Category: Newsletter

Join Us for Christmas Tree Arrival and Annual Lights Walk

Our latest newsletter is here: November – December 2024 newsletter 

On Wednesday, November 13th, the RiverFront will be hosting the nation’s Christmas tree as it travels across the nation to Washington, D.C. The Trailblazers will be part of the fun from 5 – 7 p.m. Come and see us! 

On Saturday, December 14th, we will be hosting our annual Lights Walk. Head to the west doors of KANEKO on 12th & Farnam between 4 and 6 p.m. Courtesy of The RiverFront, everyone walks for free! We are collecting hats, mittens, gloves and warm socks for the homeless.

Club members are asked to help with the many volunteer positions available and to bring cookies, treats and items for the dozens of door prizes available to our walking friends.

Mark your calendars for the Saturday, January 18th Annual Dinner meeting, to be held at 1:30 p.m. at Legends Patio and Grill in Aksarben. 

October 2024 news

Here’s the September – October 2024 newsletter Sept – Oct 2024 newsletter (yes, it’s a bit late, but there’s still lots you want to read!) Nominations for the 2025 club officers are being taken, as well as for the 2024 Walker of the Year.

Upcoming events:

  • Saturday, October 12th, 10 a.m. – Group walk at the Bellevue Lions Club’s Spaghetti Feed. $4 for the walk, $12 for the spaghetti dinner.  This is taking place at St. James Methodist Church,, 4343 Capehart Road, Bellevue, NE. Meet around 9:45 a.m. to start walking by 10 a.m. Dinner starts at 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, November 2nd, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Our traditional November “Pie Walk” is being replaced with a ‘Giving Walk (as in Thanksgiving), where walkers bring the makings for a pie. Walk fee is $2 if an item is brought; $4 if no item, but the $2 will go either to the food pantry behind the Thanksgiving dinner food drive or to our host church. The location is First Covenant Church, 201 N 90th St, Omaha, NE. Specific items requested are: canned fruit (low or no sugar added), pie fillings, 5# sacks of flour, 4# sacks of sugar. Other nonperishable pantry items are also gratefully accepted. This walk is in an area of town where sidewalks are scarce and there are some hills.
  • Saturday, December 14th, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Our annual Lights Walk! The RiverFront is generously sponsoring this event, so all walkers walk for free. We’re collecting gloves, mittens, hats and socks (especially warm socks) for the homeless. The RiverFront will be hosting a Holiday Market as part of the seasonal festivities, and one 5k loop will pass right by/through it. The other is quieter and heads up to see the Joslyn Art Museum at night and the lights on the Creighton campus.

Send questions to us at netrailblazers@gmail.com. See you on the trail!

August 2024 Newsletter and Papillion Walk Event | Nebraska Trailblazers

Our July-August newsletter was delayed due to illness, so we’re presenting our August 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure here: August 2024 newsletter

We also need to call your attention to the cancellation of our Labor Day walk in Table Rock, Nebraska. The folks in Table Rock are still worn out from last year’s celebration!

We hope you’ll come to our Saturday, September 7th walk a little closer to home in Papillion’s Halleck Park. Our starting point within the park has changed, so use these directions to arrive:

  • Take 84th St. to Lincoln St. go east on Lincoln to Halleck Park Road.  
  • Right on Halleck Park Road to parking lot on right.  
  • Look for yellow AVA signs.

You can come any time between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., but do plan to be off the trail by 1 p.m. If you like walking with a group, be ready to start walking by 9:30 a.m. Come early enough to pay the $4 fee (exact change gratefully accepted) and to register.

May – June 2024 newsletter and upcoming events

Here’s the May – June 2024 newsletter for you to look over: May-June 2024 Newsletter

We have a few events coming up in quick succession, so here’s a quick run-down for you:

  • May 16 – Little Italy Tour, starting at 5:30 p.m. from The Arch in the Gene Leahy Mall at 11th and Farnam Streets in downtown Omaha. Registrations were due May 14th, but email us at netrailblazers@gmail.com to see if there’s a cancellation. The event is free.
  • May 18 – Agate Fossil Beds walk by the Northwest Nebraska Volksmarch Club, starting near Harrison, Nebraska. Registration from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. $4 per person walk fee.
  • May 19 – PLAWKing event starting at 2 p.m. at 39th & Marcy Streets in Omaha. Come walk part of the Field Club Trail while picking up litter. Keep Omaha Beautiful will provide supplies, but you might want to bring sturdier gloves of your own. The event is free.
  • June 1 – Bennington Lakes Lee Frantz Memorial Walk at Prairie View Lake Recreation Area , just south of Hwy. 36 on N. 180th Street. Registration from 9 a.m. to noon, group walk setting out at 9:30 a.m. $4 per person walk fee. 
  • June 8 – Yanney Park, 2020 W 11th St in Kearney, NE. Registration from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. $4 per person walk fee.

