September/October 2015 Omaha Magazine

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015

Villisca

Ax Murder House ALEX KAVA Bestselling Mystery Author

THE GREAT UNKNOWN The Unlikely Saga of Photographer Sam Herron

THE BIG GIVE Nonprofit Profiles

4012 S 176 Circle, Omaha

$700,000

Beautifully landscaped .46 acre private yard on quiet cul-desac is just steps to Zorinsky Lake. Exceptional home features an open hearth room kitchen with premium appliances, lavish master suite w/his/her bath, back stairs to 2nd floor, finished walk-out, over sized deck, screened in breakfast room.

Jim Marriott • 402.681.1181

2541 S 221 Circle, Elkhorn

$625,000

Jeff Rensch • 402.391.5333

1331 S 210 Street, Omaha

$595,000

Gorgeous Crown, Ltd. 2 story offers style & comfort with 2 fireplaces & 2 laundry areas. Spacious kitchen with custom made cabinets and granite countertops.

Awesome mudroom/ dropzone/ pantry area! Bedrooms have walk in closets and bath access. Lower level has a theater room, bedroom, bath, and wet bar.

2910 S 100 Street, Omaha

$667,000

Gorgeous Glen Oaks home on .6 acre lot in Westside School District. Rich, traditional style with modern updates including cement board siding, newer windows. master bedroom suite remodel with walk-in closet, full bath, laundry, sitting area/ den with fireplace. Each main floor bedroom has a full bath.

Mary Rensch • 402.690.6279

10505 S 168 Ave, Omaha

$567,000

Private wooded acreage in the city! Absolutely stunning 2-story on an acre. Gourmet kitchen, huge pantry. Spacious master suite w/sitting room, spa-like bath and oversized walk-in. Lower level offers theater & large family room!

Deb Ellis • 402.706.1003

Sandie McPadden • 402.871.5343

$550,000

Lakefront estate situated on 4-5 acres. Texas style ranch with all stone exterior, gourmet kitchen with Viking appliances, wood floors, garage space for six vehicles, completely fenced with gated entrances, lushly landscaped grounds and heavily treed. No covenants. Lake and additional land available to buyer.

Jeff Villotta • 402.598.4252

8102 Legacy Street, Papillion

$695,000

On your own personal wildlife sanctuary. Gorgeous home with water front views! Peacefulness, tranquility and calmness only begin to describe this opportunity and home of a life time. Fabulous contemporary design, rebuilt from the ground up. Tremendous in every way.

Jeff Rensch • 402.391.5333

Executive home on 1.26 acres of private treed lot. No neighbors on either side,very quiet cul-de-sac. Updates, new 50 yr warranty roof, new 1500 sq ft composite deck, new siding, new HVAC and security cameras, A home built to entertain and yet to grow old in with elevator.

3606 N 264 Street, Waterloo

11206 Bel Air Drive, Omaha

$545,000

Breathtaking lake views, flat .35 acre lot! 5 car garage, 3 bedrooms above grade. 2 bedrooms, large living room and office below. Hardwood floors throughout main level.

Cooks kitchen with 3 ovens and walk in pantry. Dual HVAC, 10 Ft ceilings, paver patio, surround sound, and more!

Johnathan O’Gorman • 402-595-8857

8905 Douglas Court, Omaha

$550,000

Low maintenance all brick 1.5 story townhome. Great location with plenty of green space. Kitchen has an eatin area and deck access. Main floor master bedroom, 9’ ceilings and 2 fireplaces. Nice sized rooms, finished walk out lower level with wet bar. Pristine condition!

Jeff Rensch • 402.391.5333

16536 Saffron Circle, Omaha

$545,000

Beautful 1.5 story built by Todd Gaver Homes located in Cherry Ridge (within The Ridges). 2 neighborhood pools, 4 bedrooms, 5 baths, birch cabinets and birch wood floors, office on main floor and master bedroom. Lot on second floor and three large bedrooms.

Roxanne Dooley • 402-319-9678

$529,000

Pristine ranch in Cinnamon Acres on 1.4 acres. Gorgeously appointed with travertine tile, newer windows and low maintenance deck. The lower level has a 2nd full kitchen with bar, rec room, theater room, 4th conforming BR and 2 additional baths. 5 stall garage! Creek on the property.

The Jansen Team • 402.330.5954

1405 S 185 Circle, Omaha

11808 Dutch Hall Rd, Omaha

$525,000

2.99 acres! Country comfort plus upscale finishes makes this a rare find! Stainless steel appliances, solid surface counters, new bedroom carpet and upgraded tile throughout.

Enjoy gorgeous views from the wrap around deck or relax in the heated pool.

The Jansen Team • 402-330-5954

V I R T U A L TO U R S A N D M O R E AT NPDODGE.COM

RAPTOR WOODLAND REFUGE opening fall 2015

Fourteen custom mews, spread over a half-acre development, will house up to 17 different raptor species. Over 120 feet of elevated boardwalk will guide visitors to treehouse cabins 30 feet above the forest floor to view the birds of prey in the forest canopy. Each visit is its own unique adventure, its own story, its own memory to share. This fall, make it yours.

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DECEMBER 12 - 20

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This way TO BrOadway!

2 0 1 3 T O N Y AWA R D

®

october 20-25, 2015

November 17- 22, 2015

December 8-13, 2015

© Disney

They DelivereD The papers, unTil They maDe The heaDlines...

February 16-21, 2016

march 15-20, 2016

TickeTs as lOw as $25 – Buy yOur TickeTs TOday!

TicketOmaha.com | 402.345.0606 | 8 | September/October • 2015

omahamagazine.com

BILLY IDOL SEPTEMBER 10

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September/October • 2015 | 9 | bestofomaha.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

178

72

66

FEATURES

OMAHA MAGAZINE VISITOR’S EDITION

OMAHA HOME

62

Alex Kava Bestselling Mystery Author

60 PLUS IN OMAHA

66

The Great Unknown The Unlikely Saga of Photographer Sam Herron

35-194 These pages are not included in the visitors edition of Omaha Magazine.

Articles online at Omaha Magazine.com Purchase a subscription at OmahaMagazine.com /subscribe.

196 Villisca Ax Murder House

Sisters Recount Growing Up in Iowa’s Most Infamous House

THE USUAL SUSPECTS 12

Editor’s Letter

15

Between the Lines

16

For Starters

19

Calendar of Events

61

History Die Geschichte Von Omaha Bier

195 Obviously Omaha

PEOPLE 32

Faces Kyle Wullschleger

80

Faces Tim Christian

84

Style Brandon Beed and Nick Huff

86

Sports Emily Mwaja

72

Gen O Ryleigh Welsh

219 Instagram - Be Social 221 Explore 226 Not Funny

Never Get Involved With a Writer September/October • 2015 | 10 | omahamagazine.com

89 35

FOOD 34

Dining Taqueria El Rey Truck

200 Mystery Review The Grey Plume

202 Chef Profile

Matt Moser and Ben Maides of the Market House

205 Dining Guide SPECIAL SECTIONS 144 The Big Give ARTS & CULTURE 26

Collecting Laura Vranes and John McIntyre

30

Performance Omaha Performing Arts Celebrates 10 Years

76

Visual Courtney Kenny Porto on the B-Word.

September/October 2015 VOLUME 32 • ISSUE 4

EDITORIAL Editor

DAVID WILLIAMS Associate Editor

DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

CREATIVE Creative Director

BILL SITZMANN

Stop in today

to view our selection 13013 West Center Road Montclair On Center 402.558.1307 • SilverofOz.com silverofoz@silverofoz.com

ual n anAGAZINE’S

SAVE THE DATE!

M

Art Director

RACHEL JOY Graphic Designer

MATTHEW WIECZOREK

TE

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be

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K E T V 7 • BA X

21

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KRISTEN HOFFMAN Senior Graphic Designer

The Second Annual Omaha Magazine Best of Omaha Festival!

15

LEO ADAM BIGA BEV A. CALSON KIM CARPENTER JUDY HORAN JILLIAN HUMPHRIES TOM MCCAULEY SUSAN MEYERS ROBERT NELSON CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI MAX SPARBER OTIS TWELVE JAMES WALMSLEY SARAH WENGERT

Custom Jewelry

, 20

Contributing Writers

Handcrafted

A

HALLE MASON

seco nd OMA H

Editorial Intern

University of Nebraska at Omaha Baxter Arena | Nov. 21, 2015

Simulcast Racing From All The Top Tracks Over 600 TV’s • Plus Big Red Keno

Graphic Design Intern

MALINDA RATCLIFF Contributing Photography & Illustration

KEITH BINDER BOBBY BRUDERLE COLIN CONCES SCOTT DRICKEY DEVIN GOLDEN LAURIE AND CHARLES PHOTOGRAPHS SARAH LEMKE

Breeders’ Cup Championship Racing Fri Oct 30 | Sat Oct 31

Free Parking • Free Admission • Smoke Free Open 364 Days a Year Happy Hours: Mon-Wed 5PM-8PM September/October • 2015 | 11 | bestofomaha.com

• GREAT LUNCHES & DINNERS • DAILY SPECIALS 402.731.2900 www.horsemenspark.com 6303 “Q” Street, Omaha,NE

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FOREVER 11:25

M

Y WATCH STOPS every night

at exactly the same moment.

Each day I rise to find that time stood still at precisely 11:25 the previous evening.

Younger readers may be puzzled to learn that there was once a time when watches (back when people actually wore watches) didn’t have batteries; they had to be manually wound. Even though my 1974 Hamilton is a self-winding model in that the gyrations of my wrist throughout the day are supposed to keep its mechanism humming along in something akin to perpetual motion, it stops for whatever reason every night at the same time.

My morning routine of togging up for the office begins with cranking the little stem of this handsomely retro timepiece that was made in the year Nixon famously boarded a White House helicopter for the last time. But there’s more. It then also requires a vigorous shake-shake-shake of the wrist to fully rouse from its slumber the stubborn second hand of this secondhand watch.

When repeated on a daily basis, this groggy, sleepy-eyed practice takes on almost ritualistic overtones. It symbolizes the ushering in of a new day, a new beginning. It’s as if all of creation crashes to a halt overnight before being reborn the following morning in a merry-goround of entropy measured in 24-hour cycles.

I have that same eerie sense of deja vu the moment we send each round of our six titles to the printer. Sure, there’s always a sense of relief, even pride, but then it’s suddenly 11:25 all over again. Time to crank that watch stem once more and immediately jump into the next magazine and the next and the next in a never-ending series of stops and starts, resets and rewinds.

Bill Murray tapped his alarm clock at 6 a.m. every morning in a memorable movie comedy, but my Groundhog Day is forever calibrated at 11:25.

BIG APPLE UPDATE

F

ORMER OMAHA MAGAZINE intern, contributor, and Creighton University graduate

Anna Hensel has moved from her tiny desk here to an equally tiny apartment in New York City, where she has taken the position of editorial assistant at Inc. Magazine. Anna now rides the No. 4 Express train, just as the Warriors did in the 1979 gangland action movie of the same name. A quick web search of subway timetables reveals that, when on schedule, the No. 4 coasts into the 167th Street Station every night at—you guessed it—exactly 11:25.

September/October • 2015 | 12 | omahamagazine.com

September/October 2015 VOLUME 32 • ISSUE 4

Publisher

TODD LEMKE

ACCOUNTS Publisher’s Assistant & Omaha Home Contributing Editor

SANDY BESCH-MATSON Vice President

GREG BRUNS Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing

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

GWEN LEMKE Branding Specialist

KYLE FISHER ANGIE HALL GEORGE IDELMAN

MAN OF LA MANCHA

BEERTOWN

SEPT. 18–OCT. 18, 2015

OCT. 16–NOV. 15, 2015

sponsors: HDR and Kiewit Corporation orchestra sponsor: Valmont Industries, Inc. media sponsor: Cox

media sponsor: WOWT

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OPERATIONS Vice President of Operations

TYLER LEMKE Event Director

ERIN COX 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.

September/October • 2015 | 13 | bestofomaha.com

|

OMAHAPLAYHOUSE.COM

It’s the month of spooky fun! Kids can enjoy this not-so-scary haunted house throughout the month of October.

Sept 19, 2015

September/October • 2015 | 14 | omahamagazine.com

Between

THE LINES A LOOK AT THREE OMAHA MAGAZINE TEAM MEMBERS

GRAPHIC DESIGNER MATT WIECZOREK is the youngest of

four boys, meaning there was always someone around with whom to play football and wrestle. This prepared him to play in many sports at Ralston High School. He earned a degree in art from The Creative Center in 2005. Matt’s professional life has taken him from DocuLynx to Hayneedle to Fat Brain Toys. This DIY’er enjoys building and welding, and considers himself an amateur carpenter and blacksmith, all of which are useful skills as he and his wife, Chelsie, are currently fixing up a home in Ralston. Matt retains his love of the outdoors— camping, hiking, and biking as often as possible, when not working on the house or cars. When they are done with all these projects, Matt likes to relax with a cigar and boutique bourbon while hanging out with Chelsie, bull terrier Pele, and mini schnauzer Ozzy.

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

e Pag 26

Page H18

e Pag6 6

76 Page

ACCOUNTANT HOLLEY GARCIA-CRUZ grew up in Missouri,

where her family used an outhouse, bathhouse, ringer washer, and a coal-and-wood stove. At age 12 she went to live in a children’s home. She calls her two daughters (Angellica, 17, and Alissa, 15) her “greatest accomplishments in life.” She now lives with her husband of 15 years, a dog named Dulce, and their newest family member, a puppy named Brownie. Her two favorite quotes are: “You have 24 hours to make a customer a lifetime customer,” and “If you don’t learn something new every day you’re in the wrong business.” She enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, spending time with her kids, shopping (“I am a woman.”), writing poems, and taking care of her family.

1 Download the App SALES ASSOCIATE JESSICA CULLINANE grew up in Millard

playing in a cornfield across from her childhood home. The former stay-at-home mom still lives in Millard and now enjoys four-wheeling in adjacent fields with her two boys, 2-year-old Beau and 3-year-old Dillon. Her husband, Dan, is an inventor who helped develop Midwest Iron Doors. When not on the phone at work alongside her sister (Alicia Smith Hollins) running after her boys, or shopping with her mom, Jessica is busy working on the design scheme of the home she and Dan are building.

September/October • 2015 | 15 | bestofomaha.com

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

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You’ll see the ‘ar’ icon on pages with expanded content.

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

THIS IS OMA�

THE 119TH AKSARBEN CORONATION AND SCHOLARSHIP BALL

BILLY IDOL

University of Nebraska at Omaha Baxter Arena · October 17

Stir Concert Cove · September 10

Spell Nebraska backwards and you identify one of America’s oldest, most unique educational and community organizations.

English musician, songwriter, and actor Billy Idol will rock Stir Concert Cove when he returns this fall in promotion of his new album, Kings & Queens of the Underground.

Established in 1895, the AKSARBEN Foundation helps build a prosperous Heartland by focusing on youth, the economy, and the community to improve the collective quality of life in Omaha and Nebraska. The long-standing four-year college scholarship program has been joined by a new two-year AKSARBEN Scholars Career Connectors program, the vision of which is to annually fund 1,000 scholarships for students seeking careers in high-skill, high-demand occupations.

University of Nebraska at Omaha student Timothy Eaves (pictured above) is supported by the four-year program.

The signature fundraising event for the AKSARBEN Scholars program is the AKSARBEN Coronation and Scholarship Ball. Last year the ball raised $900,000, permanently funding the four-year scholarship program and creating the two-year program.

Baxter Arena 67th and Center Streets Tickets $250 or $25.00 for coronation and dance only aksarben.org

Having played a part in the MTV-driven “Second British Invasion,” Idol continues to embrace his iconic punk-rock flavor of music and style. Idol was inspired by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, unlike many British punk rockers of his time. His music videos for songs like “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” and “Eyes Without a Face” catapulted him into MTV stardom. Since then, Idol has won an MTV Video Music Award, a BRIT Award, and been nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

Tracks from his album Rebel Yell were featured in the 1988 Hollywood comedy film Big, starring Tom Hanks. Beyond his musical career, Idol dabbled in Hollywood, taking on a role beside Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer, as well as a smaller part in the film The Doors.

Accompanied by his long-time partner on guitar Steve Steven, Idol remains a thrilling performer who, after all these years, continues to march to the beat of his own drum.

Stir Concert Cove One Harrahs Boulevard, Council Bluffs Tickets from $50.25 caesars.com

September/October • 2015 | 16 | omahamagazine.com

FOR START� FOUR

ANTIQUE & GARDEN SHOW 2015

Lauritzen Gardens · September 24-27

As Lauritzen Gardens puts on its 12th annual Antique & Garden Show, you’ll soon find yourself consumed in a whirl of antiques from over 30 exhibitors. With its distinguished speakers and unique collections, the Antique & Garden Show is an antique spectacular unlike any other.

The show offers more than just fabulous, vintage pieces. It features interesting and compelling speakers who will share their experiences and wisdom. Featured speakers include former model and author India Hicks, multi-award winning interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Chef Cedric Fichepain.

In addition to her successful modeling career, Hicks has published three books—Island Life, Island Beauty, and Island Style. Bullard has appeared in over 4,000 publications and consistently been named as one of the world’s top 100 interior designers by Architectural Digest, solidifying his reputation as a man with a close eye for detail, as well as glamor.

For more than 14 years, Chef Cedric Fichepain has shared his love for French food with Omaha through his two restaurants, Le Voltaire Restaurant and Le Petit Paris French Bakery.

Lauritzen Gardens 100 Bancroft St. Tickets from $15 lauritzengardens.org

OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS’ FIRST DECADE CELEBRATE 10 CONCERT STARRING KRISTIN CHENOWETH (October 16) AND HOLLAND STAGES FESTIVAL (October 17) Holland Performing Arts Center

Omaha Performing Arts’ 2015-2016 season celebrates the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Holland Performing Arts Center and its first year of full programming at both the Holland Center and the Orpheum Theater.

Actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth opens the season with the Celebrate 10 Concert, featuring community organizations including the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, Ballet Nebraska, Salem Baptist Church, and students from Omaha Performing Arts’ Nebraska High School Theater Awards program.

Chenoweth has appeared on hit TV shows including Glee and The West Wing, and originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked.

She received a Tony Award for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her TV work on Pushing Daisies.

On October 17, the free, all-day, family-friendly Holland Stages Festival includes events throughout the facility as well as performances

by Conor Oberst and the aerial dance troupe BANDALOOP, which will use the venue’s exterior east as its stage.

Holland Performing Arts Center 1200 Douglas Street October 16 tickets from $60.00 ticketomaha.com

September/October • 2015 | 17 | bestofomaha.com

October 20 - 25, 2015 | Orpheum Theater | Slosburg Hall Order nOw: TicketOmaha.com | 402.345.0606 All productions, performers, prices, dates and times subject to change.

September/October • 2015 | 18 | omahamagazine.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS ART AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS

in the notion of the disconnections—from places, people, and experiences—that occur throughout life.

A Riley CAP Gallery exhibition. Free. 402-343-3300 - joslyn.org

FULL YET HUNGRY: NE W WORKS BY MADS ANDERSON & JUSTIN BELLER September 11, Project Project—1818 Vinton St. Mads Anderson and Justin Beller are always pushing the boundaries of tradition with various mediums and substrates. See this one-night-only show at Project Project, Omaha’s newest gallery. Free. 6-9pm.

‘MAIZ’ EXHIBIT Through October 20, El Mueseo Latino—4701 S 25th St. Maíz was developed and organized in collaboration with the Museo de Filatelia in Oaxaca, Mexico and El Museo Latino in Omaha. Maíz features works by 24 artists from Oaxaca and Omaha.

General admission $5, free for members. 402-731-1137 - elmuseolatino.org

LISA TUBACH: HOPING FOR INFINITY September 11-October 4, Anderson O’Brien Fine Art—1108 Jackson St. Inspired by a balance between beauty and threat, health and illness, vulnerability and adaptability, Lisa Tubach’s work explores the fluidity of ecological spaces. Her work is often in response to critical issues of ecological concern. Free. 402-884-0911 - aobfineart.com

UNION STATION: BUILT TO LAST

44TH ANNUAL ART FAIR September 12-13. Rockbrook Village—2800 S. 110th Court. Over 140 national, regional, and local artists will display their unique pieces of art. Spend the day browsing from tent to tent, chatting with those who create the art and those who appreciate it. Free. 10am-5 pm. 402-390-0890 - rockbrookvillagefair.com

ARTSARBEN September 26-27, Aksarben Village—67th & Center St. Come on down to the fourth annual ARTsarben art festival. Presented by the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, the two events share many similarities, but you will find that ARTsarben has its own unique personality. Free. 10am-5pm. 402-496-1616 - artsarben.com

LORI ELLIOTT-BARTLE AND KRISTINE ALLPHIN EXHIBITS October 5-November 13, Fred Simon Gallery — 1004 Farnam St. Painter and printmaker Lori Elliott-Bartle brings her work to the Fred Simon Gallery accompanied by Kristin Allphin’s batik work.

Free. Open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. 402-595-2122 - artscouncil.nebraska.gov

JOE BROGHAMMER October 9-November 2, Anderson O’Brien Fine Art—724 S 12th St. Joe Broghammer shares his unique imaginative pastel drawings.

Broghammer has won Best Visual Artist and Best 2-Dimensional Artist in the annual Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards. Free. 402-884-0911 - aobfineart.com

Joe Nicholson at El Museo Latino BRANDON BALLANGÉE: COLLAPSE EXHIBIT Through October 10, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts—724 S 12th St. In his Collapse mixed-media installation, artist and biologist Brandon Ballangée emphasizes the crisis of the world’s fisheries. An installation including 162 preserved specimens, 370 species, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Free.

Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm. 402-341-7130 - bemiscenter.org

ART SEEN: A JURIED EXHIBITION OF ARTISTS FROM OMAHA TO LINCOLN Through October 11, Joslyn Art Museum — 2200 Dodge St. “Art Seen: A Juried Exhibition of Artists from Omaha to Lincoln” will showcase artists living and working in the region today. Reflecting diverse lives and concerns, this exhibition investigates a range of media and styles and will address varied themes, including personal narrative, the social landscape, environmental issues, and contemporary approaches to painting. A total of 37 artists are feature in the exhibition, selected by a jury led by Karin Campbell, Joslyn Art Museum’s Phil Willson Curator of Contemporary Art, and Bill Arning, Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. This exhibition will have a ticket fee. Free for members, youth ages 17 and younger, and college students with ID. 402-342-3300.

- joslyn.org

KON TRUBKOVICH Through October 11, Joslyn Art Museum — 2200 Dodge St. Working across media, Kon Trubkovich reflects on the nature of memory and personal history. A Russian immigrant who relocated to the United States as a boy, Trubkovich is interested September/October • 2015 | 19 | bestofomaha.com

Through January 3, 2016, Durham Museum— 801 S 10th St. For 40 years the Durham Museum has celebrated and kept alive Omaha’s history. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, this exhibit explores its home—Union Station—and what makes it so special. Adults $9, childcare $6. 402-444-5071 - durhammuseum.org

MY FRIEND ERIC ROHMANN Through January 3, 2016, Joslyn Art Museum— 2200 Dodge St. Paintings, drawings, and prints from 12 picture books—including Eric Rohmann’s Caldecott Medal winner “My Friend Rabbit” and Caldecott Honor book “Time Flies”—comprise this Mind’s Eye Gallery exhibition. 402-342-3300 - joslyn.org

CONCERTS

BRIDGE BEATS September 4 & 18, Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge— 705 Riverfront Dr. Enjoy free, live music as you wander along the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge, taking in the beauty and peace of the Missouri River. Omaha staple band Down to Here will perform Friday the 4th. Friday the 18th will feature the winner of the 2013 and 2014 “Best Blues Band of the Year” award by the Omaha Entertainment and Art Awards, Hector Anchondo Band, opened

by Clark & Company. Free. 6-9:30pm. 402-444-4640 - bridgebeats.com

BILLY IDOL September 10, Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove—One Harrahs Blvd. The Grammy Award nominee and MTV Video Music Award winner Billy Idol hits the road with the “Kings & Queens of the Underground” Tour in promotion of his new albumby the same name. 8pm. 712-329-6000 - caesars.com

Omaha Magazine • Calendar of Events

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September 11, Ralston Arena—7300 Q St. Grammy nominated Great White will be joined by multi-platinum American metal band Warrant. With over 10 million albums sold, Warrant’s first break onto the national stage was its double platinum album “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich.” A hard rock band, Great White has also sold over 10 million albums worldwide, reaching success in the formative years of MTV. 8pm. 402-934-9966 - ralstonarena.com

OPERA OUTDOORS September 12, Turner Park—3102 Dodge St. This outdoor concert will feature Ballet Nebraska, the Opera Omaha Chorus, and four fantastic singers from top opera houses. Including soprano Leah Partridge and three stars of Opera Omaha’s upcoming production of The Barber of Seville. Free. 7:30pm. 402-346-7372 - operaomaha.org

OMAHA SYMPHONY PRESENTS: BRAHM’S THIRD SYMPHONY September 18, Holland Performing Arts Center—1200 Douglas St. Join the Hawthorne String Quartet, a collection of members of the Boston Symphony’s famed string section, as they perform Elgar’s romantic showpiece and Needham’s Voices. Starting at $84. 7:30pm. 402-345-0222 -omahasymphony.org

FUELED BY MONSTER ENERGY: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH & PAPA ROACH

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September 27, Mid-America Center—One Arena Way. Grammy award nominee rock band Papa Roach and American metal band Five Finger Death Punch will rock the Mid-America Center. Additional performances by In This Moment and From Ashes. 6:15pm. 712-323-0536 - caesars.com

TONY BENNETT October 2, Lied Center for Performing Arts— 301 N 12th St. Lincoln, NE. Tony Bennett thrills and amazes at the Lied Center with his legendary voice and style. Having won 18 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Tony Bennett has certainly earned his reputation as one of the best voices in the business. 7:30pm. 402-472-4700 - liedcenter.org

ELTON JOHN

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September/October • 2015 | 20 | omahamagazine.com

October 3, CenturyLink Center—455 N 10th St. Join Elton John in his last hoorah to Omaha as he and his band continue their tour “The Final Curtain.” A man that dabbles in a bit of everything, the Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner has sold more than 300 million records over the course of his five-decade career. This flamboyant superstar’s final curtain call is not a spectacular you’ll not want to miss. 8pm. 402-341-1500 -centurylinkcenter.com

TAYLOR SWIFT October 9-10, CenturyLink Center—455 N 10th St. Beloved by country and pop fans alike, seven time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift brings all her glamour and style to Omaha in “The 1989 World Tour.” Opened by Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy, there may not be much blank space in the crowd when Taylor hits the stage for her much-anticipated return. Since officially transitioning from country to pop music, the international superstar’s sound seems to have captured the entire world. Her music is just impossible to shake off! 7:30pm. 402-341-1500 -centurylinkcenter.com

Superstar Taylor Swift rocks the CenturyLink Center

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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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OF MONTREAL October 26, The Waiting Room Lounge—6212 Maple St. An American rock band, of Montreal has evolved from a sound reminiscent of the Beatles to a modern funk influenced by Prince, Talking Heads, and David Bowie. The band was named by its frontman, Kevin Barnes, after a failed relationship with a woman “of Montreal.” Opened by musician and producer Diane Coffee, best known as drummer to the indie rock duo Foxygen. $18. 9pm. 402-884-5353 -waitingroomlounge.com

All located at 10th & Howard

September/October • 2015 | 21 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Calendar of Events

Janet Jackson brings her fabulous to Omaha for one night

A Must-See Boutique

Fall Fashion Days Friday Sept 11th Saturday Sept 12th

JANET JACKSON: UNBREAKABLE WORLD TOUR October 30, CenturyLink Center—455 N 10th St. Emmy and Grammy Award winning triple threat brings her sizzle and sass to Omaha for one fleeting nigh with her “Unbreakable World Tour.” The youngest of the Jackson family, Janet has distinguished herself as an artist and continues to rule the world of pop music as one of the best-selling artists in contemporary music. 8pm. 402-341-1500 - centurylinkcenter.com

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September 12, Metropolitan Community College—5730 N 30th St. Experience a traditional intertribal powwow featuring Native American music, dancing, foods, and crafts at this outdoor event. Free. 1-7:30pm. 402-457-2253 - visitomaha.com

VALA’S PUMPKIN PATCH September 18-October 31, Vala’s Pumpkin Path— 12102 S 180th St. Fall in Nebraska just wouldn’t be fall without a trip to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch. Spend the day customizing caramel apples and wandering through the ever-elusive Two-Acre Corn Maze. Try your hand at apple shooting or take a walk through the Haunted Farmhouse. Don’t forget to pick a pumpkin before you leave! Starting at $16.75. 9am-9pm. 402-332-4200 - valaspumpkinpatch.com

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AKSARBEN STOCK SHOW & RODEO

DINING: Bonefish Grill | Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar | Paradise Bakery & Cafe

September 24-27, CenturyLink Center—455 N 10th St. A four day western festival, AKSARBEN Stock Show & Rodeo provides numerous events and activities for all guests. Musical performances feature American country artist John Michael Montgomery on Friday night, and the American country music duo Dan + Shay on Saturday. Starting at $17. Concerts at 7pm. 402-341-1500 - centurylinkcenteromaha.com

ANTIQUE & GARDEN SHOW 2015 September 24-27, Lauritzen Gardens—100 Bancroft St. Join us for a weekend of antiquing and inspiring speakers as the Lauritzen Gardens puts on its 12th annual Antique & Garden Show. The show features over 30 different exhibitors from around the country.

Shoppers will delight in the supply of both beautiful and affordable antiques. Featured speakers include former model and author India Hicks, owner and executive chef of Le Voltaire Restaurant Cedric Fichepain, and multi-award winning interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. General admission $15. 402-346-4002 -omahaantiqueshow.org

HOME TO

Mon-Fri 10am-8pm | Sat 10am-7pm | Sun 12pm-5pm 120 Regency Parkway | Omaha, Nebraska | regencycourtomaha.com

COBWEB CASTLE: THE NOT-SO-SCARY HAUNTED HOUSE September 24-October 31, Omaha Children’s Museum—500 S 20th St. This not-soscary haunted house gives young visitors a chance to enjoy all the tricks and treats of the Halloween season without any of the fear and fright. The Halloween spectacular includes a spooky graveyard, neon nook, noodle forest, and witch’s hut. Adults and kids $9, free admission for children under 2. 402-342-6164 - visitomaha.com

THE GREAT OMAHA CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL October 4, La Vista Conference Center— 12520 Westport Pkwy. Bring your sweet tooth and mosey on down to the Chocolate Festival. Vendors sell anything and everything to do with chocolate. Adults $7, children $5. 12-4pm. 402-216-5009 - omahachocolatefestival.com

GARDENS GONE WILD AT LAURITZEN GARDENS Through October 4, Lauritzen Gardens—100 Bancroft St. More than 30 whimsical sculptures by nationally-acclaimed wildlife sculptor Dan Ostermiller. Find summer residency in the beautiful surroundings of Lauritzen Gardens. Adults $10, children $5. 9 a.m.-5pm. 402-346-4003 -lauritzengardens.org

TEMPO OF TWILIGHT AT LAURITZEN GARDENS Through October 4, Lauritzen Gatdens—100 Bancroft St. Bring your chairs, food, beverages and September/October • 2015 | 23 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Calendar of Events

the whole family to enjoy music; act to be decided.

Weather permitting, concerts are held outdoors.

Visit the gift shop or café for barbecue beef sandwiches, lemon bars, freshly popped popcorn, and more. Adults $10, children $5. 6-8pm. 402-346-4003 -lauritzengardens.org

JUNKSTOCK October 9-11, 315 S 192nd St. Junkstock returns in all its whimsical wonder for one fleeting weekend this fall. Don’t miss a weekend filled with antiques, repurposed goods, and unique concoctions created by artists and vendors from 10 different states—all backed by the rhythm and twang of local bands. Junkstock truly is three days filled with peace, love, and junk. Who could ask for anything more? Adults $6, free admission for children under 12. 402-682-2817 -junkstockomaha.com

HOLLAND STAGES FESTIVAL October 17, Holland Performing Arts Center —1200 Douglas St. Come join us for all-day family fun in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Holland Performing Arts Center. The festival will include performances by indie rock artist Conor Oberst, as well as aerial dance troupe BANDALOOP, jazz musician Delfeayo Marsalis, and Daniel Bernard Roumain. Free. 11am-11pm. 402-345-0222 - omahaperformingarts.org

dialogue and suspenseful plot, Mauritius is sure to keep its audience’s eyes and ears glued to the stage. 402-553-0800 - omahaplayhouse.com

MAN OF LA MANCHA September 18-October 18, Omaha Community Playhouse—6915 Cass St. Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Man of La Mancha is carried out as a play within a play. The musical depicts Miguel de Cervantes sharing the tale of Don Quixote, an eccentric knight who tumbles from one sticky situation to the next, as he and the other prisoners await a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. 402-553-0800 - omahaplayhouse.com

BALLET NEBRASKA PRESENTS: CLEOPATRA October 2, Orpheum Theater—409 S 16th St. Come for a night of dance in which Ballet Nebraska will put on Cleopatra. 7:30pm. 402-541-6946 - balletnebraska.org

SYMPHONY OF HORRORS: A SILENT FILM EXPERIENCE October 9-31, Apollan—1801 Vinton St. The Apollan is offering a unique dinner experience, including a screening of the movie The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a silent film about an insane hypnotist who uses a somnambulist (fancy name for a sleepwalker) to commit murders.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT September 24-25, Lied Center for Performing Arts—301 N 12th St. Lincoln, NE The family-friendly Tony Award nominated musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, is based on the “coat of many colors” story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis.

With its universal themes and catchy tunes, it’s the perfect outing for the whole family. 7:30pm. 402-472-4700 - liedcenter.org

SUPER POWERS October 17-April 10, Omaha Children’s Museum—500 S 20th St. Experience the thrilling sights and sounds of a superhero’s world in this immersive experience. Learn how courage and true grit can make anyone a real-life superhero. Adults $11, free for members and children under 2. 402-342-6164 - omc.org

Kinky Boots This silent but deadly film will be accompanied by an impressive group show of horror-film-inspired visual art.

Tickets $35. Doors 7pm, Event 7:30pm. 402-884-0315 - apollonomaha.com

OMAHA SYMPHONY PRESENTS: SYMPHONY SPOOKTACULAR October 25, Holland Performing Arts Center— 1200 Douglas St. Join us for the Holland Center’s annual Halloween concert. Celebrate the season of ghosts and goblins with festive costumes, trick-or-treating, and thrilling surprises! $32. 2pm. 402-345-0222 - omahasymphony.org

PERFORMING ARTS

MAURITIUS Through September 13, Omaha Community Playhouse—6915 Cass St. When two half-sisters inherit their mother’s collection of valuable stamps, it seems only natural there would be a bit of conflict over what to do with them. Mauritius follows the two sisters as they learn to maneuver the world of philately (stamp collecting), often finding themselves in sticky situations with rather suspect characters. With its quick witted

CELEBRATE 10 CONCERT STARRING KRISTIN CHENOWETH Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Lied Center THE GROWN-UP September 24-October 18, The BlueBarn Theatre—10th and Pacific. The playwright Jordan Harrison bends time and space, posing questions about childhood innocence and the transition into adulthood. Follow Kai as he floats back and forth between the present and future with his sister Annabelle in hot pursuit. The recipient of several prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, Harrison’s “The Grown-Up” is a Humana Festival pick.

