January/February 2014 The Encounter

January/February 2014

Omaha’s Historic Drag Scene

COMMONgood Who says biking isn’t practical?

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contents 10 Living

Downtown life has always been for the young at heart. Marge Tilton proves it with her condo in The Greenhouse lofts.

12 Art

Heard of RAW:Omaha? Wondered what on earth it is? Director Amber Keller talks about empowering the city’s lesserknown artists.

16 History

features 8 Drastic Plastic

The punk-rock store makes sure Omaha stays up on what’s underground.

14 COMMONgood Recycling inCOMMON’s new recycling program is powered by bikes and small businesses.

24 North Omaha

Forget what you’ve heard. North Omaha is ready for its revitalization to begin.

Two of Omaha’s current top queens, Chad Bugge and Steve Knox, reflect on the legacy of the city’s drag scene.

20 Fashion

Work Hard, Play Hard

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33 Faces

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35 Faces

Football and fashion are two lifelong passions of theatrical designer Jennifer Pool of Blue Barn’s Witching Hour fame.

37 Dining

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39 Old Market Map 40 Merchants & Attractions

43 Calendar

On our cover: Steve Knox, Miss Gay Omaha 2013, as Nicolette NuVogue

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the encounter | january/february 2014

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

By Jenn Valentine

Dear Readers, Just before Thanksgiving, a friend posted on Facebook that Valente V. Valentine had died. I looked it up. November 25, the paper said. I knew he was elderly, and I knew that his health had got in the way of our attempts to write a story about him. Still, it was the sort of thing you don’t believe right away. No, of course not, Val will be out there with his tablet and permanent marker tomorrow, right?

All of Downtown knew him simply as Val (that’s his iconic face at the top right of this page). If you’d never had a portrait quickly sketched by him, then surely you’ve seen him sitting in his usual place at 11th and Howard. Everyone has a personal story about Val. For me, he was part of my very first introduction to Omaha, long before it ever entered my mind to live here.

I was a high-school senior from Indiana, playing a volleyball tournament hosted

by Creighton University. I won’t tell you what year, but it’s been a minute. One night, my team stormed downtown. Or so I’m sure we thought. We ate at Spaghetti Works, we tried on clothes that were way outside our budget at Nouvelle Eve, and then someone saw Val. Can’t remember whose idea it was, but while our entire team sat on one of those huge circular planters, Val sketched all of us. He joked with us, asked if we’d won (we hadn’t). I think our coach got the big portrait. I never saw it again after that night. I did have one of my own done—I’m pretty sure I’ve never looked quite so much like a ’50s teenager as Val’s personal style made me look.

I would like to think that sketch is hiding in a folder somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered after a couple dozen moves. Rather than search for it and admit I tossed it in a moving fit, I’ll pretend I still have it tucked away somewhere.

Thanks, Val. It was a great night.

Chris Wolfgang Editor, The Encounter Magazine

@omahamagazine

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@omahamagazine

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january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

January/February 2014

Come In - Warm Up - Relax

publisher

enjoy a pot of tea & our new food items

Todd Lemke managing editor

David Williams the encounter editor

Chris Wolfgang editorial intern

Anna Hensel (No. 33) contributing writers

Jasmine Maharisi •Mandy Mowers • Niz Proskocil • Rain Sissel creative director

John Gawley director of photography

& interactive media

Bill Sitzmann senior graphic designer

& web content manager

Katie Anderson junior graphic designer

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Mike Brewer for advertising information:

402.884.2000 www.omahamagazine.com owned and managed by

Omaha Magazine, LTD All versions of The Encounter are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted; however, no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations.

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FEATURE

Drastic Plastic

From left: Neil Azevedo, Jeanette George, and Christine Fink show Omaha what punk rock is at Drastic Plastic Downtown.

Making Underground Mainstream

story by Rain Sissel | photos by Bill Sitzmann

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RIGINALLY OPENED AT 24th and N streets back in 1982, Drastic Plastic was one of the first retailers to push major boundaries within the Omaha social sphere. The punk-rock shop sold skateboards, Dr. Martens, and punk records when mainstream culture consisted of top 40 hits and leg warmers.

Now located in The Old Market District on 12th and Howard streets, Drastic Plastic has been making waves for over three decades under the direction of owner Mike Howard and, more recently, store manager Neil Azevedo.

Azevedo was originally just a regular customer before joining Drastic in 2007. A record store that promoted alternative culture was somewhat of a godsend for Midwest high-school students like Azevedo who were seeking something else.

“Whenever I started coming to the store, I did it because at that time, punk rock and post-punk music was underground music.

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As a teenager, it was a way for me to understand who I was and push the bounds of what I could be,” Azevedo says.

Since becoming store manager, Azevedo has helped keep Drastic Plastic current, shifting some of the store’s focus to subsidiary ventures like Drastic Plastic Collectibles. The line specializes in toy manufacturing—more specifically rock- and horror-based bobble heads.

Starting with the classics (e.g., characters from Night of the Living Dead, Fulci’s Zombie, and the one and only Iggy Pop), Drastic Plastic Collectibles is in full swing. Soon to grace shelves are Debbie Harry, Jimi Hendrix, and Marc Bolan of T. Rex. Although dabbling in toy manufacturing, Drastic is still all about the music. Christine Fink is the coordinator for Drastic Plastic Records, a vinyl reissue label in the Impact Merchandising offices on 24th and St. Mary’s. With her hands in everything from marketing and production to graphic design and filling orders,

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“A lot of these albums are so important to so many people, and a lot of them sort of just fell by the wayside, or they haven’t been reissued in a long time,” Fink says. “Because this music and this culture transformed so many people, we felt it was important to not only reissue these albums but do it in such a way that they are collector’s items.”

Focusing heavily on packaging and presentation, Fink hopes that these reissued records can also serve as art pieces for those who collect them.

“We try to make things as high of quality as possible. We are willing to spend a little bit of money in order to make things as perfect as they can be,” Azevedo says. “Our goal is not even to make money. Our goal for the store itself is just to break even, pay our rent, and buy as much vinyl as we possibly can.” omahamagazine.com

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the encounter | january/february 2014

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LIVING

The Greenhouse is why Marge Tilton stays Downtown.

story by Jasmine Maharisi | photos by Bill Sitzmann

I

T’S A CHILLY Wednesday evening in Downtown Omaha, and Marge Tilton is just coming home from a yoga class. It’s been a busy day for the 86-year-old personal assistant. While the temperature decreases and the Old Market’s hustle and bustle continues outside her building, Tilton sits in her warm loft in The Greenhouse without hearing a peep.

“Years ago,” she recalls, “there was a big sign on this building that read ‘If you lived here, you’d be home by now.’ That intrigued me, and so I decided to check it out.”

Tilton’s one bedroom, 720-square-foot loft boasts an open floor plan with a washer-dryer and access to an underground garage. Each loft is

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january/february 2014 | the encounter

omahamagazine.com

A good view of Downtown is essential to feeling like you’re part of it all, according to Marge Tilton.

unique in its own way with high ceilings and exposed brick and piping. Sizes of the lofts range from 625 square feet to 1120. The building also features a fitness center and a security and intercom system. Most impressive though is its location across ConAgra Foods’ Downtown campus, a feature that has attracted an eclectic mix of residents from grad students to retirees.

“I feel like I don’t have to go out to be part of the action,” Tilton says. “I can just open my blinds, and it’s all right here. I feel like I’m a part of Downtown.”

Assistant Manager Mary Whittington says many of the building’s tenants share Tilton’s views on the property’s prime location. “It is in the middle of the Old Market,” she says. “For omahamagazine.com

retired people, it gives them kind of a young feel, and for grad students, it’s the location that appeals to them as well.”

The lofts occupy the former McKessonRobbins Warehouse on 9th and Farnam streets. It’s one of the few remnants of Jobbers Canyon, an industrial and warehouse district that solidified Omaha as a central hub for the transportation boom in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Also known as Nash Block, the nine-story, Renaissance Revival-style structure itself was designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball, the architect-in-chief of the TransMississippi Exposition. Kimball also designed such extraordinary Omaha structures as the St. Cecilia Cathedral, the St. Francis Cabrini Church, and the Downtown Omaha Public Library. Construction of the McKesson-Robbins Warehouse was funded by Catherine B. Nash— one of Omaha’s wealthy elite—and completed around 1905.

Tilton adores the history of the building and especially likes the way it was renovated to make

lofts in the 1980s. These condos still have some of the best views in Omaha of Downtown and the Riverfront. Tilton takes advantage of that view every New Year’s Eve when she hosts a small party in her loft. She and her guests are able to watch the fireworks from the comfort of her fourth-floor space.

The parties shouldn’t be too much of a problem for other residents. “A lot of older buildings, especially warehouses, have very thin walls, and you can hear everything,” she says. “But I’ve never had a problem with noise since I’ve lived here.”

If she ever had an issue, Tilton says she is confident that management would take care of it right away. The responsive management, coupled with the sights of one of Omaha’s most alluring districts, is exactly why Tilton has lived in The Greenhouse for so long.

“I couldn’t be happier here,” she says.

“Fourteen years later, I still get excited when I pull into the garage.”

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Amber Keller’s look is thanks to a few RAW:Omaha artists: Her dress is by Haus of Donna Faye, her earrings by Juan Mora-Amaral, makeup by Lyndee Marie, bodypaint by Alyssa Keller, and haircolor and style by Tammy Cox. omahamagazine.com

THER THAN A rather arid climate and the identical first four letters of their names, Australia and Austin, Tex., share little in common, but those are the places that cemented an artistic vision for Amber Keller.

