Omaha Magazine - The Foster Care Issue - Nov/Dec 2020

TEENAGE MUSICIAN GRACE TITUS

• KINAARA INDIAN CUISINE • ANTHONY “LIONHEART” SMITH • LAURA LINDENSTEIN’S WORLD

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2020 | U.S. $4.95

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

44,000 FEWER THAN THE POPULATION OF OMAHA S hining

T

here has been a lot of noise in my normally quiet house lately. My oldest feels threatened and yells every few minutes, my middle is the boss and wants to make sure this is known, and my youngest just wants to play.

I’m not writing about children. My husband recently agreed that we would foster the neighbor’s cat while she is moved to another apartment temporarily, and it has not been terrible, but there has been a lot of hissing and growling. We are only talking about cats, pampered indoor cats whose lives have been turned temporarily upside down.

I can not imaging what it feels like to be a youngster who has been moved into foster care. The uncertainty, the fear, the newness of it all. Yet, nearly as many young people in the United States live in foster care as live in Omaha proper. The Department of Health and Human Services said that close to 424,000 children and youth in the U.S. were in foster care in 2019. That number is 44,000 less than the Census Bureau reported in 2018 as being the number of people who live in Omaha (468,000). That means 424,000 children in the United States live without their parents, often in the home of a kind stranger who has offered to house children and teenagers, in an arrangement that ends abruptly when they turn 19.

What happens then? In some cases, these young people turn out OK—they obtain jobs, attend college, find housing, and live a normal life. In other cases, the story turns grim. Many adolescents leave the foster care system at age 19 without a formal support system, or knowledge of how to open a bank account, or even how to cook.

November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, and it is National Runaway Prevention Month. Many who were in former foster care end up homeless or running away, one reason why we chose to focus on aging out of foster care this month. In our feature well, Omaha Magazine spoke with two organizations that work with juveniles who have aged out of foster care: Youth Emergency Services and Project Everlast. We spoke with a young woman who has aged out of the system and is living in an apartment after having spent time in a women’s shelter.

In another feature, Beth Sharma Gregory tells the story of how she started fostering by helping one teenager in need. That one youngster turned into a houseful of people in need, and by the time she moved to Nebraska, she brought with her seven children—several of whom were fosters. This developed into a nonprofit in 2019 called Fostering by Heart.

The November/December edition is normally a large one for the giving calendar, but this

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on

F o st e r C a r e

year has proven tough for charitable events and organizations. Many large, notable events, including the November Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Gala and the Dec. 27 Omaha Symphony Debutante Ball, have canceled for 2020. The need for charity and charitable giving, however, continues. One program that can help many others is the Angel Tree.

This program is a part of Prison Fellowship, connecting prisoners with their loved ones.

Omaha Magazine brings readers the story of one person who worked with this organization to give her children Christmas gifts from their incarcerated grandfather.

At a meeting over a year ago, someone brought up the idea of a story on a young woman who schedules her work around her travels. I smiled when I heard this idea, because I happen to know her. Laura Lindenstein is a barber and stylist at Energi Salon in the Old Market. My husband and I have been going to her for haircuts for years. She’s an incredible professional, and always makes sure we are taken care of, but it seems every time we talk to her, she has gone to another fabulous place around the world—from Viet Nam to Panama. How and why she has this passion for travel is the subject of our adventure article this month.

It is the season for eating rich foods, drinking special drinks, and making merry. One guilty pleasure I indulge in once per holiday season is a box of those cheap cordial cherries that can be found on the grocery shelves. Yes, they are cheap, but I happen to love cordial cherries, so if I bought more than one box, I would eat more than one box. Omaha also has a local place to buy hand-crafted chocolate-covered maraschino cherries—The Cordial Cherry. In fact, the chocolate lover on one’s gift-giving list would appreciate any of the places in our Obviously Omaha this month, which is all about local chocolates.

In our dining section, we covered Omaha Wine Co., which is known nationally as being a superb place to purchase Napa wines, many that are not found elsewhere in the area.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

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2020

Omaha has seen its share of cultural upheaval this year, and one person who understands this is Marcey Yates of the Cultxr House. The X in the name, to Yates, is a revolutionary symbol. It’s an idea that has been used by others. Omahaborn Malcolm Little wrote in his autobiography that he was encouraged to drop his last name, and replace it with the letter X, which symbolized that his true African name had been lost in slavery. What Yates and others have done at Cultxr House to bring African American culture to the forefront is one of our Arts & Culture articles. We also have A+C articles on our friend XiXi Yang, who came to Omaha several years ago with her now-fiance and has since become a mover and shaker in California with her company XYZ Media; musical group FunkTrek; and graphic artist Ilaamen Pelshaw.

As this is the last magazine of 2020, I’d also like to say happy holidays from the Omaha Magazine family. Here’s to a joyful, successful 2021. * Note: The hotel edition of Omaha Magazine has a different cover and does not include all of the editorial content included in the magazine’s full city edition. For more information on our city edition, visit OmahaMagazine.com.

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

44,000 Fewer than the Populationof Omaha

006 Between the Lines 008 Calendar of Events 034 Adventure

27 Countries and Counting

046 History

KC-Omaha Kings

073 Obviously Omaha

Metro-Area Chocolates

092 Explore!

095 Instagram 096 Not Funny

It’s a Dog’s Life

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

Ilaamen Pelshaw

016 Music

Funk Trek

018

F E AT U R E S

026 030 032 // 4 //

AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE Two Paths, Two Plans

THE CIRCLE UNBROKEN One Former Foster Child’s Journey

FOSTERING HOPE Changing the World Means Saying Yes

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

018 Arts

Cultxr House

022 Entertainment XiXi Yang

SPECIAL SECTION 050 Holiday Gift Guide PE O P L E 038 Gen O

Grace Titus

040 Sports

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith

044 Profile

John Foley

188 trees have been reforested

due to the printing of our last round of publications.

Learn more at

TEENAGE MUSICIAN GRACE TITUS

.com

• KINAARA INDIAN CUISINE • ANTHONY “LIONHEART” SMITH • LAURA LINDENSTEIN’S WORLD

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2020 | U.S. $4.95

HELPING YOUNGSTERS FIND HOME

GIVING

030

A B O U T T HE COV ER More than 6,000 children in Nebraska are in foster care, including many in Omaha such as the youngster pictured here, who has connected with his forever-family.

052 Profile

Angel Tree

056 Calendar 60PLUS IN OMAHA 062 Active Living Peter Bolay

066 Profile

Erwin Siegler

068 Nostalgia

Christmas Decorations

070 Feature

Social Media

DINING 074 Review

Kinaara

078 Feature

Omaha Wine Co.

082 Profile

Ahmad Nazar

084 Dining Guide

074

read online at omahamagazine.com

Between

THE LINES A LOOK AT FOUR OMAHA MAGAZINE TEAM MEMBERS

CHRIS HATCH—Contributing Writer Hatch is a Nebraska native, freelance journalist, and Twitter addict. When he’s not clicking and clacking on his computer keys, he can be found listening to true-crime podcasts or working with his 8-year-old son on his jumpshot. A proud Lincolnite who looks back fondly on his time in Omaha, Hatch can also be found playing hide-and-seek with his 3-year-old daughter or cracking open a bottle of cheap red wine with his wife while watching horror movies.

KATY SPRATTE JOYCE—Contributing Writer A born and bred Midwesterner, Joyce splits her time between her Minnesotan homeland and Omaha’s Morton Meadows neighborhood. As a full-time freelancer, she has contributed to publications like Eating Well, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Reader’s Digest, Popular Science, Crunchbase News, and Condé Nast Traveler. In addition to writing; Joyce enjoys cooking; walking with her husband, Skip and geriatric lab, Molly; and volunteering for organizations like the Junior League of Omaha, NorthStar Foundation, and the Women’s Center for Advancement. She is also a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

SARA LOCKE—Contributing Writer Locke is an Omaha-born author, food columnist, contributing editor, award-winning journalist, and Olympic-caliber matcher of socks. When she isn’t doing laundry for, feeding, or homeschooling her three feral children, she is posting about them on social media or publishing books about how much she likes them. Any additional time is spent teaching adaptive yoga for house-bound seniors and those living with disabilities. She is currently focused on drinking too much coffee and watching crime documentaries on her phone instead of vacuuming.

BILL SITZMANN—Associate Publisher and Lead Photographer Sitzmann’s photos first appeared on the pages of Omaha Publications in 2002. His work for the company has sent him to both coasts, from The Pentagon to Sonoma Valley. He enjoys discovering amazing views and new perspectives with his drone, as this merges two of his favorite things—the outdoors and photography. Sitzmann spends his free time camping with his family, exploring the great outdoors, and hitting all the best national parks. He also spends a lot of his free time converting his 2015 Mercedes Sprinter into a camper van.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 VOLUME 38 // ISSUE 7

EDITORIAL Managing Editor

DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Senior Editor

TARA SPENCER Associate Editor

LINDA PERSIGEHL Contributing Writers

KAMRIN BAKER · LEO ADAM BIGA · TAMSEN BUTLER BRAD DICKSON · ANTHONY FLOTT · CHRIS HATCH KATY SPRATTE JOYCE · SARA LOCKE · KATRINA MARKEL SEAN MCCARTHY · NIZ PROSKOCIL · SEAN ROBINSON KARA SCHWEISS · TIM TRUDELL · CARIELLE SEDERSTEN SARAH WENGERT · DOUGLAS “OTIS TWELVE” WESSELMANN

CREATIVE Creative Director

MATT WIECZOREK

Explore the groundbreaking work of Jim Henson and his transformative impact on popular culture. Visit The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited at The Durham Museum.

AN EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY

Photo: Jim Henson and his iconic creation Kermit the Frog, in front of a mural

by Coulter Watt. Photo by John E. Barrett. Kermit the Frog © Disney/Muppets.

Courtesy The Jim Henson Company/MoMI

Senior Graphic Designer

DEREK JOY Graphic Designer II

MADY BESCH Contributing Photographers

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

SALES Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing

GIL COHEN Director of Sales

Visit our website for updates on CHRISTMAS AT UNION STATION

Presented by First National Bank of Omaha

ED COCHRAN Senior Branding Specialist

MARY HIATT Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor

SANDY MATSON Senior Sales Coordinator

ALICIA HOLLINS Branding Specialists

DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN Digital Sales Manager

JILLIAN DUNN

JOSHUA PETERSON Ad Traffic Manager

DAVID TROUBA Distribution Manager

MIKE BREWER Accounting Associate

KENDRA HILL

EXECUTIVE Executive Publisher

TODD LEMKE Vice President

GREG BRUNS

Joslyn has taken numerous steps to ensure the health and safety of visitors and staff, including required masks & free timed tickets.

For details, free tickets, guidelines, exhibitions, and hours, visit www.joslyn.org

explore

NOW

AT

OPERATIONS Operations Officer & Local Stubs Ticketing Representative

Associate Publisher

BILL SITZMANN For Advertising & Subscription Information:

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

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

Joslyn Art Museum features works from antiquity to the present with an emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century European and American art.

A fun, relaxing, and artful destination for all.

2200 Dodge St. | Omaha, NE | (402) 342-3300 | www.joslyn.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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EVENTS

» Exhibitions « CLIMATE IN CRISIS

Through Nov. 9 at UNO Art Gallery, Weber Fine Arts Building, 6505 University Drive South.

Climate in Crisis explores the severe impact climate change is having on communities across the world and the relationship of how people interact with their environment. Featured artists include Terry James Conrad, sculptor and printmaker from Iowa City, Iowa; Nadia Huggins, photographer from St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and Tali Weinberg, weaver and sculptor from Roswell, New Mexico.

Admission: Free. 402.554.2796.

–unomaha.edu

DAY OF THE DEAD/ DÍA DE MUERTOS

Through Nov. 14 at El Museo Latino, 4701 S. 25th St. Combining elements from indigenous

Aztec and Christian traditions, the Day of the Dead celebrates departed loved ones through the remembrance of an “ofrenda” (offering) which include the elements of flowers, candles, incense, candy, favorite foods, and special bread such as “pan de muertos.” Guided tours are available with advance reservation. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Wednesday-Friday), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (Saturday). Tickets: $5 adults, $4 students, $3.50 seniors and students K-12, free for children under 5. 402.731.1137.

–elmuseolatino.org

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

EMERGING ARTISTS

Through Nov. 22 at Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth St. In this collaboration with Amplify Arts,

REVISITING AMERICA: THE PRINTS OF CURRIER & IVES

Through Jan. 1 at Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. In 2016, Conagra Brands donated

nearly 600 Currier & Ives lithographs to Joslyn Art Museum. This exhibition sheds new light on the famous firm’s artistic and commercial practices, revealing the complex social relationships and surprising modernity of its lavish prints, which found their way into the homes of tens of thousands of Americans in the nineteenth century.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $10 adults, free for students with ID, Joslyn members, and children under 17. 402.342.3300.

–joslyn.org

THE JIM HENSON EXHIBITION: IMAGINATION UNLIMITED

Through Jan. 10 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Th is exhibit explores Jim Henson’s

groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on popular culture. Its reveals how Henson and his team of builders, performers and writers brought to life the enduringly popular worlds of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and more. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $11 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $7 children (3-12), free for children 2 years and under and members. 402.444.5071.

–durhammuseaum.org

BUG SQUAD

Through April 11 at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20th St. In this immersive world of insects,

Gallery 1516 has created a showcase of emerging artists from the Omaha area, including: Anne Dovali, Neil Griess, Camille Hawbaker Voorhees, Jenna Johnson, Shawnequa Linder, Patty Talbert, and Tom White. Admission by appointment only.

402.305.1510.

–gallery1516.org

children will explore the science behind each bug’s unique abilities and traits while realizing their own superpowers. Families will encounter real bugs and huge animatronic bugs. Admission: $14 adults and children ages 2 and up, $13 seniors, and free to children under 24 months and members.

402.342.6164.

–ocm.org

JOYOUS OCCASION

COMMUNITY

by artists Catherine Ferguson, Barbara Kendrick, Chris Cassimatis, Merrill Peterson, and Terry Bushan at Modern Arts Midtown. By appointment only, Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission: free. 402.502.8737.

–modernartsmidtown.com

community, they discovered what it means to be removed from the outside world. Many depended on technology to connect with others. People found comfort and sometimes discomfort in their limited surroundings. This exhibit includes artwork by Watie White, Pamela Conyers-Hinson, and Therman Statom. By the end of November, the Tessellation Project installation and Juan Sanchez’s exhibit will open. Admission: free.

402.341.3800.

–thekaneko.org

Through Nov. 27 at Modern Arts Midtown, 3615 Dodge St. View the exhibition of new work

MOLAS

Through Dec. 31 at El Museo Latino, 4701 S. 25th St. A mola is a handmade textile that forms

part of the traditional women's clothing of the Kuna people from Panama, Central America. Two mola panels are utilized for the construction of a traditional blouse (one for the front and one for the back). 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Wednesday-Friday), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (Saturday). Tickets: $5 adults, $4 students, $3.50 seniors and students K-12, free for children under 5. 402.731.1137.

–elmuseolatino.org

Oct. 29-March 1, 2021 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. As people have sheltered with their closest

INNA KULAGINA, MARGIE SCHIMENTI, GEORGE SKUODAS, NICKI BYRAM

Nov. 2-29 at Artists’ Cooperative Gallery, 405 S. 11th St. Fiber artist Kulagina, mixed-media artist

Schimenti, metal artist and sculptor Skuodas, and abstract painter Byram will come together to show their works in this exhibition. Admission: free. 402.342.9617.

–artistscoopomaha.com

FALL 2020 BFA THESIS EXHIBITIONS AND FALL 2020 BASA SENIOR EXHIBITIONS

Nov. 8-Dec. 17 at UNO Art Gallery, Weber Fine Arts Building, 6505 University Drive South.

Seniors earning their BASA or BFA degrees will exhibit their classworks at this exhibition. Admission: free. 402.554.2796.

–unomaha.edu

OMAHA EVENT GROUP HELLO@OMAHAEVENTGROUP.COM • 402.819.8792 • OMAHAEVENTGROUP.COM on cepti Venue Re

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

HOLIDAY POINSETTIA SHOW

Nov. 21-Jan. 3 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. The floral display hall will transform

into a comfy, cozy space that is full of joy, cheer, and of course, plants, including the 20-foot-tall poinsettia tree (made from more than 700 plants), surrounded by a cascade of carefully wrapped presents. Guests can also enjoy more than 5,000 poinsettias in more than 20 different varieties.

Admission: Adults: $10 children ages 3 to 12, $5 children ages 2 and under, and free to members.

402.346.4002.

–lauritzengardens.org

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

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

MARIA ANTELMAN: SOFT INTERFACE; JOEY FAUERSO: INSIDE THE SPIDER'S BODY; AND PAUL MPAGI SEPUYA: DROP SCENE

Dec. 10–Feb. 27 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, 724 S. 12th St. Antelman is a video

artist based in New York. Fauerso is a painter, video, installation, and performance-based artist.

Sepuya is a photographer. These three artists will be shown simultaneously at Bemis. Admission by appointment only. 402.341.7130.

–bemiscenter.org

LILY ROBERTS

Dec. 18-Feb. 12 at Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam St. Omaha-based artist Lily Roberts

focuses on painting, drawing, and ceramics. Her recent work focuses on capturing the microscopic beauty of the world. Admission: free.

402.595.2122.

–artscouncil.nebraska.gov

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

THE

OF BUSINESS omahamagazine.com/pages/subscribe NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR

Four Old Market

» Stage Performances «

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Nov. 13-Dec. 20, at the Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. Meet George Bailey, whose guardian

I AM MY OWN WIFE

angel has to descend on Christmas Eve to save him from despair and to remind him that his has been, after all, a wonderful life. Featuring live music from the era and a virtuosic cast playing multiple roles, this production is the perfect homage to the power of community. Tickets prices and times vary. 402.345.4849 –rosetheater.org

Through Nov. 15 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St . This is a Tony Award and

Pulitzer Prize-winning true story about Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an East Berlin transgender woman who survived two of the most repressive totalitarian regimes in history—the Nazis and the Communists—while openly flouting gender norms.

Ticket prices and times vary. 402.553.0800.

–omahaplayhouse.com

VITALY: AN EVENING OF WONDERS

TOM PAPA

Nov. 19 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St.

Hailed as “one of the most unique and innovative illusionists in the world” by the Chicago Tribune, Vitaly Beckman stumped Penn & Teller on their hit TV show Fool Us. In this show, faces disappear from drivers’ licenses, paintbrushes paint on their own, and photographs that literally come to life right before your eyes. Vitaly’s signature illusions leave even the most jaded audience awestruck. 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices and times vary. 402.345.0606.

–o-pa.org

Nov. 6-7 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. With more than 20 years as a stand-up

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

comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country, finding success in film, TV, radio, and podcasts as well as on the live stage.

He is a regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and the late night TV shows. Times vary. Tickets: $27.50 advanced, $30 day of show.

402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

LEANNE MORGAN

Nov. 12-13 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Leanne Morgan exudes

Fresh chocolates and fudge made in our own kitchen.

OldMarketCandy.com • 402-344-8846

Travel essentials plus souvenirs and Nebraska-made gifts.

OldMarketSundries.com • 402-345-7646

Authentic Italian desserts, coffee, and FlavorBurst TMice cream.

DolciOldMarket.com • 402-345-8198

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

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

southern charm. She is a naturally funny storyteller who gives an honest look at suburban life and the challenges of keeping her husband happy while juggling kids, dogs, and cheerleading camp at the same time she’s racing to get her hair highlighted, have a colonoscopy, and join Weight Watchers for the seventh time. Times vary. Tickets: $27.50 advanced, $30 day of show.

402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

Nov.

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Nov. 13-Dec. 23 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. One of Oma-

ha’s favorite holiday traditions comes back in 2020 in a reimagined small cast version with eight cast members. Ebenezer Scrooge takes on a life-changing journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas. Filled with stunning Victorian costumes, festive music, and wintry sets, A Christmas Carol is a beautiful reminder that love and generosity are the heart of the Christmas holiday.

Ticket prices and times vary. 402.553.0800.

–omahaplayhouse.com

OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR

» Concerts «

Joyful Noise: A Gospel Christmas featuring Salem Concert Choir

READ SOUTHALL BAND

Nov. 4 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Growing up in Oklahoma listening

to everything from Hank Williams to Johnny Paycheck led Read Southall to fall in love with the soulful stories behind country music. This can be heard in the band’s music today. 8 p.m. Tickets: $15. 402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

SCRAAATCH

Nov. 5, part of Virtual at Low End

SCRAAATCH is the sound and performance art duo of E. Jane and chukwumaa (also known as MHYSA and lawd knows). They are known for live audiovisual performance artworks and hybrid DJ sets. 8 p.m. No admission. 402.341.7130.

–bemiscenter.org

BIG WADE & THE BLACK SWAN THEORY

Nov. 20 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Lead singer and pianist

ergy duo Glow in the Dark has been making their presence felt since 2016, crafting dark and dancy tunes with catchy vocals, piles of vintage synths, pounding drum machines, and modular synthesizers. 8 p.m. No admission. 402.341.7130.

–bemiscenter.org

LeWade “Big Wade” Milliner and his group of legends in the making are playing in their hometown. Born in Omaha, NE the group consists of musicians from all over the country, from the West Coast to the South. They are currently working on releasing two new projects this year to follow up their successful debut The Exxperience. 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. 402.345.0606.

–o-pa.org

SLOW STOICS

LAO TIZER QUARTET

Th is young jam band incorporates their raw sounds with improvisation to achieve their signature sound they like to call “Celestial Crunk.”

The Slow Stoics continually put on awe-inspiring performances that show off musicality beyond their years and captivate listeners. 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $8 advanced. 402.884.5707 –reverblounge.com

pianist, keyboardist, composer, and former “Best New Jazz Artist” nominee, Lao Tizer, the group also features Grammy-winning saxophonist, Eric Marienthal, Grammy-winning drummer Gene Coye, and Grammy-nominated bassist Ric Fierabracci. 917.748.4337.

–jewellomaha.com

GLOW IN THE DARK

Nov. 12, part of Virtual at Low End. High-en-

Nov. 20 at the Jewell, 1030 Capitol Ave. Led by

Nov. 13 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave.