Adults $30, students and seniors $25. 402-345-1576 - bluebarn.org

September/October • 2015 | 24 | omahamagazine.com

October 16, Holland Performing Arts Center— 1200 Douglas St. Accompanied by Grammy and Tony Award winning actress and singer, the Holland Center and Omaha Performing Arts celebrates its 10th anniversary. Known for her role in the original production of Wicked as Glinda the Good Witch, Chenoweth is sure to dazzle with her larger-than-life stage presence and spirited wit. Starting at $60. 7pm. 402-345-0606 -omahaperformingarts.org

KINKY BOOTS October 20-25, Orpheum Theater—409 S. 16th St. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Kinky Boots includes the first-ever Broadway score by Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper. Though it’s a musical about a high heeled boot factory, Kinky Boots is for more than the average t fan. The musical tells the story of an unlikely friendship, following their trials of life as the friends prove that following your passion never goes out of style. 402-661-8501 - omahaperformingarts.org

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ONE MAN BREAKING BAD: THE UNAUTHORIZED PARODY October 22-23, Holland Performing Arts Center— 1200 Douglas St. Join Miles Allen as he impersonates his way through all seasons of one of the most memorable television shows ever produced. Experience the show that gripped the nation in one short hour, exploring the complex world of drugs, crime, and the blurry lines of morality. $30.50. 7pm and 9:30pm. 402-345-0606 - omahaperformingarts.org

September/October • 2015 | 25 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Arts & Culture | Collecting

Laura Vranes and John McIntyre stand amid their collection of more than 300 works of art.

September/October • 2015 | 26 | omahamagazine.com

Chris Crites

Bridget Eggars

Btoy

ART IS LIFE

The Collection of Laura Vranes and John McIntyre WORDS BY KIM CARPENTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

Mr. Brainwash

el Diego September/October • 2015 | 27 | bestofomaha.com

Lora Zombie

Omaha Magazine • Arts & Culture | Collecting

Mr. Brainwash

W

HEN LAURA VRANES and John

McIntyre celebrated their first wedding anniversary in October 2008, they wanted to do something special. Not only was it a year since they exchanged vows, they also both had birthdays that month.

They didn’t go out to dinner. Nor did they exchange gifts. Instead, they bought one piece of art. It was something they saw as the beginning of an annual tradition: they would buy one piece of art for every year spent together.

Except it didn’t pan out that way. The next day, they purchased another artwork. Yet another quickly followed after that. Seven years later, their collection numbers over 300 pieces, and there are no signs the couple will quit acquiring anytime soon. Collecting art— street art in particular—has become more than a hobby. It’s their passion.

Vranes has always been attracted to street art, which, loosely described, is a blend of graffiti and pop culture. “When I was six my family went to New York City, where I saw graffiti,” she recalls. “It just stayed with me. I thought it was beautiful. People are intimidated by it and don’t give it a chance, but lots of stories can be told through street art.”

McIntyre was more than willing to give street art a chance. “My interest began with Laura,” he says. “We like the same things. I had no problem jumping on board. I had liked street

Banksy art for years but was too busy to look into it.

Laura pushed us in that direction.”

Vranes. “For almost all of the pieces, there is a personal relationship.”

Pushed she did. Their collection includes mostly emerging artists as well as some of the genre’s most famous names, including Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, and Shepard Fairey, who created President Obama’s iconic “Hope” campaign poster.

When the couple purchased a work by Kansas City artist Ryan Haralson, for example, they did so on a payment plan. McIntyre communicated with him over seven months, and the two established a rapport, so much so that the artist visited the couple. While in Omaha, he created a painting of Alice in Wonderland, a character Vranes loves, and presented it to her.

“We didn’t know it was going to be a gift,” recounts McIntyre. “Not only did we get a fabulous piece of art, we got a friendship.”

But for the couple, collecting big names isn’t what their passion is about. Through their collecting, Vranes and McIntyre have gotten to know artists all over the world in countries as far afield as China, Russia, Norway, and Ireland. “I’ve communicated with just about each of them,” remarks Vranes. “I’ve had conversations. I’ve emailed, I’ve phoned.”

While most people might be intimidated at the thought of contacting artists out of the blue—particularly ones with such names as Zombie, Zeus, and Polar Bear—Vranes is unperturbed. “I just say, ‘I love your work.’” she explains. “I’m interested in collecting your work. I’d like to inquire about a piece.”

“She just goes after it,” McIntyre laughs. “It’s quite interesting to see!”

This is what makes their collection so much more than the works that comprise it. It’s the people behind each and every acquisition.

“We’ve made so many friends,” comments September/October • 2015 | 28 | omahamagazine.com

Still, if one were to choose any of the 300-plus works that best sum up the couple’s often quirky passion, it would perhaps be one by Paris-based street artist Polar Bear. It features a little girl in pigtails scrawling graffiti on a wall.

And what is it that she is writing? “Art is life.”

For Vranes and McIntyre, O nothing could be closer to the truth.

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A Tasting Room Experience Olive Oil • Balsamic Vinegar Dried Mushroom Sea Salt COLLECTING 101: While Vranes and McIntyre may have a big art collection, their budget is not.

She’s a librarian at a Catholic school, and he works for TD Ameritrade in the loss prevention department. They still, however, find ways to purchase art. “Anyone who has money can collect,” emphasizes Vranes. “We’ve picked up things for between $75.00 and $125.00…really inexpensive.”

Here are some of the couple’s tried and true tricks:

LOOK FOR NEW TALENT: “Try to

get to know emerging artists,” advises Vranes. “This is a young collection.

Emerging artists want to talk to you.”

Emerging artists also don’t command high prices. They’re still evolving and are eager to get their work into the hands of collectors.

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GO TO THE SOURCE: Buying work

from an artist rather than a gallery lowers the price by cutting out the middleman. “We try to buy as much as possible directly from artists,” Vranes emphasizes.

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DO YOUR RESEARCH: If you see

something you like, learn all you can about the artist, McIntyre says. “We’ve learned and taught ourselves a lot,” Vranes adds, “I read blogs, magazines, and books. I research everything!” * By an independent food analysis.

September/October • 2015 | 29 | bestofomaha.com

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September/October • 2015 | 30 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Arts & Culture | Performance

OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS Celebrating 10 Years of Changing a Cultural Landscape WORDS BY KIM CARPENTER ILLUSTRATION BY DEVIN GOLDEN

W

HEN TONY BENNETT took to the

we had in the performing arts was that the music hall at the Civic Auditorium had fairly poor acoustics,” explains John Gottschalk, the organization’s chairman of the board. “You can’t have performers if you don’t have a place where what they do on stage isn’t getting out to the audience.”

That’s because as he began to sing, he paused, put aside his microphone and said, “I don’t need this.” Bennett was able to perform without technical enhancement, a rarity among performance venues. Not, however, at the Holland. The facility boasts state-of-the-art acoustics, and whether front-row-center or in the uppermost tier, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

Dick Holland, who, along with his late wife Mary, provided the main bequest for the $102 million performing arts facility that today bears their name, elaborates, “We had no good place for the symphony orchestra. The symphony is an expensive damn thing to have. And it needs full support to have first class musicians.”

stage at Holland Performing Arts Center in 2005, it was just another in the long list of innumerable venues he had played over the course of his legendary career. By the time he left, it stood out as one of the best.

Making sure there aren’t any bad seats is the job of Omaha Performing Arts, which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The nonprofit organization manages both the Holland Center, which opened in 2005 and is home to the Omaha Symphony, and the Orpheum Theater, built in 1927 as a premier venue for vaudeville acts. Together the two dominate the city’s performing arts scene and feature an eclectic array of talent ranging from classical ballet legends to Broadway blockbusters to jazz giants to even political pundits.

That kind of variety was unimaginable 10years ago when the Orpheum served as Omaha’s primary performing arts venue. It hosted Opera Omaha, the Omaha Symphony, and limited-run Broadway productions as well as community events such as high school graduations, dance recitals, and fashion shows. “The Orpheum’s schedule didn’t allow for the majority of artists and performers we have today,” explains Joan Squires, Omaha Performing Arts’ president since its founding.

“It was a very confining schedule.”

Omaha also lacked a venue with the sound quality necessary to showcase singers and musicians to full effect. “One of the problems

The Holland Center provided that support and opened up the Orpheum’s schedule, making it possible for Omaha Performing Arts to offer a wider selection of performances.

“We bring in the kinds of performances that would not appear here otherwise,” Squires notes. “We really seek to bring in top artists and have brought in a wonderful array. That’s a large factor in our success.”

Deborah Ward, director of marketing and communications for the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau, loves that success. “Omaha Performing Arts has really enhanced not only downtown’s cultural landscape but also the entire city’s,” she comments. “It’s provided unique performance venues and equally unique performances and has been really clever in the acts it’s brought in. We recently did research for the Kansas City, Des Moines, and Sioux Falls markets. We specifically wanted to know why those people come to Omaha. We found that 11 percent come for arts and culture.”

Less quantifiable are the educational benefits to the community, which are just as important and exist as one of Omaha Performing Arts’ primary missions. “We look for community opportunities that don’t always exist,” September/October • 2015 | 31 | bestofomaha.com

CELEBRATING OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS’ FIRST DECADE Omaha Performing Arts is celebrating its anniversary in a big way at Holland Performing Arts Center. On Friday, October 16, the “Celebrate 10” concert headlines Kristin Chenoweth and features performances by the Omaha Symphony and Opera Omaha. On Saturday, October 17, the free, all-day, family-friendly Holland Stages Festival includes events throughout the facility as well as performances by Conor Oberst and aerial dance troupe BANDALOOP, which will use the venue’s exterior as its stage.

explains Squires. “We use performances to partner with the community and find ways to connect and build community engagement.”

This includes master classes taught by performers, student matinees, discounted tickets for underserved communities, and a host of other offerings. In 2011 the Broadway show Wicked, for example, provided an opportunity for an anti-bullying summit involving cast members, school students, and the AntiDefamation League. This year, the organization is introducing Carnegie Hall Musical Explorers, a program that builds basic music skills for students in kindergarten through second grade.

“The experience for our community is wonderfully enriching, and people understand that,” notes Gottschalk. “We have these professionals in town and the great gifts they give to people in terms of their time and talent.

When a young person walks into a great hall, they’re inspired.”

As Omaha Performing Arts celebrates its first decade, Squires can’t help but be enthusiastic about its future. “As we get into the 10th anniversary, our real focus is to engage the community,” she says. “There’s still so much we can do.”

Holland agrees. “We’re damned proud of what we’ve done. We’re going into the coming 10 years terribly enthusiastic about O everything and about growing more.”

Kyle Wullschleger on Location in Times Square

Omaha Magazine • Faces

I D A E ST Goes H as sh e

E’S PART MAN, part machine, and

all Steadicam operator. And he’s cleaning up on the screens and streets of New York.

This summer (or any season for that matter), just when you thought it was safe to shoot with a handheld camera, Omaha expatriate Kyle Wullschleger is waging an all-out war on shaky video footage with an iso-elastic arm and inner geekness. And he’s doing it for productions such as Saturday Night Live, Project Runway: All Stars, and Chopped, to name a few.

Not bad for a Heartland kid who originally wanted to be a zookeeper.

“Coming from a wildlife background, I never really was a filmophile,” Wullschleger, 28, says about his recently budding film career from his Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn apartment.

“It was more about the nerdiness of using a camera and just sort of dorking out about it.”

Before the technophile discovered the power of filmic gadgetry, Wullschleger says he developed a fascination for nature while growing up on his family’s former Christmas tree farm.

It was there where the self-described animal lover says he would watch beavers build dams at the edge of his parents’ property and monarch butterflies migrate through the mulberry grove in his backyard.

And it was there where he says he also developed his work ethic.

“Not only did I learn to stop and smell the roses, so to speak,” Wullschleger writes about his childhood on his work-related website, Tree Farm Cinema, “but since trees don’t completely grow themselves, I learned the importance of working hard to create something you’re passionate about.”

words by James Walmsley photography by Bobby Bruderle

While Wullschleger spent the rest of his salad days glued to Marty Stouffer’s PBS animal-documentary series, Wild America, it wasn’t until he says he got a job at Henry Doorly Zoo right out of high school that it occurred to him he could observe animal behavior in a different light.

“While I was at the zoo, I had access to all these amazing animals and that’s when I actually started to pick up a camera,” he says. “The wheels were definitely turning then.”

“THE HOPE IS TO TAKE MY EXPERIENCE AND CONNECTIONS AND DECENT LIVING AND START CREATING SOME OF MY OWN PROJECTS THAT ARE MORE NATURE-BASED. THAT’S WHAT I REALLY WANT TO BE DOING.” -Kyle Wullschleger One thing led to another and Wullschleger suddenly found himself in New York shooting a dystopian spoof about an Andrew Garfieldplayed character being pursued by government agents for badmouthing a Beyoncé Knowles song and a satirical ad for testicles cologne with Andy Samberg for SNL. It hasn’t been quite the sort of animal behavior that Wullschleger originally had in mind, but it’s afforded him the chance to pursue what he says has probably always been his calling: animal documentaries.

“The hope is to take my experience and connections and decent living and start creating some of my own projects that are more nature-based, because that’s what I really want to be doing,” he says, citing work he’s done with great white sharks and sandhill crane migrations. “To get something started that shows what I’m capable of and what I could do if someone gave me a budget—that’s…

O well, that’s the big dream.”

September/October • 2015 | 33 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining

TACO ’BOUT DELICIOUS Taqueria El Rey Taco Truck Serves Up Flavorful Fare WORDS BY SARAH WENGERT PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

W

ITH MOBILE FOOD trucks all the

rage, Omaha’s lucky to have several standout vehicular victual ventures. While the origin of the food truck is rooted all the way back in the Wild West chuck wagon, the modern food truck era in Omaha rebooted with the humble taco truck helming the fleet.

That’s right, from gourmet pizza to award-winning barbecue to divine, locally sourced chicken sandwiches, the current boom of local food trucks has its lineage in that flavorful wonder on wheels—the once lowly taco truck.

A visit to Taqueria El Rey’s taco truck at the southeast corner of 27th and Leavenworth streets proves a very worthy stop, whether for a quick work lunch, an on-the-fly snack, or a portable weekend picnic. If you’ve seen this truck parked near the Supermercado Nuestra Familia—the store at 29th and Leavenworth streets with the moustachioed jalapeño pepper mascot—you’ll now find it just two blocks east. According to a super-friendly woman working the window, who totally let me

practice my nascent Spanish skills, the truck started rolling to a stop at this slightly different location in early December 2014.

We visited fresh off a weeklong trip to Mexico and ready for some food so authentic it might transport us back south of the border.

Diners choose from tacos, tortas, burritos, and quesadillas—all $5 or less. Options include asada (steak), pastor (seasoned pork), pollo (chicken), chorizo (Mexican-style sausage), carnitas (fried pork), cachete (beef cheek), and more. Vegetarians can be accommodated with rice/bean/cheese/veggie-based configurations of menu items—just ask.

Part of the fun of the taco truck is watching the diverse neighborhood pass by as you await your chow. The college students ahead of us patiently laugh away their wait, a pair of teenage joggers dash past, cars stream by, an older Spanish-speaking patron orders in a smiling exchange with the pleasant woman at the counter, a toddler rides to the order window on her father’s shoulders.

September/October • 2015 | 34 | omahamagazine.com

They call our name, handing us a tightly tied bag which nonetheless emits a delightful aroma—deep and rich from spices and simmered meats, yet light and zesty from fresh garnishes. Inside we find our pastor and cachete tacos, the flavorful, tender meat topped with finely diced onions and ample cilantro, each served traditional style in two small, layered corn tortillas accompanied by lime wedges. The carnitas torta, with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and a dab of mayo is served on bread that’s alternately soft and crusty in all the right places. The chorizo quesadilla, served with lettuce, tomato, and crema Mexicana (akin to sour cream), bursts with flavor. Sides of yummy red and green sauce accompany all dishes. Both are fresh and piquant, but not overwhelmingly spicy.

It’s hard to choose a favorite.

Like a perfectly placed dash of hot sauce, the El Rey taco truck brings just the O right spice to this urban neighborhood.

September/October 2015

DONNA MALONE 60 Years at the Pink Poodle

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60PLUS FROM THE EDITOR

FAMILIAR FACES names we know and love

CONTENTS

volume 3 • issue 4

T

HIS ISSUE HAS SEVERAL stories about accomplished, deserving, award-winning men, all age 60-plus who have interesting stories to tell, many who you know by first and last name, if not face. Chuck Roberts, who reported for CNN for 28 years, tells us his story of going to Atlanta from his previous job—right here in Omaha. Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller fame tells us the improbable story of how an advertising campaign helped launch his music career, one that is soon to be featured in a PBS retrospective.

But our cover story is about a woman. Donna, the firstname-basis friend to many, is a hard-working 70-plus woman who spends her days as a legal secretary in west Omaha. By night, she slings prime rib at the Pink Poodle Restaurant just across the river in Crescent, Iowa—as she has for the past 60 years. She shows no interest in slowing down and is a tribute to all women.

We admire you, Donna!

Until next issue!

Gwen

Gwen Lemke Contributing Editor, 60PLUS In Omaha

FEATURE Chuck Roberts From Corn Reports to CNN....................... S4

HOBBIES Mark Erikson Life in Four-Part Harmonys........................S8

HISTORY “Convoy” 40 years Later That’s a Big 10-4, Good Buddy................S10

COVER FEATURE Still Taking orders 60 Years of Waiting Tables at the Pink Poodle........................................S14

HEALTH Is Testosterone Replacement Right for You?..........................................S18

HISTORY You Know You’ve Lived In Omaha A Long Time If You Remember.....................................S20

THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES What Happened to My Lincoln Logs?

Thinking Outside the Box.........................S22

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS

S3

60PLUS FEATURE by judy horan | photography provided by CNN

CHUCK ROBERTS from corn reports to CNN

S4  60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

C

HUCK ROBERTS BLEW INTO Omaha the same day as the May 6, 1975, tornado that spread death and destruction. Covering the infamous storm was the newsman’s introduction to his new job as a KMTV reporter/anchor.

“We were wall to wall on that story for a couple of weeks working 12 hours a day,” he recalls.

Viewers may remember Roberts anchoring Today Show cut-ins and noon news. Later he was promoted to weeknight news co-anchoring with Jeff Jordan.

KMTV news director Mark Gautier, who hired him, had a good eye for talent. Gautier also hired Tom Brokaw, who went on to a national stage with NBC News. Roberts also ended up with a much wider audience after seven years in Omaha.

It started when Ted Turner took a liking to Roberts. The media mogul was launching the country’s first 24-hour cable news station, CNN2, which was renamed CNN Headline News one year later.

Turner sent scouts across the country to find talent to anchor his news. They found Roberts in Omaha. “They told me ‘Ted fancies you,’” Roberts explains, “and that I was a finalist. They said: ‘Can’t offer you a contract.

Can’t pay what you’re making now,’” says Roberts of his soon-to-be pay cut.

He packed up a U-Haul and drove 1,000 miles to Atlanta and a new life.

Roberts became the first anchor on the first 24-hour national news network and his was the first face seen on camera when the station went live. The paint was still wet on the CNN set when the cameras rolled.

“We were told our job was threefold: look plausible, stay sober, and read the lines you’re given. Those were our marching orders.”

Roberts anchored four-hour weekday newscasts on CNN Headline News. He also was CNN’s election anchor. “I would drive to the Birmingham (Alabama) library and isolate myself and prep for election night. Election night 2000 was the most memorable. Went on the air at 6 p.m. and off air at 7 a.m.” the following morning.

In 2010, Roberts left CNN and an international television audience of 160 million viewers. After 28 years, he was the longestserving anchor among all the CNN networks.

He then spent three years carrying out media training sessions in eight provinces in China for his alma mater, the Missouri School of Journalism.

“We so-called experts were sent to teach media training to start up provincial-level news operations,” says Roberts. “It was a slow process. Everything had to be translated.”

The newsman’s enthusiasm for a broadcast career began near a Nebraska farm his family owned. “There was a radio station in the basement of a hotel in Falls City. I was fascinated by that as a 9-year-old.”

Roberts has high praise for the quality of broadcast news in this city. “Omaha is so much better than its market size and a great place to start a career. I learned my craft in Omaha.”

Because of his many acheivements, Roberts was inducted into the Omaha Press Club Journalists of Excellence Hall of Fame in June.

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS S5

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S6  60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

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S7

60PLUS HOBBIES by bev a. carlson | photography by bill sitzmann

S8  60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

MARK ERIKSON

life in four-part harmony

D

ON’T BOTHER TRYING TO contact Mark Erikson on a Monday night.

From now until, well—forever— he’s booked.

On Monday nights, you’ll find Erikson and more than 100 other Nebraska men singing their hearts out at a Presbyterian church in Fremont. They travel in from all over. Erikson drives from Papillion, an 80-mile round trip. Other members make the trek from South Sioux City, Beatrice, and Columbus.

Erikson’s work life may take him to another state, but he’ll fly in just for practice, then back. He moves mountains to make sure he’s in his spot on the riser.

“Just a solid fact of life,” he explains.

There’s always a quorum for rehearsal of the Pathfinder Chorus.

“Every Monday at practice, we put all of life’s challenges aside. It’s like a three-hour break in the week. I’m with my buddies. And we’re singing really well,” says Erikson. “I guess it’s kind of a guy thing.”

That “guy thing” is an award-winning, nationally-recognized barbershop chorus.

Erikson’s modesty masks the uniqueness of this ensemble. Widely diverse, both in age and professions, the 43-year-old group first qualified to perform at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Competition in 2010.

They’ve continued to qualify and place every year since, a rare feat for a group made up of non-music professionals.

Barbershop harmonizing and a cappella singing in general have enjoyed resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks to movies like Pitch Perfect and Jimmy Fallon’s “Ragtime Gals” skits.

“It really has made a difference,” says Erikson. “It’s bringing barbershop to the forefront of a new generation, introducing a music style that can fit them too. They don’t have to stop singing after high school. They can keep singing their whole lives.”

The youngest member of Pathfinder Chorus is 13, the oldest, 85, with all ages in between represented. Professions range from student to dairy farmer to military veteran.

There are even a couple of pilots on stage. One flies B-52s, the other flies commercial jets. All have one thing in common: a love for music, harmony, and fellowship.

Erikson discovered his passion for barbershop singing while he was in the military, almost by accident. He was stationed at Norfolk Navy Base. An elderly lady who sat near him in church kept urging him to join the choir. So he did. Later, he downloaded a four-part men’s arrangement of “The Irish Blessing,” encouraged friends to sing with him, and never looked back. That was 11 years ago.

At 63, Erikson now serves as district president. He really wants to leave the chorus— and his community—better than he found it.

He also umpires baseball. And many of the

Pathfinder concerts are fundraisers. In 2014, they donated over $10,000 to the Salvation Army and Goodfellows charities.

“Mark has been crucial to the success of the group,” says retiring music director Pete “P.D.” Stibor. “Mark has the passion.”

The passion and the practice pay off— and not just at competition. On a sunny Saturday this summer, the Pathfinders performed at Burke High School. Despite beautiful weather, the auditorium was full of fans and groupies eager to spend the next 90 minutes enjoying perfect harmony. It was delivered with only voices as instruments, exploring great pop tunes, ballads, and the Beatles, complete with choreography—even “jazz hands.”

“I want to do this as long as I can,” says Erikson. “Then have the good sense to step down when the time is right. We give ourselves goose bumps on the risers. We look at each other and say...We just did that...It’s such a personal thing. Such an emotional thing to be able to share that with your friends.”

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS S9

60PLUS HISTORY by max sparber | photography by bill sitzmann

Chip Davis is celebrating 40-year anniversaries for both “Convoy” and the founding of Mannheim Steamroller.

S10 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

“CONVOY” 40 YEARS LATER

that’s a big 10-4, good buddy

I

N THE 1975 TRUCKER song “Convoy,” a voice can be heard on a CB radio.

“What’s your 20?” the voice asks, code for “what’s your location.” The answer comes back: “Omaha.”

Of course it did. The song itself was from Omaha. And while there were a lot of trucker songs in the 1970s, few could boast the sort of strange backstory “Convoy” could, and none could look to the sort of future the song had.

First, the backstory: “Convoy” was the product of a successful advertising campaign.

The product was Old Home Bread, the advertising agency was Omaha’s Bozell & Jacobs.

They conceived of a series of ads featuring a truck driver delivering bread to a diner waitress. The waitress was named Mavis Davis.

The truck driver was C.W. McCall.

The campaign proved to be popular— so much so that McCall broke off to be an independent character, releasing a number of recordings. The lyrics and singing voice for McCall belonged to Bill Fries, while the songs were written by Chip Davis. Fries later became mayor of Ouray, Colorado, while Davis founded Mannheim Steamroller.

“I said one time that I would never live in Nebraska and I would never write country music,” Davis explains. “I guess we see how that all worked out. My love of music was really in the classical area but my good fortune—and I mean fortune—came by way of writing “Convoy.””

The song tells the story of a lawbreaking, protesting collection of truckers riding crosscountry together as a miles-long ribbon of working class antiheroes communicating on CB radios. It became a crossover hit, spending six weeks in the number one slot on the

country charts and a week as number one on the pop charts.

As a result, “Convoy” joined the ranks of country songs in the ‘70s that became films along with “Harper Valley PTA,” “Ode to Billy Joe,” and “Take This Job and Shove It.” The film version began shooting in 1977 and boasted an impressive collection of talent.

Country legend Kris Kristofferson was cast in the lead along with Oscar-nominated Ali MacGraw and character actor Burt Young.

Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine was the villainous county sheriff determined to break up the I-can’t-drive-55 convoy.

“Convoy” was a pop culture sensation and helped spawn an era when CB radios were all but ubiquitous in every vehicle, even your mom’s station wagon, but Davis and Mannheim Steamroller are also celebrating a pair of even more notable milestones.

This summer, public television stations throughout the U.S. will air Mannheim Steamroller 30/40 Live. The concert special marks two anniversaries for the hugely successful act; their debut album, Fresh Aire, was released four decades ago, followed ten years later by the release of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, their first holiday album, to huge success. ‘“Convoy’ and the other 12 hits we had,” Davis explains, “ultimately funded Mannheim Steamroller and [record label] American Gramaphone. I’m a lucky guy.

Going from a semi to a steamroller wasn’t all that difficult.”

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS S11

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60PLUS COVER FEATURE by carol crissey nigrelli | photography by bill sitzmann

“

STILL TAKING ORDERS

60 years of waiting tables at the Pink Poodle

S14 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

Donna Malone

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS  S15

60PLUS COVER FEATURE

T

HE YEAR: 1955.

Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower occupy the White House, gas costs 22 cents per gallon, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” hits the top of the record charts and Donna Malone greets the very first customers at the Pink Poodle Steakhouse.

Time has a relentless way of relegating things to the past, but both the waitress known simply as Donna and the Pink Poodle have outraced the last six decades. They have persevered through fire, flood, five owners, and an uncertain economy. How? With affordable prime rib and, in Donna’s case, a strong work ethic.

Excitement came to tiny Crescent, Iowa, in May 1955 when Jake Brummer, a local developer who owned three other restaurants in western Iowa, bought an establishment at 633 Old Lincoln Highway called the Black Glove and gave it a new name with a quintessential ’50s flair. The Pink Poodle served up a variety of steaks, chicken, and seafood, providing a quality entertainment venue across the Missouri River from north Omaha and a source of income for a teenage farm girl from just up the road in Honey Creek.

“The Brummers were real good friends with my mom and dad, and I’d known them forever,” Donna recalls. “Jake asked me if I wanted to work at the restaurant and I said, ‘Sure.’ I was 15.”

The new restaurant drew crowds immediately. Donna started out as a cashier and hostess, carefully observing how others did their jobs. One night Brummer asked her to fill in as a waitress. With her characteristic “I can do that” attitude, Donna found she liked waiting on tables—and the benefits that came with it.

“Back then, if you got a quarter per person per table it was a heck of a tip; a dollar from four people,” says Donna, 75, shaking her head at the thought. “One Saturday night I remember making $32. The other girls just couldn’t believe it, absolutely unreal. Of course, a lobster dinner back then was $7.95.

Things have changed. But I still make real good money.”

It’s hard to pinpoint when Donna became as sought-after as the Pink Poodle’s signature prime rib (introduced to the menu in the

Donna Malone talks to Pink Poodle owner Doreen McNeil.

early 1960s). The ease with which she talks to customers vanishes when asked to talk about herself. A private, humble person by nature, Donna will only credit “great food and a wonderful clientele” for the restaurant’s continued success. Current owner Doreen McNeil, who began as a waitress in 1983 and worked with Donna in the party room, shows no such reluctance in focusing the spotlight.

“A lot of people come in here because of you, Donna,” McNeil tells her friend. “People who were children when Donna first waited on them now bring their grandchildren to meet her.”

Even first-time customers like Marianne and North Witcher of Omaha find themselves easily drawn into Donna’s orbit. “She’s fabulous as a waitress, very knowledgeable and courteous,” says North. “She got our orders exactly right, knew the specials and their prices by heart. We were floored when we learned how long she’d been there.”

Donna’s journey to a 60th anniversary hit a roadblock in January 1972 when fire ravaged the Pink Poodle. “One of our regulars spent too much time at the bar late one night,” recounts Donna in her slow, deliberate delivery, “and a lit cigarette got away from him and fell in a booth. It started smoldering. By 3 in the morning the place was on fire.”

In the four-year interim it took to secure the cash to rebuild, Donna worked at another

S16 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

Crescent establishment where she ran into Kenny Malone, a trucker she had met years earlier. They married in 1974. With no children of her own to raise, Donna continued waitressing at night in addition to her day job as a legal secretary.

“I’ve worked for the same lawyer in west Omaha for the past 45 years and one before him for 10,” she says, matter-of-factly.

Donna’s knowledge of Omaha came in handy during the Missouri’s record flooding in 2011. McNeil decided to keep the restaurant open despite closures from June to November of the Mormon Bridge leading into Crescent and sections of I-29. McNeil says whenever a customer from Omaha called asking for a way to get to the restaurant, “I’d just give the phone to Donna. She’s our resident GPS.” A solid regular customer base that includes Chip Davis of Manheim Steamroller (see page S10 for more on Davis) and KMTV meteorologist Jim Flowers helped keep the restaurant afloat during a tough time, one of many Donna has faced.

Tall and thin with porcelain skin and blue eyes, Donna shows no interest in slowing down. “Not unless Doreen fires me,” she says, half seriously.

“Oh, Donna, I’ll never do that,” McNeil quickly responds. “I wish I could find 10 more of you.”

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2014

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Omaha’s topDentists™

The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon

Best of Omaha™ Campaign 2015

Malorie Maddox Omaha Stories

war & Chuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past.

Peace

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omamag.com/save september/october 2015 | 60PLUS

S17

60PLUS HEALTH by susan meyers

IS TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT right for you?

T

ODD WEBER WAS TYPICALLY a fairly active man. A senior radiation protection technician for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) by day, he often spent his weekends racing stock cars with his teenage son or building cart racing accessories in his garage. Racing stock cars was a life-long hobby and something Weber loved to share with his son.

But about a year ago, that all began to change. Weber’s energy started to dwindle and his interest in cart racing waned with it.

“I had no energy or drive,” recalls Weber. “I just wasn’t enjoying life anymore. I knew something was seriously wrong when my son asked me to work on his car with him and I said no.”

His wife encouraged him to go to a doctor. The first doctor put him on an antidepressant. But Weber saw no change in his energy or mood. Then Weber saw something on the Internet about low testosterone levels. His symptoms matched up. He made an appointment with Chad LaGrange, M.D., urologist at Nebraska Medicine, who tested his testosterone level.

“My level was so low that he said my wife had more testosterone than me,” says Weber.

Weber received a hormone pellet injection, and within a few weeks, his energy had returned, he had a renewed interest in life, and was able to cut out the afternoon nap that had begun to be a part of his daily routine.

“Testosterone production begins to decline in men each year as they reach age 40 and beyond,” explains LaGrange.

“About 15 percent of men will experience a drop in levels that is clinically significant, particularly those who are obese and/ or have other chronic illnesses.”

Testosterone is the main male hormone that maintains muscle mass and strength, fat distribution, bone mass, sperm productions, sex drive, and potency. Very low testosterone levels can place men at higher risk for osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

This decline in hormones can result in symptoms such as low motivation, decreased stamina and energy, depression, hot flashes, loss of muscle mass, and mood swings.

Testosterone replacement therapy can be very effective at reducing these risks and improving symptoms. However, S18 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

“Testosterone production begins to decline in men each year as they reach age 40 and beyond. About 15 percent of men will experience a drop in levels that is clinically significant, particularly those who are obese and/or have other chronic illnesses.”

-Chad LaGrange M.D., urologist, Nebraska Medicine testosterone therapy is not without its side effects, and therefore, men should be carefully screened by licensed physicians to determine if they are a candidate for therapy, says LaGrange. In some cases, a drop in testosterone may be related to cancer, brainrelated diseases, diabetes, obesity, and other hormonal abnormalities.

“If not diagnosed and treated properly, testosterone injections may cause blood clots, stroke, heart attack, and liver toxicity,” says LaGrange. “While there has been some debate over the safety of testosterone replacement therapy, most physicians agree that it is safe when provided for the appropriate reasons and monitored carefully.”

Additionally, men with treated or untreated prostate cancer should not use testosterone therapy unless they have spoken with their urologist about the risks and benefits.

Dr. LaGrange also cautions men to beware of over-the-counter testosterone boosters, which are not regulated and could cause harmful side effects.

“I feel like a new man,” says Weber. “It’s so good to feel better again.”

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60PLUS HISTORY by judy horan

S20  60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

YOU KNOW YOU’VE LIVED IN OMAHA A LONG TIME if you remember these moments

1

3

5

Johnny Carson hosting a show on WOW-TV in 1950 called The Squirrel’s Nest. The Omaha show was the television debut for the Nebraska native who went on to national stardom as a late-night TV host.

Remember when Carson took a microphone onto the ledge of the county courthouse to interview the pigeons? He wanted to give their side of the controversy surrounding pigeon’s loitering on the ledges.

The Omar Baking Company near 43rd and Nicholas streets filled the neighborhood with sniffworthy aroma by delivering bread door to door. You may remember the jingle: “I’m the Omar man, (tap, tap, tap). Knocking at your door (rappa tap tap). When you taste my bread (mmmm boy!), you’re gonna want more (rappa tap tap).” The building is now used for offices and events.

You might have tasted the world’s first TV dinner (98 cents each) in the 1950s, introduced by Omaha brothers Gilbert and W. Clarke Swanson. The package was designed to look like a TV set at a time when only 20 percent of American homes had a television. The TV dinner’s aluminum tray ended up in the Smithsonian Institute in 1986 as an American cultural milestone.

The Swanson name lives on in Omaha on W. Clarke Swanson Public Library, Swanson Elementar y School, Creighton’s W. Clarke Swanson Hall, and Durham Museum’s Swanson Gallery.

2 You followed your nose to South Omaha. The neighborhood was malodorous because of nearby stockyards. Some neighbors referred to it as “the smell of money.” Nicknamed “The Magic City” in the 1890s, South Omaha is an historical and culturally diverse area with eclectic neighborhoods like Little Italy and Little Bohemia. Each year Cinco De Mayo adds fun and music to the streets.

4 Perhaps your brush with fame was graduating from Westside High School in 1959 with actor Nick Nolte, eventually named People Magazine’s 1992 Sexiest Man Alive. Or living nearby when Jane and Peter Fonda resided with their aunt on Izard Street. You may have gone to UNO with Peter or cruised Dodge Street with Jane.

6 The Orpheum, a movie theater built in 1927 as a burlesque theater, closed in 1971. Maybe you were there in January 17, 1975, for the renovated theater’s grand reopening. We know you weren’t there in 1971 for the last movie shown; the theater was empty.

7 The Indian Hills movie theater built in 1961 near 84th and Dodge streets was called “the hat box” because of its shape. Perhaps you were among the people who tried to save the widescreen Super-Cinerama theater building before it was torn down in 2001.

8 The Cooper theater near 15th and Douglas streets, a former “bastion of bump” (burlesque) when its name was The Moon, was a place to see movies until it was demolished in 1975.

september/october 2015 | 60PLUS S21

60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES by david williams

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LINCOLN LOGS? thinking outside the box

T

HE INTERWEBS TELL ME that the academic term I’ve been searching for is something called “structured block play.” You know, LEGOS, building blocks, and the like.

My 5-year-old grandson, Easton, is particularly enthralled with structured block play.

Such toys in the hands of growing minds have many benefits in childhood development.

