whaddaya know—the Cornhuskers won the national championship.

Some WOWT viewers credit the lucky corn cob with Nebraska’s back-to-back championships. Tom Osborne says otherwise.

“One of Osborne’s favorite sayings is, ‘This guy actually thinks his corncob won the game,’” laughs Webber.

Superstitious fans have asked to buy the corny icon, now framed and displayed at Webber’s home. “Every single day during football season, somebody mentions the lucky corncob,” says its proud owner. >

january/february 2016 | 60PLUS S9

60PLUS COVER FEATURE < The story of the well-known sportscaster began when a two-year assignment at Offutt Air Force Base brought him to the Omaha area in 1964. His duty was to guard the SAC Underground as a member of the elite guard. After retiring from the military, Webber attended the University of Omaha (now University of Nebraska at Omaha).

For two years starting in 1967, he performed as a full-time folk singer at the Swinging Door Saloon, following a year working on-air at KBON radio. But then he married Terri and began seeking a “real job.”

Webber joined KFAB as an announcer and also covered Big Red championship games in 1970, 1971, and 1972.

A move to Sioux City, Iowa, in 1973 to cover sports news for KMEG-TV brought with it a second quirky job. He was asked to portray “Pops,” a popular children’s show character.

“Pops was a retired custodian for the Bijou Theater. The camera would show me sweeping, then the stage door would open, and we would show cartoons and movies like Little Rascals and Laurel and Hardy,” he says.

He was only 29 years old at the time.

Forty years later, viewers haven’t forgotten the character.

“People come up to me still today and say ‘I was a kid in Sioux City. Were you Pops?’” says Webber.

Webber performs the role of “Pops.”

Webber and his friends are regulars at Shirley’s Diner, where they hang out with owner Doug Fackler.

He returned to Omaha in 1977 to cover sports news for KMTV. A year later, he moved down the street to WOWT as assistant to then-sports director John Knicely. When Knicely left for a St. Louis television station in 1981 (returning to Omaha three years later), Webber became sports director.

That’s only one story from the life of the multitalented Webber, whose mellifluous voice has won over crowds for more than 40 years as he hosted and emceed more than 1,000 banquets and fundraisers.

“You name a disease and I’ve done a fundraiser for it,” jokes the affable personality who is more likely to greet you with a hug than a handshake.

Webber has been a longtime presence at major Omaha events. For 22 years, he has braved wind, rain, and sun as master of ceremonies for the Fourth of July Memorial Park concert in front of as many as 80,000 people.

His favorite group to perform there was the Beach Boys.

During the Christmas holiday, he takes his emceeing indoors. Webber has been singing, dancing, and making jokes for 20 years as host for the Omaha Symphony’s Christmas Spectacular.

“The year I took over, my biggest job was to keep the kids on stage from goofing around,” he remembers.

S10 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

Donna Malone talks to Pink Poodle owner Doreen McNeil.

Meeting sports figures that he idolized as a youngster was payback for his volunteer work with a fundraising golf tournament hosted by baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.

One volunteer stint he looks forward to is at the end of a pleasant hour-long drive to Harlan, Iowa, where Webber has judged an estimated 1,000 pies over 20 years at the Shelby County Fair pie-baking contest.

“Every year, it’s like seeing old friends. I play guitar and sing. I walk around and say ‘hi’ to every single person.”

He and Terri have three adult children and three grandchildren. Today he is spokesperson for Baxter Auto Group. Although “retired” (sort of), he still gets calls from WOWT to fill in on newscasts.

As a sideline, Webber delights in being asked to conduct holiday tours (15 so far) to destinations such as Hawaii, Ireland, and the Canadian Rockies.

Three years ago, heart surgery left him 50 pounds lighter and with a renewed zeal for life.

“I enjoy every minute of every day,” says the TV sports guy, singer, guitarist, emcee, symphony host, pie-contest judge—and lucky corncob owner.

Visit wowt.com to learn more.

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Always Local, Always Beautiful March/April

Each issue also features human interest pieces,

2013

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September /October 2013

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60PLUS FACES by daisy hutzell-rodman | photography by bill sitzmann

S12â&#x20AC;&#x192; 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

RITA PASKOWITZ

storyteller, comedienne, and curly-haired compassionist

R

ITA PASKOWITZ IS IMMEDIATELY recognizable when walking into a room. Her most recognizable feature, surrounding her ever-working brain, is a thick mass of tightly-wound tresses.

“My hair’s always had something to do with who I am,” Paskowitz says. “Each strand is a different brainwave going in a different direction at the same time.”

She tried straightening it, she tried hiding the curls. It helped to make her an actress, comedienne, and storyteller.

“I’ve been in the Twin Cities, which was a wonderful place for me,” Paskowitz says.

“I worked at Dudley Rigg’s Brave New Workshop,” whose alumni includes the likes of Al Franken, Louie Anderson, and Penn Jillette. “We created our own material. Every night we did improv. You learn who your personality is. Knowing what your persona is is a big deal if you’re a performer. I can get away with a lot because of how I look.”

Beneath the funny lines lies depression, which many people cannot see, or often understand.

“In my life, I think there have been two things that have saved me. Writing and drawing. When I was younger I was anorexic and bulimic. I drew pictures of myself, profound and terrifying. There are pictures of me gigantically fat eating a building. They are filled with self-loathing and sadness, but they are kind of funny in a way.”

Storytelling gives Paskowitz a way to lead, to work with others, to engage in the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, from the Hebrew for “repair of the world.”

“When I became a storyteller, I thought I would be a concert performer, meaning telling stories in front of audiences. I didn’t know I would work with grief, dealing with art, dealing with writing, leadership. It’s always a surprise where I will be, but I welcome it.”

She works to help people of all ages, races, and economic situations. Paskowitz goes into schools for a program with fourthgrade students called So What’s Your Story?

To prepare for the class, Paskowitz sends a letter to the parents or guardians of each student, asking them to help answer 20 questions, which become the basis for the stories that are written and told in class. Failure to come to class with the completed form is rare.

“This year there was one girl,” Paskowitz sighs. “That’s out of two classes of 27 kids each. It breaks my heart because it deprived the parent of an opportunity to interact with her kid in school. You see no-show parents, and the kids pay a huge price.”

She also teaches storytelling by working with Sienna Francis House in the creative workshop.

“We write and share our writing, we draw and share our drawings. We do what we can to get people out of themselves, and the purpose of it is to let everyone’s voice be heard. It’s about having an opportunity to try something creative. I leave every week a better person.

I love what I get to give to them, but I love what they get to give to me.”

This all goes back to her desire to help others through creativity.

“I think that with the work I do every day, I get to repair the world,” Paskowitz says. “I just think that’s lovely.”

Visit tedxomaha.com/rita-paskowitz to learn more.

january/february 2016 | 60PLUS S13

60PLUS FEATURE by allison janda | photography by bill sitzmann

FROM THE ’BURBS TO THE CITY LIGHTS

moving downtown leads to lifestyle change

D

OWNTOWN OMAHA PULSES TO the beat of live music, clinking glasses, and laughter, but while 20-somethings wander, propping one another up, scurrying from one bar to the next, Mary-Beth and Bruce Muskin find themselves settling slowly, calmly into a night on the town. For them, taking in everything downtown offers is not just for one night out, it is an invariable part of their new lifestyle.

About a year ago, the couple moved from the Leawood West house they lived in for 26 years. They got rid of “stuff upon stuff upon stuff.” While the couple loved their suburban home and neighborhood, they needed less space and desired a more vibrant lifestyle. >

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Mary-Beth and Bruce Muskin january/february 2016 | 60PLUSâ&#x20AC;&#x192; S15

60PLUS FEATURE

“We have everything from excellent food, great exercise areas, the arts, and sporting events.”

-Mary-Beth Muskin

< “When we first moved in it felt like a permanent vacation,” Mary-Beth says.

Nonetheless, the move hasn’t changed their day-to-day participation or interest in everyday pursuits. He is a small business owner while she is involved in local organizations including Omaha 360, Youth Emergency Services, and Take Flight Farms. She returned to work in August as the Anti-Defamation League Regional Director serving Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas.

Blessed with all four living parents, MaryBeth and Bruce became inspired by the beauty of the aging process. It soon became important for them to eliminate extra stuff. With their children grown, the Muskins opened their minds and hearts to an entirely new way of living. They enjoy helping their parents but learned that by scaling back their own lifestyle, they’ve made it easier on themselves today and their children in the future.

“There is a lot of fun activity right outside our door,” Mary-Beth shares. “We have everything from excellent food, great exercise areas, the arts, and sporting events.”

S16 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

She also mentions that while she and Bruce can participate in just about anything by walking a short distance, their home is quiet when they return—a welcome advantage. Once taking time to discover their new surroundings, Mary-Beth and Bruce now immerse themselves in activities including live music at Nosh, movies at Film Streams, outdoor happy hours, the College World Series, and Creighton basketball games. Additionally, they find that they use the downtown farmer’s market as their primary source of fresh produce from May through October.

Mary-Beth and Bruce have slipped into their new habits easily. Their children—Anne, Matt, Emily, and Zach—none of whom live in Omaha, are pleased with the decision their mom and dad made, deeming it as much more manageable for their parents. However, the children do sometimes wish that there was more space for guests—specifically bedrooms.

While the Muskins do have a spare bedroom, Mary-Beth admits it is almost constantly occupied by various rotating guests.

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60PLUS HEALTH by james vnuk

S18â&#x20AC;&#x192; 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

TACKLING MALE PATTERN BALDNESS is “the donald” right for you?

I

T’S A STORY ALL too familiar to men. One day you’re cruising through Big Sur in a convertible, wind blowing through your gorgeous locks, and the next you’re pulling clumps of Chewbacca out of your shower drain. You’ve suddenly found you can’t rock a mohawk like you used to, and the last time your barber asked if you wanted to “take a little off the top,” you had the sudden urge to burn down the place. You’re facing male pattern baldness, and it can be a death knell for self-esteem.

You’re not alone, and thankfully there are a number of options on the market to consider.

A popular choice is using medications like Minoxidil (Rogaine), which is available OTC, or Finasteride (Propecia), available only by prescription. Each of these can restore some hair loss, but there’s no guarantee. They’re good for stopping thinning in its tracks; however, they only work for as long as you take them, and stopping will cancel out any gains (and possibly even make things worse), which makes getting hooked on Rogaine one of the weirder drug addictions.

If chasing the dragon doesn’t sound appealing, you could spring for a concealer such as Caboki or Toppik. A far cry from the “spray paints” of old, these coat your existing hair with a layer of microfibers, creating the appearance of greater volume. The effect is surprisingly convincing. Plus, you’ll have a “Wooly Willy” costume ready to go for Halloween every year.

We cannot forget the oft-maligned toupee. To be blunt, they’re essentially hats made from human hair (or worse). Yes, they’re the butt of many jokes, and the media is currently plastered with images of Donald Trump’s fabled red locks revolting against gravity, but a well-designed toupee can appear convincing and natural. Toupee tech has come a long way, and savvy purchasers will be pleased if they can get over the stigma.

So what’s a guy to do? You might find some of these options appealing, but all of them are partial solutions in holding back a chrome dome tide. Implants also exist, but the treatment can be inconsistent and cost-prohibitive. We’re unfortunately left waiting for a breakthrough even today.

There is some good news. There’s never been a better time to be a bald man in America. Beards are fashionable across all ages, and nicely complement a pristine crown. We even have a toupee running for president (albeit attached to a billionaire)! As it stands, there’s no correlation to speak of between baldness and a drop in attractiveness, virility, or your chances of becoming governor of Nebraska.

Perhaps the best solution is to accept your new look gracefully and with dignity. The truth is that baldness is only a self-esteem killer if you let it be. In the land of the bald, confidence is king. Regardless of if your hair’s thinning, receding, or getting blasted away, it’s all a matter of knowing you’ve got it going on.

january/february 2016 | 60PLUS S19

60PLUS NOSTALGIA by max sparber | photo courtesy of douglas county historical society

The venue offered performances by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Nirvana.

DO YOU REMEMBER? ak-sar-ben racetrack

I

T’S HARD TO BELIEVE the Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track and Coliseum has been closed for 20 years (the coliseum closed later, in 2002), as it was long one of Omaha’s iconic locations. Here is a brief look back on its long history.

The track was built in 1919 to underwrite the various activities of Omaha’s famous Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, a civic and philanthropic group dating back to 1895 inspired by the various “krewes” of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parades. Initially created to provide an alternative to the rougher entertainment then popular at the state fair held in Omaha, the

S20 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben quickly expanded to supporting civic improvement projects, funding local charities, and overseeing various social events.

