Just in case the invitation image doesn’t come through in the email, click below: 2024 Annual Dinner Meeting Notice
Tag: Nebraska Trailblazers
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.
Where: KANEKO, 1111 Jones Street, Omaha, NE 68102 (metered parking and pay lots are available nearby)
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
Pop Up Group Walk on Saturday!
Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. Let’s explore the new trails at Hitchcock Nature Center, just north of Council Bluffs, Iowa!
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:
- Club members receive emails directly to their inbox about upcoming walks and events. Become a member by signing up using this form: Membership Application Form
- Like or Follow us on Facebook. Find us at @NebraskaWander or use the button on this post or on the Welcome page at Welcome page
- Join our Meetup page at https://www.meetup.com/meetup-walk-omaha-for-fun-fitness-and-friendship/
- Subscribe to updates on this website, also on the Welcome page
- Subscribe to Trail Mail, our occasional between-newsletters e-newsletter. You can do that by providing your email address in the yellow bar on this post or on the Welcome page
Just Announced! – Flanagan Lake 5k Group Walk
Walk one of the newest lake trails in the area at Flanagan Lake. Walk is on paved trail around this beautiful lake. Enjoy some unique benches to rest on as you walk. Please arrive 15 minutes early to register and start walking promptly at 6. $3 walk fee – exact change is appreciated.
Easy trail for strollers. Leashed dogs are welcome.
17401 Ida St. Take Dodge St. or Maple St. to 168th St. North on 168th to Ida St. West on Ida St. to entrance on your left.
Omaha Downtown Walk – OSB Only for a while!
Our Historic Downtown year-round walk is temporarily available only by using the Online Start Box method. The physical start box was thrown away by the new operators of the motel where the box had been housed for many years. We are searching for a new home for a physical start box, closer to the start point of the walk. We’ll also be rolling out a new route in mid-August, to celebrate the completion of The RiverFront’s vision of linking the Gene Leahy Mall with Heartland of America Park and Lewis and Clark Landing.
In the meantime, please see the link on the AVA website to access registration via the Online Start Box.
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.
Little Italy Walk – May 4, 2023
Grab your cameras for a historic walk through the Italian and Sicilian historical sites of Omaha, as the Nebraska Trailblazers take a walk to Little Italy. You’ll visit historic sites including St. Philomena’s Cathedral, St. Francis Cabrini Church, Bella Vita and Santa Lucia Hall.
We’ll be walking as a group, starting promptly at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 4th. It’s best to arrive 15 minutes early at the Farnam Archway on the 11th Street Promenade at the Gene Leahy Mall (11th & Farnam Streets in Omaha).
There’s no fee for the walk. This walk is not suitable for dogs, due to the nature of the walking tour. Our hosts are providing genuine Italian snacks; although not required, please register by May 2nd here: https://forms.gle/F5ANvMKfbnNaoDJy8 so that everyone gets a nibble.