Besides the obvious of honing fine motor skills—that ability to dope out how this piece fits into that one—there are higher cognitive functions at work here.

Children must be able to envision a finished product, one that begins with nothing more than a mental blueprint of their own making. They are confronted with a hodgepodge of disparate parts and must somehow envision a cohesive whole. Along the way they learn about spatial relationships, geometry, math, and problem-solving.

But that’s not Easton’s game.

He almost never sets out to build anything.

Sure, he’ll occasionally erect a towering skyscraper of sorts, but his structured block play is almost always a lot less…well, structured.

He can occupy himself for what seems forever assembling intricate two-dimensional patterns on the floor, ones that seemingly serve no purpose other than to fuel his imagination. Some look like abstract art. Others evoke images reminiscent of those spindly models of molecules seen in science labs. The only common denominator appears to be the establishment and repetition of pattern for pattern’s sake.

Further distancing himself from the intended purpose of his toys, he eschews the “connectedness” functionality of the blocks.

Instead of joining the pieces together, he lays them end-to-end.

Easton is usually at a loss for words in describing his convoluted creations, and I learned long ago to consider his installation art as something dwelling in the realm of the arcane, even the trippy.

I’d give anything to get inside Easton’s head to survey the workings of his brain as he puzzles through these puzzling arrays. Just what the heck is going on in that noodle of his as he conceives such fantastical explosions of variegated color?

S22 60PLUS | september/october 2015 | omahamagazine.com

I intended to begin this column reflecting on childhood memories of playing for hours on end with a set of Lincoln Logs. The problem is that such a statement would be a lie. It was impossible to tinker with toys like Lincoln Logs for any period of time without quickly losing interest. Maybe that’s because they represented an entirely different form of play, one decidedly lacking in possibilities compared to the limitless selection of block toys available today.

No, young children now have a more unfettered mode of play. Millennials are the first generation to have had the benefit of such free-association upbringings, and they’re the people who are defining a brave new world where imagination is the most prized of skills.

Baby Boomers like me had the endgame— the desired finished product—handed to them for all to see right there in the picture of a fort on that box of Lincoln Logs.

Easton is learning to think outside the box.

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S23

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September/October • 2015 | 59 | bestofomaha.com

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September/October • 2015 | 60 | bestofomaha.com

Siou Lab

Omaha Magazine • History

On October 17, 1894, Krug unveiled a new plant at 24th and Vinton streets. The new brewery employed approximately 500 men, many European immigrants like their boss.

A new century brought with it new opportunity—and new advances in...uh, medicine?

Advertising in 1910 extolled Krug’s beer brands as “a tonic,” stating it “leaves no bad after effects.” Brand names included Cabinet, Fred Krug, and Luxus.

Krug’s capital gains helped them support an amateur baseball team, called The Luxus after the brew, which reached the 1915 National Amateur Baseball Tournament in Cleveland.

The Omaha players lost 11-6 to home team the White Autos as a record-breaking crowd of more than 100,000 watched. That event is considered one of the highest-attended baseball games in history.

FRED KRUG, 1859, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF KRUG BREWING CO., OMAHA.

DIE GESCHICHTE VON OMAHA BIER (The History of Omaha Beer) WORDS BY JUDY HORAN

S

INCE 1587, WHEN Virginia colonists

first created ale using corn, beer has been a big part of American history.

The first known brewery in the New World opened in 1612 in New Amsterdam (now New York City). The Massachusetts Provincial Council mandated in 1775 that each soldier receive a daily quart of spruce beer (flavored with spruce tree needles) or cider during the Revolutionary War. Omaha’s first hops-and-grains manufacturer, founded by Frederick Krug, came nearly two centuries later.

Krug trained as a brewer in his hometown of Niederzwehren, Germany, before leaving the country at age 19. He founded Fred Krug Brewery in 1859 at 26 years old. The original factory was in a small building near 10th and Farnam streets.

He moved his business in 1867 to a plant at 11th and Jackson streets and soon occupied the entire block. By 1880, Omaha had four large-scale beer makers: Storz, Willow Springs, Metz, and Krug, the largest of them all.

September/October • 2015 | 61 | bestofomaha.com

The loss symbolized things to come for Krug.

The thirst-quencher known to cause startling behavior (and subsequent memory loss) gained political adversaries, who succeeded in getting the 18th Amendment passed.

Prohibition hit the nation at midnight on Jan. 16, 1920, and pubs and breweries closed while speakeasies filled the void. The Krug plant reopened in 1933 following the repeal.

In 1936, the Falstaff Brewing Company of St. Louis acquired Krug and remodeled the plant that operated as one of the country’s best-equipped breweries before folding. They experienced a half-century of business before closing for good in 1987.

The new American at the helm of the company served on the board of directors of the German Savings Bank and of the State of Nebraska immigration board. He also owned Krug Park, an amusement park in Benson.

Krug and his wife, Anna, lived just south of downtown on 20th Street.

Krug’s brewery was a family affair. His sons, William, Fred H., Jacob, and Albert worked there. Frederick Krug and three of his sons are buried in Prospect Hill OCemetery, believed to be Omaha’s oldest.

Omaha Magazine • Feature

Alex Kava Bestselling Mystery Author Still Going Strong words by Leo Adam Biga photography by Bill Sitzmann

September/October • 2015 | 63 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Feature

S

URE, ALEX KAVA is a best-selling mys-

tery author, but as an aspiring writer she faced insecurities. Even now, with a six-figure contract from Putnam, there are uncertainties in this brave new world of publishing.

Growing up in rural Silver Creek, Nebraska, her working-class parents considered writing frivolous. Word-struck Alex secretly spun stories from her imagination and committed them to the back pages of used grain co-op calendars, squirreling away the scrawled tales in a shoe box under her bed.

Convinced writing fiction couldn’t support her, she followed an advertising-marketing-public relations career path that, while successful, left her unfulfilled and burnedout. It didn’t help when her first novel-length manuscript received 116 rejection letters.

Kava may never have become the author of the long-running Maggie O’Dell and new Ryder Creed series had she not left her PR job to commit herself to writing at 38.

“There was too many hours, too many meetings. I really was at a crossroads in my life and I decided that while I’m figuring out what it is I want to do with the rest of my life, I’ll try writing. I told myself if I wasn’t published by 40 I would give it up.”

While completing the book, expenses for home and car repairs mounted. She went through her savings. She took a paper route to make ends meet.

She just squeaked under the self-imposed deadline when, three days before her 40th birthday, she signed advance reader copies of her debut novel, A Perfect Evil. Her 2000 portrait of a community traumatized by a serial killer was extrapolated from the actual terror that befell Bellevue and Papillion in the early 1980s when John Joubert murdered two boys there. Kava worked for the Papillion Times at the time.

“What surprised me,” she says in revisiting those events years later, “was that I could remember those feelings of panic that had taken over that community.”

Her stand-alone One False Move was another instance of real-life crime influencing her work. When the 2002 Norfolk, Nebraska, bank robbery gone fatally bad eerily followed a plot she was developing, she used evidence from the actual crimes to inform her novel.

Forensics expert and profiler Maggie O’Dell was among multiple characters on the case in A Perfect Evil, but Kava’s publisher pushed to make O’Dell the subject of a series. Kava resisted. A dozen O’Dell books later, she and Maggie are fixtures in the mystery-thriller genre.

Kava admits she didn’t like O’Dell at first. “We’re both very stubborn and slow to trust.” On the advice of a go-to expert, former Douglas County prosecutor and now district judge Leigh Ann Retelsdorf, Kava gave O’Dell shared interests in dogs and college football.

September/October • 2015 | 64 | omahamagazine.com

“Those two little things actually made it easier for me to relate to her,” Kava says. “The series grew, and I grew, and Maggie O’Dell grew.

I love that character. She and I have been through so much together.”

Her new protagonist, Ryder Creed, is a K-9 search and rescue dog handler. He teams with investigators like O’Dell to help crack cases.

“I love Ryder Creed because he has this passion for dogs and I can really connect to that.”

Kava says it’s a relief after “so many years writing about something I don’t know— murder,” to write about her four-legged friends. She’s dedicated books to her pets, Molly and Scout, the latter named after Kava’s favorite literary character, Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Kava’s steeped herself in the CSI-law enforcement milieu, even presiding over her own “crime scene dinner club” of attorneys, detectives, and techs who voluntarily plied her with case file details.

“I really do love the research. I’ve never had any problem with people opening up. I’m not sure why they do.”

She admires her expert sources.

“I’ve always looked at law enforcement officers in awe. I could never do what they do and stay sane.”

With

KAVA SAYS IT’S A RELIEF AFTER “SO MANY YEARS WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW—MURDER,” TO WRITE ABOUT HER FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS. She’s toured the FBI’s Quantico facility in Virginia, interviewing behavioral science wonks there. She’s turned down opportunities to visit crime scenes and view autopsies.

“Some of those things it’s best for me to leave to my imagination.”

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Kava, who did a spring book tour for her latest work, Breaking Creed, is grateful for her success. But in this new age of ebooks, publishing mergers, and tenuous contracts, nothing’s guaranteed.

“There’s so much more for readers to choose from, and I think that added choice is great.

At the same time it makes it more of a challenge for us as authors to figure out how to get those readers and stay in front of them.

I’m now writing two books a year so I can stay in front and say, ‘Here’s the next one, and I’ve got another one coming out, and another one after that.’

O You don’t want them to forget you.”

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Omaha Magazine • Feature

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”

It was the end of the day. He was standing on the boulevard like one of our lost heroes, eternally shell-shocked.

Wish I could say I knew a whole lot about him. We just kind of hung out and smoked cigarettes.

S

AM HERRON’S LIFE would make

an interesting movie. The synopsis almost pitches itself: a millionaire-turned-homeless-man finds himself living on the streets of Omaha and seeking redemption in the unlikeliest of places— through the lens of a pawnshop camera. Will he find it?

“That is the great unknown,” Herron says.

“Yet to be determined.”

Since 2012, the Omaha-based photographer’s haunting-yet-tender work has been steadily cultivating an international audience and the admiration of his colleagues. Now he’s about to publish his first book: Street Life Fragments: Stories and Photographs from Homeless America. Slated for a 2016 publication by Loyola University-Maryland’s Apprentice House Press, the book combines photography and memoir into an unflinching examination of what it’s like to be down-andout in a thriving city.

September/October • 2015 | 67 | bestofomaha.com

The project evolved from a dark period in Herron’s life. Having lost the considerable fortune he’d made as a self-employed daytrader, he moved here from the Greater Chicago area to get his life back on track.

At first, the move was a success: he quit partying, got a job in a factory, fell in love. It was a dramatic about-face for a man who had spent his youth playing bass in a Los Angeles hard rock band that recorded two albums while signed to MCA/Universal. >

Omaha Magazine • Feature

“I don’t know, I don’t care, and it doesn’t make any difference.”

“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.”

He has no place he can stay without getting tired of it, and all of life is a foreign country, and because there is nowhere to go but everywhere, he occasionally ends up in Omaha.

I last spoke with him at Siena Francis House.

I’m fascinated with hands and the story they tell. A world of experience in every line. Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.

“When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.”

“JOIN or DIE.”

This is David Bowie, a direct descendent of Jim Bowie. A traveler with a story very similar to mine, yet uniquely his. I thank him for sharing some time with me. He was about to hitch a freight train to Chicago.

The cartoon has been reprinted and redrawn widely throughout American history. Variants of the cartoon have different texts, e.g.

“Unite or Dead,” and differently labeled segments, depending on the political bodies being appealed to. During the American Revolutionary War, the image became a potent symbol of Colonial unity and resistance to what was seen as British oppression. It returned to service, suitably redrawn, for both sides of the American Civil War.

September/October • 2015 | 68 | omahamagazine.com

September/October • 2015 | 69 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Feature

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< (Even after he could afford to eat at restaurants where most of us could never score a resevation, he still rode with motorcycle gangs in his spare time.) But he welcomed the change of pace.

Then a work-related injury cost him his job.

His relationship failed. He was asked to move out. With no savings or support network, he started sleeping in his car. He shaved in restroom sinks, carefully applying the façade of a man who sleeps in a bed at night, so he would be ready for that elusive job interview.

To keep the panic attacks at bay, he began to drink heavily. Often going days without eating, he entered a mental state he calls “borderline seizureland.” He wrote about these terrifying episodes for the blog he started to document his homelessness. Eventually, despite never having considered himself a photographer, he took out his cheap digital camera—one of the last items that hadn’t been sold—and started taking pictures of people he found interesting: rail-riding old men, teenage vagabonds, etc.

Thus began the project that would lead to the publication of his first book, which is written in the streetwise style of Henry Rollins and Charles Bukowski.

Herron’s work can be seen at Lincoln’s LUX Center for the Arts in the “About Human” group exhibit, which runs September 4 through October 30. You can view the photos and read excerpts from his forthcoming book at the Street Life Fragments Facebook page.

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September/October • 2015 | 70 | omahamagazine.com

Count among his fans the influential documentary photographer Janette Beckman, whose photographs helped immortalize the burgeoning punk rock and hip-hop scenes in England and New York in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

During her residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts last year, she took an interest in Sam’s work. “[He] takes beautiful, gritty portraits of people on the streets of Omaha,” Beckman says. “His powerful portraits of faces tell unheard stories about life on the streets. He is the real deal.”

Photographer Atiim Jones, whose ongoing Face of Omaha project has portrayed thousands of visitors to the Old Market, also attests to the power of Herron’s portraits.

“I’ve been following his work for a while now,” Jones says. “It’s intense.”

Herron appreciates the kind words, but he might be too focused on his work to take them to heart.

“From a humility standpoint, I can’t allow myself to even begin to think of myself as some great photographer,” he says. “I want to be as egoless as possible. That said, I do have people say it frequently, which is astounding to me.”

Still, his living situation is tenuous. He often forgoes meals just to save gas money to make it to the coffee shop where he edits his photographs. And although he was recently promoted to assistant director of the Siena/Francis House Miracles Treatment Program—an inpatient addiction recovery program—Herron remains technically homeless, albeit with a bed to sleep in.

Now that his career as a photographer is picking up, the disconnect between his budding success and reality is especially striking. He has a book coming out, but he also has to spend his days breaking up fights. Thanks to the wisdom he’s gained from his experiences, he’s been able to maintain a Hemingwayian September/October • 2015 | 71 | bestofomaha.com

grace under fire. Chalk it up to the redemptive process of his photography, which he says has deepened his understanding not only of the human condition, but of each individual as well. As he works to document the lives of the marginalized, he says, “I literally can feel myself becoming a different photographer, a different person.”

Tom McCauley, the writer of this story, has helped Sam Herron with the writing O and editing of Street Life Fragments.

Omaha Magazine • Gen O

September/October • 2015 | 72 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Gen O

R

YLEIGH WELSH, 15, didn’t have too many

plans for the summer. She’d entered one of her songs in the Omaha Performing Arts songwriting competition. She worked on her International Baccalaureate curriculum. She returned to Omaha Girls Rock and hit up some open mic nights. She took ukulele lessons every day. All that after performing in a spring play with SNAP! Productions at | Shelterbelt Theatre.

The Omaha Central sophomore has already accomplished more, artistically, than many folks twice her age. At 12, she released her first album, Being a Unicorn, and at 14 starred as Lottie Adams in the SNAP! Productions dramedy Harbor. She’s even headlined her own “Ryleigh Welsh and Friends” night at Barley Street Tavern, with her name on the marquee and everything—though she had to play first because she’s a minor.

Her life sounds like a juggling act, but she seems to handle everything with uncanny ease—particularly her music, which is catchy as hell.

“I was never really a crying, screaming child, so all I did was write songs,” she quips.

“I’ll come up with a couple lyrics, write that down, and then mostly it’s just playing chords over and over, filling in words with the chords. Eventually it comes together.”

When that happens, she says it takes about five minutes to finish a song, a pace that rivals that of a young Bob Dylan when he first hit Greenwich Village.

The young artist also has the best resource a beginning songwriter can have: a seasoned musician/ mentor to help edit her material, who also happens to be her mother.

Molly Welsh is a staple of Omaha’s art scene. She’s acted in, and directed, several performances; played guitar and sung backup for multiple high-profile Omaha bands, including All Young Girls Are Machine Guns; and has worked for the Omaha Symphony, Omaha Performing Arts, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, and Film Streams. Ryleigh is the beneficiary of a household suffused with creative energy.

Take, for instance, the song “Reality Avenue,” (search her name and Boombox Productions to have a listen) which Ryleigh wrote in 2011. She says she “kinda had it all jumbled because I was so young…it was like ‘What are you saying?’”

“MY MANTRA IS: I DO WHAT I WANT. I’M PUNK ROCK.” -Ryleigh Welsh Molly knew. “I could tell what she was trying to say, but none of the words were in the right order that would make sense to a person listening to it.” So Molly helped Ryleigh clarify the song. The result is a catchy, ukulele-driven tune with such lyrical gems as “You planted a yellow seed for me / to grow a bubblegum tree, and I don’t live in a house on Reality Avenue.”

When asked if she’s internalized any mantra to keep her going, Ryleigh pauses, then rattles off the title of an obscure book from the ‘60s which she recently read: How You Live Is How You Lose Your Mind. But she doesn’t look quite satisfied with that answer. Though fun-loving, she wants to do her best at everything. So she substitutes something better.

“My mantra is: I do what I want. I’m punk rock.”

O

September/October • 2015 | 74 | omahamagazine.com

September/October • 2015 | 75 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Arts & Culture | Visual

September/October • 2015 | 76 | bestofomaha.com

B-Word The

Courtney Kenny Porto Uses Art to Explore Feminism words by Kim Carpenter photography by Bill Sitzmann

“I

THINK YOU’RE A pushy bitch.” That’s what a gallery owner

once said to Courtney Kenny Porto when she attempted to get postcards printed for an upcoming exhibition. It was an instance that left the 24-year-old artist momentarily speechless, but dramatically underscored why she’s a feminist and why she often focuses on feminism in her drawings, paintings, and prints.

“I didn’t even identify myself as a feminist until recently,” comments Kenny Porto. “I was in a bubble. My mom raised me as empowered, and I felt I could do anything. She is a woman who doesn’t allow herself to be treated beneath what she deserves, and I have that same expectation.”

As the artist has learned through instances such as the above, however, those expectations aren’t always met. “As I get older, I see things that don’t make sense, especially in terms of gender roles,” Kenny Porto observes. For that reason, she uses her art to examine feminism through myriad interpretations, including one of the most recognizable: the female figure. “I’m fascinated and drawn to the female form,” she says. “Aesthetically, I love the curves with the breasts and hips.”

Her works, though, are not straightforward representations of women’s bodies; they are explorations of deeper themes. Her Hair Series, for example, portrays women with long, flowing locks, ponytails, loose buns, and side ponytails. Kenny Porto based the works on a study that examined how women are

perceived according to those styles—i.e. on hair alone. “In one style—the side ponytail—women are perceived as the most approachable,” she says. “The long straight hair was the least. And that’s the one men prefer.”

MY MOM RAISED ME AS EMPOWERED, AND I FELT I COULD DO ANYTHING. SHE IS A WOMAN WHO DOESN’T ALLOW HERSELF TO BE TREATED BENEATH WHAT SHE DESERVES, AND I HAVE THAT SAME EXPECTATION.” -Courtney Kenny Porto In recent work, Kenny Porto has taken on a subject that most people—especially men—consider taboo: menstruation. She produced three large-scale works directly imprinted from a tampon, and while the images are abstract, the artist’s ability to create a dialogue is easily identifiable. “When I go to the grocery store, I still hide my tampons,” she says, “but what is a tampon? It’s a piece of cotton. A period is a natural part of being a woman. We should not be embarrassed by it. That’s the whole message—get over it.”

While Kenny Porto has gotten over her own embarrassment, she’s not about to let go of feminism. >

September/October • 2015 | 77 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Arts & Culture | Visual

“She Was a Flower”

“The Walls Were Black”

“Mystery”

“Hiding”

< “People ask, ‘What’s the point of feminism today? You have voting rights, etc.’ But it’s a problem of cultural ideas and paradigms,” she emphasizes. “If a man sleeps around, he brags about it. If it’s a woman, she’s a whore. Feminism is about a mental attitude.”

Mental attitude is exactly what Kenny Porto has. How did she handle the gallery owner who tried to use coarse language to intimidate her? She was a consummate professional and not the word to which the gallery owner attempted to reduce her.

“I shook hands,” she says, “and said we shouldn’t work together.”

September/October • 2015 | 78 | omahamagazine.com

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N

EBRASKA LACKS AN infrastructure

to support a film industry. Omaha Creighton Prep graduate Timothy Christian is trying to change that. After years away pursuing a music industry and new media career, he’s returned to base his feature film financing and production company, Night Fox Entertainment, here.

Where most local film ventures are microsized with no-name talent, Christian backs real projects with $10 million-plus budgets boasting recognizable cast and crew. Case in point, Z for Zachariah. Shot in New Zealand, the post-apocalyptic drama stars Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine.

It’s directed by Craig Zobel, whose 2012 Compliance made waves. Z netted strong reviews at Sundance and will get a 2015 theatrical release.

In post-production now is the thriller Headlock starring Andy Garcia, Justin Bartha, and Dianna Agron.

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Night Fox further limits investor exposure by only financing pictures with strong pre-foreign sales, capping individual contributions, and spreading capital around several projects. That model is securing local movers and shakers to buy into projects, including Tenaska’s recently retired Paul Smith, also a Night Fox partner.

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Christian says film financing can be a “tough sell to people who are of a conservative investment nature,” adding, “They need to see kind of black and white what you have, what you’re doing, how the money looks, so we have to make sure the approach is right.” Once it “makes sense,” he says investors “are all interested in being part of growing a business not prominent in Omaha.”

Besides, having a piece of a project with stars, premieres, awards, trailers, and posters has a “cool” factor other opportunities don’t offer.

More than anything, Christian says people invest in him.

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“People have to like you. Even if they don’t like the other people involved, they have to like you. If they don’t like you, they’re not going to want to work with you or give you their money.”

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Being a Nebraskan helps him relate to investors.

“They like to deal with someone away from that Hollywood mindset. They want a straight shooter, someone who they deem as honest and down-home who has Midwest values.

That goes a long way.”

Starting at

Upon meeting him for the first time, some folks reveal surprise that he’s African-American.

“Once they understand I know the business, I know what I’m talking about, I know how to protect their money, then all that goes out the window.”

As a Nebraska film financier, he’s already an outlier. As an African-American doing it, he’s pushing new boundaries.

Engaging marketing and interactive viewing experiences.

“From a cultural standpoint I think it’s really significant because it gives some hope to other young African-Americans in terms of what they can do. That means a lot.”

Christian, married with one child, mentors at Jesuit Middle School in North Omaha.

An advantage to being in Nebraska (Night Fox also has an office in L.A.) is giving investors first shots at projects otherwise being shopped only on the coasts.

His next step in making the state a film player is East Texas Hot Links adapted from the Eugene Lee play. Omaha’s own John Beasley is a producer and actor in it. Samuel L. Jackson is an executive producer. The film may shoot in-state. If not, Christian’s committed to bringing future projects here as he believes film production can be an economic engine O that employs people and boosts tourism.

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Omaha Magazine • Style

ORDER FROM CHAOS Brandon Beed and Nick Huff WORDS BY DAVID WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURIE AND CHARLES PHOTOGRAPHS

J

UST LIKE THE jumble of vintage chairs in the accompanying photo, the

eclectic, mishmash sensibilities of Brandon Beed and Nick Huff prove that it takes a certain…something to have the power to coax order from chaos.

They’re the partners behind Hutch, the Midtown Crossing space that offers a smartly sophisticated blend of household furnishings from both design-giant manufacturers and local makers—all peppered by the most carefully selected vintage pieces.

And they’re also the prime movers behind the Omaha Food Rave, the pop-up, double-super-secret community dining experience whose location is announced only by text and email the day of the event.

Introducing the chef, always among the city’s most notable, is an even bigger tease for the soirees held in such settings as, say, the grounds of a stately mansion.

That big reveal comes only moments before the plating O of the first of what is most often a five-course adventure in gastronomy.

September/October • 2015 | 84 | omahamagazine.com

Brandon Beed (left) and Nick Huff

September/October • 2015 | 86 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Sports

E

MILY MWAJ A places her hands on the bar,

making sure her grip was is right. She plants her feet. It’s time. Time to set a new world record.

Lifts of 264 lbs…286…293…and, finally 301 lbs. followed. She had dead-lifted almost three times her body weight. And she had broken her own record.

Emily Mwaja stands all of 5’4.”

The pint-sized powerhouse came to the United States from Kenya when she was a young girl and (in 2001) to Omaha to attend Bellevue University. She received her degree in education and science in 2004.

Mwaga had always been a runner, but when her knees began to object she shifted her fitness regimen to the YMCA. It was there that she first encountered dead lifting.

“I thought, ‘Oh that’s interesting,’” Mwaja says, “because some of the lifters looked really big and masculine while others were just…normal guys. But all were lifting really, really big weights.”

She began doing her workouts near the men, mimicking their actions. Her efforts were noticed by gymmate and trainer John Jones, who asked her to deadlift with him. >

September/October • 2015 | 87 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Sports

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She soon graduated from lifting a mere 45 lbs. to a weight of 225 lbs. with ease. Jones encouraged her to enter competitions.

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Strong she became, winning first place in the 123 lbs. weight class with a 286-lbs.-lift at the World Championships in Las Vegas in 2013.

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“I’m very competitive,” Mwaja adds, “but it’s really mind over matter when you are lifting.”

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That same intensity and commitment carried her from a seasonal position with Girls Inc. to the title of program director. Now she works with girls in winning the national organization’s affiliate awards and, just like her deadlifting, Mwaja is always out for gold.

Show us some

“I will see another affiliate is recognized and I’ll tell my boss, ‘We gotta get on this! We have to make this happen!’ And she’ll tell me, ‘Emily, we can’t do everything,’ ‘But we can do almost everything,’ I tell her.”

Sizing up the competition, it would seem, is a key to her success both in the gym and with her girls.

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“I’ll see a woman from Canada is the current record holder,” Mwaja explains. “She lifted 296. Okay, I can do 296. I can do more. That’s my drive. I tell myself I’m gonna put up 300.”

Mwaja now has 19 trophies, most residing in her office at Girls Inc. “Some of the little girls ask if I won those in math or something like that. I just laugh and tell them, ‘No, I’m really strong.’”

Just like she hopes her Girls Inc. kids Owill be in all of life’s challenges—strong.

September/October • 2015 | 88 | omahamagazine.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

ALWAYS LOCAL, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL

NEIGHBORHOODS The Blackstone District

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MANTERIOR

Rustic Barn Becomes Man Cave

NINE AND TWO

MID-CENTURY MODERN MAKEOVER

September/October • 2015 | 89 | bestofomaha.com

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September/October 2015 VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 5

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OmahaHome • September/October 2015

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OmahaHome • September/October 2015

Table of Contents

H26

H18 FEATURES H18

MID-CENTURN MODERN MAKEOVER

H36 DEPARTMENTS H9

FROM THE EDITORS

H26

SPACES

Fall...in Love

Funky-Fresh Airbnb in Lincoln

At Home With the Dickhuts

H10 H36

MANTERIOR Rustic Barn Becomes Man Cave

H16

STATEMENTS

H30

NEIGHBORHOODS

Todd McCollister

Blackstone

Long Grain Furniture

Old is New Again

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

H40

SANDY’S MAKEOVER

Jacobean Revival

Going Nuts With Autumnal Orbs

The Storz Mansion

H24

DIY Wood & Pipe Table

H44

TRANSFORMATIONS From Traditional to Contemporary

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

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OmahaHome • September/October 2015

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from the Editors

Sandy Besch-Matson & Angie Hall

F

ALL IN LOVE with our September/October issue of

OmahaHome!

Nuts! I’m sure this was what my son in college was thinking as he was simply walking to class at UNO, having remembered the conversation we just had about acorns. Acorns you ask? Yes, I needed them to make my project for this fall issue.

Now I’m going to take you back about 15 years, when we lived in another place, and at that time in my life I had a little side business called Twigs & Berries— mostly dried arrangements made out of natural flowers, twigs, etc.

My son, only being about 9 at the time, walked in the house with a handful of acorns, to which I promptly asked him to go back and round up as many as he could, (OK, maybe I bribed him) and with this came a unique inspiration.

Fast forward to today, the same little boy, all grown up, just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Yes, you got it, he walked right under huge oak trees through the park on the UNO campus, so he sends me pictures and asked “looking for these?” I honestly thought I won a small lottery. Well, what can you say? When your college-age son spends an hour picking up acorns for his mother’s craft project, I must have done something right!

Speaking of projects, with a little ingenuity and the help of YouTube, you can turn trash to treasure for your home. Take a peek inside at what my neighbors Jeff and Dagmar did. Finding a rustic/weathered piece of wood laying outside and buying some industrial hardware, they came up with pretty darn unique tables for their basement.

And not to leave out all the creative men out there, we found one of the most earthy man caves we have seen, boasting an homage to outdoor sports in a converted barn that provides ample room for the guys to crash in front of a big screen and drink a few cold beverages.

Fall is indeed my favorite season—breaking out the cozy sweaters and boots, seeing all the leaves change colors and, of course, here in Nebraska, football, football, football! Not to mention the cool, crisp fall days and nights spent sitting by the fire pit.

Whatever your traditions are, fall is here! Enjoy!

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

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Statements words by Lindsey Anne Baker / photography by bill sitzmann

Todd McCollister Long Grain Furniture

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OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

LONG GRAIN FURNITURE SPLITTING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ART AND ARTISAN

A

CR ACK APPEARS IN the top of the

table Todd McCollister is showing me; actually, a couple of thin, ragged splits show through, exposing tiny strips of light.

Laid into each is a cross—a kind of smooth wood stitch that echoes a sequence of crosses along the table's center seam.

"They were inspired by a series of handmade, sculpted stuffed animals an artist I knew was making," McCollister says. "They were mended together, and that idea of mending was kind of what I felt like I was doing, that allusion to handwork."

McCollister is no stranger to handwork—or, on a broader scale, to stitching things together.

The Omaha native returned home last year. >

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

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Statements

Here, the boundary between functional things and artworks is much more nebulous.

Beauty is discovered in the colors and grains of the woods.

< He attended art school in Texas and then a earned a graduate degree in sculpture on Long Island in New York, where he stayed for six more years, making and exhibiting sculptures. He gradually turned from sculptures to tables for trade shows and cabinetry for galleries. These days, about half of McCollister's work is commissioned, the other half he builds on spec.

Really, the transition to making furniture was artful.

"I believe that I use my sculpture training for a lot of the formal decisions I makeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;figuring out proportions, knowing how big something should be, what colors should go together," McCollister says. "I also try, when I can, to >

/ H12 /

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< bring some conceptual content into furniture pieces. I'm not afraid to tweak things in a direction that seems wrong."

He shows me his 5-Degree Coffee Table, all the angles of which are five degrees off from perfect perpendicularity.

We are at Long Grain Furniture, a workshop McCollister set up himself in an emptiedout building in Omaha's Quartermaster Depot Historic District. The army-spaceturned-auto-shop-turned-workshop-space has been open about three months; McCollister spent six months before its opening building storage, buying machines, installing compression air lines, and otherwise readying the shop for business based on the last one where he worked in New York.

He hopes more woodworkers will join him.

He wants to rent space in Long Grain for six months or longer to as many as six woodworkers who can use the space and the machines in it.

The kinds of woodwork created in the community McCollister wants to build need not be identical to his. Creativity is less segregated in Omaha than in a larger city like New York, McCollister says.

"In New York, an art gallery doesn't need to show furniture or functional ceramics or glass," he says. "One has to define oneself pretty narrowly. Here…it's much more accessible—the art world and a community of architects and designers."

One woodworker is using space at Long Grain to make laminate countertops and cabinets.

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"We both have learned a lot from each other," McCollister says, "sharing ideas, sharing experiences, sharing lunch."

It's a kind of stitching together that really does feel like what McCollister is doing.

THE LINEN GALLERY AT REGENCY COURT 402-399-5242

www.LinensandDown.com / H14 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

"Here, the boundary between functional things and artworks is much more nebulous,” McCollister says. “I always thought of them as different before I came back to Omaha."

OmahaHome

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402-571-4926 September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H15 /

Architectural Styles words by Daisy Hutzell-Rodman / photography by bill sitzmann

BLACKSTONE ROYALE: THE GOTTLIEB STORZ MANSION

/ H16 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

R

HONDA A ND WAYNE Stuberg’s

home at 3708 Farnam Street needs little introduction. It’s “that” house, the grand stone home easily visible while driving down Dodge Street to the east towards Midtown Crossing, or to the west towards Corkscrew Wine & Cheese or The Pella at Blackstone.

The 1907 home, designed by architects George Fisher and Harry Lawrie, is Jacobethan Revival—a style of architecture that combines the horizontal lines of Elizabethan architecture with vertical columns and pilasters as in the Jacobean era.

The style includes flattened arches, featured in the porch overhead and the carriage dropoff point on the west side of the house. The outside is constructed of light-grey stone with trim work around windows and doors, steep gables on the terra-cotta roof, and a tall chimney stack. Decorations around the exterior include relief panels that feature barley, hops, and grain—a nod to original owner Gottlieb Storz, founder of Storz Brewery.

The grand entrance includes a seven-feet-tall doorway created of dark wood and featuring a magnificent stained glass top tucked under a nine-feet-tall archway over the porch.

Crossing, used the ballroom for the second Food Rave in April 2015.

“I said, ‘Oh, Nick, you don’t want to use that space, it isn’t finished!’” says Rhonda, whose son, Nick Stuberg, is friends with Huff. “But he insisted. I said ‘OK, at least let me take care of a couple of things.’ ” “The house is gorgeous from top to bottom,” Huff said. “But I was just captivated by this room. It’s amazing, wooden floors with huge vaulted ceilings. The walls are this emerald green color. You walk up to this nondescript third floor. You walk through this small hallway, and then there’s this huge ballroom.”

The work that has gone into this home to bring it back has cost well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of labor, but Rhonda wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve always lived in older homes,” she says.

“We thought about a condo, but I love to garden.”

She also loves living in the Blackstone neighborhood (see related story on H30), and has become the president of the neighborhood association. She believes that future development of the area needs to take into consideration the historic value of its buildings. “The architectural features of historical buildings are works of art,” she maintains, “and should be treasured and restored like any other works of art.” OmahaHome

“The architectural features of historical buildings are works of art, and should be treasured and restored like any other works of art.”

-Rhonda Stuberg

The mishmash of two old-English styles perfectly describes the inside of the house, which features everything from a light and airy solarium featuring a stained-glass skylight modeled after the one in the main dining room of ocean liner “The Bremen,” to a heavier-looking Victorian living area.

The “formal” dining room is a more casual Mission style.

It’s a place where a family can live in comfort, and a bride can float down a staircase and stop at a landing to have her portrait captured—standing next to original art nouveau lamp balustrades.

Then there’s the top-floor ballroom, known as the “Fred Astaire” ballroom as it is one of the few places in Omaha of which the actor, singer, and of course, dancer, retained memories. Nick Huff, owner of Hutch in Midtown September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H17 /

At Home words by David Williams / photography by Colin Conces

The George Nelson clock that inspired the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s color scheme is accompanied by abstract works from Helen Gloeb (sofa) and Karen Schneph (fireplace) adjacent to pair of original Bertoia diamond chairs (right).

Scan the page with the LayAR app to view more photos of the Wilson home.

/ H18 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

NINE AND TWO MID-CENTURY MODERN MAKEOVER

“

SOME OF OUR friends called it a fortress,” says Kim

Dickhut of the early ‘50s home she and husband Randy bought in 2007 as empty nesters. “Others,” Randy adds, “said it looked like a prison…cold…intimidating.”

Messing with a classic is fraught with danger, but the cement panels that now clad various surfaces of the Dickhut’s home not only counterbalance the sterility of the once severe structure, but also serve to amp up the home’s Mid-Century Modern credentials.

Most work today on Mid-Century structures involves the process of subtraction, that of removing layers of once-trendy “improvements” done over time in ill-advised tinkering. The Dickhuts took the opposite approach—one of addition.

