Author: Nebraska Trailblazers

A walking club in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area.

Lincoln Year Round Walk featured in magazine for renters

A resource for renters in the Lincoln area, Rent.,  asked about our Lincoln walk, available year-round to any walker that would like to see Lincoln on foot. Here’s their article 4 Unique Things to Do in Lincoln, NE | Rent. For those visiting Lincoln, there are a lot of other things to do, so check out the article!

Rent is a subsidiary of Redfin.com

Upcoming events in December and January

Mark your calendars now!

Our club meetings feature a speaker and social time, as well as a short business meeting. The December 2nd meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the basement of the Maple Ridge Retirement Community at 3525 N 167th Cir, Omaha, NE (SE corner of 168th & Maple area). Our Annual Dinner meeting will be on January 18th and begin at 1:30 p.m. at Legends in Aksarben, 6920 Pacific and run until 4 p.m. Reserve your space now by sending in $10 per member or $15 per nonmember by December 31st, to P.O. Box 8147, Omaha, NE  68108. OR – just bring it to the club meeting on December 2nd!

Key dates:

  • Monday, December 2nd – 7 p.m. club meeting at Maple Ridge Retirement, 168th & Maple area
  • Saturday, December 14th – 4 – 6 p.m. Lights Walk at KANEKO – 12th & Jones St. entrance
  • Tuesday, December 31st – paid reservations for the Annual Dinner meeting must be received
  • Saturday, January 18th – 1:30 – 4 p.m. Annual Dinner meeting at Legends in Aksarben

Our Annual Lights Walk on December 14th coincides with the Holiday Market at The RiverFront’s Heartland of America Park area. The Market closes at 5 p.m., so you’ll want to come right at 4 p.m. to the west doors of KANEKO, at 12th & Jones Street. There’s no charge to walk, thanks to The RiverFront. We are collecting hats, gloves and warm socks for a local agency serving the homeless. You’ll want to linger a little after the walk and check out our assortment of door prizes and cookies.

Join Us for Christmas Tree Arrival and Annual Lights Walk

Our latest newsletter is here: November – December 2024 newsletter 

On Wednesday, November 13th, the RiverFront will be hosting the nation’s Christmas tree as it travels across the nation to Washington, D.C. The Trailblazers will be part of the fun from 5 – 7 p.m. Come and see us! 

On Saturday, December 14th, we will be hosting our annual Lights Walk. Head to the west doors of KANEKO on 12th & Farnam between 4 and 6 p.m. Courtesy of The RiverFront, everyone walks for free! We are collecting hats, mittens, gloves and warm socks for the homeless.

Club members are asked to help with the many volunteer positions available and to bring cookies, treats and items for the dozens of door prizes available to our walking friends.

Mark your calendars for the Saturday, January 18th Annual Dinner meeting, to be held at 1:30 p.m. at Legends Patio and Grill in Aksarben. 

October 2024 news

Here’s the September – October 2024 newsletter Sept – Oct 2024 newsletter (yes, it’s a bit late, but there’s still lots you want to read!) Nominations for the 2025 club officers are being taken, as well as for the 2024 Walker of the Year.

Upcoming events:

  • Saturday, October 12th, 10 a.m. – Group walk at the Bellevue Lions Club’s Spaghetti Feed. $4 for the walk, $12 for the spaghetti dinner.  This is taking place at St. James Methodist Church,, 4343 Capehart Road, Bellevue, NE. Meet around 9:45 a.m. to start walking by 10 a.m. Dinner starts at 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, November 2nd, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Our traditional November “Pie Walk” is being replaced with a ‘Giving Walk (as in Thanksgiving), where walkers bring the makings for a pie. Walk fee is $2 if an item is brought; $4 if no item, but the $2 will go either to the food pantry behind the Thanksgiving dinner food drive or to our host church. The location is First Covenant Church, 201 N 90th St, Omaha, NE. Specific items requested are: canned fruit (low or no sugar added), pie fillings, 5# sacks of flour, 4# sacks of sugar. Other nonperishable pantry items are also gratefully accepted. This walk is in an area of town where sidewalks are scarce and there are some hills.
  • Saturday, December 14th, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Our annual Lights Walk! The RiverFront is generously sponsoring this event, so all walkers walk for free. We’re collecting gloves, mittens, hats and socks (especially warm socks) for the homeless. The RiverFront will be hosting a Holiday Market as part of the seasonal festivities, and one 5k loop will pass right by/through it. The other is quieter and heads up to see the Joslyn Art Museum at night and the lights on the Creighton campus.

Send questions to us at netrailblazers@gmail.com. See you on the trail!

August 2024 Newsletter and Papillion Walk Event | Nebraska Trailblazers

Our July-August newsletter was delayed due to illness, so we’re presenting our August 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure here: August 2024 newsletter

We also need to call your attention to the cancellation of our Labor Day walk in Table Rock, Nebraska. The folks in Table Rock are still worn out from last year’s celebration!

We hope you’ll come to our Saturday, September 7th walk a little closer to home in Papillion’s Halleck Park. Our starting point within the park has changed, so use these directions to arrive:

  • Take 84th St. to Lincoln St. go east on Lincoln to Halleck Park Road.  
  • Right on Halleck Park Road to parking lot on right.  
  • Look for yellow AVA signs.

You can come any time between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., but do plan to be off the trail by 1 p.m. If you like walking with a group, be ready to start walking by 9:30 a.m. Come early enough to pay the $4 fee (exact change gratefully accepted) and to register.

CORRECTION: June **11th** walk location has changed!

Due to construction, we’ll be starting our walk near the Iowa Western Community College campus, at College View Elementary School. College View’s address is 1225 College Rd, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, adjacent to the IWCC campus. Be sure to arrive early enough to register and pay the $4 walk fee (exact change appreciated) so that the group can set out promptly at 5:30 p.m.

June 11th Walk location has changed!

Due to construction, we’ll be starting our walk near the Iowa Western Community College campus, at College View Elementary School. College View’s address is 1225 College Rd, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, adjacent to the IWCC campus. Be sure to arrive early enough to register and pay the $4 walk fee (exact change appreciated) so that the group can set out promptly at 5:30 p.m.

May – June 2024 newsletter and upcoming events

Here’s the May – June 2024 newsletter for you to look over: May-June 2024 Newsletter

We have a few events coming up in quick succession, so here’s a quick run-down for you:

  • May 16 – Little Italy Tour, starting at 5:30 p.m. from The Arch in the Gene Leahy Mall at 11th and Farnam Streets in downtown Omaha. Registrations were due May 14th, but email us at netrailblazers@gmail.com to see if there’s a cancellation. The event is free.
  • May 18 – Agate Fossil Beds walk by the Northwest Nebraska Volksmarch Club, starting near Harrison, Nebraska. Registration from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. $4 per person walk fee.
  • May 19 – PLAWKing event starting at 2 p.m. at 39th & Marcy Streets in Omaha. Come walk part of the Field Club Trail while picking up litter. Keep Omaha Beautiful will provide supplies, but you might want to bring sturdier gloves of your own. The event is free.
  • June 1 – Bennington Lakes Lee Frantz Memorial Walk at Prairie View Lake Recreation Area , just south of Hwy. 36 on N. 180th Street. Registration from 9 a.m. to noon, group walk setting out at 9:30 a.m. $4 per person walk fee. 
  • June 8 – Yanney Park, 2020 W 11th St in Kearney, NE. Registration from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. $4 per person walk fee.