“I had worked a couple graphic design jobs here [in Omaha] before I realized something was missing,” Keller says, “so I sold most of my belongings, threw my art supplies in the car, and hit the road, creating as much art as I could along the way.” It was when she unpacked her bags in Austin for a few months in 2011 that she discovered RAW: Natural Born Artists, an international nonprofit program that acts as an incubator for new and emerging artists. They described themselves, Keller recalls, as being “for artists, by artists.”

“I did my first RAW show in Austin,” says the woman who is now director of Omaha’s RAW affiliate. “I knew the model could succeed here because our city has such a strong arts community. There’s just an amazing amount of talent here.”

Before returning to Omaha, Keller further satisfied her wanderlust by paring down her already meager possessions to backpack through Australia, where she did a RAW show in 2012.

RAW held its first annual local RAWards Semi Finals in November at Sokol Auditorium. Three finalists in nine disciplines showed their work to vie for the honor of winning a shot to advance to nationals in Los Angeles. Artists competed in the categories of visual arts, photography, film, music, performance, fashion, accessories, makeup, and hair.

The L.A.-based RAW now operates in 60 American cities along with an increasing footprint in foreign countries. Omaha’s roster of 120 RAW artists ranges in age from 17 to near retirement age, and various artists displayed their work in a series of four showcases throughout 2012.

There are no membership fees to become a RAW artist, but showcase participants are expected to sell tickets to the events so that RAW reaches the widest possible audience.

“RAW helps build an artistic community, but we do it as team,” Keller says. “The semi-final event was a competition, yes, but we’re still working together, not against each other. RAW helps foster collaborations between artists, and we support each other here in Omaha in a way that is kind of rare for a city our size.”

Tim Guthrie, a visual artist and experimental filmmaker who is a Creighton University professor of journalism, media, and computing, was one of three judges for the event. Joining Guthrie on the panel were Andrew Norman of the music-centric Hear Nebraska (featured in the current issue of our sister publication, Omaha Magazine) and Shane Bainbridge of design-focused The New BLK. “It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t know anything about RAW,” says Guthrie, “which is almost kind of appropriate in that it parallels the theme of what RAW does in terms of building visibility for artists. Omaha’s art scene is amazing, but it can be a little cliquish. It’s still a very friendly atmosphere, but there is a hint of ‘the haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ when it comes to being widely known. With a lot of dedication and hard work from these artists, it is my hope that RAW helps more of them into the category of ‘the haves.’”

RAW Artists Advancing to Nationals: Film: Rob Kasel Visual Art: Madeleine Thoma Photography: Michelle Woitzel Fashion: Haus of Donna Faye Makeup: Lyndee Marie Hair: Brogan Accessories: Casey Jones Performing Art: Flying Eagles Acrobalance Troupe Music: Omaha Street Percussion Work and videos by these and other RAW artists may be seen at rawartists.org. the encounter | january/february 2014

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FEATURE

COMMONgood puts the cycle in recycle.

story by Niz Proskocil | photos by Bill Sitzmann

H

ELMETS FASTENED, LESLIE Wells and Chase King climb on their bikes and take off for a brisk ride through downtown Omaha on a crisp afternoon.

For these avid cyclists though, today’s ride isn’t about recreation.

It’s about recycling.

Earlier in the day, the two men collected hundreds of glass and plastic bottles, cups, containers, cardboard, cans, and other items from an Old Market coffee shop and a downtown restaurant.

They loaded and secured each trash bag, box, and bin stuffed with recyclables onto a pull-behind bicycle trailer hitched to a Surly Pugsley bike with big, fat tires.

On today’s route, King rides the bike pulling the trailer, while Wells follows on his own bicycle. After pedaling their way to a recycling dumpster in a parking lot near Heartland of America Park, they unload the nearly 300-pound haul. Everything but the glass, which is biked to a collection site at 26th and Douglas streets, gets tossed into the giant bin.

Two days later, they’ll be it again—putting the cycle in recycle. Their efforts are part of COMMONgood Recycling, one of

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several programs operated by local nonprofit group inCOMMON Community Development.

Wells, program director at inCOMMON and a longtime cycling enthusiast, created and coordinates the pedal-powered service, which is offered Monday and Saturday to business owners in the downtown and midtown areas. Its primary goals are to assist small businesses, employ residents seeking entry-level work, and help protect the environment.

The idea came about after Wells noticed two of his friends, who own Omaha Bicycle Co. in Benson, using their bikes to recycle. It inspired him to take a similar approach to recycling at Aromas Coffeehouse in the Old Market, where he worked at the time.

At first, he used a handmade wooden cart attached to his bike to haul recyclables from Aromas but later switched to a solid aluminum trailer because it was stronger and could handle heavier loads. Over time, Wells thought other downtown businesses might be interested in his method of recycling. And if he could get enough customers to sign up and pay a small fee for the service, it could create job opportunities for low-income residents

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

Leslie Wells (left) and Chase King haul recyclables from small businesses Downtown with the help of their fat-tired bikes and custom carts.

served by inCOMMON, where Wells volunteered.

His plan got a boost in May when inCOMMON was awarded a $25,000 grant from State Farm to help develop the program.

Wells joined inCOMMON’s staff full time to expand and oversee the effort.

What started with one client has now grown to more than a dozen participating businesses, including Flatiron Cafe, Block 16, Aromas Coffeehouse, KANEKO, Table Grace Cafe, Elevate, Greengo Coffee & Deli, Bench, Davis Companies, CO2 Apartments, and others. Businesses sign up and pay a monthly fee of $40 for weekly pickup. Other pricing options, including one-time service, are also available.

Previously, many of those businesses were simply discarding recyclable materials in the trash. “A service like this is important because it allows small businesses to start doing the right thing by recycling and still afford to hit their bottom line by reducing their waste fee,” Wells says.

For riders, who are either unemployed or underemployed, COMMONgood Recycling allows them to make money, Wells says, omahamagazine.com

and it gives those who want to transition back into the workforce an opportunity to acquire job experience, training, and multiple skills to include on their résumés.

Christian Gray, executive director of inCOMMON Community Development, says the recycling project fits in nicely with the organization’s overall mission to strengthen struggling neighborhoods and alleviate poverty at its root.

The nonprofit group, which in October celebrated the grand opening of its Park Ave Commons community center at 1340 Park Ave., provides a variety of services for neighborhood residents, including GED instruction, preventative and emergency services, community building, English language lessons, job readiness, and other resources.

King is among the riders employed by COMMONgood Recycling as an independent contractor.

Since June, he’s helped collect, sort, and haul recyclables to drop-off sites around town. He sees the service as a way to help promote a greener community and reduce the amount of trash that goes into landfills.

“Landfills are full enough already,” King says.

In the coming year, Wells hopes to add more riders, bikes, and customers, while continuing to raise recycling awareness. He also wants to expand the service to include other areas of the city, including Benson. the encounter | january/february 2014

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HISTORY

Omaha’s Historic Drag Scene story by Chris Wolfgang | photos by Bill Sitzmann

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I

N 2004, THe New Yorker published a story entitled “Homecoming Queens.” “Compared with most Midwestern towns,” writes author Mark Singer, “Omaha has an active gay demimonde that’s not so demi.”

Well, it’s been around for a long time, Mark. Take, for example, the Miss Max pageant. Rumored to be the longest-running drag queen title in the United States (though who first said this and where remains to be discovered—still, it’s a nice story to repeat), the pageant is produced every January at The Max on 14th and Jackson. It’s been that way since 1984.

“It’s kind of a coveted title,” says Chad Bugge modestly. He’s Miss Max No. 26 and the recipient of three of Omaha’s biggest drag titles. He won his first, Miss Divine Diva, six years ago, followed it up with a Miss Max win, and finally reigned as Miss Gay Omaha in 2011.

Or, rather, Anna Roxia did. “I started out as Anna Rexia,” Bugge explains, “because I used to be really, really skinny. But Anna Roxia is a little more rocker chick.” Anna is a shock queen with edgy performances to match.

She’s been birthed on stage and shaved her head in front of a live audience, all while maintaining a high-level of makeup and body—the pads, hair, and so on. “It’s not beauty,” Bugge says, “not true female impersonation.

It’s more of an artistic expression.”

Expression is what drag boils down to and what Omaha has fostered in its gay heart for more than 30 years. For Bugge, drag was the chance to overcome a shy persona and rock some confidence with an alter ego. For Steve Knox, it was about revisiting the allure of theater.

Knox is Miss Max No. 28, the current Miss Gay Omaha, holds a degree in theater, and calls himself Nicolette NuVogue: The Actress of Omaha.

“He can probably recite every Miss Max by name and number,” says Bugge with a smile. “Drag is almost romantic for him—when you talk with him, you can see it.”

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

Steve Knox transforms into Nicolette NuVogue.

The Language Like any subculture, drag has its own vocabulary. Chad Bugge (Anna Roxia) and Steve Knox (Nicolette NuVogue) shed a little light on a few phrases.

Audience whoring. “I don’t audience whore,” Knox says. “That’s when you go into the audience and flirt with the tables to get tips. No. You have to come to me.” Tipping is of course good form, but Knox and Bugge agree that if someone is clearly enjoying the performance, that’s perfectly acceptable. Just don’t try to have a conversation during a queen’s show. “It’s no different than being at a dinner theater,” Knox says.

Bio-drag. When a bio woman or trans-woman performs in traditional drag. “It’s turned into a melting pot,” Bugge says of Omaha’s drag scene.

“I can’t speak for other cities, but if you wanna be on stage here, you’re welcome to, you just need to have something to show.” omahamagazine.com

Fish. The opposite of the old way.

