Lincoln Year Round Walk featured in magazine for renters

A resource for renters in the Lincoln area, Rent.,  asked about our Lincoln walk, available year-round to any walker that would like to see Lincoln on foot. Here’s their article 4 Unique Things to Do in Lincoln, NE | Rent. For those visiting Lincoln, there are a lot of other things to do, so check out the article!

Rent is a subsidiary of Redfin.com

New walk just added!

Wednesday, March 20th: Women’s History Month Walk at The RiverFront

Join The Trailblazers for this free event. We’ll walk through Gene Leahy and Heartland of America Park and on to Lewis and Clark landing as we learn about significant women in local, national and world history. These women have contributed to our history through arts, activism, science and politics to name a few. We hope to see you there.


Meet at The Arch 11th & Farnam at 10:45. Start walking at 11:00 a.m. rain or shine. Free event. Leashed dogs and strollers welcome.

November – December 2023 newsletter

Our latest newsletter is now available. Click here to start reading: November – December 2023 Newsletter

A couple of things to emphasize from the newsletter:

  • Elections for our 2024 Club Officers and 2023 Walker of the Year will start online on November 20th.  Look for your email from netrailblazers@gmail.com. The link is good for two adult club members in the same household. Those who cannot vote online may vote at the December 4th club meeting. All nominees are running unopposed, so unless a nomination “from the floor” is made during voting, voting in person will be limited to either a “yes” or a “no” by voice vote. No ballots will be printed or mailed.
  • Our December 2nd Lights Walk, starting at KANEKO at 4 p.m. looks to be a huge event, based on feedback we’re seeing on Meetup and Facebook. Can you help by bringing cookies? Can you help staff the event? A SignUpGenius link to volunteer was previously sent out. If you missed it, just drop us a line, letting us know how you’d like to help.

September – October 2023 newsletter, plus a month’s worth of events

Our latest newsletter can be found here: September/October 2023 newsletter

And here’s a quick look at upcoming events for the next month:

  • Friday, September 15 starting from the Plymouth County Historical Museum in LeMars, Iowa, 10 a.m. to noon start times, 5k and 10k routes available, $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.
  • Wednesday, September 20 starting from the Leahy Mall, 6 p.m. start of “How Sweet It is!” walking tour. Registrations have closed for this event, but email netrailblazers@gmail.com to be put on the wait list. No fee to attend. Dogs not allowed. Not suitable for strollers.
  • Thursday, September 28 starting from Tom Hanafan Park in Council Bluffs. 5k Group Walk starting at 10 a.m. $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome.
  • Saturday, September 30 starting from Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. 5k Group Walk starting at 10 a.m. $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.
  • Saturday, October 7 starting from Peak Performance in Omaha, 9 a.m. to noon start times, 5k and 10k routes available, $3 fee. 5k Group Walk starting at 10 a.m. $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.
  • Saturday, October 14 starting from St. James Methodist Church in Bellevue, NE, 10 a.m. start time for 5k or 10k group walk. . $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.

Now, for the fine print: 

  • You must come 15 minutes early for all group walks to fill out paperwork and pay required fees. 
  • Details, such as starting point addresses and walk ratings can be found on our website at: 2023 Walk Calendar

April updates to upcoming walks

Now that National Walking Week is done (and it was great!), we’re looking ahead to our remaining April and upcoming May walks. We’ve got a few updates to share:

Saturday, April 22nd at Arrowhead Park in Neola, IA is Earth Day! Pottawattamie County Parks is waiving all entrance fees in celebration. Just bring your $3 walk fee, a hiking stick for the hills and insect repellent for grassy areas. If you’d like to stay after the group walk at 10 a.m., bring a sack lunch and a drink (labeled!) and we’ll store in the fridge for you. Complimentary bottled water is also available.

