Category: Club activities

CALENDAR UPDATE

Please note that the following events have been changed (updated May 21, 2020):

  • June 6th Group Walk at Lewis and Clark State Park, Iowa – CANCELED
  • June 6th Group Walk at Stone State Park, Iowa – CANCELED
  • June 20th Group Walk hosted by Iowa’s Walking Club at Mines of Spain State Park – CANCELED

Any questions, please let us know at netrailblazers@gmail.com.

Our Volunteers are the Best!

At our Annual Dinner and Meeting this past Saturday, January 18th, our club installed its 2020 Officers and recognized some special volunteers in our club.  Volunteers are the heart and soul of our club!

Karen Dix-Johnson – 2019 Walker of the Year

Karen Dix-Johnson was recognized as our 2019 Walker of the Year. Karen is our smiling ambassador when she’s not busy leading walks or helping wherever she’s needed.

Ann Drebot – AVA Meritorious Service Award recipient

Ann has lined up speakers for our club’s monthly meetings for over 20 years!  Her AVA Meritorious Service Award is richly deserved.

Tricia Abel as club secretary

We say “thank you” to Tricia Abel as our club’s secretary, as she hands over the club minutes to Dave Brown, our secretary for 2020.

News for 2020

Happy New Year of Walking!  Get your calendar out – besides a great slate of regular walks this year, our club is involved in two very special events:

  1. The “20 Iowa Parks in 2020” walking program, which runs from May 1st – October 15th of this year; and
  2. “Blazin’ Trails and Tellin’ Tales”, the North Central Regional Roundup, to be hosted by our club from October 2 – 4, 2020.

We’ve got LOTS of information about these two events on our website, so be sure to click on the links to learn more.

Our news-packed newsletter for January and February 2020, in stunning color, is available here:  Jan/Feb 2020 Newsletter  But you won’t see the name of our 2019 “Walker of the Year” in it – you’ll have to attend our Annual Dinner and Meeting to find out!

Club News from November Meeting

First – did you get our most recent newsletter by email? Club members get the full newsletter emailed directly to them, hot off the press, errr, computer desktop!  See it here:  November – December 2019 Newsletter

Our annual Pie Walk is coming up this Saturday, November 9th, from 9 a.m. to noon (off the trail by 3 p.m.) at Countryside Community Church at 13130 Faith Plaza, Omaha, NE (132nd and Pacific).  $2 for Fun Walkers, $3 for book stampers.  Oh – and be sure to bring a pie to share! Extra pies donated go to New Visions, a homeless shelter in Council Bluffs.  (Hint: refrigerated pies don’t transport well after the walk, but we love to sample them after walking!). 

Later this month, club members will have the opportunity to vote for our 2019 “Walker of the Year”, for our 2020 slate of officers and for an amendment to our bylaws.  “WOTY” nominees are listed in the newsletter and Club President Lee sent out an email this morning about officers and the proposed amendment.  Voting will be by electronic ballot, mail (for those without email access) and by paper ballot at our December 2nd meeting for those who have not already voted.

Our club is still planning to make an outing of the Le Mars, Iowa Seasonal Walk – see the Le Mars, Iowa December 7th outing announcement for all of the details.  Thank you to club members Denene Turner and Sandy Spaulding for putting this together! Maybe they deserve an extra scoop of that great Blue Bunny Ice Cream while on the 5k/10k walk?  

Le Mars, Iowa December 7th outing

After a nice 2 hour drive, meet at the walk start point at Holiday Inn Express, to register for the walk.  Carpool to enjoy lunch at Pizza Ranch then start your walk, stopping at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Shop and Ice Cream Museum. Visit the Plymouth County Museum to see over 400 manger scenes and 100 Christmas village scenes.  After your walk visit Christmas Village at the County Fairgrounds with old time stores, great entertainment, sandwiches and roasted marshmallows, beautiful Christmas trees, horse drawn sleigh rides and a round barn decorated in a Christmas scene. All free!  Then back to the downtown area to enjoy the lighted, animated floats in the Christmas Parade.  Continue in the Christmas spirit by visiting Christmas Acres 7 miles from Le Mars where there are 1200 displays and inflatables and an estimated 100,000 lights.  This huge display is hosted by the Scheitler family at no charge.  Monetary donations are accepted for the Christian Needs Center Food Bank in Le Mars.

Carpool Details

Saturday, December 7th at 10 a.m.  – Meet @ Council Bluffs Walmart, 3201 Manawa Centre.  Email Sandy care of netrailblazers@gmail.com if interested in riding or driving in carpool either for the day and returning that evening or staying overnight.  If you plan to spend the night special rate good till Nov. 6:

Reservations on your own — Holiday Inn Express, $129 AVA rate, 712-546-1700.

Return to Council Bluffs  about 1 p.m. Sunday or drive back Saturday night.