“It’s more of a natural girl look,” Bugge says. “Not the huge hair, not the crazy costumes, no body.” The word comes from fishy, as in “something’s fishy about that girl.” The more fish a queen is, the more she looks like a real girl.

Mothers and daughters. A more experienced queen will sometimes take a newcomer under her wing to teach a few tricks of the drag trade. “I’ll answer any questions and occasionally lend some things out,” Knox says. “But don’t lend anything out if you don’t trust them!

Queens are shady—you spend two hours backcombing hair, you lend it out, you get it back, and…that’s not what I gave you at all.”

girls were coming out with like Broadway revues.”

The old way. “I consider it the only way,” Bugge says. If a queen follows the old way, she puts on full body along with full makeup. Hip pads, breasts, the nails, the hair—it all goes toward a general polished look of perfection.

Shock queen. “Eye makeup to Jesus,” Knox explains. “Everything is over the top.” Edgy hair, edgy costume, edgy makeup, edgy performance.

Tipping around. “Not performing, just going out in drag,” Bugge explains. It’s a way to get a few supporting fans before trying out for a pageant. “Letting people soak it in, asking who you are. You get a buzz going.”

Nationals. These are the big, nationwide pageants, like Miss Gay USofA, Unclockable. “Nobody can top Miss Gay America, Entertainer of the what you’re doing,” Bugge says.

Year, Miss Gay United States, and “You are perfection itself.” In pagMiss Continental. “Those queens eants, judges clock every mistake are spending, gosh, over $50,000 for by a contest. “If you got the hemtheir dress, their package, their talent,” line just right, if there are no loose says Knox. “I went to EOY, and these threads—you’re unclockable.” the encounter | january/february 2014

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history

“If you ask anyone who came to the bars here 30 years ago, they would be talking about the Miss Max of their day. They were the top thing in Omaha their year. Everybody in Omaha knew who they were.”

-Steve Knox

Cubby’s Old Market Grocery 601 S. 13th St.

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Knox does have a bit of an encyclopedic knowledge of the names in Omaha drag over the years. “If you ask anyone who came to the bars here 30 years ago, they would be talking about the Miss Max of their day,” he asserts. “They were the top thing in Omaha their year. Everybody in Omaha knew who they were. The minute you’re Miss Max, you’re a celebrity in gay Omaha. Reina del Mundo, No. 23…she was 21, nobody knew her. The night the crown went on her head, everybody knew who she was, and it changed her life.”

Each city’s drag scene is different, Bugge says. “In Omaha, it’s very close.

We help each other run for pageants, and the formers of all the pageants are a sisterhood. And then there are the families and houses that are all there for each other. And then not having as many bars to perform in, well, we’re all working in the same place.”

But, he adds, it’s becoming less of a stigma for gays, specifically queens, to be in straight bars. He compares the older years of Omaha drag to the pre-WWII years of the geisha. “It was this secretive, artistic performance for the elite,” Bugge says. “After the war, it sort of broke out and became more mainstream. That’s what’s happening right now with drag. Before, a queen would walk down the street, and people would be rude and catcall.”

He adds that negativity still happens, “but now more than anything you get stopped for pictures. The crowds that we get are mostly straight at, like, the casinos. And when I travel out of state, those crowds are mostly straight.”

The fascination with men dressing as women is certainly nothing new.

“Drag hails from Shakespeare,” Knox says, matter-of-fact. “Men would go on stage to play women’s roles, and the script would have a note that said Drag. Dressed As Girl.”

Omaha’s drag scene may not quite go back to Shakespeare’s days, but Knox and Bugge are nonetheless proud to add to its history. “You want to share your art with everyone,” Bugge says.

“To be part of the legacy….” Knox shakes his head. “Alexandra Stone, No. 14; Dominique Divamoore, No. 19; The Amazon, No. 17. Those girls are the ones I used to watch and be like, you are so amazing.” He’s still not quite used to younger queens approaching him for advice. “It’s so weird!

But it’s a level of respect now. I’ve earned my place in this.”

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

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Work Hard The holidays are over, and busy routines are back online. Thankfully, sometimes all it takes to go from day to night is a great bag.

Frye wingtip boot, Overland Artifact Bag Co. No. 426 in bridle leather Hair and makeup: MJ Hartig, Curb Appeal Salon and Spa Nails: Imagine Uhlenbrock, Just Imagine Nails Styling: Jared Spence Modeling: Mark Finochiaro Photography: Bill Sitzmann Special thanks to Make Believe Studios omahamagazine.com

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the encounter | january/february 2014 

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FEATURE

JoAnna LeFlore is the interim program director of Bemis Center’s Carver Bank art gallery at 24th and Lake.

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Loyalty and Pride North Omaha’s Revitalization Story

story by Chris Wolfgang | photos by Bill Sitzmann

W

HEN RON DOTZLER asked his future in-laws for permission to marry their daughter, her mother said no.

“No? Why?” “Because you’re white.”

Dotzler grew up in rural Iowa, in a small town of about 300 people. “No diversity whatsoever until I went to college and played basketball.

Met my wife, fell in love with her…” He shrugs.

“I had no clue.”

After a few years of a successful career as a chemical engineer, starting a family, and building a brand new house out west, things settled down. Then Dotzler and his wife Twany announced they were moving to North Omaha as a sort of pit stop before serving overseas in missions. “Her mother went off on me,” Dotzler recalls. “‘We did all we could to get our daughter out of the ghetto, and you’re taking her back?’”

They’ve lived in North Omaha 25 years now.

The Dotzlers never did make it overseas.

Instead, the couple works alongside a small staff and a large roster of volunteers as the Abide Network. The organization is one of many groups in the North Omaha area working to infuse neighborhoods north of Cuming Street and east of I-680 with new work, new homes, and new empowerment.

Its reputation JoAnna LeFlore, interim program director of Bemis Center’s Carver Bank art gallery at 24th and Lake, calls these pockets of activity “bubbles.” “Brigitte over at The Union is a bubble,” she says, referring to Brigitte McQueen, director of the artist residency program at 24th and Burdette. “Love’s Jazz is a bubble. The Empowerment Network. We’re a bubble. If you omahamagazine.com

Ron and Twany Dotzler of Abide Network outside their home/community center.

didn’t grow up in North Omaha, you have no idea what vibrancy is here.”

It’s true that Omahans outside of the vague borders of North Omaha have a certain perception of the area. LeFlore recalls an exchange she had with a bank teller from Bennington after she read LeFlore’s business card. “24th and Lake?” the woman asked. “Isn’t that a bad neighborhood?”

“I just…I took a minute,” LeFlore says with a tired laugh. “And I said, ‘Why would you think that?’ And she said, ‘One of my friends is a police officer, and he told me not to go to that neighborhood.’” LeFlore reverted to her default reaction whenever she runs across someone who relates hearsay. “I listened, and I let her talk.” She pauses. “And then I just told her to come down to Carver Bank and get a sandwich at Big Mama’s.”

The sandwich shop next door to Carver Bank’s gallery and studio space is popular with Creighton students. Grace Krause, a graphic design graduate from Creighton University, has been an intern at Carver Bank for a couple weeks. “I grew up in North Omaha, kind of in the Florence area. I’ve always been a defendant

of North Omaha. It’s a really great place; it just has a bad rap.”

LeFlore agrees. “Yes, there are things that happen in this neighborhood that are regrettable, but they also happen all over the city.”

Stats collected by the Abide Network suggest that, while violent crimes do happen all over the city, North Omaha still bears the brunt of them.

Dotzler keeps a map covered in red pushpins for every murder (“It’s approximately 820 total”) that’s happened in the city in the 25 years he’s lived in North Omaha. “As you can see, two thirds of them take place right here,” he says, pointing to the area north of Dodge and east of 50th Street.

Its goals However, Krause’s comments reflect another side of North Omaha, one that statisticians can’t discount. “When you meet people from North Omaha, they’re exceedingly loyal and proud of where they’re from,” says Othello Meadows, lawyer by profession, community developer by chance, and North Omahan by birth. “You always have this feeling of, like I owe something to where I grew up.” His work the encounter | january/february 2014

25

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The red, dotted line indicates the 23 vacant acres where Pleasantview used to stand and where Seventy-Five North Revitalization Corp. plans to break ground with new apartments by early 2015.

in Seventy-Five North Revitalization Corporation offers what he calls the best of both worlds.

“It’s challenging work intellectually, but there’s also this greater good we’re trying to achieve.”

Through Seventy-Five North, Meadows wants to bring three elements of greater good to North Omaha: high-quality, mixed-income housing; a cradle-to-college educational pipeline; and a network of community services.

“Neighborhoods with good economic diversity are more resilient and economically stable,” Meadows says. “And we’ll create that with a combination of for-sale and for-rent homes.” That means multi-family apartments, single-family homes, and duplexes.

The mixed-income housing is probably the closest of Seventy-Five North’s goals to becoming a reality. The organization owns 23 empty acres where a project called Pleasantview stood near 30th and Parker Streets when Meadows was a child. “If you grew up here, you knew about it,” he says. “It was a really tough place.” When he moved back from practicing law in Georgia in 2008, “they were tearing it down. The cost to rehab it was way more than it was to tear it down. Twentythree acres with nothing on it. Kind of a rare find.” He plans to break ground on a new apartment building before 2015.

Dotzler, on the other hand, says moving away from rented housing is what the area needs. “Seventy percent of these homes are rental,” he says, referring to the neighborhood where Abide Network is based, “owned by landlords who receive money through Section 8 housing. There’s a reason it’s a good business,” he says. “It’s just bad for our community. Fifty-eight percent of rentals are owned by somebody outside of the community.” Dotzler says that rental properties move people around constantly, making a community lack stability.

