Group Walks – Page 6 – Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers

June is busting out all over!

Club Logo – 2nd place award

First there was the 2017 Biennial Convention to follow, as maybe a dozen club members headed west to Billings, Montana via the Crazy Horse Monument Walk on June 3rd and then headed back via Cody, Wyoming on the 10th and 11th. Our club website was voted #1 and our club logo #2 at the convention. Thanks to everyone who keeps our club out there in the public eye!

Our club meeting on June 5th will have to last us until the next meeting on Monday, September 11th, where a great program speaker is on deck. (More details when the speaker is confirmed!).

Then 19 members and Meetup friends ventured out onto the trail at Wehrspann Lake the day after hurricane force winds and two tornadoes knocked trees onto the trail and onto our members’ yards and houses! Wow – they must really love to walk! Or maybe it was the Cracker Barrel brunch that followed?

Our Eclipse Committee has been working, working, working! Over 100 people have signed up for events on each of Saturday, Sunday and Monday. More information to come in a separate post about changes to our planned events and places – plus a brand, new event! Also, one of our neighboring clubs to the south, the Sunflower Sod Stompers, are reserving use of a hotel swimming pool so that they can offer Swim Events in between our walking events. Keep an eye out for more information, to be posted here and on Facebook.

Our next club event will take place July 8th at the Mallory Kountze Planetarium inside of the Durham Science Building on the UNO Campus. The program “What’s Up” will feature summer skies and what we might see at the Star Party in August. The program starts at 6:30 p.m., lasts for about an hour, and costs only $4. That leaves you with enough money for ice cream after the show!

Late March/early April 2017 Updates

What a busy month! It’s hard to keep up with all our club members – they’re always on the move!

Saturday, March 25th is our next “Meet and Eat” for either a 5k walk or a 10k walk. Meet at the north end of the Gallup Parking lot (off Ferer Plaza) by 10 a.m. – be ready to walk by 10:15. Lunch this time will be at the Old Mattress Factory, at 13th and Cass Streets.

The next day, Sunday March 26th, the Workers’ Walk for the April 1st “I Spy Walk” will start at Madonna Rehab Hospital near the unnamed outdoor shopping mall, 17500 Burke Street. Walkers will start promptly at 2 p.m., so arrive early with exact change in hand to sign the paperwork and pay. $1.50 for fun walkers, $3.00 for credit walkers.

The formal “I Spy Walk” will be held the next Saturday, April 1st, from 9 to 12, off the trail by 3 p.m. Same prices as above. If you’re able to walk with new walkers at 9:30, great! We’d love to have you come set the pace and offer some words of friendship.

The regular monthly meeting at Morningstar Lutheran Church on Monday, April 3rd, will feature a presentation on the summer sky. If the sky is clear, we’ll go out and look up. The meeting starts promptly at 7.

For those of you looking at our Eclipse Events August 18 – 21, good news! The Stuhr Museum has worked out a deal with us, so we’re passing on the savings. The package cost is now $25, rather than $30, and the actual Eclipse Walk is now $5, rather than $10. Those who have already pre-registered and paid will be offered a refund onsite. We’ve found a couple of rooms, so let us know if you’re interested – first come, first served!

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.

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!

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.

June Events: National Trails Day and Club Meeting

Our National Trails Day Walk will be held at Chalco Hills Recreation Area at 154th and Giles Road, on Saturday morning, June 4th. Thank you to the Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District for opening up the building for us and helping suggest and mark trails for you to use.

The 10k is a slight modification to the regular Year Round route (normally available at the Pump and Pantry off of I-80 and NE-370), while the 5k route is quite a bit different, heading off onto natural paths and trails for more than 50% of the route. Stop by the Visitors’ Center between 8:30 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 4th to register, pay and get a map, if needed. Group walks will begin at 9:30 a.m. Cost: Fun Walkers are FREE (but donations are gratefully accepted); those stamping books pay $3. If stamping books, we will stamp them at the BEGINNING of the walk.

Giles Road is completely blocked from 144th to just before the entrance to the Visitors’ Center, so you have to drive up to Chandler or to Harrison, head left (west) to 156th, left (south) to Giles, and left (east) on Giles to the first right. There is an ominous sign at 156th and Giles, saying that the road is closed to thru traffic, but don’t worry! The road is open to the entrance to Chalco Hills Recreation Area.

Our last club meeting before the summer break will be Monday evening at 7 p.m. at Morning Star Lutheran Church, 331 S 85th Ave, Omaha, NE 68114. The speaker this month is a guitarist, who will play and talk about playing, followed by a short business meeting. After that, stay for light refreshments and some social time!