Nov.

TINY MOVING PARTS

Nov. 15 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St.

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DEVIN THE DUDE

Nov. 21 at Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Devin Copeland, better known

This self-described family band consists of brothers William and Matthew Chevalier, and their cousin Dylan Mattheisen. The trio started playing together in junior high and have been together since. This show was originally scheduled for April 11 and Aug. 10. All tickets from the April or August show will be honored on Nov. 15. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $17 advanced $20 day of.

402.345.7569.

–theslowdown.com

by his stage name Devin the Dude, is a Houston hip-hop artist who started out as a member of the Odd Squad, later known as the Coughee Brothaz. Devin the Dude has not achieved success in the mainstream but continues to be a wellknown underground hip-hop artist. The New York Times has called him “A brilliant oddball with a spaced-out flow.” 8 p.m. Tickets: $20 advanced, $25 day of show. 402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

KODY WEST

LUCKY SE7EN

Nov. 18 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. West’s music has been described as a

mix of Texas country and bluegrass with some good-for-the-soul grooves. 8 p.m. Tickets: $15.

402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

Nov. 25 at Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St. Lucky

Se7en is a high-energy cover band that plays fun, energetic, three-part vocal harmonies, with big guitar solos and blasting drums in an audience-involved show. They play rock, dance, country, and classic-rock hits. 8 p.m. Tickets: $8 advanced, $10 day of show. 402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

RANDALL KING

Dec. 5 at Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St. Warner

Music Nashville artist King brings an organic, timeless sound to country’s mainstream. One that is loaded with steel guitar, wide-open vocals, and punchy, hard-rocking rhythms. Tickets: $17 advanced, $20 day of show. 402.884.5353.

–waitingroomlounge.com

JOYFUL NOISE: A GOSPEL CHRISTMAS FEATURING SALEM CONCERT CHOIR

Dec. 5-6 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. The harmonious sounds of

Omaha’s nationally recognized Salem Baptist Concert Choir will perform Christmas classics.

This tradition returns to the Holland Center with a combination of holiday classics and new music.

The Grammy®-nominated choir features the soaring voices of more than 70 members! This upbeat celebration includes exciting special guest artists, theater, and choreography. Ticket prices vary.

402.345.0606.

–o-pa.org

"HOLIDAY STOMP" WITH HOT SARDINES

Dec. 10 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Full of brass and dazzle, this

hot jazz band will infuse yuletide classics with their unique, swinging sound. Fun arrangements of holiday tunes include: “White Christmas," “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" and “Please Come Home for Christmas.” 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. 402.345.0606.

–o-pa.org

DAVID BENOIT CHRISTMAS TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE BROWN

Dec. 11 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. A Charlie Brown Christmas is

a tradition enjoyed around the world by fans of all ages. Now, more than 50 years later, contemporary jazz piano legend David Benoit, along with acclaimed vocalist James Tormé, is paying tribute to this incredible piece of entertainment history.

7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. 402.345.0606.

–o-pa.org

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 11 //

OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR

» Family & More « VETERANS SHINE ON

Nov. 5 at Memorial Park, 6005 Underwood Ave. This event is a celebration of the lighting of

the World War II Colonnade. Speakers, special guests, hot cocoa, and music will contribute to this night for honoring veterans. 6-7 p.m. Admission: free. 402.444.5900.

–parks.cityofomaha.edu

FAMILY ADVENTURE DAY

Nov. 7 at Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N. Children and adults and learn to shoot

bows and arrows with a brief Archery 101 course (for ages 8+), then engage in a family-friendly competition. After the competition, participants can explore the forest on a guided hike at Camp Wa-Kon-Da and learn the rich history of Fontenelle Forest and some basic hiking and survival tips. 1-4 p.m. Pre-registration required. Tickets: $10 members ages 8-12, $15 nonmembers ages 8-12, $20 members ages 13 and up, and $25 nonmembers ages 13 and up. 402.731.3140.

–fontenelleforest.org

HARRY POTTER TRIVIA NIGHT

Nov. 19 at Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, 3701 S. 10th St. Fans of the Harry Potter series

will enjoy this trivia night, which is held in the Imax theater. The evening will include Animal OLD MARKET LIGHTS Ambassadors, drinks, and snacks. Teams can Nov. 20-Jan. 4 in the Old Market, 10th Nov. have up to six participants. 21+ only. Resto 13th streets from Farnam to Jackson ervations required. Tickets: $18 members, streets. A festive lighting display will illu$20 nonmembers. 6:30-9 p.m. 402.773.8401. minate this historic neighborhood during –omahazoo.com Holidays in the Old Market. The display will blanket this iconic area with white lights, garland, snowflakes, and more. 402.345.5401.

–holidaylightsfestival.org

20

NORTH & SOUTH OMAHA LIGHTS

Nov. 20-Jan. 4 on 24th Street, various locations. Festive lighting displays will illuminate

North Omaha along a six-block area around 24th and Lake streets, and South Omaha along 24th Street between L and Q streets. Special lighting ceremonies and events take place in each area.

402.345.5401.

–holidaylightsfestival.org

CHRISTMAS AT UNION STATION

Nov. 20 through Dec. 31 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Omaha’s largest indoor Christ-

mas tree will once again light up Union Station.

Other special events will occur during this time.

Check online for details. Admission: $11 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $7 children (3-12), free for children 2 years and under and members. 402.444.5071 –durhammuseaum.org

// 12 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

OWL PROWL

Nov. 21 at Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N. Bird lovers can explore the mysterious

world of these feathered night hunters. The event includes an up-close visit with Fontenelle’s education owls and information about owl habitats, food choices, and special adaptations. Guests can sip hot chocolate and make s’mores over a fire pit. 5-6:30 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. Pre-registration required. Tickets: $10 members ages 8-12, $15 nonmembers ages 8-12, $20 members ages 13 and up, and $25 nonmembers ages 13 and up.

402.731.3140.

–fontenelleforest.org

HOLIDAY EVENTS AT OCM

Nov. 27-Dec. 23 at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20th St. The Omaha Children’s Museum

will host a variety of special events related to the holidays during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 402.342.6164.

–ocm.org

HOT SHOPS OPEN HOUSE

Dec. 5-6 at Hot Shops, 1301 Nicholas St., and online. Hot Shops is hosting its annual event,

but it will look a bit different this year. It will have demonstrations and talks from current artists, where attendees can learn more about their tools and processes and view artists’ latest works.

The artwork will range from drawings, paintings, prints, photography, and digital imagery to sculptures, installations, pottery, glass art, weaving, custom furniture, and clay, iron, brass, and aluminum cast architectural pieces. A virtual component will also be held. 402.342.6452.

–hotshopsartcenter.com

NOW OPEN! Go to ocm.org to reserve your admission tickets

500 S. 20th Street HOLIDAY LIGHTS FAMILY FESTIVAL (VIRTUAL)

BUBBLY NEW YEAR’S EVE

Festival will be presented in partnership with the downtown Omaha’s arts and cultural community.

Holiday activities and hands-on craft demos will be featured. 402.345.5401.

–holidaylightsfestival.org

a celebration of bubbles including a bubble wrap stomp and bubble experiments. The museum will be open during special hours those days: 12:30 to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m., with countdowns held at 2:45 and 6:45 p.m. Online reservations are highly recommended. Included with regular museum admission, which is: $14 children and adults ages 2-59, $13 seniors ages 60+, and free for members and children under 24 months. 402.342.6164.

–ocm.org

Dec. 6 online. The popular annual KETV Family

DISNEY TRIVIA NIGHT

Dec. 17 at Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, 3701 S. 10th St. Fans of all things Disney will

enjoy this trivia night, which is held in the Imax theater. The evening will include Animal Ambassadors, drinks, and snacks. Teams can have up to six participants. 21+ only. Reservations required.

Tickets: $18 members, $20 nonmembers. 6:30-9 p.m. 402.773.8401.

–omahazoo.com

ANNUAL 100 BLOCK UGLY SWEATER BAR CRAWL

Dec. 23 at 100 Block (102-164 West Broadway) in Council Bluffs. Participants are encouraged

to wear an ugly Christmas sweater for this event that includes several bars along the 100 Block.

Registration at Barley’s Bar (114 West Broadway).

Admission: TBD. –cb100block.com

Dec. 31 at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20th St. Visitors can ring in the New Year with

NEW YEAR’S EVE FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR

Dec. 31 in downtown Omaha. The public can

gather in MECA Lots A, B and C (near the CHI Health Center) and in the Gallup Lots (1001 Gallup Drive) to watch the spectacular fireworks show in the warmth and safety of their vehicles.

This show will fill the sky with bursts of color choreographed to explode on cue to a unique musical score titled “Everyday Heroes.” 402.345.5401.

–holidaylightsfestival.org

402-342-6164

Event times and details are correct as of presstime, but are subject to change. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many events are canceling and/or changing dates/time/ places as needed. Most venues base these decisions on direction by the Douglas County Health Department and Nebraska’s publication of guidance on canceling events and limiting the number of people in public gatherings.

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

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 13 //

A+C VISUAL // STORY

BY K AMRIN BAKER

Il aame n Pe lshaw A MISSION TO SEE—AND MAKE— ALL THE BEAUTIES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

BILL SITZMANN

DESIGN BY

MATT WIECZOREK

I

LAAMEN PELSHAW SAYS THE ONLY THING SHE NEEDS IS “A PLACE TO HAVE [HER] MESS.” IN A SPARE BEDROOM-TURNED-STUDIO IN HER RALSTON HOME, SHE DOES IT ALL. ILLUSTRATION, GRAPHIC DESIGN, CONTEMPORARY ART, AND COMMISSIONS OF PETS (CHIHUAHUAS, PUGS, AND BULLDOGS ARE HER FAVORITE BECAUSE OF THEIR FUNKY FEATURES).

Pelshaw grew up in Guatemala and chose to study graphic design at the Universidad Rafael Landivar, because it was either that or architecture, as those were the main artistic options. “Graphic design is closer to art,” she said.

Following the professional track to a marketing firm and then years of freelance, her career took her around the world. Travel became a core characteristic of her identity.

“I have strong ties to Italy,” Pelshaw said. “I thought I would end up living there.

Italian and Spanish are very similar and I started picking up the language quickly. I studied a prestigious summer course in Milano over fashion and color theory. And all the money I was making—it was all for me.”

It was all for her. Yet somehow, she ended up in Omaha. That somehow, of course, being the one thing that can get a person to take their eyes off Italy for the Great Plains: love.

“I have been in Omaha since 2015 when I moved here with my husband [Robert],” she said. “This is my home, and I just love it. It’s so beautiful, and people are kind. I lived all my life in Guatemala, and I try to go at least once a year to visit family. I’m so happy to see my people and my friends, but I feel like a visitor now. I don’t know how to explain it.

Omaha is my home.”

face,” she said. “And sometimes we can’t relate to other things or other people because we don’t see them often, but we need to be creating all the beauties.”

When she tells people she’s from Guatemala, Pelshaw said people often imagine her living in the mountains in a shack because “that’s what is portrayed in documentaries.”

Her goal is to depict Black and Latinx and Indigenous women in the prosperous, vivid way in which they truly exist.

And her new home has done wonders to challenge her creativity. In Guatemala, she said, her strength was her versatility.

Her greatest magic trick was that a client could come to her, tell her what they wanted, and she could execute it perfectly.

more about what they represent, what they want me to feel, what they have to offer.

Her pieces make me feel like I should flamenco dance my way through life wearing a red dress and high heels, smiling and laughing along the way.”

“In the states, what the galleries and curators want is a strong, consistent style,” Pelshaw said.

“One day I want to work in one style, and the next day is something different. The best I could do is narrow it down to three main styles: geometric, expressionist, and illustrative cartoons. Sometimes I feel the temptation to change completely. I’ll visit an exhibition and suddenly I want to build a sculpture or be a photographer.”

Pelshaw’s three main styles have kept her on her toes. A geometric series depicting coffee as fashion accessories (think big mugs of black coffee as sunglasses) is a recent highlight, along with a collection of fancy, characterized animals, and expressionist pieces with big, bright brush strokes.

While her constant itch to make something new might sound like a downfall, it’s Pelshaw’s secret sauce.

“The beauty of art is that you “It reminds me of this docucan express whatever you have mentary I watched on Picasso. inside,” Pelshaw said. “My art He was like this super painter, is in enhanced beauty. There’s but he saw Matisse come in a lot of horrible things around, and make all these different but if you have a beautiful things, and [Picasso] realized painting in your home, and it took him his whole life to you can look at it and sip your make something new and coffee, that’s what I want to do. crazy. It’s just so brave to make If you can feel better, if your something people have never day can start better, just with seen before.” the little beauties in every day… life is worth living.”

That’s where the world will find Pelshaw: sipping her coffee, Pelshaw’s next big idea is a standing in awe of the newness series depicting Black and in every stroke. brown beauty through fashion portraits, a series she’s thinking Visit ilaamen.com for more about calling Shades of Beauty. information.

“Going to museums, going to exhibitions, that wires me,” she said. “Even just going to a jazz concert, just seeing the beauty of art, it gets me tingly. I need to make something.”

A friend and colleague in the Omaha art scene, Erin Isenhart, loves the energy that Pelshaw brings to her work.

“The movement, bright and uplifting colors, and hints of culture are what draw me to her work,” Isenhart said.

“These pieces pull me in as if they want to tell me more…

Her chosen media are a mix of acrylic paint, digital drawing, and vector illustration.

Pelshaw’s career is a prime example of that different, audacious, personal essence she strives to capture. While she has trouble narrowing to a consistent style, it’s clear her work has one common theme: bravery.

“I love traditional art, but it doesn’t inspire me as much as contemporary pieces,” she said. “A lot of artists have the skill to do hyperrealism, but they decide to go in a different direction.

“It’s very common in our world that when you see a beautiful face, it’s a beautiful European

15

n o p e e K ’ n i k k e r T

W

hen Funk Trek

released its latest album, Plasticity, in November 2019, neither its six band members nor their fellow Omahans knew the prescience of the title. But as 2020 unfurled the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of plasticity—defi ned in biology as “the adaptability of an organism to changes in its environment”—is an idea we’ve all had to embrace while adapting to a new normal.

“Despite “Despite the the name name Funk Funk Trek, Trek, we really are a blend of we really are a blend of funk, funk, jazz, jazz, hip-hop, hip-hop, rock, rock, and and progressive music.” progressive music.”

Jared Jared Dietz Dietz

“Change will happen in all of our lives no matter what—it’s the one consistency,” said Funk Trek bassist, vocalist, and chief songwriter Tom Murnan. “What matters is our ability to adapt and evolve—and that’s what music is: a progression of sound through time that changes and adapts. [A song] can start off really dark and end in a positive place. Music can show an individual’s struggle through an emotional response or a hard time period in their life, and then it can transgress beyond that into a lighter, happier portion of their life. Being able to describe that through music has been a great joy in my life and a fun creative process.”

FUNK TREK ADAPTS AND KEEPS THE MUSIC ALIVE // 16 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

A+C MUSIC STORY BY SARAH WENGERT

Murnan said he particularly showcased that range of the human experience in the song “Boogieman,” one of 14 tracks on Plasticity. While their moniker makes the funk element of their music plain, Murnan said Funk Trek also incorporates elements of jazz chord progressions and horn lines, plus “a rock heartbeat.”

Jared Dietz, guitarist and songwriter for Funk Trek, agrees that the band has range beyond what its name indicates.

“Despite the name ‘Funk Trek,’ we really are a blend of funk, jazz, hip-hop, rock, and progressive music,” said Dietz, who also handles some marketing and business tasks for the band. “Tom has a very diverse musical palette and it really shines in his music. He’s always done a great job of writing songs that take you on a journey—hence the ‘Trek’ in Funk Trek. We’ll go from a steady trot to a full-on burst of energy and back again. Our sound is very danceable and dynamic.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

Dietz and Murnan gravitated to playing music as young children. Although Murnan began with organ lessons at age 6, things really started clicking for him at age 13, when he took guitar lessons from Mannheim Steamroller’s Ron Cooley.

“I started noticing the details that made up a song and appreciating them more,” Murnan said. “I’ve been making music ever since, and my greatest joy in music is creating and manipulating sound to tell a story, to paint a picture, to express an emotion as an artistic endeavor.”

Dietz agrees there’s much room for creativity within music’s finer details.

“Music was always fascinating to me because songs are a lot like snowflakes— they may have similar structures, chords, or even melodies, but each one is unique, so songwriting and performing really satisfies my creative itch,” Dietz said, adding that his main drive to play and perform is doing something creative with his friends.

Funk Trek, which formed in 2007 and played its first gig at a 2008 Elmwood Park peace rally, has changed its roster several times over the years, with the number of players ranging from four to 10. In addition to Murnan and Dietz, the current six-piece lineup includes Jake Reisdorff on drums, Blake DeForest and Travis Potter on trumpet, and Caleb Collins on saxophone and vocals.

While the band members love playing local venue favorites such as The Waiting Room and Slowdown, they’ve also had a pretty healthy regional and national touring schedule in previous years.

Unfortunately, their tour plans were hampered by an August 2017 van breakdown in Reno and again by the pandemic.

“We had a big tour planned [for 2020] that we were really looking forward to, in California at a funk festival. But, of course, that got canceled,” Murnan said.

Similarly, plans to practice, record, and perform in 2020 have also been largely put on hold.

“If it wasn’t for the pandemic, we’d have more music coming out this year, but we haven’t really practiced or recorded,” Murnan said. “Live music is probably one of the last things that will be accepted back, just because it involves getting people together in close crowds indoors, so it’s not necessarily something I want to condone or encourage. But as time went

on, venues got more creative, and we knew more about the virus, we’ve been able to play outdoors.”

Funk Trek returned to the stage for a safe, socially distanced concert at Falconwood Park on July 3. Murnan said he felt “jubilation” at the concert.

“We were back in our comfort zone, doing what we love to do, getting out of the house, and expressing ourselves. We didn’t skip much of a beat. We’ve been playing together for so long, we knew our songs, and just felt like we were right back in the saddle,” Murnan said.

Even though half the audience attended from their cars and the big dancing mob up front was missing, changing the dynamic between band and audience, Dietz agreed it was a much-needed reprieve from quarantine life.

“We had some pretty incredible moments onstage that night and it really reignited my passion for performing,” Dietz said.

A few more safe, outdoor shows are on Funk Trek’s docket for fall 2020, at venues such as The Down Under Lounge, Bellevue Berry Farm, and Brokedown Palace. But even when winter closes the door on outdoor performances for a few months, Murnan said there are still ways to support local musicians and venues while the world awaits a vaccine.

“You can support Save Our Stages and help support local bands by giving them your attention online,” Murnan said. “We have friends who do music full time, so they can really use the support of people buying merchandise online, watching them live on streaming platforms, giving them some tips if you have the means to.”

Murnan agrees it’s fitting that Plasticity, with its themes of adaptation and weathering life’s storms, dropped right before the world experienced a massive shift. For now, he and his bandmates will continue adapting and working to maintain their creative engine in new ways.

“We can still create new music and record at home—just do everything digitally and share that with people for the wintertime—or we could stream from home,” Murnan said. “There is still light and there’s still good in the world.”

Learn more about Funk Trek at facebook.com/funktrek.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 17 //

18

Marcey Yates

A+C ARTS STORY BY KATRINA MARKEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

// A+C ARTS //

"X is always like a revolutionary kind of thing for me. If you go with straight culture, it would be hard to find if you Google-searched it, you know what I'm saying?" -Yates

B

lack artists ranging from

the poet Langston Hughes, to musician Nina Simone, to the fi lmmakers of Black Panther have asked similar questions for generations, “What would we have been without colonialism and enslavement? What is it like to create while surrounded by our own culture?”

“I wonder what it would be to just be able to create because you’re free, you know what I mean?” said Ja Keen Fox, explaining that Black artists often create work from the perspective of being an “other” rather than being in a place of empowerment or belonging.

Until recently, Fox worked full-time as a program officer with the Weitz Family Foundation. He spends countless hours as a community organizer at Culxr House [pronounced “culture”]. It was envisioned and founded by hip-hop artist Marcey Yates as an artistic and entrepreneurial incubator.

“X is always like…a revolutionary kind of thing for me,” Yates said, explaining the name. Besides, “If you go with straight ‘culture’ it would be hard to fi nd if you Google-searched it, you know what I’m saying?”

Located along a historic stretch of North 24th Street, the nonprofit became an organizing force behind peaceful demonstrations for racial equity in the city.

“North Omaha isn’t forgotten,” Fox said.

“It’s just talked about in a really horrible way and Marcey has always had the awareness to say, ‘How do we change that narrative,’ to talk about what’s positive and talk about that space for more positive things to happen.”

// 20 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// A+C ARTS //

Fox took a leadership role when Culxr House partnered with the ACLU to train participants for protests outside the residence of County Attorney Don Kleine. He also created a pocket guide so protesters could know their rights. The demonstrations focused on Kleine’s decision not to charge bar owner Jake Gardner in the shooting death of James Scurlock.

“It ended up going for 36 days and the last day we made it inside the gated community, right in front of Don Kleine’s house. He came outside, so it was worth the ‘series fi nale,’ you know,” Yates said. “It made a difference because, though this was put together through an unfortunate situation...what’s come out of it has been unique—understanding, less hate amongst certain people. New relationships have developed, new friendships, new policies on the table…

More people are getting encouraged to step up.” He added that people also are attending more city council meetings and writing their senators and policy makers.

Founded in 2018 by Yates, Culxr House was established as a nonprofit in 2019.

The neighborhood is also home to Love’s Jazz & Arts Center and The Union for Contemporary Art. Visitors are welcomed with a colorful mural on the outside of a simple, single story building.

“I love it. I love how authentic it is. I love how hip-hop it is. I love how much it embraces the culture. I love that space,” said Joshua Crum, an Omaha-based hiphop artist and pastor known by his stage name, J. Crum.

Inside, colorful contemporary art is displayed on the walls and furniture is placed throughout the space for meeting and socializing. Toward the back of the room is a stage and sound system for performances, as well as a small recording studio. Yates said the organization has grown organically, depending on needs within the community.