Interestingly, lack of stability is what Meadows wants to solve as well but with a combination of rental and market-price homes. “Right now,” he says, “you can’t build a house for what you’d be able to sell it. It’s different to have houses that someone can qualify for versus someone who can pay market rate.”

“It’s important for people to have an option to stay here,” LeFlore agrees, though she also would prefer to see more home ownership in the next five years. Continued on page 46.

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FACES

Très Johnson story by Mandy Mowers | photo by Bill Sitzmann

T

RÈS JOHNSON IS pouring water in a slow, circular motion around a paper filter resting just inside a glass jar. Inside the filter, coffee grounds are mixing with the water, tiny bubbles forming on the surface of the gritty liquid. The glass chamber below collects the drippings of fresh, dark coffee.

At 1010 S. Main St. in Council Bluffs, (drips) coffee shop serves only pour-over coffee.

Johnson had wanted to open a coffee shop almost since he managed one back in 1995. Unfortunately, “the cost of the machinery prohibits just jumping in,” he says.

He and his girlfriend, Amber Jacobsen, took a trip to San Francisco about a year and a half ago. There, they visited Blue Bottle Coffee, which does pour-over coffee—Johnson’s first taste of it.

“It was the best cup of coffee I’d had,” Johnson says. “And I realized it took a smaller amount of equipment to be able to make it. You just had to boil water, have the filter and the stand. And I actually use glass Ball jars instead of a stand.”

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the encounter | january/february 2014

33

faces

Re-inspired by this method, Johnson opened (drips) on July 1, 2013.

This particular brew is Nightingale Blend, roasted by Beansmith Coffee in Omaha, and prepared in a personal pour-over, which has four drips. He also uses a Chemex frequently, with a single drip.

“I do have some French presses and an AeroPress,” Johnson says. “But I’ve found that the pour-over just tastes better. The people that insist on French press have tried the pourover, and now they don’t insist on the French press anymore.”

A coffee shop is the perfect place to be on a day like this—cold and rainy. Amber is doing a puzzle. Two locals are enjoying their pour-overs and accusing Amber of cheating by looking at the photo on the puzzle box. (drips) is located in a mixed-use space occupied by artists, including low-income artist housing. The coffee shop definitely has an artsy feel, probably because Johnson is both a painter and a DJ. One half of the wall space displays Johnson’s art. The other half is space for rotating guest shows.

For Valentine’s Day, (drips) will display the work of approximately 20 local artists in a show called “Lovesong,” named for The Cure song. A Brian Tait show will open mid-February.

The Cure is already present in lyrics painted onto Johnson’s pieces. He often uses stencils to inscribe lyrics from bands like Depeche Mode and Joy Division—words that “people from the ’80s, if they know the song, they connect with.”

He describes his style as “heavily influenced by street art, and then some post-World War II art thrown in.”

“When I’m tired of painting and waiting for paint to dry, I produce music,” he says with a laugh.

He DJs a set every Sunday night for an online radio station, lowercasesounds.com. “Then that’s what I listen to generally throughout the week when I’m painting,” he says. “I listen to it over and over again, because I usually listen to newer music or music that I just picked up.

I listen and paint.”

Johnson describes his sound as “deep house and ambient.” He DJs Silicon Prairie News events, like Big Omaha, and he has recently released EPs on the label Deep Site Space.

“There’s always been a combination of the music in the art,” Johson says. “They’re both something that I let myself go into. I don’t really sweat it. I just let it all flow.”

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FACES

The Theatrical Design of Jennifer Pool

story by Chris Wolfgang | photo by Bill Sitzmann

J Jennifer Pool is working toward her MPA in art management, saying she’d love to manage a theater some day.

Pool gets her love of history from her father, whom she lives with along with her mother and daughter. “We will have arguments over the table about history. I’ve been told I’d be really great on Drunk History.”

omahamagazine.com

ENNIFER POOL IS a tad hoarse. “I’m recovering from the football game.” She was in the stands for Ron Kellogg III’s Hail Mary pass on Nov. 2, a Husker win that will go down in history. “I must have screamed for three minutes straight.”

The mind boggles, but football just might be more important than fashion to this freelance clothing designer from Papillion. Case in point: The second time Pool showed at Omaha Fashion Week, her collection was chosen for the finale. “But they announced it the day after my sister got tickets to the Washington/Nebraska game in Seattle. So I was like, hey, cool, I’m not gonna be at the fashion show cuz I’m gonna be in Seattle at a football game.”

the encounter | january/february 2014

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faces

Nevertheless, her collection still walked that fall 2010 runway.

Theater friends stood in as her wardrobe crew.

The combo of theater and fashion has been in Pool’s blood for years now.

She started sewing when she was 8. “And when we played pretend,” she adds, “it was very important to me that we all knew what we looked like.

We are princesses, and you are wearing this colored dress, and your hair looks like this…very important that we got that clarified right up front.”

While she was finishing her master’s in costume design at University of Georgia in 2003, some friends began an alternative theater group at Blue Barn Theatre called Witching Hour. But Pool took her expertise first to the Indiana Repertory Theater before coming back to Omaha to fall in with the group. “I started out there as a helper, worker-bee type person.”

Ten years later, she’s now Witching Hour’s artistic director.

“We’re kind of nonlinear,” Pool explains. “We’re experimental. We can set up some rules and then break them as soon as we set them. It’s not like watching a sitcom. We jump in and out of narrative theater.”

Witching Hour will only have two shows this season, due to a smaller ensemble (Sineater played in December, and How to Be Better runs Fridays and Saturdays from Feb. 28 to Mar. 15 at 11 p.m.). That’s it for fully mounted productions by Witching Hour on stage at Blue Barn, but there’s still their second annual Christmas Rumpus in July.

An out-of-season holiday observation is, frankly, right up Witching Hour’s alley. “Naysayers will say we reinvent the wheel a lot,” Pool says.

“But we simply start with no rules.” Consider that a note to be open-minded if you’re planning to attend a performance.

“I think the best shows are the ones you need the thickest skin for,” Pool says. It’s a frame of mind she kept while constructing her fall 2013 collection for OFW. “This was a very Witching Hour collection,” she says. “I approached it in much the same way I approach a show. What can I push myself to explore in an unexpected way? I felt stuck, trapped. I love to do crazy, avant garde things, I design costumes for drag queens. And the last two shows I did were contemporary.” Which, the history lover admits, isn’t her favorite style to design.

Bloodied models clothed in different stages of confinement—body cages, hoop skirts, neck braces—evoked a battle for release. “It’s about the struggle,” Pool says, “the getting out. Not whether or not you end up a beautiful butterfly.”

She’s interested in continuing the story for her next OFW collection. “If the first one was about breaking free and getting loose,” Pool says, “then you’re left with a chaotic mess. And the next collection might be about how you make sense of that.”

It might also be a response to the one negative comment about her fall 2013 show that stung. “Someone said I didn’t know how to sew,” she recalls. “And looking at my collection, yeah, there was a lot of design but not a lot of technique. So I feel like the next thing I’m going to do is going to be really structural. That’s the only thing I’m interested in responding to. Because that is wrong. Yes, I can.”

36

$35, Three-Course Prix Fixe Menu, Tues. - Fri. Award Winning Wine List Old Market Passageway • 1022 Howard St. Reservations Recommended • Call 402.345.8980 Reservations Online • www.vmertz.com General Manager * Certified Sommelier Mathew E. Brown Certified Sommeliers David Eckler, Chris Walter Executive Chef Jon Seymour | Sous Chef Garret Kasper

EVERYDAY - Cocktail Hour everyday from 5pm-7pm - $1 Off Beers & Small Plates - $2 Off Craft Cocktails and Wine by the Glass - Small Plates available until midnight (Dine-In Only) - PinPoint Card Friendly

TUESDAYS: Wine Night - Every wine on the menu available at half price by the bottle, from 5pm – Bar Close

THURSDAY DRINK NIGHT indianovenomaha.com

- We feature a selection of up to 3

1010 Howard St. Omaha, NE

cocktails not on the menu for $5

(402) 342-4856 | @IOSpeak

a drink, 5pm – Bar Close

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

DINING The open-face veggie sandwich pairs well with a salad of candied walnuts, feta, and balsamic reduction dressing.

Culprit Cafe sticks to the basics.

story by Anna Hensel | photos by Bill Sitzmann

omahamagazine.com

Of course, pick any of the cafe’s individual desserts, made in house, to follow.

E

SPRESSO AND BREAD might not sound like much of a restaurant menu, but for Culprit Cafe owner Luke Mabie, those are the only two things he needed.

When designing the menu for his new restaurant, now open at 16th and Farnam streets, Mabie turned to the basic elements of a traditional bakery and cafe.

“My palate is always looking for more with less,” says Mabie. “We wanted to bring everything back to its original element.”

While simplicity reigns supreme at Culprit, that doesn’t mean customers get just a cup of coffee and a slice of bread. Rather, Mabie aims to focus on perfecting the simplest elements of Culprit’s variety of drinks, sandwiches, and baked goods.

Culprit was inspired by Mabie’s love of classic bakeries, as well as his experiences in New York City honing his craft as a pastry chef.

“Too many people focus on having that one recipe where it’s just like, ‘Oh yes, I have this thing, nobody else has this,’” says Mabie. “You come to realize that there’s never going to be a recipe that is so special or stands out so much that everybody’s going to be jealous of it. Because it’s all about the experience as a whole.”

You aren’t going to find novelty drinks and secret menus at Culprit Cafe—what you see is what you get, and Mabie makes sure to keep Culprit’s offerings simple yet satisfying. the encounter | january/february 2014

37

dining

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Take, for example, their cappuccino. Culprit sells their cappuccinos in one size only. As Mabie explains, a cappuccino is meant to consist of one-third espresso, one-third foam, and onethird milk. If you make cappuccinos bigger, the espresso can be overpowering, so Culprit keeps their cappuccinos at their original 6 oz. size.