The first race at the Ak-Sar-Ben track was an informal harness race on July 6, 1919.

The track itself was not officially dedicated for nearly another year. That ceremony was held on September 14, 1920, with Nebraska governor Samuel Roy McKelvie officiating.

At that time, admission cost 85 cents, and the track featured four harness and two running races every day.

In 1921, the racetrack expanded, adding a new grandstand at the cost of $400,000; that same year Nebraska created a racing commission and made pari-mutuel betting legal—the style of gambling favored by horse races, in which odds are not fixed until the pool is closed, allowing for a great variety of bets. You can bet that a horse will win, place, or show, or place even more complex bets, such as sweep six, in which the bettor must correctly pick the winner of six races.

The more challenging the bet, the more the bettor stands to win.

The track built an adjoining coliseum in 1929, which quickly became Omaha’s premiere events center, serving as both an ice rink and a concert stage. Over its long life, the coliseum hosted many of the country’s most popular musical acts, acting as virtually a who’s who of changing tastes in music: The venue offered performances by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Nirvana.

The track shut down from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. When the track opened again, on May 13, 1945, a crowd of 6,500 attended.

When a tornado struck Omaha in 1975, the race track was so close to its path that the twister was visible to people attending the races. The tornado carved a 10-mile path, killing three people, injuring 133, and scattering the debris of destroyed homes and businesses for miles. The total damage from the tornado, adjusted for inflation, was $1.1 billion, but the race track was mostly spared significant damage.

The track is often associated with a horse named Omaha, who won the Triple Crown in 1935. The horse had no relationship with Ak-Sar-Ben until retiring to Nebraska City, when he was sometimes paraded around the track. When he died in 1959, Omaha was buried at Ak-Sar-Ben, but in the intervening years, the exact site of the grave was lost to time and remains a mystery to this day.

Visit douglascohistory.org to learn more.

january/february 2016 | 60PLUSâ&#x20AC;&#x192; S21

60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES by david williams

UNDER A FULL MOON

T

HE HIKING TRAILS AT Platte River State Park are a jumble of twists and turns, ups and downs, forks and choices. Each junction—each meandering tendril—offers a different destination.

I know the waterfall is down this path, I recall thinking on a recent night hike with my young grandsons, Easton (6), and Barrett (4). The haunted tepee (haunted because I made it so in a campfire tale over s’mores the evening before) is up that trail. And the choo-choo trains that rumble past the edge of the forest what seem a million times a day are best viewed if we instead take that other branch of the trail over there.

The boys relied on Grandpa to know which direction to go, and a full moon lit the way for us in making navigation easy that night.

But the rest of life’s decisions won’t be so easy.

Easton and Barrett will have many choices to make in selecting the paths that will be their life journeys. My hope is that they will always make wise decisions at every junction, but I know that this is wishful thinking.

Along the way I hope that they learn humility, fairness, love, and compassion. I hope they fight for what they believe in. I hope they contribute to their community.

I hope they learn how to make a slingshot.

I hope they develop an appreciation of the arts and that which unites all of mankind. I hope they hate their first taste of alcohol. I hope they come to learn that peanut butter and salsa sandwiches are delicious. I hope that one day they will tell me about their favorite author. I hope they visit me when I am a broken-down pile of musty old bones.

I hope they remember me when I am gone.

S22 60PLUS | january/february 2016 | omahamagazine.com

I hope they are strong, safe, healthy, and happy—and have families of their own someday that are the same.

I hope they are curious. I hope they find passion. I hope they reach. Reach for something. Anything.

Most of all, I hope they become exactly who they want to be and are comfortable in their own skin.

Like the trails at Platter River State Park, life for them will be a jumble of twists and turns, ups and downs. The footing will sometimes be treacherous and slippery, but I hope they always have a full moon to guide their way.

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OBVIOUSLY OMAHA: LINCOLN’S HAYMARKET WORDS BY MAGGIE LEHMICKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAWRENCE ANDERSON

O

BVIOUSLY OMAHA GOES on the road this month to explore Lincoln’s historic Haymarket district.

Heading down for a basketball game or concert at Pinnacle Bank Arena? Here’s a guide to our favorite galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and boutiques.

LOOK

If art and design is your thing, check out the Burkholder Project’s three levels of galleries and the newly installed Gallery Alley, a pedestrian gateway featuring the work of various artists. Redeveloped in 1987, The Burkholder Project is best described as “an art colony in one building.” If photography is more your cup of tea, check out the Michael Forsberg gallery just around the corner.

EAT

Lincoln’s Haymarket is practically overflowing with delicious bites. For some contemporary American fare, try a burger at Leadbelly or check out Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill, which claims to be the first brewpub in Nebraska.

For something more exotic, try a taste of India at The Oven or some yellow curry at Blue Orchid Thai Restaurant, located right behind the Grand Manse. Need something to really surprise your taste buds? Head over to Buzzard Billy’s for some alligator tail and other Cajun cuisine.

DRINK

Between the rooftop deck and lively atmosphere, no game day is complete without a stop at Barry’s. Formerly the Arlington House hotel, you’ll be setting foot in the same place where a waggish Oscar Wilde stayed when he visited Lincoln in 1882. If it’s your first time in town, grab a Moscow mule at Tavern on the Square, also a local favorite. Now trending and located just across from Pinnacle Bank Arena are Longwell’s and Gate 25.

INDULGE

It’s a sin to leave Lincoln without savoring a couple scoops of ice cream at Ivanna Cone.

Fittingly located in the Creamery Building, look for the line that often extends out the door—or just follow the mouthwatering scent of fresh-baked waffle cones. If it’s too chilly to enjoy a cone, satisfy your sweet tooth at Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop in The Railyard.

SHOP

It’s hard to leave the Haymarket without a shopping bag or two. Drop by Forever Faithful Boutique and cozy up in an infinity scarf or head over to KD Designs for unique, handcrafted jewelry pieces created by a local mother-daughter duo. Don’t forget to stop by Letter Bee Paperie and check out the beautiful stationery on your way out.

UNWIND

The Haymarket may seem to be all go-go-go, but there are also nooks of calm and quietude. Relax at Indigo Bridge Books on P Street by snagging something from the book exchange or enjoy some grub from the inhouse café. Some of the best people-watching may be found over at The Mill. Order a café au lait and park it on a rustic bench. Even if you’re lost in thought, the creaky wood floors announce the arrival of quirky characters who contribute to the quintessential coffeeshop O ambience of The Mill.

Visit lincolnhaymarket.org to learn more.

January // February • 2016 | 163 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Arts + Culture | Conversation

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Stuart Chittenden seeks the voice of Nebraska.

G

ROWING UP IN London, Stuart Chittenden found himself a bit obsessed with America: its historical complexities, its social turmoil, its pioneering spirit, its glitz and glamor. He read tons of American authors, luxuriating in the majesty of the open road as portrayed in works like John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. He watched Taxi and Mash.

Last summer, Chittenden packed some pricey mobile audio-recording equipment—on loan from Clete Baker of Studio B—into an aging R.V. and rambled west down highways and gravel roads seeking to capture a representative sample of the voice of Nebraska as it exists in the moment.

By recording unscripted, spontaneous conversations in public (libraries, cafes, sidewalks) he began to discover the feeling of life in Gordon, Chadron, Norfolk, Alliance, Broken Bow, and other places formerly alien to him.

The Sand Hills, greatly exaggerated by friends and colleagues over the years, did not blow his mind.

“Overwhelmingly, I was warmly received,” he notes. “I was really impressed with the courage of many people to engage with someone who was obviously a stranger. Even those people that didn’t choose to join in the conversation, they were warm.”

Eventually, Chittenden moved to Omaha, married an American woman (fashion writer Happily, the conversations he recorded dug Amy Chittenden), and landed probably the deeper than weather and the Huskers. “I most interesting job title ever: remember one gentleman, he chief curiosity officer for David was in a mobile electric wheelDay Associates. He’s a peren“OVERWHELMINGLY, I WAS WARMLY RECEIVED. chair. I literally sat on the curb nial TEDxOmaha presenter for 90 minutes and chatted I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE COURAGE OF and something of a conversawith him.” tion artist. His consultancy, MANY PEOPLE TO ENGAGE WITH SOMEONE WHO WAS Squishtalks, offers conversationAs for how landscape shapes a OBVIOUSLY A STRANGER. EVEN THOSE PEOPLE THAT based workshops for businesses, community’s self-perception, organizations, and individuals.

Chittenden noticed a marked DIDN’T CHOOSE TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION, shift the further west he THEY WERE WARM.” Chittenden’s recent project, “a went. The primary difference couple of 830 mile long con-Stuart Chittenden between eastern and western versations,” marks his most sigNebraska, he contends, has nificant offering to the cultural to do with geography’s timefabric of our state (so far).

“I had a sense of what Nebraska could be,” compression effect. The buttes, vast skies, he says. “I’d seen photographs. I’d heard and wagon ruts of western Nebraska seem “a couple of 830 mile long conversations” people describe their experiences growing to shrink the years, creating a visceral contraverses the state’s vast geography to explore up in smaller towns. I expected to be surprised nection to history. the ways in which landscape—physical, by some of the beauty in different places, historical—informs a sense of community. and maybe to find some places to be a little That’s not to say the pioneering spirit is dead The effort, one that received funding from drab—this idea of rural communities sort of in Omaha. It simply takes a different form Humanities Nebraska/Nebraska Cultural collapsing in on themselves.” here: the entrepreneurial mindset.

Endowment, Omaha Creative Institute, and several individuals, is part field recordThat’s pretty much what happened. Some “In Omaha,” Chittenden says, “they don’t ing, part personal quest to understand an communities emanated vibrancy; others look for wagons. They look for Warren.”

O unfamiliar place. seemed bleak. The prairie’s “very quiet but intimidating beauty” struck him as sublime, most evidently in the lakes and waterways.

Visit 830nebraska.com to listen to stories from the project.

January // February • 2016 | 164 | omahamagazine.com

Stuart Chittenden of “a couple of 830 mile long conversations”

WORDS BY TOM MCCAULEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN January // February • 2016 | 165 | bestofomaha.com

Krystin and Joel Marsh of Noli’s Pizzeria January // February • 2016 | 166 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Review

IT'S IN WATER the

These pies are straight out of Brooklyn.

WORDS BY LINDSEY ANNE BAKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

January // February • 2016 | 167 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining

I

F YOU'VE HEARD anything about Noli's Pizzeria, which

opened in April in the Blackstone District at 40th and Farnam streets, you've probably heard about the water. The New York City water, to be exact.

Noli's works with Futuramic's Clean Water Center in Omaha to transform the city's water into New York City's water—a key ingredient in Noli's New York-style pizza and a novel talking point in the restaurant's story so far.

NOLI'S WORKS WITH OMAHA'S FUTURAMIC'S CLEAN WATER CENTER TO TRANSFORM THE CITY'S WATER INTO NEW YORK CITY'S WATER. But sit down with owners Joel and Krystin Marsh and you'll hear something else about Noli's, about the Marshes—the thing that's the real heart of the story.

"We love pizza," Krystin says. "It's the perfect food. It's got all the food groups. It's warm and cheesy and comforting."

It's modifiable, too, Joel says.

"You can do a lot of things with pizza as the vessel," he says.

"It's really become an all-American food."

The Marshes' favorite American version of the stuff is New York's, which is based on Italy's traditional Neapolitan pizzas.

The couple tell about their long love affair with it like any recounting of a fond history, bouncing off of each other's memories of a favorite pizza joint here, a crust there, an hourlong wait in a line, a perfect slice that somehow costs a mere $1.75. They go to New York every year to taste as much pizza as they can, make notes, and make plans.

When they first envisioned Noli's—named after their daughter, Magnolia—there was no question about what kind of pizza they'd serve. They'd made their own New York-style pizza at home with bottled water; when they started talking to their new Blackstone neighbors at Archetype, where the water is filtered for a specific mineral content conducive to good coffee, the conversation about New York City water started.

Omaha's notoriously hard water carries a mineral and contaminant count somewhere between 360 and 400 parts per million (one part per million, in terms of dissolved solids in water, is like one cent of $10,000). New York's water has only about 80 parts per million. That substantially lower rate of contamination makes New York's water much softer—and, from a taste perspective, blander, which Joel says makes all the difference.

"The pizza dough is about 60 percent water by volume," he says. "It's the major ingredient, so it has a huge effect on the flavor. The water's natural lack of flavor means you're not putting anything in there that shouldn't be."