“We started attracting different people with different interests and I tried to just recognize that and make sure that we could cater to that,” Yates explained.

Fox called the arrangement a “holistic” approach to community and economic development. He emphasized the importance of Black artists and activists having their work and their experiences centered in a creative space.

“Marcey, again, has done a great job of creating a space where everyone feels welcome, knowing that they need to honor what is historically Black [about the community] and center that appreciation in what they create and do here,” said Fox, mentioning that people from all cultural groups are welcome.

“We had the monks, like Buddhist monks who were on tour. They stopped by and blessed the place and you know, again, I felt like we were housing different cultures for different things and different events,” Yates said. “Th at’s really how it got started…off the strength of having a lot of cultures come through this place.”

Sensing a need for connection after months of quarantine, the team at Culxr House hosted an event on Juneteenth (June 19) with open mic performances.

Masks were required indoors.

“Most of it was outside to be kind of social-distanced,” Fox said. “Everyone had masks on and would go up, take their masks off to sing and then put it right back on.”

The organization is also hosting open mic nights on Tuesdays, with safety precautions in place.

“Because again, mental health is very important,” Yates said. “[COVID-19] is a mental strain and this is something that we’re not used to. So just being mindful of that, staying aware, and trying to just reintegrate some of the things that were familiar before four months ago. Th at helps a bit.”

"We had the monks, like Buddhist monks who were on tour.

They stopped by and blessed the place and you know, again, I felt like we were housing different cultures for different things and different events" -Yates.

The Culxr House community believes artistic expression cannot be separated from political activism. Yates began college as a political science and communications student at UNO before he transferred to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona.

“I’ve always had a focus on how government and economics work,” he said.

Yates said that the ACLU training was key to keeping participants safe during protests. Crum said he led a couple of shifts outside Kleine’s house and appreciated the guidance.

“For the demonstrations, we wanted to protest where we could have the most impact. And what I loved about this particular protest—as opposed to a lot of other ones—it was very, very organized,” said Crum, who explained that demonstrators stayed focused on their cause.

Crum, who has a degree in biblical studies, was also using Culxr House to plant a new worship space in the neighborhood, Slingshot Church. Since quarantine, he said they’ve moved the services online but will resume in person when it’s safe.

“Culxr House is amazing, it needs to be supported.”

The organization was busy this fall with a number of projects, including a street festival, get-out-the-vote canvassing efforts, a social media lab for ‘young influencers,’ and new partnerships.

“Two things I’m really excited about. We have a production that we’re working on with The Rose Theater and also we have a record album that we’re working on with Saddle Creek Records,” Yates said.

As it grows and more people are involved, Yates said he’s no longer putting in the 14-hour days as he was in the beginning, but “you gotta put that much work into it to get other people to believe that this is something to buy into.”

If the amount of community activity is any indication, Yates’ substantial investment of time is starting to bear fruit.

Visit culxr.house for more information.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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A + C E n t e r ta i n m e n t // S T O RY B Y C a r r i e l l e S e d e r s t e n P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y B I L L S I T Z M A N N // D E S I G N B Y M AT T W I E C Z O R E K

) op Culture P NextDecade ) X R E D E F I N I N G

)

F O R T H E

M a k i n g H e r O w n Way i n H o l ly w o o d

iXi Yang makes interviewing celebrities like Cher and Lupita Nyong’o on the red carpet look effortless. Never one for salacious gossip, Yang is notorious for asking thoughtful questions—she said even Oprah complimented her on it.

Breaking into entertainment journalism, however, was everything but effortless.

Born in Nanjing, China, Yang grew up in China and Japan. Her family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, when she was 9 years old. Yang didn’t know any English, so she watched TV shows such as Total Request Live and The Babysitters Club.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

A talkative child, Yang didn’t excel at math or science, but she read a lot. Her grandfather sparked her love for reading and writing.

“I’ve always been a storyteller at heart,” Yang said. “I believe that the more you read, the more you write, the more you can expand your imagination.”

Her family moved to a Pittsburgh suburb as she was starting middle school. It was only a few years later, as a high school freshman, that Yang knew she wanted to be a TV host.

Her parents tried to change her mind. They come from a traditional background and fully expected her to become a doctor or get a postgraduate degree. That didn’t stop Yang.

// 22 //

2020

“

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THE PEOPLE IN

OM AH A , I

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INSIGHT S AND

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HORIZONS H AVE TRULY BROADENED -X I X i Ya n g

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A + C E n t e r ta i n m e n t

A

fter graduating from high school, she enrolled at NYU and pursued a communications and journalism degree. One night, she and her roommate took the bus to Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where they met her now-fiancé William Puetz. Yang and Puetz talked for hours on the dorm rooftop overlooking the skyline.

Puetz recalled, “She talked about her dreams of coming out to California and wanting to go into media. I talked about my dreams that I wanted to become a dentist.”

“I just remember being dead last on the red carpet,” Yang said. “Every time they kept on opening the door to get into the theater, like, the door would hit me in the face.”

Then they didn’t see each other for eight years. After a few years in NYC, Yang transferred to UCLA. She knew breaking into the entertainment industry wouldn’t be easy. “I couldn’t just rely on my degree and knock on Access Hollywood or E! Entertainment’s door[s] and be like here I am, I graduated college,” Yang said.

In 2015 she landed a job as a TV host with the Associated Press. Her first assignment: anchoring live from the Oscars red carpet.

She sent her headshots and resume to every major network in LA. One agent suggested changing her name to something Americans could pronounce.

“It felt like I was being put in a box,” Yang added. “Back then, people weren’t as outspoken about, you know, owning your individuality…You’re going to make me change my name, and then you’re going to make me study one of the only Asian faces on TV like Connie Chung and wear a turtleneck and do this and that, but that’s not me.

That’s not what I want to be.”

Being rejected didn’t deter Yang. She said she was stubborn. “Back then, Hollywood and media just weren’t ready for someone named XiXi Yang looking like this, holding down a show on the red carpet.”

Without knowing anyone in the industry, she made her own way. She worked odd jobs and saved enough money to buy a handheld camcorder and a karaoke microphone.

When she wasn’t working, she went around LA interviewing anyone who would let her.

Yang’s determination and consistent red-carpet presence did not go unnoticed.

“I almost peed my pants because I didn’t understand the magnitude of what I was doing at the time,” Yang shared.

At 27, she was the youngest female to solo anchor an entire livestream show, and the first Asian-American woman to do so. Her grandma was watching at home and called her parents. “She’s bringing so much honor to our family,” she said.

Yang said her parents finally understood what she was trying to accomplish.

In the following years, Yang gained national recognition as an entertainment journalist and pop culture commentator, appearing on shows such as CNN’s Newsroom and Morning Express with Robin Meade.

In August 2016, as she was living her dream, covering the Suicide Squad movie premiere in New York City, she reconnected with Puetz.

“So that was the beginning,” Yang said. “And then he told me…my number one priority is dental school.” Puetz happened to attend Creighton. Three weeks later, Yang made her first visit to Omaha.

“That’s what I love about XiXi. She’s had that fire since I’ve known her,” Puetz said.

“I’ll be honest, the first time I came to Omaha, I didn’t know what to expect,” Yang said. But, she said, she fell in love with it.

Yang’s determination paid off in September 2010 when she covered her first redcarpet premiere for the Disney movie Secretariat without backing from a major television network.

Once her lease in NYC ended, Yang moved to Omaha and quickly connected with local business owners such as Ansar and Robin Khan of Sakoon The Spa, Paul Urban and Jessica Joyce Urban of Block 16, and Kirby Keomysay of Kontempo.

“Getting to know the people in Omaha, I feel like my insights and my horizons have truly broadened,” Yang said. “Because the biggest mistake that people in media make, when it comes to bigger companies operating on either one of the coasts, is that they tend to live inside their own bubble.”

This gap in the media market inspired Yang to build a business that would cement her and Puetz in the Omaha community. Together, they came up with the idea to start a digital marketing company for local businesses called XYZ Media, focusing on video content.

During her time in Omaha, Yang contemplated the future of entertainment news and pop culture. Her take: covering pop culture news from a human-interest angle.

“I believe that entertainment and pop culture is not only the most popular, but the most powerful form of content,” Yang said.

“Underneath it all, we’re all interconnected.

I’m a firm believer of that. I believe that no matter where you’re from, when you go into the movie theaters, when you sit down to watch a movie, we all want to see a part of ourselves. We all share [our] emotions, right?

We may speak different languages…But we all laugh, we all cry, and we all love watching things that make us think twice about our society, our world, and most importantly, who we are.”

Puetz graduated from Creighton in May, and the couple moved to LA. Yang is busy working on her next project: launching Pop News Edition and carving out what the next version of entertainment journalism looks like, focusing on the humanness in all of us.

Though they no longer live here, they have a Nebraska souvenir: their cat, Chester, who they fostered through the Nebraska Humane Society and ended up adopting.

“Even to this day when we’re here in LA, we’re telling people about Omaha, about Nebraska,” Yang said. “There’s something so nostalgic; so homey. Such a strong sense of community that Omaha has, that just can’t be found on either one of the coasts.”

Visit XiXi’s lifestyle blog, Life With XiXi Yang, to learn more about her.

AT 2 7, SHE WA S T HE YOUNGE S T FEM A L E T O S OL O ANCHOR AN ENTIRE LIVESTREAM SHOW, AND THE FIRST ASIAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO DO SO. // 24 //

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Cindy Goodin // 26 // NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

FEATURE // STORY BY SEAN McCARTHY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

two paths, two plans T

he Youth Emergency Services outreach office at 26th and Harney streets looks almost exactly like one might imagine an after-school hangout spot would for young people. A wall is decorated with art; a 12-pack of Pepsi, bottles of water, and Snapple—as well as chocolate-chip cookies—await visitors. A few computers are set up to help kids apply for jobs, and a corkboard is filled with flyers promoting legal aid services, the Nebraska AIDS Project, and resources to fight human trafficking.

On a Saturday afternoon in August, shortly after YES closed its doors for the day, Cindy Goodin looked around at the empty space. Goodin is director of program services at the organization. Like most businesses, YES had to adjust to COVID-19. Disinfecting wipes and sanitizers are placed at almost every gathering space. Because of the pandemic, YES had to also cut its operating hours. As a result, fewer kids drop by.

“Pre-COVID, we would see 50 kids a day in here,” Goodin said. “Now, we might see 25 or 30 a week that come up here.”

To compensate for the reduced hours, YES has run mobile pantry services. In addition to feeding homeless youth and offering a spot to escape the heat or cold, YES helps youth who are on the verge of homelessness.

The Trump administration offered a brief respite for renters in September when he issued an executive order that provided a moratorium on evictions through the end of 2020. Still, for those in the foster care system, homelessness remains an overarching threat, especially for those who age out of the foster care system at 19, when they reach the age of majority, the age that Nebraska considers the person an adult.

//

27 //

FEATURE

AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE

G

oodin has been at YES for 23 years. She believes the foster care system in Nebraska has done a much better job in the past 20 years when handling those who age out of the system than when she first started.

According to the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office’s annual report published in September 2020, 130 young adults aged out of foster care without being placed in a home, down from last year’s number of 143. When Goodin first started at YES, she said most of these youth would be taken to a homeless shelter, and that would be the end of their care. Goodin recalled one case that reflected how youth were handled almost 20 years ago.

“I was so distraught because this young person, before he came to us, didn’t even know how to make mac-and-cheese,” Goodin said.

Today, there are more programs available to help these young people transition to adulthood. Organizations such as YES and Project Everlast help individuals find employment, education, and, most importantly, housing. Most programs are offered for youth aged 19-21. However, as increased medical and psychiatric studies show that the brain isn’t fully developed until the age of 25, there are more people who are calling for these types of programs to be extended beyond age 21.

The majority of youth in the foster care system are there because of neglect, which the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office broadly defines as “…the failure to provide for a child’s basic physical, medical, educational, and/or emotional needs.”

In general, neglected youth will likely suffer from mental illness. In 2020, 48% of Nebraska children in foster care had a mental health diagnosis. However, that number grew to 71% for children aged 13-18. Of those adolescents, 54% were prescribed at least one psychotropic medication (which includes antipsychotics, anti-anxiety, and antidepressants) and 32% of those youth were prescribed more than three psychotropic medications. The same report stated that nearly all youth who were in a Youth Rehabilitation

Treatment Center were diagnosed with a mental health condition.

A person’s mental health is one of the biggest indicators of how long it will take them to live independently. Goodin said if a person comes to YES with all the necessary skills to live on their own, it could take as little as six months to properly transition from foster care to independent living. However, if a person suffers from a mental health condition, it could take more than a year to adequately prepare someone for adulthood, she said.

Like YES, Project Everlast’s office at 71st and Mercy streets has seen a lot less in-person activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization works primarily with youth up to age 25. Phillip Burrell, associate vice president at Project Everlast, said that during the peak lockdown times this past spring, the organization went almost all virtual, reaching out to youth via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, texts, and Zoom meetings.

Project Everlast works with Family Housing Advisory Services to provide financial help to those who have aged out.

One such initiative, the Opportunity Passport Program, provides a 3-to-1 financial match for expenses such as a car. Thus, if a person saves $2,000, the program matches with $6,000, allowing a person to purchase an $8,000 car.

Burrell said that initiative helps establish basic life skills like savings—something that is usually taught by a trusted family member.

“A lot of the young adults who have experience in the foster care system don’t have that family member that they can lean on to help them purchase that first vehicle to really get established in the world,” Burrell said.

While transportation assistance is a common need for youth who age out, Burrell said their biggest need is usually housing. Youth looking for their first place find the up-front costs can be a significant challenge given that, in addition to rent, a deposit and first-time utility

setup fees are needed. Along with new renters, there are those who have fallen behind with their rent payments. Project Everlast offers a grant of up to $750 that can be awarded to young adults to either find a new home or keep their existing one. The goal is to prevent homelessness, Burrell said.

“This is trying to stop that snowball at the top of the hill before it turns into a bolder at the bottom of the hill,” Burrell said.

Just as COVID-19 has caused Project Everlast to limit its in-person interactions with youth, the pandemic has increased demand for their services. Burrell said he has seen growth in the need for financial assistance because people have lost jobs or had their hours reduced. Others have expressed concern about their own job not keeping them safe during the pandemic.

When someone initially comes to Project Everlast for the first time, Shalisha Walker may be the first person they encounter. As a Youth Engagement Specialist, Walker consults, refers people to aid services, and runs leadership workshops. Project Everlast gives first-time visitors a voluntary assessment of their needs to find out what their goals are.

Walker stressed the importance of empathy, especially when she sees someone for the first time.

“It could be any one of us at any time coming in, needing help or support,” Walker said. “Especially now.”

Youth anywhere in the U.S., including those who age out, traditionally have two paths to pursue at age 18 or 19: either find employment and start earning a living, or pursue a degree or trade.

Project Everlast provides career guidance, but they will not try to persuade a person from choosing one path over another.

“They’re the ones who drive the ship,” Walker said.

One program that aims to help those who have aged out is the Bridge to

YOUTH ANYWHERE IN THE U.S., INCLUDING THOSE WHO AGE OUT, TRADITIONALLY HAVE TWO PATHS TO PURSUE AT AGE 18 OR 19: EITHER FIND EMPLOYMENT AND START EARNING A LIVING, OR PURSUE A DEGREE OR TRADE.

Independence program. The program became law in 2013 as part of the Young Adult Bridge to Independence Act (LB 216) and was introduced by former State Senator Amanda McGill Johnson. The program appoints a case worker, provides health care coverage (if the person is eligible for Medicaid or any protections under the Affordable Care Act) and a monthly stipend for those aged 19-21.

Sarah Helvey, child welfare director at Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit organization that fights for justice and opportunity for all Nebraskans, said the Bridge to Independence program essentially extends foster care for those youth who have aged out of the system for another two years.

“It helps them transition from the foster care system to adulthood when they don’t have the same kind of family and support to fall back on,” Helvey said.

During this past legislative session, State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks proposed to extend the benefits of the Bridge to Independence program to also include Native American youth in foster care who have reached age 18, as, under tribal law, many tribes consider 18 the age of majority, although it is one year younger than state law. The bill, LB848, was passed in the legislature and was signed

by Governor Pete Ricketts in July.

Helvey said she would like to see the benefits of the Bridge to Independence extended to those in the juvenile justice system. Only those who are in the foster care system are eligible for the Bridge to Independence program. However, there is overlap between both entities: in 2020, the number of those in the foster care system who were also in the juvenile justice system was about 20%. In some of these cases, a person’s foster case could be closed before they turned 18, but still be in the juvenile justice system. As a result, these youth are not able to apply for the Bridge to Independence program.

In order to take advantage of the benefits provided by Bridge to Independence, a youth has to fulfill a work or education requirement. The work requirement mandates that a person must either be working at a job at least 80 hours a month or show that they are actively applying for jobs, undergoing training, or volunteering.

The educational requirement necessitates that a person show they are finishing high school or enrolled in some sort

IN 2020, 48% OF NEBRASKA CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE HAD A MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS. HOWEVER, THAT NUMBER GREW TO 71% FOR CHILDREN AGED 13-18.

of post-secondary educational program, including technical school. Helvey said there are some exceptions for medical-related issues.

In addition to fulfilling the job or educational requirement, youth are required to meet monthly with their case worker.

One additional requirement for the Bridge to Independence program is that the youth must be a Nebraska resident. Under Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, undocumented youth are not able to take advantage of the program. This issue came before the Nebraska Supreme Court this past June when two young Guatemalan citizens fled to Nebraska as minors. Each youth was placed in foster care, and each applied for the Bridge to Independence program and was denied access. The Nebraska Supreme Court sided with DHHS and determined the two youth were ineligible for the Bridge to Independence program. Helvey said she hoped the Nebraska Legislature would change the immigration status requirement in the next session.

“It’s [Nebraska] Appleseed’s position that [Bridge to Independence] should be available regardless of immigration status,” Helvey said.

The Nebraska Foster Care Review Office requires all youth ages 14-18 in foster care to take an independent living assessment (or Ansell Casey Assessment) to determine their strengths, needs, and what skills are still needed to enter adulthood. According to its 2020 report, only about 20% of these assessments were completed; roughly 38% of the assessments were not completed. A little more than 33% were identified as “unable to determine,” meaning there was insufficient documentation to determine whether the assessment was completed for a youth. This number was significantly higher than 2019’s number of 32%.

If the independent living assessment determines what life skills a youth needs, the Transitional Living Plan is what is supposed to set the youth up to enter the uncertain world of adulthood. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Children and Family Services lays out at least 15 key topics to address for a youth entering adulthood. These include education, housing, financial education (educating a person about credit cards and opening a bank account), and securing health care.

In the latest annual report from the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office, almost 68% of transitional living plans were created for youth ages 14-18, a slight decline from 2019’s 73.8% completion rate. Approximately 21% of transitional living plans were not created.

Jennifer Carter became the new Inspector General for Child Welfare in September 2020. The office was established to provide accountability and transparency in the child welfare system. She obtained her law degree at Boston University, but moved to Nebraska in 2003. Carter said programs like the Bridge to Independence program teach youth skills that people from a stable family household may take for granted.

“Sometimes we don’t even think about all that we’ve been taught,” Carter said.

“How to write a check. How to open a bank account. What does it mean to have a lease? Do you have health care? All of those things that I think sometimes get naturally taught in families…these youth don’t necessarily have that.”

Visit yesomaha.org, projecteverlast.org, or dhhs.ne.gov for more information.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 //

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FEATURE // STORY BY SE AN MCCARTHY

T

he summer sun in Nebraska usually finds a punishing way to announce it’s still in charge of people's lives around Sept.1.

The Saturday before the 2020 Labor Day holiday, temperatures edged toward triple digits.

It was not a day to spend outside for more than five minutes unless a pool was involved.

It was the type of day to be thankful for a furnished, air-conditioned apartment.

And 22-year-old Brittany Campbell was still getting settled in her new place. With the help of Heartland Family Services, Campbell was able to move out of the women’s shelter she was staying at earlier this summer.

“I love it,” Campbell said in a phone interview. “It’s my size.”

A few weeks before, Campbell sat at Hardy Coffee Co. in Benson. As she sipped on a cup of honey lavender lemonade, she recounted everything that led to her being in a woman’s shelter. The path had her in the foster care system twice (between ages 2 and 4 and from 13-18). It saw her through about 30 foster homes, and a few group homes and detention centers. She talked about the neglect she suffered at home and in the foster care system in a calm but direct, matter-of-fact tone.

“I really didn’t have bad experiences in foster homes. I had bad experiences in group homes,” Campbell said.

Campbell was one of the approximately 150 youth who age out of the foster care system in Nebraska yearly. She was removed from her mother’s care at age 2 and stayed in foster homes in Hamburg, Iowa. She was reunited with her mother at age 4 but returned to foster care at age 13. During her adolescent years, she was either in foster or group homes throughout Nebraska, including Omaha, Lincoln, Nebraska City, and Seward. Campbell said the worst facility was the Omni Behavioral Health Center (now Omni Inventive Care) in Seward. Campbell thought the place was so bad she tried to overdose on Tylenol.

After a brief hospitalization, she was sent back to the facility.

As bad as the group homes were for Campbell, the last place she wanted to be was with her mother. In a decision at her final hearing in 2016, months before her 19th birthday, Campbell was sent back to her biological mother against her wishes. In the hearing, Campbell said her case worker did not appear. Court documents obtained by Omaha Magazine indicate that attorney Jennifer Panko-Rahe, Campbell’s guardian ad litem (a court-appointed guardian that is appointed to represent a child) was present, and following the hearing, Campbell was reunited with her mother in Iowa.

The reunion lasted only one night.

After that night, according to Campbell, her mother drove Brittany to Omaha, asked her to go into a gas station and get a drink, and d r o v e o f f. C a m p b e l l f o u n d h e r w a y t o Yo u t h Emergency Services. She said YES was helpful in providing her the resources she needed, such as housing.

“They always had our back,” Campbell said. Little did she know, she would need help as a mother herself within a few months.

When she arrived at YES, Campbell said the foster care system didn’t prepare her for adulthood. She said the independent living program Bridge to Independence was brought up to her once, and she had little knowledge about the basics of money. That uncertainty only fueled her anxiety.