This thoughtfulness shows up everywhere on Culprit’s drink menu. All syrups are made inhouse, so that “the customer has a closer relationship to what we do,” says Mabie. On a recent visit, the vanilla latte and drip coffee were surprisingly smooth and not too bitter, perfect for both the coffee addict and the casual sipper.

While Mabie enjoys coffee and knew he wanted it to be a fundamental part of his business, he actually had no experience with it before opening Culprit. So he took the same approach that he does to baking and focused on the craft. Mabie traveled around the Midwest, tasting different coffee roasters, eager to educate himself on coffee as much as he could, before settling on Broadway Cafe and Roasting Co. in Kansas City, Mo. Broadway account manager Brian Phillips worked with Mabie, and was impressed by his dedication to educating himself on coffee.

“When I got the phone call from Luke, I could tell that he was really passionate about coffee, but didn’t have the technical vocabulary,” says Phillips. “But I knew right away, when he was talking about his work, with the way that he makes bread, there was a lot of crossover.”

A quick glance at Culprit’s bakery display emphasizes the work Mabie puts into his classic baked goods. Pies and cakes at Culprit aren’t just served as slices from an hours-old display but rather as individual portions. The apple brown butter cake with a honey cinnamon buttercream frosting was basic yet satisfying, just like the rest of Culprit’s menu. Containing the perfect ratio of cake to frosting, the cake wasn’t loaded with the sugars and sweeteners found in many foods nowadays.

The bread at Culprit is just as much of a labor of love. Mabie bakes his at 3 p.m. every day, so that it’s fresh for customers who come right off of work.

The bread is more than just an accent on Culprit’s sandwiches and salads. It’s the foundation for which Mabie provides lunch fare with a variety of flavor profiles and textures, to please everyone from meat lovers to vegetarians. Once again, it’s back to the basics for Mabie.

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

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1880-1881

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Health Services M

Pubs, Taverns & Lounges

Restaurants

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Art Gallery Walk

Parking

Park

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The Old Market District

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NORTH/SOUTH NUMBERS 10-19 (NUMBERS 1-9 ON PAGE 41)

39

Merchants Attractions OLD MARKET / DOWNTOWN / RIVERFRONT

ANTIQUES

Antique Annex...F16............................ 402.932.3229 Ashley’s Collectibles...E15....................402.934.3100 Ashley Jr. Collection...D16...................402-934-3100 Fairmont Antique Mall...E17.................402.346.9746 Flying Worm Vintage...E16.................. 402.932.3229 The Imaginarium...D16.........................402.594.7061 Joe’s Collectibles...F16......................... 402.612.1543 Second Chance Antiques...D14.......... 402.346.4930

ART

EXCEPTIONAL

TOBACCOS

Anderson O’Brien Fine Art...F16...........402.884.0911 Artists’ Cooperative Gallery...G15..........402.342.9617 Bemis Ctr. for Contemporary Arts...E18.402.341.7130 FAME....................................................402.341-3930 Farrah Grant Photography...G16...........402.312.8262 Gallery 616...F17...................................402.214.3061 Garden Of The Zodiac...G15.................. 402.341.1877 Hot Shops Art Center...D2....................402.342.6452 MANGELSEN Images of Nature Gallery...F15...............

402.341.8460 KANEKO...F17...................................... 402.341.3800 Old Market Artists Gallery...G15...........402.346.6569 Omaha ClayWorks...F17......................402.346.0560 Passageway Gallery...G15..................... 402.341.1910 Sirens at the Loft...F16.........................402.933.9333 White Crane Gallery...G15.....................402.345.1066

ATTRACTIONS & ENTERTAINMENT 503 S. 11th Street / Old Market / Omaha SGRoiTobacconist.com

Blue Barn Theatre...F17.......................402.345.1576 CenturyLink Center Omaha...H7.......... 402.341.1500 The Durham Museum...H19.................402.444.5071 Film Streams...D4................................ 402.933.0259 Henry Doorly Zoo...(3701 S. 10th St.).402.733.8401 Holland Performing Arts Center...E12.402.345.0606 Joslyn Art Museum...(2200 Dodge St.)..........................

402.342.3300 KANEKO...F17......................................402.341.3800 Lauritzen Gardens...(100 Bancroft St.).402.346.4002 MJ Carriage Service...(11th & Howard).402.453.6745 Ollie the Trolley......................................402.597.3596 Omaha Children’s Museum...(500 S. 20th St.)..............

402.342.6164 Omaha Symphony...A16...................... 402.342.3560 Opera Omaha...(1850 Farnam St.)......402.346.7372 Orpheum Theater...B15....................... 402.345.0606 The Rose Theater...(2001 Farnam St.).402.345.4849 TD Ameritrade Park Omaha...E3..........402.546.1800 Ticket Omaha...(www.ticketomaha.org).........................

402.345.0606

BARS, LOUNGES & PUBS

Serious about our Food.

Crazy about our Beer.

11th & HARNEY OLD MARKET

40

Bar 415...E15.......................................402.346.7455 Barry O’s...G15.....................................402.341.8032 Berry & Rye...F16................................. 402.631.1331 Billy Frogg’s Grill & Bar...F15................402.341.4427 Blue Sushi Sake Grill...E15.................. 402.408.5566 Capitol Lounge & Supper Club...G11... 402.934.5999 DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar/Blazin’ Pianos...G11.................

402.763.9974 The Dubliner Pub...E15........................ 402.342.5887 Eat the Worm...E16..............................402.614.4240 Embassy Suites Old Market...H16....... 402.346.9000 Havana Garage Cigar Bar...G15............402.614.3800 House of Loom...(1012 S. 10th St.).... 402.505.5494 J’s on Jackson...H6...............................402.991.1188 J.D.Tucker’s...G15................................402.934.5190 Jackson St.Tavern...F14.......................402.991.5637 Julio’s Old Market...D16...................... 402.345.6921 La Buvette Wine & Grocery...G16........ 402.344.8627 M’s Pub...F15...................................... 402.342.2550 Mr. Toad’s...G15.................................. 402.345.4488 Maria Sangria...F14..............................402.504.4901 Nosh Wine Lounge...G11...................... 402.614.2121 O Dining & Lounge...G14......................402.502.7888 O’Connor’s Irish Pub...E16...................402.934.9790 Old Chicago...F15..................................402.341.1616 The Tavern...G16.................................. 402.341.0191

Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill...E6....402.346.9116 Parliament Pub...C5............................ 402.934.3301 Rock Bottom Brewery...F15.................402.614.9333 Roja Old Market...E14...........................402.346.9190 Sake Bombers @ Blue...E15............... 402.408.5566 The Stadium Club Sports Bar & Grill...G15......................

402.359.1290 The Slowdown...D4..............................402.345.7569 Stiles Pub...E15....................................402.991.9911 Stokes Bar & Grill...F15....................... 402.408.9000 T Henery’s Pub...F14........................... 402.345.3651 Trap Room, The...C4........................... 402.505.9368 Twisted Fork Grill & Bar...G15.............. 402.932.9600 Union Pizzeria & Sports Bar...C2........ 402.932.2929 Upstream Brewing Company...F16..... 402.344.0200 Urban Wine Company...G18................ 402.934.0005 Waters Edge Lounge @ Embassy Suites...H16..............

402.346.9000 The Zin Room...B14..............................402.991.0660

BOOKSTORES

Spaghetti Works...F16.......................... 402.422.0770 Spencer’s @ Hilton Garden Inn...G12...402.280.8888 Table Grace Café...B14..........................402.965.1276 The Stadium Club Sports Bar & Grill...G15....................

402.359.1290 Stokes Bar & Grill…F15.......................402.408.9000 Subway...E15.. 402.341.8814 Sullivan’s Steakhouse...B13................. 402.342.0077 Trini’s Mexican Restaurant...G15..........402.346.8400 Twisted Fork Grill & Bar...G15...............402.932.9600 Union Pizzeria & Sports Bar...C2......... 402.932.2929 Upstream Brewing Company...F16......402.344.0200 V.Mertz...G15.......................................402.345.8980 Vincenzo’s Ristorante...E15...................402.342.4010 Vivace...F15..........................................402.342.2050 Wheatfields Express...F15.....................402.991.0917 The Zin Room...B14.............................. 402.991.0660 Zio’s Pizzeria...F16................................402.344.2222

FLOWERS

Jackson St. Booksellers...F17..............402.341.2664 Soul Desires/Urban Abbey...G16 ........402.898.7600

Garden Flowers...G16...........................402.614.5661 Old Market Habitat...G15..................... 402.342.0044 The Paisley Poppy...B14.......................402.991.6970

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

HEALTH & FITNESS

All About Me Boutique...G15................402.505.6000 Curbside Clothing...G16 Drastic Plastic...E16.............................402.346.8843 Flying Worm Vintage...E16................... 402.932.3229 The Lotus...E16....................................402.346.8080 McLovin’...H15...................................... 402.915.4002 Nouvelle Eve...F15.................................402.345.4811 Old Market Sundries...G16................... 402.345.8198 Overland Outfitters...G16.....................402.345.2900 Reserve Goodwill in the Market...E16...402.342.4102 Second Chance Antiques...D14...........402.346.4930 Souq, Ltd...G15.................................... 402.342.2972 Urban Outfitters...D4.............................402.280.1936

DINING

801 Chophouse at the Paxton...C14.... 402.341.1222 9th Street Grill...H11.............................402.315.4301 Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine...G15............402.341.9616 Billy Frogg’s Grill & Bar...F15................402.341.4427 Blue Sushi Sake Grill...E15.................. 402.408.5566 The Boiler Room...F17..........................402.916.9274 Capitol Lounge & Supper Club...G11... 402.934.5999 The Diner...F15.....................................402.341.9870 DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar/Blazin’ Pianos...G11.................