Noli's focuses on certified Neapolitan standards—a chewy, 3mm-thick crust made with wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water, proofed for up to three days and cooked for a minute or two in a wood-fired oven at 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The sauce is a tomato-based, barely cooked San Marzano, and the cheese is 100 percent whole-milk mozzarella.

The balance between those three components—crust, cheese and sauce—is what makes pizza great, Joel says. And while Noli's most popular pizza so far is the Capricosa, made with olives, portobellos and Grey Plume salami, Joel recommends starting with a classic cheese pie—at Noli's or any pizza place, Nebraska, New York, or beyond.

"Crust, cheese, sauce," he says. "If they do thatOwell then you know they'll do everything else well, too.”

Visit nolispizzeria.com to learn more.

January // February • 2016 | 168 | omahamagazine.com

"WE LOVE PIZZA. IT'S THE PERFECT FOOD. IT'S GOT ALL THE FOOD GROUPS. IT'S WARM AND CHEESY AND COMFORTING." -Krystin Marsh

January // February • 2016 | 169 | bestofomaha.com

JOYEON WANG BRINGS ARTISTIC FLAIR TO FAMILY RESTAURANT.

WORDS BY SARAH WENGERT PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN January // February • 2016 | 170 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Chef Profile

J

OYEON “JOY” WANG is an artist.

Her medium? Computers and fish.

Wang, a trained graphic designer and sushi chef, operates Maru Sushi & Korean Grill with her mother, Boksoon Park.

Formerly Han Kuk Kwan Korean Restaurant, established in 2000, Maru expanded in 2010—both physically and in terms of culinary reach—by adding a third bay to the space and sushi to the menu.

Wielding her aesthetic skills, Wang created a beautiful space that belies its strip mall location just off 108th and L. Maru boasts high ceilings, stylish decor, and a long wine/sushi bar that presents a vibe that is simultaneously sleek and cozy.

“I added sushi to appeal to more people,” says Wang, clarifying that customers often first visit for sushi, then get curious about the Korean cuisine. “People love both. It’s a good balance.”

A new name heralded the revamped approach.

Traditionally, “maru” is the table at the center of the Korean home where friends and family gather. On a recent visit, this meaning was perfectly personified by new customers being kindly welcomed to explore the diverse, delectable menu as it was by Park hosting longtime Korean friends for an afternoon of reminiscing and “the best homemade kimchi this side of the Pacific.”

As the sounds of Korean language and the kind of boisterous laughter that only blossoms from reconnecting with old friends periodically crescendo around her, Wang shares more about her family, restaurant, and other pursuits.

The first and juiciest tidbit is that, in addition to her career, she owes her marriage to Maru.

“I met my husband Rudy here,” says Wang.

“Well, his parents met me here first, then they told him, ‘We found your wife.’”

With such a confident pitch for the woman of his dreams, Rudy, whose family coincidentally owned O Dining & Lounge, couldn’t resist a visit. The parental instincts were prophetic, and the two married in 2005. At the time, Wang worked in the restaurant and as a graphic designer at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she’d earned a degree in studio arts with a concentration in graphic design.

The Wangs soon had two boys, now ages 6 and 8. The kids also love cooking and have even expressed interest in becoming chefs when they grow up. Certainly this affinity owes much to their grandmother, Park, who prepares all of Maru’s sauces and seasonings from scratch and says that, since her own childhood, home cooking has made her feel warmth and comfort—feelings she loves to share with others.

“This restaurant and food allows me to tell my story,” says Park through Wang’s translation. “From starting in poverty back [in South Korea], to my first restaurant job working as a dishwasher, to now being able to share my passion in food with others.”

Already proficient at Korean cooking thanks to her mother’s excellent example, Wang had no idea where to start when she decided to add a sushi bar to Maru, so she scouted a New York sushi chef who came to work for her and helped open the sushi bar.

“When he left, I was still a baby sushi chef and couldn’t handle it all, so I learned more,” says Wang, who dexterously extended her artistry from design to sushi, working intensively for months to further develop her skills.

Wang says while she enjoys sushi preparation and all the creativity involved, the Korean side of Maru’s menu takes up the most space in her heart.

Understandable, as the cuisine absolutely delights the senses. Marinated Korean barbecue short ribs sizzle on a hot metal plate, exuding a savory, grilled aroma. Two varieties

January // February • 2016 | 171 | bestofomaha.com

of kimchi, traditional cabbage and daikon radish, contribute crisp texture and masterfully developed flavor. The same scintillating sizzle comes from a lovely grill-hot granite bowl filled with beef bibimbap; a colorful feast for the eyes with its array of rice, meat, bright vegetables, and “banchan,” which are small sides accompanying the meal, like Park’s homemade kimchi, bean sprouts, potatoes, and lightly steamed broccoli finished with salt and sesame oil.

“I love to introduce this food to people,” says Wang, echoing her mother. “People love comfort food, and this is Asian-style comfort food, but it’s not heavy.”

Standing behind the sushi bar constructing one of Maru’s gorgeously creative rolls, Wang suddenly asks if she mentioned she’s in nursing school—a demanding addition to any schedule, much less a chef’s.

“It sounds crazy, right? Somehow it all gets done,” she says.

Since childhood Wang dreamt of working in healthcare, but growing up in a “right-brained family” and watching her brothers pursue art led her in a different direction.

“Ever since I had my babies, I thought more and more about my old dream,” says the Clarkson College senior who plans to work only part-time in a hospital. “I still have the restaurant. My mom needs me. And I love this place. So I will do both.”

It makes sense that Wang, who found an artful connection between graphic design and sushi, also sees a bridgeable gap between nursing and cheffing.

“Being in the restaurant business, I take care of customers and anticipate their needs and what they’ll like,” says Wang. “Taking care of patients is very similar in that sense. Trying to see their Operspective and provide what they need.”

Visit marusushikoreangrill.com to learn more.

Omaha Magazine • Mystery Review

DECISIONS, DECISIONS Mouth of the South offers a dizzying array of down-home grub.

WORDS BY MYSTERY REVIEWER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN January // February • 2016 | 172 | omahamagazine.com

I

N THE LAST few years, southern food, including

barbecue and Cajun, has been enjoying increased popularity nationwide. Here in Omaha the genre has remained relatively scarce. A little over a year ago, Ryan Ernst opened Mouth of the South: Southern Grub Bar & Grill. I had been hearing lots of great things about this restaurant and had been meaning to make it over there, but never found the time until recently. Now I can share my experience with you.

The restaurant is located in the heart of the historic Florence neighborhood on North 30th Street. It has a nicely decorated fuchsia-colored facade, and once you get inside you see it has a warm, folksy feel with unpolished wood floors, brick walls, and wood table tops. There is also a large counter/bar where guests may enjoy their meals, listen to the blues on the stereo, and watch sports on the TV. Paying homage to Dixie, drinks are served in jars and the silverware and napkins are in a simple paper bag wrapped in twine. The restaurant has a really comfortable vibe, and on the night I was there it was packed with what I assumed were local people from the neighborhood.

The menu at Mouth of the South has a nice selection of appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees, and all are nice mixtures of Cajun, Creole, barbecue and soul food. They also offer a soup of the day and several tantalizing specials. The full

bar features a very interesting list of southern-themed craft cocktails, an impressive beer list, and a nice selection of wines.

Just like the ambiance, the service is very casual and friendly.

Let me start by admitting my bias toward Cajun food in particular and a love for southern barbecue. I have eaten a lot of these types of foods and my bar is set pretty high for what I consider to be good. On this particular night my dining partner and I started off with gizzards ($7) and the boudin balls ($8). The gizzards were fried cajun-style and coated with a pepper jelly glaze and this yummy combination melted in our mouths. If you're not familiar with boudin, it is a southern rice and meat sausage. The Mouth of the South’s rendition was formed into balls, breaded, deep fried, and served with an authentic remoulade sauce. It was perhaps the best boudin I have ever had.

Next we shared a bowl of gumbo ($5), and it would be no exaggeration to say that this is the best gumbo I’ve found in Omaha.

For entrees I tried the smoke pit sandwich ($12).

This gut-buster of a meal had moist smoked brisket, tangy smoked pork, crisp coleslaw, barbecue sauce, and melted cheddar cheese served grilled on sourdough bread. I can describe this sandwich with one word—“delicious!”

January // February • 2016 | 173 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Mystery Review

My partner tried the jambalaya ($13), which was loaded with Andouille sausage and chicken. There was no skimping on the meat with this memorably tasty, hearty plate.

I had no room left for dessert, but sacrificed myself for you, the reader, and ordered the bourbon pecan pie ($7). This homemade pie was crammed with pecans and had a lovely bourbon-flavored custard in a perfect crust. It was served with some very rich vanilla ice cream. Like everything else I tried that night, it also deserves top marks.

If you are getting the impression that I liked the Mouth of the South, you would be correct. Now sufficiently recovered, I’m already daydreaming about going back for more. Maybe the catfish poboy or the smoke stack burger?

Decisions, decisions.

Cheers!

O

January // February • 2016 | 174 | omahamagazine.com

MOUTH OF THE SOUTH: SOUTHERN GRUB BAR & GRILL 8505 N. 30TH ST. OMAHA, NE 68112 402.453.4099 FOOD SERVICE AMBIANCE PRICE $$ OVERALL 5 STARS POSSIBLE

January // February • 2016 | 175 | bestofomaha.com

AMERICAN ADDY'S SPORTS BAR & GRILL - $

14110 “S” Street 402-991-2663 At Addy’s we always put in the extra effort to provide the best experience in town. Mouth watering food, friendly staff and large drink selection makes us the perfect place to enjoy all the games.

Come see why everybody is talking about Addy’s. Open daily from 11 a.m.-2 a.m. addysbar.com

BLATT BEER & TABLE - $$

610 N 12th St. (402-718-8822) 2835 S. 170th Plz. (402-697-7802) Blatt strives to bring people together. It’s a hub for common folk, those who appreciate craft beer and thoughtful pub food. Meat eaters and vegetarians come together over a menu focused on basic good food.

The beer is great and the company is even better. blatbeer.com

CHCAGO DAWG HOUSE - $

3157 Farnam 402-504-1234 Omaha’s ONLY Chicago Style restaurant located in the heart of the city at Midtown Crossing. Chicago style Hot Dogs, Italian Beef and hand cut Fries and Onion Rings. Catering available.

DJ’S DUGOUT - $

636 N 114th St. (402-498-8855) 1003 Capitol Ave. (402-763-9974) 10308 S 23rd St. (402-292-9096) 2102 S 67th St. (402-933-3533) 180th & Q St. (402-292-9096) Hwy 75 & Oak Hill Rd. Catch all of the action at four Omaha locations. Featuring burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, appetizers, and an impressive drink menu along with HD TVs and projectors. Home to Blazin’ Pianos, Omaha’s only dueling piano concept. djsdugout.com

Get a Little Saucy.

FLATIRON CAFE - $$

402-344-3040 1722 St. Mary's Ave Our Classics Endure for a Reason...The Flatiron Cafe staff has been serving well prepared contemporary cuisine, in one of Omaha's most beautiful dining rooms, since 1995. We are committed to old school hospitality, taking care to honor your most special or casual occasions, with all the attention and style that our talented staff can provide.

Robustly delicious food, in the historic Hotel Flatiron, close to our exceptional downtown theaters, hotels, and commerce. Tuesday through Saturday evenings from 5pm- reservations suggested at opentable. com or 402-344-3040. www.theflatironcafe.com.

SPEZIA SPECIALTIES

JIMMY'S EGG - $

Various Locations For over 30 years, Jimmy's Egg has served up full cups of coffee, freshbaked breads and fresh cracked to order™ 3 egg omelets by a friendly and attentive staff. Breakfast and lunch is served every day 6a.m.-2p.m.