“The concept was that of a virus,” explains Brian Kelly, a professor of architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He and his architect wife, Andrea (formerly of Randy Brown Architects and now a stay-at-home mom), collaborated with the Dickhuts on the project. “The panels become like a virus.

They wrap around the house and intermittently reappear” to sprout again on a chimney stack before being repeated at the rear of the home in punctuating a master bedroom expansion accompanied by a balcony. The street-side panels are, of course, the most noticeable, Andrea says, “But the bedroom and balcony in the back are really the epicenter of the theme.”

Just like the aggressively spreading species of vining plant that threatened to consume the planet in the 1951 British sci-fi flick, The Day of the Triffids, the panels evoke an organic—if decidedly minimal—vibe. Further softening the facade included a focus on the formerly stark entryway (a door…just a plain, unadorned door). The approach was made more inviting with the erection of a latticed trellis, a motif that is duplicated out back in a patio pergola. >

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H19 /

At Home

Kim and Randy Dickhut on the sofa that’s been in Kim’s family since 1968.

< And just exactly what hue is that signature orange that echoes throughout the home?

“We just call that ‘Kim’s favorite color,’” Randy says with a chuckle. “It’s our rebellion against beige,” Kim adds.

If the exterior and bedroom were exercises in addition, the mathematics of the interior were lessons in subtraction.

Rustic barn wood was lopped from the now crisp, cozy space the couple call the Map Room. Moldings were eradicated like invasive weeds. Visual clutter was pruned at every turn in setting the stage for the couple’s collection of MidCentury furnishings.

“The whole idea was that we wanted the look of simple loft living…but with a yard,” Kim says. She points to her mother, who studied both architecture and interior design, as having inspired in her a Bauhaus-influenced aesthetic where form follows function.

“I knew who Frank Lloyd Wright was before I knew who Dr. Seuss was,” she says. “And I grew up assuming that everybody lived in a home with original art.”

The living room is decorated in abstract works by local artists Helen Gloeb and Karen Schneph. Gloeb’s piece hangs above a sofa that has been in Kim’s family since 1968. Nearby sits a pair of original Bertoia diamond chairs (first introduced in 1952) that the Dickhuts outfitted in new leather seat pads.

The kitchen features an original Paul McCobb dinette set.

Another favorite is a George Nelson starburst clock introduced in 1949 that Kim says they’ve had “forever.” The radial spikes of the clock are rendered in a rainbow of colors, but the arms indicating the nine and two positions tell a story of their own. >

/ H20 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

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/ H21 /

At Home

The crisp Map Room once featured dark barnwood walls.

< “If we had to point to the one thing that drove the color scheme,” Randy says as Kim nods in agreement, “it’s the orange arms of that clock.”

“If we had to point to the one thing that drove the color scheme, it’s the orange arms of that clock.”

-Randy Dickhut

The Dickhut home is carefully curated, but there is nothing finicky, inaccessible, or museum-like in the finished result. Comfort, they say, was the main objective.

And the scale, line, and form that are the hallmarks of Mid-Century Modern are a perfect fit for this couple.

“We are not big people,” Kim says, “so the scale of these pieces suit us well. There is nothing big or clunky about Mid-Century Modern.”

“And it’s very livable,” adds Randy of the 1,900 squarefoot space where clean, straightforward lines and right angles are king. “It’s a great place for quite time. It’s a great place for where we are at this stage of our lives.”

OmahaHome

The master bedroom was expanded and a balcony was added. / H22 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

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/ H23 /

DIY words by Jennifer Litton / photography by bill sitzmann

/ H24 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

WOOD & PIPE TABLE

S

OMETIMES YOU C AN find a solu-

tion to a problem just by taking a long walk. Dagmar and Jeff Benson, who live in a lakeside property at scenic Hawaiian Village, needed more table space for entertaining in their basement. Dagmar searched the usual places, but never found anything large enough for their needs.

Jeff spied a pile of long-abandoned boards near the dock while taking a stroll through his neighborhood. He suspected the boards would be the perfect material to construct the tables that Dagmar saw on Pinterest.

“I think we can power wash this and clean it up and see how it looks,” he says.

of four pieces. Two for each table,” she says.

Dagmar didn’t sand them much because she liked their natural color. She finished them with a coat of polyurethane.

The feet are covered with a ¾-inch cap that screws onto the piping. Dagmar estimates it took them 10 hours and $100 in materials for each table.

Next, Jeff attached metal straps to the underside of the table to secure the wood pieces together. Their son, Chris, painted the ¾-inch, galvanized piping legs with two coats of flat black Rust-Oleum.

The tables are a perfect addition to an inviting basement that has been a work-in-progress for the couple since they moved in more than 10 years ago. “We did a stained concrete floor.

We put in a spiral staircase. We had French doors put in,” Dagmar says. And so it continues. Next DIY project on the agenda for the Bensons? They plan to use some of the leftover wood to build shelves for a hip, new bar area. Cheers to that! OmahaHome

“We just bought sections of those that fit together for the length we wanted,” Jeff says.

The legs are made of an 18-inch section joined with a T-connector, and then a 10-inch section topped off with a ¾-inch floor flange that connects to the underneath of the table.

The couple have four grown children and anticipate that their family will grow in size. “Living on a lake, we entertain a lot, so we wanted something that we could use for a buffet table for when we have parties,” Dagmar says.

They love hosting Huskers parties. “Jeff wanted to put a big red N right in the middle, but I nixed that idea right away,” she says.

The couple’s love of creating comes from spending a lot of time on computers for their professions. “I work mostly with a computer and spreadsheets and numbers,” says Dagmar, a program control analyst. “What I like to do in my spare time is anything that has to do with design, art, and decorating.”

After power washing, they set the pieces of wood outside to dry in the sun. Next, Jeff cut them with a chainsaw so they measured four-and-a-half feet long. “We had a total September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H25 /

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

The wall of toilet paper along with pop-art inspired cutouts in the living area (opposite page) are some of the spaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many art installations.

/ H26 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

ONE PIECE AT A TIME

CLINT! RUNGE’S FUNKY-FRESH AIR BNB SPACE

T

HE ADDRESS IS 201 F St.; but, like the hidden gem it is,

one accesses it by driving down D (as in diamond) street.

F St. itself is a dead end, a quiet, leafy spot full of little bungalows.

The diamond is owned by Clint! (yes, legally, Clint!) Runge, founder of youth marketing agency Archrival. This square brick building, which Runge refers to as “The Loft,” started as a grocery store run by German-Russian immigrant H.J. Amen in a neighborhood once populated by a group of ethnic Germans who once lived in Russia.

Runge, who studied architecture at the University of NebraskaLincoln, bought the building from former professor Carl Matthews.

Runge has since used it as his ever-evolving playground.

“This place was raw,” Runge says of viewing the building for the first time. “A doorway was a hole. The basement was full of chains and hooks from its days as a butcher shop. For the last 10 years, I have been making it a place to live, one piece at a time.” >

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H27 /

Spaces

< This included, as Runge says, “getting the creep out.” He cemented the basement and made it more desirable, even as a storage space.

Runge kept true, however, to the building’s origin. A large bone saw sits in the basement, partially due to its heft. In the kitchen is a large cast-iron basin once used for boiling freshly killed chickens alongside the butcher block, now repurposed as a prep island. A smoking room off the kitchen retains its charred walls, and the smell of smoked meat permeates the room.

The space includes many nods to the graphic side of his business. A walled off area is implanted with Warhol-esque stacks of soap boxes and other consumer products. The double doors leading to the main living space display vintage cigarette advertising.

Another pop art feature is the wall of toilet paper behind the commode. The blue-tile bathroom also features a two-feet-deep tub and a nearly 24-inch-wide industrialthemed showerhead.

It is a funky, fresh space, one to try out for a weekend. Runge himself has not lived there since 2013. He rents it to the curious via Airbnb.

/ H28 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

“When I first walked in, my name was on a wall,” says Conjo Studios president Conrad Weaver of the vintage felt signboard Runge uses. “Having that welcome was really cool.”

It is particularly busy during football season.

“The first to rent it gets it,” Runge says. “Right after the Fourth of July people tend to start thinking about football, and I start getting calls. It is rented out every football game.

This makes someone’s weekend. You can get to downtown without hitting a stoplight, or you can walk it in about 15 minutes.”

The space is so unique it was featured on the HGTV show You Live in What?

“One time I was on a plane, and the person next to me was watching the episode,” Runge says. “She turned to me and says ‘Is that you?’ " One thing that won’t happen when staying there—a boisterous, frat-style, all-night kegger. “I do not rent it for parties,” Runge says. “It is limited to four people.”

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Each time someone stays there, however, it will look different.

“The beauty of this space is I get to try things.

Someone who was here a year and a half ago would see new tin ceilings and other things,” Runge says of the space that he is forever changing…one piece at a time. OmahaHome

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H29 /

Neighborhoods words by Molly Garriott / photography by bill sitzmann

/ H30 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

BLACKSTONE OLD IS NEW AGAIN

B

R A N DEIS -M I LL A R D HOUSE

OWNER Mark Maser moved

to the Blackstone neighborhood more than 25 years ago, drawn to its “old houses and quiet streets.” Recent growth dotting the area’s periphery—and now in its very heart—has made the Blackstone neighborhood a destination hot spot and a hip new (in the “old is new again” way) place to live and work.

“Nationally, there is a movement towards moving back to the urban areas of cities,” says Rhonda Stuberg, Blackstone Neighborhood Association president and member of the Blackstone District board. “A new generation has arrived who seems to think that old buildings are pretty cool and likes living where a lot is going on in a smaller area.”

Indeed. Blackstone, which encompasses Leavenworth to Dodge streets and > Mula’s tacos are a hit on the corner of 40th and Farnam.

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H31 /

Neighborhoods < 36th Street to Saddle Creek Road, may be small in terms of square miles, but it teems with activity and attractions. Consider these highlights: a former historic hotel credited with creating the rueben, the headquarters to one of Omaha’s Fortune 500 companies, a craft beer lover’s dream strip, several stately mansions renovated for both private use and public events, a nationally-ranked hospital, and an old-time business strip newly resuscitated by a handful of young entrepreneurs.

This is a mere surface scratch.

The Pella at Blackstone, one of Omaha’s coolest new event venues, is helping lead the resurgence in this midtown district.

Stuberg and her husband moved to the neighborhood in 2007 when they discovered Creighton University put an historic home in its possession up for sale. Fans of old neighborhoods (“neither of us has ever lived west of 72nd Street”), the Stubergs decided to buy and restore the home.

“When we moved in, we had no idea that Midtown Crossing was being built or that the Blackstone District would resurge like it has,” Stuberg confesses.

Resurged it has.

Maser attributes the new growth, in part, to the Nebraska Medical Center’s investment in the area and the Midtown Crossing development, both of which created an exciting ripple effect of restoration. GreenSlate Development is at the forefront. Partners Jay Lund and Matt Dwyer steered the reinvention of the west Farnam corridor at the corner of 40th and Farnam streets. A mix of retail, service, and dining businesses, not one chain store lies in the mix. “It is all about locally owned and operated businesses, most of which are completely original concepts,” states Lund. “These business owners decided to take a chance on our [GreenSlate’s] vision, and the result has been an organic resurgence of this neighborhood that has exceeded all my expectations.”

Grab a New York-style slice at Noli Pizza for lunch, then pop next door for a quick trim at The Surly Chap Barbers. Or try a tequila and taco at Mula. Settle into one of the seats at Archetype Coffee with your laptop and a cup of joe. Want to relax with a pint of beer or glass of wine post-work? Consider Scriptown Brewing or the Corkscrew’s newest location along Farnam. >

/ H32 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

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/ H33 /

Neighborhoods

"The houses are still old and the streets quiet, but now, with more retail shops and restaurants flourishing, we have all the excitement of a modern city within walking distance."

-Mark Maser

< The corner of 40th and Farnam has historically been a hub of commerce. Lund feels its latest reinvention is just another life cycle in a strip that once housed such long-time notable businesses as the Admiral Theater and Kaufmann’s Pastry Shoppe.

Kleveland Clothing shop owner Katie McLeay Cleveland says her mom remembers popping into Kaufmann’s when she was a child. Now the daughter is the next generation of shop owners along Farnam. Kleveland Clothing carries a mix of eclectic, affordable, new and vintage clothing and accessories. Local artists create much of the jewelry available.

The boutique’s unique merchandise fits the non-homogenized Blackstone vibe. “My store needed a specialty location,” says Cleveland.

“It’s not a strip mall business. And the developers are invested in the neighborhood to make it work.”

“Development that is in context with the overall neighborhood” is what Lund, also president of the Blackstone Business Improvement District, feels the area needs. That means converting old row houses into updated townhomes or incorporating new construction seamlessly into its environs. It also means attracting young, forward-thinking business owners who have the energy and vision to make something old new again.

The Surly Chap Barbers offers walk-in services...or rather, Walken, as in actor Christopher.

/ H34 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

Thus far the Blackstone neighborhood has balanced revitalization with regard for the past. As Maser puts it, “The houses are still old and the streets quiet, but now, with more retail shops and restaurants flourishing, we have all the excitement of a modern city within walking distance. It’s the best of both worlds.” OmahaHome

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September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H35 /

Feature words by Tom Mccauley / photography by bill sitzmann

/ H36 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

MANTERIOR TODD MIDDLETON’S MAN CAVE IN A BARN

O

N A SM ALL acreage nestled in the rolling sine-wave

hills outside Springfield, Nebraska, Todd Middleton set the gold standard for the man cave. This husband and father of two built a manly oasis in his barn—decorated with old duck decoys, John Deere curios, barbed wire, a rusty raccoon trap, and cow-skull art made of washers—reflecting the family’s passions for antiques and the outdoor life. The taxidermied duck, forever flying off the wall, looks perfect.

Middleton, owner of Double T Lawn and Landscape, first conceived the idea for the project when he built an office in a different barn on his property. “I said if I ever build another barn, I’m gonna build me something that I can actually sit down in and kinda get away from the wifey.”

“It’s okay, the feeling’s mutual,” says Todd’s wife, Aimee, who directs the marketing and clerical side of the family business.

“It gives me time in my kingdom. By myself!”

(“She sheds” are fast becoming the counterbalance to the man cave. If men have their private dens, it’s only logical that women should have a space of their own as well.)

Plenty of beer, wine, and Hawaiian Punch await Todd and his buddies; a Yoder barbecue smoker just outside the entrance gives off a faint whiff of pulled pork. Inside is a masterpiece of craft and masculine attention, including a bar, two Frigidaires, a Shaquille-O’Neal-sized-couch, a 60-inch flat-screen, a bathroom with repurposed galvanized tubs for sink basins—even an old watering can for a showerhead. Cedar and knotty pine panel the walls, giving a fresh-from-the-forest look. Whereas most builders worry out every little knot and kink in the wood, Todd purposely let imperfections remain in order to give the place an outdoorsy feel. >

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H37 /

Feature

“I said if I ever build another barn, I’m gonna build me something that I can actually sit down in and kinda get away from the wifey.”

-Todd Middleton

< “You don’t want anything perfect,” he explains. “You don’t want anything straight, clean. When you do stuff like this, you want it a little rough.”

In keeping with the theme of roughness and wilderness, the bar, made of fieldstones, supports a syrup-colored, knotty pine countertop that is lacquered on the sides and topped with a self-leveling epoxy mix to give it a glassy, uncanny sheen. He wanted to go his own way on its design. “Everybody’s got granite, onyx, whatever. This is something different.”

Working alone, Todd built his cave a little bit at a time. Aimee says the antique collecting actually took the longest. The family enjoys hunting for rare finds at flea markets and auctions like Rural Route Rust in western Nebraska and Junkstock, and on websites like eBay. It’s an impressive collection, a minimuseum devoted to the rustic life.

In fact, their one-of-a-kind endeavor could serve as a valuable homegrown marketing

/ H38 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

Todd Middleton tool, introducing the concept of manterior design to Nebraska.

“We’re putting this on our website,” Aimee admits. Todd has already been offered a few renovation jobs because of influence from social media sites like Pintrest.

“She put it on Facebook, a lot of people were kinda going nuts,” Todd adds. “There’s just so many cool things out there that people think of and that you can do.” OmahaHome

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/ H39 /

Sandy's Makeover words by Sandy Besch Matson / photography by bill sitzmann

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to look in your backyard to get an unlikely inspiration. Do you want something unique, do you enjoy bringing a little of the outside in? You may be inspired to think more outside the box when creating something unique for your home.

First things first, this is not the easiest project I have done. You may need to think ahead for when you want to start, because working with nature sometimes throws you off course.

I started this project last year, knowing that pictures had to be taken in July for a September/October issue project. If you read my letter on page H9, you will know the history behind this project, and it’s worth the read. >

/ H40 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

Items Needed: • Hot glue gun • Glue sticks • Acorns/caps/variety if you can • Styroform balls of different sizes • Optional moss or other dried substance for coating styroform before gluing

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/ H41 /

Sandy's Makeover

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Once the acorns are baked and cooled, check them over, gluing the caps onto the acorns if they are falling, or haven fallen, off. If you want to make them shine, just use a little furniture polish and that will bring out the color. Do not polish the caps, however. Sort them by size and shape.

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< Start with clean acorns, then bake them on a cookie sheet at a low temperature for several hours. No, you're not cooking them, just ensuring nothing decides to creep out later (I learned the first time the hard way).

www.claxtonfireplace.com Allied Member ASID

Start with the smallest styrofoam ball first, which is easiest to manipulate as you glue the acorns onto it. You can choose to put moss over the ball first, or anything that will help coat the ball prior to placing the acorns. If you choose to forego this step, you will see styrofoam between the nuts. Coating the ball with moss or other material also creates a more finished project.

Start in the middle and then start gluing acorns to the ball, working around it until complete. I choose to use some with caps and some without caps. I turned some of them upside down for a different look. You want to mix it up to add color and texture.

Use different size balls for interest. I like things in threes—small, medium, and large—but I wanted another texture so I added a fourth ball.

To display the pieces, I used a favorite roughhewn bowl that helps capture the essence of the whole nature look I wanted. I placed some of the acorns at the bottom of the bowl with a little moss and an artificial tree limb to add even more drama. Then I included some candles.

It makes for a great centerpiece throughout the year by adding a little of this and that.

Thank You!

for voting us Best of OmahaTM Molly Maid of Central Omaha & Council Bluffs

402.932.MAID (6243) cathy.tichy@mollymaid.com

/ H42 /

OmahaHome • September/October 2015

each franchise independently owned and operated

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September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H43 /

Transformations words by Marian Holden, ASID / photography by Lisa Louise Photography

The renovationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contemporary palette includes lots of rich, earthy hues.

/ H44 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

MEET THE DESIGNER

Marian Holden, ASID, Designer’s Touch

Transformations is a regular feature of Omaha Home that spotlights a recent project by a local ASID interior designer. The copy and photos are provided by the designer.

Homeowners’ names may be withheld for privacy.

FROM TRADITIONAL TO CONTEMPORARY

T

HE GOAL IN renovating this home was transform-

ing the somewhat traditional space into a fresh, contemporary, more spacious home. The project started in the kitchen, re-facing the dingy oak cabinets with a shakerstyle birch euro-hinged door stained in a deep, almost black, espresso color. The brown tumbled-porcelain tile with glass accents complimented the Persian brown granite beautifully. The craftsmen placed the same tile on the floor in a pinwheel pattern using 18”, 12”, and 6” pieces, and continued into the entry to add spaciousness and continuity. >

September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H45 /

Transformations

Stainless steel appliances and hardware compliment the Persian brown granite.

< Sleek, contemporary, cylindrical hardware adorns the cabinetry. The cylinder shape is repeated over the island in handcrafted, contemporary pendant fixtures.

The most dramatic change to the home happened in the entry. An open staircase with iron balusters, an espresso-stained handrail, and chunky box newel posts replaced the original oak stair rail and closed staircase.

In addition, the walls in the adjacent living room were completely removed. In its place stands a tall, beautiful column wrapped in stone. The fireplace was refaced in the same gorgeous stone. These changes transformed the entry from a small, compartmentalized, lackluster entry into a spacious, elegant, and luxurious foyer. > / H46 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

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As a part of RBC Wealth Management I have the global resources of an international leader, but I maintain the culture of a small firm with service from an experienced local advisor.

Don’t miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine JULY/AUGUST

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER • 2013

2014

BoB Kenny ™

Omaha’s topDentists™

The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon

Best of Omaha™ Campaign 2015

Malorie Maddox Omaha Stories

war & Chuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past.

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Prescription Drug Abuse Among Teens Nebraska’s Premier Wealth Advisors The Making of Nebraska John Jackson

$2a$10$BV2a7V/BdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8Gy/Beii 959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIR VJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$VQy5s jVaOIi93aOzrmX/NOWOEU/lVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJH GImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORS BHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$.BSUej3mkaYgBL6SH dzkruV.CLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ 0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\ n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DM h2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIR VJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$bok og0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK. 96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIE hFUkU=\n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWv/tvWyOIUae5YKMb G9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVX TElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8/IgljO 0gl8u/8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIR VJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$8HQy CRFmAbw.q2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYN WIAST0cM/2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVX TElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd 71pgp.O03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEH. KqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUy BIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEh FUkU=\n$2a$10$FmIjrLTW. ACeLTrwoJXJ.u8b8hgthtLuGD By0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ 0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORS BHT0VTIEhFUkU=\n$2a$10$C jZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7eh. yyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1f HkrPX/mU1BBQ0UgR09FUy BIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIE hFUkU=\n$2a$10$uPCa JPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK 9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdy Br.0eW.m

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September/October 2015 • omahamagazine.com

/ H47 /

Transformations

Rectangular slate tiles, laid vertically on the vanity wall, generated height and drama.

< The powder room was a tiny, non-descript space with no personality. The walls needed to stay in place for structure, so we created the illusion of space through the finishes.

Rectangular slate tiles, laid vertically on the vanity wall, generated height and drama. The granite vessel sink sits atop a custom marine wood finished top, flanked by custom hand painted pendants.

Beautiful Fabrica carpet in the main area and stunning contemporary window treatments added the finishing touch and transformed this home to a spacious, modern one that feels newly-constructed. OmahaHome

/ H48 /

OmahaHome â&#x20AC;˘ September/October 2015

FIRST PLACE TEN YEARS IN A ROW

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Thank you for voting us “Best of Omaha” the last decade.

We appreciate your continued support for local businesses.

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/ H49 /

PRCA photo by Mike Copeman

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It’s everything you want in your home – from its fresh architectural style and detailing, to the simplicity of its lifestyledriven functionality and a classic timelessness that feels as perfect for your life today as it will in the years to come. It’s also why Curt Hofer & Associates is the area’s most inspired high-end homebuilder. Imaginatively conceived, flawlessly executed – let Curt Hofer & Associates create and build your new custom home.

FRESH. SIMPLISTIC. CLASSIC.

It begins with an idea. Please contact Curt Hofer & Associates at 402.758.0440. For an appointment, visit curthofer.com or see our Ideabook at houzz.com/curthofer.

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2440 south 141st circLe • (402) 334-5446 • www.brandeiscatering.com September/October • 2015 | 141 | bestofomaha.com

ERE YOU ARE H W T N E V R NEXT E U O Y N A PL

N O I T N E T T A F O R E T N E C E TH

Exhibition Space - 194K sq ft Meeting Space - 63K sq ft Pre-function Space - 42.5K sq ft

Unparalleled professional service meets state-of-the-art technology at CenturyLink Center Omaha. With a striking, contemporary design that allows easy access to all areas, CenturyLink Center Omaha becomes an immediate topic of conversation at any event.

For more information, contact Denise Niebrugge, CMP, Vice President Convention Center Sales & Marketing at 402.599.6932 or dniebrugge@omahameca.com.

455 N. 10th Street | Omaha, NE 68102 | www.CENTURYLINKCENTEROMAHA.com September/October • 2015 | 142 | omahamagazine.com

OM AHA’S G I V E

p.o. box 301188 omaha, ne 68131 402.345.hope (4673) newhopelifecenters.org

BIG

Big Givers: •

The New Hope Life Center for Women utilizes best practices in trauma-informed residential and aftercare programs for women seeking recovery from drug and alcohol addictions.

•

When a woman enters the program she commits to 12 months of holistic recovery which integrates physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, along with practical life skills and goal setting.

•

Acute attention to detail sets us apart by enabling women to build strong and healthy relationships in life and the community without falling through the cracks.

Brag Lines: •

We are successfully reversing the failure rate for female addicts and providing dramatic results for women, families, and the community. While up to 90% of addicts return to addiction; 70% of New Hope graduates are clean and sober one year after program completion!

•

We create a permanent community with our residents and graduates, we’re NOT just a program!

New Hope provides a place that always allows women to come home.

•

Aftercare support is provided for all program alumnae at no charge to the women.

Pay It Forward: •

Donations are always needed and appreciated! We are the only transitional living program in the region that takes NO government funding as it would limit success.

•

Provide entry-level job opportunities for the women we serve—helping them get a fresh start.

•

Connect us with your supportive organization, church, rotary, business, etc. so that we can spread the word about New Hope and expand our base of support.

September/October • 2015 | 143 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

THE BIG GIVE

Resilience and Perseverance Shape the Character of a Community WORDS BY DAVID WILLIAMS

P

HILANTHROPIC GIVING IN America has finally returned to pre-recession levels.

Contributions totaling $358 billion in 2014 surpassed 2007’s pre-recession level of $355 billion. Additionally, giving was up from all major sources—individuals, corporations, foundations, and bequests—according to Giving USA, an annual report compiled by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Giving USA Foundation of Chicago.

“Eight out of nine types of charitable organizations we measure saw increased contributions, and that’s good news for the philanthropic sector as a whole,” W. Keith Curtis, the chair of Giving USA Foundation, told Omaha Magazine in an email. “The 60-year high for charitable giving in 2014 is a great story about resilience and perseverance.”

Themes of resilience and perseverance are repeated in the work of each and every nonprofit you’ll be introduced to on the pages that follow. Omaha Magazine is proud to present our annual Big Give issue, one that celebrates the character of a city and its people.

September/October • 2015 | 144 | omahamagazine.com

Source: Giving USA, an annual report compiled by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Giving USA Foundation of Chicago One measure of the character of a community comes from the Columbus Survey of Community Foundations, whose report for 2014 shows that the Omaha Community Foundation is ranked 17th in the nation.

Don’t be confused by that number. That’s not 17th on a per capita basis. The foundation’s $937 million in assets places it 17th in absolute numbers. That means Omaha is ahead of similar civic foundations in such giants as Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, and Philadelphia.

“That number speaks to something special about our community,” says Kali Baker, vice president of communications at the Omaha Community Foundation.

“Omahans are generous with their wealth. It’s a city of great people and great nonprofits,” she says. Omaha’s size, Baker points out, has long been believed to be a key element in the equation. “We’re right in that sweet spot when it comes to population,” she says. “Omaha is just small enough that it’s easy for people to stay connected to their community. They feel connected to the people. They feel connected to the nonprofits. That’s a lot harder to do in the largest cities.”

You see that sense of connectedness at a very personal level every year in the foundation’s Omaha Gives campaign.

Now in its third year, the single-day blitz of philanthropy called Omaha Gives raised more than $8.8 million dollars in 2015 from over 47,000 individual donations to 704 organizations. Speaking of rankings, Omaha Gives, even though still only in its toddler years, placed fifth in the nation in terms of dollars raised when compared to similar efforts in other cities.

While the foundation excels in whipping a city into a 24-hour frenzy of giving, the core of its work is in being a vehicle to match Omahans with their nonprofit passions.

By establishing personal and institutional giving accounts, the foundation simplifies the philanthropic process and give donors more financial flexibility by making it easier for generous people to accomplish more with their gifts.

The foundation makes donor-directed grants to many of the nonprofits featured on the pages that follow.

September/October • 2015 | 145 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine believes that giving begins at home, but our better angels seeking additional information about national organizations may find a handy tool in CharityNavigator.org, America’s largest independent charity evaluator for exploring just about any nonprofit.

Children, the most innocent among us, are particularly vulnerable. Did you know that: »» The poverty rate for Nebraska children in 2013 was 17.7 percent, up 16.1 per ent from 2009? »» The white, non-Hispanic poverty rate among children in Nebraska that same year was 9.4 percent, but jumps to 32.5 percent for AfricanAmerican kids and 25.4 per cent for Hispanic or Latino children? »» 27 percent of Nebraska children were living with a single-parent in 2013, a 12 percent increase for the same metric in 1980?

Regardless of your path to giving, Omaha Magazine encourages you to explore the city’s broad and deep array of nonprofits. Visit their websites. Take a tour of their facilities.

Become a volunteer. Be an active part of what makes our city theO great place that it is to live, work, and play.

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

THE BIG GIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS 173 AKSARBEN Foundation

170 American

Diabetes Association

147 American Heart Association

148 American

Red Cross

149 Assistance

League of Omaha

172 Literacy Center 156 Lutheran

Family Services

157 Metro Area Youth Foundation, Inc

178 Montessori

Junior and Senior High School

158 Nebraska

Children’s Home Society

150 Autism Action

159 Nebraska

175 Celiac Support

185 Nebraska Kidney

186 Children’s

176 Nebraska Wind

Partnership Association

Scholarship Fund of Omaha

151 College Possible 152 Completely KIDS 153 Food Bank for

the Heartland

154 Heartland

Family Service

155 KVC Nebraska

Humane Society Association Symphony

143 New Hope

Life Center for Women

184 Omaha Area

Youth Orchestras

160 Omaha

Children’s Museum

177 Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance

161 Omaha Home for Boys

162 Omaha Public Library Foundation

163 Omaha Schools Foundation

180 Omaha Zoo Foundation

164 OneWorld

Community Health Centers

165 Outlook

Nebraska, Inc.

179 Phoenix Academy 166 Project Harmony 182 Refugee

Empowerment Center

183 Restoration

Exchange Omaha

174 Salvation Army 188 Santa Monica House

167 Sienna/Francis House

September/October • 2015 | 146 | omahamagazine.com

Mission statement

upcoming events

The mission of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association is “Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” By 2020, the association aims to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease (the nation’s number one killer) by 20 percent.

October 29, 2015 World Stroke Day November 3, 2015 Go Red For Women Expo November 4, 2015 National Eating Healthy Day February 5, 2016 National Wear Red Day February 6, 2016 Heart and Stroke Ball April 6, 2016 National Walking Day May 7, 2016 Heart Walk

Who we are

Brag Lines

Pay it forward

Life is why the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association has a mission to end the threat of heart disease and stroke, which are the nation’s number one and number five killers. We all have a reason to live a longer, healthier life. Maybe it is to dance at your daughter’s wedding; maybe it is to cheer on the Huskers. No matter how big or how small your “why,” the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association wants to help you live for those moments.

Since 2010, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association has funded $4,268,480 in research in Nebraska, including $2.68 million in 2014. But the association is more than research. The association’s work impacts average Nebraskans every day. In 2014, 71,765 Nebraskans were trained by the association in CPR and 47,980 children fought obesity through Jump Rope For Heart/Hoops For Heart. Recently, the association worked to have all Nebraska newborns screened for heart defects before leaving the hospital, supported a statewide smoke-free law, and is aiming to have CPR as a high school graduation requirement.

Life is why you should support the work of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Supporting can be as simple as telling a friend about the risks or wearing red on National Wear Red Day. You can also take it further by attending an event like the Go Red For Women Expo or the Heart and Stroke Ball— you can even form a team for the Heart Walk. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association is an easy organization to support, accepting both donations of money and time.

September/October • 2015 | 147 | bestofomaha.com

American Heart Association and American Stroke Association

9900 Nicholas St. Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68114 402.810.6870 heart.org/Omaha

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

wish list

The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

• The gift of time, talent, and treasure allows the American Red Cross to provide hope and help to people down the street, across the country, and around the world during their time of emergency.

• To become an American Red Cross volunteer or make a donation, call 402-343-7700 or visit redcross.org/neia. upcoming events

March 9, 2016 Heroes in the Heartland June 4, 2016 A Night of Heroes and Jazz

Who we are

Brag Lines

Pay it forward

The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors, and partners, is always there in times of need. We aspire to turn compassion into action so that: • All people affected by disaster across the country and around the world receive care, shelter, and hope • Our communities are ready and prepared for disasters • Everyone in our country has access to safe, lifesaving blood and blood products • All members of our armed services and their families find support and comfort whenever needed • In an emergency, there are always trained individuals nearby, ready to use their Red Cross skills to save lives

During the past year, 1,514 Red Cross volunteers served the Omaha Metro community by: • Giving help and hope to 183 families after a devastating disaster • Helping 1,007 military personnel and family members through Service to Armed Forces programs • Training 10,064 people in CPR, first aid, AED and lifesaving water safety skills • Nearly 140,000 people rolled up their sleeves and donated to Midwest Blood Services

The strength of your generosity: • $15 provides one smoke alarm installation.

• $20 gives a blanket, meal, snack, and comfort kit to a person in need • $50 provides a Red Cross bag filled with comfort items for a wounded service member arriving at a military hospital

American Red Cross

2912 S. 80th Ave. Omaha, NE 68124 402.343.7700 redcross.org/neia September/October • 2015 | 148 | omahamagazine.com

Mission statement

wish list

Assistance League® of Omaha is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) volunteer service organization whose members identify, develop, implement, and fund ongoing philanthropic programs to serve specific needs of children and adults in the Greater Omaha area.

• Monetary donations • Volunteers • Tax-deductible donations of housewares, adult clothing, and accessories to the Thrift Shop • Books for young children • Printing services upcoming events

November 4, 2015 Christmas Caravan Preview Party November 5, 2015 Christmas Caravan April 12, 2016 Style Show

Who we are

Assistance League of Omaha is an all-volunteer organization serving Omaha since 1974. The organization returns 100 percent of proceeds raised to the community through its philanthropic programs.

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2015 Top�Rated Award by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews about nonprofit organizations.

Signature programs include: • Operation School Bell® offering over 3,400 school children in need the opportunity to shop for new school clothes at JC Penney.

• Operation Recovery providing support to women recovering from chemical dependency • ACT/PSAT review sessions preparing students from 27 area schools for college entrance examinations • Assault Survivor Kits® supplying clothing and hygiene items to more than 400 assault survivors, which are distributed through hospital emergency rooms and shelters • Operation Teen Parent encouraging teen parents to complete their educations, providing more than 600 books to read to their children, and awarding four college scholarships • Operation Bear Hug furnishing almost 600 stuffed bears

to children in crisis situations, which are distributed by the Omaha Police Department and eight other emergency agencies.

Pay it forward

There are many ways you can support the Assistance League’s work: • Become a member and use your time and talent to support our philanthropic projects • Provide a monetary donation, $85 clothes one school child • Attend the Christmas Caravan and Preview Party • Support the Assistance League Thrift Shop with your donations and patronage

September/October • 2015 | 149 | bestofomaha.com

Assistance League® of Omaha

3569 Leavenworth St. Omaha, NE 68105 402.342.4288 alomaha.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

To improve the quality of life of persons on the autism spectrum and their families through education, advocacy, and support, thereby enabling them to be an integral part of the community.

• Donations to support autism programs, family events, and our resource center • Sponsors for our benefit for autism—A Vintage Affaire VII • Volunteers for upcoming events • Silent auction items for A Vintage Affaire VII upcoming events

September 26, 2015 Benefit for Autism—A Vintage Affaire VII: Wines of the World October 4, 2015 Autism Night at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium November 12, 2015 Annual Autism Summit December 13, 2015 Autism Night at the Omaha Children’s Museum

Who we are

Autism Action Partnership (AAP) creates autism awareness and works to develop and fund programs that fill critical gaps in Nebraska autism services. This year, one in 68 children in the United States will be diagnosed with autism, underscoring the urgent need for increased and improved autism services. Since its inception, AAP has partnered with various autism service providers throughout the state to implement programs and services for individuals with autism and their families that would otherwise never have been created.

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In 2015, AAP continued to implement several programs for individuals affected by autism.