Walk Registration

December 7th at noon – Meet at Holiday Inn Express, 1285 Sleepy Eye Dr., Le Mars, Iowa to register for walk and stamp books.  $3 Walk fee.

Lunch

12:30 p.m. -Pizza Ranch, 22 Central Ave. SW in Le Mars.  Let Sandy know if you plan to eat lunch so she can notify Pizza Ranch of numbers.

Walk

1:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m. – Seasonal Walk from Pizza Ranch 5 or 10k Rated 1A – route has been reconfigured to take us from Pizza Ranch to Plymouth County Museum for Christmas Manger display. Take your time and enjoy all four floors of this great museum.  (Distance included in IVV walk)

Christmas Village-at Plymouth County Fairgrounds – within walking distance of downtown (.7 miles).  (Distance included in IVV walk.  Open 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Parade

6 p.m.  Lighted parade downtown along Central Avenue

Christmas Acres

If you still have energy after this fun day, visit Christmas Acres, 18481 Impala Ave, Struble, IA, about 7 miles from Le Mars.  To get there, take U.S. Hwy. 75 in Le Mars southwest to IA Hwy. 3, west to Impala Ave, left to Christmas Acres on the right. Open 5-10 p.m. There is another lights display along IA Hwy. 3 before you get to Christmas Acres that you can park and walk through.

Club News from October Meeting

We had a very busy club meeting on Monday night!

Upcoming Walks and Meetings:

  • Our December 7th bus trip to Le Mars, Iowa is cancelled – but NOT the walk! Club members are still invited to carpool to Le Mars to walk and enjoy the Winter Wonderland festivities. When carpool details and meeting times are finalized, they will be published here and on Facebook and sent by Trail Mail and email.  The original deposits for the bus trip will be returned by mail shortly.
  • Saturday, November 2nd morning– Lincoln Volkssport Club’s annual Autumn Walk through Wyuka Cemetery and surrounding neighborhoods.  Registration times 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., off the trail by 12:45 p.m.  Group 10k walk at 9:30 – email netrailblazers@gmail.com if you’d like to lead a group 5k walk.  $3 for AVA/IVV Credit, Fun Walkers are free.  Registration will take place at the City Impact Building, 1035 N. 33rd Street, Lincoln, NE 68503.
  • Sunday, November 3rd – 2 p.m. – Workers’ Walk for the Pie Walk, at Countryside Community Church, 13130 Faith Plaza, Omaha, NE 68144.  No bathrooms available at start.  Route is two 5k loops.  Event Workers are invited to walk at this time and to help test the map and directions.
  • Monday, November 4th  – 7 p.m.– Club Meeting at Morning Star Lutheran Church (lower level – Preschool Entrance), 331 S. 85th Avenue, Omaha, NE at 7:00 p.m.  
  • Saturday, November 9th morning – Pie Walk.  See address above for Countryside Community Church, a member of the Tri-Faith Initiative at 132nd & Pacific Streets.  Bring a pie to share and another to donate to a local homeless shelter!  Register from 9 a.m. to noon, off the trail by 3 p.m.  $2 Fun Walkers, $3 AVA/IVV Credit.
  • All 2020 One-Day Walks, Year Rounds and Seasonals have been adopted! New volunteers will be paired up with seasoned Trailmasters soon.  Check out our preliminary calendar, here.

Other Business:

  • We welcome Diana Webb to the position of Speakers’ Chairman.  Ann Drebot has served in that position for many, many years and will be helping Diana with the transition. If you know of any interesting speakers, please email the club at netrailblazers@gmail.com for Diana to research.
  • Our club needs to find a Secretary for the 2020 club year.  Time is of the essence to step forward! Our Board meetings are held before the club meetings; meeting time is limited to that first Monday of the month.  Can you help? Email us at netrailblazers@gmail.com.
  • Our newsletter editor, Julie Brown, is coming back for the November-December 2019 edition! Please have articles to her by mid-October.
  • Final call for “Walker of the Year” nominations!  These are sent to Julie Brown and are needed by mid-October.  She has already received nominations for three different people! Our club is blessed with talent and energy – thank you!

WALKS, WALKS AND MORE WALKS!