FRESH SEAFOOD • ANGUS BEEF INNOVATIVE PASTA • RISOTTO GNOCCHI • FRESH SALMON DAILY

LE PEEP® - $

SATURDAY NOW OPENLUNCH 7 DAYS A[11am–4 WEEKpm]

$10

COCKTAILHOUR HOUR COCKTAIL

OFF ANY TICKET OVER $25 NOCASH CASH VALUE. VALUE.EXPIRES EXPIRES12/31/2011 2/29/16 NO

177th & Center St. (402-934-9914) 156th & W. Dodge Rd. (402-408-1728) 120th & Blondo St. (402-991-8222) Le Peep® puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood Breakfast & Lunch spot. Fresh. Simple. Elegant. Inviting. We put the emphasis on people, both patrons and staff. We focus on providing each of our guests the fresh food and friendly service that they have come to expect. Open daily 6:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

MONDAY – SATURDAY EVERY DAY FROM 4-6PM 4 – 6 PM ALL COCKTAILS, GLASS WINE ALL COCK TAILS, GL ASS WINE AND BEERS ARE HALF PRICE AND BEERS ARE HALF PRICE DINING GUIDE LEGEND

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS • 402-391-2950 CENTRAL LOCATION • 3125 SOUTH 72ND STREET • EASY ACCESS OFF I-80 • 72ND STREET EXIT

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 176 | omahamagazine.com

Omahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest upscale lounge is open and ready to show you the world!

Travel Design Lounge features an array of specialty coffees, craft beers, wines, spirits and appetizers from around the globe, in addition to giving patrons the ability to research travel options. Come in today to experience this innovative lounge concept for yourself!

ENJOY THESE HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS EVERY DAY FROM 3PM TO 7PM: $3 Wells $3 Beers $3 off any glass of wine FREE select appetizer when you buy a bottle of wine

Located in The Shops of Legacy

16950 Wright Plaza #151, Omaha, NE traveldesignlounge.com

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Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide MILLARD ROADHOUSE - $ MC, V

13325 Millard Ave. 402-891-9292 The all American neighborhood grill Millard Roadhouse is perfect for the whole family, with hugh portions, great service and even better food. From broasted chicken to fried green tomatoes, theres something for every taste, and trust us your not going to leave hungry. Also serving Sunday Brunch and the Best Happy Hour in the area. Mon.-Wed. 11:00-9:00pm, Thur.-Sat. 11:00am-10:00pm, Sun. 10:00am-9:00pm.

OLD MATTRESS FACTORY - $$

402-346-9116 501 N. 13th St Within walking distance of Omaha's major entertainment facilities, including TD Ameritrade Park and CenturyLink Center Omaha, this historic building remodeled in 2007 boasts great dining and three private dining rooms for your own events. Stop in before or after any Downtown Omaha event. Open daily at 11:00 a.m. themattomaha.com

PHOENIX FOOD & SPIRITS - $

402-493-7607 12015 Blondo St. Come experience the Best Burgers on Blondo. Also featuring one of Omaha's best happy hours and reverse happy hour. The Phoenix offers friendly service, a heated patio and numerous televisions so you won't miss a minute of the action. This is the place where Omaha goes for Fun, Food & Spirits.

STELLA’S - $ MC, V, AE, DC

402-291-6088 106 S Galvin Road, Bellevue Since 1936, we’ve been making our Stella’s world famous hamburgers the same way. The family secrets have been handed down to each owner to ensure that your burger is the same one you fell in love with the first time you ever tried Stella’s. And if it’s your first time, we know you’ll be back! Mon.–Sat. 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m., Sun. closed. stellasbarandgrill.com

UPSTREAM BREWING COMPANY - $$

514 S. 11th St. (402-344-0200) 17070 Wright Plz. (402-778-0100) Upstream features an extensive menu of new American pub fare including appetizers, thin-crust pizzas, superb steaks featuring Omaha Steaks, fresh fish, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and a great children’s menu. Fresh, handcrafted beer and root beer on tap. Extensive wine list. Call ahead for group reservations or to be placed on our waiting list. Visit our classic, upscale poolroom located on the second level.

ICE CREAM TED AND WALLY’S - $ MC, V

402-341-5827 1120 Jackson St. Come experience the true taste of homemade ice cream in the Old Market. Since 1986, we’ve created gourmet ice cream flavors in small batches using rock salt and ice. We offer your favorites plus unique flavors like margarita, green tea, Guinness, and French toast. Special orders available.

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 178 | omahamagazine.com

OMAHA’S ORIGINAL STEAKHOUSE

Omaha’s Only

Authentic German Restaurant

Locally Owned Since 1976 • Proudly serving visitor & locals for 90 years.

• Featured on CNN.com Best Meat Cities in America • Serving hand cut steaks, aged on premise and slow roasted prime rib with pride.

402-731-4774 www.johnnyscafe.com 27th & ‘L’ St., Kennedy Frwy, ‘L’ St. Exit 8 Minutes from Downtown Omaha.

Best Of Omaha 10 Years Running

WHERE WHERE GOOD GOOD FOOD FOOD AND AND GOOD GOOD SERVICE SERVICE NEVER NEVER GO GO OUT OUT OF OF STYLE. STYLE.

Stop In for Good Old Fashion Comfort Food!

German Strudel, Sauerkraut, and Schnitzel.

Wednesday and Thursday Night Pan Fried Chicken

Full Bakery, Fresh Bread, Donuts, and Cakes!

10 min from downtown Omaha

5180 Leavenworth

402-553-6774

GerdasGermanRestaurant.com

Thanks for Voting Us

#1 BREAKFAST 8 YEARS in a Row!

177th & Center • 934-9914 156th & Dodge • 408-1728 120th & Blondo • 991-8222 Drive-Thru Open (Center St. Only) Open Daily 6:30am-2:00pm Serving Breakfast & Lunch All Day! January // February • 2016 | 179 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

Thank you Omaha for voting us Best Family Restaurant!

“Serving The Best Chicken in Town Since 1997”

13325 Millard Ave. • 402-891-9292 www.millardroadhouse.com

The Holland Performing Arts Ctr Zinc Full Service Upscale Dining Ovations Bar and Lounge

1200 Douglas St. Downtown Omaha Open Before and After Performances Visit us @ OmahaPerformingArts.org

The Dining Room

Farm Fresh Foods You Love To Eat

1400 Douglas st. Downtown Omaha OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

International Cuisine

with Fresh, Local, Seasonal Ingredients

Open Daily for Breakfast & Lunch 6:30 am – 1:30 pm Visit us @ cafeatup.com O P E R AT E D BY

3461 S 84th St, Omaha, NE 68124 402.393.0640 . farmhousecafe.com

January // February • 2016 | 180 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide ITALIAN DON CARMELO'S PIZZERIA - $

402-933-3190 10821 Prairie Brook Rd. Omaha's first and finest New York-style pizza, stromboli, calzones, oven-toasted hoagies, Philly cheesesteaks, pasta, salads, beer, and wine. We also feature take-out and delivery and can cater your special event, large or small. Tue.-Thur., 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. & Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun., Noon-8 p.m.

LA CASA PIZZARIA - $$ MC, V

402-556-6464 45th & Leavenworth St. La Casa Pizzaria has been serving Omaha it’s legendary Neapolitan Style pizza and pasta for 60 years now. We offer dine in, carryout, party facilities, catering and now pizza shipments to the 48 contiguous states.

Open Tues.- Sat. at 11 a.m. and Sun. at 4:30 p.m. lacasapizzaria.net

LO SOLE MIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO - $$

402-345-5656 3001 S. 32nd Ave. Located in the middle of a neighborhood, surrounded by charming homes. Everyone is greeted with homemade bread, a bowl of fresh tomatoes and basil, a bowl of oven-roasted garlic cloves, specialseasoned olive oil, and at night, a jug of Chianti! The menu includes a large variety of pasta, chicken, veal, seafood, and even a delicious New York steak. Traditional dishes such as lasagna, tortellini, and eggplant parmigiana are also available. Lunch also offers panini, salads, and one of the best pizzas in town. Patio seating, full bar, and a great wine list complete the atmosphere. No reservations, except for private rooms.

PITCH - $$ MC, V, AE, DC

402- 590-2625 5021 Underwood Ave. Open Table Diners Choice 2014 HotSpot Restaurants in America. Keeping up with the traditional way the first pizzas in Italy were made, our pizzas are cooked in a coal-fired oven. The menu also features seafood, handcut steak, housemade pastas, and a burger full of flavor! Our goal is to provide you with local, housemade, and imported ingredients. We offer a Happy Hour menu through the week. And, our bar provides an array of in-house concoctions as well as your traditional libation! Our wine selection is well-thought and most impressive!! You will enjoy Pitch!

Mon. 3 p.m.-10 p.m., Tue.-Thur. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m.-10 p.m. pitchpizzeria.com.

SPEZIA - $$$ MC, V

402-391-2950 3125 S. 72nd St. Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you ll find a casual elegance that s perfect for business guests, get-togethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, Certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily. Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary Lovers Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and wood-fired grill. Open Mon.-Sun. Cocktail hour: 4-6 p.m., when all cocktails, glass wine, and beers are half price. Evening reservations recommended.

EST. 1993 5 OMAHA AREA LOCATIONS!

Downtown - 10th & Capitol - 402-763-9974 Aksarben Village - 67th & Center - 402-933-3533 Miracle Hills - 114th & Dodge - 402-498-8855 Millard - 180th & Q - 402-933-8844 Bellevue - 23rd & Cornhusker - 402-292-9096 Plattsmouth - Hwy 75 & Oak Hill Rd. - OPENS JAN 2016!

DJSDUGOUT.COM

ZIO’S PIZZERIA - $$ MC, V

7834 Dodge St. (402-391-1881) 12997 W. Center Rd. (402-330-1444) 1109 Howard St. (402-344-2222) Delivery, dine in, and carry out. Serving New York style pizza by the slice or whole pies, calzones, hoagies, pastas, salads, and garlic breads. Our pies are hand-stretched and baked in old-world ovens. We offer 35 of the freshest toppings; taste the freshest pizza at Zio’s! Family dining, open seven days a week. Lunch specials and beer and wine available.

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 181 | bestofomaha.com

Sports Bar

2016 First Place KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide MEXICAN EL ALAMO - $ MC, V, AE, DC

402-731-8969 4917 S. 24th St. Located in the heart of Omaha’s thriving Hispanic community. We provide catering services and a party room. elalamoomaha.com

FERNANDO’S - $ MC, V, AE

7555 Pacific St. (402-339-8006) 380 N. 114th St. (402-330-5707) Featuring Sonoran-style cooking made fresh daily. Catering and party rooms also available. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.-9 p.m.

LA MESA - $$ MC, V

Ames! & t s 1 7 t a n e Now Op

156th & Q St.(402-763-2555) 110th & Maple St.(402-496-1101) Ft. Crook Rd. & 370 (402-733-8754) 84th & Tara Plaza (402-593-0983) Lake Manawa Exit, Council Bluffs, IA (712-256-2762) Come experience an authentic taste experience at La Mesa! From awesome enchiladas to fabulous fajitas, La Mesa has something for every connoisseur of Mexican fare to savor. Get started with one of La Mesa’s famous margaritas! So kick back in our fun-friendly atmosphere and you’ll see why La Mesa has been voted Omaha’s # 1 Mexican Restaurant 11 Years in a Row! www.la-mesa.com

MARGARITA'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT - $

loloschickenandwaffles.com Serving Nebraska's Great Steaks and American Classics!

2505 S. 132nd St. (402-991-3555) 4915 S. 72nd St. (402-393-7515) Margaritas is a business with more than 7 years in the food world. We offer authentic food at 2 nice locations in Omaha where you can enjoy a nice moment with your family.

ROJA MEXICAN GRILL - $$

17010 Wright Plz. (402-333-7652) 1212 Harney St. (402-346-9190) Roja Mexican Grill serves it up Tex-Mex style. Fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, chimichangas, and more! All with sizzling smack and an extra helping of Tex flavor. Wash it all down with a Pomegrante Margarita or a tall boy Tecate. Our drink menu boasts more than 80 tequilas. rojagrill.com

SEAFOOD CHARLIE’S ON THE LAKE - $$

402-894-9411 4150 . 144th St. Charlie’s is the only fresh-fish-daily seafood restaurant in Omaha.

Features a relaxed yet contemporary atmosphere that is fun for all ages. Besides fresh seafood, Charlie’s is the home of the James Bondstyle martini (shaken, not stirred) in over 20 varieties in addition to over 60 wines. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sat., 4:30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Homemade Ice cream and PIes • 5914 center • Petrows.com • 402.551.0552

PLANK SEAFOOD PROVISIONS - $$$

402-507-4480 1205 Howard St. Plank Seafood Provisions is a coastally-inspired oyster bar and seafood grill. Our menu is faithful to the tradition of fresh seafood, high-quality ingredients, and a made-from-scratch mentality. A different oyster variety is offered daily for $1.25 during Happy Hour. plank seafood.com

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

Stella’s Bar and Grill

“Serving World Famous Hamburgers since 1936” 106 Galvin Rd • Bellevue, NE • 402-291-6088 • Open Monday-Saturday, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 182 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide Best Greek

THANK YOU OMAHA FOR VOTING US BEST PIZZA 24 STRAIGHT YEARS! Hand-stretched New York style pizza

Family Owned Since 1983

Catering ~ Party Room Available Homemade, Fresh Food ~ Always 3821 Center St. 402/346-1528

GreekIslandsOmaha.com

It’s later It’s later than usual than usual at the at the Flatiron Cafe...

