Club activities – Page 2 – Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers

Welcome, July!

Volunteers ready to welcome Gene Leahy Mall Walking Tourists on July 4th

We had a great time working with The Riverfront on Independence Day to welcome the public back to the great multi-use space that is the Gene Leahy Mall in downtown Omaha. If the stormy clouds kept you home, here’s the official walking tour map for you to download and use the next time you visit downtown Omaha.

On Saturday, July 30th at 10 a.m., we’ll be leading a 5k walk at beautiful Junto Wine, a winery between Seward and Lincoln. The exact address is 1356 182nd, Seward, NE 68434. The cost is $3 (exact cash or use Venmo) for the walk and we do need you to preregister, since we’ll be serving complimentary boxed lunches after the walk. The winery will open their tasting room definitely at noon, and maybe a little before? Register here: Junto Wine Walk registration Leashed dogs are welcome to accompany us on this somewhat hilly walk through the vineyard’s mowed paths. If you’re staying for lunch, you’ll want to bring a picnic blanket or a lawn chair.

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!

Late January 2021 updates

We’re getting out to stretch our legs on Friday, January 29th at Prairie Queen Recreation Area by Werner Park! This is a FREE walk and is not eligible for AVV/IVV Credit, so leave your books and your money at home! Online registration is REQUIRED at https://forms.gle/ekcFfZxMcsaP8fAVA We’ll start walking promptly at 2 p.m. on a 5k group walk around the lake, so arrive a bit earlier to check-in. COVID-19 protocols are in effect: masks must be worn while gathering and whenever within 6′ of someone outside your household. Take Hwy 370 to S. 126th Street, go past Werner Park to the Lincoln Road roundabout and then use the 3rd exit to go west one block to the parking lot from where we’ll be starting. Please dress for the weather. Don’t count on the sidewalk around the lake being shoveled!
We will NOT have our regular monthly club meeting on February 1st. No in-person club meetings have been scheduled at this time.
We’ve had to make a change to our March 6th Soup Walk this year – it’s more like a “No Soup for You!” Walk. We won’t be able to share soup with each other, but that just means more for those people depending on local food banks for a meal, right? We’ve asked for chicken- or beef-based soups in the past, but we’re asking for 2 cans of hearty soups – think of meal substitutes – of any flavor. The local food banks that we’re supporting are the St. Columbkille/Tri-City Food Pantry and the New Visions Men’s Shelter in Council Bluffs. Start Point and times have not changed. See our 2021 Walk Calendar page for details.

Lee Frantz honored

We want to recognize our past president, Lee Frantz, for the AVA Meritorious Service Award he received during our January 11^th Annual Meeting (via Zoom). That award is given for five years (or more) of outstanding service to the AVA. Lee’s accomplishments as Club President and as Trailmaster for the Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers take quite a bit of space to list and are all the more remarkable when looking at the extreme events our club has experienced during his tenure, from our 2017 Eclipse Events through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Lee credits his wife, Donna Campbell, for her shared enthusiasm of Volkssporting. Congratulations, Lee!

Your Vote Counts!

Relax – it’s almost time to vote for our 2020 Walker of the Year and our 2021 Club Officers. A proposed set of amendments to the bylaws concerning club dues is also on the ballot. Because our bylaws require us to give 14 days’ notice to club members before voting on an amendment, voting won’t begin until November 25th. Our club president emailed the details to all current club members this morning, which are also attached here for your review.

Club members will be sent an email with a link to vote online for all three items: 2021 Club Officers; 2020 Walker of the Year; Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws. (Club members with another adult in the household will be sent a second email.) If you don’t vote online, the club will have to mail you a ballot, to conform with our bylaws stating that a majority of club members have to approve an amendment to the bylaws. That costs money (and a bunch of time) to do, so remember: Your Vote Counts!

June Events CANCELED

June 1st Club Meeting: CANCELED

June 6th Group Walks: CANCELED

Our next scheduled event is the Group Walk of the Waubonsie State Park 5k and 10k trails at 8:00 a.m., followed by Lake of Three Fires at 1 p.m. We’ll remind you as the time comes closer, never fear!