Category: Food

Traditions – Old and New

Our club is fast approaching its 39th birthday in March 2018 and has established traditions over the years.  For example, there’s the March Soup Walk, the September Breakfast Walk, going to Lincoln for their annual Wyuka Walk, the November Pie Walk* and the December Lights Walk.  There’s the annual “Walker of the Year” award, voted on by club members as having made a significant difference in the club’s operations that year. (Hey, have you sent your nomination to club president Lee Frantz yet?)

(If you know of or have access to a location that would be a great place to hold our Soup or Pie Walks, please let Sandy Spaulding know right away. The Committee is planning the club’s roster of 2018 walks and those are the 2 hardest walks to schedule, due to needing a kitchen and/or sinks and tables.)

New traditions respond to new trends in communication, walking, and enjoying the outdoors.  For example, the National Trails Day Walk, the first Saturday in June, is a national walking and hiking day, which the club has put on a few times.  There are our somewhat monthly “Meet and Eats”, promoting an extra walk in a month of one of our year-round walks or that of a neighboring club.  And we’re rolling out a new “tradition”, that of #OptOutside.

#OptOutside is the hashtag, or identifier, used on Twitter to make a term searchable by other social media users. This one refers specifically to the idea of walking, hiking or enjoying the great outdoors on the Friday after Thanksgiving, rather than giving the day over to shopping.  Our club and other walking clubs across the U.S. are organizing to offer #OptOutside events.

Our event will be a group walk of the Hanscom Park/Ford Birthsite Year Round Walk, either the 5k or the 10k.  Folks will meet at the Hanscom Park Pavilion at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, November 24th to sign paperwork and pay fees.  ($1.50 Fun Walkers, $3.00 AVA/IVV credit, exact change much appreciated.)  Groups will set out at 10 a.m. to work off some of that Thanksgiving turkey. Lunch together is a possibility – the Greek Islands or the 11-Worth Café are both nearby and local favorites.

*Reminder:  Our annual Pie Walk is coming up on Saturday, November 4th at Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, 15005 Q Street, Omaha, NE from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Off the trail by 3 p.m., but those pies will be packed up around 1, so if you’re planning to come later, plan to eat pie before you hit the trail.  Where do all the pies come from? From walkers like you! Leftover pie is taken to a local homeless shelter, so non-cream pies travel best. Or eat the cream pies first!

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.