Flatiron Cafe...

CALZONES · PASTA · SALADS · LUNCH SPECIALS APPETIZERS · BEER · WINE · MARGARITAS

391-1881

7834 Dodge St.

O’Connor’s Irish Pub 1217 Howard St. • Omaha, NE 68102 402-934-9790 • oconnorsomaha.com

330-1444

12997 W. Center Rd.

344-2222

1109 Howard St. (Old Market)

HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY FROM 4PM-6PM ZIOSPIZZERIA.COM

It’s later than usual Our Classics at theEndure for a Reason...

Flatiron Cafe...

Introducing our

‘After 9 Menu’

Thank You Omaha for Continually Voting Us Best Italian Restaurant Family Owned & Operated Authentic Italian Cuisine Party Rooms Available Carry Out Available

Serving Lunch & Dinner Mon-Sat 3001 S. 32nd Ave • Omaha, NE 402-345-5656

ourEvenings ThursdayIntroducing – Saturday

‘After 9 Menu’ Starting September 11, 2015 Thursday – Saturday Evenings Starting September 11, 2015

402.344.3040 17th and Howard Introducing our thef latironcafe.com 402.344.3040 | | 17th and Howard Two Blocks from the Orpheum Theater

‘After 9 Menu’

ntic Restaura ma nt Ro

2016 Winner KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

402.344.3040 | 17th Howard TwoOrpheum Blocks from the Orpheum Theater Two and Blocks from-the Theater January // February • 2016 | 183 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide SPECIAL DINING AMSTERDAM FALAFEL & KABOB MIDDLE EASTERN- $

402-504-3223 620 N. 50th St. Casual counter service and a simple menu allows you to explore exotic flavors in a friendly and approachable dining environment. Amsterdam packs the best spices and sauces from around the world into their falafel & kabob menu. Your visit won’t be complete without an order of their famous Curry Fries. eatafk.com

BLUE SUSHI SAKE GRILL- $$

14450 Eagle Run Dr. (402-445-2583) 16939 Wright Plz. (402-547-5959) 416 S. 12th St. (402-408-5566) Fresh and energetic, Blue Sushi Sake Grill offers an inspired mix of creative sushi for purists and adventurers alike. You will enjoy a dining experience infused with flavor and spirited atmosphere. A large maki, sashimi and nigiri menu complements Asian-inspired cold plates, hot plates, entrees, soups, desserts and an extensive premium sake menu. bluesushisakegrill.com.

BUSHWACKERS- $

402-593-9037 7401 Main St., Ralston, NE Live music every Fri. night and DJ on Sat. night. Free dance lessons every Wed. and Thur. night from 7-8pm. Now serving food Wed.-Sun.

CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $

402-345-1708 3578 Farnam St. Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia, Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store. With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best reuben sandwich, we are a midtown beer lover’s destination. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kitchen hours: Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight. Closed Sun. www.beercornerusa.com.

THE CHROME

402-339-8660 8552 Park Dr. Live music every Fri. and Sat. nights. Song writer night on Thur.

FETA'S GYRO & CATERING - $$

743 N. 114th St. (402-504-4976) 119 S. 40th St. (402 558 5623) Fast casual restaurant serving Greek and American foods. Featuring homemade baklava! The 119 S. 40th location has a drive-thru for your convenience.

DINING GUIDE LEGEND Carry Out Buffet Available Beer & Wine Available www.gcbne.com

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 184 | omahamagazine.com

Since 1921

Think Outside the Burger!

lla Buns! e t o R e t i r o v a F r u o Y With

Hamburger Buns Hot Dog Buns Brat Buns Ciabatta Buns Hoagies

www.rotellasbakery.com

January // February • 2016 | 185 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide GERDA’S GERMAN RESTAURANT & BAKERY - $

402-553-6774 5180 Leavenworth St. Omaha’s only authentic German restaurant; a little piece of Germany in Omaha. Gerda herself makes homemade spaetzle, schnitzels, and rouladen Fresh-made soups, red cabbage, sauerkraut, and dumplings are a few other treats. Stay for a dessert of Black Forest cake or grab fresh bakery for breakfast on your way out. Check hours at gerdasgermanrestaurant.com.

• • • •

Chicago Style Hot Dogs Chilli Dogs Italian Beef Polish & Italian Sausage

GRAND CHINA BUFFET - $$ • Hand Cut Fries • Onion Rings • Catering Available!

3157 Farnam • Midtown Crossing 402.504.1234 chicagodawghouse.com

402-504-3711 11226 Chicago Cir. "Grand China Buffet is located 1 block south of 114th St. & Dodge.

Our restaurant is dedicated to offering the most memorable dinning experience for you. We provide a party Room & Catering Service for all occasions. A carry out buffet is also available.

GREEK ISLANDS - $ M C, V, AE, DC

402-346-1528 3821 Center St. Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. Well known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests. Carryout and delivery available. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

GUCKENHEIMER - $

5203 Leavenworth st.

Omaha, NE 68106

Lunch Mon-Fri 11-2 Dinner Mon-Sat 5-10

www.jcocoomaha.com

Located “Just a Wink from the Link”,

we have everything you might desire for lunch & dinner, a night out or in planning your next event.

1200 Douglas St. - Holland Performing Arts Center 1400 Douglas St - The Dining Room at Union Pacific Featuring 2 great dining experiences. The Dining Room at Union Pacific features International cuisine with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. We are open for breakfast and lunch. The Holland Performing Arts Center features Zinc, a full service upscale dining experience, and Ovations Bar & Lounge. Open before and after performances.

HORSEMEN’S PARK- $ MC, V

402-731-2900 6303 Q St. One-dollar pints, $1.75 domestic bottles, and $2 well drinks for our happy hour Mon.-Wed., 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays are 25-cent wings from 3-8 p.m., Wednesdays are Steak Night after 5 p.m., Thursdays are 75-cent tacos and $1.75 margaritas after 5 p.m., and Fridays are Prime Rib Dinner after 5 p.m. Daily specials seven days a week. Open at 10 a.m. www.horsemenspark.com

JAIPUR INDIAN RESTAURANT AND BREWERY - $$$ MC, V

402-392-7331 10922 Elm St. A casual restaurant in a relaxed atmosphere. Dinner entrees include fresh vegetables, grilled Colorado lamb sirloin, sushi-grade Ahi, tandoori marinated grilled salmon, and tandoori grilled beef tenderloin to name a few. A wide selection of wines and liquor, as well as on-site brewed beer. Lunch: Thurs. and Fri., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: Sun.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri and Sat., 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

501 N. 13th Street | 402.346.9116 theMattOmaha.com /oldmattressfactory

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DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 186 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide NOSH RESTAURANT AND WINE LOUNGE - $$

402-614-2121 1006 Dodge St. Located in downtown Omaha blocks away from the CenturyLink Center Omaha, Holland Performing Arts, and the Old Market—Nosh is the perfect place to gather and celebrate good times. Guests are sure to enjoy our comfortable relaxing atmosphere, diverse wine list, impressive cocktails and food that will please any palate. noshwine.com

Always a Large Selection of Fresh Fish

O’CONNOR’S IRISH PUB - $

402-934-9790 1217 Howard St. Comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Great before and after games. We offer pub style food—burgers, reubens, daily specials, and homemade soups—as well as all the traditional Irish favorite libations: Guinness, Harp, and Irish whiskey. Grill hours: Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

4150 SOUTH 144TH STREET • OMAHA • 894-9411

SALT 88 - $$

The Original Whiskey Steak

402-991-9088 3623 N. 129th St. Brought to you by the owners of Hiro 88, Salt is a New American adventure in cuisine. Its a restaurant supported by a friendly staff, savory appetizers, and, most importantly, free cotton candy at the end of your meal. Guests are sure to notice that not only is the food unique, but its ambiance feels modern and inviting, making your meal not just delicious, but memorable. Open daily at 11am. salt88.com

h Steak ouse

2016 Winner KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

Voted Best of Omaha 5 years in a row

THE WOODCLIFF RESTAURANT - $$

402-721-2922 980 County Rd. W., Fremont, NE The Woodcliff Restaurant takes lakeside dining to a new level. Our accomplished Chefs deliver a wide selection of traditional favorites and new experimental cuisine. We also offer a refined selection of wine and spirits.

TRAVEL DESIGN LOUNGE - $$

16950 Wright Plaza Suite 151 402-548-3280 Travel Design Lounge is a full service travel agency combined with a full bar and coffee shop. Come in anytime to enjoy drinks with friends over happy hour or let us guide you in planning the vacation of a lifetime.

“Get Tripsy” and be inspired to travel!

Gift Cards Available Open Monday-Friday 11am-2pm Dinner nightly from 5pm Reservations Accepted DroverRestaurant.com 402-391-7440

2121 S. 73 St.

ZESTO ICE CREAM & GRILL - $

7130 N. 102nd Cr. (402-884-7106) Cherry Hills 8608 N. 30th St. (402-451-0581) Florence Zesto has been an Omaha staple for over 60 years, With our 2 locations being voted among Omaha's best Ice Cream. We pride ourselves on our great customer service and quality products.

Old Market

Coming Soon to Benson

1120 Jackson Street 402.341.5827

6023 Maple Street

•

tedandwallys.com

9 Years In A Row

STEAKS • CHOPS • SEAFOOD ITALIAN SPECIALTIES 7 private party rooms Seating up to 400 Lots of parking

DINING GUIDE LEGEND 1620 S. 10th Street

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+

402-345-8313

MC=Master Card • V=Visa

www.casciossteakhouse.com

AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 187 | bestofomaha.com

PALACE Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

GOLDEN PALACE Sonoran Style Cooking Made Fresh Daily.

Catering and Party Rooms Also Available.

7555 Pacific St. 399–8006 380 N.114 St. 330–5707 Omaha, Nebraska

STEAKHOUSES 801 CHOPHOUSE - $$$$

402-341-1222 1403 Farnam St. Designed with a 1920s-era New York chophouse in mind, 801 is the epitome of elegance. You will not forget the crisp-white-tablecloth, fine-dining experience. From our USDA prime-grade beef and jet-fresh seafood from all over the world, we are truly the best Omaha has to offer. Open seven nights a week.

Mandarin • Hunan Szechuan • Cantonese Shanghai 4040 N 132nd St (132 & Maple) 402.493.277 | GoldenPalaceNE.com

Bringing Italy to Omaha

n Sandwi ube ch Re

for Over 90 Years

2016 First Place KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

Try Omaha’s Favorite Reuben!

Orsi’s is famous for our pizza. Our Italian Deli features a variety of meats, homemade sausage, cakes, cannolis, cheese and bread products.

621 Pacific St, Omaha • 402-345-3438 www.orsibakery.com

Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers.

3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com

BROTHER SEBASTIANS - $$$

402-330-0300 1350 S 119th St Relax in the cozy old world comfort of an early California monastery with friendly “monks” that pamper you in subdued, romantic surroundings, and savor the fresh, full flavors of U.S.D.A. Choice Nebraska Angus Beef seared over an open flame. Brother Sebastian’s Steak House and Winery is locally owned and has been recognized as one of Omaha’s best restaurants for a delicious, romantic dining experience. Join us with your party of two or fifty and we’ll help make your special occasion enjoyable and memorable.

Reservations accepted. Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: MonThur. 5-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-10 p.m., Sun. 4-9 p.m.

CASCIOS - $$

402-345-8313 1620 S. 10th St. Cascios is Omaha's Number 1 steakhouse. We have been serving Omaha for 69 years. We feature Steaks, Chops, Seafood and Italian Specialties. We Have 7 Private Party Rooms, seating for up to 400 people and plenty of parking.

THE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - $$$

402-391-7440 2121 S. 73rd St. Famous for the original Whiskey Steak. Truly a one of a kind Midwestern experience. Excellent food, wine, service and value. Rare...and very well done. Reservations accepted. Lunch: Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Cocktail Hour: 3-6 p.m. Dinner: Nightly at 5 p.m. Reservations accepted.

