- Package registrations are closed. Any remaining t-shirts and patches will be available on a first-come-first-served basis at the Raffle/Sales Table at the walks. The brochure and registration form on the website has been updated. Supplies for walks are limited – reserve your eclipse glasses, glowsticks, etc. by mailing in your registrations so that they are RECEIVED by August 8th. Walk-ins after that date are welcome to walk (or swim), but are not guaranteed eclipse glasses, etc.
- The Meet and Greet on Friday, August 18th, has been moved to St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish Hall, 112 S. Cedar St. Grand Island, NE 68801. The event is open ONLY to those pre-registered by August 8th (see above).
- Meet and Greet registrants have been asked how they want their first name to appear on the name tag and for an interesting fact or tidbit about themselves for a mixer at the Meet and Greet. Prizes for the top 3 winners will be available!
- NEW WALK ADDED! After the Meet and Greet ends at 7 p.m., we’ll be walking Historic Downtown Grand Island in 5k and 10k small groups. Bring your books to be stamped. Information on Special Programs available has been included in the updated brochure.
- The Sunflower Sod Stompers have sanctioned 3 additional swim events during the 4-day weekend – and have scheduled them so that you can walk, then cool off by swimming. What a great way to multitask during a multi-event weekend! The location of those events is the pool at the Candlewood Suites. All the information on the Sunflower Sod Stompers’ Eclipse Swim Events is contained in this printable flyer. Be sure to bring your own towel and to observe all motel guidelines; swimming is at your own risk.
- Getting confused with everything that you need to know? Don’t worry – we’ll have “Need to Know” sheets for each day. Here’s Friday’s “Need to Know” sheet. Let us know if you have any questions.
Category: Area walks
May 2017 news
Our NWFT May-June 2017 Newsletter is available now. If you want the full version, consider becoming a club member. Club members get reminder emails of upcoming events, discounts and more. Check out these 26 people having a great time at our April “Meet and Eat” in Ashland, Nebraska.
Page 7 of the newsletter lists a lot of area walks from SD, MN, NE, KS and MO, hosted by our club and a number of other great clubs. Did you know that every single one of those walks qualifies for the “Doin’ th
e Louisiana Purchase” program, even if that special program isn’t specifically listed?
Our regular club meeting on May 1st at 7 p.m. in the lower level of Morning Star Lutheran Church, 331 S 85th Ave, Omaha, NE 68114, will feature a talk on keeping seniors moving. Don’t forget that if you’re coming from the south on 84th Street, that 84th is closed from Pacific north to Methodist Hospital (Dodge Street) and you can NOT get to the church that way! Use an alternate route.
Our Workers’ Walk for the May 13th “Florence Days Walk” in the Omaha neighborhood of Florence will take place on Sunday, May 7th at 2 p.m.
Finally, remember that Eclipse package registrations, as well as t-shirt and patch orders, close on May 25th. If you’re just coming out on Monday, August 21st, please go ahead and register for just that walk. We’d hate to run out of eclipse-viewing glasses!
March 2017 and more!
The Trailblazers have been busy and have more planned – just look at our March – April 2017 Newsletter! Club members get the full version – why not join now?
Our annual Soup Walk is coming up March 4th at Maplewood United Methodist Church at 3535 Maplewood Blvd in Omaha. Please let club president Lee know if you can help – volunteers are still needed. But when do volunteers get to walk? Well, the Workers’ Walk will be on Saturday, February 25th at 9 a.m. The church won’t be open, so take advantage of businesses on 90th Street or on Maple before arriving.
The local walking season is just getting underway – check out walks in Lincoln, NE and Des Moines, IA, both on March 18th – and then again on the following week in downtown Omaha with one of our own fun-tastic Meet & Eats – lunch at the Old Mattress Factory. And then again the following week (April 1st) at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in west Omaha near an outside mall that has asked us to re-route our walk to avoid their property. The club is asking you not to shop there before/after the walk if wearing a club t-shirt, because we don’t want them to think that we are “walking” on their property.
Want to get out of the house? We’ve got stuff for you to do!
Saturday, January 28 – group walk of Historic Fremont. Bundle up and meet at Hy-Vee, 840 E 23rd St. at 9:45, ready to walk at 10 a.m. Plan to enjoy Hy-Vee’s great salad bar or buffet after.