“When it comes to being by myself, it’s scary because I wasn’t taught that,” said Campbell, who gave birth in March 2017 at age 19.

Campbell’s time in the foster care system has shaped what she wants to do now that she has a place to stay. Originally, she wanted to be a foster care case worker and help others like her. Now, her dreams include completing her GED and going into nursing, specifically neonatal nursing. Campbell's first wish, however, is getting her daughter Amanda back from foster care. In late 2017, her months-old child was removed from her for child endangerment.

Campbell said the woman who is fostering her daughter was also one of her foster parents when she was a teenager. When asked what an ideal weekend would be, Campbell grinned and said it involved cooking for her daughter, and either watching movies with her in her apartment or taking her to the park.

Campbell showed her forearm tattoo that has her daughter’s name on it. On the other forearm was the word “Queen.” Campbell said that tattoo represented everything that has led up to this point in her life.

“A queen doesn’t just earn her crown. She has to go through all of the struggles to get where she is,” Campbell said.

31

“She shows me every day that fierce love isn’t about trying to help everyone.

It’s about loving this one person you have in front of you.”

- Molly Mahoney

Beth Shar m a Gr eg

Photography by Bill Sitzmann Design by Matt Wieczorek // 32 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

or y

Fostering Hope FEATURE // Story by Sara Locke

I

Changing the World Means Saying Yes to Possibilities

f Beth Sharma Gregory had waited for the right time to make a big move, she would be in her California home with her first husband and four biological children. Instead, Gregory embraced a challenge that set into motion the birth of a completely new family structure, a long-distance move, and the acceptance that she was on a path to empowering others to take a leap of faith.

“In 2012, I was living in California with my family. My marriage had hit a rough patch, but we had four children, and leaving never really seemed like an option,” Gregory said.

“I’m a loyal person, and never want to be the one to give up on someone. We were going to stick it out and make the best of it.”

Part of making the best of her situation included finding a community where she helped others become the best women and mothers they could be. She became a mentor to young moms, eventually leading an empowerment group through a local church.

One day, the group received a request.

Veronica*, a teen from church, was facing homelessness unless someone stepped up.

Gregory looked around at the affluent women in her network, and watched each insist that what they had to offer couldn’t be enough for a girl who had lost everything. She thought of her small, crowded, and sometimes contentious home and knew that noisy was better than nothing.

“I thought, I have four kids. What’s one more?” Gregory said. “A bed and a sandwich…I can’t do much but I can do that.”

Gregory began the process of obtaining licensing to foster. Her approval required her to move into larger accommodations, and the lines of questioning soon became suspicious.

“I realized they weren’t just asking me about Veronica,” Gregory said. “They were marking boxes that said that I was an expert on teens, on troubled youth, on trauma.”

Once Beth had demonstrated her seemingly infinite capacity for caring, the agency began directing more children in need of such compassion to her home. Gregory

soon found herself opening her life to other people who were finding her—additional foster kids, her children’s friends, and more.

Her house became a haven to many people, even as it started feeling less like the home she had always known.

“I didn’t think I was going to be a foster parent. It wasn’t in my life plan, but once Veronica was in our life, a lot of things shifted,” Gregory said. “The doorbell would ring and my kids would jump up and ask if they were getting another new sibling today.

They would come home from school and ask if one of their classmates could come stay with us. It wasn’t uncommon to realize there was just an extra kid at the table, or wake up with someone sleeping on the couch. We became this safe landing space, and I wanted to do more.”

“My marriage came to an end, and as a newly single mother, I packed seven children up and moved to Nebraska,” Gregory said.

“This time, we were all getting a new start.”

Gregory wasn’t running away from the life they had in California, she was running toward the next step in her foster journey.

“These kids are facing things that most adults cannot fathom,” Gregory said.

“They’re being told that they’re never going to find placement, never going to have a family. Once you see how they’re being discarded, it’s a lot easier to understand why these kids are so angry with life, with their biological parents, with the system. I want a new system, even if I have to build it.”

These teens face grim statistics, showing a clearer picture of what feels like an inevitable future. On the male side, 60% who age out of the system or seek emancipation are convicted of criminal activity. Of the females, 70% who age out are mothers

before their 21st birthdays. The school dropout rate is also high—25% do not graduate high school or seek a GED. But if it’s possible that innocent children could be facing these odds, Gregory wondered what else could be possible if she focused on the wins and proved that there was a different way.

Gregory realized that the very first day with Veronica that she wasn’t the one to stand up because she was the one with the most abundant life to share. Nobody else stepped up because with a need this great, it’s hard to see what you have as “enough.” What was needed to make a change wasn’t more money, only more patience, love, and faith in what could be.

Gregory pooled her network and, in 2019, launched Fostering by Heart; an organization that helps create new opportunities for those who’ve had their “possible” taken away.

Her former lifestyle coach, Molly Mahoney, shares what she sees as Gregory’s super power that makes Fostering by Heart a success: “Beth’s mantra has always been 'It’s possible.'

That simple, but that powerful,” Mahoney said. “And it’s not just what she’s managed to do with all of her young people, it’s everyone on her team. She has this unique ability to see potential, and to really focus on only that. What can you be great at?”

Mahoney continued, “All it takes is a conversation with Beth to feel inspired. Her faith in what’s possible. It’s what allows real magic to happen. She shows me every day that fierce love isn’t about trying to help everyone. It’s about loving this one person you have in front of you. Everyone who knows her is better for having experienced that intensity, and is able to believe in the difference they can make by simply standing up and saying yes.”

To learn more, donate, or volunteer with Fostering by Heart, visit fosteringbyheart.org. *Name has been changed to protect anonymity.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 33 //

ADVENTURE // STORY BY KATY SPRATTE JOYCE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Laura Lindenstein’s Lindenstein’s World

27 Countri es and Counti ng I t sta r t e d w i t h a t r i p to P u e rto R i co i n 201 2 .

Laura Lindenstein was looking for a special way to mark her graduation from hair school. A friend couldn’t stop raving about Puerto Rico, so the two decided to celebrate with a vacation to the island paradise.

While there, Lindenstein was told “If you love it here, you’ll love Costa Rica.” So the barber at Energi Salon & Spa in Omaha’s Old Market got her passport in 2013 and has jetset across the world since.

Her travels have taken her cage diving with great white sharks in South Africa, watching the sun set in El Salvador, temple hopping (followed by sampling homemade banana wine) in Vietnam. Lindenstein says travel is “almost like a restart button.” She loves to escape the norm and see how others live—often with fewer things, but just as happy.

She added that travel also makes her appreciate the ease of life at home.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 // 35 //

// ADVENTURE //

It’ s A S mall Wo r ld, Afte r All .

Part of why Lindenstein loves to travel is the connections she’s made around the world that prove how small it really is. On her first solo trip to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, she learned that her hostel proprietor, Vicki Parks, was an English teacher in Bellevue, Nebraska. Even more striking was the fact that Vicki is friends with Alex Frisbey, the front desk employee at Energi. Even on a solo trip, there wasn’t a sense of loneliness, because of this connection back to Nebraska.

Ce ntral Am e r i ca?

Ch eck .

The majority of Lindenstein’s travels have been focused on one region—Central America. Since it can be affordable to travel there, and is easily accessible from the United States, it made a lot of sense for multiple international trips per year.

Lindenstein has been to every country in that area: Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. Now that those are off her list, she has decided to invest in more distant destinations. The next area of the world Lindenstein plans to embrace is Southeast Asia, as it can also be affordable, despite the long flights.

Wo r k/ Li fe Balan ce Balancing clients’ demanding schedules with her own travel agenda is a priority for Lindenstein. According to her, she is upfront with her clients about her love for travel and works extra hard to squeeze them in before and after she heads out of town. Simply put, “As long as your clients are happy, they are happy.”

She said she has even traveled with clients, three in the past year alone.

Having a boss like Troy Davis, co-owner of the salon, who also appreciates a well-balanced life, doesn’t hurt either.

In a phone interview, he said, “My business partner Sarah [Pits] and I believe in people living the life that they love. And the happier the person is because they are living the life of their dreams, then the happier the work place.” He continued, “So, we give Laura the freedom to travel when she wants. From our experience, she is happier and more productive when she’s there.”

Technology also helps, as the salon utilizes a loyalty program and schedule-management tool that notifies clients of travel plans. “This is a feature that makes Laura’s travel pretty easy,” Davis said. “It is not a cheap feature, [but it] helps to provide for our team to work their dream career.”

A R U BA

The two have also traveled together, from annual Okoboji excursions to hiking the Incan trail in Machu Picchu.

This year, their travel plans were limited to lake time in Iowa, but they have discussed heading back to Peru. According to Davis, all of his coworker and friend’s traveling has made her an excellent travel companion. He said, “She never gets stressed or worried; [she] just goes with the f low and has a great positive outlook and cheery disposition.”

It All Ad ds U p Perhaps the most unique thing about Lindenstein and her travel bug is how she funds her wanderlust. Since world exploration is her priority, she cuts back in other ways, such as a living in a cheaper apartment, without a vehicle, and without TV or Wi-Fi. This barebones lifestyle approach works for her, but she also has a secret saving weapon up her sleeve—wine bottles. Before every trip Lindenstein saves all of her cash tips in a wine bottle. Before she leaves, she smashes the wine bottle with a hammer and whatever is inside equals her spending cash for the trip. For Myanmar, where she went backpacking this year, those many months added up to over $450. She also keeps a bucket of change, which has netted nearly $200 for her when full. These quirky saving efforts, put in place because Lindenstein is “bad at saving,” mean she can enjoy her trips when she’s actually on them. She has even adopted this method for her travel buddies, as two of the four bottles currently at her place are her friends’, designated for future travel.

S K Y D I V I N G L AG O S P O R T U GA L

HUE VIETNAM

What makes her money go further is her general travel style. Hostels make for affordable lodging, while her trusty 45-liter backpack means she’s ready to be on the go at any time. She typically buys a round-trip ticket somewhere, then sets up a hostel stay for a night or two. After that, Lindenstein “leaves it open-ended, so if you meet people, there’s an option to travel with them.” Yet another way to cut costs on the road.

Hostels make for affordable lodging, while her trusty 45-liter backpack means she’s ready to be on the go at any time. // 36 // NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

BAG A N M YA N M A R

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Lindenstein has adopted a permanent way to remember her travels through tattoos. Her left arm is the designated canvas for some of her adventurous memories. A watch reminds her to make time for what’s important. Geographic coordinates from Starfish Beach, Panama, hearken back to a trip there.

She also got a tattoo of a turtle with her friend Rosy Rodriguez in Cancun, Mexico. The ocean theme of other tattoos on her left arm signify her scuba certifications and triumph over fear. She said she was first certified to scuba in Thailand, adding that scuba is “one of her favorite things, but it also scares her the most” since she can’t swim. (She noted via email that, "I’ve always loved the ocean and wanted to see more of it.

With scuba diving you don't really need to know how to swim, just buoyancy and kicking your legs.”) Lindenstein also received her advanced diver certification while in Honduras. Getting tattoos, whether in the actual country or at home afterwards, is another way to signify her love of travel. She finds something she loves on every trip and appreciates experiencing new things with new people and fostering connections.

She added that she is just getting started.

“There’s nowhere I don’t want to go,” she said. In late February, she explored the nation of Myanmar in southeast Asia with her roommate Dylan Tinnerstet.

Next on her list? She’s hoping to visit a friend in Belgium, volunteer in Australia, and take a solo trip to Nepal. A group trip with friends to the Philippines is also on the agenda. Lindenstein aims to spend every New Year’s in a different country.

“Something about watching fireworks on the beach makes me happy.” She’s been able to do this for six consecutive years.

The end goal is to visit every country on Earth. And she’s just getting started.

Visit energi.salon.com for more information.

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WWW.THEDENTISTSOMAHA.COM NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 // 37 //

GEN O STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

I

n her song “American Teenage Dream,” 16-year-old Grace Titus writes about a young person’s aspirations for more: “romanticize my youth, i can’t believe/that i keep shouting out—‘oh please, oh please, oh please’/i want something more and i can’t fall asleep/ is this my typical teenage dream/American teenage dream.”

She’s not a typical teenager, however, and some of her dreams are already coming true.

“She made it to Hollywood Week on ‘American Idol ’ this season; that means she sang for Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie and got the ‘golden ticket’ to Hollywood,” said Kelly Titus, Grace’s mother. “She was one of only 25 minors—166 finalists total—and the youngest contestant. Before that she was a finalist on ‘The Voice,’ but was cut days before we were supposed to leave for the blind auditions.”

Grace has already been involved in local musical theater, performing in several shows, including the role of a young Cosette in Les Miserables at Omaha Community Playhouse. She excels offstage, too. Grace is a starting pitcher for Omaha Central High School’s varsity softball team and an honors student.

Talent is just a beginning, Kelly said. “I think it’s important for young people to know it takes a lot of hard work…You can do amazing things, but you have to put the work in.”

Grace began taking lessons at age 7 from vocal performance teacher Anne Marie Kenny.

“I really loved musical theater and my parents thought it would be a good hobby for me to pick up,” Grace said. “I didn’t really realize how far it would come.”

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about Anne Marie Kenny,” Kelly said. “She taught Grace everything she needed to know about how to hold her body, how to use her breath, how to sustain notes in a safe way for her voice. She’s amazing.”

Grace said the foundational training not only instilled discipline, but also sustained her love of music. She continued voice lessons until age 13.

“Then I wanted to pursue more of my original music, and more pop music, what I’m working on now,” Grace explained. She // 38 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

picked up the ukulele and also taught herself to play piano and guitar, which led to songwriting. She regularly shares her works on Instagram and Facebook, but hasn’t quite made the leap to YouTube.

“I’m trying to get past that mental block of everything having to be perfect,” she explained. Her mom added, “Hours and hours have gone unposted.”

“Putting yourself in a box really limits your creativity.

I like to listen to all types of music and I get inspiration from everywhere.”

-Grace Titus Grace describes her voice as “pretty strong and loud,” a reflection of her passion for music. Her lyrics are often a commentary on what is going on in the world, broad enough for listeners to find personal interpretation relative to their lives. “It can mean something different for everyone,” she said.

“Grace is very empathetic,” Kelly said. “She feels everything and does a really good job about putting that onto paper and into her songs.”

“Songwriting ability comes with time. I’m definitely finding my voice,” Grace added.

“I really like to write about social justice and things I get angry about. And current events, it definitely stems from that.”

Passion and compassion both translate well to live performances, and Grace said she feels that’s where she really shines, although local opportunities are limited for a person under 21.

“That confidence and that feeling of energy from the connection between the audience and myself keeps me motivated,” she said. “I always have and always will love performing.”

She’s not tied to a particular genre.

“I like to try with a lot of things and experiment…I like to cover a lot of ‘90s grunge songs and I like Taylor Swift, so her songs pop out once in a while. It really depends on how I’m feeling,” she said. “Putting yourself in a box really limits your creativity. I like to listen to all types of music and I get inspiration from everywhere.”

Grace said she looks forward to attending college and hasn’t yet landed on a career plan, but it’s not likely to be in the music industry. Hollywood Week with American Idol gave her an interesting glimpse of teenage and barely-adult singers who’ve already put all their energies and resources into pursing a music career.

“It’s remarkable that she’s so young and talented,” Kelly said. “But she’s not in any big hurry, especially after the American Idol experience. It was a good shock to the system to really get a look at the reality TV industry.”

Kelly said she and husband Ben are supportive of their daughter’s ambitions, but they’re not sacrificing a normal life for Grace and her sisters Ruby (14) and Edie (12).

“Ruby and Edie love watching Grace play.

There’s no jealously and they’re her biggest fans,” she said. “I hope we [as parents] are keeping Grace grounded as much as possible. We try to give her confidence but make sure she continues to challenge herself.”

“It’s a lot to juggle,” Grace said, adding that she thrives on structure and routine but doesn’t force the creative energy.

“I wait for inspiration,” she said. And it flows freely. “I sing every day. I write music every day.”

Kelly said the family appreciates being able to provide lessons and instruments and everything it’s taken to help Grace’s talents blossom. “Grace has been privileged in many ways and I know that she doesn’t forget that.”

“I just want to continue to get better at songwriting,” Grace said. “I want to keep improving and playing.”

Visit @itsgracetitus on Instagram and @gracetitusmusic on Facebook to view Grace’s work.

American Teenage Dream

Grace Titus Plays Hollywood, French Classics

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 39 //

Sports // S T ORY BY CHRIS HAT CH PHO T OGR APH Y BY BIL L S I T ZMANN DE S IGN BY MAT T W IECZORE K

Lionheart is Ready

FEAR NONe for Another Round S OME PE OPL E CON JURE ONE T HING F ROM T HE SHAPE OF AN OC TAGON: A STOP SIGN. FOR ANTHONY “ L I O N H E A R T ” S M I T H —T H E O M A H A F IGH T ER W I T H T HE SL EDGEHAMMER HANDS, 4K ULT R A - HD SMILE, A N D T H E J I U J I T S U B E LT T H AT 'S BL ACKER T HAN T HE COLLEC T ION OF INK T H AT W R A P S I T S E L F A ROUND H I S F A S T - M O V I N G A R M S —T H A T S H A P E W I T H E IGH T E DGE S ME A N S S OME T HING E N T IRE LY DIF F E RE N T.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

// 41 //

2020

Sports //

// SPORTS //

It means go— go fast, go hard.

Most importantly, it means go until the bell rings, until the finish; even if he’s knocked down and the breath in his lungs is waving that gasping white f lag of carbon-dioxide-induced surrender.

“I put everything I have into my fights,” Smith said.

“I always fight with the heart that Nebraskans can be proud of whether I win or lose.”

In the past six years, a span in which he has gone 15-5 and fought for championship belts in places as far away as Stockholm, Sweden, and as near as his home city of Omaha, he hasn’t done much of the latter. In spite of a sterling overall record in recent years, Smith finds himself with his back pressed firmly against the chain-link wall behind him.

He’s lost two straight fights for the first time since joining the Ultimate Fighting Championships and is contemplating how to regain his old form.

“This one [the loss to Aleksandar Rakić on Aug. 29] is a tough pill to swallow,” Smith said. “I've never lost two in a row in the UFC and it hurts. But I'm no stranger to adversity.”

He’s right. A fighter can take down the Lionheart, but he’s going to get back up. An opponent can knock out his teeth, but he’s just going to hand them to the referee in the middle of the fight like he’s some kind of bloodied tooth-fairy’s apprentice, as Smith did on May 14 at a fight in Jacksonville, Florida.

Once spectators think he’s tapping out, when they think he’s finally finished, he rises from the shallow grave of an unfinished 10-count by the referee, like he’s some horror movie villain from a ’90s slasher film giving viewers one last jump scare.

That’s how he started fighting, after all. A fighter doesn’t earn a moniker as ferocious as his by chance.

“That's essentially how my career started,” Smith said. “I wasn't very good and would be losing most fights and my heart and determination always pulled me through and I would pull out wins late in the fight that were unexpected.”

It was in these early fights, these wild brawling nights when Smith learned how to channel his natural toughness into a true edge. That toughness was honed in his days as a young man in Nebraska City, where he wrestled and played football, but lacked the discipline he has since come to embrace as a black belt martial artist. He had his five fingers, and he was always willing to raise his hand when coaches asked, “Who wants to fight?” at the South Sokol Omaha Fight Club, but he needed to turn those fingers into a fist.

It was during this formative time in his career, about 10 years ago, when he first met his future boxing/MMA coach Danny Molina while both men were training at a gym together.

Molina instantly recognized Smith’s talent, but more than that, he recognized an innate, instinctual headiness.

“Anthony had a really high fight IQ,” said Molina, referring to Smith’s ability to act intelligently in the cage and implement a game plan. “That’s a really important aspect of the fight game and our styles really meshed.

There were things he really knew I could help him with, just the overall transition and striking at a high level.”

“WHEN [UFC E V EN T ANNOUNCER] BRUCE BUFFER SCRE AMS, ‘FIGH T ING OU T OF OMAHA, NEBRASK A,’ I T IS A V ERY PROUD MOMEN T FOR ME E ACH AND E V ERY T IME.” -Anthony “Lionheart” Smith // 42 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

It didn’t take long for Molina to realize he’d found someone special. “I call him the ‘diamond in the rough’ because he’s both naturally gifted and hardworking,” Molina said. “The best thing about Anthony Smith is that he listens really well. Naturally, he’s just a gifted athlete.

He’s got the athleticism, but he’s got that high IQ, and he just gets it. At the same time, he’s always willing to learn.

Everything that I teach him, he has not been scared to use on a practical level.”

Since Molina has been there from the beginning, he’s determined to help Smith with his next round: taking that twofight skid head on.

Smith and his team are doing some frank analysis while training at Mick Doyle’s Kickboxing in West Omaha, combing through the inches and moments and synapse-to-muscle firings that can make all the difference: “[The losing streak] is very frustrating though,” Smith said. “[In the last fight] I just wasn't able to do a lot of the things we had planned on. As a team we have a meeting planned across the board. We are going to have a big Zoom call and collectively figure out what changes need to be made and what direction we go as far as opponent and career trajectory and path back to title contention. It's not a skill problem, it's somewhere in the details.”

ody Rep to B air Au

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“We’d Rather Be The Best Than Apologize for Anything Less.”

“ N e e d a n e s t i m a t e ? V i s i t d i n g m a n s . co m f o r a co n t a ct l e s s o n l i n e p h o t o e s t i m a t e .”

ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS

Those eight corners in the ring? Smith has more than enough people on his team to fill them all.

“When [UFC Event Announcer] Bruce Buffer screams, ‘Fighting out of Omaha, Nebraska,’ it is a very proud moment for me each and every time. I'm a proud Nebraskan and I make sure everyone knows it,” Smith said.

So, when he does come out, hands raised once more with fists at the ready, take a close look at the ink indelibly scrawled across his battle-scarred knuckles. They’ll do the talking. Right hand: fear. Left hand: none.

opractor Chir

Visit ufc.com/athlete/anthony-smith for more information.

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// 43 //

JOHN FOLEY FOUND INSPIRATION ACROSS THE POND IN NEBRASKA

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

Omahans treasure the Omaha Community Playhouse and its professional touring wing, the Nebraska Theatre Caravan. Local theater fans can also include at least one native Londoner to that tally.