March – April 2024 Newsletter

Here’s the March/April 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure: March – April 2024 newsletter  If you’ve been thinking about getting a club shirt, check out the options in the newsletter – it’s a time-limited deal!

Not mentioned in the newsletter is our March 20th free walk at 11 a.m. at The RiverFront for Women’s History Month. (Remember that free walks don’t earn Event Credit if you are a book stamper.)

We’ll be sending out a Trail Mail toward the end of March, just to get you all geared up for National Walking Week, April 1st – April 7th.

 

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

July – August 2023 Newsletter

Our latest newsletter is available here: July – August 2023 Newsletter

Since the newsletter comes out on a bimonthly basis, you’ll want to stay informed on new walks and events as they are created. How? You have several options:

May-June newsletter, June Walks and looking ahead to September!

Our May-June newsletter is available here: May-June Newsletter  Remember,  only club members receive the full newsletter shortly after publication. Want to become a club member? Print out this application and mail it in with your payment.

If you get our “Trail Mail” e-newsletter, all of the following information will sound familiar. “Trail Mail” is open to anyone who wants to receive our irregular e-newsletter with updates on walks and upcoming events. Sign up via the website pop-up or send an email to netrailblazers@gmail.com.

Saturday, June 3rd, 9:30 a.m. start time for 5k and 11k Group Walk for National Trails Day. Seymour Smith Park, 6802 Harrison Street, Omaha, NE 68127
 $3 fee to walk. Leashed dogs are welcome. Seymour Smith Park at 72nd and Harrison Streets in Omaha will be the starting point of our exploration of the Keystone and Papio Trails. We’ll start walking as a group at 9:30 a.m.  Your choice to walk 5 km or 11 km on flat, paved trails, suitable for strollers and great for leashed dogs. Meet in the southeast corner of the big parking lot (the northern one) a few minutes early to sign the waiver and pay the $3 fee. This qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit.

Saturday, June 24th, 10:00 a.m. start time for 5k Group Walk to honor Bonnie Christensen during Chuck Wagon Days. Adair City Park, 401 – 449 4th St, Adair, IA 50002

Join Iowa’s Walking Club in Adair, Iowa, for a 5K group walk and a chance to remember charter club member Bonnie Christensen. $3 fee for all walkers; this qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Adair City Park. The walk is being held in conjunction with Adair’s annual Chuck Wagon Days, and the park will be hosting multiple events.

The walk will begin promptly at 10:00 to avoid conflict with the Chuck Wagon Days Parade that begins at 10:30 and passes by the park. The walk will pass by an honor roll of Adair veterans who served in WWII, through residential areas, venturing briefly into Guthrie County and through downtown, past City Hall, and past the Methodist Church where Bonnie was a member and sang in the choir.

The park’s main entrance will be closed. From I-80 Exit 76, head north on 5th Street (White Pole Road) past the main park entrance. Continue north on 5th Street and take the next right (Stuart Street), then turn right at 4th Street to enter the park. Look for the blue and white Iowa’s Walking Club banner. Restrooms and parking are available in the park.

Monday, September 4, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pleasant Valley Rock School House – 150 Year Celebration Walk, 3.7 miles SE of Table Rock, Nebraska on Railroad Drive/628th Ave

Help celebrate this one-room schoolhouse’s 150th anniversary by walking the route many children walked to and from school on the day before the traditional school year started. Lunch will be available with beer and brats, water, and polka music in beer tent. Walking sticks and bug spray strongly recommended due to the terrain. $3 fee for all walkers; this qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit.

Take NE-50 S to Vine St in Table Rock, then take Railroad Drive for 3.7 miles to 628 Avenue. School will be on the right. More complete driving directions at https://my.ava.org/event-view.php?sn=124361

Regional Roundup September 15 – 17, 2023, hosted by GDMVA: Iowa’s Walking Club. See the flyer posted on our website for all details and walks and to sign up for meals and t-shirts by August 18th. Preregistration for the walks is NOT necessary. The host hotel for this weekend is Grand Stay Hotel & Suites, 2679 Rock Ridge Drive, Rock Valley, IA.

Friday, September 15, 10 a.m. to noon, Plymouth County Historical Museum
335 1st Ave SW, Le Mars, IA 51031 (part of the Regional Roundup)

The Trailblazers will host the walk in Le Mars, Iowa, the Ice Cream Capital of the World! You can walk this walk at any time during the Roundup, by going to the host hotel and registering, but we will be staffing the walk in person on Friday, September 15th from 10 a.m. to noon. Please finish by 3. The museum is open for visitors from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.