Saturday, Feb. 4 – annual Shelby Soup Cook Off. Always a great event (see https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/the-return-of-the-unlimited-soup/ ). If you would like to carpool/tandem drive, meet at the old Mall of the Bluffs parking lot by 4:15 (Madison Ave. exit, turn left, at light turn right between Bucky’s and Hy-Vee, go through the stop sign. We will be on the right in the first parking lot). If anyone would like to set up another carpool location, let me Sandy Spaulding know. The location in Shelby is at the Cardinal Lofts gym, 304 Western St.
Monday, Feb. 6 – monthly meeting at Morningstar Lutheran Church, on the lower level. Our speaker will be from The Wild Bird Habitat Store. Join us at 7 p.m. for this interesting program and information on our 2017 walks. Treats to follow!
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Des Moines Skywalk – this will be a carpool event. If you would like to ride or drive, let Sandy Spaulding know. We will be leaving from the old Mall of the Bluffs – see directions above. If anyone would like to set up another carpool location, also let Sandy know. If you are driving yourself, note the change of the start point – CAPITAL SQUARE, 400 LOCUST ST, MAIN FLOOR. More information from AVA’s website at: Des Moines Skywalk.
Happy New Year of Walking – 2017!
Congratulations to our 2017 slate of officers and committee chairs:
- President – Lee Frantz
- Vice President – Larry Boehm
- Secretary – Tricia Abel
- Treasurer – Butch Spaulding
- Historian – Diane Fenlon
- “The Committee” Chair – Sandy Spaulding
- Newletter Chair – Julie Brown
Come visit with them and other friends at the Annual Meeting and Dinner, to be held Saturday, January 21st at the Valentino’s at 5022 S 108th St, Omaha, NE 68137. Social time begins at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. Cost is $15 for members and $18 for non-members and includes buffet, soft drink and tip. Come find out who our 2016 Walker of the Year is!
Our next “Meet and Eat” will take place the following Saturday, January 28th, at 10 a.m. starting from the dining area in the Fremont Hy-Vee, 840 E 23rd St, Fremont, NE 68025. 5k walkers will register and then drive to the May Museum at 17th and Nye Avenue to begin their walk; 10k walkers start from the Hy-Vee. Lunch afterwards will take place at Hy-Vee’s restaurant there. The 5k and 10k routes have been changed a bit from 2016, so be sure to stay when walking with someone who has the new map!
February 11th is Des Moines’ annual SkyWalk and is expected to be the site of our next “Meet and Eat” – look for more details coming soon.
Our January – February 2017 newsletter is attached. January – February 2017 Newsletter This is not the full version of the newsletter, as we’ve noticed that this website has been attracting a number of . . . overseas . . .visitors to the site. Club members will still receive the full versions that they’ve come to know and love. Want to be a member? It’s only $10 a year for membership ($15 for a family) and supports all of the great activities that you’ve come to expect from us.
Lots going on in November and December 2016
Our November – December 2016 newsletter is available here: November – December 2016 Newsletter
Saturday, November 19th sees the club return to Council Bluffs for its ever-popular “Meet and Eat” group walks of the 5k and 10k year round walk in Council Bluffs. Plan to start walking at 10 a.m. – so be at Lansky’s, 1131 N Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, 15 minutes early to complete the paperwork and pay the $3 credit walker or $1.50 Fun Walker fees. (As always, exact change is appreciated!) Lansky’s opens at 11 a.m., but the grocery store nearby does have restrooms available. We’ll eat at Lansky’s after the walk.
The Workers’ Walk for the Lights Walk in December will be held Saturday, November 26th, starting at 3 p.m. from the Landmark Building, 13th and Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE, 68131. Come 15 minutes early to complete the paperwork and pay the $3 credit walker or $1.50 Fun Walker fees. (As always, exact change is appreciated!) Omaha charges for parking on Saturdays, so bring some change to feed the meters, too.
Our annual Lights Walk takes place starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 3rd (see above for address, fees and notes). We’ll need workers, group walk leaders and bakers/makers of treats to make this successful – look for your email coming soon. The club collects toilet paper (packaged, please!) and hats, scarves, gloves and mittens to pass on to a local homeless shelter, so keep those items in mind as you shop these next couple of weeks.
