Club activities – Page 4 – Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers

And the Walker of the year award goes to . . .

Lee Frantz (right) receives the 2018 Walker of the Year Award

Our annual meeting and dinner was held Saturday, January 19th at Valentino’s Pizza south of 108th and L Streets in Omaha. The 2019 Officers were installed and the Walker of the Year award was given to Lee Frantz, club president in 2017 and recently installed as president for 2019.

From l to r: Jill Champley, Lee Frantz, Jeanne Miller, Tricia Abel

Just a reminder that our next club activity is our January 26th Meet and Eat (details here: https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/happy-new-year-of-walking/. Club members can use the Westroads Mall Walk as part of their 2019 Incentive Program (details here: https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/announcing-our-2019-walker-incentive-program/

Happy new year of walking!

It’s a brand new year, with brand new opportunities for walking for fun, fitness and friendship! We’re still putting the final touches on our 2019 brochure of walking events, but we want you to get these dates on your calendar now:

January 19th – Annual Meeting and Dinner (previously announced in https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/2019-annual-meeting-announcement/)
January 26th – Westroads Mall Meet and Eat, starting at 8:30 a.m., 5k or 10k option – all inside! Meet at the interior space between Dick’s and Penney’s, pay your $3 if walking for credit (stamping books) or $2 if not, walk and then eat together at Panera Bread in the mall.
March 2nd – Annual Soup Walk – Children’s Square,
N 6th St & Ave. E, Council Bluffs, IA 51502 starting at 9 a.m. Register anytime between 9 and noon, off the trail by 3 p.m. Group Walk starting at 9:30. Bring 2 cans of soup (chicken or beef broth based) – one for the pot and one for the Food Pantry. Cost is $3 if walking for credit (stamping books) or $2 if not .

We’ve got the latest newsletter for you here, below, with lots to see from last year and a description of what’s coming up for next year. Have a great new year and we would love to see you soon!

NWFT Jan-Feb 2019 Newsletter

2019 Annual meeting announcement

2018 Annual Meeting – one table of walkers

The Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers holds an annual meeting each year, where friends mingle, club officers are installed and the identity of the Walker of the Year is revealed. Plan now to attend this year’s meeting on Saturday, January 19, 2019, at Valentino’s Pizza, 5022 S 108th Street, Omaha, NE 68137 . Social time starts at 5:30; dinner (buffet-style) at 6:00 p.m. The meeting follows the dinner.

Club members pay only $12. Non-members pay $17. All should send in their reservations by January 12th to the club address: NWFT, PO Box 8147, Omaha, NE 68108. You can also pay Butch Spaulding at the event. Do be sure to drop Butch an email with the number attending so that we have enough tables and chairs set up . If you don’t have his email address, send it to netrailblazers@gmail.com, and it will be forwarded to him.

August 25th Club Outing – new dinner location

August 25th Club Outing – Ashland, NE Art Walk: Meet at Parker’s Smokehouse, 16880 US-6, Ashland, NE 68003, at 4 p.m. for an early supper, then stroll the streets of downtown Ashland as part of their Art Walk. No fee to participate; you are responsible for your own meal and any purchases you make.

Note: The previously announced meeting place was Cheri O’s in downtown Ashland.

Summertime 2018 happenings

Between our club outings and Meet and Eats, we’ve got a full line-up of summertime activities and walks planned. Come join us!

June 23rd – Meet and Eat – “5k Giving Walk”: Meet at the Gallup Parking Lot at 10 a.m. for a 5k walk celebrating our club’s 39th birthday. The twist? We’re giving the presents! Extras to give will be available. Lunch afterwards TBD. Fun Walkers pay $1.50; Credit Walkers pay $3.00.

July 4th Club Outing – Nebraska’s 4th of July City – Seward, NE 5k/10k: Meet at Seward’s Civic Center, 616 Bradford St, Seward, NE 68434 at 9 a.m. to walk the 10k, 9:30 a.m. to walk the 5k. Lunch afterwards at 11 a.m. at the Civic Center. Stay for a day of parades and fireworks! Fun Walkers pay $1.50; Credit Walkers pay $3.00.

August 25th Club Outing – Ashland, NE Art Walk: Meet at Cheri O’s, 1404 Silver St, Ashland, NE 68003, at 4 p.m. for an early supper, then stroll the streets of downtown Ashland as part of their Art Walk. No fee to participate; you are responsible for your own meal and any purchases you make.

September 7 – 9 Regional Roundup – North Central Region’s 6 walks and evening socials near Minneapolis, MN: Our club’s Butch Spaulding will be speaking in his role as the AVA’s Deputy Regional Director for the states of ND, SD, MN, WI, IA and NE during the Saturday evening social. Brochure available here: NC Regional Roundup – 2018

September 10th Club Meeting – Morning Star Lutheran Church: 7 p.m. club meeting starts with a speaker, is followed by club business and concludes with treats and social time. Lower level of the church at 331 S 85th Ave, Omaha, NE 68114. No fee.

September 15th – Malvern, IA Art Walk 5k/10k: Register between 8 and 11 a.m. at Classic Café, 315 Main St, Malvern IA to do either route. Stroll through a charming small town (Malvern) and open countryside (Wabash Trace Nature Trail). Walk past artist venues participating in the Southwest Iowa Art Tour, through the restored historic downtown and see many beautiful historic homes. Trail has both paved and crushed rock sections. Fun Walkers pay $1.50; Credit Walkers pay $3.00.

Club Events emails

Our club has added a biweekly email “Nebraska Trailblazers Club News” to remind you of upcoming events. Did you get yours yesterday? You can email us at netrailblazers@gmail.com to be added to the list. If you’re not on the list, the current email is available at our hosting service, MailChimp: https://mailchi.mp/8603d4208fac/upcoming-events?e=ea1bca85fb

We don’t want you to miss out on the upcoming great opportunities to walk – tomorrow’s Meet and Eat, Saturday, April 21st in Shelby, Iowa or the regular walk on Saturday, May 12th in far southwest Omaha. Subscribe today – and never miss a walk with the Trailblazers!

April Club Meeting notes and news

Our April club meeting featured an engaging speaker on the topic of blacksmithing, club business and tasty treats. Our next club meeting is May 7th at 7 p.m. at Morning Star Lutheran Church, in the preschool room at 331 S 85th Ave, Omaha, NE 68114.

The April 7th Pete Dowling Memorial “Spyngo” Walk features two 5k loops, one of which overlaps with a run that morning, so folks are being asked not to use that loop until 10 a.m. Luckily, Claudia Dowling and friends will have treats for walkers and a display showing Pete’s contributions to the club over his nearly 35 years of association.

Plans for the 4 County Walks the first weekend of October are in place. We’ve decided to call it “Discover Small Town Nebraska 2018” and you can read all about it here. Sandy Spaulding and the Coordinating Committee have put together 4 walks, 2 dinners, wine tastings and entertainment over 3 days and 2 nights.

Looking for a walking partner to do our club’s Year Round Events? Contact Sandy (or send us an email at netrailblazers@gmail.com) and she will put you on the list of walking partners. A Year Round Event (YRE) is a self-registered walk that you can do any day of the year. It is not staffed and the trail is not marked, but good maps and directions are included in every Walk Box that contains all the info you need to walk a YRE.

Our next club event is the April 21st “Meet and Eat” in Shelby, Iowa. Meet at The Corn Crib (right off I-80, on the northwest side of the off-ramp) at 9:15 to do paperwork and use bathrooms. After the walk at 9:30, come back for lunch with the group at The Corn Crib.