John Foley has written and voiced more than 600 programs for the BBC World Service and BBC English. He has produced more than 100 audiobooks for Random House, Macmillan, and Naxos Audio Books. This prolific, creative man, who considers himself an actor first and foremost, once called Nebraska home.

Foley toured and performed with Nebraska Theatre Caravan for several seasons in the early 1980s. He’s performed widely, including in London’s West End, England’s equivalent of Broadway. Foley was working in the West End when he befriended some theater folks from Memphis, Tennessee, leading him to work in Nebraska.

“I was very interested in the way theater works in America, particularly community theater, which is not something we have so much [in London],” Foley said.

That curiosity led Foley to work a year in the Memphis theater scene, then work in summer stock—a theatre that presents stage productions only in the summer— in New Mexico, before ultimately landing in Nebraska for several seasons.

As he worked in various states in the U.S., he ping-ponged between America and Europe—England, Denmark, and elsewhere.

“I was invited to return to Memphis for two shows, one of which was playing Scrooge in Charles Jones’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Then I got an invitation to join the Nebraska Theatre Caravan,” said Foley, referencing Playhouse legend Jones, who directed the OCP from 1974-1997.

After returning to Europe for a couple shows, Foley came to Omaha to join the Nebraska Theatre Caravan tour.

Foley said. “At the same time, I did some work with Dick Mueller at the Firehouse Dinner Theater, which was a wonderful time. It might have continued, but I got a call one night on tour from the BBC offering me work. So, I had to get out of my contract, which Dick Mueller was very kind about, and we’ve remained friends ever since.”

Mueller fondly recalled Foley’s creative flair in the British comedy Key For Two, Foley’s first Firehouse role. Mueller said Foley skillfully expanded the possibilities in what was originally written as a minor character.

“His character was an inebriated veterinarian which, in itself, would have offered any good actor a lot to work with. John, however, wanted to add something more to the character—a companion," Mueller said. "This figment of John’s imagination turned out to be a badgering little sheep with whom John carried on running side conversations, as he played the role…

Those hilarious scenes turned out to be jewels of creativity, the high points of the whole production.”

Foley spoke highly of the Nebraskans he encountered as talented colleagues and hospitable audiences. With Nebraska Theatre Caravan, he toured widely throughout the U.S. and some in Canada. He said there are a lot of places he hasn’t seen, but it is possible he saw more of the United States than a lot of Americans. However, he said the places blur when living out of a suitcase.

“What was so great about the caravan, for example, it wasn’t just the acting. It was the traveling and being in a company.

It’s a very close-knit community, and it’s a wonderful thing to have, so I miss that,” Foley said.

He continued, “The Omaha Community Playhouse is such a wonderful success story.

It was a most wonderful experience for me.

We’d sometimes do three shows in a day at different locations—maybe a morning children's show, then an afternoon Shakespeare play, and an evening musical.

It was an incredibly rich experience. It’s the

sort of thing I wish could happen more all over the world, because it's just great for an actor to have that sort of experience and to meet so many different communities.”

It was on these tours that Foley began writing, something he’d aspired to since childhood. A fascination with Hans Christian Andersen, sparked by visiting Denmark, paired with inspiration from other travels, led him to start writing children’s stories.

“It wasn’t really until I was on tour with the Caravan that I started writing these stories,” Foley said. “It was actually on the road—because you know, you're driving 100 miles through Nebraska on these long journeys … those long journeys were a great deal of inspiration.”

Foley’s penned three children’s books to date: Seven Simple and Slightly Silly Stories, The Bear in the Fifth Floor Flat, and Another Seven Simple and Slightly Silly Stories. Foley is currently working on a novel and preparing another book of stories.

Since returning to London in 1986 to work for the BBC, Foley’s continued to focus on writing, while also voicing and producing ebooks, and creating word puzzles. He was also accepted as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a prestigious organization founded in 1754.

Of all his passions and creative endeavors, Foley said he’s cherished acting the most.

“I started working at a cinema very young— running errands, making tea, that sort of thing. It was also a major venue for the Royal Ballet and pop concerts, so I started working backstage and found it very exciting,” Foley said. “I used to stand in the wings and watch the performers, and I think that’s when I got really hooked. ‘The roar of the crowd, the smell of the greasepaint,’ as they say. It’s no accident that the word ‘play’—like to play and being in a play—are the same word. We’re all players in the theater.”

Learn more about John Foley and his work at quizzicalworks.com.

I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE WAY THEATER WORKS IN AMERICA, PARTICULARLY COMMUNITY THEATER, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING WE HAVE SO MUCH [IN LONDON].” -JOHN FOLEY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 45 //

// 46 //

November/December 2020

HISTORY Story by Brad Dickson

Photography Contributed

Design by Matt Wieczorek

WHEN WE WERE KINGS

re m e m ber w h e n

om a h a h a d a n

nba team I was thinking about some of the cities with the greatest NBA traditions. Places like Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Omaha.

Even the most diehard NBA fan may not realize it, but Omaha, a town better known for steakhouses, Warren Buffett, and “horizontal sleet,” once had an NBA team. It actually shared a team with Kansas City, a city better known for professional baseball and football, and for erecting fountains everywhere—including in front of mortuaries and inside dental offices.

This is the story of how Omaha landed an NBA team, made a go of it, and then lost the team. The Kansas City-Omaha Kings were a thing from 1972 to 1975. It was the old Cincinnati Royals franchise that changed its name from Royals to avoid confusion with the Kansas City baseball organization. Big mistake. Management would’ve been better off sticking with Royals and selling tickets to confused fans thinking they were going to see a young George Brett.

The Royals left Cincinnati due to attendance woes after the team traded superstars Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertson. Back then fans showed their quiet disapproval by not buying tickets. Fans today would react by lighting their Royals jerseys on fire in front of the arena and then backing over them in Humvees.

The plan was for the Kings to play their games in Kansas City. But there was a problem. Municipal Auditorium held a little over 7,000 fans. (This was long before the groundbreaking San Diego Chargers decided to play home games at a soccer stadium that’s only slightly larger than a commercial airline toilet.)

Additionally, the arena wasn’t available on enough dates. A bigger venue with an open schedule was needed, so the franchise looked north and settled for Omaha and its 9,300-seat Civic Auditorium, which was normally available on nights when Creighton didn’t play a home game and professional “rassler” Baron von Raschke was not defending his world title.

The Royals had been playing occasional exhibitions in Omaha that had gone well enough that the city got the nod.

Beginning with the 19721973 season when the Kings played 15 “home” games in Omaha, and extending through the 19741975 season when they played 12 “home” games in Omaha, Omaha had an NBA team it could be proud of. Well, sort of.

The goal was to play 12 to 15 games in Omaha each season until construction on the larger Kemper Arena in Kansas City was completed. It was like telling a girl you’d date her until the girl you really wanted became available.

You would think the players would have hated the arrangement with a passion. Imagine NBA players today climbing into a bus and riding four hours up Interstate 29, checking into a hotel in downtown Omaha and playing a “home” game at an arena with which they were generally unfamiliar?

However, the record shows the team actually seemed to favor Omaha with the Kings going 36-46 overall in the 1972-1973 season but 10-5 in Omaha. In 19731974 the Kings finished 31-51 overall but were a respectable 7-8 in Omaha.

In 1974-1975 the Kings finished 44-38 overall and made the playoffs, but were an even more impressive 10-2 in Omaha. Long bus rides seemed to agree with the players.

Of course today the whole concept seems weird. But remember, this was the '70s when weird was in. If you don’t believe me Google “wide belts” “bell bottoms” and “rotating disco balls.” Google “ABBA.” Google “mood rings.” See what I mean?

It could have been worse.

The initial strategy of the 10 businessmen who purchased the team in 1972 was to move from Cinci and split home games between K.C., Omaha, and St. Louis, which would’ve led to a lot of morning calls to the hotel front desk asking “What city am I in today? Oh, wait, I see an Arch out the window.”

November/December 2020

// 47 //

HISTORY I was a young, wide-eyed Omaha kid when the Kings first came to town. I envisioned myself as a future NBA player seeing as how I was about 6 feet tall in grade school. (Little did I know that I’d basically stopped growing). However, I was so thin that sometimes on windy days I’d be seen blowing down the street. (I was once blown out of my chair when the classroom air conditioning kicked on.) I practiced hoopin’ in the driveway and attended most of the handful of NBA games per year of Omaha’s NBA team.

It was a big deal to me because there simply were not major league professional sports in town. The closest we came was when the Civic hosted, in May 1972 (a good year for Omaha sports), a world heavyweight championship fight featuring local fighter Ron Stander of Council Bluffs vs. reigning champ Joe Frazier, who was undefeated at the time. Stander was known as the “Bluffs Butcher” and Frazier was “Smokin’ Joe.” In an outcome that surprised nobody Frazier defeated Stander when the fight was called after the fourth round. If I remember right Stander, known for suffering bad cuts, came into the ring bleeding after opening a gash putting on his robe.

The Kings were more entertaining. The franchise had an incredible player at the time, the shy-off-the-court, self-effacing Nate “Tiny” Archibald, who, according to the NBA, led the league in scoring and assists in 1972-1973. He is still the only player to ever do that.

Archibald was an amazing presence with blinding speed and quickness who specialized in beating the other nine guys down court.

// 48 //

Generously listed at 6’1”, 150 pounds, Tiny was about the size of one of Shaq’s knuckles.

Archibald put up over 26 shots per game in 19721973, a Kobe-like assault on the basket. He also averaged 46 minutes per contest which basically meant if, say, he lost a finger or his eyeball fell out, he was probably staying in the game.

The team was fun to watch because in addition to Archibald putting up shots at the same rate a T-shirt gun spits out souvenirs, Milwaukee Buck Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was coming to town occasionally, and you can’t beat that. AbdulJabbar’s petulant, whiny attitude was fun in a twisted sort of way since it contrasted so much with the bonhomme of the young Kings.

Fun to watch is not the same as proficient and the Kings were last in the league in defense and rebounding.

Back in 1972-1973 the cast of The Partridge Family could have out-rebounded the Kings.

The Kings did have a charismatic, talented 6’10” young man named Sam Lacey out of New Mexico State who was known to come up smiling after diving for loose balls.

This was an era when salaries were lower and the referee’s whistle was not considered a call to arms.

The 1972-1973 Kings had a coach people may have heard of—Bob Cousy. There was also a rookie guard named Mike D’Antoni and a small guard named Jimmy Walker who, it turns out, was not the “Dyn-o-mite!” comedian.

(Cousy resigned in November 1973 and was replaced by Phil Johnson.)

November/December 2020

The Kings also had a player named Mike Ratliff whose mushroom Afro was basically taller than any building in Omaha at the time.

Archibald could have fit inside Ratliff’s hair during fast breaks.

In 1972 Omaha’s Civic Auditorium was known mostly for hosting the aforementioned Creighton basketball games and pro wrestling cards. Also Ringling Bros. circus acts and boat, sport, and travel shows featuring water-skiing squirrels. (I’m not making that up.) Going from a water-skiing squirrel to hosting NBA games was heady stuff.

After struggling the first two seasons in town, the 1974-1975 edition of the Kings, led by Archibald’s 26.5 points per game and Lacey’s 14.2 rebounds, made the playoffs. By now the roster, in addition to D’Antoni, also included a young Rick Adelman who mostly rode the bench.

Not only was Omaha kind of/sort of home to an NBA team but it was now a good team. Omahans got excited at the prospect of hosting a playoff game. They even had illusions of the city becoming a future NBA hotspot.

They figured their loyalty and decent attendance figures would possibly make the owners keep the name “Omaha.” Heck, the NBA had gotten almost as popular here as slow pitch softball and Go Big Red underpants.

This would put Omaha on the map, figuratively and literally—since I have seen maps from that time where we were omitted.

However, it was not to be.

Kansas City got the home g a me s i n t he We s ter n

Conference semi-finals series vs. Chicago, which the Kings lost four games to two. Kemper Arena was finally completed and the team dropped Omaha. Just like that. Even though all of this was well-telegraphed, it still felt like a slap in the face. It was like giving a kid a puppy for a couple years and then taking it away.

In retrospect, it was no surprise the team pulled out. Attendance in Omaha, while decent, was certainly not great. The Fickle Kings started out as the Rochester Kings in 1945, moved to Cincinnati for the 19571958 season, bolted for Kansas City-Omaha in 1972, dropped Omaha in 1975 and then left Kansas City for Sacramento in 1985.

The team tried to leave Sac Town for Seattle in 2013, but the NBA rejected the move.

The Kings have spurned more people than Taylor Swift.

The biggest impact of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings was probably that groundwork was laid for middle-aged guys to win bar bets with younger dudes that, “Omaha once had an NBA team.”

I’ll always hold dear my memories of Omaha’s vastly entertaining NBA team, especially Tiny Archibald dribbling around AbdulJabbar and Lacey smiling and talking to fans in the middle of a game. Floor-level seats were affordable and lines to purchase tickets were usually short.

A fter the K ings left, Kansas City never again had an NBA team. And Om a h a h a s ne ve r h a d a not her m ajor le a g ue professional team.

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This holiday season, let Metropolitan Community College help you give the gift of learning. With courses for all ages, there is something for everyone on your list. Or sign up for a course and have some fun the holiday season. Classes this winter include: • Maximize Career Opportunities using LinkedIn

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• Chocolate Lover’s Workshop • Ingredients In-Depth: Potatoes • Holiday Hors D’ Oeuvres • International Holiday Cookies • Mixology: Holiday Cocktails • Cuisines: Thai

To learn more and register for classes, visit mccneb.edu/ce.

Use promo code OMAHAMAG at checkout and receive $5 off.

Metropolitan Community College affirms a policy of equal education, employment opportunities and nondiscrimination in providing services to the public. To read our full policy statement, visit mccneb.edu/nondiscrimination.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 49 //

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! Although there may be fewer

parties this year, there are still plenty of reasons to give gifts to loved ones, friends, and colleagues. There are all sorts of ways to support local businesses, and many local businesses to support, whether with a gift card that can be slipped into holiday cards along with a photo of the family, or a large fruit basket that is delivered to the door by surprise. Local Omaha foods make great gifts for anyone, and a spa treatment is a nice way to pamper yourself or a friend.

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// 50 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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// 51 //

GIVING PROFILE // STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Angels in Disguise

Supporting Children T hrough the Holidays

O

ne of the pleasures of grandparenthood is giving small gifts (and sometimes bigger ones) to the grandchildren, and many young parents appreciate the help these grandparents provide with expenses now and then.

LaReshia Weaver and her father always had a close relationship, and as a single parent, she was grateful for the support he offered.

“He bought Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and things like that. He took care of us,” Weaver said.

That support ended when George Weaver was incarcerated. Worse than the support, his grandchildren—today aged 15, 13, and 9—are missing out on having him involved in their lives. “It was a struggle when he went back to prison [in 2010] because my children were so young,” LaReshia said.

She maintains contact with her father as he remains incarcerated, because despite any heartbreak and disappointment, the love between father and daughter continues.

A program called Angel Tree has helped the family maintain ties since 2012.

George found out about the program through Prison Fellowship, an organization that works with inmates, families of inmates, and corrections systems.

Through Angel Tree, he’s able to provide Christmas gifts to his grandchildren along with a personal note.

“It helps keep things going and gives us something to look forward to,” LaReshia said, adding that program volunteers were able to send her father a video of the children opening gifts last year. “It definitely bridges the gap with the children and their grandfather. It keeps them connected to a grandfather they really don’t know…I’m so glad that this program exists.”

“We care for prisoners’ families, through Angel Tree, with the hope that it strengthens the bond between children and parents,” said Elizabeth Stanosheck, area director for Prison Fellowship.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

The primary program of the national organization is a one-year academy that provides life-skills training and self-reflection along with spiritual guidance.

The organization also advocates for justice reform.

“Prison Fellowship works to restore the criminal justice system within the United States, and those it affects as well.

Prison Fellowship works with inmates, it works with correctional systems, it works with victims of crime. We help men and women break the cycle of brokenness that lands them in prison in the first place,” she said, adding that Angel Tree is one of many Prison Fellowship programs “interwoven together.”

As its name suggests, Prison Fellowship is a faith-based organization.

“But anyone within the prison system, whether they’re Christian or not, can participate and can benefit from the programs that Prison Fellowship brings in,” Stanosheck said. “As far as working with inmates, they do not have to be a Christian. They don’t have to be any faith at all. But if they are interested in our programming, we certainly will welcome them in.”

The Angel Tree Christmas program is a hallmark of Prison Fellowship, she said.

Volunteers work through prison chaplains or religious coordinators to bring participants into the program. Children, stepchildren, and grandchildren of incarcerated individuals are eligible for the program if they are under 18 and there is no court order in place barring the inmate’s communication with the family.

Caregivers must consent to the children’s participation. There are about 2,300 Angel Tree gift recipients in Nebraska, the majority of them in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.

“We partner with local churches and community organizations to provide a Christmas gift on behalf of the incarcerated person with a message from them so

the child knows who that gift is coming from,” Stanosheck said. “It gives incarcerated parents a pathway to hopefully strengthen, and...to some degree, restore their relationship with their children and their family or whoever the custodial caregiver is.”

Groups of volunteers purchase gifts valued at approximately $20 to $25 for Angel Tree recipients, Stanosheck said. Volunteers work year-round to recruit gift-givers to ensure as many Angel Tree families as possible can be supported. Organizers strive to match families with groups in or near their community, hoping to create opportunity to extend the relationship to families who may benefit from a warm welcome. Sometimes the church or organization will host an Angel Tree party, Stanosheck said, where families can have some fun and enjoy refreshments while gifts are distributed.

Presents are nice, of course, but children also are receiving the message that the incarcerated family member cares, as attested by adults who were Angel Tree recipients as children, Stanosheck added.

Stanosheck works with prison employees, usually the religious coordinators, to procure the handwritten notes for recipients. “We do know that a child does better emotionally, physically, and academically if they know their parent still loves them.”

The incarcerated person and their family benefits, too, she added. Most in the program will be released at some point, and stabilizing factors that help reduce recidivism include not only employment opportunities and housing, but also family support.

Church groups and community organizations interested in the Angel Tree Christmas program can apply on the organization’s website. Other Prison Fellowship volunteer and support opportunities are also listed on the website.

Weaver said her family’s experience with Angel Tree has been so positive that she wishes to eventually be in the position to give back.

“We are so appreciative,” she said. “I hope to be able to help other families someday.”

Visit prisonfellowship.org for more information.

LaReshia Weaver

// 54 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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// 56 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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// 57 //

// GIVING CALENDAR //

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// 59 //

// GIVING CALENDAR //

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Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings.

Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.

// 60 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US

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Nov./Dec. 2020

Peter Bolay

60+ ACTIVE LIVING

To the End of the World and Back: Peter Bolay’s Arctic Adventure

STORY BY SEAN ROBINSON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

M

R. OLIVER IS on high alert. The Welsh terrier has spotted something a smidge bigger than his 35-pound frame. Outside his tent is an American black bear, massive in size and, likely, in appetite.

Gulp. Tail flat to butt.

There’s not much stopping the bear from turning Mr. Oliver into a late-night snack. It’s just the dog and his owner, Peter Bolay, camping alone amid hundreds of miles of tundra. Technically, this duo are guests in the bear’s home. On hind legs and silent as a petrified pooch can be, Mr. Oliver’s strange behavior catches Bolay off guard. Then, the man also realizes they have a visitor to their campsite.

So, he follows his dog’s lead and keeps quiet until the bear continues his stroll to some other twilight-lit stretch of the vast nothingness.

Exhale.

Bolay and his four-legged traveling companion can now catch some zzz’s in peace. After all, they have another big day tomorrow. They’re in the midst of a 7,000-mile journey up to the tippy-top of North America. Adventure—and the Arctic Ocean—await.

“Is it courage that keeps me going? No, it’s not that,” said Bolay, a 73-year-old retired investment adviser who is proud to call Omaha home when he’s not coming face-to-face with some of nature’s wildest. “The world is out there. I think you’ve got to go out every day and embrace life.” ►

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60 PLUS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 60+ ACTIVE LIVING // uring summer 2019, embracing life for Bolay looked a lot like an episode of Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown.

Instead of lounging beachside, going the all-inclusive route, or becoming a cruise vacationer, Bolay’s summer trip was a 7,000-mile trek spanning from Anacortes, Washington, to Tuktoyaktuk, a hamlet that borders the Arctic Ocean in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

D

As if all that didn’t sound daring enough, this was a completely self-reliant, 100% vehicle-dependent type of odyssey called overlanding—a hybrid of camping and offroading. It was Bolay, a tricked-out Land Rover that included a tent mounted to an attached trailer, and thousands upon thousands of miles ahead of him. Of course, Mr. Oliver kept him company through the entire two-month ride.

“He’s a good guy, Mr. Oliver. He did a lot of traveling in his life,” Bolay said of his nowlate dog.

Overlanding isn’t as easy as booking flights and packing bags.

Bolay owned the Land Rover for 15 years, but it took six months of planning to fully prepare before his journey north began. First came hours of online research, followed by a bit of elbow grease to transform his trunk into a mobile galley kitchen.

Bolay constructed wood drawers for storage, had a propane stove and refrigerator installed, bought tires tough enough to stand the wear and tear of gravel arctic roads, and even took a pre-trip to California in May to mount a roof rack for extra storage. Also placed atop his vehicle were lights to pierce desolate darkness at night and a solar-heated road shower.

This is a tank of water and an accompanying jet nozzle to provide the convenience of pressurized water, even when in the middle of nowhere.

After California, Bolay continued his prep in Oregon, where he got his clamshell-shaped tent, and then motored on to the ninth annual Northwest Overland Rally in Plain, Washington. This annual four-day event is part expo and part roughin’ it 101, with expert-ran courses to help guide travelers like Bolay.

“Peter is one of those guys who sets a goal and does it,” said Jim Holley, a longtime friend and former travel buddy. “There were definitely more logistics to this trip and a little more danger. However, it doesn’t surprise me he would do it. Really, I was in awe of him.”

