Author: Nebraska Trailblazers

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

January-February 2022 Newsletter

Our latest newsletter is now available here: Jan – Feb 2022 newsletter  Our club members get the full newsletter, delivered right off the presses directly to their email inboxes. Just a reminder: membership dues for 2022 are due right now.  Mail a check for $10 for a single membership or $15 for a family membership to: NWFT, P.O. Box 8147, Omaha, NE 68108

Our Annual Dinner meeting will be held on January 15th – reservations were due before the publication of this notice. Our 2022 Officers will be installed and the 2021 Walker of the Year award will be awarded. 

Our next regular club meeting will be held at Morning Star Lutheran Church, 331 S. 85th Avenue, Omaha, NE in the upstairs chapel area at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 7th. If you read the newsletter, you’d know that our scheduled speaker for February is on “Ollie the Trolley”! Be sure to bring a mask to wear while at the meeting, as requested by our host.

Our next scheduled group walk will be an indoors walk at the Westroads Mall on Saturday, January 22nd at 9 a.m. Cost is $3 per walker; come 15 minutes early to pay (exact change!) and sign the waiver. We’ll meet on the 2nd floor at the play area by Penney’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods. There’s a entrance door tucked away by Penney’s – you can use that to come inside.

Everyone who has lived in these parts for a while knows that Nebraska winters are very unpredictable. What do you do if there’s a 40F degree day and you want to walk and we don’t have anything scheduled? Well, we’ve got 11 Year Round Walks just for you – some right close and some a bit further away. Check out all of our Year Round Events and start planning on those 4 Seasonal Walks at this page on our website: Seasonal and Year Round Events  Invite a friend, take the family or walk on your own – they’re all great walks that you can do anytime you feel the urge to walk!

2022 Walk Calendar now published!

We have a lot of great walks planned for you in 2022 – take a look at them at the 2022 Walk Calendar page on our website. More walks are in the planning stages, so you’re going to want to bookmark this page and come back to it often. Our Year Round and Seasonal Walk page will be updated on January 1st to add Chadron, NE and drop Ogallala, NE as walk opportunities.
 
New this year: an option to print a brochure for certain walks so you can stick it to your refrigerator door or have it in another handy place. All brochures are current as of this date (December 17, 2021). If something changes and we have enough lead time, we’ll post an updated edition of the brochure.
 
Remember that club dues now run on a calendar year basis, so that means you have until December 31, 2021 to get them in. Want to join? See Become a Club Member for details.
 
Our Annual Dinner Meeting is Saturday, January 15, 2022 at Legends Patio Grill and Bar in Aksarben – 6920 Pacific St, Omaha, NE, starting at 5:30 p.m. The Italian Buffet is available for $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Save yourself a stamp and mail in your club dues and Annual Dinner reservation at the same time! Our mailing address: NWFT, P.O. Box 8147, Omaha, NE 68108
 
Our regular club meetings resume on Monday, February 7th at 7 p.m. at Morning Star Lutheran Church, 331 S. 85th Ave in Omaha, in the upstairs Chapel.

December 2021

Saturday, December 4th, 4 to 6 p.m. – annual Lights Walk at the Urban Abbey, 1026 Jackson Street in Omaha’s Old Market.  Surface parking lots and parking meters are available in the area. Cost is $3 per walker. The Urban Abbey will have hot drinks for sale, while our club will provide complimentary cookies. Our host has asked us to support their mission with the YES Maternity Group Home by bringing diapers for sizes 3 and up. We’ll be offering “diaper shares” for a $5 donation.  Donations are not required, but as always, are greatly appreciated. Register online using this eRegistration Link.  MASKS REQUIRED DURING CHECK-IN.

Monday, December 6th, 7 p.m. – monthly club meeting at Morning Star Lutheran Church, 331 S. 85th Avenue, Omaha, in the chapel.  After our speaker, a short business meeting will be conducted, including in-person voting for 2022 Club Officers and the 2021 Walker of the Year. MASKS REQUIRED.

–>Note about voting: The club tried a new (free) way to conduct on-line voting for 2022 Club Officers and the 2021 Walker of the Year. We’re learning that several club members may not have received the link to vote, due to their internet provider’s spam filters. If you are a club member and wish to vote on-line (rather than in-person at the club meeting on December 6th), first check your Spam Folders for the November 16th invitation to vote. If you can’t find it, contact netrailblazers@gmail.com and you’ll be sent the link to vote.

12/31/2021 – That’s when all club memberships expire. Look for your renewal notice, coming soon.

The 2022 Calendar of Walks and Events will be posted as soon as a couple of details get finalized.  Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 9 a.m. at the Westroads Mall is the first group walk of the year, so mark your calendars now!

 

Pies and Lights and a Newsletter!

Our annual Pie Walk is coming up THIS Saturday, November 6th, starting at 9 a.m. The start location is the APWU at 13th and William Streets in Omaha, but better parking is available just a block north in the church parking lot at 14th & Pine Streets. (Hint: don’t drive Pine between 13th and 14th, even if it is on the map!) Check-in/walk-in registrations end at noon. Cost is $3 per walker. Please consider bringing a pie to share; all leftovers will be donated to the men’s shelter in Council Bluffs.  Register online using this eRegistration Link

Our next staffed walking event is our annual Lights Walk on December 4th, this year starting from the Urban Abbey at 1026 Jackson Street in Omaha’s Old Market.  Check-in/walk-in registrations run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the cost is $3 per walker. The Urban Abbey will have hot drinks for sale, while our club will provide complimentary cookies. Our host has asked us to support their mission with the YES Maternity Group Home by bringing diapers for sizes 3 and up. We’ll be offering “diaper shares” for a $5 donation.  Donations are not required, but as always, are greatly appreciated. Register online using this eRegistration Link.