For the 2015-2016 school year, we accepted 229 Nebraska schools to participate in the “Circle of Friends” Social Skills Program, benefiting students with autism, their student peers, and school professionals. AAP is also funding 100 Rethink profiles, a webbased teaching program used by school professionals to educate students with autism. We fund the Transitions program through the University of Nebraska-Omaha for young adults with autism. To further services for young adults with autism, AAP is currently developing the Partnership for Autism Career Employment program (PACE). This program will provide the support, training, and pathways that may be necessary for adults with autism to lead a long-term, fulfilling career.

Pay it forward

AAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and greatly appreciates private and corporate donations. Your donation will benefit those affected by autism by supporting: • AAP’s Resource Center • The “Circle of Friends” Social Skills Program • Rethink profiles • Transitions program • Partnership for Autism Career Employment (PACE) • Family-fun events like autism nights at the Omaha Children’s Museum and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium • Please visit our website, autismaction.org, for full details, or contact Executive Director Dave Pantos, Esq., dpantos@autismaction.org.

September/October • 2015 | 150 | omahamagazine.com

Autism Action Partnership

14301 FNB Parkway Suite 115 Omaha, NE 68154 402.763.8830 autismaction.org

Mission statement

wish list

College Possible is making college admission and success possible for promising students from low-income backgrounds through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support.

• Snacks: for students to have during school sessions, ACT practice tests, and campus visits • Tech Prizes: laptops, tablets, and others to be awarded at our graduation ceremony • Funds: financial support from individuals, corporations, or foundations to help us meet challenge grants upcoming events

April 2016 Launch! College Possible Omaha’s Endof-Year Celebration

Who we are

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Pay it forward

College Possible’s goal is helping capable students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college. We envision a day when the future of our nation’s youth is determined solely by their talent, motivation and effort. We harness the energy of AmeriCorps members to provide support for students. We are idealistic leaders who believe in the power of education. We coach low-income students toward college graduation and they prove, every day, that when college is possible, anything is possible.

We are proud to serve more than 1,500 students in nine partner high schools around the Omaha metro area and more than 30 colleges and universities across the country. We achieve the best results of organizations across the country. In the 2014-15 school year, the students we served increase their ACT scores by an average of 17 percent, and over 99 percent were accepted to college.

As a local nonprofit organization, we are always in need of community support. Notably, your financial gifts help make it possible for us to continue to serve students in the Omaha area. Please considering donating to us today as we work toward meeting challenge grants from The Peter Kiewit Foundation and others.

September/October • 2015 | 151 | bestofomaha.com

College Possible

900 S 74th Plaza Suite 403 Omaha, NE 68114 402.884.4750 CollegePossible.org/Omaha

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Who we are

Completely KIDS assists more than 2,000 children and families each year in overcoming barriers to their success. Research shows that growing up in poverty can have a significant impact on a child’s cognitive development, emotional well-being, and physical health.

Completely KIDS has consistently seen the impacts of poverty on the lives of the families with which it works and has developed program components that specifically address each area of need.

Programming: • Provides a safe environment with caring adult mentors.

• Teaches kids and families about healthy choices.

• Provides enrichment activities that reinforce what is being taught in the classroom to help students achieve success.

Mission statement

wish list

Completely KIDS educates and empowers kids and families to create a safe, healthy, successful, and connected community.

• Digital and video cameras • iPads • Sewing machines • Photo printers • Soccer balls • Basketballs • Footballs • Jump ropes • Markers • Tissue and scrapbook paper • Paint and brushes • Art kits • Board games • Puzzles • Pencils • Kids’ magazines • Minute rice cups • Chicken noodle soup (pull tab) • Green beans (pull tab) • Other Weekend Food Program items (see website) • Stencils and stamps • Gas and grocery gift cards • Toiletries • Cleaning supplies • Birthday, holiday, or field trip sponsors • Volunteers

• Strengthens families through classes, case management, and connecting them to the resources they need.

Our organization’s face is Executive Director Penny Parker.

She leads a talented and highly educated staff, which includes alumni of Completely KIDS programs.

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Completely KIDS was the first Omaha nonprofit to provide a backpack food program and programming for children in homeless shelters. As a primarily schoolbased program, we have many unique partnerships with area school administrators and other local agencies.

In the past year, we served additional children who were on our waiting list, increased the number of children served in our Weekend

Food Program, extended community partnerships and revamped our program curriculum.

Pay it forward

Omahans can give back through time or money. Opportunities include: • Reading Buddies/ Learning Centers • Weekend Food Program • Fundraising Drives There are always more kids and families in Omaha who need our help. We can’t do it without the backing of our donors and volunteers, people just like you. Please contact us to find out more information about giving opportunities.

September/October • 2015 | 152 | omahamagazine.com

upcoming events

October 2, 2015 Big Red Tailgate March/April 2016 Author Luncheon June 2, 2016 Pinot, Pigs & Poets

Completely KIDS

2566 St. Mary’s Avenue Omaha, NE 68116 402.397.5809 completelykids.org

Who we are

Food Bank for the Heartland distributes food to 244 schools and 225 food pantries, emergency shelters, and other nonprofit partners.

Our service area is larger than any food bank in the country, spanning 77 counties in Nebraska and 16 in western Iowa.

Fighting hunger is an ongoing, collaborative effort. We work with individuals, organizations, food manufacturers and distributors, grocery stores, the USDA, and Feeding America to procure food.

The Food Bank also purchases food to supplement donations.

During the 2013-2014 fiscal year, we spent nearly $2.5 million on high-demand items. Because we believe strongly in good nutrition, the number one item we distribute is fresh produce.

Mission statement

wish list

The mission of Food Bank for the Heartland is to provide emergency and supplemental food to people in need across Nebraska and western Iowa. Our vision is to eliminate hunger in our community.

• Financial Contributions: Each dollar you donate provides three meals to feed someone struggling with hunger.

A donation of $160 sponsors a child in our BackPack program for the entire school year.

• Volunteers: Spend some time sorting food or assembling food packs in our distribution center. Volunteers are also needed to support our programs, maintain our vegetable garden, and help with Food Bank events.

There are opportunities throughout the year for individuals and groups to get involved.

• Food Donations: Some of our mostneeded items include peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, boxed meals, macaroni and cheese, pancake mix, and canned fruits and vegetables.

Food Bank for the Heartland operates its own programs that directly serve vulnerable populations. They include Kids Cafe, BackPack, Mobile Pantry, SNAP, and Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen. As the number of hungry children, families, and seniors increases, these programs expand to meet the growing need.

• Last year our BackPack program fed over 8,400 children each weekend.

• In 2014, volunteers donated 35,769 hours of service.

• More than 250,000 lives were touched by food and other items distributed by the Food Bank in 2014.

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We encourage you to learn more about our mission and operations. Visit our 76,000square-foot headquarters or go to FoodBankHeartland.org to learn about the issue of hunger in Nebraska and western Iowa, make a secure financial contribution, or sign up to volunteer. Join our community—together we can solve hunger.

Our engaged and dynamic community of supporters is the heart of the Food Bank. Generous volunteers and donors are committed to the organization’s mission and are truly making a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need.

• 15.5 million pounds of food were distributed in 2014.

Pay it forward

September/October • 2015 | 153 | bestofomaha.com

upcoming events

September 2015 Hunger Action Month October 22, 2015 Taste the Season, a Harvest Celebration November 2015 Woodhouse BackPack Challenge VII March 3, 2015 Celebrity Chef featuring Anne Burrell Food Bank for the Heartland

10525 J St. Omaha, NE 68127 402.331.1213 FoodBankHeartland.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

wish list

Heartland Family Service’s mission is to strengthen individuals and families in our community through education, counseling, and support services. We serve over 50,000 people annually from more than 15 locations in east-central Nebraska and southwest Iowa.

• Clothing • Underwear and socks (must be new) • Diapers, formula, baby items • Suitcases and duæe bags • Books • Toiletries • Bus fare • Gift cards • Tickets to events and activities • Blankets Pay it forward

Join volunteer groups: To learn more about volunteering contact us at Volunteer@ HeartlandFamilyService.org or 402.552.7418.

Who we are

Since 1875, Heartland Family Service has been the leader in creating the path to a better tomorrow for children and families in the Omaha metro area. With more than 50 programs, we are able to hand-craft an integrated, multi-service approach that guides our clients toward safety, well-being and, ultimately, self-sußciency. We firmly believe that when life improves for one of us, life improves for all of us. We all matter.

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Eighty percent of our clients have annual incomes of $20,000 or less.

Because we not only believe in, but also practice trauma-informed care, we ask “What has happened to you?” and not, “What is wrong with you?” to each and every client that walks through our doors. Our expert staff

and licensed therapists work with the individuals and their families to help break damaging intergenerational cycles in order to become self-sußcient.

Each year, Heartland Family Service provides essential services to some of our community’s most vulnerable individuals and families of all ages—from the infants in our Family Works programs to seniors in our Senior Center—in the following program areas: • Housing and Financial Stability—These programs offer hardship assistance, housing, and supportive services. The goal is to provide immediate, and long-term survival assistance, including therapeutic support to residents in our community who are experiencing issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness,

and financial crisis.

• Child and Family Programs— These community centers and services span many generations.

From early childhood education programming to therapeutic intervention for troubled teens, to social and nutritional offerings for seniors, participants in our programs receive the education and support needed to ensure a brighter future.

• Counseling and Prevention— Programs in this area share a central focus on therapeutic services in order to treat current mental health and substance abuse issues, manage chronic illnesses, intervene earlier, and limit occurrences altogether through education and prevention services.

September/October • 2015 | 154 | omahamagazine.com

• Provide a meal to the teens in crisis in our Youth Links facility • Purchase holiday gifts for our Adopt a Family programs • Attend our monthly Good Works 101 Lunch and Learn sessions • Request a tour of our locations • Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter upcoming events

November 19, 2015 Nebraska Salute to Families February 13, 2016 Carnival of Love Gala August 13, 2016 Jefferson House “Stand Up for Kids” Comedy Night TBD 2016 Strike a Chord Heartland Family Service

2101 S. 42nd St. Omaha, NE 68105 402.553.3000 heartlandfamilyservice.org

mission statement

Wish list

Enriching and enhancing the lives of Nebraska families.

• • • • • • • • •

New Backpacks Diapers Baby wipes New child/youth underwear New socks Suitcases Duffel bags Gift cards Monetary donations

upcoming events

September 11, 2015 KVC Kids Classic Golf Tournament December 12, 2015 Resource Family Conference

Who we are

KVC Nebraska is a private, notfor-profit child welfare and behavioral health care organization that provides foster care and intensive in-home services. As the largest child-placing agency in the state, KVC recruits, trains, licenses, and supports foster families to care for nearly 1,500 children and adolescents each year who have experienced abuse or neglect. KVC staff provide ongoing support to families including 24/7 crisis support, continuing education programs, mentoring coordination, community support groups, and educational programs and publications. The organization is a subsidiary of KVC Health Systems, which touches the lives of more than 50,000 children and families each year. Due

to KVC’s leadership in the use of evidence-based research, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has endorsed KVC as a national best-practice organization in child welfare. brag lines

KVC Nebraska is an innovator in child welfare services and known for its incredibly strong outcomes, such as a 99.96 percent average safety rate in foster homes and 95 percent average placement stability rate. This means children who have experienced abuse and neglect are safe in KVC foster families and rarely change homes. Last year, KVC Nebraska: • Trained and supported foster families to care for over 1,000 children and teenagers

• Stabilized and strengthened families by providing 405 clients with in-home services pay it forward

As you read this, a teenager in our community is in need of a safe place to stay. YOU can make a difference by becoming a foster parent with KVC! By opening your heart and home, you’ll help a young person create a brighter future. If fostering is not right for you, please consider donating or volunteering.

September/October • 2015 | 155 | bestofomaha.com

KVC Nebraska

11550 I St., Suite 100 Omaha, NE 68137 402.498.4700 kvcnebraska.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska expresses God´s love for all people by providing quality human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life. wish list

• 10-ride MAT bus passes • New car seats for children • Sponsorship of refugee families • Diapers, pullups, and baby wipes • Household furniture and toiletries • Children’s clothing (new-nearly new) • Gift cards for groceries and necessities • Winter weather clothing for refugee families Pay it forward

Volunteer opportunities are listed at lfsneb.org.

Opportunities include sponsorship of refugee families, babysitting children and clerical assignments.

Financial support for our programs is always welcome.

Who we are

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) is a faith-based, not-for-profit, multi-service human care agency with more than 30 locations across Nebraska and locations in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Wichita, Kansas. Th rough three core competencies—children services, behavioral health and community services to new Americans—LFS staff members strive to improve lives by supporting clients through the recovery and healing process.

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For 123 years, LFS has provided quality human care services that build and strengthen individuals, families and communities. Each year LFS impacts the lives of one in 50 Nebraskans. These include

children who have been sexually abused, traumatized, suffer from behavioral health challenges, or placed in and out of home care. To stem long-term neglect, LFS offers early interventions and prevention programs to young, inexperienced and often financially challenged parents. The support families receive build healthy and loving relationships.

In 2014, behavioral health services were provided to over 17,000 individuals. These services extend to the Omaha Police Department facilitating immediate referrals to an onsite peer support specialist and access to 24/7 mobile crisis response. Confidential trauma treatment and peer support services are available through the At Ease program to veterans, active military and their loved ones.

LFS is the largest resettlement organization in the state, resettling 741 refugees from war-torn parts of the world in 2014. In the same year, over 2,000 new Americans were connected to housing, healthcare, employment and legal advice. LFS is the agency of record for helping the FBI care for local victims of international human traßcking.

As confirmation of the organization’s ongoing commitment to quality care and service, LFS is accredited by both the Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services and the Better Business Bureau. The organization is a recipient of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce’s Greater Omaha Business Excellence Award for both 2015 and 2014. In 2013, LFS received the Better Business Bureau’s Integrity Award.

September/October • 2015 | 156 | omahamagazine.com

upcoming events

September 13, 2015 Faith in Action®: Celebrating Those Who Generously Advance Safety, Hope & WellBeing for All People October 24, 2015 Omaha’s Great Pumpkin® November 5, 2015 Wicker & Wine®

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS)

124 S. 24th St., Ste. 230 Omaha, NE 68102 402.342.7038 lfsneb.org

Mission statement

wish list

Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska Optimists uniting to improve the quality of life of children and their families.

• Monetary donations • Auction items for fundraisers • Gift cards to big box stores (Target/Walmart) • Gift cards to pharmacies (Walgreens/CVS) • Gas station gift cards (Casey’s, BP) upcoming events

June 10, 2016 Hope Center Carnival June 25, 2016 Knox Out Childhood Cancer 5K & Fun Run August 20, 2016 Summer Bash for Childhood Cancer Fundraiser

Who we are

The Metro Area Youth Foundation was formed by Optimist Club members who wanted to do more for families with children experiencing cancer. They recognized that many organizations existed to help fight cancer, but there were few resources available to families in the middle of the fight.

We allow families to focus on the child and their treatment, not the money they owe. We provide a short term financial bridge. Many families are already struggling financially; a cancer diagnosis can often mean that only one parent can work, adding to the burden.

In the past four years we have been able to provide more than 200 families a chance to keep on the water

and power, rent to stay in their apartment, a mortgage payment to keep their home, and a chance to keep life as stable and normal as possible.

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As an all-volunteer organization we are able to funnel nearly all funding directly to families. We can also respond quickly to family requests. Within hours of receiving an application from a social worker at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center or Nebraska Medicine we can review, approve, and get a check in the mail. We have even brought gas cards and money directly to the hospital so a patient can be assured of gas to get home or the ability to get prescriptions filled.

“Th ank you! And thank the board for their quick approval.

Mom will be relieved. You guys are LIFESAV ERS!” —June McAtee, social worker, Hematology Oncology Clinic, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.

Pay it forward

With your support the Metro Area Youth Foundation can continue to help families cope with a childhood cancer diagnosis and allow parents to focus on getting their child well again.

September/October • 2015 | 157 | bestofomaha.com

Metro Area Youth Foundation, Inc.

P.O. Box 540772 Omaha, NE 68154 402.871.6246 SummerBashforCCC.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

Nebraska Children’s Home Society provides safe and loving care to children of all ages.

• • • • • •

Blankets Diapers Gift cards Infant toys Learning toys New infant & toddler clothing • New youth clothing, underwear, and socks • Pack’n plays • Toddler toys upcoming events

September 17, 2015 Inspiring Greatness Luncheon October 9, 2015 Homegrown November 2015 National Adoption Awareness Month December 2015 Project Elf Holiday Gift Drive

Who we are

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Nebraska Children’s Home Society is changing lives through child-centered, family-focused programs. When you support the Children’s Home, women and teens facing the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy have information and support in developing a plan for parenting or adoption; abused and neglected children find safety and permanency in nurturing foster and adoptive families; parents overcome barriers and nurture their children’s growth and development; children begin school ready to learn; families are formed through foster care and adoption; youth set and achieve educational goals and become confident young adults; and members of the adoption circle (adoptive parents, birth parents, and adopted persons) receive guidance, counseling, and support in their lifelong journey.

In the words of those who know us...

“The services, support, and love provided at NCHS has truly been a blessing.”

—Pregnancy Services Client “This is a positive environment for the girls from all stages of life. It gives them someone to talk to in times of trouble.”

—Teen Chat Mother “The education we have received about adoption, especially open adoption, has been life-changing.”

—Adoptive Parent “NCHS has a wonderful program and is a huge support before, during, and after placement!

Thank you for helping us expand our family through adoption!”

—Adoptive Parent “NCHS is the best! I don’t think I could handle the ups and downs, frustrations, and

stressful times without the support of everyone who works at NCHS.” —NCHS Foster Parent “I love how much they each genuinely care for my children. I appreciate all they do for my children daily. They have a passion for children and it shows. They are unlike any center I’ve ever come in contact with.”

—Infant and Preschool Parent Pay it forward

With a firm commitment to the belief that a child’s needs must come first, Nebraska Children’s Home engages in advocacy for vulnerable and at-risk children.

All children deserve safe and loving care. Because over 50% of the Children’s Home budget depends on the generosity of donors, assistance is needed from concerned and generous citizens like you.

September/October • 2015 | 158 | omahamagazine.com

Nebraska Children’s Home Society

4939 S. 118th St. Omaha, NE 68137 402.451.0787 nchs.org

Mission statement

wish list

The Nebraska Humane Society protects, enriches, and saves the lives of animals in the communities we serve.

• Blankets • Towels • Veterinarian-approved dog and cat toys • Large and extra large Kong toys • Unopened jars of peanut butter (for stußng kongs) • Ziploc freezer bags (gallon size) • Canned cat food • Clear Rubbermaid tubs • Distilled water • Yarn (for our senior ladies to crochet cat beds) • Box fans • Soft dog treats for training • Feliway spray • DAP collars and spray • Air cheese (Easy cheese) for Kongs • Rubber-backed rugs • Canned chicken (to train shy dogs) • Canned vienna sausage (to train shy dogs) • Nyla Bones hard chew toys • Interactive puzzle toys for dogs

Who we are

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Pay it forward

The Nebraska Humane Society is one of the 10 largest shelters in the country and is located on a 13-acre campus. We are an open-entry shelter that takes in all companion animals with no other place to go. NHS also provides animal control services to Omaha and all municipalities in Sarpy County.

We work to rescue and return stray pets, investigate cruelty cases, and serve our community by upholding the laws that are enacted for the protection of people and animals.

In 2014 NHS: • Adopted out 10,644 animals • Spayed/neutered 6,373 dogs and cats • Microchipped 7,732 cats and dogs • Ran 11,840 diagnostic tests • Performed 1,353 specialized surgeries • Fostered 1,765 animals in homes We also returned nearly 3,000 pets to their owners, gave free behavior advice, low-cost training classes, low cost spaying and neutering, free pet food, were a safe haven for animals of domestic violence, and provided pet safety and animal care presentations to schools. We provide education, encourage adoptions, and promote responsible pet ownership for our community.

NHS is a private nonprofit 501(c) (3) corporation, so we rely on private donations to keep our doors (and kennels) open. Our volunteers are our lifeblood. They walk dogs, enrich cats, counsel adopters, help reunite lost pets with owners, help market our pets, and foster those needing extra TLC in their own homes!

Ways to donate include: • In honor or memory of • Monthly giving • Sponsor a shelter pet • Planned giving • Corporate sponsorships Visit our website at nehumanesociety.org for full details.

September/October • 2015 | 159 | bestofomaha.com

upcoming events

September 27, 2015 Walk for the Animals & 5K Run 8-11:30 a.m.

NHS Campus October 29, 2015 Purses for Paws 5:30-8 p.m.

Regency Fashion Court

The Nebraska Humane Society

8929 Fort St. Omaha, NE 68134 402.444.7800 nehumanesociety.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

To engage the imagination and create excitement about learning.

• Omaha Children’s Museum greatly appreciates donations that enhance and support our exhibits and programming throughout the year. Currently the museum could use recycled items for use in its maker space. This includes paper products, textiles, electronics, and plastic items. upcoming events

September 14, 2015 Great Friends to Kids Luncheon October 17, 2015– April 17, 2016 Super Powers! traveling exhibit November 27, 2015– December 23, 2015 Santa’s Magic exhibit May 7, 2016 For the Kids Benefit

Who we are

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Pay it forward

One of the great things about Omaha Children’s Museum is our ability to create change. Whether inside the museum walls or out in the community, we truly believe we can impact the youth of our community through fun and educational family programming that stimulates growth and development. Our talented and creative staff members combined with generous support from the Omaha community is what truly makes Omaha Children’s Museum a unique place for young children.

Omaha Children’s Museum celebrated its best year yet in 2014, serving over 290,000 visitors, a record 9,200 member families, and over 100,000 individuals through off-site community outreach programs, securing our spot as the most visited museum in the state of Nebraska. With support from local organizations, the museum also created a new kid-sized First National Bank and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, an interactive lobby screen, and purchased a new passenger train for guests to enjoy.

What can Omahans do to help?

Come visit us! The best way to support Omaha Children’s Museum is by walking through our doors and seeing the many ways that children can learn through play. We believe growth and support go both ways and we strive daily to create exhibits and programs that are fun, imaginative, and educational for our guests. Other ways you can support Omaha Children’s Museum are through the purchase of an annual membership, volunteering your time, or making a donation.

September/October • 2015 | 160 | omahamagazine.com

OMAHA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

500 S. 20th St. Omaha, NE 68102 402.342.6164 ocm.org

Mission statement

wish list

Our mission is to support and strengthen youth, young adults and families through services that inspire and equip them to lead independent and productive lives.

• New and/or gently used furniture and household items • Gift cards for clothes, shoes, backpacks, etc.

• Gift cards and/or ticket donations for youth to attend various events, entertainment opportunities, theaters, etc., in the community • Nonperishable household items (personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, clothes, furniture, etc.) to fill our Youth Mart. upcoming events

December 4, 2015 Home for the Holidays Open House May 25, 2016 Celebrity Dunk Tank as part of Omaha Gives!

Who we are

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Founded in 1920, the Omaha Home for Boys provides care and support for at-risk youth ages 12-24 as part of its mission of strengthening youth and families.The Omaha Home for Boys is committed to providing services to young men and women through family-style, community based programs supported by education.

As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2020, we will continue to adapt and change to meet the needs of children and families throughout the community.

Our promise began 95 years ago—to help youth become successful, productive and independent adults who contribute positively to and responsibly in their community.

The Omaha Home for Boys is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization providing services to youth regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay.

The commitment and support of our staff and local and national donors and corporate partners to serve the best interests of youth and their families in the community have made the Omaha Home for Boys a success story for almost 100 years.

Without their devotion, our three programs— Inspiration Hill Residential Care (boys ages 12-18), Jacobs’ Place Transitional Living (young men and women ages 17-20) and Branching Out® Independent Living (young men and women ages 14-24)—would not be thriving and successful.

As part of Omaha Gives! 2015, the home hosted a Celebrity Dunk Tank in Aksarben Village to raise money and awareness. Local celebrities from business, media, entertainment and sports sat in the tank for one hour or until they raised $1,000—and then they hit the water! The Home raised almost $20,000 for the day, surpassing its goal of $15,000. Because of its

tremendous success, the Home is making the Celebrity Dunk Tank part of its Omaha Gives! moving forward.

June 8, 2016 Annual OHB Golf Classic

Pay it forward

Support us through tax-deductible donations and attend and sponsor our annual golf outing (each June) and fall gala (September).

Omahans can also help by spreading the word about our events as well as the great work our staff does every day to positively impact and change the lives of our youth and their families.

Invite us to come speak to your organization in the community about our mission and our upcoming 100th anniversary. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@omahahomeforboy) and Linkedin to learn more about the home and our great history of changing—and saving— lives!

September/October • 2015 | 161 | bestofomaha.com

OMAHA HOME FOR BOYS

4343 N. 52nd St. Omaha, NE 68104 402.457.7000 omahahomeforboys.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

The Omaha Public Library Foundation raises funds and advocates for Omaha Public Library.

An unrestricted gift to the Omaha Public Library Foundation is the best way to demonstrate your support. The Omaha Public Library Foundation accepts cash donations, bequests, memorials, stock transfers, and planned gifts. For more information: foundation@omahalibrary.org or 402.444.4589. upcoming events

September 1-30, 2015 Omaha Reads, featuring “Eleanor & Park”

by Rainbow Rowell Spring 2016 A Novel Affaire, the Omaha Public Library Foundation’s annual fundraiser

Who we are

Since 1985, the Omaha Public Library Foundation (OPLF) has provided significant private funding totaling nearly $10 million for one purpose: enhancing Omaha Public Library. The Omaha Public Library Foundation believes a healthy and vibrant public library system contributes to the betterment of our community, aids in economic development, provides public gathering spaces, and creates a sense of community pride.

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OPLF has become Omaha Public Library’s essential partner in reaching private donors and volunteers. It remains committed to the goal of a great library system for a great city.

OPLF is the largest single private supporter of Omaha Public

Library. As OPLF looks back on its accomplishments, it is poised for an even greater future full of gifts for the library. None of this would be possible without generous and ongoing donor support.

Last year proved to be OPLF’s most successful year of fundraising; the foundation secured a historic $1.2 million. A sizable portion of those funds—$700,000—was raised to purchase the Gilbert M. and Martha H. Hitchcock Omaha World-Herald Digital Archives for Omaha Public Library (1878-1983).

Pay it forward

As an organization wholly separate from Omaha Public Library and the City of Omaha, OPLF seeks private support for improvements and enhancements which cannot be provided through local government funding.

Designations are always welcome, but a gift given wherever most needed provides Omaha Public Library the flexibility to respond to critical needs or special opportunities that arise.

OPLF provides funds for remarkable programs and projects thanks to general or unrestricted donations.

Giving categories include: • Childhood literacy, programming, and services • Teen literacy, programming, and services • Adult literacy, programming, and services • Technology • Community outreach • Summer Reading Program • Genealogy

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The 1877 Society was formed in 2014 to allow young professionals in their 20s and 30s a unique way to support the Omaha Public Library Foundation.

Members receive invitations to exclusive Omaha Public Library events, discounts to local businesses, and more. For details: 1877society@omahalibrary.org, 1877society. org, or 402.444.4589.

Omaha Public Library Foundation

215 S. 15th St. Omaha, NE 68102 foundation@omahalibrary.org 402.444.4589 omahalibraryfoundation.org

Mission statement

wish list

The mission of the Omaha Schools Foundation is to provide students and staff of the Omaha Public Schools academic programs, enrichment activities, and professional opportunities which are beyond the budget constraints of the Omaha School District.

Funding for OPS Capital Campaigns: • Bryan High Urban Ag Career Academy • Bryan High TDL Academy • Benson High Career Academies • South High Addition for the Visual and Performing Arts • Burke High Stadium • Central High Addition • Northwest High Projects • North High Projects • Benson JROTC Pearl Harbor Memorial Celebration 2016 • Early Childhood Education Programs • Kids Club After School Care • Classroom Field Trips • Student Transportation • Teacher Classroom Grants • Scholarships • Honors and Memorials upcoming events

Who we are

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Pay it forward

The Omaha Schools Foundation is governed by a board of directors that consists of community leaders dedicated to raising funds and dispensing them for educational projects and programs not included in the regular operations of the Omaha Public Schools. The foundation’s funds are used to encourage the development of new and innovative projects, scholarships for students, teacher recognition awards, Kids Club, and parent-pay early childhood classrooms in five OPS elementary schools.

In addition to funding learning opportunities, the Omaha Schools Foundation encourages broadbased community support and active interested citizens.

The nation’s only study and ranking of K-12 education foundations, “Stepping Up: The Top K-12 Education Foundations in the Nation,” has ranked Omaha Schools Foundation third in the nation. While Omaha is the 98th largest school district, its education foundation is one of the best in the nation. Stepping Up looked at eight key performance categories to determine the ranking: annual revenues, revenues per student, total assets, assets per student, investment income, total program expenses, expenses per student, and volunteers.

The Omaha Schools Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law and go directly to the intended program, project, or scholarship. No administrative fees are deducted from any donation.

Donations can be made by contacting Executive Director Toba Cohen-Dunning at 402-557-2047, and also through our website, omahaschoolsfoundation.org.

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Events occurring throughout the Omaha Public Schools are featured regularly on our website, and our Twitter and Facebook pages. @OmahaSchoolsFDN

OMAHA SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

3215 Cuming Street Omaha, NE 68131 402.557.2047 omahaschoolsfoundation.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc., in partnership with the community, provide culturally respectful, quality health care with special attention to the underserved. Our vision is to be an innovative leader empowering individuals in healthier communities.

• • • • • • • •

Diapers Baby clothing Bus or taxi vouchers Warm clothing Hats and gloves Gift cards Books Gift cards to grocery stores

upcoming events

November 12, 2015 Milagro Dinner May 5, 2016 Countdown to Cinco de Mayo

Who we are

OneWorld Community Health Centers Inc., in partnership with the community, provides culturally respectful, quality health care with a special attention to the underserved.

OneWorld is a federally qualified community health center (FQHC) focused on meeting the primary health care needs of our community. The health center maintains an open-door policy, providing comprehensive primary health care, dental, and mental health/ substance abuse services to persons in all stages of their life cycle.

OneWorld provides services to all

persons, adjusting our fees according to each individual’s income and insurance coverage.

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OneWorld ranks in the top quality tier for FQHCs in the nation.

Our vision is to be an innovative leader empowering individuals in healthier communities. In 2014 OneWorld cared for 32,000 patients in more than 115,000 visits.

Pay it forward

Volunteer opportunities: • To volunteer visit oneworldomaha.org/volunteer

Giving opportunities: • In-kind giving non-monetary gifts from our wish list not only support our mission but also directly help our patients.

We accept silent auction items for our annual Milagro dinner, held every November.

• Monetary giving helps OneWorld provide services to patients who are in financial need. These could be for child immunizations, flu shots, physicals, and dental visits.

September/October • 2015 | 164 | omahamagazine.com

OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc.

4920 S. 30th St. Omaha, NE 68107 402.734.4110 oneworldomaha.org

Mission statement

upcoming events

To Enhance the Quality of Life of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

November 20, 2015 Vision Beyond Sight Banquet June 9, 2016 Annual Golf Tournament

Th is facility employs over 40 blind and visually impaired individuals, and state-of-the-art voice output and magnification technology make this possible.

In February, ONI celebrated our 15-year anniversary.

We are excited to see what the next 15 years will bring!

Who we are

Established in 2000, ONI provides employment and workplace training, as well as other opportunities, to the blind and visually impaired. Recognized as the Greater Omaha Chamber’s 2014 Innovator of the Year, ONI is the largest employer of the blind and visually impaired in Nebraska and the only agency of its kind in a seven-state region. The organization provides independence and confidence-building services for its associates and the community, including social activities, education, training, and health and wellness programs. For more information about ONI, visit Outlooknebraska.org.

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When you think of Outlook Nebraska, you typically think of a tissue manufacturer; however, we stand for so much more. As we celebrate our 15-year anniversary, we know we have accomplished so much and have so much more to do. We are in the process of launching a senior program to

allow seniors experiencing vision loss to stay employed with the use of assistive technology. We are planning a facility renovation that will allow us to create a space to execute this program and so many others. We want to help someone be able to once again look at pictures of their grandchildren and feel secure in their career because they have the tools and resources to keep working. Our third Camp Abilities Nebraska experience was again very successful; we co-sponsor this sports camp for blind youth with Boys Town National Research Hospital. Whether it is through donating our product to organizations like the Open Door Mission or sponsoring Bike for Sight to help others experiencing vision loss, collaboration with the community and others is very important to us.

We look forward to the next year and the difference we can make in this community while working with others.

Pay it forward

There are many ways to get involved with Outlook Nebraska.

• Become an ONI advocate: Help us spread the word about our mission and raise awareness of Outlook Nebraska.

• Purchase our blind-made products: Contact our sales team at 402.614.3331 x211 to learn more.

• Make a donation: Contact John Wick at 402.614.3331 x224 or at jwick@outlooknebraska. com to learn how your gift or pledge can make a difference in Outlook Nebraska programs.

• Sponsor an event: Contact John Wick at 402.614.3331 x224 or at jwick@outlooknebraska.com to learn more about our signature events, such as our annual ONI Golf Tournament and Vision Beyond Sight Banquet, and how you can get involved.

• Schedule a tour: Contact Rachel Carver at 402.614.3331 x221 about attending a monthly “Lunch and Learn” event, or Janis Compton at 402.614.3331 x210 to schedule a specific group tour of our operations.

September/October • 2015 | 165 | bestofomaha.com

Outlook Nebraska, Inc.

4125 S. 72nd St. Omaha, NE 68127 402.614.3331 outlooknebraska.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

Project Harmony is a child advocacy center whose mission is “to protect and support children, collaborate with professionals, and engage the community to end child abuse and neglect.”

• Travel size hygiene items • Toothbrushes and toothpaste • Clothing/pajamas/ slippers for children birth to 18 years of age • Blankets • Diaper, tote, or duffel bags • Backpacks • Gift cards to Target for groceries for families • $5 gift cards to Target, Walmart, Starbucks, or Scooters for teens • Pack ’N Plays • Juice boxes • Individually wrapped snack packages • Bubbles/sidewalk chalk upcoming events

September 24, 2015 Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Celebration April 13-15, 2016 Speaking of Children Luncheon and Conference

Who we are

Project Harmony is a nonprofit, community-based organization that has served more than 25,000 children during the past 19 years by providing a child-friendly environment in which specially trained professionals work together to assess, investigate, and resolve child abuse cases. In one centralized location, Project Harmony co-houses with the Omaha Police Department Child Victim/Sexual Assault Unit, Nebraska Health & Human Services/Child Protection Services Initial Assessment and Child Abuse Hotline, Lutheran Family Services and Child Savings Institute.

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Project Harmony grew out of the vision of several Omaha community professionals and advocates to create a better system of protection

for abused and neglected children.

Today, Project Harmony is one of the largest child advocacy centers in the nation. This is not due to an overwhelming volume of child abuse, but due to the level of collaboration that comes together to address the issue–collectively.

Project Harmony would not be where it is today without the generous support of the Omaha community. But it doesn’t stop here.

Due to the terrific response of program and partnership growth, Project Harmony has been able to serve more than 2,500 children in the last year, and they project more than 3,500 children will need their services in 2015. In addition, the agency provides training to more than 10,000 professionals each year.

Pay it forward

To allow for ongoing partnering and expansion of services, Project Harmony needs your continued support through cash and in-kind donations.

Children in immediate need of refuge are welcomed by professionals in our Triage Center. Each child is provided a light meal when they arrive along with new clothing, hygiene items, school supplies and a backpack to take to their new family placement. We rely on your donations from our wish list to give the kids these items that they need and deserve.

September/October • 2015 | 166 | omahamagazine.com

June 14, 2016 Project Harmony Golf Invitational October 14, 2016 20 Year Celebration Gala

Project Harmony

11949 Q St. Omaha, NE 68137 402.595.1326 projectharmony.com

SIENA/FRANCIS HOUSE HOMELESS SHELTER

Who we are

The Siena/Francis House homeless shelter˚with six facilities at 17th & Nicholas Streets˚is the region’s largest provider of emergency housing for women, youth, infants, and single men. The Siena/ Francis House, a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt, charitable organization, is not aß liated with any parent organization or church and is not a United Way member agency.