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60 PLUS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

The journey from Anacortes, Washington, officially began—much of it proving to be slow-moving and teeth-rattling—on July 7.

Beyond Dawson City, Yukon, Bolay drove the mountainous Dempster Highway onward.

While there was remote beauty, wide-open spaces, and incredible scenery abound, the rough state of the roads meant he could only drive 10 miles per hour at times for an average of 230 miles per day.

After this path, he took the InuvikTuktoyaktuk Highway in Canada’s Northwest Territories, a road made famous for its treacherous turns featured on History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers.

“The last part of the Arctic, I got stuck,” Bolay said. “It’s this large marshland, so I pulled off to take a couple pictures. Apparently, my right side was too pulled off. People in a nearby town had to get me out.”

It’s these people—those who call one of the most isolated regions on Earth home—that made the trip all the more memorable. Bolay met an indigenous man who could fillet a fish faster than he’s ever seen, shared drinks in small town bars with others from as far as Germany, and loaded up a young longdistance biker with water when he saw the traveler only had two water bottles.

“Part of what drives me to travel is the beauty of the world we live in, but it’s also about the wonderful people who make it up,” Bolay said.

“I like meeting new people while discovering new places.”

Of course, for most of the trip, it was just Bolay and Mr. Oliver.

Those days consisted of nine hours of driving, with energy bars and cups of instant coffee to keep him going. As evening crawled over the horizon, the man and his dog would pull off the road to camp for the night. A small fire was lit, the durable tent folded down from the trailer, and the two rested before doing it all again in the morning.

Things were far from mundane, though. The natural sights along the way kept it all exciting.

“I saw glaciers. Just gigantic glaciers.

Mountains split two ways. Waterfalls. Bald eagles as prevalent as robins. Bison in big herds,” Bolay said. “There were many times I’d come around a pass and it was nothing but oohs and aahs.”

As for the Arctic Ocean itself, the water wasn’t too different from something he could see right here in the Metro.

“It looked like the Missouri River. Kind of like chocolate milk, but more greyish, blackish.”

Bolay finally made it home in mid-September, motoring a total of 11,000 miles when including travel for preparation. That’s the equivalent of driving across the continental U.S. four times over.

However, what’s exhausting for most is old hat for Bolay. Adventure and him are old friends, going back to his childhood when his family would pack into the station wagon to go fly fishing or make short trips around Pennsylvania.

Since then, he’s lived in Italy, roamed through much of Europe, sailed extensively across the Caribbean, fallen in love with the lush greenness of New Zealand, and motorcycled to Nova Scotia. There seems to be hardly a corner of the globe he hasn’t covered.

“Traveling is in my blood,” Boulay said.

As evidenced by all the wheres and whats he has experienced, Bolay is very much a variety-is-the-spice-of-life type person. That spontaneity is also shown in his wide array of hobbies.

When he’s not smoking cigars with his pals at the Old Market’s Havana Garage, he’s woodworking, creating everything from bowls to chairs to 15-foot boats. If he’s not doing that, he might be sailing up the coast to Alaska on the Dobro. Translated to “good” in Croatian, Dobro is the name of the trawler boat he docks in the northwest of Washington state.

Somehow, between it all, he still works part time as a managing partner for NAVIQ Wealth Management. Following a career of managing equity portfolios, he retired as first vice president of investments from Wells Fargo Advisors in 2018, but keeps his passion for all things financial alive. “‘You’re never too old to set a new goal or start a new dream.’ I live by that C.S. Lewis quote,” Bolay said. “I think life is full of lessons, and I want to learn as many as possible.”

Lessons that come in the form of tundra stretching and sprawling beyond the Arctic Circle. A 35-pound Welsh terrier turned expert traveler. Even curious black bears who disappear as quick as they arrived.

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// 65 //

W 60+ PROFILE // STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONTRIBUTED // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

ith his

continental charm and killer cooking skills, Erwin Siegler gained entry to the international culinary scene and its disparate cultures and cuisines. The journey of this former Omaha chef began in his native Germany, where he earned his chops in the lean post-World War II period.

He was recruited to America in the early1960s by the Radisson hotel family. He started his own catering company in 1976 and he gained U.S. citizenship in 1980.

His business enjoyed a three-decade run.

Siegler became a fixture on the local food scene. He was president of the Omaha Restaurant Association, a charter member of the Omaha International Wine and Food Society, and a cooking instructor at Boys Town and Metropolitan Community College. In 2000, he was elected to the Omaha Hospitality Hall of Fame.

Retired Omaha physician Michael Dunn knew him from IWFS. “He put on many five-course meals, both for the society and individual members, and they were always outstanding,” Dunn said. “He’s a very creative, personable guy. Very knowledgeable about matching food and wine. He exposed to me things I never had before.”

Another friend, Phillips Manufacturing CEO George Kubak, recalled sumptuous feasts Siegler prepared for the plant’s employees. “He made the best Thanksgiving meal you’ve ever had,” Kubak said. If lucky enough to get invited to Siegler’s home, as Kubak was, it meant eating “out of this world schnitzel and spaetzle.” Life in the food industry can be difficult, but he found his lane in the field.

“I never complained,” Siegler said. "I had it good all the way.”

l l A r o f A Ma n n i n g s Se aso Erwin Siegler Worked With Dignity for Dignitaries

His passion and ambition took him far from his rural origins in the small Bavarian town of Lohr am Main. He was the seventh of 10 siblings in a Catholic family. His father was a farmer and contractor. Their hometown went largely untouched by the war. Per European custom, Siegler faced a choice upon finishing high school of continuing his schooling or entering a trade. He opted for the culinary field because an older cousin he admired was a cook.

He landed a break when the Bavarian governor, a chef by training, took an interest in him. The governor owned a business making specialty food items (goose liver pates, oxtail soup) for hotels and he got Siegler on as an apprentice under its master chef.

He succeeded on the food side, but it wasn’t enough to save the hotel. Seeing the writing on the wall, he followed its former manager to the Ramada Inn, where he routinely achieved the lowest food costs across the company’s national chain.

The chef soon felt established enough to start his own business, Siegler’s Catering.

He didn’t want for clients. “I had so many people calling me.” He catered major events for Creighton Prep and Duchesne Academy. “You make your money from the big parties.”

He ran the food operation in the Mutual of Omaha Dome cafe.

Siegler credited the governor for the chance to learn his vocation. “He just loved the way I was interested in it,” Siegler said. “He called me ‘my son.’ He helped me all the way.”

Upon graduating with special honors, the apt pupil got placed at a first-class hotel in Interlaken, Switzerland, courtesy of his mentor. Siegler said, “Going there was the best choice I made in my life.”

Another mentor advised he learn English.

He did, and it led to a gig in northern England, where he learned under an Italian chef. A new opportunity brought him back to Switzerland, this time to the Kulm Hotel at St. Moritz. Between resort seasons, he worked on the Rotterdam and New Amsterdam Holland American cruise lines to New York, the Caribbean, and Cuba.

Wherever he went, his personality paved the way. “I am an easy guy to befriend,” Siegler said. “I make friends right away.”

Being a people person, he said, “Is how I got through life.”

He was driven enough to earn certifications in all the stations—from sauces to soups—at the Kulm, whose head chef recommended Siegler to the Onassis family.

They owned a hotel chain in Greece, and Siegler helped open two new properties.

At the first, on the island of Corfu, he improvised with fresh, local ingredients (lamb, lobsters, figs, and fennel) when its power failed.

Then America came calling. Radisson wanted him so badly the hotelier arranged with the Swiss consul in Zurich for the Sieglers to receive expedited visas.

He'd worked three years in Minneapolis when the company acquired the Blackstone in Omaha, and Siegler was dispatched to turn around its food operations.

“It was a challenge and I like challenges,” Siegler said. “I especially like it when you see an improvement. It makes you feel good.”

“I am an easy guy to befriend.I make friends right away.

Being a people person, is how I got through life.”

“Then I got all the politicians,” said Siegler. “The first was President [Gerald] Ford. The Republicans hired me to do the party. Then came George Bush I. A big GOP donor hosted it. Then came Bill Clinton and after him, Hillary. Both Clinton parties were at the home of a big Democratic Party donor.”

Siegler led culinary-spiced tours of Europe for Omaha business execs with gourmand tastes.

Back home, churning out volumes of meals got to be too much.

“It was hard, hard, hard work. I had 16-17-18 hour days. I had some help, but the cooking I did more or less all myself.”

He never intended making America his permanent home, but it’s where he made his greatest mark pleasing people.

“We [he and wife Edith] wanted to go back home after five years and we did go home,” he said, “but nothing was right for me after being away. I wasn’t satisfied enough. I’m glad we came back to the states. The opportunity was here and I could make my own business.”

He firmly believes the American dream is intact.

“If you want to work here, you still can make money, and I was a hard worker,” Siegler said. “My wife always said, ‘We won’t get rich, but we’ll have a good living.’ That’s what we did.”

Editor’s note: Siegler died on Sept.

11, 2020, following a brief battle with cancer.

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60+ NOSTALGIA // STORY BY ANTHONY FLOTT // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

Is it any wonder we don’t celebrate Christmas like we did in the 1950s and 1960s given the deadly ways we once decked the halls?

Actually, some people still do, dusting off Christmas kitsch carefully preserved for decades. Roberta Mullen of Papillion is one of those people. Every December, Mullen assembles her 6-foot-tall aluminum tree with foil needles that is illuminated by a translucent wheel that turns the tree blue, red, green, and yellow according to the color passing in front of the bulb.

“This was the tree we had growing up in the ’60s,” said Mullen, who inherited it from her parents.

Those who didn’t get such mid-20th century classics passed down to them have sparked a nostalgic online demand for the originals or replicas.

“It’s a big part of the tradition that people celebrated as families,” said Jeff Jorgensen, longtime owner of Tannenbaum Christmas Shop in the Old Market. “‘Grandma had this; I remember seeing that.’”

What many might not know is why some of the 1950s/1960s Christmas bling went bye-bye. Part of the reason was changing styles—the space-age fascination for shiny and metallic things fell out of favor.

Accidental death and dismemberment had something to do with it, too.

Mullen’s aluminum tree, for instance, was potentially lethal.

“You could not put electric lights on them,” she said, “or you could get a powerful shock.”

Other Christmas decorations also came with hazards, but darn it if they didn’t look good.

That said, Omaha Magazine is going on a Yuletide stroll through these throwback Christmas decorations that will have readers dreaming of a winter wonderland.

Aluminum Trees This was a craze sparked in the 1950s by several manufacturers, including the Aluminum Specialty Co. Its Evergleam tree, introduced at the 1959 American Toy Fair, was an instant smash. Trunk and branches were made of aluminum, the needles of foil. A rotating color wheel bathed it in slowly changing hues. The tree could be put on a rotating stand, too. One problem, though—aluminum is a conductor of electricity, so if a faulty wire was added, it might provide a shock or start a fire. That prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a warning about them. Still, that’s not what crushed the craze. Turns out that all the bashing the Peanuts gang did on such kitsch as holiday commercialization struck a chord with the public watching the 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. That, along with new trees made from plastic, contributed to plummeting sales. American Specialty produced nearly a million aluminum trees, but discontinued their production in 1970.

Flocked Trees Flocking—putting fake snow on a tree or other decoration—has been around since the 1920s but became popular in the 1960s. It, too, came with danger.

Craftmaster sold a Sno-Flok kit that gave trees “the soft, snowy beauty of outdoors” while “helping prevent needle fall.” And it was fire-retardant. The kit came with a spray gun attachment for the vacuum cleaner to blow the fluff and one pound of “Sno-Flok” in white or decorator colors. One pound of asbestos, that is.

Use of the cancer-causing silicate led to flocking falling from favor.

Tinsel Another great idea was decorating the tree with poison…er, tinsel. Tinsel was initially made with silver, then lead, which is cheaper and doesn’t tarnish. In the 1950s and 1960s, seemingly everyone was globbing it onto trees. The problem was that lead tinsel is hazardous, as a 1971 FDA report noted. Today, the stringy stuff is made from PVC — but hanging remains a chore. “People nowadays are not nearly patient enough to put tinsel on their tree the way we did,” Jorgensen said. “There were only two and then three stations to watch [on TV] then. You could put all the tinsel on the tree.”

Accidental death and dismemberment had something to do with it, too. Mullen’s aluminum tree, for instance, was potentially lethal.

Shiny Brite Ornaments Never heard of them? These iconic decorations were popularized in the 1950s by Max Eckhardt's Shiny Brite company. The colorful glass ornaments came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, or decorated with snowy scenes of sleigh rides, carolers, and other Christmasy depictions. And they can still be had today. The Shiny Brite brand revived and is sold online and in stores such as Menards.

Train around the Tree So what in the N-O-E-L did trains chugging around a conifer have to do with Christmas? Mostly marketing.

Manufacturer Lionel popularized the tradition in the early 1900s and, like many of these traditions, the practice reached its peak in the ’50s and ’60s. With the rise of cars and planes, it’s one tradition that went off track.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer Montgomery Ward introduced him in a 1939 booklet, Gene Autry sang of him in 1949, then he got a stop-action special in 1964. Almost from the start, Rudolph was a hit decoration, coming in various shapes, sizes, and colors, but with one commonality—that red honker.

Village People It takes a village to celebrate Christmas.

Not long after World War II, Christmas villages comprised of tiny houses, churches, and other buildings became a thing. These were first mass-produced

by Japanese companies from cardboard or paper. In the 1970s, they were made of ceramic or porcelain. No matter what they’re made of, they seem to multiply like Gremlins. Jorgensen said, “We’ll hear stories, ‘My mantle is full, my dining room table is full, my closet is full, my basement is full, my garage is full … but the kids don’t want them.’”

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Facebook is for Seniors Finding Connection & Fun on Social Media

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60 PLUS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 60+ FEATURE // STORY BY KATRINA MARKEL

S

ocial media platforms can be an effective way for seniors to stay in touch with family, reconnect with long-lost friends, and forge relationships with like-minded people.

The social platform Facebook is by far the most popular tool for older Americans.

Nearly half of adults over the age of 65 have Facebook accounts and almost 40% use YouTube, according to a Pew Research study from 2019.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

“I started because, at the time, I was a sponsor for a church youth group and kids were getting onto it. I thought, ‘What is this?’

I was just trying to keep up with the kids.”

-Nancy Brookhart

DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

Steve Bode, 71, is a retired photographer who volunteers with Cyber Seniors, a national organization that provides tech training for older adults.

The Omaha group was meeting at Do Space before COVID-19 safety measures were enacted. When it comes to social media, he noted that the seniors he coaches typically want to set up a new account, recover access to an existing account, or need assistance working with photos.

“Most of the people that we’ve dealt with, the problem was that their kids are on Facebook and they wanted to see pictures of the grandchildren, and the only way they’re going to see them is if they got on Facebook,” said Bode, who also mentioned that his wife uses social media to stay in touch with family, including conducting video chats with a grandchild in Florida.

Jeremy Lipschultz, Ph.D., of the UNO Social Media Lab and School of Communication, said that a benefit of online video is that it can approximate the experience of being in the same space.

“The more rich the technology is, the better from that standpoint, and so if you have a chance to use video, that’s a great way to maintain those relationships,” said Lipschultz, a 2019-2020 Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professor in recognition of outstanding performance in research/creative activity and teaching and author of two books on social media.

Bode, who lives in Ralston, said that he enjoys Facebook affinity groups for photography and hunting. These groups allow for connection and information sharing among people with similar passions.

“If you join a Facebook group it may or may not really serve any meaningful purpose in your life,” Lipschultz said. “But if it’s a community where people share interests, where they share problems and concerns and they’re serving more of a support group function, that can be very positive and very healthy for you. But you have to really think seriously about why you’re doing it and again, to the extent that you can, eliminate the noise and accentuate what is valuable. What’s helpful to you?”

Council Bluffs residents Rand and Nancy Brookhart have been on Facebook for roughly a decade and it serves several functions in their lives.

“I started because, at the time, I was a sponsor for a church youth group and kids were getting onto it. I thought, ‘What is this?’ I was just trying to keep up with the kids,” said Nancy, who is 68 and retired from a career with Iowa Workforce Development.

Rand joined a few years later. He was singing in a quartet and he kept asking Nancy to promote the group on its Facebook page.

“I was saying ‘Could you put this on, would you put this on here?’ and finally she said, ‘No, you do it yourself.’ So, I had to have my own Facebook account then,” said Rand, 69, who is also retired from Iowa Workforce Development.

The Brookharts find entertainment on Facebook by playing games such as crossword puzzles. Rand said that his high school and college classmates keep in touch through dedicated Facebook groups, which is something Lipschultz sees as a benefit of social media.

“From the purpose of sharing memories, sharing relationships, I think it can be a very strong and compelling context,” Lipschultz said. ► ►

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During quarantine, the Brookharts have been able to participate in church services streamed on Facebook from Urban Abbey in the Old Market. Nancy has ataxia, a degenerative disease of the nervous system, which limits her mobility. Getting out of the house even in the best of times presents challenges. She has several social media accounts, which she said gives her something to do, although she doesn’t use all of them.

“I’ve got a Snapchat account, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why that’s helpful. That seems pretty useless to me,” Nancy said.

She also uses Twitter for news discovery and notes the importance of doublechecking the veracity of stories.

“I don’t take what [news outlets] say verbatim and if I’ve seen something that kind of piques my interest, I’ll look elsewhere and see if it’s there also,” said Nancy, who added she’ll check to see if the story is reported in a major newspaper or “tried and true” sources—such as major broadcast networks—before sharing a story.

Social media provides a fertile environment for misinformation and disinformation. A 2019 article published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances concluded that, “On average, users over 65 shared nearly seven times as many articles from fake news domains as the youngest age group.”

One of the researchers, New York University professor Jonathan Nagler told news outlets that a possible explanation for older adults being more susceptible to false information online is that they came of age well before the internet existed, and many lack the digital savvy of younger users.

Even though seniors were the most likely age group to share false stories on Facebook, they still shared those stories at a relatively low rate of 11% during the 2016 election. By comparison, about 3% of adults aged 18 to 29 shared bogus stories. One caveat, those numbers don’t include the countless people who may see the story, never share it, but believe it all the same. // 72 //

60 PLUS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

“In the absence of black letter law, we have to individually turn to ethics and hope that people are responsible in their use of social media, but we also turn to individuals to learn and exercise media literacy.” -Jeremy Lipschultz “What changed, I think significantly about a decade ago, is that the social media platforms allowed individuals to begin doing their own storytelling,” said Lipschultz, who explained that the internet has become a “virtual town square.”

He points out that the First Amendment gives publishers a great deal of latitude when it comes to content creation. Since the advent of the internet, the barrier to entry is low when it comes to publishing content. The gatekeepers that existed a generation or two ago, when most Americans received news from broadcast networks and newspapers, are no longer there to mediate the content we consume.

“In the absence of black letter law, we have to individually turn to ethics and hope that people are responsible in their use of social media, but we also turn to individuals to learn and exercise media literacy,” Lipschultz said.

He suggests that news consumers need to learn to “deconstruct” stories and ask critical questions including, “Is the source and message credible or not? Do I need to check it out further? Is there only one source telling this story or many? Can I search it at Snopes and find out whether someone else has already checked for the truth and accuracy of it?”

Scams and privacy are two other concerns that seniors may have when using social media. The Brookharts said they’ve learned not to accept friend requests on social media from people they don’t know. It’s also advisable to be wary of cloned Facebook accounts, a simple scam in which someone with malicious intent copies the Facebook profile of a friend and impersonates that friend in an attempt to obtain personal information.

Bode said that one woman came to Cyber Seniors needing help after she was conned out of $5,000. He said they don’t see scams like that often, but malware— any type of software designed to hijack your computer or information on it—is more common. He recommends that older adults stick with devices that are less vulnerable to attack.

“I’m a big fan of the Chromebook and Chromeboxes because they’re cheap and they don’t get malware and they’re really not that hard to learn.” said Bode, who also mentioned that Apple products are hacked less often.

Users will also want to review their privacy settings on social media accounts.

“And even when you set your privacy settings, people can take screenshots.

It’s not a perfect system. We tend to tell students that it’s not a good idea to post anything that you’re not comfortable with anybody seeing,” Lipschultz said.

Nancy said that she asks permission to share photos and tries to respect boundaries.

“One thing that I think has been helpful is to remember what is my story and what is someone else’s story,” she said.

Lipschultz suggested talking to trusted family and friends about social media privacy. Also, it’s smart to have a conversation about managing social media accounts in the event of illness or death.

He recommends that if an account is left open, a loved one should be available to moderate it.

In the book Antisocial Media, Siva Vaidhyanathan, Ph.D., compares Facebook to snack food. He writes, “We might turn to Facebook in a moment of boredom and look up an hour later wondering where that hour went and why we spent it on an experience so unremarkable yet not unpleasant.”

Social media is designed to be addictive and Lipschultz recommends that users examine their online habits by “determining ‘Why am I doing this? What’s the reason for doing it? What’s the benefit to me?’”

By reflecting on our interests, goals, and values, Lipschultz said it’s possible to minimize the negatives of social media and maximize the benefits for a healthy and rewarding experience.

OBVIOUSLY OMAHA // STORY BY TAMSEN BUTLER // PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED

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INDULGENCE & ARTISTRY METRO-AREA CHOCOLATES

The holidays are the perfect time to indulge in treats. When family and friends from out-of-town stop by for a visit and ask where to go locally to satisfy a sweet tooth, direct them toward any of the following shops, or better yet, go with them to enjoy the best candy the Metro area offers.

01. BAKERS CANDIES

831 S. BAKER ST., GREENWOOD, NE 68366 402.789.2700 BAKERSCANDIES.COM

Halfway between Omaha and Lincoln on Highway 6 is the Bakers Candy Factory Outlet, a family-run company that makes chocolate meltaways (which earned their name because they melt away when held on the tongue).

The color-coded, foil-wrapped candies are considered a local treasure, making this a great stop for visitors who want a sweet taste of Nebraska. Other snacks can be bought at the outlet, but it’s the chocolates most people come to try.