  • Walnut Creek 6k and 11k walk – Saturday, September 21st – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. registration at the lower level of the American Legion at 230 W. Lincoln Street in Papillion, Nebraska. The 6k walk goes through Papillion and the 11k walk takes you out to Walnut Creek Lake.  Cost is $2 for Fun Walkers and $3 for AVA/IVV Credit Walkers. Walk at your own pace, but please return by 2 p.m.
  • Arrowhead Park 5k and 10k walk – Saturday, October 5th – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. registration at Breezy Lodge inside of Arrowhead Park in Neola, Iowa. Google says the address is 29357 310th St, Neola, IA 51559. Follow the paved park road around the lake to the lodge on the right at the top of the hill.  The 10k walk consists of two 5k loops in the hilly woods of Neola. An alternate 5k route stays on park roads.  Hiking sticks and long pants recommended.  Cost is $2 for Fun Walkers and $3 for AVA/IVV Credit Walkers; park entrance fee of $3 is waived for walkers on that day.  A pulled pork sandwich lunch will be available for $5, plus pop for $1.
  • Le Mars, Iowa Winter Wonderland – Saturday, December 7th. Bus leaving from Council Bluffs area around 10:30 a.m. and back 10 p.m. We’ll take part in the 5k and 10k seasonal walk, watch the parade and join in the festivities. Need at least 25 participants for trip to take place. Nonrefundable cost $40 per person; $10 discount for club members. Meals and walk fee of $3 not included. Limited to first 30 paid participants. (If bus company cancels due to inclement weather, payments will be refunded.) Payment must be postmarked by October 1st and sent to: NWFT, P.O. Box 8147, Omaha, NE 68108.
  • AVA’s “Starting Point” printed book lists nearly 2,000 year round and seasonal walks across the United States. The book costs $20 and must be ordered by September 27th. Send payment to NWFT, as above.

Shelby Year Round Event Closing August 3rd

A view of the Start Point from the trail`
A view of the Start Point from the trail

The hosting business for our Year Round Event in Shelby, Iowa is closing its doors in August.  The Corn Crib was a good host and served some great food!

Our club will say farewell to this walk on the morning of Saturday, August 3rd.  At 8 a.m., we’ll hold a Meet and Eat.  Groups of 5k and 10k walkers will head out and return for a late breakfast or early lunch together.  $2 for Fun Walkers, $3 for AVA/IVV credit (book stampers).  Exact change is always appreciated!

After the walk, the Walk Box will be removed from the premises.  So if you’ve been planning to walk this beautiful walk, take advantage of the group walk on August 3rd or during the promised break in hot weather coming up soon.

July – August 2019 Newsletter & Activities

Our July – August 2019 newsletter (website edition) is available here:  NWFT Jul-Aug 2019 newsletter  Remember that club members receive the full newsletter directly, hot-off-the-presses!

Updates on summer activities:

July 28th baseball outing is SOLD OUT!

August 3rd – just added!  8 a.m. group walk of the Shelby, Iowa YRE, with a late breakfast or early lunch scheduled for afterwards at the starting point, The Corn Crib, right off I-80 on the NW corner of the intersection. (Look for the red silo.)

August 10th – Melodrama at Mahoney Park.  Only 4 tickets left!  Meet at Cheri O’s in Ashland at 3 p.m. for ice cream and to car pool to the State Park for the 5 p.m. show.  Tickets are $7, plus the cost of sharing in the $6 per Nebraska resident daily park pass ($8 for out-of-staters). Email us at netrailblazers@gmail.com for more info.

SUMMER FUN!

Saturday, June 22nd, 9:45 a.m. – Giving Walk

Meet in the Gallup parking lot off of Aaron Ferer Plaza (see map). 5 km walk starts at 10:00 a.m. Cost: $2.00 for Fun Walkers. $3.00 for Credit Walkers (book stampers).

Gallup parking lot meeting point

Why is this a “Giving Walk”? Because it’s the club’s 40th birthday – and we’re giving the presents! We will be walking through the downtown area during the time of the College World Series. Bring one or more small wrapped gifts to hand out. Some ideas are sample or personal sizes of suntan lotion, baseball related items, hand lotion or any other small item you think people would be happy to receive. We will have lots of extras if you don’t have one to bring. 

Sunday, July 28th, 2:05 p.m. – Omaha Storm Chasers Outing

Only three tickets are left for the Sunday, July 28th 2:05 p.m. Omaha Storm Chasers baseball game against the San Antonio Missions!  We’re reserving VIP Club Seats behind home plate – in the shade! – with in-seat wait service and access to the VIP Club itself.  Cost is $11 for club members and $16 for non-club members.  

Email us right away at netrailblazers@gmail.com to see if those tickets are still available!

Saturday, August 10th, 5 p.m. – Mahoney State Park Melodrama Outing

The intrepid Trailblazers will traverse the trails to Mahoney State Park on Saturday, August 10th for a 5 p.m. showing of the melodrama “The Rose of Dismal Flats”.  Tickets for the show are just $7.  Mahoney State Park charges $6 per carload for a daily pass ($8 for non-Nebraska residents), so we’ll meet at Cheri O’s in Ashland for ice cream at 3 p.m. before the show and then carpool to the theater. Doors open at 4:30; seating is general admission.  The theater sells popcorn, which you can either eat or throw at the actors. 

Payment is due by June 28th.  Please make checks payable to:

NWFT
P.O. Box 8147
Omaha, NE 68108