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CHASING BLACK SKY AND WIND LIVING ABROAD IN HONG KONG JAVE YOSHIMOTO CHEF DEKE REICHARDT BEST LAWYERS
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Make a Difference, Help a Nonprofit or Restaurant. Organizations nationwide have been turned upside down by the coronavirus crisis, including many Omaha nonprofits and restaurants serving our great community. For those who want to help, it can be hard to know where to start.
Omaha Magazine would like to lend a hand. Help your favorite nonprofit or restaurant stay in the public eye by making a donation toward an ad in our Charity or Restaurant Advertising sections, planned for our July issue of Omaha Magazine. We’ll contact the organization and help them prepare an ad that ensures they’re not forgotten. If there’s a charity or restaurant out there you know is struggling, help them raise their profile and jump-start their business during this challenging time and boost local giving.
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FROM THE EDITOR // LETTER BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN, MANAGING EDITOR
OMAHA MAGAZINE
Your Continued Connection to the Community
S
pring arrived amid chaos and fear. Usually my favorite local weatherman notes the spring equinox with gusto—this year he barely registered that there was an equal amount of sunlight and moonlight on March 19. I never heard him state that it was the earliest spring equinox in 124 years, a fact I found interesting as I read it on national news sites.
This issue has come at a unique time in everyone’s lives. A year ago, we planned for the May issue to be an annual adventure issue, as late spring is when many prepare to go on vacation. Last year’s edition ended up changing a bit due to the spring f loods and some staff changes at the magazine, but we still produced a great edition about people from the Omaha area taking great adventures.
Magazines plan months, sometimes a year, in advance. At Omaha Magazine, we planned for the May edition to be the Adventure Issue a minimum of three months prior to publication, and some large stories were started before then.
People are the lifeblood of this city, and this magazine. It is who we produce articles about and for that make us so passionate about this product.
The city has read a publication called Omaha Magazine since 1890. Publisher Todd Lemke started the current Omaha Magazine in 1983. The magazine survived the savings and loan crisis from 1986 to 1995, the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, and the Great Recession that ran from December 2007 to June 2009. Through it all, we have brought our readers timely articles that include philanthropic and cultural events around town. Some of the articles have seen a more hard-news bent, such as last month’s cover article about how the community came together to help save nearly 1/4 of an endangered goat species at one farm during last year’s historic f looding. Other articles cover the culture—music, theater, authors, locally produced films, art exhibitions, and more—that make this city’s heart beat.
The coronavirus that hit Omaha in March changed the way the staff at Omaha Magazine works, but not the quality or the scope of the magazine that we are bringing to our readers. As we communicated via conference calls, email, and a new cloud-based system, we watched our friends and neighbors in various industries change the way they serve customers and used our website to promote which restaurants are still operating via pickup and/or delivery. We plugged our headphones into our home computers for privacy and continued producing the magazine you see in the following pages. In most ways, this is the magazine we planned many months ago. In other ways, it is not. Omaha Magazine photographer Sarah Lemke, for example, had been traveling with her longtime boyfriend Julius Fredrick and came home unexpectedly, causing a change in plans
MAY
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2020
for that article. A couple of articles will be brought to you in future issues due to subjects being quarantined or uneasy being photographed during these uncertain times. Another change we made for efficiency’s sake was printing OmahaHome inside Omaha Magazine instead of poly-bagging together these magazines. One thing is certain. Omaha Magazine is here for our readers. We have brought you an outstanding edition filled with Omahans and their passion for travel, for adventure, and for fun. Someday we will go back to going on adventures, and Omaha Magazine will connect you to those future stories; but for now, I hope everyone who is able stays home and uses the time to reconnect to friends and loved ones in a safe way, whether that is playing board games with spouses and children or telephoning a friend to say hello. * Note: The hotel edition of Omaha Magazine has a different cover and does not include all of the editorial content included in the magazine’s full city edition. For more information on our city edition, visit OmahaMagazine.com.
TAB L E of CON T E N T S THE USUAL SUSPECTS 003 From the Editor
Your Continued Connection to the Community
006 Between the Lines 008 Calendar of Events 026 Adventure
Mike Lachendro Chases Black Sky and Wind
121 Obviously Omaha Outdoor Omaha
140 Explore! Calendar 144 Not Funny
Don’t Give Up, Or Else Do
A R T S + C U LT U R E 014 Music
Majel Connery
018 Author
Rob Kugler
022 Visual
Jave Yoshimoto
036
F E AT U R E S
028
POLITICAL UNREST, VIRUS FEARS, AND THE THREAT OF ECONOMIC RUIN
032 036
CARE BEYOND BORDERS
// 4 //
Living Abroad in Hong Kong
Dr. Melissa Dahir Fills Medical Gap at Home and Abroad
TAKE GOOD RISKS
A Daughter’s Love Puts the Whole World in Her Hands
MAY 2020
PE O P L E 048 Gen O
Cale Ferrin
050 Sports
Trevor Richards
GIVING 052 Calendar 056 Profile
Laika Lewis
HOME 061-108 Always Local,
Always Beautiful
446 trees have been reforested
due to the printing of our last round of publications.