402.763.9974 Eat the Worm...E16..............................402.614.4240 Falling Water Grille @ Embassy Suites...H16..................

402.346.9000 The Flatiron Café...(17th & Howard).... 402.344.3040 Hiro 88...D16....................................... 402.933-5168 Indian Oven...G15................................ 402.342.4856 J’s on Jackson...H6...............................402.991.1188 Jackson St. Tavern...F17......................402.991.5637 Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen...C14.......... 402.342.3662 Joe Banana’s (1022 S.10th St.)...........402.346.7227 Julio’s Old Market...D16.........................402.345.692 Kitchen Table, The...D13......................402.933.2810 Liberty Tavern...G7.............................. 402.998.4321 Little King...F4..................................... 402.344.2264 M’s Pub...F15...................................... 402.342.2550 Maria Sangria...F14..............................402.504.4901 Matsu Sushi...G14............................... 402.346.3988 Michael’s at the Market...F14...............402.346.1205 Nicola’s Italian Wine & Faire...E16....... 402.345.8466 O Dining & Lounge...G14......................402.502.7888 O’Connors Irish Pub...E16....................402.934.9790 Old Chicago...F15 .................................402.341.1616 Omaha Prime...G15..............................402.341.7040 PepperJax Grill...D16.............................402.315.1196 Pickleman’s...B14.................................402.505.9775 Rock Bottom Brewery...F15..................402.614.9333 Roja Old Market...E14........................... 402.346.9190 Shuck’s Fish House...(19th & Leavenworth).................

402.614.5544

Acupuncture Omaha Healing Arts Center...E15............................

402.345.5078 David Bole L.Ac............................. 402.345.5078 Ellen Zinn L.Ac.............................. 402.345.5078 Elizabeth Harmon - Acupuncture...402.991.5753 Ayurvedic Healing (both at Omaha Healing Arts Center) Dr.Rajesh Kotecha...E15............... 402.345.5078 Joyce Librunner, LMT...E15...........402.740.0366 Dental Derek Fender, DDS...E15.............. 402.342.3901 James Polerecky, DDS...C15.........402.341.7576 Omaha Dental Spa (at the Loft)...F16.......................

402.505.4424 Fitness Anytime Fitness...F18....................402.991.2333 Kempo Karate...(19th & Farnam).. 402.905.6865 Omaha Yoga School...G15.............402.346.7813 Massage Therapy Old Market Massage...E15............402.850.6651 Omaha Healing Arts Center...E15...... 402.345.5078 Rachel Andress, LMT................... 402.345.5078 Sandy Aquila, LMT........................ 402.345.5078 Julia Beutler, LMT......................... 402.345.5078 Lisa Christensen, LMT...................402.850.6651 Kirstin Kluver, LMT........................ 402.345.5078 Joyce Linbrunner, LMT..................402.740.0366 Tara Thompson, LMT....................402.706.7398 Medical Commercial Optical Co...E16.........402.344.0219 Creighton Family Healthcare...D19.402.280.5500 Downtown Chiropractic...(21st & Douglas)..............

402.345.7500 Ritch Miller, DC............................. 402.345.7500 Heartland Pathology...A14.............402.346.0195 Physical Therapy Bobby Escolas, CMHT (Hypnotherapist)...................

402.990.2979 Jannette J. Davis, MS, CST...G13.402.341.2230 Cynthia Duggin, MSW, LCSW...E15.........................

402.345.5078 East & West Physical Therapy...E15.........................

402.345.5078 Chanell Jaramillo, MTP, CMH, HHP...E15.............. ...

402.689.0905 Jeff Stormberg, PhD...C14........... 402.393.0642 Tim Swisher, MHR, LMHP, LADC...G13...................

402.341.2230 Pharmacy Depot Drug...C11.........402.544.DRUG

HOME FURNISHINGS

Habitat Restore...(24th & Leavenworth)..........................

402.342.0044

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

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NORTH/SOUTH NUMBERS 1-9 (NUMBERS 10-19 ON PAGE 39) Turner Blvd

Downtown Omaha Map

tD r

the encounter | january/february 2014 

41

CenturyLink Center Omaha

Merchants Attractions OLD MARKET / DOWNTOWN / RIVERFRONT

Iron Decor & More...F16......................................402.346.6123 Julia Russell...F12................................................402.891.0691 Niche...G15..........................................................402.344.4399 Room...G15.........................................................402.342.7666 Simply Fabulous...G4........................................... 402.812.2193 Urban by Design...E16..........................................970.214.7608 Zongkers Custom Woods...(S. 3rd St.)...............402.344.7784

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402.341.5555 Hours: 6:30a-5p Monday-Friday

42

La Buvette Wine & Grocery...G16.......................402.344.8627 Nosh Wine Lounge...G11.....................................402.614.2121 Old Market Candy Shop...G16............................402.344.8846 Patrick’s Market...C15.........................................402.884.1600 Red Mango...D4................................................. 402.933.8815 Scooter’s Coffeehouse...F16.............................. 402.991.9868 Soul Desires...G16 ............................................. 402.898.7600 The Tea Smith...F15...........................................402.932.3933 HOTELS Ted & Wally’s Ice Cream...F16.............................402.341.5827 Courtyard by Marriott...H12 ...............................402.346.2200 Urban Wine Company...G18...............................402.934.0005 DoubleTree Hotel...B/C10....................................402.346.7600 Wheatfields Express...F15...................................402.991.0917 Embassy Suites Old Market...H16.......................402.346.9000 Fairfield Inn and Suites...C2.................................402.280.1516 SPECIALTY SHOPS Hampton Inn...E2.................................................402.345.5500 Cibola of Omaha...G16.......................................402.342.1200 Hilton Garden Inn...C2 ........................................402.341.4400 City Limits...F16................................................. 402.345.3570 Hilton Omaha...G7 ..............................................402.998.3400 Cornerstone Gem & Bead Co...E16................... 402.346.4367 Holiday Inn...E2.....................................................402.341.0124 DSR Power Sports...E15..................................... 402.991.1383 Homewood Suites...D2 .......................................402.345.5100 Goldsmith/Silversmith...G16..............................402.342.1737 Hotel DECO XV...B14........................................... 402.991.4981 Green St. Cycles...D4........................................ 402.505.8002 Magnolia Hotel Omaha...A16 .............................402.342.2222 Havana Garage Cigar Bar...G15..........................402.614.3800 Hookah Ran’s...D15...........................................402-934-3100 MIDTOWN CROSSING Iron Decor & More...F16.....................................402.346.6123 The Afternoon...W23...........................................402.933.3809 J.P. Cooke Rubber Stamp Co...D16...................402.342.7175 Arlan’s Barber Shop...W23..................................402.505.8767 Jay Welter Cigars...(18th & Jackson).................402.345.1965 Brix...W21............................................................402.991.8466 Kessler’s...F17....................................................402.715.5888 Callahan Financial Planning...V23.......................402.341.2000 The Lotus...D16..................................................402.347.8080 Cantina Laredo...W21.........................................402.345.6000 Machu Picchu Imports...D16..............................402.706.7818 Chef2...W22.........................................................402.991.5656 Nebraska at the Market...E19............................ 402.346.3975 Coldstone Creamery/Rocky Mountain Chocolate...X22..............

Old Market Sundries...G16.................................402.345.8198 402.359.1719 Overland Outfitters...G16..................................402.345.2900 Corky Canvas...W22........................................... 402.637.4066 Perspective Jewelry...E15..................................402.934.4416 CRAVE...W22......................................................402.345.9999 Red Square...G15.............................................. 402.342.8878 Definitive Vision...W23.........................................402.502.7323 Reserve Goodwill in the Market...E16................402.342.4102 Delice European Bakery...W23............................402.505.9500 SG Roi Tobacconist...G16...................................402.341.9264 Element by Westin...X21.....................................402.614.8080 Simply Fabulous...E17........................................402.812.2193 Fashion Cleaners...X22........................................402.916.1987 Studio 13...(1736 S. 13th St.).............................402.934.1111 Garbo’s Salon & Spa...X22..................................402.933.8988 The Summit...(1601 Dodge St.).........................402.341.5555 Glo Lounge...X23................................................402.342.4505 Susie’s Baskets...E13.........................................402.341.4650 The Grey Plume...W22........................................402.763.4447 Takechi’s Jewelry...(17th & Harney)...................402.341.3044 Hutch...W22........................................................402.955.9842 Tannenbaum Christmas Shop...G16................. 402.934.8389 Ingredient...X23...................................................402.715.4444 Visions Custom Framing Studio...E17............... 402.342.0020 Lenny’s Sub Shop...X23.......................................402.218.1745 Marcus Midtown Cinema...X23..........................402.345.0102 SERVICES NT Nails............................................................... 402.991.7676 Banking & Finance Pana 88...............................................................402.934.7262 American National Bank...C14......................402.457.1070 Prairie Life Fitness...W22....................................402.916.5000 First National Bank...F16.............................402.885.2574 Saints Pub & Patio...W21.....................................402.932.1911 Pinnacle Bank...G12....................................402.346.9180 Three Dog Bakery...X23...................................... 402.715.4500 Security National Bank...G16...................... 402.344.7300 Wohlner’s Neighborhood Grocery and Deli...X21.402.551.6875 Commercial Verizon Wireless by Z Wireless...X23...................402.991.1180 Alliance Group...G18................................... 402.344.7700 Clark Creative Advertising...D16.................402.345.5800 MUSIC SHOPS J.P. Cooke Rubber Stamp Co...D16.............402.342.7175 Antiquarium Records...D15................................402.345.0294 Market Media.............................................. 402.346.4000 Homer’s Records...E15.......................................402.346.0264 Vic Gutman & Associates............................ 402.345.5401 Drastic Plastic...E16...........................................402.346.8843 Information DOWNTOWN PROPERTIES Downtown Omaha, Inc.................................402.341.3700 902 Dodge Condos...G11................................... 402.215.7118 Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce...D15.....................