Read more about these walks in our latest newsletter! Be sure to read up on how voting will be handled this year for club officers and Walker of the Year and take a peek at the very full 2022 Walking Calendar (coming soon to a website near you). Newsletter link: November – December 2021 Newsletter

Mid-September 2021 News

Our club’s latest newsletter is now available! Click here to read it:  September – October 2021 newsletter  Of course, club members receive the full newsletter hot off the presses.  Here’s your chance to join – just follow the instructions on this page: “How to Become a Club Member”

Just in case you don’t get the newsletter read before 7 p.m. on Monday, September 13th – we’re having an in-person club meeting tonight!  Our meeting place is still at Morning Star Lutheran Church at 331 S. 85th Avenue in Omaha, but the room has been moved upstairs to the chapel. Our speaker tonight from the Papio-Missouri NRD will talk about local trails. He will be followed by a short business meeting.  Our meeting room host requires that masks be worn inside the church building, so please be prepared to mask up upon entry.

Late August 2021 News

Our club’s newsletter will be coming out soon, but here’s a sneak preview of some highlights:

  • Our next regular walk will be Saturday, September 11th at 8 a.m. at the children’s playground, Entrance 4, at Standing Bear Lake. This entrance is on N. 132nd Street, closer to Military than to Fort Street. In recognition of Patriot Day and the day’s commitment to service, we’re collecting food for Feeding America. Please be generous! No glass containers (they break during transportation) and please double-check expiration dates.
  • In-person club meetings have returned!  Our next meeting will be the Monday AFTER Labor Day, September 13th at 7 p.m.  We will still be meeting at Morning Star Lutheran Church at 331 S. 85th Avenue, but we will be UPSTAIRS in the Chapel area. The church is requiring all visitors to wear masks while inside. Our speaker will be a member of the Papio-Missouri NRD, speaking about area trails.  October’s meeting returns to the first Monday of the month, October 4th.
  • The October 2nd Midtown Omaha Walk at Ahmad’s Persian Restaurant, 4646 Dodge Street has a time change.  Check-in and walk-in registrations will be allowed from 11 a.m. until noon, with a finish time of 2 p.m. That way, you can enjoy a great lunch either before or after your walk! Save time by registering online at this eRegistration Link; just pay when you arrive.
  • The club’s Board has put together a set of Standing Rules – kind of like an operating manual for the club. Want to see it? It’s on this page, at the bottom.  
  • Speaking of operating – please consider offering an hour or so of your time at either the September or October walks. Club President Steve will be asking for volunteers by email and at the September club meeting. 

July News

Our most recent newsletter is now available. All of the details for our July and August club outings are in it, so you’ll want to read it right away!

Our “Weekday Walks” have been very popular. Our next walk is Monday, July 12th at 10 a.m. for a 5k out-and-back on the Wabash Trace in Council Bluffs, IA.  This walk is free, but the Wabash Trace does request a $2 per person payment in order to use the trail. Meet at the Iowa West Trailhead Park at the intersection of Harry Langdon Blvd. & E. S. Omaha Bridge Rd. Please arrive 15 minutes early so that everyone can get walking by 10 a.m.

Future weekday walks are dependent on volunteer availability to lead a walk, summer weather and vacation schedules.  Let us know at netrailblazers@gmail.com if you’d like to lead a walk and where. 

Reservations for a box lunch for the July 24th outing in Ashland, NE are due by July 15th. All the details are in the newsletter, so if you haven’t read it yet, do it now!

Box lunches will also be available for purchase for the August 14th outing at Chalco Hills in SW Omaha.  You did read about it in the newsletter, didn’t you?

 

 

May/June Weekday Walk Schedule

The club has four “Weekday Walks” coming up through the end of June. All are free, none qualify for AVA/IVV Credit (book stamping). Look for the yellow sign with the letters “AVA” in black. Come a bit earlier than the walk start time to sign a waiver.

All of these walks are an easy out and back walk on a paved trail; walk as far as you’d like in the hour we’ve planned for this event. Most people can walk 3 miles in an hour’s time. Strollers and leashed dogs welcome. 

These walks take place rain or shine, but we cancel in the event of lightning and/or severe weather.

  1. Thursday, May 27 at 5:30 p.m. – Field Club Trail Walk
  2. Thursday, June 10 at 10:00 a.m. – Iowa Riverfront Trail Walk
  3. Thursday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. – Kerrey Bridge Walk (starting from the Iowa side) CANCELLED due to extreme heat
  4. Thursday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m. – Kerrey Bridge Walk (starting from the Iowa side)

Walk #1 starts from the Field Club Trailhead parking lot just east of the Douglas County Health Center, 42nd St. & Woolworth Ave., Omaha, NE. Parking lot has a brown sign that says “Field Club Trail”.

Walks #2 – 4 start from Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park, just north of Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs, IA.
Directions: I-29 to Exit 53A, 9th Ave. West on 9th Ave. to Harrah’s Blvd. North on Harrah’s Blvd. to parking at the park. Meet at the end of the lot closest to the levee.