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• The Siena/Francis House has two model emergency shelter facilities which provide safe, clean, and secure housing for its guests.

• On any given night the Siena/ Francis House provides more emergency shelter and food to families and individuals who are homeless than all other

Mission statement

wish list

The mission of the Siena/Francis House is directed toward a concern and care of the poor following the example of the scriptures. This mission is realized in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and clothing the needy. This mission extends beyond merely answering physical needs to the acceptance and aßrmation of the human person, the creation of an atmosphere of hospitality, and the provision of purpose and meaning in the lives of people who struggle for survival.

It is also the mission of the Siena/Francis House to call the greater Omaha community to a social consciousness and to enlist help and support in the care of the homeless and the indigent.

• Canned fruits • Canned vegetables • Cold-weather clothing (used) • Individually wrapped, pre-packaged food items (for sack lunches) • Toilet paper • Powdered laundry detergent • Cooking oil • Tennis shoes (for men, all sizes) • Tennis shoes (for women, sizes 5 to 8) • Salad dressing (all flavors) • Razors (for men and women) • Shaving cream • Bar soap • Disinfectant cleaners (e.g. Pine Sol) • Styrofoam cups • Paper towels • “Zip-Lock” bags (all sizes) • Silverware (used) • Pain relievers • Hair brushes • Socks (for men) • Underwear for men and teens (sizes 28, 30 & 32) • Underwear for women (sizes 5 & 6) • Work boots (for men)

Omaha shelters combined.

• The Siena/Francis House operates Nebraska’s largest residential mental health/ chemical addictions treatment program, administered by licensed professionals.

• The Siena/Francis House has a 95-person employment training program.

• The Siena/Francis House has a unique Day Services program administered by licensed mental health and addictions specialists.

• The Siena/Francis House Day Services team helps over 400 families and individuals each month with veterans benefits, Social Security assistance, education assistance, domestic violence matters, child care, family reunification, transportation, and obtaining identification.

• The Siena/Francis House has developed a vast network of suppliers and providers that will enable us to provide more than 460,000 meals in 2015.

Pay it forward

The Siena/Francis House provides our basic human services of emergency shelter, food, and clothing at no cost to the homeless families and individuals needing our services. As such, we rely primarily on the generosity of the community for our operational expenses.

Having sußcient supplies is crucial. For example, each month we need 2,600 rolls of toilet paper and enough soap for 5,760 loads of laundry.

September/October • 2015 | 167 | bestofomaha.com

Siena/francis house Homeless shelter

1702 Nicholas St. Omaha, NE 68102 402.341.1821 sienafrancis.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Who we are

For almost 15 years, Ted E. Bear Hollow has provided free grief support for children and families in the greater Omaha/Council Bluffs region. We offer weekly and monthly peer support groups, afternoon day camps, and overnight camps where bereaved children and their families can come together to find hope and support. New in 2015 is the launch of the CARE program, designed to support families as they adjust to a serious illness or injury. At Ted E. Bear Hollow, all of our grief support services are free of charge.

Ted E. Bear Hollow is the epitome of teamwork, with the executive director, staff, volunteers, and board of directors working hand in hand to build programs and create a community of hope that supports grieving families in our area.

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Ted E. Bear Hollow serves more than 1,300 grieving children,

Mission statement

wish list

The mission of Ted E. Bear Hollow is to mend kids’ grieving hearts.

• Coffee • Large storage unit/shed • Wireless music dock & speakers • Home cinema projector • Towable cargo trailer • Paper goods—dinnerware, Kleenex, paper towels, toilet paper • Gift cards to Michaels, Walmart, Target, Costco

teens, and families each year in the Greater Omaha/Council Bluffs area, now reaching neighboring rural communities as well.

We have had consistent yearly program growth, including 18 percent in 2014. Ted E. Bear Hollow relies on more than 400 volunteers at any given time to sustain our free support services. We are lucky to have only the most passionate and highly trained facilitators, who have willingly complied with the required 20-hour facilitator training. Other continuing education workshops are available throughout the year to enhance facilitators’ skill levels on topics, such as: supporting families after a suicide, working with children with disabilities, and utilizing creative interventions in grief work.

Experienced grief professionals educate community agencies on children’s grief and, at times, consult with organizations following a death in order to provide excellent grief support beyond the walls of Ted E. Bear Hollow.

Collaborative efforts for grief education and support have developed with local schools, universities, child care providers, after-school programs, libraries, and social service agencies.

Pay it forward

Help us help you! It has been said that grief support services matter when they matter to you. We need to educate our community about what Ted E. Bear Hollow offers.

Schedule a private tour and introduction to our services for your church group or civic group. We want you to be in the know and able to spread the word to grieving families, as well as individuals who want to donate time or financial resources in a very meaningful way.

You can follow us on Facebook and on Twitter, and please, share our blog. We thank you!

September/October • 2015 | 168 | omahamagazine.com

Ted E. Bear Hollow

7811 Farnam Dr. Omaha, NE 68114 402.502.2773 tedebearhollow.org

Who we are

WhyArts? was created to assure that visual and performing arts experiences would be open to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Access to the arts is achieved when all people have equal opportunity to attend, participate in, and learn through, arts experiences.

WhyArts? contracts with local professional artists who lead experiential workshops in music, theatre,

Mission statement

wish list

Activating minds, engaging imaginations, and celebrating diversity.

• Funding to pay artist fees for workshops and residencies • The opportunity to build arts programming within new organizations and communities so a growing number of individuals of all ages can experience the arts • The opportunity to manage community arts programs • Art materials

writing/poetry, dance/movement, storytelling, and a broad range of visual arts activities. Each workshop is tailored to the specific abilities and skills of those with whom the artist works, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, at-risk populations, and the general public. Artists are paid for their time and talent, enabling many to focus solely on their art career.

WhyArts? also manages community arts projects, including

murals and other community initiatives. WhyArts? leads more than 1,000 workshops each year— counting more than 12,000 contact hours—and creates arts programming for schools and nonprofit organizations.

September/October • 2015 | 169 | bestofomaha.com

WhyArts?

1030 South 111 Plz. Omaha, NE 68154 402.541.4181 whyartsinc.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Mission statement

wish list

To prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

• Volunteers • Participation in one of our signature fundraising events. See Diabetes.org/ omaha for more details • Advocates • Financial gifts to our Association to help support our research, awareness, advocacy and educational outreach upcoming events

2016 Tour de Cure diabetes.org/tournebraska 2016 Father of the Year diabetes.org/foty

Who we are

We lead the fight against the deadly consequences of and fight for those affected by diabetes. We fund research to prevent, cure, and manage diabetes. We deliver services to thousands of Nebraskans.

We provide objective and credible information. We give voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes.

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The Nebraska ADA oßce is a presence at scores of health fairs, lunch & learns, and community events throughout the year to

provide free materials to those concerned about their health or the health of a loved one. Also, local businesses can sign up for ADA’s FREE Stop Diabetes@Work Program to better understand how diabetes affects their bottom line and make their employees more aware of the disease and its ramifications. ADA also administers the Diabetes Busters program— designed to present information about diabetes to fourth grade-students. The information is presented in a fun and interesting way to engage them. It is set up in three different stations that each child

visits: diabetes education, nutrition, and exercise. Additionally, since 2005, the ADA has provided $1,260,129 in targeted diabetes research projects, career development grants, and clinical scholarships in Nebraska.

Pay it forward

Visit Diabetes.org/omaha for a listing of our events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to be a model of good health.

September/October • 2015 | 170 | omahamagazine.com

American Diabetes Association

14216 Dayton Cir., Suite 6 Omaha, NE 68137 402.571.1101 diabetes.org/omaha

Who we are

Wounded Warriors Family Support is an Omaha-based nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the families of our combat wounded. Our organization supports combat-wounded veterans and their families, even after physical needs are met, to help them heal, recover, and reconnect.

Wounded Warriors Family Support provides the following services, locally and nationally, free of charge to combat-wounded veterans and their families: • Caregiver Respite Services to ensure that family members who are thrust into caregiver roles are provided with the support they need to keep their families intact while keeping themselves healthy.

• Family Programs that give wounded veterans a chance to

Mission statement

Pay it forward

Our mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured, or killed during combat operations. The families of our casualties suffer in many ways: some financially, some psychologically.

There are many ways you can help Wounded Warriors Family Support positively impact the families of combat-wounded soldiers in Nebraska and across the nation, including donating to our organization, hosting an event benefitting our cause, or becoming a volunteer and contributing your unique skills and talents to our mission.

heal and reconnect with their loved ones in a peaceful, stressfree environment, strengthening the bonds of their families and making lasting memories.

• Veterans Training, in partnership with UAW-Ford, to give military veterans opportunities to train for, and pursue careers in, welding.

• Mobility is Freedom, a program that provides grants to qualified combat-wounded veterans for the purchase of Ford vehicles adapted to suit their unique needs.

Warriors Family Support has blossomed into a national organization from humble beginnings as a simple pass-the-hat campaign benefitting U.S. soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the first stop for wounded military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan before returning home.

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Over the past year Wounded Warriors Family Support has earned CharityNavigator.org’s highest four-star rating. Serving combat-wounded veterans in Nebraska and across the country, Wounded September/October • 2015 | 171 | bestofomaha.com

Wounded Warriors Family Support

920 S. 107th Ave, Ste. 250 Omaha, NE 68114 402.991.0857 woundedwarriorsfamilysupport.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

wish list

The Literacy Center empowers adults and families by helping them acquire the literacy skills and practices to be active and contributing members of their communities.

Classroom equipment and supplies: • Reading glasses (all strengths) • Pens & pencils • Reams of paper • Notebooks • Dry erase markers & erasers • Pocket folders • Accordion expanding files, five or more pockets • Facial tissue • Hand sanitizer • Jump drives • Chairs and other oßce or classroom furniture upcoming events

August 29, 2015 2015 Summer Student Achievement Celebration 3 p.m. Mammel Hall UNO Campus October 8, 2015 Bacchanalian Society of Omaha Fall Event Benefitting the Literacy Center Hot Shops Art Center

Who we are

Founded in 1970, the Literacy Center provides free, one-onone tutoring services to adults; small-classroom instruction; English as second language programming; and GED test preparation. Its mission centers upon helping its students acquire reading skills that will help them obtain a better job, get into the trades, or continue their education.

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The Literacy Center has grown by 470% in the last five years serving more than 500 adult learners per year.

• All services are free.

• Classes are held at the Literacy Center and at five off-site locations.

• Our GED program helps

students earn their diploma so they can get a better job, get into the trades, or continue their education.

• We emphasize and integrate technology literacy into the classroom and have a dedicated computer lab, because technology is a part of our daily lives, from banking to applying for a job.

• Our Family Literacy program helps break the cycle of illiteracy and prepares the next generation for a better life.

Pay it forward

The Literacy Center relies on community volunteers to help our adult learners reach their goals as well as with special projects. Our goal is to train an additional 50 volunteers by year end. Volunteer

training is held monthly.

There are several ways you can help: • Volunteer—Tutors and classroom teachers are needed for the next class of graduates.

• Speak up—Supporting literacy programs breaks the cycle of poverty, poor health, and crime.

• Donate—You can help by getting someone through their first two hours of instruction for $50, one course for $500, or all five courses to finish their GED for $2,500.

• Build Literacy—We will be moving to a new facility soon. The new learning center will provide additional space to serve all our current students better and help the students on our waiting list.

September/October • 2015 | 172 | omahamagazine.com

November 6, 2015 Adult Spelling Bee 6-9 p.m. Scott Conference Center

Literacy Center

324 South 72nd St Omaha, NE 68144 402.342.7323 giveliteracy.org

Mission statement

wish list

Our mission is to leverage collective business leadership to build a more prosperous Heartland.

The gift of time has the biggest impact. Serving as a youth mentor is one way to influence our future leaders of the Heartland. upcoming events

September 24-27, 2015 AKSARBEN Stock Show, All Day CenturyLink Center Omaha, NE September 24-26, 2015 AKSARBEN Rodeo, 7 P.M. CenturyLink Center Omaha, NE www.aksarbenrodeo.com September 27, 2015 AKSARBEN Stock Show Purple Ribbon Auction, 6 P.M. CenturyLink Center Omaha, NE October 17, 2015 AKSARBEN Coronation & Scholarship Ball, 5:30 P.M.-Midnight Baxter Arena Omaha, NE November 17, 2015 Sell the Farm Scott Conference Center Omaha, NE Who we are

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Established in 1895, AKSARBEN Foundation represents the premier employers in Nebraska and western Iowa. AKSARBEN Foundation works as a unified network to influence change for the betterment of youth, the economy, and Heartland communities. We advance our mission to leverage collective business leadership to build a more prosperous Heartland by funding and guiding best practice, needs-based scholarship programs, promoting the Heartland’s cultural heritage through top-ranking community celebrations, and honoring community leaders who carry on the Heartland’s tradition of philanthropy and volunteerism.

AKSARBEN Scholars Career Connectors program launched in 2015 with a vision to award 1,000 college scholarships annually to students from low-income families seeking careers in high demand fields such as construction, manufacturing, health and information technology.

AKSARBEN Scholars will award nearly $1 million in college scholarships in 2015.

Our signature events, the AKSARBEN Coronation & Scholarship Ball and the AKSARBEN Stock Show & Rodeo, are attended by 100,000 annually.

AKSARBEN Foundation honors individuals and families across the

Heartland for their commitment to their communities through programs such as the AKSARBEN Court of Honor, Pioneer and Heritage Farm Awards, and the Good Neighbor Award.

November 19, 2015 Sell the Farm Younes Convention Center Kearney, NE

Pay It Forward

• Attend an AKSARBEN Foundation fundraising event.

• Become a volunteer in order to further the mission and impact of the Foundation.

• Donate to a scholarship program.

September/October • 2015 | 173 | bestofomaha.com

AKSARBEN Foundation

6910 Pacific Street, Ste. 102 Omaha, NE 68106 402.554.9600 aksarben.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

upcoming events

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible.

Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Nov. 13, 2015 Tree of Lights kickoff celebration

Who we are

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The Salvation Army is a faith based non-profit organization that provides social services and meets basic human needs without discrimination. The Omaha Salvation Army is accredited by The National Council on Accreditation of Services and provides over 170,000 people each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance to the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter for the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. In Omaha, 86 cents of every dollar spent is used to support these programs and services. Our face in Omaha is Major Greg Thompson, Divisional Commander.

For 126 years, The Salvation Army has offered programs to serve the hungry, the homeless and near homeless, and those without hope in the Omaha area. If there is a problem in the community, The Salvation Army has a program to help— families facing crisis, homeless veterans, abused or neglected children, lonely older adults, disaster victims, and others. In addition to other annual gifts, The Salvation Army Building Hope Capital Campaign recently raised over $23 million to replace its current social service campus and open a new community resource center in the Benson neighborhood. Last year more than 23,000 volunteers donated over 51,000 hours of time and talent. Since 1998 more than 148,000 children have benefited

Dec. 3 & 4, 2015 Adopt A Family Radiothon May 10, 2016 D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon

from The Salvation Army KETV Back to School Backpack Program. During Winter Night Watch season, over 23,800 homeless and near homeless people were served with food and winter clothing last year.

Pay It Forward

We have many volunteer opportunities, and we greatly appreciate your time and effort. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, contact Kay at 402.898.6000. The Salvation Army encourages donations of new school supplies, non perishable food, summer fans and bottled water. Donations are always appreciated and accepted, year round. You may also make a $10 donation via mobile phone by texting the word OMAHA to 80888.

Message and data rates apply.

September/October • 2015 | 174 | omahamagazine.com

The Salvation Army

Divisional Headquarters 10755 Burt Street Omaha, NE 68114 402.898.5900 givesalvationarmy.org

Mission statement

wish list

The Celiac Support Association is an educational and service organization for (a) individuals with celiac disease and other gluten-related conditions and (b) families with children living with those conditions, serving a variety of objectives through education, support, and research of celiac disease.

• CSA welcomes you to support our mission of serving those in need by making a financial contribution to the Celiac Support Association. upcoming events

September 19 Lincoln Celiac Disease Support Group Meeting 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (Third Saturday of each month) Hy-Vee – 84th & Holdrege Street, 1601 N. 84th Street, Lincoln, NE 68505 September 27 CSA National Meeting (Held in Conjunction with Kansas City GlutenFree Food Expo) 1:30 p.m.

Best Conference Center Edwards Campus University of Kansas Overland Park, Kansas Omaha area CSA Midlands Chapter Events TBA Who we are

The Celiac Support Association (CSA) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charity serving those with celiac disease and other gluten-related conditions. In keeping with its founding principles, CSA amplifies members’ efforts for good health by encouraging quality nutrition, responsible manufacturing practices, scientific research, education, testing, outreach, public health, and food labeling policy solutions through partnerships with policy makers and other stakeholders. CSA is a trusted source of information about the gluten-free products consumers rely on and enjoy every day.

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CSA is the largest non-profit, membership-based support organization for individuals with celiac disease and other gluten-related conditions. Th rough local CSA Chapters and volunteer CSA

Resource Units, CSA provides information and awareness about celiac disease and other gluten-related conditions to both individuals and their families as they learn to live a gluten-free lifestyle, and to professionals and various food industries concerning celiac disease.

Since our founding in 1977, CSA has assisted thousands in becoming healthy, happy contributing members of society through a gluten-free lifestyle. A variety of CSA programs for all age levels have helped create positive, healthy individuals though a simple three step self management plan: • Gathering information for a gluten-free lifestyle • Implementing a gluten-free plan • Maintaining the gluten-free choices by working with others involved with celiac disease, such as through CSA

Pay it forward

CSA assists individuals and families to live a healthy lifestyle through management of a gluten-free diet. A wide variety of CSA services are available to help those in need, such as: toll free help-line, • informative website, • world renown gluten-free certification program • printed educational materials under guidance of medical advisors • online gluten-free product purchasing • celiac kids camps • local area, regional, and national CSA meetings to share information and research on celiac disease.

• emergency program • research grants • gluten-free test kitchen

September/October • 2015 | 175 | bestofomaha.com

Celiac Support Association

P.O. Box 31700 Omaha, NE 68131 Toll Free: 877-CSA-4-CSA (877-272-4272) Fax: 402-643-4108 celiac@csaceliacs.org www.csaceliacs.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

wish list

To perform fine concert band music for the enjoyment and enrichment of musicians and audiences in the greater Omaha area.

• Gifts toward percussion equipment replacement (est. $1,000 to $5,000) • Gifts toward music library funding (about $1,500 per year) • Gifts to NWS Memorial Scholarship Fund • Underwrite our spring 2017 40th anniversary concert gala celebration ($2,000) • Underwrite a formal indoor or summer outdoor concert ($1,000 per concert) • Assistance in our quest to bring high-quality wind band music to Omaha and the surrounding area upcoming events

November 15, 2015 “People and Places” 3 p.m. UNO Strauss PAC November 26, 2015 Holiday Lights (free) 7 p.m. The Holland

Who we are

Brag Lines

Pay it forward

The Nebraska Wind Symphony, Omaha’s Community Concert Band, is a volunteer organization of over 75 adult musicians from all walks of life. We provide a positive group setting to encourage performance on wind and percussion instruments after high school or college. Since our formation in 1977 by Darwin “Tony” Snyder, the Wind Symphony has performed an annual concert series, two free summer concerts, and at other community events. Wind Symphony members are selected through an interview/audition process and pay annual dues of $65.

The Nebraska Wind Symphony performs a “Making Spirits Bright” concert Thanksgiving night at the Holland Center and for UNMC’s spring commencement ceremony.

The Wind Symphony awards a Memorial Scholarship to a deserving high school senior or college student who plans to participate in an instrumental ensemble in college.

The scholarship recipient performs their audition piece with the Wind Symphony.

The NWS Swingtones big band performs an annual benefit dance in support of Music in Catholic Schools and at our free summer concerts.

Other performing ensembles include the Blackwoods Clarinet Ensemble and the NWS Saxophone Quartet.

The Wind Symphony needs assistance with: • Marketing— We need an expanded marketing campaign to help the Omaha area learn more about the Wind Symphony and the value we bring to the community.

• Finance— We wish to identify funding sources to help us cover our operational costs, purchase music, replace equipment, and fund special projects and events.

• Collaboration— We want to partner with other community arts organizations within the greater Omaha area to foster greater awareness of the arts in the community.

September/October • 2015 | 176 | omahamagazine.com

February 28, 2016 “Mad About Marches” 3 p.m. UNO Strauss PAC April 17, 2016 “Color of Music” 3 p.m. UNO Strauss PAC June 26, 2016 Summer Concert (free) 6 p.m. Location TBD July 4, 2016 July 4 Concert (free) 6 p.m. Chalco Hills

Nebraska Wind Symphony

P.O. Box 24114 Omaha, NE 68124 402.216.0325 nebraskawindsymphony.com

Mission statement

wish list

We promote green, safe, and healthy housing for children and families in Omaha.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Green cleaning supplies Paper towels Buckets Swiffer mops and cloths LED bulbs Carbon monoxide detectors Gift cards for home improvement stores Tote bags Tupperware New sheets for children’s beds Rubber gloves

upcoming events

BEFORE

October 25-31, 2015 Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

after

May, 2016 Asthma Awareness Month Dundee Day RUNDEE 2016

Who we are

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Pay It Forward

Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance (OHKA) is focused on a holistic strategy to promote green, safe, and healthy housing for children and their families. We address contaminants such as lead poisoning hazards, safety issues like missing handrails, and health issues such as asthma triggers. Our goals are to create a local infrastructure to support safe and healthy housing through advocacy, policy creation, and legal enforcement; to measure savings in costs associated with proactive interventions; and to provide construction repairs for families.

OHK A’s Healthy Home Specialists conduct in-home assessments including Green and Healthy Home and Lead Risk Assessments, Lead Dust Clearance, and Radon Testing. We also conduct allergen sampling, investigate mold, moisture and gas levels, and measure energy eßciency. OHKA’s partnership model includes working with insurance providers for children hospitalized with asthma, funding a Healthy Home Specialist to work with City Code Enforcement, and the One Touch program, a group of housing services providers working together to maximize resources.

All OHKA outreach efforts are targeted toward disadvantaged populations in Omaha and are guided by principles around promoting diversity and inclusion.

Donations are always welcomed through our website, omahahealthykids.org. Volunteers are needed to assist families with basement clean-outs, yard cleanups, small gardening projects, or to be trained as volunteer Healthy Home assistants. OHKA also has an internship program for students interested in learning extensively about Healthy Homes. We can come to your organization’s event and speak about the dangers of an unhealthy house. We can educate your group on how to create a green, safe, and healthy home. We can also host a green cleaning event at your oßce to teach ways to create a safer and environmentally friendly home or oßce.

September/October • 2015 | 177 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance

5006 Underwood Ave. Omaha, NE 68132 402.934.9700 omahahealthykids.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give

Montessori Junior and Senior

High School

Mission statement

wish list

Montessori High School (seventh-12th grades) prepares students to be creative, balanced, and reflective citizens. Teachers act as guides, cultivating students’ innate love of learning as they prepare for a life of purpose, integrity, and academic accomplishment.

• Powerful WiFi router • Smart Board • Laptop computers (or Chromebooks) • 3D printer (to produce materials for dementia care patients) • Desktop computer (3D printing, art/ game design, and programming) • Audio/visual recording/ production equipment • Volunteers • Business/field expert to mentor students • Guest teachers • Tuition assistance funds for low-income students.

• Heavy duty (or industrial) vacuum • Copy machine • Laminating machine (medium grade) • Projector • Garden materials: tools, potting soil, plants/seeds • Stainless steel pots and pans upcoming events

Nov. 11-14 “Younkers Community Day” Who we are

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Pay it forward

We are a school driven by students as community members.

Most activities are student planned and led, allowing for mistakes and authentic learning experiences.

Failure is part of the learning process.

Our intergenerational approach to learning brings seventh-12th graders together in a community that allows learning to happen as it does everywhere else in life.

Students learn from each other as well as their environment.

This year a seventh grader filmed and directed a commercial, and a senior guided a music production class. Students are empowered to explore their passions and learn at their individual pace, focusing on learning rather than test-taking.

Montessori High School enters its fourth year working with patients in a dementia care memory unit, conducting field research of how the Montessori Method can help unlock the lost memories of patients with dementia. Through science and genuine care, our students are changing the world.

As the only Montessori secondary school in Nebraska (the nearest is in Chicago), we work with business and education leaders around the globe to be innovative in both education and industry.

Each spring, our students focus on their passion by spending one week interning with a business in their chosen field.

Join our community in a way that fits you. Tell your friends.

Join us at events. Visit our school.

Invite us to your events and school.

Share your expertise. Share your passion. Be a partner in our learning process.

Be a part of our internship program. Building ongoing partnerships beyond Internship Week will provide a better service to your business, industry, community, and to our students.

If you have a venue for hosting larger events such as community or fundraising dinners, it would help us serve more people beyond our walls.

September/October • 2015 | 178 | omahamagazine.com

Dec. 5 “Parents Night Out/ Students Night In” March 2016 “Teen Night” April 2016 “Community Carnival”

Omaha Montessori High School

7001 Oak St Omaha, NE 68106 402.614.9074 plainsmontessori.org

Mission statement

wish list

Phoenix Academy educates and inspires students with learning differences to realize their full academic potential and become successful in school and in life.

Financial Donations: • $11,000-cost to educate one student • $7,800-full tuition one student • One-time donation— donors choice* • Recurring donation— donors choice* (*Examples include but are not limited to technology upgrades, school expansion projects, classroom materials and curriculum, and operation costs) Other Donations: • School supplies for low income students • Oßce supplies • Technology upgrades upcoming events

Oct. 2, 2015 Scholarship Luncheon 11:30a.m. - 1:00p.m.

May 25, 2016 Omaha Gives

Who we are

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Pay It Forward

We don’t just believe children can triumph over dißculties in reading or math, we know they can. When Phoenix Academy began in 1990 with one student and one teacher, our founder, Patti Clark, perceived a need for this understanding in the Omaha community. It is because of our curriculum and small class sizes that we are able to continue her mission today as a non-profit, private, K-8th grade school, that helps students with learning challenges get back on track. We are unique in that the children attend school here for two years on average as they work to gain skills to achieve proficiency. Teaching takes place in a nurturing learning environment using Spalding, an intensive phonics program, and focusing on reading, writing, spelling, and math.

At Phoenix Academy young minds take flight. Don’t just take our word for it. Read what a grandparent has to say:

The Scholarship Luncheon helps fund students who are otherwise unable to afford Phoenix Academy.

Previous speakers have included Laura Bush, Erin Gruwell, and, this year, Dr. JoAnn Deak. Care to donate to a particular cause?

Rather volunteer? No problem.

Give us a call for more details.

“It broke my heart to watch as my grandson had become a very withdrawn little boy who was embarrassed by his lack of skills in reading. Now that Phoenix Academy has given him the tools needed to be successful, he is eager to go to school. I have witnessed what the right technique and the right teachers can do with a child, and it is nothing less than a miracle.

He now has a bright future waiting for him.” ~ Ellen – Grandmother

September/October • 2015 | 179 | bestofomaha.com

Phoenix Academy

1110 N 66th St. Omaha, NE 68132 402.390.0556 phoenixacademyomaha.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

upcoming events

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is dedicated to the education of the public and the preservation of earth’s priceless biodiversity.

Founded in 1984, the Omaha Zoo Foundation supports the mission, research and programs benefitting Omaha’s Zoo by securing the funds needed to preserve the zoo for future generations.

September 11, 2015 Zoofari 2015— Rock N’ Roar September 27, 2015 Zoo Run October 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and November 1, 2015 Spooktacular November 13 & 14, 2015 Comedy Night December 26-30, 2015 Penguins and Pancakes December 31, 2015 Noon Year’s Eve

Who we are

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Pay it forward

For decades Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has been changing how millions of visitors to our zoo see the world.

From helping children experience nature through the eyes of animals, to leading efforts to restore wild populations of endangered species around the world, Omaha’s Zoo is dedicated to connecting people to the natural world. The Omaha Zoo Foundation seeks financial support to fulfill Omaha Zoo’s goal of creating world-class exhibits that delight and educate people of all ages.

The Omaha Zoo Foundation has been responsible for raising more than $300 million in support of the world-class exhibits the zoo has undertaken over the last thirty years—from the Lied Jungle, to the Desert Dome, to the Scott Aquarium to the current African Grasslands project, and everything in between. The generosity of the philanthropic community has helped make the zoo one of Omaha’s greatest treasures—both for its dedication to educating the public and preserving the earth’s precious biodiversity, and for attracting 1.7 million visitors every year, turning our city into a global tourism destination.

Through patron memberships, which start as low as $250, annual giving programs such as Adopt-anAnimal, capital giving opportunities and planned giving, the Omaha Zoo Foundation has made it possible for people to support the zoo and be a part of its enduring legacy at every income level. Learn more at www.omahazoofoundation.org.

September/October • 2015 | 180 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Zoo Foundation

3701 South 10th St. Omaha, NE 68107 402.738.2073 info@omahazoofoundation.org omahazoofoundation.org

Who we are

The Sisters of Mercy is an international community of Roman Catholic women who dedicate their lives to God through vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and service. They live a life of prayer and service, responding to the needs of people facing poverty, illness, and a lack of education.

In Omaha, there are 109 Sisters and 29 Mercy Associates who are lay people following the charism of the Sisters of Mercy. Today, our sponsored/co-sponsored/aßliated ministries in the Omaha area include: Knowles Mercy Spirituality Center, College of Saint Mary, Mercy High School, and Mercy Housing. Sisters of Mercy also minister at other nonprofit organizations as volunteers or in a variety of roles, and are actively involved in addressing today’s issues through education and advocacy.

In 2008, Omaha became part of the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community, which includes 633 Sisters, nearly 600 Mercy Associates

Mission statement

wish list

Inspired by the life of Jesus and by our founder, Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy envision a just world for people who are poor, sick, and uneducated. The Sisters of Mercy are women of faith who commit their lives to God and their resources to serve, advocate, and pray for those in need around the world.

Prayers and financial gifts help make it possible for Sisters of Mercy to continue serving others and effecting change in the world. Gifts also help provide care for Sisters who have given a lifetime of service, particularly as they move from active ministries to lives concentrating on the Mercy charism of prayer and contemplation.

As Sisters age, the Sisters of Mercy Community experiences the same challenges as families commonly face: to provide appropriate care for loved ones, including assisted living, skilled nursing care, and memory support. The Sisters of Mercy strive to care for Sisters in their final years near their homes to be among families and friends.

Gifts can be made in honor or memory of Sisters who taught, provided care or made a difference in the lives of others. To learn more, visit sistersofmercy. org or contact Sisters of Mercy at 402-393-8225. Sisters pray for you and your intentions daily.

and Companions in Mercy serving from Michigan to California. The central oßce and the community’s leadership team are located in Omaha.

The West Midwest Community is one of six communities that form the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, which has more than 3,000 Sisters serving in North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Guam and the Philippines. More than 3,300 Mercy Associates, several Companions in Mercy, nearly 1,000 Mercy Volunteer Corps alumni and thousands of co-workers in Mercysponsored programs and institutions also share in our mission.

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Founded by Catherine McAuley in 1831, Sisters of Mercy continue to address the unmet needs of people. In addition to ongoing education, health care, housing, and spiritual ministries, Sisters also are addressing today’s issues

of justice such as: ending human traßcking and racism, promoting non-violence, advocating for immigration reform, and protection of the Earth.

They are not doing this alone.

The Mercy charism is alive in all of their ministries through the work of leadership that strives to ensure that staff understands the legacy with which they are entrusted and in which they co-labor.

Pay It Forward

To conclude the 150th Anniversary celebration of serving the Omaha community, the Sisters of Mercy invite everyone to Make Mercy Real by conducting a work of Mercy. It can be feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, helping the homeless, or any act of generosity towards others. Please share your act of Mercy on social media by using #MakeMercyReal.

September/October • 2015 | 181 | bestofomaha.com

upcoming events

Sept. 11 - Oct. 16, 2015 Alumnae & Community Art Exhibit at College of Saint Mary - www.csm.edu Sept. 20, 2015 Simply Spirit at The Knowles Mercy Spirituality Center www.kmscenter.org Sept. 24 - Oct. 21, 2015 #MakeMercyReal www.sistersofmercy. org/west-midwest/ makemercyreal/ Feb. 20, 2016 FIESTA for Mercy High School www.mercyhigh.org Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community

7262 Mercy Road Omaha, NE 68124 402.393.8225 sistersofmercy.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

upcoming events

To resettle and empower refugees to become self-sufficient through direct services and educational programs.

September 14, 2015 Diversity and Inclusion Luncheon October 5, 2015 Golf Fore! Refugees

Who we are

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Pay It Forward

Refugee Empowerment Center is a Nebraska nonprofit established

by Sudanese refugees in 1997 for the express purpose of assisting those refugees who came after them to learn to live and work within their new culture, and to provide better lives for themselves and their families. Over the life of the organization, the mission has been refined as it incorporated additional educational and self-sufficiency programs and expanded the number of refugee populations served.

The agency employs multi-lingual former refugees who understand the assistance required and barriers to overcome before newcomers can begin to orientate successfully within their new community. On-site programs and multi-cultural staff ensure refugees understand their rights and responsibilities and begin on an informed path as they rebuild their lives in Omaha.

In 2014 our agency resettled 276 refugees in Omaha and provided assistance to over 1,500 refugees.

Out of the 158 seeking employment, 136 obtained jobs, driving nearly $1,000,000 back into the Omaha economy while simultaneously strengthening families on their paths towards self-sufficiency.

To help newcomers in Omaha, you can donate cash and in-kind household and furniture items that assist refugee families start their new lives in Omaha. You can also volunteer in our on-site English language classes, help prepare an individual for their naturalization exam, set up a household for an incoming family, or be a mentor in our First Friends Program. We also encourage you to invite us to present at community events to share the refugee experience, our agency’s history, and the services we provide to welcome and empower newcomers. And be sure to connect with us on social media via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

September/October • 2015 | 182 | omahamagazine.com

Refugee Empowerment Center

3610 Dodge St., Ste. 100 Omaha, NE 68131 402.554.0759 refugeeempowerment.org

Mission statement

wish list

Restoration Exchange is dedicated to educating and motivating the public to restore, preserve, and rehabilitate older homes, buildings, and districts.

• Give your time and commitment to further Restoration Exchange Omaha’s mission.

• Become an active member.

• Join one of our three committees.

• Help us research the history of a building or home.

• Attend one of our events.

• Donate.

Pay it forward

If you love history, preservation, architecture, and community, join us. upcoming events

Oct. 4, 2015 Hanscom Park Neighborhood Tour Feb. 14, 2016 Heart Bombing Late February/Early March 2016 Restore Omaha Conference

Who we are

Formed in July 2013 through the merger of Landmarks Inc., Restore Omaha, and Omaha Urban Neighborhoods, Restoration Exchange Omaha (REO) seeks to become a regional preservation force. Through productive partnerships and creative alliances, REO: • Educates through the Restore Omaha Conference and tours of historic homes, buildings, and neighborhoods.

• Advocates by nominating and saving homes, buildings, and historic districts. Working closely with local and state government offi cials, Landmark Commission(s), and the public to create laws and policies that favor historic preservation.

• Invigorates by sharing information, success stories, and preservation resources through

publications, social media, and an online resource directory.

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Over the past year REO: • Provided ideas, solutions, and inspiration to 338 attendees at the Restore Omaha Conference.

• Changed perceptions by having 1,096 people tour restored homes along Florence Boulevard. “I see opportunity in this area.”

• Educated 700 students and teachers on the history and architecture of South 24th Street.

• Taught 80 OPS 9th graders how to research the history of historic buildings.

• Successfully wrote a National Register nomination for the Hupmobile Building

at 2523 Farnam St. • Saved the Thomas Kimball-designed Webster Telephone Exchange building at 22nd and Lake.