Ashley Park...(204 S. 25th)............................... 402-934-3100 402.346.5000 Brandeis Building...A13......................................402.345.6564 Old Market Business Association...(www.oldmarket.com) Farnam 1600 Building...(1905 Harney St.).........402.342.1616 Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau...G14.402.444.4660 Grubb/Ellis Pacific Realty...F15..........................402.345.5866 Omaha Downtown Improvement District......402.916.1796 Harney Street Apartments...G18.........................402.934.7510 Omaha Public Library...C13.........................402.444.4800 Legend Building...(1429 S. 13th)...................... 402-934-3100 Legal Old Market Lofts...K3......................................... 402.346.1000 Boyle & Associates, PC...F16....................... 402.706.7810 Overland Building...D16..................................... 402-934-3100 Cullan & Cullan...F15.................................... 402.397.7600 Pullman Building...(1017 S. 10th St.)................ 402-934-3100 Klein Law Offices...H16.................................402.391.1871 Riverfront Place...C14..........................................402.397.4837 Stinson, Morrison, Hecker LLP...E14.............402.342.1700 Shamrock Development/Paxton Building...C14..402.934.7711 Sutera & Sutera Law Office...F15.................402.342.3100 Skinner Macaroni Apartments...D17..................402.346.2346 Other The Cornerstone Apartments...F15.................... 402.346.0510 Big Brain Productions...F17..........................402.342.2885 The Greenhouse Apts...H13............................... 402.341.3200 Movers Not Shakers...H13............................ 402.614.9770 TipTop Building...C2............................................402.345.8000 Old Market Mini Storage...(501 Pacific St.)..402.342.0022 Salon & Spa SPECIALTY FOODS & COFFEE 13th Street Coffee Co...E16.............................. 402.345.2883 Curb Appeal Salon...G16..............................402.345.0404 Aromas Coffeehouse...G18................................402.614.7009 The Hair Market Salon...G14.........................402.345.3692 Bliss Bakery...G18...............................................402.934.7450 The Nail Shop...(9th & Douglas)...................402.595.8805 Blue Line Coffee...D3.........................................402.932.0294 Rain Salon...(1006 S. 10th St.)......................402.991.9974 Cubby’s Old Markey Grocery...E17..................... 402.341.2900 Sirens Salon & Day Spa...F16.......................402.933.9333 Hollywood Candy...H4........................................ 402.346.9746 Urbane Salon & Day Spa...D15.....................402.934.2909

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

Every community has a story.

WHYCOMMUNITYMATTERS.COM

Visit us in the historical RILEY BUILDING at 1016 Douglas on the Mall, 402.346.9180 or online at pinnbank.com.

T HE

Downtown and Council Bluffs

ART AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS From the Collection: Jun Kaneko’s Special Project – Fremont Dangos

Through January 10 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St. This exhibit brings together for the first time a set of six 11-foot ceramic pieces created by Jun Kaneko known as “Dangos.” The exhibit will also include documentation of the artmaking process including sketches, photographs, and video. M-F/9am5pm; Sat/1-5pm. Free. 402-341-3800 – thekaneko.org

Lossy Group Exhibition

Through April 1 at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St Curator Stephani Syjuco brings together six former Bemis Center Artists-in-Residence. Their sculptural and image-based surrogates call into question the notion of ‘presence’ and use their unfaithfulness as a way to reorganize meaning and symbolism in the world around them. Tu-Sat/11am5pm. Free. 402-341-7130 – bemiscenter.org

Bill Hoover and Jerome Dubas, Mixed Media & Ceramics Exhibition

January 27-March 7 at Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam St. Bill Hoover has been making art and music in Omaha for over 25 years, beginning by exhibiting his oil-based drawings at Lisa’s Radial Café. He has had over 14 solo shows and exhibitions around the country. Jerome Dubas is a faculty member of the arts department at Grand Island Senior High and teaches a ceramics course at

omahamagazine.com

Hastings College. His early ceramic inspiration came from his family’s farm near the hills of Fullerton.

M-F/8am-5pm. Free. 402-595-2122 – nebraskaartscouncil.org

Poseidon and the Sea

February 8-March 11 at Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. The realms of Poseidon encompassed virtually every aspect of life in the ancient Mediterranean world, from mythology and religious cult to daily activities. This exhibition explores each of these three domains through more than 100 pieces of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art produced over more than a millennium. Tu,W,F, Sat/10am4pm; Th/10am-8pm; Sun/12-4 pm. $10 general public adults, free for Joslyn members, ages 17 & under, and college students with ID. 402-3403300 – joslyn.org

Polar Obsession with Photographer Paul Nicklen

February 18 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St Paul Nicklen’s award-winning photography takes audiences on a visual journey through the vast polar regions of our planet and gives them a glimpse of the animals that call this place home. 7:30pm. $20-$40. 402-3450202 – omahaperformingarts.org

CONCERTS Life is Cool with the Brigadiers, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns

January 3 at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Life is Cool is a local band that piles on the theatrics for a fun-filled dance party. A seven-person band that mixes funk, pop rock, and a fog machine, their live shows give audiences something to celebrate. $7. 9 pm. 402-3457569 – theslowdown.com

WAY

B A N K I N G

S H O U L D

BE

MEMBER FDIC

January/February Calendar of Events ELVIS Lives—The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Event

January 11 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. This multimedia musical journey across Elvis’ life features finalists from Elvis Presley Enterprises’ annual worldwide Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, as well as iconic imagery from the Graceland archives. 8 pm. $35-$80. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

Out of Control: Madness, Passion and Obession

January 12 at Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. Conductor Ernest Richardson leads the Omaha symphony through a vivid portrayal of psychological thrills, burning desire, and destructive jealousy against the beautiful backdrop of the Joslyn Art Museum. 2 pm. $33. 402340-3300 – joslyn.org

George Strait with Eric Church

January 17 at CenturyLink Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St. George Strait’s “Cowboy Rides Away Tour” will be his last. Known as “The King of Country,” Strait has had 60 No.1 hits, more than any other artist.

Joining Strait is Eric Church, who is hot off of two No. 1 singles—“Drink in My Hand” and “Springsteen.”

7:30 pm. $75.50-$96.50 plus fees.

402-341-1500 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com

Festival of the Americas – Programs 1 and 2

programs evoking the colorful landscapes and vibrant cultures of the New World. The January 24th concert consists of the first program, while the January 25th concert features the second program.

F-Sat/8pm. $27-$80 plus fees. 402345-0606 - omahasymphony.org

Behind the Mask: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

February 1 – 2 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Enjoy music from some of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biggest hits, including Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, and Cats. Sat/8pm; Sun/2pm. $19-$83.

402-345-0202 – omahaperformingarts.org $25-70. ticketomaha.com

Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio

February 7 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Called the forefather of “acid jazz,” Dr. Lonnie Smith’s music draws inspiration from a little bit of everything—funk, jazz, hip-hop, and dance music—with a sound that will keep audiences wanting more. 8 pm. $30.

402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

Evening at the Oscars

February 8 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Stroll the red carpet to hear iconic music from Academy Award®-winning films, including Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, and Titanic. 8 pm. $2570. 402-345-0202. ticketomaha.com

January 24 - 25 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Thomas Wilkins (conductor), Alyson Cambridge (soprano), and Oren Fader (guitar) explore the diversity of the Americas with two Omaha Symphony

More events downtown on the next page. >> the encounter | january/february 2014

43

Sponsored by Pinnacle Bank

Justin Timberlake: 20/20 Experience World Tour

February 10 at CenturyLink Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St. Singer, songwriter, dancer, and one of the current GQ Men of the Year, Justin Timberlake returns to the CenturyLink Center in support of his album The 20/20 Experience. Featuring hits “Suit & Tie,” “Mirrors,” and “Take Back the Night,” Timberlake’s music provides a mix of catchy dance anthems and smooth R&B. 8 pm. $45-$175 plus taxes and fees. 402-341-1500 – centurylinkcenteromaha.com

Count Basie Orchestra featuring New York Voices

February 14 at Holland Performing Arts Center,1200 Douglas St. The Count Basie Orchestra and New York Voices reunite nearly 20 years after their Grammy®-Award winning collaboration to once again combine the best of big band sounds and vocal jazz idioms. 8 pm. $65$25. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

Mardi Gras Cabaret

February 27 at Glo Lounge, 3201 Farnam St. The Joey Gilizia Trio will present some of the upbeat and celebratory Latin sounds inspired by Carnival in Rio. Presented by St. Cecelia Cathedral. Includes dinner and a cash bar. 6:30 pm. $50. 402-558-3100 ext.

3007 – cathedralartsproject.org

FAMILY EVENTS Mozart’s Missing Memory

January 19 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. A part of the Omaha Symphony’s Family Series, this show gives kids a fun introduction to a classical music genius. Featuring a mix of humor and music, this show promises laughs for all ages. 2 pm. $12. 402345-0202 – ticketomaha.com

Sid the Science Kid Live!