JOHNNY'S CAFÉ - $$$ MC, V, AE

NEW LOCATION! NOW OPEN! A Fusion of Moroccan and Mediterranean Flavors 402.502.0739 504 N 33rd St. Omaha, NE marrakechgourmetomaha.com

40th & Dodge • 402.558.5623 (Drive thru at this location) 114th & Dodge • 402.504.4976

402-731-4774 4702 S. 27th St. Years of quality dining and hospitality make Johnny's Café a restaurant to remember. We serve only the finest beef the Midwest has to offer.

Aged steaks and prime rib are the specialties, with homemade bread and pies to complete a meal. An excellent wine list adds to the enjoyment at one of Omaha's original restaurants. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

MAHOGANY PRIME STEAKHOUSE - $$$$

402-445-4380 13665 California St. This is a restaurant where steak is the star, using custom-aged, U.S. prime Midwestern beef known for its excellence in marbling, texture, and flavor. We serve it sizzling on a heated plate so that it stays hot throughout your meal. Amazing service in a less-intimidating, finedining atmosphere.

Fresh, Greek, Fast!

Eat In - Catering

M-Th & Sa: 11a-8:30p Fri: 11a-9p fetasgyros.com

Serving the Metro Area for More Than 20 Years!

Sports Bar

THANK YOU OMAHA!

SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS

2016 Winner

OMAHA.COM

TBL

KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

FOOD, WINE, FRIENDS. WE DELIVER

3623 N. 129 ST. OMAHA, NE 68164 402.991.9088 | SALT88.COM

DUNDEE LOCATION 402.934.9439 4900 Dodge Street Omaha, NE 68132

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RALSTON LOCATION 402.339.1944 9735 Q Street Omaha, NE 68127

MILLARD LOCATION BELLEVUE LOCATION 402.505.6660 402.932.1944 14529 F Street 3504 Samson Way Omaha, NE 68137 Bellevue, NE 68123

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DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

January // February • 2016 | 188 | omahamagazine.com

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5:08 PM

happy hour Daily open - 7pm

Special Happy Hour Menu

3:59pm - 6:59pm & 9:01pm -12:01am

Heated Outdoor Patio 12015 blondo st.

402.493.7607 phoenixfoodandspiritsomaha.com

It’s Warm Inside!

Happy Hour Specials

Everyday 4PM-6PM Friday & Saturday 10PM-12AM $2 Off any Wine by the Glass | $3 Domestic Beers | $4 Wells $5 Select Martinis | $4 Hummus or Chorizo Nachos $5 Bruschetta or Spinach and Artichoke Dip $6 Margherita Flatbread or Duck Tacos

www.noshwine.com 1006 Dodge St | 402.614.2121

SIP.TASTE.SAVOR.

se Happy Ho ver ur Re

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402.346.9116 | 501 N. 13th Street | theMattOmaha.com 2016 Winner

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KETV 7 • Baxter Arena

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS M-F 3p-6p $1 Off ALL 75+ Craft & Domestic Beers

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$3 Wells $5 Wines $7 Top Shelf Spirits

Select Appetizers

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120th & Giles | beyondgolfomaha.com January // February • 2016 | 189 | bestofomaha.com

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January // February • 2016 | 190 | omahamagazine.com

JANUARY JAN D. HODGE. THROUGH JAN.

WINTER WONDERLAND

24 at Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, IA Hodge has created a body of works that are referred to as “shaped poems,” which combine conventional poetry with the added bonus that each word contributes toward a visual image. 712-279-6272 -siouxcityartcenter.org

There’s nothing like the quiet serenity of a new-fallen snow along Sarpy County’s miles of hiking trails. Or blend indoor/outdoor fun with a visit to the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium amid the rolling hills of Schramm Park State Recreational Area. Then defrost and refuel at any of Sarpy County’s many great restaurants!

GRANT REYNARD’S WINTER SCENES.

Through Feb. 14 at MONA in Kearney, NE Featuring illustrations from Grant Reynard’s book, Rattling Home for Christmas, along with elements from the artist’s studio. 308-865-8559 -mona.unk.edu Fruitcake Fling, seasonal crafts, lighted hayrack rides and more. A park entry permit is required. 402-755-2284 -sites.outdoornebraska.gov

THE TEXAS TENORS. Jan. 21 at Lied Center in Lincoln, NE Performing everything from Alabama to Puccini, The Tenors bring a unique blend of country, gospel, classical and Broadway tunes to the stage. 402-472-4747 -liedcenter.org

DAVINCI THE EXHIBITION. Through May 1 at

of Art in Kansas City, MO In East Asian culture the four seasons are regarded as an expression of the cycles of nature and a harmonious universe. 816-751-1278.

-nelson-atkins.org

FOURTH ANNUAL WORDS BYWINTERFEST. JAMES WALMSLEY Jan. 2 PHOTOGRAPHY

BY SCOTT DRICKEYNE This at Ponca State Park near Ponca, outdoor family tradition features the Park’s 3K Yule Log Quest, the National Championship

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. Jan.

27, 2016 at the Orpheum in Sioux City, IA This Tonyaward-winning Broadway musical is inspired by the true story of Dec. 4, 1956, the recording session that brought together icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. 712-244-5000 -orpheumlive.com

NIOBRARA RIVER POLAR BEAR FESTIVAL.

Union Station in Kansas City, MO Sixtyfive of DaVinci’s most important inventions are recreated in full scale, and more than 20 fine art studies and dozens of stunning displays are presented in spectacular detail. 816-460-2020 -unionstation.org/davinci/

FLOWERS TO FROST: FOUR SEASONS IN ASIAN ART. Through July 17 at Nelson-Atkins Museum

singer/songwriter Matthew West. 816-949-7140 -sprintcenter.com

Jan. 30 in Ainsworth, NE Travel to small-town Nebraska for some winter fun. Registration for the plunge begins at noon at Leadville Store, and takes place in Meadville Park at 2 pm. 402-497-2440 -meadvillestore.com

CAUCUS! THE MUSICAL.

Jan. 23-Feb. 6 at Stoner Studio Theatre in Des Moines, IA When an Iowa farmer and his family are dubbed "the typical caucusgoers" by the national media, the candidates prove that they will do anything to win their votes. 515-246-2300 -desmoinesperformingarts.org

WINTER JAM. Jan.

24 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO Co-headlining this Christian music festival are Grammy-Award-winning duo for King & Country and Grammy®-nominated January // February • 2016 | 191 | bestofomaha.com

FEBRUARY A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER February 2-7—Des Moines Civic Center 221 Walnut Street, Des Moines Getting away with murder can be so much fun… and there’s no better proof than the hilarious hit show that won the 2014 Tony Award® for best musical. 515-246-2300 - desmoinesperformingarts.org

Omaha Magazine • Explore

Mission: To enhance the quality of life of the blind and visually impaired.

Outlook Nebraska, Inc. (ONI) positively impacts the lives of those with vision loss through: • Employment at all levels of our organization that empowers Associates with independence and confidence • Expanding programs to assist vision impaired children and adults in our community • Advocacy for capabilities of the blind in their personal and professional lives

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LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO.

Don’t miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine

Feb. 5 at Lied Center in Lincoln, NE “The Trocks” blend incredible technique, impeccable comic timing, and the astounding fact that men can, indeed, dance en pointe without falling flat on their faces. 402-472-4747 -liedcenter.org

LAUREN GARRISON Surly Lass, British Sass BOBSLEDDING? IN NEBRASKA? Olympic Gold Medalist Curtis Tomasevicz

omamag.com/save

RICHARD MARX. Feb.

BEST DOCTORS OMAHA 2015-2016

Rev. John Jenkins

FROM OMAHA to

NOTRE DAME

We were proud to participate in both the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and 2014 Capital One Bowl Halftime Show!

Award Winning Competition Team

Register now for summer and fall classes!

12 at Merryman Performing Arts Center in Kearney, NE Singersongwriter Marx performs an acoustic one-man concert. Expect to hear hits like Right Here Waiting, Satisfied, Hazard, Endless Summer Nights, and Don’t Mean Nothing. 8 pm. 308-698-8297 -merrymancenter.org

DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT.

Feb. 12 and 13 at Lied Center in Lincoln, NE The Cat in the Hat is the perfect friend for a boring, rainy afternoon. From games and mischief to Thing One and Thing Two, the cat brings all sorts of trouble to this gray day. 402-472-4747 -liedcenter.org

BIRDS AND BREAKFAST.

Feb. 13 and 14 at Ponca State Park near Ponca, NE Get outside and experience the great backyard bird count. The event includes bird tours/count, a Saturday morning breakfast, complimentary wine or cider, lodging discounts, and more. 402-755-2284 -sites.outdoornebraska.gov

Professional Dance Education For All Ages!

SHEN YUN. Feb. 16 at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA There was a time when all on Earth existed in harmony with Heaven. This was a land of heroes and sages, dragons and phoenixes, emperors and immortals. 515-246-2300 -desmoinesperformingarts.org

Jazz • Hip-Hop • Lyrical • Tap • Ballet • Pointe • Modern • Contemporary • Dance Theater We allow students to develop skills to their optimum potential while challenging them to achieve higher levels of dance education.

402.493.5671 • onpointedancecentre.com 1812 N. 120th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154 January // February • 2016 | 192 | omahamagazine.com

RAGTIME.

Feb. 16 at the Orpheum in Sioux City, IA At the dawn of the 20th century, everything is changing.The stories of an upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant, and a daring young Harlem musician unfold. 712-244-5000 -orpheumlive.com

Thank You for your confidence and voting us Best Hair Salon again in 2016.

Voted Number 1 Since 1992!

VANCE JOY. Feb.

17 at Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland in Kansas City, MO Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy will perform in Kansas City for one night only. Opening will be Elle King and Jamie Lawson. 816-471-9703 -midlandkc.com

WINGS OVER THE PLATTE ART EXHIBIT.

Starting Feb. 19 at the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, NE The Wings Over the Platte exhibit is the largest art show dedicated to life on the Platte River in the region. 308-385-5316.

-stuhrmuseum.org

FLASHDANCE: THE MUSICAL. Feb. 19 and 20 at Lied Center in Lincoln, NE The musical form of the movie, which tells the story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh welder by day and bar dancer by night with dreams of becoming a professional performer. 402-472-4747 -liedcenter.org

12025 Pacific Street Omaha, Nebraska 68154 Phone (402) 330-5660 Fax (402) 330-5662 creativehairdesign.com

PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS - PBR.

Feb. 20-Feb. 21 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO The PBR heads back to the City of Fountains for the 13th consecutive year with the Kansas City Invitational. 719-242-2800 -pbr.com

Congratulations to Executive Chef and Business Owner Jeff Snow for being inducted into the Omaha Hospitality Hall of Fame.

THE ART OF THE BRICK. Starting

February 20 at Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, IA The Art of the Brick features largescale sculptures constructed out of iconic LEGO® bricks by artist Nathan Sawaya. 712-279-6272 -siouxcityartcenter.org

Way to go Chef!

402.558.3202 | CateringCreations.com

BLAKE SHELTON WITH SPECIAL GUEST CHRIS JANSON. Feb. 25 at Pinnacle Bank Arena Blake Shelton, the reigning five-time CMA male vocalist of the year and coach of NBC’s The Voice, brings his new tour to Lincoln to promote his new album, Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits. 402-904-4444 -pinnaclebankarena.com

First Place 6 years in a row!

An approved caterer for many of Omaha’s nest venues.

January // February • 2016 | 193 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Not Funny

A MODEST PROPOSAL WORDS BY OTIS TWELVE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

D

OWNTOWN OMAHA IN the 21st

Century is experiencing an exciting, disturbing, wonderful, odd, exciting, depressing new era that combines the Renaissance with the Dark Ages.

With the still-new Holland Performing Arts Center, TD Ameritrade Park, No-Do, and CenturyLink and the likes of HDR wanting to move east to join such other corporate giants as Union Pacific, First National, and Zesto’s, the future is bright.

But there is one overreaching conundrum of a problem—I know “conundrum of a problem” is superfluously redundant, but nevertheless—it’s a huge, overarching, pervasive, permeating (yes, Virginia, I found my tattered old thesaurus on the bookshelf) ubiquitous problem.

Parking.

In this case the Holland is the nexus of the question. HDR wants to come downtown and they want to build their new headquarters on the site of the parking lot now used by the performing arts center, right? So the dominoes tumble. HDR eats parking places and needs more to boot. The Holland loses parking places, and needs to replace them, and find room for expansion.

Parking.

Easy, you think. There’s lots of open land downtown. For instance, what about that big, empty lawn near ConAgra? We could park three thousand cars on that acreage. But hold on, it’s not that simple. It’s a six-block trek from there to the Holland, and global warming probably won’t occur fast enough to eliminate the hazards pedestrians face in a Nebraska winter—darn environmentalists.