Sunday, April 30th is the deadline to register to receive a free t-shirt at the Saturday, May 20th walk in Chadron State Park in Chadron, Nebraska. You’re welcome to register after that date or to just walk-in between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. (MDT) – we’d love to have you, but you won’t get a t-shirt with that $3 walk fee. Register here: https://forms.gle/NfpBHvSHqRUrXjdA9

Tuesday, May 2nd is a courtesy deadline to register for the Thursday, May 4th Little Italy walking tour setting out at 5:30 p.m. from the Performance Arch at the Gene Leahy Mall (11th & Farnam). Our hosts are providing genuine Italian snacks and you really want them to make enough! Let them know here: https://forms.gle/F5ANvMKfbnNaoDJy8  There’s no fee for the walk.

Saturday, May 13th is our Mother’s Day Walk at Cunningham Lake, Entrance 3 (N. 96th Street). Show up between 9 a.m. and noon. The walk fee is $3. All mothers will be receiving a small gift. This is a great family walk, with paved trails and great scenery, suitable for strollers and leashed dogs, as well.

January/February 2023 newsletter

The latest club newsletter, full of information about future walking dates and events is available here: January – February 2023 newsletter

Be sure to join us Friday, January 20th at 2 p.m. at the Gene Leahy Mall (13th & Farnam Streets in Omaha) for a group walk of the Mall on National Take a Walk Outdoors Day. The event is free, so save your change for the parking meters and maybe a nice cuppa something hot for after the walk!

 

2022 isn’t over yet!

Lights along the Gene Leahy Mall, 2022

December 3rd, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Lights Walk: Starting at KANEKO at 11th and Jones in the Old Market, with plenty of paid parking available in the area. Courtesy of The RiverFront, this walk is FREE! In the holiday spirit, we’re collecting diapers and cash donations for Lydia House, so drop those off before you walk. A 5k and a 10k route will be available. After the walk, stay for cookies, hot drinks and a raffle with oodles of prizes available.

December 5th, 7 p.m. – Club Meeting: Our last club meeting for 2022 will be festive, so be sure to come! Voting for club officers and the Walker of the Year is currently taking place online – did you get your member’s link by email to vote? Those not voting online can cast a voice vote at the meeting.

December 31st: Annual club dues should be in to our club treasurer. $10 per individual membership and just $15 for a family membership – what a deal! You can pay at the Lights Walk, the December 5th club meeting OR mail them in to: NWFT  PO Box 8147  Omaha, NE 68108.

January 2, 2023, 7 p.m. – Relax, there’s no club meeting! We’ll be holding our annual Dinner Meeting later in the month (January 21st at Legend’s Patio Bar and Grill in Aksarben Village). More details to come about that meeting.

January-February 2022 Newsletter

Our latest newsletter is now available here: Jan – Feb 2022 newsletter  Our club members get the full newsletter, delivered right off the presses directly to their email inboxes. Just a reminder: membership dues for 2022 are due right now.  Mail a check for $10 for a single membership or $15 for a family membership to: NWFT, P.O. Box 8147, Omaha, NE 68108

Our Annual Dinner meeting will be held on January 15th – reservations were due before the publication of this notice. Our 2022 Officers will be installed and the 2021 Walker of the Year award will be awarded. 

Our next regular club meeting will be held at Morning Star Lutheran Church, 331 S. 85th Avenue, Omaha, NE in the upstairs chapel area at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 7th. If you read the newsletter, you’d know that our scheduled speaker for February is on “Ollie the Trolley”! Be sure to bring a mask to wear while at the meeting, as requested by our host.

Our next scheduled group walk will be an indoors walk at the Westroads Mall on Saturday, January 22nd at 9 a.m. Cost is $3 per walker; come 15 minutes early to pay (exact change!) and sign the waiver. We’ll meet on the 2nd floor at the play area by Penney’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods. There’s a entrance door tucked away by Penney’s – you can use that to come inside.

Everyone who has lived in these parts for a while knows that Nebraska winters are very unpredictable. What do you do if there’s a 40F degree day and you want to walk and we don’t have anything scheduled? Well, we’ve got 11 Year Round Walks just for you – some right close and some a bit further away. Check out all of our Year Round Events and start planning on those 4 Seasonal Walks at this page on our website: Seasonal and Year Round Events  Invite a friend, take the family or walk on your own – they’re all great walks that you can do anytime you feel the urge to walk!

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 LinkMASKS 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!