Here’s the link to the latest newsletter, so that you can download and print it: May/June 2026 Newsletter Otherwise, you can just read it on the website:
Tag: Volksmarch
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Walking Week 2026
One Week = 7 Days = 6 Walks + 1 Activity = LOTS OF FUN!
For all of our GROUP WALKS, please arrive 15 minutes early to sign the waiver form and to pay the walk fee, if listed. Exact change is very much appreciated!
Monday, May 18, 10:00 a.m.: First Avenue Trail – Trash Pickup & Lunch. Registration has ended but you can still come if you let Sandy know at spldngs@aol.com. Free Event! (If you want AVA credit for the walk, bring $4 and your books for stamping with you.) Meet at Cochran Park, 100 S.21st St. Council Bluffs, IA. The First Avenue Trails Parks & Paths Volunteer Program will provide supplies plus $5 coupon to Railway Inn at 115 S. 12th St. for after the event. It is recommended that you bring your own water bottle, sunscreen, work gloves, insect repellent, and sturdy close-toed shoes.
Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 p.m.: Stinson Park Group Walk. Free Event! Meet at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, 67th & Mercy Road, Omaha, NE. We’ll gather in the open area northeast of the playground. Parking available on Mercy Road. Join us after the walk at Inner Rail Food Hall, 1911 S. 67th St. for dinner and conversation.
Wednesday, May 20, 10:00 a.m.: Dundee Group Walk. Free Event! Meet at Memorial Park’s Rose Garden, using Robert Storz Drive from 6005 Underwood Ave., Omaha, NE. We’ll walk through the Happy Hollow and Dundee neighborhoods.
Thursday, May 21, 5:30 p.m.: Little Italy Tour. Registration required by noon on May 14th: https://forms.gle/2rCqW7KNGdAGHHc47 Free Event! $5 cash donation requested to help organize Little Italy programs and educational student exchanges. Meet at the 11th Street Promenade Arch at 11th and Farnam Streets in Omaha, NE no later than 5:15 pm to sign in. Prepare to walk a couple of miles as you tour sites in the Old Market and Little Italy neighborhoods, sampling delicious Italian cuisine at various stops. NO DOGS ALLOWED.
Friday, May 22, 10 a.m.: The Wall That Heals. Free Event! Meet at Lewis Central High School, 3504 Harry Langdon Blvd, Council Bluffs, IA. The Wall That Heals is a memorial honoring the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War, bearing the names of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Standing at seven-and-a-half-feet tall and 375 feet long, the Wall That Heals is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is accompanied by a mobile education center. Stop for lunch after at Tastee Treet, 13996 Wabash Ave. Our seasonal walking route starts from the Tastee Treet and continues on the Wabash Trace; consider stretching your legs after lunch. (Walk fee of $4 applies.)
Saturday, May 23, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., off the trail by 1 p.m.: Standing Bear Lake. This is a traditional Volksmarch. $4 per walker, AVA credit available. To find us at Standing Bear Lake, use Entrance #4, located on N. 132nd Street, between Fort and Ida Streets in Omaha, NE. (The entrance is closer to Ida to the north than it is to Fort.) We’ll be at the picnic shelter close to the lake at the playground at the end of the road from the entrance. A group walk will be led at 9:30 a.m. Come anytime between 9 and 11 to register and set out on the trail. A 10k option is also available.
Sunday, May 24, 2:00 p.m.: Old Stone Arch Trail Group Walk in Shelby, Iowa. $4 per walker, AVA credit available. Meet at Agri-Symbol Park at 12 East St, Shelby, IA 51570 around 1:45 p.m. to register and pay. If interested in carpooling meet at the JC Penney parking lot off of 24th St. in Council Bluffs at 1 p.m. The walk goes along a picturesque cemetery, and the Old Stone Arch Nature Trail, dotted with spring wildflowers.
- As always, our walks are held rain or shine, so dress for the weather!
- Unless otherwise stated, leashed dogs are welcome on our walks.
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March – April 2026 Newsletter
Our March – April 2026 newsletter is ready for you to read. Download it here: March – April 2026 newsletter We have a lot going on these next few months, so you’re going to want to read it and to check out the events on our Walks and Events page.
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Seward Group Walk
July 4 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT
Come join us as we walk together in Nebraska’s “4th of July City” – Seward, Nebraska! After the walk, enjoy a full day of holiday fun. Visit the newly opened National Guard Museum, the car show, the craft fair, enjoy live entertainment all day, including the parade at 4 p.m. and the fireworks at 10 p.m.
- Please arrive 15 minutes early to sign the waiver and to pay.
- A 10km and a 5 km route will be available.
- The trail rating for this walk is 1A (flat, on sidewalks).