Parking, in this case, is defined as the answer to the question, “Where can we abandon our cars within easy walking distance of a venue?”

Yes, “easy walking distance” is the real sticking point. Walking. Easy walking.

The city has bought three historic buildings to make room for parking/walking. They will most likely demolish the Christian Specht Building—amazing ironwork front and all—the Alvine, and the Happy Hollow Coffee edifice with all its decorative brickwork. They will pay the owners a total of 10 million dollars.

Hold off on the wrecking ball. Instead, redirect that $10 million to fund limo rides for everyone attending an event at the Holland.

Taking into account the annual attendance of 86,000 at events there, and figuring two people per stretch Hummer—that much moolah should cover the cost for a year, maybe a year and a half. Every patron gets door-to-door service.

Meanwhile, start construction of the new HDR headquarters and add fifty floors of parking above the office space. That would provide an additional 2,800 slots in the tower.

The historic buildings survive, plus Omaha gets a crazy seventy-floor addition to its skyline. Another plus—tourists will flock to town for the thrill of the seemingly endless, dizzying, circling drive to the top of the parking spire, only to discover there is only one spot left…for sub-compacts only.

Lovely. Problem solved.

After taking in the view of where Jobber‘s Canyon used to be, the twisting, bobsled-run drive down will be even more fun.

Cars parked and a short walk insured. Will we really miss the iron and brickwork charm of those old white elephants? My guess? Yes. Yes we will.

The only other option is a huge cavern excavated by Swiss tunneling machines. In the meantime, I’ll keep buying PowerballOtickets.

If I hit a big one, the cave is on me.

So, not withstanding the fact that this all may be a fait accompli by the time this column is published, let me make a modest proposal.

January // February • 2016 | 194 | omahamagazine.com

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NURSE OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE Susan Adams Retired Debra Arnow Children’s Hospital &Medical Center Vice President Patient Care & CNO Inglish Camero CHI Health LakesideHospital Vice-President Patient Care Services Paulette Davidson Nebraska Medicine Chief Human Capital Officer Marc & Cheryl Eisele West/ Google Co-chairs Nurse of the Year Committee

®

Laura Enenbach Clarkson College Assistant Professor Laynne Evans Kaplan University Instructor Robert Giddings Kaplan University Director of Career Services

T

WORDS BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

HEY POKE YOU with needles, give you medications that make you feel

better (if sometimes woozy or nauseous), and dress that wound you got on your…er…nevermind where.

Let’s face it, nurses labor tirelessly, often for 12 or more hours, often performing fearless, yet caring tasks. On November 12, 2015, the March of Dimes took an evening to thank those vital professionals taking vital signs, and Omaha Magazine proudly sponsored that event. These nurses were genuinely touched—several of them came to our photo booth in tears; shocked, surprised, that anyone would even care enough to recognize their work.

We certainly do care, because these nurses care for us, each and every day.

Teresa Barry Hultquist Chair Nominations UNMC – College of Nursing Assistant Professor Helen Johnstone Kaplan University Director of Nursing Sue Korth Methodist Women’s Hospital Vice President & COO Gina Lypaczewski Boys Town National Research Hospital Lisa McClane Nebraska Medicine Executive Director, Pediatric Services Cindy Mirfield Chair Program/Publicity/Logistics Methodist Women’s Hospital Service Leader, NICU Rosanna Morris Nebraska Medicine, CNO & NMC Chief Operating Officer Karen Navis CHI Health Good Samaritan Director, Family Birthing Center Barb Petersen Faith Regional Health Services Director of Women’s and Children’s Services Judy Timmons Vice-Chair Nominations Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Manager-Nursing Education & Professional Development Teri Tipton Co-Chair Nurse of the Year Committee Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital Vice President Patient Care & Chief Nursing Officer Linda Walline Columbus Community Hospital Vice President Nursing Susan Ward Nebraska Methodist College Program Director Jan Wintle Independent Healthcare Professional MPA, RN, CNAA-RC

January // February • 2016 | 125 | bestofomaha.com

NURSE OF THE YEAR WINNERS NURSE OF THE YEAR

RISING STAR Dr. Beth Culross began her nursing career in 1995. She worked as a staff nurse in a nursing home, earned her MSN in gerontology, and worked in ® a rehabilitation hospital. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing. Culross is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Society, the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, and the Heartland Gerontological Nurses Association. Culross is a recent inductee into the national Gerontological Nursing Association.

She is published in the field of gerontology, serves as a reviewer for two professional journals and is sought after nationally to present on topics pertaining to elder care.

Tamra Donica, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, is the type of nurse that every nurse should aspire to be.

She demonstrates an ongoing compassion for educating and empowering patients’ families on the health care needs of their children.

TOP NURSING AWARDS

STUDENT NURSES Rachel Curry, Nebraska Methodist College, always embraces involvement of patients and their families in her nursing care and prides herself on taking the time to build a strong rapport with her patients through therapeutic communication and empathy.

Candace Melcher, Bryan College of Health Sciences, has a passion for learning that is contagious. She is proof that professional nurses can be successful students, even while engaged in many extracurricular activities within a family and/or the community.

Khatira Gheran, Bryan College of Health Sciences, is the perfect example of hard work and determination. She treats her patients with the utmost dignity and respect.

Brianna Weber, UNMC College of Nursing, understands the importance of promoting a positive image of the student nurse and exhibits the highest levels of character, integrity, caring, professionalism, and commitment as a student and future nurse.

Rachel Hagele, Union College, not only engages in academics within the Nursing Program, but is an active volunteer in the community.

Jennifer Kopp, UNMC College of Nursing, in addition to her admirable academic achievements, including the Dean’s List and being one of few selected into the Honors Research Course, has excelled as a nursing student in the clinical setting.

Elizabeth Longnecker, Kaplan University. Longnecker is a role model for her fellow peers and is always professional and thorough. She has a positive attitude and outlook toward anything that comes her way.

Dr. Suzanne Goetz, CHI Health Good Samaritan, is committed to her own education, obtaining her Ph.D. in nursing and certifications in psychiatric nursing, research, and suicide prevention.

Beth Deida, CHI Health St. Francis, started as an inexperienced new graduate and developed into an expert in her field. She saw need for a more organized nurse orientation process and created a new manual and check list.

Dr. Audrey Nelson, UNMC College of Nursing, has developed a mentoring success program for students who are in need of developing their study and test-taking skills.

FAMILY CHOICE Brandee Corbin, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, was a force to be reckoned with when a newborn boy was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. She worked tirelessly and from the heart for the baby and his family.

Heidi Smith, Columbus Community Hospital, stepped up when a need for a specialized oncology nurse was identified. She dove into an advanced series of education and training and obtained her certification as an oncology nurse specialist.

Patricia White, Children’s Home Health Care, is one of those nurses who quietly goes about her work each day, doing her best and not even realizing the impact she has on the lives of those she cares for and their families.

January // February • 2016 | 126 | omahamagazine.com

Heather Christiansen, Nebraska Medicine, is involved in the Promoting Evidence into Practice Program, which shows her most admirable quality, the ability to identify something that needs improved upon and act on it.

CONGRATUL ATIONS

to the nominees and winners of the 2015 March of Dimes and Omaha Magazine Nurse of the Year® Awards.

ASK ANY NURSE I t h a s b e e n s a i d t h a t a go o d n u r s e can work anywhere, but it takes a truly extraordinar y nurse to work here.

» A nurse who is dedicated to the highest standards of patient care, and patient caring. » A nurse who enjoys the challenge of caring for some of the most seriously ill or injured patients. » A nurse who is an important, respected and empowered member of a highly specialized care team. » A nurse who is empathetic and develops strong, trusting relationships with patients and their families. » A nurse who uses critical thinking skills every day.

JACKIE KELLAR, BSN, RN

» A nurse who wants to lead.

We have a phenomenal team of nurses at Nebraska Medicine. And we are so very proud of the work they do, each and every day.

NebraskaMed.com

January // February • 2016 | 127 | bestofomaha.com

NURSE OF THE YEAR WINNERS CONTINUED...

LEADERSHIP

TOP NURSING AWARDS Beth Ehrhardt, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, is a seasoned professional, leading a Level Four NICU Nurse Practitioner Program and educating the next generation of providers.

Julie Sundermeier, Nebraska Medicine, exemplifies excellence in every way, in the clinical setting and as a volunteer in her own community, as well as to the impoverished nation of Haiti.

Lee Hulbert, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, created and piloted a program that allows nurses to practice in the field while working with EMS.

ADVOCACY Danielle Burr, CHI Health Midlands, advocates for patients and staff through her piloting and implementing the system-wide fall prevention program.

Stacey Brichacek, Nebraska Medicine, never shies away from taking personal risk to advocate for her patients and families in ethical situations, or to maintain safety of patients and staff when disruptive behavior threatens the environment.

Ruth Van Gerpen, Bryan Health, wears many hats including nurse navigator, clinical nurse specialist, leader, educator, patients’ advocate, and author. Van Gerpen codeveloped the LifeSpring Cancer Recovery Program with significant outcomes related to fatigue, depression, sleep disturbances and quality of life.

ADVANCED PRACTICE Christine Berke, Nebraska Medicine, is committed to total patient care, focusing on the physical, emotional, social, economic, and spiritual needs of the patient. She is recognized as a national nurse expert in wound care.

Patty Peska, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, oversees 43 different individual specialty clinics with a total of over 100 Advanced Practice and Registered Nurses combined.

Carol Tucker, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, spends most of her time traveling throughout the state training nurses, teaching school and public health nurses in their local regions, and creating communities of practice and professional networks.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Dr. Therese Mathews, associate professor at the MunroeMeyer Institute at UNMC, has educated advanced practice nurses across the state, increasing professional capacity in rural and urban locations.

CLINICAL EXCELLENCE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Dr. Sara Brown, UNMC College of Nursing, is highly respected in her nurse educator role by faculty colleagues, students, staff, and clinical colleagues.

C ol l e e n S t e i n ha u s e r, Methodist College, has been instrumental in course development and revision as coordinator for a gerontological nursing course.

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

PEDIATRIC

Heather Carson, Nebraska Medicine, has, over the past year, taken the initiative to successfully obtain her certificate in urology, develop a protocol for administering medications, is a member of a clinical documentation workgroup, and has assisted with numerous community health fairs.

Terry Munsinger, Nebraska Medicine, has a passion for doing the right thing for patients that promotes a positive environment for all patients, physicians, staff members, and co-workers.

Jan Morgan, Methodist Hospital, has great critical thinking skills and an ability to mentor her team, which makes her an excellent leader for her patient population.

Alicia Abboud, Methodist Hospital, is the epitome of the engaged nurse leader at the bedside.

Suzanne Rutten, Faith Regional Health Services, has worked for 20 years in the field of obstetrics and her many community services include the Car Seat Safety Program.

RURAL Suszanne Deyke, Columbus Community Hospital, is an excellent clinician that places safety and quality as a priority and tries to put laughter and fun into her department.

January // February • 2016 | 128 | omahamagazine.com

Kelsey Claar, Methodist Hospital, is a dedicated geriatric nurse who was instrumental in helping the hospital make the transition to an Acute Care for Elders floor.

Congratulations to Colleen Steinhauser, MSN, RN-BC, and student Rachel Curry, winners at the 2015 Omaha Magazine and March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards! Nebraska Methodist College would not be the great place that it is without these exceptional people.