January 30 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. Based on the Emmy®-nominated PBS Kids television show, Sid the Science Kid, this live show takes kids on an interactive journey to explore the world alongside their favorite characters. Arrive an hour early for a Kids Zone featuring coloring, face painting, balloon artists, and more. 7 pm. $25. 402-345-0606 – ticketomaha.com

The Grocer’s Goblin and the Little Mermaid

January 31 – February 16 at The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. Two classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales come to life in this inventive world premiere, combining original puppetry and projections to explore intertwined tales of loving, longing, and growing up. Best for ages 5-11. F/7pm, Sat/2pm & 5pm; Sun/2pm. $18 non-members, free members. 402-345-4849 – rosetheater.org

Things That Go!

Through April 14 at Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20th St Explore all the things that make the world go round in the upcoming special exhibit, Things That Go! In this exhibit, kids will move full speed into the idea of “GO” in everything from vehicles, water, energy, and more.

Sun/1-5pm; Tu-F/10am-4pm; Sat/9am-5pm. Free members & under 24 months. $2 in admission to regular admission price adults, seniors, and children.

402-342-6164 – ocm.org

RECREATION Nebraska Buck ’N Bird Classic

January 31 – November 2 at CenturyLink Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St. You can find all kinds of outdoor recreation under one roof at the Buck ’N Bird Classic, a three-day expo on all things outdoors. Includes a rock climbing wall, seminars on hunting and fishing, and more. F/3-9pm; Sat/9am-7pm; Sun/10am-4pm. $10 adults, $5 ages 7-12, free ages 7 & under. 402-707-4885 - nebraskabigbuckclassic.com

1415 Harney Street Telephone: 402.341.7576 www.cityviewdentalomaha.com

The Convenient Downtown Dentist 44

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

Sponsored by Pinnacle Bank

48th Annual Omaha Home and Garden Show

February 6 – 9 at Century Link Center, 455 N. 10th St. Spring comes early with Omaha’s largest showcase of landscaping, home, gardens, and outdoor living. Th/5-9pm; F/11am-9pm; Sat/11 am-8pm; Sun/11am-5pm. $8 adults, $4 ages 5-12, free ages 5 & under. 402-341-1500 – centurylinkcenteromaha. com

Lauritzen Gardens’ Valentine’s Day Dinner

February 14 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Have a “green” Valentine’s day this year among the beautiful flowers and plants of the Lauritzen Gardens.

Guests will receive a three-course meal and a glass of wine. Seating available from 6 pm-9pm. $50 per person. 402-346-4002 – lauritzengardens.org

Martha Graham Dance Company

January 26 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. The Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates the vision of its namesake by performing her 1944 work Appalachian Spring.

7pm. $20-$50. 402-335-0606 – ticketomaha.com

cording session that brought together rock ‘n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time. Tu-Th/7:30 pm; F/8pm; Sat/2pm & 8pm; Sun/1:30 pm & 7pm. $95-$30. 402-345-0606 – omahaperformingarts.com

Dvorák’s Rusalka - The Met: Live in HD

Gnit

February 6 at Film Streams, 1340 Mike Fahey St. The great Renée Fleming returns to one of her signature roles, singing the enchanting “Song to the Moon” in Dvorák’s soulful fairy-tale opera. This live telecast also includes a prelude talk from Opera Omaha.

11:55 am. $20 Opera Omaha and Film Stream members, $24 general admission, $10 students with valid school ID. 402-933-0259 – filmstreams.org

Agrippina

THEATRE The Church Basement Ladies in A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement

January 17 at Iowa Western Community College, 2700 College Road, Council Bluffs The Church Basement Ladies are back in the fourth and latest installment in this popular series of musical comedies. The year is 1960, a reformation is underway, and once again the Church Basement Ladies are required to face change head on. 2 pm & 8 pm. $35 adults, $31 seniors and students. 712-388-7140 – artscenter.iwcc.edu

February 14-16 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. Delve into the sordid private lives of some of history’s most notorious figures in this opera. Agrippina is the ambitious wife of Emperor Claudius, who will stop at nothing to place her volatile teenage son, Nero, on the throne. F/7:30pm; $19-$99. 402-346-4398 – operaomaha.org

Million Dollar Quartet

February 18 – February 23 at Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St. This Tony Award®-wining Broadway musical draws inspiration from the electrifying true story of the re-

February 20 – March 15 at Blue Barn Theatre.

614 S. 11th St. Loosely based on Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, this American version focuses on self-involved Peter Gnit who kidnaps a young woman on her wedding day, falls in love with someone else, and embarks on a global journey. $25 adults, $20 students. ThSat/7:30pm; Sun/6pm; no show Feb. 23rd and Mar. 16th. 402-345-1576 – bluebarn.org

Jackie & Me

February 28 – March 16 at The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. With the help of a vintage baseball card and a little bit of magic, average boy Joey Stoshack travels back to 1947 and meets Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the major leagues. Best for ages 6-13. F/7pm; Sat/2 & 5 pm; Sun/2pm. $18 non-members, free members. 402-345-4849 – rosetheater.org

The Old Market’s favorite spot for lunch & dinner.

Italian & Mediterranean specialties served in“the Old Market’s most beautiful dining room,” complemented with the area’s largest selection of Italian wines.

1108 Howard Street

Award-winning food & wine list – open late 7 nights a week.

Call for reservations.

•

342-2050

www.VivaceOmaha.com

omahamagazine.com

M’s Pub

422 S. 11th Street

•

342-2550

www.MsPubOmaha.com

the encounter | january/february 2014

45

feature

“When you meet people from North Omaha, they’re exceedingly loyal and proud of where they’re from.”

-Othello Meadows

Continued from page 26. “Jobs, living situations. Anything that celebrates what’s good will keep people living here.” She adds that another item on her five-year wish list for North Omaha is a strong community development organization. “Something like Othello’s doing,” she says, referring to Seventy-Five North. “Other cities do it. They engage the neighborhoods that exist, and they engage the city to redevelop the neighborhood. So I think in five years that needs to happen. There is no excuse. I think it’s urgent.”

For Dotzler, one point of urgency is neighborhood safety. “The police would tell you a cleaner neighborhood is a safer neighborhood,” Dotzler says, “so let’s mow lawns, let’s pick up trash, let’s fix broken windows, let’s paint over graffiti.” To that end, the Abide Network has for the last six years been steadily “adopting” small blocks of neighborhoods, about 20-25 houses with perhaps four people per house.

As Meadows says, “North Omaha is a huge geographic area. It’s critical to take a manageable bite.

The person who says they’re going to change North Omaha is nuts. You have to say we’re going to go to work in this neighborhood. And then hopefully you can establish a model that’s replicable.”

That’s just what Abide Network is doing. Since that first block six years ago, the organization has adopted about 100 such neighborhoods, visiting at least once a month to address the fixes that Dotzler lists. They’d like to reach over 700.

Its determination

• The Old Market’s Longest Jazz Gig • Live Music Every Sunday and Wednesday • Free Orsi’s Pizza on Friday, 4-6 p.m.

• Omaha’s Most Popular Patio 402.345.4488

1002 Howard St. Check us out on

46

“We see a lot of emphasis on affordable housing, a lot of emphasis on education, a lot on community services,” Meadows says of the various programs working in North Omaha, “but independently, these don’t get a neighborhood to turn a corner and stay around that corner. You can’t implement these things in any kind of isolated fashion. They really have to work together.”

In fact, one of the reasons the old Pleasantview plot was so attractive to Seventy-Five North (in addition to the vacant 23 acres) was the existence of several already-strong community partners.

Meadows lists off just a few: Charles Drew, a federally qualified low-income health-care provider; Salem Baptist Church, the largest African-American congregation in the state; and Urban League of Nebraska, which provides services from job training to parent education.

“It’s our role to coordinate the support that our residents can look forward to,” Meadows says.

Housing, education, and services—those elements working together, he says, are what will turn the boat around in North Omaha.

“A small organization like Carver or The Union can only do so much,” LeFlore agrees. “To really market an area of the city, it has to be a communal effort. It has to be a commitment from—well, I don’t know who to put at the table. It’s everyone’s job. Find your place and sit there. Get to the table and have a seat.” She laughs but there’s an element of no-nonsense. “Don’t point the finger and don’t be the naysayer.” LeFlore says she’s tired of hearing ‘We tried that 20 years ago, and it didn’t work.’

“Maybe someone who you meet now can you help you do it right,” she says. “You have to be humble to start a movement. Your ego has to be gone.”

january/february 2014 | the encounter omahamagazine.com

Not NotExactly Exactly

PUB GRUB. PUB GRUB.

Photo: Š 2011 Bryce Bridges Photographic Photo: 2011 Bryce Bridges Photographic

Sophisticated American cuisine a relaxed atmosphere.

Classy, unpretentious.

Sophisticated American cuisine in in a relaxed atmosphere.

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Open 7 days a week, live music every evening.

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Lunch, dinner, fresh daily specials, Sunday brunch and Lunch, dinner, fresh daily specials, Sunday brunch. late night tapas. Live piano Thursday - Saturday.

Open 11AM Monday - Saturday | Sunday Brunch 10AM - 2PM Open 11AM Tuesday - Saturday (Closed Monday) | Brunch 10AM - 2PM Sunday Happy Hour 4PM - 6PM Monday - Friday Happy Hour 4PM - 6PM Tuesday - Friday & 10PM - 12AM Friday - Saturday

1125 Jackson St. |St. Old| Market, Omaha, NE | NE 402.991.5637 | JacksonStreetTavern.com 1125 Jackson Old Market, Omaha, | 402.991.5637 | JacksonStreetTavern.com

Thank you

Omaha.

View our full menu, happy hours and more at

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Old Market

West Omaha

11th & Jackson 402.344.0200

171st & W. Center 402.778.0100