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Tag: Volksmarch

  • South Omaha Trail Soup Walk

    South Omaha Trail Soup Walk

    March 7 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am CST

    Walk the South Omaha Trail to the Keystone Trail, crossing an old railroad bridge. Enjoy some delicious warm soup following the walk. Please brings 2 cans of soup; one will go into the pot and the other will be donated to a local food pantry. Beef, chicken and vegetable soups work best for the communal pot.

    • 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, but cannot come inside the church.
    • A group walk will start at 9:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
    $4 per walker

    Candlewood Church

    5051 F St
    Omaha, Nebraska 68117 United States     + Google Map
  • Newsletter (finally!) and upcoming walk

    Newsletter (finally!) and upcoming walk

    We won’t bore you with the explanation, but the September – October newsletter is finally ready for you to read here: September – October 2025 newsletter

    If you like Omaha history or other cultures, you’re going to love our walk this Saturday, October 11th, starting at 9 a.m. from El Museo Latino, 4701 S. 25th Street, Omaha, NE 68107. South Omaha used to be a separate city until 1915, growing block by block so rapidly that it became known as “Magic City”. Name an ethnic group from Europe and you’ll find traces of them still in the neighborhoods and houses in the area.

    Today, South Omaha is a neighborhood inside of Omaha, with a vibrant culture thanks to recent waves of immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America. Stop at a “panaderia” (bakery) and try a new pastry. Or check out the many “nevederias” that sell “helado” (ice cream), specializing in fruit flavors and new combinations of flavors. Consider stopping at a local restaurant to experience authentic flavors from other countries.

    Registration runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the per walker fee is $4 (exact change is much appreciated!). For those who want to meet and walk with others, we’ll have groups leaving at 9:30 on the 5 km (3 mile) and 10 km (6 mile) routes. Written directions with maps will be provided and the route will be marked (weather permitting).

  • July – August 2025 newsletter

    July – August 2025 newsletter

    Our club slows down in the summer, with July and August events directed at club members. Our next scheduled walking event is August 23rd, in Des Moines, Iowa. We’ll have more details and a carpooling sign-up for you later.

    In the meantime, here’s our latest newsletter: July – August 2025 newsletter where you can see lots of pictures from the biennial convention held by America’s Walking Club in Las Cruces, NM and from our recent walking weekend, with Iowa’s Walking Club, in central-western Iowa. Oh, and some dates you’ll want to save! Plus some hints on how to keep walking even during hot, humid weather.

  • June 2025 Events

    June 2025 Events

    Our planning committee is still putting together some fun events for July and August. In the meantime, be sure to put these on your calendar!

    June 7th at 10 a.m. Mandan Park, 6215 S 13th St, Omaha, NE 68107.  Meet at the picnic shelter near the newly opened nature center to sign the waiver and walk the trails. 

    This hidden park is impossible to see into from 13th Street, which runs along its western edge. Its seclusion made it a great place to escape the city and experience nature. The park has been extensively renovated over the last couple of years. The trail we will walk follows the park’s level contour along the now closed road that used to run through the park.

    *The trail rating for the route is 1B
    *Strollers will be able to handle the route.
    *Leashed dogs are welcome on the trail.
    *$4.00 per walker (exact change appreciated); children under 12 free

    Glenwood Walk

    June 27 – 28, starting at 2 p.m. in Corning, Iowa (plus 3 more walks). Four group walks in central Western Iowa: Corning, Shenandoah, Glenwood and Stanton, in partnership with Iowa’s Walking Club. Our club sponsors the Glenwood seasonal walk, so we’re very excited about this opportunity to show off this gem of a walk! Glenwood offers a 7 km and a 10 km option, while the other group walks are 5 km (10 km option available in Stanton). Please see our printable flyer* for all of the details about each of the walks, as well as the buffet dinner and hotel reservations in Shenandoah on Friday and the pancake feed on Saturday morning in Glenwood: Four County walking weekend

    *The trail rating for the routes are either 1A or 2B
    *Strollers are okay on some routes
    *Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails
    *$4.00 per walker for each walk (exact change appreciated) 

    *If your printer will print duplex (2 sided), then choose “Flip on short edge” for the best results.

  • May – June Newsletter

    It’s hard to believe that there was snow on the ground just a month ago! Enjoy the latest newsletter, with plenty of news and pictures for you to enjoy. You can download it using the little icon, second from the right at the very bottom of the page.

    NWFT-May-June-2025
  • 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://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://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://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!

  • Lights Walk

    Lights Walk

    December 13, 2025 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm CST

    Enjoy a walking tour of the spectacular light 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.

    This walk is in memory of our dear friend and member, Larry Boehm. Larry planned this walk for many years and was instrumental in securing this wonderful start point. He served on our board and was a great friend who will be deeply missed.

    • The trail rating for this walk is 2A
    • Strollers will be able to handle the route
    • Leashed dogs are welcome, but cannot come inside KANEKO
    • A group walk will start at 4:30, if you’d like to walk with others.
    Free

    Candlewood Church

    5051 F St
    Omaha, Nebraska 68117 United States     + Google Map
  • Club Meeting

    Club Meeting

    December 1, 2025 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm CST

    Our monthly club meeting features a speaker and a short business meeting, followed by social time with treats. The meeting is held in the basement.

    Free

    Candlewood Church

    5051 F St
    Omaha, Nebraska 68117 United States     + Google Map

  • 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.