• Heart Bombed six vacant buildings to bring attention to their need to be restored.

• Celebrated 50 years of preservation by recognizing 50 preservation success stories and honoring the people and organizations making preservation happen today.

• Built a community of over 2,000 Facebook followers.

Started a YouTube Channel with local videos sharing the preservation message.

• Organized a tour for over 200 people to view the restored Flatiron building.

September/October • 2015 | 183 | bestofomaha.com

Restoration Exchange Omaha

3902 Davenport St. Omaha, NE 68131 402.679.5854 info@restorationexchange.org restorationexchange.org

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

wish list

Omaha Area Youth Orchestras inspire and educate young musicians by providing rigorous orchestral experiences. We prepare student musicians to become active participants in the community. We achieve these goals in partnerships with parents, teachers and schools throughout the Greater Omaha area.

Provide musicians with their first OAYO experience!

• $5000 – Supports 100 Honors or Prelude Strings Musicians • $2500 – Supports 50 Honors or Prelude Strings Musicians • $1250 – Supports 25 Honors or Prelude Strings Musicians • $500 – Supports 10 Honors or Prelude Strings Musicians Join us and take a STAND • $30 provides a musician with a music stand Contact Rana at development@oayo.org to contribute. upcoming events

All Orchestra Concert at Holland Performing Arts Center, 6:30 p.m.

October 18, 2015

Who we are

Since 1958, the Omaha Area Youth Orchestras has provided ensemble instruction and performance opportunities to the greater Omaha/Council Bluffs area. Our ensembles feature musicians in mid-elementary through high school in over 20 schools districts and homeschools. Our students develop skills to enjoy a life of academic and work success as employees, entrepreneurs, community members and art patrons.

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Omaha Area Youth Orchestra programs build leadership, personal discipline, self-confidence, collaboration, teamwork and a life-long appreciation for the arts. A challenging orchestral group experience nurtures these characteristics.

Our Orchestra Programs: • Over 550 musicians in our 6 orchestra programs • 19 chamber music ensembles • Professional musicians and school music teachers coach all our ensembles • Rehearsal sites include North, South, Mid-town, West Omaha and Council Bluffs • Families in need can reduce their tuition cost through volunteer service • Almost 40% of our musicians receive need-based scholarships School Visits: • Ms. Segall coached: 49 schools, 71 visits, 142 hours, 3000 band and orchestra musicians • School visits were offered at no cost to school districts or musicians

pay it forward

Listen to the Future! Attend OAYO Performances! Attendance demonstrates the value of hard work to our musicians.

Volunteer. Omaha Area Youth Orchestras has important volunteer opportunities for talented professionals. We match our volunteer opportunities to your talents and skills and are mindful of your time.

Help OAYO advance its mission of inspiring and educating young musicians. Contact our administrative oßces.

September/October • 2015 | 184 | omahamagazine.com

Youth Symphony Winter Concert at UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center, 2 p.m.

February 7, 2016 Spring Concert at Joslyn’s Witherspoon Concert Hall, 6:30 p.m.

March 6, 2016 Youth Symphony Sideby-side Concert with the Omaha Symphony at Holland Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.

May 8, 2016 Omaha Area Youth Orchestras

Aviva Segall, Music Director Rana Scarlett-Johnson, Executive Director 1905 Harney Street, Ste. 630 Omaha, NE 68102 402.238.2044 oayo.org

Nebraska Kidney Association

Mission statement

wish list

To improve the lives of all Nebraskans through advocacy, education, early disease detection, and patient services.

• Volunteers for upcoming events • Participants for the Omaha Kidney Walk (registration can be done online) • Financial donations to continue free Kidney Early Detection Screenings (KEDS) across the state.

• Foursomes for the upcoming Liberty Mutual Golf Invitational Event • Donations of used vehicles to our K-Car Program • Utilization of the New Life Thrift Store, a portion of the proceeds of which benefit the NKA upcoming events

August 24 KEDS (Free Health Screening) locations on website September 1 Big Red Raæe Kick Off September 17 Joint Council Workshop Who we are

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Pay it forward

The Nebraska Kidney Association was founded in 1969 by physicians, businessmen, patients, and family members dedicated to the treatment and cure of diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. The primary goal of the NKA is to improve the health and well-being of individuals affected by kidney and urinary tract diseases, and to increase the availability of all organs for transplant. Secondary goals consist of: fostering education of health care professionals; expanding patient services and community resources, increasing public knowledge of kidney diseases and organ donation; monitoring health care policy; increasing fundraising to allow continuation of programs; and development of new programs.

For 45 years, the NKA has been reaching Nebraskans through programs and services, visiting schools, health fairs, and hosting free health screenings across the state. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the NKA strives to improve the quality of life for Nebraskans.

All funds raised by the NKA stay in the state to support Nebraskans impacted by kidney disease.

To fulfi ll the NKA’s mission, programs and services are provided throughout the state helping prevent/prolong the onset of kidney disease while helping those affected by the disease. Nebraskans can help friends and neighbors suffering from kidney disease or waiting for a life-saving transplant by supporting the NKA in special events, volunteer work, a monetary gift, or planned giving.

Visit our website, www.kidneyne. org for more details or email us at develop@kidneyne.org.

September 27 Patient Family Celebration Day October 4 Omaha Kidney Walk October 5 Liberty Mutual Golf Invitational Event

Nebraksa kidney association

11725 Arbor St., Suite 230 Omaha, NE 68144 402.932.7200 kidneyne.org September/October • 2015 | 185 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

wish list

Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha provides tuition assistance scholarships so children from low-income families can access the private or parochial K-8 education of their choice.

• Scholarship funding upcoming events

Sunday October 11, 2015: CSF Fund Run (5k walk/run) Tuesday, June 7, 2016: CHANCE Luncheon

Who we are

Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha (CSF) believes that all families, regardless of income, should be able to choose the best educational setting for their children. By providing low-income families with K-8 scholarships, CSF empowers parents to choose their children’s school during the time their educational foundation is being established.

CSF awards scholarships solely on the basis of fi nancial need, following guidelines similar to the National School Lunch Program.

Our organization is destination neutral and has no religious aßliation—scholarship recipients attend approximately 80 different schools across Omaha and northeast Nebraska.

A crucial piece of the CSF program is the commitment we make to our families, and the commitment we require from them in return. Provided a CSF family continues to be financially eligible, CSF provides scholarships to each student in a family every year until they graduate 8th grade.

In return, each CSF family must contribute $500 toward their children’s education and their children must achieve a 90% attendance rate each year.

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As the only provider of K-8 scholarships in the state, our program serves students at a crucial time in their education where few scholarships exist. Relying solely on private donations, CSF has awarded $2.6 million in scholarships

for the 2015-16 school year. CSF has been in existence since 1999 and has awarded over 29,000 scholarships worth over $27 million to families in the community.

Pay it forward

While CSF is able to assist many families, the demand for scholarships outpaces CSF’s ability to fund them. For the 2015-16 school year, approximately 500 scholarships went unfunded. If you or your company would like to provide scholarship funding, please contact the CSF oßce.

September/October • 2015 | 186 | omahamagazine.com

Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha

1111 N. 13th St. Suite 101 Omaha, NE 68102 402.819.4990 csfomaha.org

Mission statement

Our purpose is to serve our members and society by guiding both to be wise with money and live generously.

wish list

Our Thrivent Regional Financial Office has met with many nonprofits that have expressed a need in a variety of areas—including bottled water, blessing bags for the homeless and local shelters, food items, and volunteers for fundraisers.

As a Thrivent Member we are asking that you reach out to an Omaha metro organization and ask how your Action Team can benefit them with your time, talents and treasures. thrivent.com/making-a-difference/living-generously/ thrivent-action-teams/ upcoming events

Every Saturday— Weather Permitting Thrivent Builds

October 24 Thrivent Action Teams “Make a Difference Day” October 2015 Thrivent Financial Workshop: Parents, Kids, and Money Matters Who we are

We believe money is a tool, not a goal. We’re a not-for-profit, membership organization of Christians— and we’re starting a new conversation about money. We’ll listen, ask questions, and offer options that support your values and help you meet your financial goals. Your story is unique, and your financial advice should be, too. Because of our common bond, our organization is allowed a tax exemption which provides our members the opportunity to reinvest those dollars back into our local community. This is done through Thrivent Action Teams and Thrivent Choice Dollars©.

Through these programs, our members direct their dollars or volunteer time benefit a church or organization that they care about most.

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Last year in the Omaha area, 225 Action Team projects were completed, making a positive impact on churches, non-profit organizations and individuals in our community. This year, Thrivent Builds, our partnership with Habitat for Humanity, will sponsor three homes in the Omaha area investing over $184,000 and forever changing the neighborhoods and lives of three local families. So far in 2015, nearly 2,500 Thrivent Members have directed $337,809 Thrivent Choice Dollars to 231 enrolled churches, schools, social ministries, and other nonprofits in the Omaha metro.

Pay It Forward

We encourage all Thrivent Members to partner up with a church or nonprofit organization that you are passionate about, and utilize the seed money from your Thrivent Action Team to make a bigger impact in Omaha! Ask one of more than 20,000 Thrivent Members in the Omaha area to nominate your favorite church or nonprofit organization as a Thrivent Choice Dollars© recipient. It’s easy and there’s no cost to participate.

No products will be sold. Directing Choice Dollars is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Thrivent Choice program. For more information, please go to https://www.thrivent.com/making-a-difference/living-generously/thrivent-action-teams/.Thrivent Financial representatives are licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. They are also registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55415. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.

September/October • 2015 | 187 | bestofomaha.com

November 2015 Thrivent Financial Workshop: Your Legacy— Family Church and Charity

Thrivent Financial

11602 W. Center Rd. Ste. 200 Omaha, NE 68144 402.932.0109 Chelsie Olson, Community Engagement Leader chelsie.olson@thrivent.com www.thrivent.com

Omaha Magazine • The Big Give Mission statement

Santa Monica administers a caring, comprehensive program for women who desire to confidently and successfully live without the burdens of addiction through a long-term treatment program that empowers them to live productively, without the use of drugs or alcohol.

wish list

• Feminine Hygiene Products • Shampoo/Conditioner • Body Wash • Deodorant • Razors • Laundry Detergent • Trash Bags • Cleaning Products • Paper Products • Clothes/Shoes • Umbrellas • Undergarments upcoming events

Sept. 12, 2015 Co-sponsor, Hands Across the Bridge April 2016 Annual Spring Fundraiser

Who we are

Brag Lines

Santa Monica provides a holistic treatment experience that utilizes proven practices to improve women’s mental, physical, and spiritual health. We utilize multiple therapeutic strategies to improve our clients’ cognitive-behavioral patterns and to address their physical and psychological traumas. We help women develop a sense of personal accountability with structured programming that focuses on practical life skills, twelve-step participation, and employment. Santa Monica’s halfway house program can last from 6 to 12 months; the length of stay for each woman is individualized based on her needs and her progress in treatment.

Santa Monica has succeeded in its mission and continued to flourish for more than 40 years thanks to overwhelming support from our community, the dedication of our staff , and the vision of our volunteer board of directors. As a result of this dedication, we are pleased to announce that we are expanding our capacity to serve addicted women through the addition of a three-quarter-way house.

Santa Monica is excited to provide its women a longer-term, more gradual re-entry into their respective communities, allowing them to feel confident and secure in their abilities to respond to life’s circumstances without needing alcohol

or drugs to cope. Once renovations are complete, our halfway house will be relocated to 401 South 39th Street in Omaha (the former Renaissance Mansion), and our current property at 130 North 39th Street in Omaha will be converted into a three-quarterway house.

Pay It Forward

While Santa Monica has made significant progress in the expansion of services we are not at the finish line yet. The helping hand is valuable to our nonprofit. Monetary donations or material donations will help us reach our goals and beyond.

September/October • 2015 | 188 | omahamagazine.com

Santa Monica House

130 N. 39th Street Omaha, NE 68131 santamonicahouse.org 402-558-7088

September/October • 2015 | 189 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • 2015 Aksarben Coronation & Scholarship Ball

2015

AKSARBEN

CORONATION & SCHOLARSHIP BALL OCTOBER 17, 2015

NOAH ANDERSON

CLAIRE BARRETT

KATHRYN BLAIR

NECTARIOS BOULOS

AMELIA COPPLE

Mr. & Mrs. Mickey Anderson

Mr. & Mrs. John Barrett

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Blair

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Boulos

Dr. & Mrs. Bradley Copple

PARKER DVORAK

KATHERINE EFAW

GABRIELLE FAHEY

MICHAEL FAHEY

BRIDGET FINNEGAN

Mr. & Mrs. David Dvorak

Mr. & Mrs. Jason Efaw

Mr. & Mrs. Brian Fahey

Mr. & Mrs. Brian Fahey

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Finnegan

MARY JANSSEN

THOMAS KELLEY, JR.

HANNAH LIAKOS

JACKSON HAWKINS

THEODORE HEDICAN

Mr. & Mrs. Chris Hawkins

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Hedican

Mr. & Mrs. Tom Janssen

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Kelley

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Liakos

RILEY NOGG

LIAM O’CONNELL

MILES O’CONNELL

RYLAN PATTERSON

STEPHEN PATTERSON

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Nogg

Mr. & Mrs. James O’Connell

Mr. & Mrs. James O’Connell

Mr. & Mrs. Roy Patterson

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Patterson

WILLIAM SMITHBERG

NOAH STRICKLETT

ELEANOR THIBODEAU

Mr. & Mrs. Jason Smithberg

Mr. & Mrs. Ted Stricklett

Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Thibodeau

ELIZABETH VONDRAK Dr. Stephanie Vondrak & Mr. Nick Vondrak

September/October • 2015 | 190 | omahamagazine.com

SYLVIA WAHL Dr. Samantha Wahl & Dr. Andrew Wahl

T

HE AKSARBEN CORONATION AND SCHOLARSHIP BALL is the

signature fundraising event for the organization’s two college scholarship programs.

The ball recognizes families who significantly contribute to building the Heartland through leadership in community service. The Pages

pictured here are 2nd- and 3rd-graders selected based on the volunteer contributions of their parents across the metro area.

The 119th AKSARBEN Coronation and Scholarship Ball will be held October 17, 2015 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s new Baxter Arena.

LAUREN COX

ADDISON DAVIS

GEORGE DEMULLING

CORA DIETRICH

CHARLIE J. DOMBROWSKI

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cox

Dr. & Mrs. Matthew Davis

Mr. & Mrs. Trent Demulling

Dr. & Mrs. Mark Dietrich

Mr. & Mrs. James Dombrowski

WILLIAM FOGARTY

CASEY GILLILAND

ELLA GRAEVE

ANIKA GUTTA

LILLIAN GUTTA

Mr. & Mrs. Bennett Fogarty

Mr. & Mrs. Scott Gilliland

Mr. & Mrs. Shane Graeve

Dr. & Mrs. Rao Gutta

Dr. & Mrs. Rao Gutta

JACKSON LINDSAY

ELIZABETH MCCARTHY

DREW MCMAHON

JAMES MELTON

MAJOR MOSSER

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Lindsay

Mr. & Mrs. John McCarthy

Mr. & Mrs. Sean McMahon

Mr. & Mrs. Scott Melton

Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell Mosser

AMELIA PETSICK

CLAIRE POGGE

CHARLES REED

HADLEY REGAN

WINSTON SCHNEIDER

Mr. & Mrs. Joe Petsick

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Pogge

Mr. & Mrs. Tim Reed

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Regan

Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Schneider

TREVOR WILSON

AVA WORTHINGTON

HENRY YALE

Dr. Beth Wilson & Mr. Tim Wilson

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Worthington

Mr. & Mrs. Adam Yale

JULIA WALENZ Dr. Elizabeth Walenz & Mr. Steven Walenz

September/October • 2015 | 191 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Giving Calendar

GIVING

CALENDAR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Annual Brew Haha September 10

9TH ANNUAL BREW HAHA

Habitat for Humanity Stinson Park habitatomaha.org September 11

FASHION IMPACT AWARDS

Omaha’s Fashion Institute Guild Huber Cadillac fashioninstitutemidwest. org September 11

ZOOFAIR 2015 - ROCK AND ROAR Omaha Zoo Foundation Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo zoofoundation.org September 11

KVC KIDS CLASSIC GOLF TOURNAMENT

KVC Nebraska Thornridge Golf Course kvcnebraska.org

Bagpipes sound at the annual 9/11 Memorial Benefit September 13

FAITH IN ACTION: CELEBRATING THOSE WHO GENEROUSLY SUPPORT SAFETY, HOPE AND WELL-BRING FOR ALL PEOPLE Lutheran Family Services lfsneb.org September 13

OAYO ALUMNI READING Omaha Area Youth Orchestra UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center oayo.org September 15

MEN FOR OTHERS GOLF CLASSIC Creighton Preparatory School Omaha Country Club creightonprep. creighton.edu September 17

INSPIRING GREATNESS LUNCHEON FEATURING DON YAEGER Nebraska Children’s Home Society Omaha Hilton nchs.org

September 17

2015 ARCHBISHOP’S DINNER FOR EDUCATION

Archdiocese of Omaha Embassy Suites archomaha.org

September 19

TOUCH-A-TRUCK

Child Saving Institute First Data/UNO parking lots childsaving.org September 19

September 17

2ND ANNUAL 9/11 MEMORIAL BENEFIT

First Responders Foundation Omaha Police Mounted Patrol Barn firstrespondersomaha. org September 18

NOTEWORTHY NIGHT

Children’s Respite Care Center Creighton University’s Harper Center Ballroom crccomaha.com September 18

BASKETBALL GALA

Bellevue University Bellevue University bubruins.com September 19

KANEKO OPEN SPACE SOIRÉE

Valmont with Honorary Chair Richard D. Holland Kaneko thekaneko.org

Child Saving Institute’s annual Tough-A-Truck event September 21

September 26

Gross Catholic High School Eagle Hills Country Club grosscatholic.org

Autism Action Partnership Embassy SuiteS—La Vista autismaction.org

COUGAR GOLF CLASSIC TOURNAMENT

A VINTAGE AFFAIRE VII: WINES OF THE WORLD

STEP OUT: WALK TO STOP DIABETES

September 24-27

September 26

Project Harmony Anthony’s Steakhouse projectharmony.com

September 19

AKSARBEN Foundation CenturyLink Center aksarben.org

American Diabetes Association Miller’s Landing, Downtown Riverfront stepout.diabetes.org

SPOTLIGHT GALA

Voices for Children Nebraska Embassy Suites—La Vista voicesforchildren.com September 19 & 20

KIDS AND CLAYS SHOOTING SPORTS TOURNAMENT

Kids and Clays Foundation Oak Creek Sporting Club rmhcomaha.org

AKSARBEN’S RIVER CITY RODEO & STOCK SHOW

September 24-27

LAUTIZEN GARDENS ANTIQUE AND GARDEN SHOW

Lauritzen Gardens Lauritzen Gardens omahaantiqueshow.org

“HALFWAY TO ST. PATRICK’S DAY” CELEBRATION

September 26

JEWELS OF AUTUMN AT LAKESIDE Lakeside Hospital Lakeside Conference Center alegentcreighton.com September 27

September 25

2015 OMAHA WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S

Alzheimer’s Association Midtown Crossing— Turner Park actalz.org

September 20

SUPERHERO HEART RUN

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Stinson Park superheroheartrun.com

September/October • 2015 | 192 | omahamagazine.com

WALK FOR THE ANIMALS & 5K RUN

Nebraska Humane Society Nebraska Humane Society Campus nehumanesociety.org

Superheroes striking a pose at the Superhero Heartrun

Lauritzen Gardens Antique & Garden Show

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! at the Zoofair - Rock and Roar September 28

45TH ANNUAL BOY SCOUT GOLF INVITATIONAL

Boy Scouts of America Shadow Ridge Country Club mac-bsa.org/golf October 1

BREAKING THE SILENCE FEATURING JEFFREY TAMBOR

Community Alliance Joslyn Art Museum communityalliance.org

October 1

NEBRASKA WIND SYMPHONY BRASS IN CONCERT

Nebraska Wind Symphony St. Robert Bellarmine Church nebraskawindsymphony. com October 1

ENVISION: SOWING THE SEEDS OF JUSTICE Justice for our Neighbors 2414 E St. jfon-ne.org

Kids spreading Husker spirit at the annual Big Red Tailgate October 1

SPIRIT OF ST. FRANCIS New Cassel Retirement Center and Franciscan Centre spiritofomaha.com October 2

October 3

14TH ANNUAL OMAHA BUDDY WALK Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands Stinson Park dsmidlands.org October 3

October 2

Bethlehem House Hilton Hotel bethlethemhouseomaha. org

SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON

FALL BALL

Phoenix Academy Hilton Omaha pheonixacademyomaha. org

Westside Foundation Embassy Suites—La Vista wcsfoundation55.com

Autism Action Partnership Henry Doorly Zoo & Aqarium autismaction.org October 4

2015 SUSAN G. KOMEN NEBRASKA RACE for the Cure Susan G. Komen Nebraska CenturyLink Center komennebraska.org

ess-to-Busines sin sM Bu OMA H a

B2

B

A’ S

2015 Winner

ine

Om ah a

VIV 2015 - WESTSIDE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION GALA

AUTISM NIGHT AT OMAHA’S HENRY DOORLY ZOO & AQUARIUM

z ga

402.333.3062 | planitomaha.com | 10832 old mill road, suite 5 | omaha, ne 68154

Nebraska Children’s Home Society Regency Court homegrownomaha.org

October 4

Show us some

planitomaha: A national and regional powerhouse in meetings, conferences & events. ’s

HOMEGROWN

October 3

9TH ANNUAL BIG RED TAILGATE Completely KIDS completelykids.org

October 3

@OmahaMagazine

Omaha Magazine • Giving Calendar

HANSCOM PARK NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR Restoration Exchange Omaha Hanscom Park restorationexchange. org October 5

CREATING FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP DINNER Omaha Christian Academy Embassy Suites—La Vista sorbo.eventbrite.com October 5

LIBERTY MUTUAL GOLF INVITATIONAL Nebraska Kidney Association Oak Hills Country Club kidneyne.org October 9

FRIENDS OF THE

Scottish Rite Scottish Rite Foundation of Nebraska Scottish Rite Mosaic Center friendsofscottishrite.org October 15

25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH BARBARA CORCORAN OF SHARK TANK

Women’s Fund of Omaha CenturyLink Center omahawomensfund.org

Cost: $60 per ticket $600 for a table of 10

2015 Vision Beyond Sight Banquet

Proceeds from the event will benefit ONI’s mission of enhancing the lives of the blind and visually impaired.

To register: Visit

Date: Time: Location:

Race for the Cure runners finish strong together October 4

Join ONI in Celebrating 15 Years of Empowering the Blind!

October 16

CELEBRATE 10 GALA STARRING KRISTIN CHENOWETH

Holland Performing Arts Center and Omaha Performing Arts Holland Performing Arts Center omahaperformingarts. org

Friday, November 20 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Embassy Suites Omaha-LaVista Hotel & Conference Center 12520 Westport Parkway LaVista, NE 68128

www.outlooknebraska.org

The exceptional dental care you deserve from the professionals you trust.

October 17

AKSARBEN CORONATION AND SCHOLARSHIP BALL

Brian Pendley, D.D.S. • Amy Ruf, D.D.S. • Jay Samuelson, D.D.S. J.R. Demman, D.D.S. • Jeffrey T. Garvey, D.D.S.

The Dentist at Hillsborough

AKSARBEN Foundation Baxter Arena aksarben.org

Best Family Dentist

HILLSBOROUGH•VILLAGE POINT•RALSTON SQUARE•DUNDEE thedentistsomaha.com

October 18

ALL ORCHESTRA CONCERT

Omaha Area Youth Orchestra Holland Performing Arts Center oayo.org October 22

PURE INSPIRATION ART EXHIBIT & FOOD-WINE PAIRING EVENT Boys Town Hospital Lied Learning and Technology Center boystownhospital.org October 22

TASTE THE SEASON, A HARVEST CELEBRATION Food Bank for the Heartland foodbankheartland.org

Fall

October 24 October 15

BREATH OF HOPE

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Omar Art & Event Center nebreathofhope. eventscff.org

OMAHA’S GREAT PUMPKIN

Is Here!

Lutheran Family Services Village Pointe Roundabout lfsneb.org

Koca Chiropractic can get you on the right track to keep your energy up and experience life to the fullest.

The first step is to

October 29

PURSES FOR PAWS

make health your #1 priority!

Nebraska Humane Society Regency Fashion Court nehumanesociety.org www.YourFamilysChiropractor.com

NEW LOCATION 11420 Blondo St, Ste. 102 402.496.4570

September/October • 2015 | 194 | omahamagazine.com

omaha magazine • july/august 2015

194

OBVIOUSLY OMAHA 01. READ

Omaha Magazine contributor Douglas Vincent Wesselmann (aka Otis Twelve) won a Debut Dagger from the British Crime Writers’ Association for Being the Lost Notebooks of Rufus Wilmot Griswold in the Matter of the Death of Edgar Allan Poe. His first novel, On the Albino Farm, won the 2005 London Book Fair Competition.

His latest work, Tales of the Master: The Book of Stone (Grief Illustrated Press) is set for a fall release.

02. LAUGH

The Feb. 1, 2016 Iowa Caucus may seem light years away, but the state is already crawling with waves of Republican contenders seeking the “cornservative vote.” Our fave T-shirt from the folks at Raygun in Des Moines proclaims Iowa to be “75% Vowels, 100% Awesome,” but the one shown on the right pretty much sums up the quadrennial spectacle that is the Iowa Caucus.

03. REJOICE

Kathy Pettersen, manager of the childrens section at the Bookworm, and Beverly Reicks, president and CEO of National Safety Council Nebraska, made history on June 26 as the first same-sex couple to be issued a marriage license in Douglas County. In a ceremony only moments later they also became the first married same-sex couple in Omaha.

01

05. CELEBRATE

Bob Fischbach scribbled notes in the dark countless times at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Now the recently retired Omaha World-Herald critic who covered theater, movies, and beyond finally found his way onto that storied stage when accepting the Omaha Community Playhouse Trustees' Award that honors special distinguished service to America’s largest community theater company.

02

03

06. GAB

Stuart Chittenden is wrapping up his latest project, A Couple of 830 Mile Long Conversations. The conversationalist behind Squishtalks has been touring the byways of Nebraska in an RV while setting up public conversation spaces in small towns to talk with residents about their lives, their culture, and their stories. His 830-mile odyssey is supported by the Omaha Creative Institute. Journey with him at 830Nebraska.com.

07. COOK

Isa Moskowitz’s post-punk attitude has been reflected in such foodie books as Isa Does It, Veganomicon (with Terry Hope Romero), and Appetite for Reduction. The bestselling author and owner of midtown’s Modern Love (just try to get a table) has now released through Da Capo Press Vegan with a Vengeance, which features yet more cheap, easy, and delicious vegan food.

04

05

06

04. VIEW

Gallery 72’s move to South Omaha a couple years ago sparked a revitalization of Vinton Street. Only a few doors west along the angular thoroughfare is the newest addition to the area, the art space with the repetitive name of Project Project. See the work of Justin Beller and Mads Anderson (shown on the right in the accompanying photo) in the September 11 one-nightonly show called Full Yet Hungry.

07

September/October • 2015 | 195 | bestofomaha.com

America's Most

Haunted House

Omaha Magazine • Cover Feature

or not...

WORDS BY ROBERT NELSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

I

T WAS A dark and stormy day when two

sisters revisited their childhood home in Villisca, Iowa, for only the second time in two decades. They strolled through the tiny two-story frame house, reminiscing about their noteworthy hijinks, discussing childhood pals and the small town they remember fondly, relating where they played and slept in relation to where each of six children and two adults were ax-murdered in their beds in 1912 in the infamous, unsolved crime that still defines this western Iowa hamlet.

Much of the conversation during their firstever extensive interview about their childhood home touched on what did and didn’t happen to the girls as 18-year inhabitants of what is often called “America’s Most Haunted House,” which sits on the edge of this farming community of 1,200 about 80 minutes southeast of Omaha.

For example, one night Jodi McGargill, the older of the two sisters, saw glowing eyes peering out of the attic that she first assumed belonged to Satan.

But more on that later. In ghost stories, the tormented dead don’t manifest themselves until later in the tale. Backstory comes first in this saga of McGargill, Jenn Belt, and, among other characters, their beloved cat that sometimes prowled the attic at night.

TRUE CRIME It was cool and cloudy on June 9, 1912, the day of the annual Children’s Day service at the Presbyterian church in town, a show in which four children who, it had turned out, had only hours to live, would be stars.

After the Sunday evening event, which ended around 9:30 p.m., Josiah Moore, his wife, Sarah, and their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul, walked the three blocks back to their house. The children were particularly excited this evening. Two family friends, Lena and Ina Stillinger, would be spending the night with them.

Sometime after the household retired, someone wielding Josiah’s own ax bludgeoned all eight inhabitants to death as they slept. Only one of the eight, 12-year-old Lena, appeared to have put up a fight.

The scene was both horrific and bizarre. All the victims were found in their beds with their heads covered with bedclothes. All had their skulls battered 20 to 30 times with the blunt end of an ax.

The murder weapon was left leaning against a wall and a four-pound chunk of slab bacon was placed next to the ax. Pieces of the family’s clothing had been used to cover the mirrors in the house. A plate of uneaten food was left on the kitchen table next to a bowl of bloody water.

The victims were discovered the next morning by a neighbor. News of the slaughter spread in a shockwave of both grief and terror. Beloved neighbors—six of them small children—had been brutally murdered. A madman was on the loose. Everyone was at risk. Everyone was a suspect.

Nearly 10 years of sweeping investigations netted several compelling suspects. But, ultimately, nobody was ever convicted of the crime, a grotesque event that crippled a community and frightened people across the country. Years of national coverage of September/October • 2015 | 197 | bestofomaha.com

the fruitless investigation followed. The cast of suspects was both wicked and freakish.

These are the reasons that people still flock to the Villisca Ax Murder House 113 years after the crime.

TRUE LIFE Rick and Vickie Sprague were young parents with little money when they began houseshopping in 1975. They needed a cheap home, and the little fixer-upper at 508 E. 2nd St. with the horrendous past was as cheap as they came. “Nobody else would live here,” Belt said as she stepped into the living room for the first time in years.

Having spent less than they expected on a house, the couple set to work remodeling with the remaining money. Cracking plaster was replaced with drywall. They painted the house green and black and put up tie-dyed curtains. Gold shag carpet covered the floors.

It was 1975, after all. And the couple, their daughters say, had a bit of hippie left in them.

The Spragues did not believe in ghosts.

“Our parents had no fear of the house,” said McGargill, a photographer who lives near Imogene, Iowa. “Of course they knew something terrible happened here, but they didn’t believe anything supernatural was left behind.”

McGargill was five when the family moved into the house. She was given the room at the top of the stairs in which Josiah and Sarah Moore were murdered. Belt, who was a baby at the time of the move, later slept in the room down the hall in which the four Moore children were slain. >

Omaha Magazine • Cover Feature

< McGargill didn’t know the history of the house until family and friends came to help remove the crumbling plaster walls. As she played on the first floor, she heard her aunt scream from upstairs: “Oh God! There’s blood coming out of the walls!”

“So everybody runs up there and what they find is a red handkerchief that had been stuck in the wall years ago for insulation,” she said. “My aunt was crying. She was very, very upset.”

McGargill quickly learned that much of the town of Villisca was just as frightened by the house as her aunt. Over the years, for example, the girls began to notice that trick-or-treaters rushed by the house instead of stopping for one of their mother’s “famed popcorn balls.”

When it was time for a sleepover, friends would invite the Sprague girls to their house.

“Nobody would stay with us,” said Belt, who now lives in Council Bluffs.

Their dad quickly grew tired of gawkers driving slowly by their house. “He would occasionally give them a hand gesture,” she said.

When McGargill was 12, she decided to write about the murders for a school research project. She began reading old newspaper clippings. She even interviewed an elderly man up the street who had worked at the town’s hardware store at the time of the murders.

He remembered the store selling out of door locks shortly after the murder. The whole town shut down, he told her. Everybody had a theory, he explained.

Like so many others who have researched the crime, McGargill began to formulate her own theories. Maybe she could solve the case that nobody else could.

With all that research, with all that knowledge of what happened in her bedroom, she said she became unsettled by her home for the first time.

“Your mind starts to wander,” she said. “I’m very matter-of-fact about things, but that was a tough time learning so much about what happened here.”

And then, one night, she peered across her dark room and saw two glowing eyes staring back at her from the closet.

“I screamed bloody murder,” she said. “Sure enough, I looked again and realized it was my cat in the closet with the street lights shining on his eyes. I had let my imagination start to get the best of me.”

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM The Spragues left the house in 1993. The outdated fixer-upper with the blood-soaked past had little value. Neighbors considered buying the house, leveling it, and adding to their own property.

But Darwin Linn, long fascinated by the house’s history, finally moved on a nagging dream of his: Using photos from the crime scene, he would restore the house to its original state and open it to the public as a museum detailing the crime and the sensation it caused across the country.

Linn even hauled a small abandoned barn from the country using his old Chevy Luv pickup. That barn now serves as a visitor center behind the house full of news clippings and other memorabilia.

“He felt very strongly that this was a piece of history—a story so compelling and such a big part of this town that the house should be saved,” said Johnny Houser, a neighbor and longtime true-crime fan who often leads the house tours when Martha Linn, Darwin’s wife, is unavailable (Darwin passed away in 2011).

Houser is quick to emphasize that Darwin’s passion was “first and foremost history.” “He felt he was providing a museum, and with that, a memorial to the people who suffered that awful tragedy. He thought the other stuff was pretty silly and disrespectful.”

But that “other stuff” is now a big draw—and significant money-maker. With the growth of ghost-hunter reality television shows, paranormal research groups, and websites dedicated to all things otherwordly, the Villisca Ax Murder House is now a major star in the pantheon of America’s most haunted places.

With the national attention (which includes numerous websites listing the house as one of the most haunted in America) came droves of people wanting to spend the night in the house. Now, up to six people can stay in the house for $428 a night.

Fans of the paranormal seem undeterred by the price. Houser said the house is often booked for weeks straight, “especially after some TV show runs.”

“It’s a very fair price,” said Martha Linn, who otherwise didn’t want to be interviewed for this story.

(She seemed concerned that the Sprague sisters had ulterior motives for telling their story. “I don’t know who those people are,” she said of the sisters. “I don’t know what they’re up to.”)

Houser certainly knows who the sisters are.

He said he’s been hoping to meet them—and interview them—for many years.

“There are so many rumors in this town about the house,” he told the sisters. “I always figured you could set the record straight on some things.”

Of course, the first issue of interest is whether the sisters ever experienced anything unusual in the house. Houser said he assumed they never did. “I’m pretty much a diehard cynic,” he said.

“It all so absurd,” Belt said.

“Bogus,”McGargill calls the claims that the house is haunted.

THE RUMOR MILL As the trio stepped into the upstairs room in which Belt slept and the four Moore children were murdered, Houser began relating some of the stories and rumors that have lingered in Villisca.

“I’ve heard a million stories of people saying they were babysat in this house,” Houser said. “I have always assumed you ran a daycare here.”

September/October • 2015 | 198 | omahamagazine.com

“YOUR MIND STARTS TO WANDER. I’M VERY MATTEROF-FACT ABOUT THINGS, BUT THAT WAS A TOUGH TIME LEARNING SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE" -Jodi McGargill “Never,” McGargill said with a puzzled shrug.

“We did babysitting jobs,” Belt added, “but never in our own home. Parents wouldn’t bring their kids here. I only had one birthday party here. I only had a couple friends who would come play here. I’d always go spend the night at their house.”

“Did your mom have a sewing shop here?”

Houser asked.

Jen Belt (left) and Jodi McGargill

“Huh?” Belt looked perplexed.

“Wait,” McGargill said. “My dad would sew patches on people’s jeans every so often.

Maybe people turned that into something in their heads.”