02. CHOCOLAT ABEILLE

421 S. 11TH ST. 402.315.9006 CHOCOLATABEILLE.COM

Chocolat Abeille, translated from French into English, means, “Chocolate Honeybee,” which is a suitable name for this Old Market shop where customers can sample artisan chocolates, enjoy an afternoon tea service, sip hot chocolate, or buy honey from local beehives. The owners frequently incorporate the honey from their personal hives into the shop’s handcrafted chocolate creations, many of which are true works of art. This store is as good a choice for buying holiday gifts as it is for taking visiting relatives while they’re in town.

03. CHOCOLATERIE STAM

7474 TOWNE CENTER PARKWAY, NO. 123 402.933.7826 STAMCHOCOLATEOMAHA.COM

Step through the doors of this chocolatier nestled in the Shadow Lake mall in Papillion and prepare to feel transported to somewhere other than a shopping mall in a Midwest suburb. The ornate decor of the store nicely complements the rows of chocolates and array of gelato available.

Despite its unique look, Chocolaterie Stam isn’t a humble little shop but instead one branch of a larger brand scattered throughout the Midwest.

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04. THE CORDIAL CHERRY

THE SHOPS OF LEGACY, 16939 WRIGHT PLAZA, NO. 143 402.679.3011 THECORDIALCHERRY.COM

The Cordial Cherry is one Omaha business that can boast inclusion on one of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” lists (2013). The Cordial Cherry doesn’t merely offer chocolate; they offer a chocolate experience. Nationwide attention to this locally owned business can likely be credited to the intricate designer chocolate art they create, often seasonal.

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05. OLD MARKET CANDY SHOP 1005 HOWARD ST. 402.344.8846 OLDMARKETCANDY.COM

Handmade chocolate and fudge take the spotlight in this Old Market candy shop alongside the impressive collection of retro candy. This candy shop has been in business since the late 1970s, making it no surprise that it has reached iconic status among Omaha locals. Walk into the Old Market Candy Shop and enjoy the delightful assault on the senses.

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06. SEE’S CANDIES

700 S. 72ND ST. 402.397.6100 CHOCOLATESHOPS.SEES.COM/NE/OMAHA

Get two visitor must-sees out of the way in one trip by visiting See’s Candies, located inside Nebraska Furniture Mart. Visitors will be torn between checking out the offerings of this sweet shop or wandering the Mart. This shop is one of hundreds around the United States but still features the classic black-and-white kitchen tile decorations reminiscent of Mary See’s home kitchen where the candies were first made.

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DINING REVIEW // STORY BY NIZ PROSKOCIL

MILLARD RESTAURANT KINAARA SHOWCASES THE DIVERSITY OF INDIAN CUISINE

F LAVORS OF INDIA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

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“IT’S THE FAMILIAR DISHES THAT HELP BRING PEOPLE IN, WHEN THEY COME BACK AGAIN,THEY’LL BE MORE ADVENTUROUS.” —KIMBERLY HARRIS

KINAARA INDIAN CUISINE 13816 P ST. | 402.895.3463

FOOD SERVICE AMBIANCE PRICE OVERALL

N/A (takeout only)

$$ 5 STARS POSSIBLE

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// DINING REVIEW //

There’s a variety of tasty vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free starters and entrees, plus a handful of items you may have never seen at other local Indian restaurants. Intense flavors, intricate techniques, and a talented chef make Kinaara one of the city’s best spots for Indian food, which is perfect for sharing and as suitable for takeout as it is for eating in.

Ashish Sathyan and Kimberly Harris are the husband-and-wife duo behind Kinaara.

Kimberly is from Omaha, and Ashish grew up in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

His 15-plus years of culinary experience includes restaurants in Dubai, New Jersey, and Omaha, where he was the chef at the former Indian Bowl in the Blackstone district.

Soon after getting married in January, the couple became first-time restaurateurs and opened Kinaara. When the pandemic hit, the eatery closed its dining room and switched to curbside service, which it continues to offer.

My partner and I have picked up takeout from Kinaara a handful of times since spring, but until recently we mostly stuck to our standbys—vegetable korma (mixed veggies cooked in a cashew-onion sauce), dal makhani (creamy spiced lentils and beans), and saag paneer (spinach with fresh Indian cheese). The restaurant serves terrific versions of those Indian classics, but there’s also numerous options for diners craving something different.

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Indian, one of my favorite international cuisines, is the focus at Kinaara. The local, family-owned business, which opened in February at 138th and P streets, showcases the diversity and deliciousness of Indian cooking with a menu of popular dishes from across the subcontinent, family recipes, and regional specialties infused with spices.

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he coronavirus pandemic has kept many of us from traveling abroad, but we can still take our taste buds on a trip around the world.

Takeout meals from Omaha’s array of ethnic restaurants—ranging from Korean, Greek, and Latin American to Middle Eastern, Thai, and West African—have become a favorite part of my weekly routine.

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On a mid-August visit, it was two new-tome dishes from the chef ’s home state of Kerala that stood out: fish pollichathu and shrimp moilee. Kerala’s location on India’s southwest coast means seafood is abundant, and so are coconuts. Both are used frequently in the region’s cuisine. Ingredients like curry leaves and black pepper also are prevalent, Ashish said.

He sticks closely to a family recipe for the shrimp moilee. Plump shrimp are simmered in a delicate coconut milk-based sauce along with curry leaves, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric, and other spices. The dish is deeply flavorful, fragrant, and satisfying along with spoonfuls of the accompanying basmati rice.

The fish pollichathu is another traditional Kerala specialty that highlights the region’s distinctive flavors and aromatic spices.

Kinaara’s version substitutes salmon filet for the usual whole fish because it’s boneless and easier to eat. The salmon is coated in a savory, paste-like marinade with a good balance of sourness and heat, wrapped in a banana leaf, and cooked until moist, tender, and flaky.

Fans of cauliflower may want to go directly to the lasuni gobi. A popular snack in India, cauliflower florets are battered, fried, and then tossed in a slightly spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce.

Butter chicken, from northern India, is another standout dish. It features tender, bite-size pieces of oven-roasted chicken in a deep orange-red sauce that’s rich, creamy, and hard to stop eating. Diners choose the spice level for each dish: mild, medium, hot, or extra hot. For me, medium spiciness here tends to pack the right amount of heat.

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Entrees are accompanied by generous portions of fluffy basmati rice, but a side of warm Indian flatbread—whether it’s buttered naan, whole wheat roti, or flaky paratha—is also ideal for sopping up every last drop of sauce.

The idea behind the menu was to serve well-known entrees such as chicken tikka masala, alongside more unusual items. “It’s the familiar dishes that help bring people in,” said Kimberly, adding that “when they come back again, they’ll be more adventurous.”

In addition to its regular menu, Kinaara offers “Taste of Kerala” weekend specials and hosts monthly pop-up brunches in the parking lot. The restaurant donates a portion of proceeds from the sale of certain menu items to local nonprofit groups such as Bluebarn Theatre and Black and Pink. Kimberly and Ashish said it’s important for them to give back and help others in the community.

Opening and maintaining a business during a pandemic has been challenging, but the couple said they’re grateful for the support from family, friends, and customers. Despite the long hours and stressful days, owning a restaurant is a dream fulfilled. “I never hate my job,” Ashish said. “I love cooking. This is my passion.”

Visit kinaaraomaha.com for more information.

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DINING FEATURE // Story By Katrina Markel

OWC

OMAHA WINE Co. Celebrating 25 Years of Bringing Napa to Omaha

Photography By Bill Sitzmann // Design By Matt Wieczorek

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“You’re sincere, down-to-Earth, honest people. You’re not wine-jaded, like New York. The coasts, you know, the East Coasts and the West Coasts are wine jaded, but the Midwest is not…”

Randle Johnson, Owner, Calafia Cellars in St. Helena, California

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ICHELLE HYDER’S PASSION FOR WINE IS INFECTIOUS AS SHE TALKS ABOUT HER FAVORITE VINTAGES. THE NEW OWNERS OF OMAHA WINE CO., MICHELLE AND HER HUSBAND, HASAN, ARE MORE THAN SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND WINE CONNOISSEURS; THEY ARE KEEPERS OF A UNIQUE LEGACY BUILT BY JOHN DRANEY, WHO FOUNDED THE STORE 25 YEARS AGO. “More than a dozen people have talked with me over the past four or five years saying, ‘Hey, when do you want to sell?’ Because I’m in my late '70s and I’ve got to have an exit. And I interviewed people. She [Michelle] was the first one I thought, ‘This can work,’” said Draney, who continues to consult at the shop.

Hyder recently worked with Chef Jacob Newton at V. Mertz to plan a 25th anniversary dinner for customers.

“We have an amazing restaurant scene and you know, let’s create an amazing experience where we can pair some great wine with your amazing food.

For me it’s a win-win-win,” she said.

The Hyders moved to Omaha in 2006 and were originally customers of OWC. Michelle, who is in charge of day-to-day operations at the store, said that wine was a shared hobby for the couple. A chemical engineer by trade, she didn’t expect to own a business.

“Our youngest was starting kindergarten and I was looking at going back to school. What was my next chapter going to look like?” Hyder said.

When Draney approached her with the opportunity she wasn’t immediately certain, but “I just couldn’t get it out of my head. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, when do you ever get to combine your passion with your livelihood?’ That’s rare.”

The Hyders bought the shop last year and have continued the company’s pioneering business practices of building relationships directly with winemakers, carefully curating wines, matching customers with their preferred flavor profiles, and hosting a twice-a-year open house with visiting wineries. They also attend an invitation-only auction, Premiere Napa Valley, where the store is regularly a successful bidder on one-of-kind vintages for its customers.

“You’re sincere, down-to-Earth, honest people. You’re not wine-jaded, like New York. The coasts, you know, the East Coasts and the West Coasts are wine jaded, but the Midwest is not… you guys have your act together,” said Randle Johnson, who owns Calafia Cellars in St. Helena, California with his wife MaryLee.

The Johnsons have owned Calafia for 41 years. Randle is also the lead winemaker for the Hess Collection. They come to Omaha for the OWC open house events where, according to Randle, Calafia wines are one of the top sellers.

said. “And then I got a phone call, late in the evening from two very exhausted parents saying ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe how many people come. What an amazing event. What a great group of people. This is a great place!’”

“Omaha’s my number one—out of the state of California—market,” said Johnson, who brimmed with compliments for the city.

The shop, which is located in Miracle Hills Square, turned out to be bigger on the inside. Sciandri said the owners and staff also know their stuff.

Hyder said she was skeptical when Draney first told her that the little store was known nationally for its collection of Napa Valley wines until she witnessed it for herself.

“I think it’s important for Omaha to know, this is a great local business. I mean, Omaha should be very proud,” said Hyder.

“We have customers who live on both coasts and they have family here, so when they come back for the holidays they come in and they’re like, ‘This store is the best store for wine I’ve ever seen. I can’t get this stuff in New York. I can’t get this stuff in San Francisco.’ So, it’s just really cool.”

The Sciandri family was initially skeptical as well. Growers for more than 20 years, Sciandri Family Vineyards produced its first vintage in 2006. Around 2013, Ron and Roberta Sciandri first traveled to Omaha for the shop’s semi-annual wine event. Their daughter, Rebecca, who now runs the business, said that they were very excited. A bonus was that her dad, an avid bird hunter, could scope out pheasant hunting locations in Nebraska.

“My parents flew into Omaha, got a hotel and had a car, called and said, ‘We’ve made a terrible mistake.’ And I said, ‘Why, what’s going on?’ They’re like, ‘You don’t even know. We just drove by this little shop where we’re supposed to go tomorrow and, Rebecca, it’s this tiny little shop in, like, a strip mall. I don’t think it’s as big as that guy said it’s going to be. There’s no way that people come to this little shop,’” Sciandri

“So, for the longest time, Omaha Wine Company was the only retail shop outside of California that carried our wine for that very specific reason,” Sciandri said. “For a wine shop, that’s key if a small producer like us is going to go into there. I can’t just be a label on a shelf and hope that somebody finds it without knowing anything about us or wines.”

The shop carries vintages from wine regions around the world, but it is best known for its Napa wines and its special relationship with vintners. In 2015 Ron Sciandri died of cancer shortly before the OWC fall wine event. Rebecca had already shipped her wines, but called the store to say she couldn’t make the event.

“Then, on the Sunday of the event, I started getting all kinds of text messages, social media messages from customers and what not, and I was like, ‘What is going on?’

The employees of Omaha Wine Company and fellow vintners manned our table and poured our family’s wine in honor of my father. It was the most heartwarming thing I had ever heard of or experienced. They put down their own stuff and stood at our table and told my dad’s story,” said Sciandri, with emotion in her voice. “So, they’re not just customers in a location. They’re very dear friends. They’re family. They’re people who are important to us.”

Visit omahawine.com for more information.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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Colorful Presentation

Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine Brings People Together

// 82 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

DINING PROFILE // STORY BY Tim Trudell PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK

Most business owners may decide to call it a career when, after nearly 30 years in the same location, they’re informed that their lease will not be renewed. Ahmad Nazar is not most people.

The 67-year-old restaurateur was determined to find a new location for Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine when he learned his restaurant would lose its Old Market location at the end of January.

Instead of bowing his head is despair, he sought the perfect new location, and in less than four months, he reopened at 4646 Dodge Street. In the midst of a pandemic, with restaurants either temporarily closed or only offering curbside pick-up, Nazar persevered.

“I wish I would have done this five years ago,” he said. “My customers are out here, in the Dundee area. They come from Bennington, Elkhorn. They come from all over, even from downtown.”

When Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine reopened, it initially offered curbside pick-up.

And with free parking near the front door, it quickly proved successful, Nazar said. Once the dining room opened, he ensured they maintained a safe distance between tables for customers.

Persian cuisine isn’t overwhelming or spicy, Nazar said. Instead of spices such as curry, Persian food relies on seasoning that enhances the taste, he said. You’ll find sumac, cumin, ginger, and turmeric among spices used by Persian chefs.

Nazar said he wasn’t always good at cooking. “I was 14 years old when my mother put me in the kitchen,” he said. “‘Watch me,’ she said. She peeled food and put it in the pot. Added spices.

The next day, she told me to make the same dish.”

Nervous, the teenager cooked it as he thought he saw his mother do.

“It was tasteless,” Nazar laughed. “I was nervous, so I asked my brothers and sisters. They told me to taste the food as I go. After three or four dishes, I got it.”

The student succeeded.

“She was here visiting before she passed away. ‘That’s my son,’ she proudly proclaimed,” Nazar said.

A colorful presentation is also key to a successful meal, with spices adding to the color of the meat, along with the rice, red tomato, and green salad, he said.

“You want it to be as colorful as a Persian rug,” Nazar said.

Visitors to Ahmad’s new location will find a different atmosphere. Besides the traditional Persian music quietly playing in the background, large colorful paintings hang on three walls. With 49 such paintings, Nazar plans to rotate them.

With the care he puts into preparing an excellent menu, he has found fans who continue to support the restaurant. Dr. Bob and Sue Roesch of Fremont celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary.

The couple have been loyal diners since Nazar opened the original location near 10th and Howard streets.

“I want to make sure that when [customers] come, every two months they see that things change,” he said. “Make them relaxed. Make it like their own home. Their own dining room.”

“We celebrate all our major events here,” Sue said. She recommends the Persian Split [not on menu], which is a combination of chicken and shrimp, served with with rice, tomato, and a salad.

While the location is different, the menu remains the same, with fan favorites such as Tehran Chicken, featuring a chicken tenderloin marinated in saffron and lime, along with 12 more spices, and served with rice and a cooked tomato. Even the dinner salad has a unique dressing, a personal creation with yogurt as the base.

The couple were in Las Vegas when someone asked them where they were from. When she replied Nebraska, the person asked if they’d dined at Ahmad’s.

“You need to take a bite of the chicken, tomato, and rice together to get the true flavor,” Nazar said.

“Imagine being in Las Vegas and someone asks you about Ahmad’s,” she said.

“What are the odds?”

While they loved the Old Market spot, they prefer the new location, she added.

“It’s a shorter drive,” Bob said.

Clearly, loyalty to Ahmad’s extends beyond Nebraska’s borders. Mike Perini, who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has had a meal at the restaurant about twice a year for more than two decades while visiting relatives. He followed Ahmad’s from the Old Market to Dodge Street.

“I love the variety, spices, and flavors,” Perini said.

The Iranian native immigrated to the United States in 1979 to attend dental school at Creighton University.

A former member of the Shah’s army, Nazar was surprised when, two months after arriving in Omaha, the revolution occurred and the government of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was overthrown, replaced by Islamic leadership led by the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

“We (his family) were more cosmopolitan, not that religious,” Nazar said.

His parents remained in his hometown of Abadon, south of Tehran.

“I went back to visit about 10 years later [after the revolution],” he said. “It was OK. We were treated well.”

He hasn’t been back to Iran since 2005, following his mother’s death. An American citizen now, Nazar has lived in Omaha for most of his life.

“This (the United States) is my country,” Nazar said. “It’s like I was born here. My kids were born here.”

Though he started his education at Creighton, he decided he was more interested in business than dentistry, and graduated with a business degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

After waiting tables at several restaurants in Omaha, friends encouraged him to introduce Persian food to the scene.

Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine caught on quickly, he said.

Today, Nazar’s goal is to provide a great experience for diners, no matter where they’re from. “Food brings people together,” he said.

Visit ahmadspersiancuisine.com for more information.

83

- Sponsored Content -

Omaha

DINING GUIDE AMERICAN CHARLESTON’S - $$$

140th and Dodge streets - 402.431.0023 76th and Dodge streets - 402.991.0055 Charleston’s is a casual, upbeat restaurant with a menu filled with dishes prepared from scratch daily. We focus on providing our guests with excellent prices and selecting the highest quality ingredients. Whether you are new to Charleston’s or a long-standing guest, we look forward to seeing you soon!

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DJ’S DUGOUT - $

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LISA’S RADIAL CAFE - $

817 N. 40th St. - 402-551-2176

American. Cafe. Diner. Vegetarian-friendly.

Gluten-free options. This old-school diner serves hearty portions of American comfort classics for breakfast and lunch. Family-owned and operated. This business is a must if you’re in the area. People rave about our chickenfried steak, stuffed French toast, coffee, and friendly staff. Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m.-2 p.m

OLD MATTRESS FACTORY - $ 501 N 13th St. - 402.346.9116

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

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Catch all the action at DJ Dugout Sports Bar’s seven Omaha-area locations. DJ’s Dugout features delicious wings, burgers, wraps, salads, appetizers, and an impressive drink menu. Plus, DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar has huge media walls full of HD TVs and projectors. Dig In at the Dugout!

—djsdugout.com

JAMS- $$

7814 Dodge St. - 402.399.8300 17070 Wright Plz, Ste. 100 - 402.810.9600 1101 Harney St. in the OldMarket - 402.614.9333

Jams is an Omaha restaurant legacy, an “American Grill” that offers a melting pot of different styles and varieties. The dishes are made with high-quality ingredients that pair well with award-winning wines or creative cocktails.

—jamseats.com

LE PEEP - $

69th & Pacific - 402.933.2776 177th and Center streets - 402.934.9914 156th Street & W. Dodge Road - 402.408.1728 120th and Blondo streets - 402.991.8222 Le Peep puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot. Fresh. Simple. Elegant. Inviting. We put the emphasis on people, both patrons and staff.

We focus on providing each of our guests the fresh food and friendly service that they have come to expect. Open daily 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

—lepeepomaha.coms

• Private Parties & Events, Full & Partial Venue Buyout • Serving Burgers, Beers, Salads & Cocktails 402.502.9902 | 6209 MAPLE ST. • BENSON

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

// 84 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

GM@BARCHENBEER.COM | BARCHEN BEER .COM

BEER GARDEN & BEER HALL

Omaha

DINING GUIDE

Get a Little Get Saucy.

STELLA’S - $

106 S. Galvin Road, Bellevue 402.291.6088

a Little Saucy. CHANGE Appetizers

yH Happ our

Since 1936, we’ve been making our worldfamous Stella’s hamburgers the same way.

The family secrets have been handed down to each owner, ensuring that your burger is the same as the one you fell in love with the first time you tried Stella’s. And if it’s your first time, we know you’ll be back! MondaySaturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday.

—stellasbarandgrill.com ntic Restaura ma nt Ro

an Dining Itali

TED AND WALLY’S - $

1120 Jackson St. - 402.341.5827

SPEZIA SPECIALTIES

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

Noon-10 p.m., —tedandwallys.com

FRESH SEAFOOD • ANGUS BEEF INNOVATIVE PASTA • RISOTTO SPEZIA SPECIALTIES

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

SATURDAY LUNCH [11am–4 pm]

I TA L I A N

Open 7 Days a Week for Lunch & Dinner

$10

OFF ANY TICKET OVER $25 NO VALUE. CASH VALUE. EXPIRES 12/31/2011 NO CASH EXPIRES 12/31/2020 Not Valid with Happy Hour or Any Other Promotions.

One Per Check.

Catering

LA CASA PIZZARIA - $$

COCKTAIL HOUR Take Out &

MONDAY – SATURDAY Pickup 4 Curbside – 6 PM ALL COCK TAILS, GL ASS WINE Available!

AND BEERS ARE HALF PRICE

CALL FOR Party RESERVATIONS . Private Rooms•.402-391-2950 Walk-Ins Welcome

3125 South 72

Street

CENTRAL LOCATION • 3125 SOUTH 72ND STREET • nd EASY ACCESS OFF I-80 • 72ND STREET EXIT

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

402.391.2950 . Call today to make your reservation

FRESH...NEVER FROZEN ANGUS BURGERS!

DJSDUGOUT.COM

GREATER OMAHA

45th and Leavenworth streets 402.556.6464

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

LO SOLE MIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO - $$

3001 S. 32nd Ave. - 402.345.5656

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

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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As an industry leader in quality and consistency, Rotella’s artisan line of whole wheat and multigrain breads is second to none.

For 100 years, our bakery has been offering an extensive variety and quality with our exclusive blends of premium grains and seeds. Our clean label breads offer the flavor and texture that customers demand. Packed with wholesome, top-tier ingredients and made with our time tested technique to ensure consistency and flavor are baked into every loaf.

rotellasbakery.com

Omaha

DINING GUIDE Breakfast

PASTA AMORE - $$

11027 Prairie Brook Road - 402.391.2585

156th & Dodge • 408-1728 177th & Center • 934-9914 120th & Blondo • 991-8222 69th & Pacific • 933-2776

Thanks for Voting Us # BREAKFAST YEARS in a Row!