Whether you’re pursuing a degree in Nursing or Allied Health, Nebraska Methodist College provides a fully accredited, life-changing education that ranks among the highest in graduation rates year after year.

www.methodistcollege.edu

January // February • 2016 | 129 | bestofomaha.com

NURSE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES ADVANCED PRACTICE Christine Berke Nebraska Medicine

Peggy Mazzeo Nebraska Medicine Bhavini Patel Madonna Rehabilitation Hosptial

Mari Boulas CHI Health Bergan Creighton University Medical Center Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Jennifer Paz Boys Town National Research Hospital

Mackenzie Dench Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Jane Totusek Nebraska Medicine

Vickie Dolan Nebraska Medicine Elizabeth Ehrhardt Natalie Gomez both of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Tracy Jasinski Nebraska Medicine Kim Marsh Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Therese Mathews UNMC Munroe Meyer Institute & College of Nursing

Crystal Pearson Nebraska Medicine

Moni Scott Children’s PhysiciansSpring Valley

CARE TRANSITIONS Elspeth McKeon Nebraska Medicine

COMMUNITY SERVICE Sara Brown UNMC College of Nursing

CRITICAL CARE

Melissa Svajgl Midwest Med/Air North Platte Megan Wagner CHI Health St. Francis Debra Whitman Nebraska Medicine

LONG TERM/ REHAB

Brandee Corbin Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Janice Ferguson Golden Living Center

Carrie Hedin Nebraska Medicine

Danielle Grotzky Madonna Rehabilitation Hosptial

Sherrill Baumfalk Dee Cooper both of Kaplan University Beth Culross UNMC College of Nursing Molly Fitzke Nebraska Wesleyan University Michaela (Kaylie) Guinan Nebraska Medicine Layna Himmelberg Clarkson College Stephanie Hopp Clarkson College

Erich Braun Nebraska Medicine

Karen Johnson Nebraska Methodist College

Ruth Van Gerpen Bryan Health

Sheena Bredthauer-DeBoer CHI Health St. Francis

Louise LaFramboise UNMC College of Nursing

Amy Bouges Boys Town National Research Hospital

Kathy Kubik Miracle Hills Surgery Center Melinda Petit Mercy Medical Hospital

MEDICAL/ SURGICAL

HOSPICE/ HOME HEALTH/ PALLIATIVE CARE

Barb Loguda Kaplan University

Kim Acosta Roxan Bulanda both of VNA of the Midlands

Kelly Menousek Methodist Hospital

Jean Nevius Hillcrest Hospice

Audrey Nelson UNMC College of Nursing

Tami Richmeier Methodist Hospital

Kathleen Pepin Kaplan University

Patricia White Children’s Home Health Care

Mary Seger Baker Methodist Women’s Hospital

Emily D. McGuire Methodist Women’s Hospital

Kris Smith Clarkson College

Patti Milstead CHI Health Bergan Mercy

Cody Stubbe Kaplan University

Karen Spenner St. Francis Memorial Hospital

Jan Morgan Methodist Hospital

Ann Wieseler Methodist Hospital

Angela Vasa Nebraska Medicine

Terry Musinger Nebraska Medicine

Melissa Wilson CHI Health St. Elizabeth

Keith Hatting Nebraska Medicine

Naiomi Olson CHI Health St. Francis

EMERGENCY

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Kathleen Healey Nebraska Medicine

Daniel Ondracek CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center

Suzanne Deyke Columbus Community Hospital

Kaye Feilen Nebraska Medicine Kate Gorman Children’s PhysiciansDundee

Carrie Krist Children’s PhysiciansVal Verde Angela Lair Nebraska Medicine Lisa Lever Boys Town National Research Hospital Kathy Mabrey Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Melinda Petit Mercy Medical Hospital Kari Pierson Nebraska Medicine

Anne Duh Nebraska Medicine Alicia Fischer Nebraska Medicine

Lexy Quandt Methodist Hospital

Randi Hanson Nebraska Medicine & LifeNet

Katherine Shelton Nebraska Medicine

Kelly Menousek Methodist Hospital

Sara Oxtoby Methodist Hospital

Kristen Vlasak Ann Wyman both of Nebraska Medicine

Carrie Hedin Nebraska Medicine

Suzanne Day Boys Town Clinics

Edie Noffke Faith Regional Health Services

Colleen Steinhauser Nebraska Methodist College

Melisa Raastad Kaplan University

Heather Carson Nebraska Medicine

Moni Scott Children’s PhysiciansSpring Valley

Leslie Rinne Beatrice Community Hospital

Lilia Hansen Methodist Hospital

Toni Brown Methodist Hospital

Tara Shallenberger Regional West Health Services

Sarah Christianson Lincoln Surgical Center

Julie Sundermeier Nebraska Medicine

Molly Coufal Faith Regional Health Services

Patty Peska Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Sara Anderson Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Michelle Johnson Bryan College of Health Sciences

AMBULATORY CARE

Andrea Rayner all of Nebraska Medicine

FAMILY

Erik Borgmeyer Nebraska Medicine

Kathryn Clampitt Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Megan Sorensen Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Heather Stofer Methodist Hospital

EDUCATION

Stesha Schneider Bryan Health

Alexandra Bakke Nebraska Medicine

Julie Lazure Nebraska Medicine

® Cheryl Rand

Jenny Struyk Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Alicia L. Abboud Methodist Hospital

Stacey Brichacek Nebraska Medicine

Jan Morgan Methodist Hospital

Lora Wiesen CHI Health St. Francis

Julia Pavelka Nebraska Medicine

ADVOCACY

Karen Ourada CHI Health Bergan

INFECTION PREVENTION Sharon Conroy Community Hospital

Emily Hollingsworth Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Sara Becker Nebraska Medicine Melanie Burnison Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital Danielle Burr CHI Health Midlands Mary Cave Kelsey Claar both of Methodist Hospital Meagan Driesen CHI Health Marilyn Fife Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hosptial Julia Goodro Nebraska Medicine Rhonda Hoffman CHI Health Immanuel Alyssa Larson Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital Stacey Miskie Scott Nielsen both of Methodist Hospital Catherine Schnieders Nebraska Medicine Pamela J. Stout Methodist Hospital Kristen Vlasak Nebraska Medicine

Amanda Roebuck Genoa Community Hospital/LTC/ Assisted Living Jeannie Taylor CHI Health Bergan

ONCOLOGY Heather Christiansen Nebraska Medicine Becky Jizba Methodist Hospital Heidi Smith Columbus Community Hospital Sara Vaghy Methodist Hospital

OPERATING ROOM Kim Norris Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

PEDIATRIC Stephanie Adams Boys Town National Research Hospital Brandee Corbin Kelli Culhane Tamra Donica Rebecca Kafka Kate L’Heureux Lee Hulbert all of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Patricia Loehr Boys Town National Research Hospital April Mowery Carolyn Neef Kim Norris Kristen Oertell all of Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Leslie Rinne Beatrice Community Hospital Jeff Saxton Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Brandi Schmidt CHI Health Bergan Natalie Shafer Boys Town National Research Hospital Helen Sykora Nebraska Medicine

Sarah Christianson Lincoln Surgical Center

Sue Taylor Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

NURSING ADMINISTRATION

Rose Trapp CHI Health Lakeside Hospital

Kathy Curtis Hillcrest Victoria Gardens

Jacqueline Gardes Loomis Boys Town National Research Hospital

Liza Grasz Carrie Hedin Steve Matteson all of Nebraska Medicine

PUBLIC/ COMMUNITY HEALTH

Jay Jadlowski Methodist Hospital

Jamie Rudd Nebraska Medicine

LEADERSHIP/ MENTORING

January // February • 2016 | 130 | omahamagazine.com

Amy Nelson VNA of the Midlands

Carol Tucker Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services

RESEARCH/ EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE Lilia Hansen Methodist Hospital Nancy Murray Methodist Women’s Hospital

SURGERY Mary Hazen CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Cindy Long Boys Town National Research Hospital Kathy Kubik Miracle Hills Surgery Center Ann Wyman Nebraska Medicine

WOMEN’S HEALTH Becky Allen Clarkson College Shay Armstrong CHI Health St. Elizabeth Melissa Coffin Methodist Women’s Hospital Beth Deida CHI Health St. Francis Abby Fitch Nebraska Medicine Joan Mozer Faith Regional Health Services Mary Mulligan CHI Health St. Elizabeth Michelle Oelke Bryan Health & CHI Health St. Elizabeth Julie Runcie CHI Health St. Elizabeth Suzanne Rutten Faith Regional Health Services

UNCATEGORIZED Martin Bornhoft Crawford County Memorial Hospital Suzanne Goetz Richard Young Behavioral Health Kate Kaiser-Barbee CHI Bergan Ken Summerfield Crawford County Memorial Hospital

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January // February • 2016 | 132 | omahamagazine.com

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An accurate diagnosis can be pivotal in saving a life.

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Inclusive Communities’ Executive Director Maggie Wood

January // February • 2016 | 134 | omahamagazine.com

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TALKING IT OUT Inclusive Communities’ Omaha Table Talk Series WORDS BY LEO ADAM BIGA PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH BINDER

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HEN CATHOLIC CHARITIES of Omaha

looked for somebody to take over its open race and identity forum, Omaha Table Talk, it found the right host in Inclusive Communities.

Formerly a chapter of the National Conference for Christians and Jews, the human relations organization was started in 1938 to overcome racial and identity divisions. While the name it goes by today may be unfamiliar, the work Inclusive Communities does in building bridges of understanding in order to surmount bigotry remains core to its mission. Many IC programs today are youth-focused and happen in schools and residential camp settings, but the programs are increasingly taken into workplaces.

Table Talk became one of its community programs in 2012. Where Table Talk used to convene people once a year around dinners in private homes to dialogue about black-white relations, it’s evolved under new leadership into a monthly event in public spaces tackling rotating topics.

The November session dug into law enforcement and community. The annual interfaith dialogue happens January 12. Reproductive rights and sex education is on tap March 22, and human trafficking is on the docket April 22.

The annual Main Event on February 9 will be held simultaneously at 20 metro area locations. As always, race and identity will be on the menu. Omaha North High Spanish teacher Alejandro García, a native of Spain, attended the October 13 Ethnic Potluck Table Talk and came away impressed with the exchanges that occurred.

“I had the opportunity to engage in very open conversations with people that shared amazing life stories,” he says. “I am drawn to things that relate to diversity, integration, and tolerance. Even though I think I have a pretty open mind and I consider myself pretty tolerant, I know this is an illusion. We all have

big prejudices and fears of difference. I think these opportunities allow us to get rid of preconceptions.”

New IC Executive Director Maggie Wood appreciates the platform Table Talk affords people to share their own stories and to learn from other people’s stories.

“It’s exciting to be a part of a youth-driven organization that’s really looking to make a difference in the world,” she says. “It’s about putting the mic in people’s hands and giving them the opportunity to voice what they feel is important.

“Omaha Table Talk gives us the opportunity to have conversations we wouldn’t normally have in a structured way. Nobody else in town is doing this real conversation about tough topics.”

“These conversations do not happen in day-to-day life, at least not in my environment,” Garcia says. “I see people avoiding these topics. They find it uncomfortable and they are never in the mood to speak up for the things they might consider to be wrong and that need to be fixed. If you don’t talk about the problems in your community, you will never fix them.”

“The really beautiful thing about Omaha Table Talk,” Wood adds, “is it really brings about hope for people who see how more alike we are than different.”

IC, says Operations Director Krystal Boose, creates a safe space. “It’s so interesting to see how quickly people open up about their identities. Part of it is the way we utilize our volunteers to help navigate and guide those conversations.”

Gabriela Martinez, who participated in IC youth programs, now helps coordinate Table Talk. She says no two conversations are alike. “They’re different at every site. You have a different group of people every single place with different facilitators. We have a set of guided questions, but the conversation goes where people want to take it.”

January // February • 2016 | 135 | bestofomaha.com

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Wood says the whole endeavor is quid pro quo.

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She says IC can connect people with organizations “doing work that’s important to them.”

IC staff feel Table Talk dialogues feed social capital.

“We’re planting seeds for future conversations,” Martinez says, “and we’re giving a voice to a lot of people who think they don’t have one.” The recent Creighton University graduate believes milllennials like her “want and expect diversity and inclusion in workplaces. It’s not optional.”

“It’s not good enough to just empower them and give them voices and then release them into a world that’s not inclusive and shuts them back down,” Boose adds. “It’s our responsibility to help create workplaces for them that value inclusivity and diversity.”

Boose says growing participation, including big turnouts for last summer’s North and South Omaha Table Talks “screams that Omaha is hungry for these conversations.”

Organizers say you don’t have to be a social justice warrior to participate. Just come with an open mind.

Registration for the February 9 Main Event closes January 15. The IC Humanitarian Brunch is March 19 at Ramada Plaza Center, where the keynote speaker will be Symone Sanders (see cover story), an Omaha native who is Bernie Sanders’ press secretary.

Visit inclusive-communities.org to learn more.

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402-334-7546 | 2802 Oak View Drive | www.LovelySkin.com/Cosmetics

Receive a free SilkPeel with your Kybella treatment.

Kybella is a breakthrough, non-invasive treatment that helps target and destroy fat cells below the jawline in order to minimize the appearance of a double chin. SilkPeel treatments exfoliate and brighten the skin to help fade signs of aging and dark spots.

Skin Specialists and LovelySkin Spa are under the direction of Joel Schlessinger, M.D., Board-Certified Dermatologist and Cosmetic Surgeon. Copyright Š 2016, Skin Specialists, P.C.