Houser asks more questions. The sisters continue to set the record straight.

BEYOND THE BUZZKILL “This house is known around the world,” McGargill said as she finished the walkthrough of the house. “Sometimes when people mention Villisca I will tell them I lived here, sometimes I don’t. Depends on how I feel. It’s weird, though. People will be upset when I tell them nothing happened to us in the house. People want to believe. They get upset when you take away the mystery.”

During the house tour, Houser was always quick to interject that he, like the sisters, is a skeptic. But he several times tempered skepticism with descriptions of several stories and

personal experiences that continue to baffle him. One time, for example, Houser said he walked into the living room to turn on a space heater. When he turned around a few seconds later, he said, a chair was blocking the doorway to the kitchen.

“Maybe I put it there for some really strange reason and forgot it,” he said. “I’m sure there’s an explanation. I just don’t know what it is.”

And although most guests don’t encounter spirits during their stay, Houser said, there have been some “very trustworthy people who say they experienced some pretty interesting things. I started interviewing people who stayed the night. We’ll get priests, professors, nurses, cops—people you’d trust. Most say nothing happened. But then there are a few weird things. Strange things. Like this guy from Texas who said heard a voice in the kid’s room saying, ‘I’m ready.’ That was five years after a guy from New York said he heard the exact same thing,” from the same room.

September/October • 2015 | 199 | bestofomaha.com

As the three leave the house, the sisters remain unconvinced that their old home is haunted. “It only holds happy memories for us,” Belt said.

But what about the voices that others have heard? What about the paranormal researchers who claim to have seen balls of light (called “orbs”) dancing around both inside and outside the house? Can that all be explained away as just hokum, aberrant psychology, or emotional neediness?

“Any experience we ever had was a case of somebody letting their mind play tricks on them,” McGargill said. “Everything weird ultimately had a logical explanation. That was just our own experience. Everybody experiences things differently. Maybe we were closed off to things that other people aren’t.

“I don’t believe in such things,”O she said, “but who really knows for sure?”

Omaha Magazine • Dining | Mystery Review

September/October • 2015 | 200 | omahamagazine.com

THE GREY PLUME

From Farm to Table to James Beard Acclaim WORDS BY MYSTERY REVIEWER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

small carbon footprint. The artwork featured around the restaurant comes from local artists, as does some of the plateware made from recycled wine bottles.

A

FEW YEARS AGO it would be hard to

believe that Omaha would be home to one of the top three greenest restaurants in America, let alone a James Beard Foundation award semi finalist. In the past you would have to visit cities like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco to find restaurants and chefs with accolades such as these, but The Grey Plume has been in the national spotlight since the day they opened in 2010.

Chef/Owner Clayton Chapman has racked up more James Beard nominations than any Omaha chef in history. "Farm to Table" and “Eco-Friendly" restaurants are quite common in many large American cities, but in Omaha it's still a relatively new phenomenon. The Grey Plume takes all of this to a new level with the close collaboration Chapman has with his growers and ranchers.

The restaurant is quite handsomely designed with a formal but still comfortable feel. White tablecloths and velvet-covered bench seats give the restaurant a plush, luxurious look.

Great care was taken in the design to use reclaimed and recycled materials as well as special low-energy kitchen equipment with a

Chef de Cuisine John Engler's menu is constantly changing, but on a recent visit I saw several dishes that fondly recalled previous visits. My dining partner and I started off with one of my favorites, the Duck Fat Fries ($9). As the name implies, these crispy hand-cut fries are fried in duck fat and served over aioli with a farm-fresh egg on top. The combination is incredible. We also tried the Smoked Housemade Ricotta Gnocchi ($12).

This beautifully presented appetizer features pumpernickel bread crumbs which provide flavor as well as texture. It also has a cherry purée and fresh leeks. I am certain I will be ordering this one again. Next we tried the Cold Potato Soup ($9). This concoction had a velvety cream texture and was garnished with truffle powder that gave it a great umami boost. We also had the Heartland Organics’ Spring Greens Salad ($8), a nice light salad featuring local mixed greens, feta cheese, radish, and lavash with an olive oil dressing.

For entrees I had the Morgan Ranch Wagyu Beef ($36). It featured perfectly cooked “petite filet” or teres major cut. The dish also had some oxtail, tongue, and an amazing sausage, all from Morgan Ranch in Burwell, Nebraska. A light demi glace sauce, shaved asparagus, shiitake mushroom, and Yukon gold potatoes made this dish a delicious combination. My dining partner tried Plum Creek Farm’s Chicken Roulade ($27). This moist chicken was served with baby bok choy, snap peas, farro, and a savory strawberry puree— another stellar entree. For dessert we had TGP Hand Crafted Chocolates ($13.50) and the Ice Cream Trio ($8.50). The ice cream dish consisted of a trio of scoops: salted caramel, orange chamomile, and sorrel. The sorrel, at first, seemed an odd flavor for ice cream, but I was instantly hooked.

September/October • 2015 | 201 | bestofomaha.com

At times in the past I felt that the service at The Grey Plume was perhaps a bit stuffy and overly formal. Servers sometimes make your head spin with their immense knowledge of food and wine while using French words and terms that most diners have never even heard of. But this was not the case on this particular evening. Our server was friendly, humorous, and casual, but provided excellent service. He went out of his way to explain the dishes to my dining partner using layman's terms. He also earned extra points on his wine recommendation of an exquisite French bordeaux that went perfectly with my Wagyu beef.

There is no doubt in my mind that The Grey Plume is one the best restaurants in Omaha.

Unfortunately my income bracket does not allow me to frequent places in this price range often enough. But don’t relegate this special place to birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. You owe it to yourself to experience The Grey Plume, the hot spot that has so deservedly received so much critical acclaim all across America.

Cheers!

O

THE GREY PLUME 220 S. 31ST AVE. 402-763-4447 THEGREYPLUME.COM FOOD SERVICE AMBIANCE PRICE $$$$ OVERALL 5 STARS POSSIBLE

Omaha Magazine • Dining | Chef Profile

September/October • 2015 | 202 | omahamagazine.com

SITTING DOWN, SLOWING DOWN

The Market House’s Matt Moser and Ben Maides WORDS BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

T

HE VIBE OF Market House restaurant hits customers

in the face upon walking in the door—almost literally.

The dark interior doors of former tenant Vivace have become a lime hue that projects the type of restaurant diners are about to experience—fresh, green, and interesting.

Such is the same with the chefs at the helm. Executive Chef Matt Moser, formerly of Plank, and Chef de Cuisine Ben Maides, formerly of Avoli Osteria, take pride in crafting their own menu, and restaurant, from start to finish.

The pair, however, originally turned down the gig.

“YES, WE WORK LONG HOURS, BUT MY FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY IS WHEN WE GET TO SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT WHAT WE DID, AND WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER.” -Matt Moser

The pair eventually ended up recognizing they wanted to run a restaurant.

While Moser discovered the fresh, local approach to eating so prevalent in his casual-contemporary gig on the West Coast, Maides’ slow-down method of cooking and eating comes from international travel. He was born in Switzerland and moved to Omaha at age 9. He graduated in 2004 from Westside and in 2006 from Metropolitan Community College. Among his passport stamps is San Cascino in Northern Italy, where he worked at a five-star restaurant and learned the style of cooking owner and executive chef Dario Schicke sought for Avoli.

“We hadn’t not known each other very long,” Moser says. “I met Ben through a mutual friend when they came into Plank.”

The third note in the triad is Sous Chef Chase Thomsen, who, unlike Maides, Moser knew well.

They discovered they share a similar approach to cooking, eating, and running a restaurant.

“I’ve known him since middle school,” Moser says. “He came to Plank and worked for me then moved on to Taxi’s.

When I came here I knew he was looking. I know his work ethic, I know his talent, we’re lucky to have him here.”

“Nick (Bartholomew) originally approached me to be the chef,” Maides says. “I had no intention of leaving Avoli.”

“And I had an opportunity elsewhere,” Moser adds. “But that didn’t pan out.”

Moser graduated in 2002 from Millard North, and in 2005 from Le Cordon Blue in Portland, Oregon. He came back to Omaha to work at the French Cafe, then traveled to California, where he cooked in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. He bounced back to Omaha to V. Mertz, and spent five years with Flagship restaurant group, helping to open Blue Sushi Sake Grills in Denver and Fort Worth.

“For the first time in my career, it’s modern American cuisine,” he said of Market House. “We can do whatever we want.”

Moser and Maides agree, and collaborate, on cooking methods and ingredients. They love to cook in their offhours—Moser with his wife, Cathryn; Maides with his girlfriend. They own dogs. They also like to eat at restaurants in similar ways.

Moser says, “We discovered we both like to order three or four things and just pass them around the table.” >

September/October • 2015 | 203 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining

< “Let’s stop, let’s sit down, and let’s eat,” Maides says. “We’re going from surviving to enjoying.”

That idea of not just eating, but communal dining, inspired Market House. The seasonal menu contains eight passable small plates and five shared sides, along with soups, a salad, and six larger entree-sized plates.

“We like to go to the starter menu, the smaller plates,” Moser reiterates.

The chefs want their customers to experience their love of food in the same way.

“Ben and I get excited when we see Nancy (Crews) of Swallows Nest come through the door with new vegetables,” says Moser, who himself gardens avidly. “That excitement extends to the front of the house and out to the guests.”

The staff at Market House don’t just tell you that roasted grapes with chèvre is on the menu, they tell you where the grapes and the goat cheese came from. They tell you the story of why they love the farmer who makes the cheese. The process of ordering at Market House, like the process of eating, causes patrons to ease their pace.

Slowing down doesn’t mean the restaurant isn’t busy. Several people occupy tables at 2 p.m. on a Monday, lingering over plates of food, and, in a couple of cases, glasses of wine. That makes Moser and Maides happy.

“We’re cooking food we love, and we hope everyone else does, too,” Maides says.

“Yes, we work long hours, but my favorite part of the day is when we get to sit down and talk about what we did, and what we can do better,” Moser adds.

Sitting down, slowing O down—a typical day at Market House.

September/October • 2015 | 204 | omahamagazine.com

AMERICAN ADDY'S SPORTS BAR & GRILL - $

402-991-2663 14110 “S” Street 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

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) 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

DUGGERS CAFE

4950 Dodge St. 402-502-9156 A long time Omaha favorite since 1965 is back! Serving scrumptious breakfasts and lunches. Some culinary delights are their lemon pancakes with fresh raspberry syrup, tasty soups, salads and the long time favorite French Dip sandwich. They also offer catering, pastries, take-out and delivery, and evening parties. 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon-Fri, 6:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. Sat & Sun

Get a Little Saucy.

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.

LE PEEP® - $

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.

SPEZIA SPECIALTIES FRESH SEAFOOD • ANGUS BEEF INNOVATIVE PASTA • RISOTTO GNOCCHI • FRESH SALMON DAILY

SATURDAY NOW OPENLUNCH 7 DAYS A[11am–4 WEEKpm]

$10

COCKTAILHOUR HOUR COCKTAIL

OFF ANY TICKET OVER $25 NO CASH EXPIRES 12/31/2011 10/31/15 NO CASH VALUE. VALUE. EXPIRES

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

September/October • 2015 | 205 | bestofomaha.com

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

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4/7/15

3:51 PM

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

September/October • 2015 | 206 | omahamagazine.com

        

 P 

 P 

 P 

RECIPIENT OF 37 BEST PIZZA AWARDS

Hand-stretched New York style pizza

LIVE MUSIC FRIDAY & SATURDAY Thursday night: Rock & Roll Circus & Open Jam

DAILY DRINK SPECIALS Hours: 5pm-2am Wed-Sat

8552 Park Drive 402.339.8660

CALZONES · PASTA · SALADS · LUNCH SPECIALS APPETIZERS · BEER · WINE · MARGARITAS

391-1881

7834 Dodge St.

330-1444

12997 W. Center Rd.

344-2222

1109 Howard St. (Old Market)

HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY FROM 4PM-6PM ZIOSPIZZERIA.COM September/October • 2015 | 207 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

PROVISIONS

The Grey Plume

by THE

Award-Winning Wine List.

Certifed Green Restaurant.

Daily Changing Menu.

Seasonally Driven.

Locally Sourced.

GREY PLUME

Omaha’s Only

Authentic German Restaurant

Locally Owned Since 1976

Retail Store Private Dining Cooking Classes

220 S. 31st Ave Suite 3101 Midtown Crossing 402.763.4447 www.thegreyplume.com

3157 Farnam Street, Suite 7106 | Midtown Crossing

402.763.4447 | www.thegreyplume.com

Oktoberfest

September 4th and 5th!

German Strudel, Sauerkraut, Schnitzel, and

Beer.

Full bakery, fresh bread, donuts, and cakes!

10 min from downtown Omaha

5180 Leavenworth

402-553-6774

www.gerdasgermanrestaurant.com

Omaha’s BEST ICE CREAM

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

Zesto has been an Omaha staple for over 60 years.

With our two locations being voted among Omaha’s Best Ice cream, we pride ourselves in our great customer service and quality products. Visit one of our locations today!

Cherry Hills Florence 7130 N. 102 Cir. 8608 N. 30th St. 402-884-7106 402-451-0581 OmahaZesto.com facebook.com/ZestoCherryHills

DJSDUGOUT.COM September/October • 2015 | 208 | 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.

Mai Thai Restaurant brings you the most authentic Thai cusine in Omaha, in a beautiful, contemporary, atmosphere.

Harvey Oaks Plaza & Aksarben Village 402.333.0506 402.884.7888

PITCH - $$ MC, V, AE, DC

www.maithaiomaha.com

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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.

2015 Winner

10 Years in a Row

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.

Top 100 Restaurants in America

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

Restaurant & Lounge “Fresh fish, chicken, and house cut steaks served in a rustic and friendly atmosphere” Private party rooms available for 6 to 40 people.

1006 Cunningham Road, Bellevue

13665 California Street|Omaha,•Nebraska|402.445.4380| mahoganyprime.com 402-292-9963 catfishlakerestaurant.org September/October • 2015 | 209 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

OMAHA’S ORIGINAL STEAKHOUSE

• 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.

Best Of Omaha 9 Years Running

402-731-4774 www.johnnyscafe.com 27th & ‘L’ St., Kennedy Frwy, ‘L’ St. Exit 8 Minutes from Downtown Omaha.

WHERE WHERE GOOD GOOD FOOD FOOD AND AND GOOD GOOD SERVICE SERVICE NEVER NEVER GO GO OUT OUT OF OF STYLE. STYLE.

402.330.0300 • 1350 South 119th Street WWW.BROTHERSEBASTIANS.COM

Thank you Omaha for voting us Best Family Restaurant!

LIVE MUSIC FRIDAY NIGHTS SATURDAY NIGHT DJ FEATURING DJ JACK

“Serving The Best Chicken in Town Since 1997”

Free dance lessons Featuring The River City Shakers Wed & Thurs from 7-8pm

NOW SERVNG FOOD

Wed-Sat 6pm-Close & Sunday from 8am-2pm

DAILY DRINK SPECIALS Hours: 5pm-2am Wed-Sat 13325 Millard Ave. • 402-891-9292 www.millardroadhouse.com

7401 Main Street 402.593.9037

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

September/October • 2015 | 210 | omahamagazine.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

“Best Burger in Omaha”

MEXICAN CANTINA LAREDO - $$ MC, V

402-345-6000 120 S. 31st Ave. We serve modern Mexican food in a sophisticated, vibrant atmosphere. Enjoy our signature margarita, the Casa Rita, made from fresh lime juice and the finest tequila, while savoring guacamole made fresh at your table. Visit Cantina Laredo at Omaha’s Midtown Crossing for lunch, dinner, drinks, and Sunday brunch.

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

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

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

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 - $

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.

TasTe modern mexican cuisine

Sip the finest margarita Savor fresh seafood, enchiladas and more with sauces from scratch Join us for drinks, dinner, lunch or Sunday brunch

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.

ahi Tuna Tacos

plan your holiday parTy

Book now for Private Event Space and Catering Arrangements

midTown crossing

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa

120 s. 31st ave 402.345.6000 cantinalaredo.com

AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

September/October • 2015 | 211 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

DOWNTOWN OMAHA’S LARGEST BEER SELECTION

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

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- $$

Join us for one of our monthly beer tastings

501 N. 13th Street | 402.346.9116 | www.themattomaha.com Walking Distance to CenturyLink Center & TD Ameritrade Park

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.

brews cafes chef profiles cocktails dining reviews farmers markets recipes taverns treats

FOOD&DRINK

THE CHROME

402-339-8660 8552 Park Dr. Live music every Fri. and Sat. nights. Song writer night on Thur.

CUT SPIKE DISTILLERY

402-763-8868 11941 Centennial Rd. Cut Spike Distillery is a craft distillery located in La Vista, Nebraska specializing in distilling premium artisan spirits. Visit us and taste our award winning single malt whiskey, our award winning premium vodka, and our newly released barrel aged rum. Proudly distilling since 2008.

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

September/October • 2015 | 212 | omahamagazine.com

Since 1921

New Look.

Same Great Taste.

e h l v S e s s r e c o r G r u o Y n O rotellasbakery.com

September/October • 2015 | 213 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

LEGENDARY PIZZA & PASTA SINCE 1953

Carry Out Buffet Available Beer & Wine Available www.gcbne.com

45th & Leavenworth • 402-556-6464 Closed Monday

LaCasaPizzaria.net

Thank You for voting us #1 Best Greek Best Greek.

Escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Come join us for Lakeside dining featuring Steaks, Seafood and Sandwiches.

Family Owned Since 1983

Catering ~ Party Room Available Homemade, Fresh Food ~ Always

Mention this ad & receive a Free appetizer!

3821 Center St. 402/346-1528

980 County Rd. W. (Fremont) 402-721-2922 | woodcliffrestaurant.com

GreekIslandsOmaha.com

Serving Homemade Food for Over 30 Years M-F: 6am-3pm

O’Connor’s Irish Pub 1217 Howard St. • Omaha, NE 68102 402-934-9790 • oconnorsomaha.com

Sat-Sun: 6:30am-3pm

4950 Dodge Street 402-502-9156 | duggerscafe.com

Family Owned & Operated Authentic Italian Cuisine Party Rooms Available Carry Out Available

Serving Lunch & Dinner

Mon-Sat

STEAKS • CHOPS • SEAFOOD ITALIAN SPECIALTIES 7 private party rooms Seating up to 400 Lots of parking

1620 S. 10th Street

402-345-8313

3001 S. 32nd Ave • Omaha, NE 402-345-5656

www.casciossteakhouse.com

September/October • 2015 | 214 | omahamagazine.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.

GRAND CHINA BUFFET - $$

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 - $

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.

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

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 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

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

September/October • 2015 | 215 | bestofomaha.com

PALACE

GOLDEN PALACE PREMIUM HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

f 1120 Jackson Street (402) 341-5827 tedandwallys.com

8 Years In A Row

Mandarin • Hunan Szechuan • Cantonese Shanghai 4040 N 132nd St (132 & Maple) 402.493.277 | GoldenPalaceNE.com

Bringing Italy to Omaha

for Over 90 Years

621 Pacific St, Omaha • 402-345-3438 www.orsibakery.com

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.

SALT 88 - $$

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

STORZ TROPHY ROOM - $$

2202 South 20th Street – Omaha

Orsi’s is famous for our pizza. Our Italian Deli features a variety of meats, homemade sausage, cakes, cannolis, cheese and bread products.

Omaha Magazine • Dining Guide

Family Restaurant • Fine Steaks Chicken • Seafood Party Rooms Available

342-9038 • 346-2865

402-502-1643 345 Riverfront Dr. Storz Brewing is a 150 year old family brewery, once the 4th largest brewery in the USA founded in 1863. Patio now open. Open daily at 11 a.m. Closed Mon. Online at storzbrewing.com

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.

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.

Try Omaha’s Favorite Reuben!

Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers.

3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com

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

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

lot2benson.com 6207 Maple St. 402-504-4200

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

September/October • 2015 | 216 | omahamagazine.com

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.

Always a Large Selection of Fresh Fish

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.

4150 SOUTH 144TH STREET • OMAHA • 894-9411

THE ORIGINAL

Whiskey Steak

CASCIOS - $$

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11am-2pm Cocktail Hour: 3pm-5pm Dinner nightly from 5pm

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.

Reservations Accepted Gift Cards Available

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

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.

Voted Best of Omaha 4 years in a row

2121 South 73rd Street | 402-391-7440 | DroverRestaurant.com

The Best in Town Tasty & Authentic Mexican Food

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.

Stop in today!

4917 S 24th Street |402-731-8969 | elalamoomaha.com

PICCOLO’S RESTAURANT - $$$

402-342-9038 2202 S. 20th St. One of Omaha’s finest traditions, this is where quality steaks are served at low prices. Especially designed for a family outing or a business social. The specialty is tasty prime rib, served for the last 60 years under the crystal ball. Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.1:30 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Daily and nightly specials.

THANKS FOR VOTING US #1 BREAKFAST 7 Years in a Row!

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$+$30+ MC=Master Card • V=Visa AE=American Express • DC=Discover Card

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! September/October • 2015 | 217 | bestofomaha.com

9443UBCB2BAd_fnl.pdf

1

12/1/14

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

STOP IN FOR HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS “Just a Wink from the Link” 501 N. 13th St. | 402.346.9116 www.themattomaha.com

Join the “Home of the Bowl of Beer” for Happy Hour

Happy Hour Specials

Everyday 4PM-6PM Friday & Saturday 10PM-12AM

Monday-Saturday 4:00-7:00 p.m.

$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

14110 S. St. 402-991-2663 addysbar.com

SIP.TASTE.SAVOR.

FOOD&DRINK

September/October • 2015 | 218 | omahamagazine.com

#OMAMAG

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS OF OMAHA AND BE FEATURED HERE.

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TREAT YOUR FAMILY TO SOME SARPY COUNTY FUN THIS FALL! sIX woNDErFUL commUNITIEs,

oNE grEaT TImE!

Shadowlake Towne Center, Papillion

BELLEVUE

GRETNA

LA VISTA

PAPILLION

SPRINGFIELD

OFFUTT AFB

Fontenelle Forest

Vala’s Pumpkin Pathch

Cabela’s

Walnut Creek Recreation Area

Weiss Gardens

On the Runway

For more info, visit us at www.gosarpy.com or call

800-467-2779.

September/October • 2015 | 220 | omahamagazine.com

Feeling fall-y? Lucky for you, Sarpy County has autumn activities galore! Gifford Farm hosts its Fall Festival, as well as a special Halloween trick-or-treat event with real-life farm animals. Vala’s Pumpkin Patch opens its barn doors for some good, ol’ fun in the hay. Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Patch hosts its Wild, Wild West Fest Steampunk and Old West and its Midwest Pirate Fest. You can’t have fall without pumpkins, apple cider, and a few goodhearted scares! Get your fill of the spookiest season of all by visiting Scary Acres and Haunted Hollow.

You may encounter some creepy characters and ghostly ghouls along the way. (Just remember— they’re more afraid of you than you are of them!)

Keith Urban at the Nebraska State Fair SEPTEMBER NEBRASKA STATE FAIR. Through-September 7 at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb. Celebrate the 146th Nebraska State Fair! Special musical guests include Grammy and CMA award winner Keith Urban, American Country Award winner for Breakthrough Artist of the Year Jake Owen, pop singer Tony Orlando, and Grammy award winning band Huey Lewis & the News. 308-382-1620.

- statefair.org

CARHENGE.

Open all day, every day in Alliance, Neb. Carhenge, Nebraska’s own replication of Stonehenge, is a sculpture made from vintage automobiles and parts of cars, painted gray in homage to the great Stonehenge. Free. 308-762-3569 - carhenge.com

Druids in Nebraska?

No, it’s just Carhenge.

September/October • 2015 | 221 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Explore September 4-5 at 80 Acres Retreat and Event Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. Enjoy a weekend featuring the best in Jamband music along with full Dr. Seuss themed fun - costumes, contests, prizes, and an enormous community breakfast. Finish off the festival season with the biggest back to school bash of the year. Saturday 8am-Sunday 11:50pm.

- greeneggsandjamfestival.com

2015 KANSAS CITY RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL.

KANSAS CITY IRISH FEST.

DIERKS BENTLEY WITH KIP MOORE.

GREEN EGGS AND JAM FESTIVAL.

September 4-6 at the Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Join us in celebration of Kansas City’s proud Celtic heritage with three days filled with music, dancing, and exhibits.

Irish Fest will feature two dozen locally and nationally known bands, all playing traditional music and Celtic rock. In celebration of the Midwest’s Irish heritage, this festival is one of the most successful in the nation. $18

September 5-October 18 in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Experience jousting knights on thundering steeds as you feast on delicious food and drinks. Visit the village shops in search of unique crafts and goodies.

A Kansas City tradition since 1977, the Renaissance Festival offers something for everyone. Open weekends and Labor Day, rain or shine. 10am-7pm. 913-721-2110 - kcrenfest.com September 12 at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas. CMA Award winner and Grammy nominee Dierks Bentley visits the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater. Joined by singer/ songwriters Kip Moore and Canaan Smith with American country duo Maddie and Tae. 7pm. 913-825-3400 - kansascity.eventful.com

per day at the gate, children 10 & up $10. 816-561-7555 - kcirishfest.com

Gillian Abbott and Samuel Pergande in the North American tour of Dirty Dancing DIRTY DANCING.

September 15-20 at the Des Moines Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Experience the electric music, passionate romance, and rhythmic movement of the classic story Dirty Dancing in a whole new way. You may just have the time of your life. 515-246-2300 - hdesmoinesperformingarts.org

OCTOBER WICKED : THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE WITCHES OF OZ. October 7-18 at Music Hall Kansas City Irish Fest WE ARE STAR PEOPLE: THE ART AND POETRY OF GWEN WESTERMAN. September 4-December

HOZIER. September 14 at the Starlight Theatre

19 at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. 2011 recipient of an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board Gwen Westerman displays one-of-a-kind quilts and textiles alongside poetry inspired by personal connections to her Dakota family history. Dr. Westerman is a professor of English at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She co-authored the book Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota, with Bruce White, which won a Minnesota Book Award.

Free. Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm. 402-472-6220 -lincoln.org

Hozier brings his soulful voice and electric music to the Starlight Theatre for one night. Hozier was nominated at the 2015 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year with his hit single “Take Me to Church.” 7:30pm. 816-363-7827 - kansascity.eventful.com

in Kansas City, Missouri. Irish singer/songwriter

Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri. Experience Dorothy’s journey down the Yellow Brick Road in an entirely different way—from the witches’ perspective. Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West), and Glinda the Good Witch as they take on trials of love, prejudice, and the wizard’s corrupt government. 855-730-0199 - kansas-city-theater.com

HAUNTED SAFARI.

October 9-10 at the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari in Ashland, Nebraska. Come for a haunted hike, dine on a hot dog supper, roast marshmallows, and play mystical games for tricks and treats while enjoying the great outdoors during Haunted Safari. Reservations are required. $18 for members, $23 for non-members. 6-9pm. 402-944-9453.

- wildlifesafaripark.com

September/October • 2015 | 222 | omahamagazine.com

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Baily Circus RINGLING BROS AND BARNUM & BAILY CIRCUS. October 16-18 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Come witness The Greatest Show On Earth. With aerial performances, whirling unicyclists, and an award-winning comedic clown, this is an event for the whole family. $18-$43. 515-564-8000 -iowaeventscenter.com

YESTERDAY AND TODAY.

October 15-18 at Des Moines Community Playhouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Reminisce the Beatles in an interactive concert experience that is unrivaled by any other. Thursday-Saturday 7:30 p.m. Sunday 2pm. 515-277-6261 -catchdesmoines.com

CELTIC WOMEN.

October 22 at Music Hall Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri. The all-female Irish musical ensemble celebrates its 10th anniversary tour. In 2007, the group received an EBBA (European Border Breakers Award), an award that recognizes the success of 20 emerging artists who reach audiences beyond their own countries with their first internationally released album. 7pm. 855-730-0199.

- kansascity.eventful.com

The Illusionists

NEBRASKA COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL. Octo-

THE ILLUSIONISTS. October 23-25 at Des Moines

ber 23-24 at Adams Country Fairgrounds Main Building West Room in Hastings, Nebraska. Fans of country music join together for the 35th annual Nebraska Country Music Festival. Great music, great atmosphere, and great people. 402-726-2140 - necmf.net

Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Direct from Broadway, it’s the world’s best selling magic show.

The spectacular features the awe-inspiring talents of seven of the most incredible illusionists on earth. Are you ready to witness the impossible? 515-246-2300 - desmoinesperformingarts.org September/October • 2015 | 223 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Explore AMERICAN PLAINS ARTISTS 30TH ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBIT & SALE. Through October 24 at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. This exhibit features artists working in traditional 2D or 3D fine art media with a thematic focus on the American Plains. Presented by the American Plains Artists Association, the exhibition is intended to further efforts to educate the public about the diversity found in artistic depictions of the American Plains.

Free. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm. 402-472-6220 - unl.edu

EMMET GOWIN : PHOTOGRAPHS.

Through November 8 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. An American photographer, Emmet Gowin focuses his photography on the wonder of the everyday, finding beauty in the seemingly mundane. Gowin’s work first gained attention in the 1970s with portraits of his wife, Edith, and her family.

His work later expanded into landscapes of the American West. Gowin taught at Princeton University for 25 years, training and influencing the next generation of photographers. Open at 10am Wed-Sun. Free. 816-751-1278 - nelson-atkins.org

ART IN THE WOODS EXHIBIT. Through November 15 at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Join Art in the Woods for its third year at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure.

This outdoor collection of unique, hand-crafted pieces from local and regional artists lies along the wooded trails at the Tree Adventure. 9am-5pm. 402-873-8717 - arbordayfarm.org

SEPTEMBER JOESTOCK MUSIC FESTIVAL. September 4-6 at Felix Street Square in St. Joseph, Missouri. Celebrate Labor Day Weekend at the sixth annual JoeStock Music Festival. Performances by international, national, regional, and local musicians with ties to the musical influences of Midwest artistry. Free. 816-617-5850 - stjomo.com

WORLD FOOD & MUSIC FESTIVAL.

September 18-20 at the Walnut Street Bridge in Des Moines, Iowa. Now in its 11th year, the World Food & Music Festival has become Iowa’s top festival of diverse food traditions and rich cultural network. Over 40 food vendors. Free. Friday & Saturday 11am-10 p.m., Sunday 11am-5pm. 515-286-4906 - catchdesmoines.com

T WENT Y ONE PILOTS.

September 22 at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. MTV Video Music Award and AP Music Awards nominees Twenty One Pilots brings their genre of “Schizophrenic pop” (or Schizoid pop) to the Starlight Theatre. 7pm. 816-363-7827 - kansascity.eventful.com

MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL.

September 25 through October 4 at the Des Moines Art Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Established in the Big Apple circa 1997, the Manhattan Short Film Festival receives over 500 entries from more than 40 counties each year. Ten entries are chosen as finalists in the annual Festival. Join in as the world unites to not only view the films, but vote on them. Free. 515-277-4405 - desmoinesartcenter.org

LAUREL NAKADATE: STRANGERS AND RELATIONS. September 4-January 24 at Des Moines Art Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Raised in Ames, Iowa, Lauren Nakadate is an American video artist, filmmaker, and photographer now living in New York City. The Anna K. Meredith Gallery presents Nakadate’s latest work, starting with a series called “Star Portraits.”

Nakadate photographed strangers, friends of friends, Facebook “friends,” and others from the online community. The series eventually became “Relations,” as Nakadate sought out distant relatives, inviting them to meet her at night in rural locations, wearing and bringing with them whatever items they wanted. The results are haunting images of distinct individuals, spotlighted against a dark, natural canvas. Nakadate’s series raises serious questions about how we define ourselves, our relations, and outsiders. Free. 515-277-4405 - desmoinesartcenter.org

PUNCH BROTHERS.

September 29 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska. Come see the Punch Brothers in their Lied Center debut. Consistently at the top of the Billboard’s Bluegrass chart, this bluegrass roots band is a must-see concert! 7:30pm. 402-472-4747 - liedcenter.org

Photographer Emmet Gowin at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City September/October • 2015 | 224 | omahamagazine.com

Thank You for your confidence and voting us Best Hair Salon again in 2015.

I

E’ S

OM

A

M AGA Z

N

HA

Voted Best of Omaha™ since 1992!

BestOfOmaha.com

Omaha Has Spoken

AND THE BALLOTS ARE IN!

Who Will Be Voted the Best of Omaha?

Look for our December, 2015 special issue as we unveil your city’s newest roster of “Bests’ in everything from pizzza to plumbing.

12025 Pacific Street Omaha, Nebraska 68154 Phone (402) 330-5660 Fax (402) 330-5662 creativehairdesign.com

At Methodist, you’re never alone in the fight against cancer.

Our nationally recognized team of cancer care experts develops individualized treatment plans for each patient, and provides a host of services to support you and your loved ones before, during and after treatment.

When you surround yourself with a great team, amazing things happen. bestcare.org/cancer

©2015 Methodist Health System

September/October • 2015 | 225 | bestofomaha.com

Omaha Magazine • Not Funny

NEVER GET INVOLVED WITH A WRITER That’s One of the Rules of Life WORDS BY OTIS TWELVE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

Landline that just went into paperback. With a name like “Rainbow” how could she be any sort of a risk? And Sean Doolittle keeps turning out gems like my favorite, Rain Dogs – all while also pitching for the Oakland Athletics.

Go ahead, look it up.

N

EVER… EVER… NEVER, never, get involved with a writer.

Now, that is not to say that writers are not nice people. Many of them are perfectly decent sorts, especially when they are sleeping.

It’s in their waking hours that they do most of their damage.

I know, you’re saying to yourself, “Otis, you’re a writer. Are you suggesting that we should avoid all contact with you?” I must reply, “Exactly.”

Now I know some very fine writers. Here in town Timothy Schaffert has kept the Omaha Lit Fest growing and penned some very fine novels including his latest, The Swan Gondola.

He seems okay. Rebecca Rotert’s latest, Last Night at the Blue Angel is skillfully done and emotionally evocative indeed. She must certainly be safe to be around. Rainbow Rowell, former World Herald columnist, has turned out a few very successful books including

Poets are a sub-set of “writer,” that are especially hazardous to your mental health. Matt Mason, The Baby That Ate Cincinnati, and his band of misfits at the Nebraska Writers Collective, including Michele Troxclair, who puts on the most amazing spoken word events around town, are supremely talented and not to be trifled with if you want to lead a settled, comfortable life. Britny Cordera Doane can make myth and madness sing, as she does in her collection, Wingmakers. She also writes poems on demand in the Old Market. Yeah, a busker with a typewriter.

Perfectly nice people, all of them.

Don’t be fooled.

Writers will steal from you. If you say something clever, like squirrels we will stuff it away into our verbal cheeks and use it in a chapter years later. You will not get any credit.

We will tell all of your secrets; family tales left best untold, quirks in your love life, or reveal your most reprehensible personal hygiene secrets by assigning them to a particularly disturbing villain in one of our stories.

We will lie. Remember that time you and Betty took the underage me to the movies and sat in the back row? We will remember it differently. Our graphic details will shock you and destroy your reputation. Our memoirs will completely shake your sense of reality, and perversely, after you read and re-read them, even you will begin to believe our version.

We will drive you crazy. “Do you like my book?”… or…“Do you get what my poem means?”… or…“I’m the greatest talent ever!” … or… “I’m the worst writer ever.” We will be euphoric and then suicidal all within a half-hour. Our insecurities will baffle and exhaust you.

And worst of all, writers are like the Naked Guy in Friends, sometimes you see things about us you can’t un-see.

If you hang around with us, be prepared to stand on the edge. Be ready for us to risk falling. Be careful we don’t take you with us.

I know all of this because I have a novel coming out this month. It’s the best book ever. Or, it’s the worst waste of paper since God invented gerbils. You should read it.

You might learn something about yourself.

Or, you shouldn’t. We’d both be safer then.

It’s just true.

Never…Ever…Never, never, get involved with O a writer.

September/October • 2015 | 226 | omahamagazine.com

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