13

1

Drive-Thru Open (Center St. Only) Open Daily 6:30am-2:00pm Serving Breakfast & Lunch All Day!

LEPEEPOMAHA.COM | @LEPEEPOMAHA

Pastas are made fresh daily, including tortellini, fettuccine, and capellini. Daily specials and menu items include a variety of fresh seafood and regional Italian dishes, such as linguini amore and calamari steak, penne Florentine, gnocchi, spaghetti puttanesca, and osso buco. Filet mignon is also offered for those who appreciate nationally renowned Nebraska beef. To complement your dining experience, the restaurant offers a full bar and extensive wine list. Be sure to leave room for homemade desserts, like the tiramisu and cannoli. Monday-Thursday 9 p.m. and FridaySaturday 10 p.m. Reservations recommended.

—pastaamore.com

SPEZIA - $$$

3125 S. 72nd St. - 402.391.2950 Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you’ll find a casual elegance that’s perfect for business guests, get-togethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily. Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary/Lovers’ Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and wood-fired grill. Open Monday-Sunday.

Cocktail hour 4-6 p.m., when all cocktails, glasses of wine, and beers are half price.

Evening reservations recommended.

—speziarestaurant.com

MEXICAN FERNANDO’S - $

7555 Pacific St. - 402.339.8006.

380 N. 114th St. - 402.330.5707 Featuring Sonoran -st yle cooking made fresh daily. C atering and par t y rooms also available. M onday-Thursday 11 a . m .-1 0 p. m ., Friday-Saturday 11 a . m .-11 p. m . , Sunday 4 -9 p. m . —fernandosomaha .com

LA MESA - $$

158th St. and W. Maple Road - 402.557.6130 156th and Q streets - 402.763.2555 110th St. and W. Maple Road - 402.496.1101 Fort Crook Road and Hwy 370 - 402.733.8754 84th Street and Tara Plaza - 402.593.0983 Lake Manawa Exit - 712.256.2762 Enjoy awesome enchiladas, fabulous fajitas, seafood specialties, mouth-watering margaritas, and more at La Mesa. Come see why La Mesa has been voted Omaha’s No. 1 Mexican restaurant 16 years in a row. SundayThursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. —lamesaomaha.com

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 87 //

STEAKS • CHOPS • SEAFOOD ITALIAN SPECIALTIES 7 private party rooms Seating up to 400 Lots of parking

1620 S. 10th Street

402-345-8313

www.casciossteakhouse.com

Bringing Italy to Omaha Since 1919

Take a Taste of Italy Home Today!

Tues-Thurs: 8:30am-8pm Friday: 8:30am-8:30pm Saturday: 7:30am-8pm Sunday: 7:30am-6pm

HAPPY HOUR:

Tues–Sat 3-6pm & All Day Sunday

REVERSE HAPPY HOUR:

Friday & Saturday 9-11pm $1 OFF TACOS, $3 MEX BEERS, $5.50 MARGS 735 N 14th St. Omaha, NE 68102 402.933.4222 | hookandlime.com

An Omaha favorite for over 100 years (1919-2019)

402.345.3438 621 Pacific St, Omaha NE orsibakery.com ek Dining Gre

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

3821 Center St. / 402.346.1528 GreekIslandsOmaha.com

h Steak ouse

OMAHA MAGAZINE it’s about all of us.

We publish stories about interesting people who live next door and fascinating former Omahans. Read stories about the arts, the food, the music, and the events that make Omaha the cultural epicenter of the Midwest.

OmahaMagazine.com/Subscribe

// 88 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

@The Drover Restaurant & Lounge | Gift Cards Available 2121 S. 73 St. | (402) 391-7440 | DroverRestaurant.com Open Monday - Friday 11am - 2pm | Dinner nightly from 5pm

Omaha’s Riverfront Entertainment Venue

WEDDINGS • PARTIES • EVENTS

BOOK 2021 NOW!

Omaha

DINING GUIDE ROMEO’S MEXICAN FOOD AND PIZZA - $

90th and Blondo streets - 402.391.8870 146th St. and W. Center Road - 402.330.4160 96th and L streets - 402.331.5656 Galvin and Avery roads - 402.292.2028 29th and Farnam steets - 402.346.1110 Romeo’s is your friendly, family Mexican food and pizza restaurant.We take real pride in serving our guests generous portions of the freshest, most flavorful dishes made with the finest ingredients available. Zesty seasonings and the freshest ingredients combine to ensure the ultimate in flavor. Our savory taco meat is prepared every morning at each location. Make sure to try our chimichangas; they’re the best in town. —romeosomaha.com

402-342-7827

• WEDDINGS • PARTIES • EVENTS • REUNIONS • MEETINGS 151 FREEDOM PARK ROAD • OMAHA www.rivercitystar.com

SPECIAL DINING BÄRCHEN BEER GARDEN - $

6209 Maple St. - 402.502.9902

Located in Benson, Bärchen is a modern American beer garden and beer hall influenced

by German communal drinking culture.

Indoor seating for approximately 125 people and outdoor seating in our beer garden for approximately 125-150 people. The laid-back atmosphere pairs well with our 30 rotating taps, international beer list, unique sausage & sandwich menu, and locally made pretzels. We are family and dog friendly—all are welcome.

Hours: Tues-Thurs 3 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri & Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information or to host an event, please email gm@barchenbeer.com —barchenbeer.com

CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $

3578 Farnam St. - 402.345.1708 Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia—Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store.

With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best Reuben sandwich, we are a Midtown beerlover’s destination. Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kitchen hours: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight.

Closed Sunday. —beercornerusa.com

FIRST WATCH - $

1222 S. 71st St. - 402.932.5691 2855 S. 168th St. - 402.330.3444 3605 N. 147th St. - 402.965.3444 304 Olson Drive - 402.965.3444 18101 Chicago St. - 402.916.4109 2015 Pratt Ave., Bellevue - 402.991.3448 We begin each morning at the crack of dawn, slicing fresh fruits and vegetables, baking muffins, and whipping up our French toast batter from scratch. Everything is made to-order here at First Watch. We use only the finest ingredients possible for the freshest taste around.

@OmahaMagazine

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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Omaha

DINING GUIDE —firstwatch.com

GREEK ISLANDS - $

3821 Center St. - 402.346.1528 Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. We are well-known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests.

Carry-out and delivery available. MondayThursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.

—greekislandsomaha.com

PARADISE BAKERY - $

STEAKHOUSES CASCIO’S - $$

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

DINING GUIDE LEGEND

$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+

Cascio’s is Omaha’s No. 1 steakhouse. We have been serving Omaha for 69 years. We feature steaks, chops, seafood, and Italian specialties. We have seven private party rooms, seating for up to 400 people, and plenty of parking. —casciossteakhouse.com

17305 Davenport St. - 402.934.5757 120 Regency Parkway - 402.991.3000

THE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - $$$

Paradise Bakery offers freshly prepared baked goods made from scratch every morning with the finest ingredients available. Offering a variety of meals including soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Our associates are extremely proud of the reputation Paradise has earned for providing exceptional service and producing the finest-quality products.

—paradisebakery.com

Famous for the original Whiskey Steak. Truly a one-of-a-kind Midwestern experience. Excellent food, wine, service, and value. Rare... and very well done. Lunch Monday­- Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., cocktail hour 3-6 p.m., dinner nightly 5 p.m. —droverrestaurant.com

n Sandwi ube ch Re

Try Omaha’s Favorite Reuben!

2121 S. 73rd St. - 402-391-7440

Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers.

3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com

Dine-in / TakeouT / CurbsiDe / ouTsiDe available Pasta

xican Dining Me

Rockbrook Village (108th & Center) 402.391.2585 www.pastaamore.com

ichanga Chim

THANK YOU FOR VOTING OUR PASTA #1

We can accommodate parties of 30 or more, by reservation only

Mon.-Thurs.: 4:30-9 PM // Fri.-Sat.: 4:30-10 PM // Closed Sunday

Like Us on Facebook

5 METRO Locations!

3 90th & Blondo 402.391.8870 3 146th & Center 402.330.4160 3 96th & L 402.331.5656 3 Galvin & Avery 402.292.2028 3 29th & Farnam 402.346.1110

www.romeosOMAHA.com

// 90 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

Hamburger

Catering Available

thanks to our customers for voting us the “BEST BURGER

IN OMAHA “Serving World Famous Hamburgers Since 1936”

106 GALVIN RD., BELLEVUE, NE • 402-291-6088 • OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY, 11 AM - 9 PM

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 91 //

NEBRASK A

THE HANDM ADE’NS CR AF T FAIR

Nov. 7-8 at Merryman Performing Arts Center, Kearney. This holiday market features handmade decor and gifts from local artists in a gorgeous boutique shopping atmosphere.

308.698.8297 —merrymancenter.org

05

VE TER ANS DAY Nov. 11 at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland. The museum honors America’s military veterans with a special program on Veteran’s Day. This year, the program coincides with the opening of HIGH PRESSURE: The Korean War & Aviation exhibit. It will also include a posting of the colors and a keynote speaker. Veterans are encouraged to attend this event in uniform.

402.944.3100. —SACMuseum.org CHRIS T M AS AT THE M ANSION

TBA at Lied Lodge and Conference Center, Nebraska City. The historic 52-room mansion features vintage-inspired decorations and holiday-themed displays. 402.873.7222. —liedlodge.org

GATE WAY FARM E XPO Nov. 18-19 at Buffalo County Fairgrounds, Kearney. Guests will see the latest agriculture technology and services at this 51st annual expo, which will feature hundreds of exhibits, free barbecue, live entertainment, and several talks, including “International Trade: A Walk Through the Current Landscape.”

308.234.2717. —gatewayfarmexpo.org // 92 //

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

CHRIS T M AS TR ADITIONS FES TIVA L HIGH PL AINS CHRIS T M AS Dec. 5, Nov. 29-Dec. 8 throughout Minden. The at Legacy of the Plains Museum in annual Light of the World Christmas Gering. This holiday tradition features Pageant will take place on the hayrack rides, marshmallow roasting, weekends, and a full week of and cowboy coffee around a DEC. activities, from a carnival for bonfire. Kids can write letters children to a scavenger hunt, escape to Santa and send them via room, concerts, free movies, and Pony Express to Santa’s Village more. 308.832.1811. —mindenne.org in downtown Gering. Hot meals are served while supplies last.

308.436.1989. —legacyoftheplains.org HOLIDAY TROLLE Y TOUR OF LIGHT S

Fridays and Saturdays Nov. 29-Dec. 27 at Lied Lodge, Nebraska City. The Arbor Day Farm trolley will take visitors on a tour of historic Nebraska City to view the best Christmas lights. A classic Christmas book is read during the ride. 402.873.8733. —liedlodge.org

CHRIS T M AS AT THE CODYS Fridays

and Saturdays, Dec. 19-23 North Platte. Buffalo Bill’s magnificent Victorian mansion is decorated for DEC. the holidays and open to the public during the Christmas season each year, as is the barn. Evening events include outdoor caroling and hayrack rides. Complimentary hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts are provided.

308.535.8035. —visitnorthplatte.com

19-23

VICTORIAN CHRIS T M AS ON M AIN S TREE T Dec. 5 in downtown

Plattsmouth. Guests can listen to seasonal music, tour the Cass County Museum, take hayrack rides, meet Father Christmas, and more. The official Tree Lighting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the Cass County Museum.

402.296.5544. —visitcasscounty.com

CHRIS T M AS PAS T AND PRESENT

Dec. 4-6, 11-12 at Stuhr Museum, Grand Island. This event features lamp-lit walks in Railroad Town, cooking, crafts, decorations, the Fantasy of Trees exhibit, and much more.

308.385.5316 —stuhrmuseum.org

CHRIS T M AS CABARE T Dec. 11-13 at James Arthur Vineyards. The vineyards is offering two evening performances and one afternoon matinee of Christmas songs and holiday hits to spread the Christmas spirit. Judy Anderson and friends will be the entertainers. Admission price includes one glass of wine.

402.783.5255. —jamesarthurvineyards.com IOWA

GIRL S GE TAWAY WEEK END Nov. 6-8 at Amana Colonies. This special trip is dedicated to women, for women.

There are many special events planned, such as special menu selections at restaurants, shopping specials, wine sampling, and live theater productions.

319.622.7622. —amanacolonies.com

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IMAGINE • INSPIRE • INNOVATE

28TH ANNUA L CHRIS T M AS PAR ADE

Nov. 27 in downtown Clarinda.

This annual celebration is a community tradition started in 1993 to honor NOV. the area firefighters who helped battle the Page County Courthouse fire in 1991. Fire trucks are given a place of honor following the color guard unit. After the parade, children are able to visit Santa Claus at the Santa House located on the lawn of Page County Courthouse. 712.542.2166. —clarinda.org

27

Just off I-80 at Exit 426

www.SACMuseum.org

JULEFES T Nov. 27-28 in Elk Horn and Kimballton. This celebration of the arrival of the Christmas season is celebrating its 41st anniversary.

Events include a “Naughty or Nisse” 5K Polar Run, craft fairs at multiple locations, and more. The Museum of Danish America and Danish Windmill will be open throughout the weekend.

712.764.7472. —danishvillages.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

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// EXPLORE CALENDAR //

VILL AGES OF A M ANA CHRIS T M AS HAUS TOUR Dec. 5-8 at the Amana

Colonies. Amana Arts Guild will host the annual Villages of Amana Christmas Haus Tour, an event filled with lovely traditions and whimsical surprises. Visit with homeowners and get to know the colonies in a whole new way. 319.622.7622.

—amanacolonies.com

K ANSAS

FIND THE WINE Nov. 7 and 14 at Walter’s Pumpkin Patch, Burns. Snacks and samples of wine will be available at this fourth annual event, but the guests must try to locate samples located within a KC ChiefsDEC. themed corn maze. 21+ only.

316.320.4150. —thewaltersfarm.com

National Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center, Decorah.

This lively day of events includes Scandinavian holiday traditions, crafts, music, a movie, and other treats.

563.382.9681. —vesterheim.org

CHRIS T M AS IN K A LONA Dec. 5 in

downtown Kalona. Children can fill their “walking stockings” with gifts from local merchants, have their picture taken with Santa, decorate cookies and ornaments, take a cookie walk, tour churches, and ride in a carriage.

319.656.2660. —kalonachamber.com

Dec. 5-6 and 12-13 Cedar Rapids. The traditional event will now take place over two weekends to encourage social distancing. On the first weekend, shop the vendor marketplace for specialty imports and handmade gifts by select artisans, and meet Svatý Mikuláš čert a anděl. The second weekend, get your holiday sweets at the annual Museum Guild Cookie Walk and Kolache Sale and support the Czech Heritage Foundation with their annual Wreath Raffle. Both weekends, attendees can see the museum’s newest exhibitions and shop in the museum store. 319.362.8500. —ncsml.org

DM SY MPHONY— NYE POPS: THE MUSIC OF ELTON JOHN Dec. 31 at

Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines.

Grammy and Tony-nominated Broadway star Michael Cavanaugh was called “the new voice of the American Rock and Roll songbook” by Billboard. From classic Elton John hits “Tiny Dancer,” “Bennie and the Jets” and “Rocket Man” to rock favorites such as “Live and Let Die” and “Pinball Wizard,” Cavanaugh and his band will ring in the New Year with the Des Moines Symphony and the greatest hits of Elton John. 515.246.2300.

—desmoinesperformingarts.org

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

GRE AT PUMPKIN SM ASH Nov. 1 at Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City. Visitors can come and watch animals stomp, crash, and roll around with huge pumpkins after Halloween. This is a great post Halloween enrichment for children of all ages. 816.595.1234. —kansascityzoo.org

5-8

NORWEGIAN CHRIS T M AS CELEBR ATION Dec. 5 at The Vesterheim

OLD WORLD CHRIS T M AS M ARK E T

MISSOURI

BRE WERY LIGHT S TBD at AnheuserBusch St. Louis Brewery. This annual event is family-friendly, with ice skating, a kids zone, walking tours of the area, a train, and photo opportunities with the famous Clydesdales. Those who want to tour the brewery can do so.

314.577.2626. —budweisertours.cOM

THE HIP-HOP NUTCR ACK ER Lied

Center Nov. 29 at 1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence. Directed and choreographed

by Jennifer Weber, this is a contemporary dance spectacle set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless music. It’s an evening-length production is performed by a supercharged cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and MC Kurtis Blow, one of hiphop’s founding fathers, who opens the show with a short set. 785.864.2787. -lied.ku.edu

S T. CHARLES CHRIS T M AS TR ADITIONS Nov. 27-Dec. 23.

Locations vary, St. Charles. In addition to the 80-plus characters who are always “making seasons bright,” there are a host of other activities in St. Charles at Christmastime.

800.366.2427. —discoverstcharles.com

HIS TORIC R ANCH CANDLELIGHT TOUR Nov. 7 at Tallgrass Prairie

National Reserve. Step back in time to learn about actual events that took place on the property over 100 years ago.

Living history reenactors tell the stories of the ranch and American Indian culture on the prairie with first-person vignettes of real life on a typical winter night in the prairie. Kerosene lanterns light the path. 620.273.8494. —nps.gov/tapr

VE TER ANS DAY WEEK END Nov. 11

in Fort Scott, Kansas. Fort Scott has been honoring veterans since 1842. This signature event traditionally includes a parade through the downtown and a grand ball. This year's event will be different. More information online.

620.223.3566. —fortscott.com

21S T ANNUA L HOLIDAY LUMINARY WA LK . Nov. 29-30, Dec. 6-7, and

13-14 at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Overland Park.

Guests can stroll down candlelit paths through the gardens while viewing holiday lights and listening to live music. There’s a Children’s Garden and horse-drawn wagon rides as well. 913.895.6270. —opkansas.org

HYDE PARK LUMINARIES TBD in Hutchinson. Stroll, drive, or ride through this beautiful neighborhood for the 35th annual Christmas Luminaria.

Meet Santa at the corner of 20th and Washington streets, listen to musical entertainment, take a horse-drawn wagon ride, drink cider, and eat cookies at Hyde Park. 620.694.9310. —hutchgov.com

NOV.

26

90 TH ANNUA L PL A Z A LIGHT S

Nov. 26 in Kansas City. Each Thanksgiving evening, one of Kansas City’s most grand annual traditions happens on the Country Club Plaza. Those missing Omaha’s post-turkey dinner lights show can see a dazzling display in Kansas CIty that includes giveaways, performances, fireworks, and a post-ceremony concert. The lights display runs through mid-January.

816.753.0100. —countryclubplaza.com

ANNUA L CHRIS T M AS CANDLELIGHT TOURS AT THE HIS TORIC DANIEL BOONE HOUSE Dec. 6-7, 13-14 at

historic Daniel Boone Home, Defiance.

Frontiersman Daniel Boone’s home will be open and lit for the holidays. The village will have historic scenarios and information about this time period, and campfires will be lit. People can drink hot cider and eat snacks. while roaming through more than 1000 luminaries.

636.798.2005. —sccmo.org

Event times and details may change.

Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings.

Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

// 95 //

NOT FUNNY // COLUMN BY OTIS TWELVE // PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL SITZMANN

IT ’S A D O G’S L IF E

A

nd (to mix my metaphors) since birds of a feather flock together, most of my friends are dog people, too. Now, it is true that a few of them have ancillary cats. That is, those cats are just “add-ons” and are relegated to subsidiary roles in the household—a lot like Gunther on Friends. I’m able to overlook the litter box in the corner and grant those friends full “dog person” status. I am a very open-minded person, but please don’t presume to think that I will accept anyone who keeps budgies. I am adamantly opposed to the domestication of budgerigars.

I don’t care how many dogs you own if you have even one single caged, long-tailed, seedeater in your house, then you are a bird person and I cast you out.

Recently a friend’s precious furry companion crossed that Rainbow Bridge. He was a sad-eyed, floppy-eared drooler, and a whine-in-the-middle-of-the-night mutt. How could anyone not love that, right? This dog of his, named Frederick the Pretty Great, had this way of looking deep into your eyes…deeper and deeper…his eyes glowing like the calm surface of a peaceful lake at sunset…deeper and deeper…Before you knew it, you came to in the pet aisle at the grocery store with a package of Beggin’ Strips in your hand, unsure of how exactly you got there.

Needless to say, my friend was bereft. The void a dog leaves behind is a large one. I know it’s sad when your favorite cat passes too, but hey, like I said. It’s just like a scene in the Central Perk without Gunther. When a dog dies, it’s like Old Yeller every time.

(Great, now I’ve got Phoebe’s voice in my head…Smelly cat, smelly cat…The only cure is to remember Ross. Shudder…I hate Ross.)

Frederick the Pretty Great has crossed over. Sad. It made me think of the dogs I’ve known and loved. There was Robespierre, my mom’s poodle, who specialized in running out onto a nearby golf course and snatching tee shots while they were still rolling, returning every Titleist and Callaway thus captured to one of our basement window wells. Next came Abbey Road, my giant St. Bernard, who loved joining my neighbors on their screened porches by walking through the screen. Another favorite joined me at my “starter home,” Glorf, the Dead Martian Dog, who I got at the pound to keep rabbits out of my garden only to find him helping the evil cottontails by digging up the carrots for them. I will never forget Clinton, the twotermed pet—constantly in trouble but only more lovable with every misadventure.

My dogs…I have loved them all.

Presently I am living with Fay Wray, the blonde dog named after the actress who made King Kong’s giant fingers famous. Fay is now of advanced years. She is blind.

She is deaf. She snores like a longshoreman sleeping off a cocaine binge. She gets lost on the patio, trapped in corners, stranded on her favorite chair, but she can always find her food dish at suppertime. She’s a mess, kind of like me these days.

And I love her. We can see the bridge ahead…but not yet.

Isn’t that the sweetest time, the “not yet?”

Otis Twelve hosts the radio program Early Morning Classics with Otis Twelve on 90.7 KVNO, weekday mornings from 6-10 a.m. Visit kvno.org for more information.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

// 96 //

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