Our last club meeting of 2016 happens on December 5th at 7 p.m. at Morning Star Lutheran Church (basement), 331 S 85th Ave, Omaha, NE 68114. We’ll vote for our 2017 Officers and our 2016 Walker of the Year. Be sure to read the newsletter for a description of the nominees. Online or paper ballots have been sent to all registered club members – follow the instructions to make your vote count.
Saturday, December 17th – mark your calendars for our trip to Kansas City, Missouri to walk among the Plaza Lights. (Weather dependent!!) More details coming soon.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Nebraska Wanderfreunde Trailblazers. We’re thankful for each of YOU!
Mark your calendar now for August 18 – 21, 2017!
Our club will be hosting a multi-event weekend including 4 walks and 1 swim event in the Grand Island area to take advantage of this extremely rare opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse. All of the details are now live on our website – check out our Eclipse Events pages. We’ll need lots of volunteers to make these events a success, so block off your calendar and plan a fun-filled, exciting weekend in Grand Island from Friday, August 18 – Monday, August 21 next year.
We’re not kidding when we say that motel rooms are going fast, so check out the list of places to stay and make your reservations NOW!
Expect to hear and see more about this at club meetings and in future communications over the next months.
October – November events
Saturday, October 15 – Shelby, IA Meet and Eat We will start walking at 10 a.m., so arrive 15 minutes to sign paperwork and pay the $3 fee ($1.50 for Fun Walkers). If you drive yourself, park on the north side of The Corn Crib (the gas station that look like a barn just north of the interstate on the west side) Carpools from Westroads at 8-8:15 or Mall of the Bluffs at 8:45. We will have lunch at the Corn Crib after the walk.
Saturday, October 29 – Lincoln, NE Hosted by the Lincoln Volkssport Club The walk starts from the City Impact Building, 1035 N. 33rd Street, Lincoln, NE. Start times are 8:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and you must be off the trail by 12:45 p.m. The 5k and 10k trails go through Wyuka Cemetery and surround neighborhoods. $3 fee.
Sunday, Oct. 30 -Pie Walk workers’ walk Meet at 1:45 at New Cassel parking lot near the auditorium (lower level parking area on the north). We will start walking at 2. Exact change of $3 per person ($1.50 for Fun Walkers) is appreciated.
Saturday, Nov. 4 – Pie walk starting at New Cassel See the list of volunteers needed for this walk (at the end). There is no refrigerator in the auditorium, so if you bring a cream pie, please make arrangements to keep it cool.
Monday, Nov. 7 – meeting at Morning Star Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. Speaker will be from the Kim Foundation. We are still accepting nominations for walker of the year. Either email them to Julie Brown or Jim McGahan. Or bring them in a sealed envelope to the meeting.
Volunteers needed for pie walk:
- Registration 9 a.m.-12 – 1 person
- Kitchen-Cutting pie, making coffee, cleaning up-10-3 – 2 people
- Greeter – 1 person
- 10 K group walker-9:30 – 1 person
- 5 K group walker-9:30 – 1 person
Let President Sandy know if you would be able to help in any of these areas – email netrailblazers@gmail.com
August Event updates
Our walk on Saturday, August 13th is set for 8 a.m. at the Hanscom Park Pavilion. Enter the park from the southeast, just west of Park Avenue on Ed Creighton Avenue, off the Martha Street exit on I-480. A picture is attached to give you an idea of where the pavilion is located within the park. DON’T go further west to the entrance to the tennis courts and swimming pool! There will be road work on 32nd Avenue, on the west side of the park, so keep that in mind as you navigate. The fee for credit walkers is $3 and $1.50 for fun walkers. Please bring exact change to speed up the registration process. Afterwards, the group will be heading to the 11-Worth Cafe for a late breakfast or early lunch. The 11-Worth Cafe is at 2419 Leavenworth Street and is an Omaha icon.
The second event of the month will be on August 27th, at 10:30 a.m., on the other side of the river. Meet us at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, 200 Pearl Street, Council Bluffs, IA for our personalized tour! Those wanting to join us for lunch after the tour will walk a very short distance to the Main Street Cafe, at 102 Main Street.
Chalco Hills YRE Start Point has moved!
We’re sorry to report that the Pump and Pantry closed, so effective July 15th the Walk Box will be located at the Holiday Inn Express, on the south side of Highway 370 and just north of the Walmart. The address is 16175 Stevens Point Circle, Gretna, NE 68138. Be sure to say thank you to the folks at the Registration Desk when you ask for the box.