- Strollers will be able to handle the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome
$4 per walker -
Annual Pie Walk
November 7 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am CST
A beloved tradition returns! The walk this year will be through local parks in Papillion. Bring a pie to share for after the walk. Sit and have a slice (or two!) with complimentary coffee or hot cocoa. Leftovers will go to a local food pantry.
- A 10km and a 5 km route will be available.
- The trail rating for this walk is 1A (flat, on sidewalks).
- Strollers will be able to handle the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome
- A group walk will start at 9:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
- Please return from walking by 1 p.m.
$4 per walker -
Lake Manawa State Park – 5k and 10k Walk
September 12 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am CDT
We’ll be meeting at Shelter 4 to register and set out on either a 5 km or a 10 km walk around this gem of a natural lake just south of Council Bluffs. The $5 entrance fee is waived for out-of-state walkers parking at the shelter. You’ll find paved roads and bike paths and grassy hiking paths winding around the lake and its beaches and concession area.
- A 10km and a 5 km route will be available.
- The trail rating for this walk is 1B (flat, on various surfaces).
- Strollers will have difficulty with the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome
- A group walk will start at 9:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
- Please return from walking by 1 p.m.
Shelter 4 can be found by driving South Shore Drive to Bass Road (“Dreamland Park” sign) and turning toward the lake. The shelters are marked and our yellow sign will be out to guide you.
$4 per walker -
Lights Walk
December 12 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm CST
Enjoy a walking tour of the spectacular lights display in the downtown area and the Heartland of America Park. Parking in the Old Market is not free. We suggest using a pay lot. There is one at 10th & Jones. Street meters accept credit cards and cash. Enter KANEKO from the 12th & Jones entrance until 8 p.m. Registration runs from 4 to 6 p.m.
After the walk, we’ll be there until 8 p.m. to serve you cookies and warm drinks and give you a chance to win one of our fun raffle prizes. We’ll be collecting warm things for the Open Door Mission, such as hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and socks.
- The trail rating for this walk is 2A
- Strollers will be able to handle the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome
- A group walk will start at 4:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
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Lake Cunningham – 5k and 10k Walk
October 10 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am CDT
Walk along the peaceful Lake Cunningham trail with fall colors in the trees and birds floating on the lake. We’ll start at the Programming Area by the Campground, so look for the yellow signs.
- A 10km and a 5 km route will be available.
- The trail rating for this walk is 1A (flat, on sidewalks).
- Strollers will be able to handle the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome
- A group walk will start at 9:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
- Please return from walking by 1 p.m.
$4 per walker -
Table Rock School House – 5k and 10k Walk
September 5 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am CDT
Help celebrate this one room schoolhouse by walking the same route walked by schoolchildren 100 years ago. After the walk, stay for lunch, featuring beer and brats to the sound of polka music.
- A 10km and a 5 km route will be available.
- The trail rating for this walk is 2D (moderate hills, with a significant part of the route on very difficult terrain).
- Walking sticks/hiking poles are recommended, as is bug spray
- Strollers will not be able to handle the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome, but cannot come inside the buildings
- A group walk will start at 9:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
- You must return from walking by 1 p.m.
Directions: From Hwy. 75, go west on Hwy. 4 approximately 13 miles. Left (south) on the first road (5th Street, gravel, unmarked) immediately after crossing the railroad bridge. At the T-intersection, turn left (east) on Vine Street (unmarked). Vine curves east and then south. Cross the railroad tracks, and immediately turn left (south) on Railroad Drive. Continue, keeping tracks on your left, for 3.7 miles. The school will be on the right. From Hwy. 50, once you pass Steinauer, the highway turns east and is now Hwy 4. Take Hwy. 4 into Table Rock, where it becomes Wyoming Street. At the T-intersection, turn left to stay on Hwy. 4 (Grand Street) for 0.2 miles and then turn right onto Vine Street (gravel). Cross the railroad tracks, and immediately turn left (south) on Railroad Drive. Continue, keeping tracks on your left, for 3.7 miles. The school will be on the right.
$4 per walker -
Standing Bear Lake – 5k and 10k Walk (Walking Week)
May 23 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am CDT
Use Entrance #4 to find us. We’ll be starting from the shelter tucked away in the trees with a view of the lake, behind the playground. Walk around Omaha’s Standing Bear Lake, crossing the lake at its west end on the floating boardwalk. Those doing the 10k route will also walk in the Hillsborough neighborhood to the south.
- A 10km and a 5 km route will be available.
- The trail rating for this walk is 1A (flat, on sidewalks).
- Strollers will be able to handle the route
- Leashed dogs are welcome
- A group walk will start at 9:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
- Please return from walking by 1 p.m.
$4 per walker