Category: Club activities

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?

123 cans of soup collected for food pantry in 2016

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.

Annual Meeting and Dinner – 2017

Past president Sandy Spaulding addresses the club

31 people attended the January 21, 2017 Annual Meeting and Dinner at Valentino’s (108th & Q area).  Incoming president Lee Frantz and wife Donna Campbell decorated the tables with a star theme in anticipation of our August 18 – 21 Total Solar Eclipse events, with Milky Way candy bars, Starbursts and Sunshine butterscotch candies.

Ann Drebot (in blue)

A highlight of every Annual Meeting is the presentation of the Walker of the Year award.  2015 Walkers Jim and Martha McGahan presented the 2016 award to Ann Drebot.  Ann arranges for speakers at our monthly club meetings and has done so for many, many years.

 

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.

The return of the unlimited soup!

Calling all Walkers!

200 bowls of soup – 20 walkers

It’s time to support the Shelby Trail Fundraiser – their annual Soup Cook-Off is planned for Saturday, February 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. https://www.shelbyia.com/news.asp Unlimited soup for a $10 entry fee.

These funds are used to improve the Old Stone Arch Trail that we use as part of our Shelby Year Around (YRE) walk. This has become an annual pilgrimage for many NWFT members who have come away with wonderful raffle prizes during the evening. Don’t miss out, the pie auction can astound with $200 to $300 pies flying out the door.

Meet us there or contact the carpools below via email netrailblazers@gmail.com

  • Butch and Sandy are offering a carpool leaving at 4:15 p.m. from the old mall in Council Bluffs.
  • Donna and I can offer door-to-door service in the West Omaha area for two to three people. Times of pick-up to be determined

Walk to Live, Live to Walk,

Lee Frantz, President, Nebraska Trailblazers

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.

 

Hanscom Park walking start point

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.

July and August Events and News

We resume our monthly club meetings on Monday, September 12th.  The first Monday of the month in July is July 4th.  We want to wish you a Happy Independence Day! Please take care when traveling and celebrating – we want to see you at all the events happening this summer.

July 9th is the annual Germanfest Festival in Syracuse, Nebraska. No walk is planned, but some club members might be heading down for brats and beer.

On July 16th, we are planning to meet in the parking lot at 2301 “O” Street in Lincoln (now home to Lutheran Family Services) at 9 a.m. for a 5k walk. Carpoolers can meet at Mangelsen’s in Omaha (84th and Frederick) at 8 a.m. or at 8:15 a.m. in the far NW parking lot at Nebraska Crossing Outlets in Gretna. The 5k group will return and have a late breakfast or early lunch at the Farmhouse Cafe, next door to Mangelsen’s. There is also a group interested in doing the 10k, which will go through the Haymarket District, where the Farmers’ Market is held during summer months.

August 13th is our Hanscom Park walk, also a morning walk to beat the heat. More details to come later!

The Union Pacific Museum at 200 Pearl Street in Council Bluffs is the site for our next get-together on August 27th at 10:30 a.m.  After our group tour, we will adjourn to the Main Street Cafe, just a block and a half down the street.  That will be the extent of the walking planned for the group, but the Council Bluffs YRE is available for those who want to stretch their legs after the group’s activities.

For more details and contact information for any of these events, read the latest edition of the newsletter, available here:  July – August 2016 Newsletter.