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Category: Traditional Events

  • Soup – and a newsletter – for you!

    Soup – and a newsletter – for you!

    Our first Volksmarch (walk) of the season is on Saturday, March 1st, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 7301 N. 28th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68112. All the details of the walk are available here: https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/event/annual-soup-walk-5k-and-10k/

    Be sure to bring 2 cans of soup – one for the pot and another for the New Hope Pantry. We’ll have a big pot of chicken soup and another big pot of beef soup, PLUS cornbread, made by some of the people welcoming you to the historical Florence neighborhood of Omaha.

    Our latest newsletter is available here: https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NWFT-Mar-Apr-2025.pdf Club members will be receiving the full version in their inboxes soon.

  • Save the dates for all of our 2025 walks!

    Save the dates for all of our 2025 walks!

    All of the walks that we have planned so far are listed on our Walk and Event Listing page, also accessible through our Walks and Events menu. Each event has a handy link at the bottom of the page to add it to your Google, iCalendar or Outlook calendars. You can even subscribe to our entire event calendar by using the “Subscribe to Calendar” button in the bottom right side of any Walk and Event Listing page.

    We’ve even created a booklet, suitable for printing, at our 2025 Walk Booklet page. Please note that the booklet will not be updated during the year; you’ll have to grab a pencil and mark up any printed copy as things change. And we already have a couple of changes in the works!

    Our first walk of the year will be our traditional Soup Walk, to be held in the hills of Florence, one of Nebraska’s oldest cities and now part of Omaha. All of the details are available at https://www.nebraskatrailblazers.com/event/annual-soup-walk-5k-and-10k/ Grab a couple of cans of soup, your walking shoes and we’ll see you there!

  • 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

    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.

  • Happy New Walking Year – 2024!

    We’ve got 16 walks lined up – just in the first half of 2024! Take a look at the calendar, here: 2024 Calendar – first half  They include some free walks during National Walking Week and a variety of locales and difficulties that should have you reaching for your calendar.  The cost of our regular walks is now $4, up $1 from last year due to a large increase in the cost of insurance.  

    We’ve had to retire some of our Seasonal and Year-Round Events, but we’ve added a six-county long Seasonal Event – the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska – stretching between Valentine in the west and Norfolk in the east. This is only available via our Online Start Box on myava.org.

    We’re looking at some fun summer activities – think wineries, balloons and trail runs for charity. You’ll want to check back often here and on social media to stay updated. 

    Of course, our club meetings, held on the first Monday of the month between February and June, September (2nd Monday) and December, are still fun, social places to be. You’re always welcome to take part in club business, listen to a speaker and to enjoy refreshments and conversations after the meeting.

    Reminder: you don’t have to be a club member to take part in any of these activities. But if you would like to join for only $10 ($15 families), here’s the application with the mailing address printed right on it, so you can send it in while you’re thinking about it.

  • Lights Walk – coming up soon!

    Our annual Lights Walk will be held this Saturday, December 2nd. Thanks to a generous grant from Omaha’s The RiverFront, the normal walk fee will be waived for all participants!

    This is a great family event. We’re offering a 5k or 10k marked route through the Holiday Lights Festival, with directions and map. Strollers and leashed dogs are welcome. In the spirit of the season, we are participating in the diaper drive for Lydia House. Diapers, wipes and cash donations will be gratefully accepted.

    When: Saturday, December 2nd. Registration between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., event ends at 8 p.m.

    Where: KANEKO, 1111 Jones Street, Omaha, NE 68102 (metered parking and pay lots are available nearby)
     
    Includes:  Cookies, hot drinks and fun door prizes

  • 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