Learn more at
·
.com
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CHASING BLACK SKY AND WIND LIVING ABROAD IN HONG KONG JAVE YOSHIMOTO CHEF DEKE REICHARDT BEST LAWYERS
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60PLUS IN OMAHA
014
A B O U T T HE COV ER one
Faced with being stranded in a foreign land, Omaha Magazine photographer Sarah Lemke and her boyfriend Julius Fredrick followed the advice of her father, Tyler, to take good risks and caught a flight home from Chile as a large portion of the world completely shut down.
109 Opener 110 Active Living Pat Whitaker
114 Profile
Sandra Martin
116 Health
Foot Pain
118 Feature
Ron Cooley
DINING 122 Dining Feature
David Utterback’s Food Adventure
128 Chef Profile
Curt Safrenek
130 Chef Profile
Deke Reichardt
133 Dining Guide SPECIAL SECTION 040 Best Lawyers
122
read online at omahamagazine.com
Between
THE LINES A LOOK AT FOUR OMAHA MAGAZINE TEAM MEMBERS CHRIS BOWLING—Contributing Writer Bowling grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Nebraska in 2014 to study journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Back then he knew nothing about the state aside from its cheap tuition and football team, but after telling stories here the past few years, he has found inexhaustible fascination—from cities like Omaha and Lincoln to the Sandhills and rural towns. When he’s not writing, Bowling loves to play guitar in his band Talent Show and hang out with his cadre of plants and Siamese cat, Kevin.
JEFF LACEY—Contributing Writer Lacey has lived most of his life in Omaha. This writing teacher at Ralston High School believes in practicing what he preaches, so he has been freelancing since 2019. He believes in the power of stories to celebrate the goodness of everyday people; he loves writing anything, but especially loves when he is asked to celebrate the quiet heroes of America in his stories. Besides being a writer and poet, Lacey is a certified Nebraska Master Naturalist, and enjoys supervising the writing hike program at Fontenelle Forest. Lacey graduated from Ralston High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, an M.Ed. from the University of Arizona, and has a master’s degree in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Stories are incredibly powerful tools for creating change,” he believes. “They have the power to unleash light into the world.”
ANDREW NELSON—Contributing Writer Nelson is a former newspaper reporter turned freelance writer/wannabe novelist. He is a Fremont native, a fifth-generation Nebraskan and a graduate of the University of South Dakota and the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. For 11 years, he was a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald. He keeps his interview skills sharp not only with Omaha Magazine, but in the Nebraska Army National Guard, where he is a military historian. He eagerly awaits the reopening of his favorite Omaha bars, bookstores, and coffee shops, but until then Omahans might find him on his front porch, reading and writing. Feel free to say hello—from a safe distance.
LIZ STEVENS—Contributing Writer At age 7, Stevens wrote her first story about her findings at the local Baker’s. In her mind, the story was a literary masterpiece that would withstand the test of time. She fell in love with writing while composing that story. Gradually, she moved past writing tales about the wonders of perishable products and learned how to tell stories by studying public relations and advertising at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Now, she is a self-identified extrovert whose location can easily be given away by her loud, boisterous laughter. In her free time, she can be found with a cup of black coffee in hand searching for unique finds from her favorite shops in Benson and Dundee. After finding her home in e-commerce jewelry sales, she started freelance writing for Omaha Magazine in 2018. Whether in sales, writing, or floral design, she tries to add her creative flair to everything she does. // 6 //
MAY 2020
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EDITORIAL Managing Editor
DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Senior Editor
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TARA SPENCER Associate Editor
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Contributing Writers
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CREATIVE
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MATT WIECZOREK Senior Graphic Designer
DEREK JOY
Graphic Designer II
MADY BESCH
Contributing Photographers
JUSTIN BARNES · KEITH BINDER · COLIN CONCES SCOTT DRICKEY · JOSHUA FOO · WILLIAM HESS TIFFANY IP · SARAH LEMKE
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GIL COHEN
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MARY HIATT
Senior Sales Executive & 60PLUS in Omaha Contributing Editor
GWEN LEMKE
Publisher’s Assistant & OmahaHome Contributing Editor
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Senior Sales Coordinator
ALICIA HOLLINS
Branding Specialists
DAWN DENNIS · GEORGE IDELMAN Digital Sales Manager
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Omaha Magazine Vol 37 Issue 9, publishes monthly except February, April, August, November, December, totaling 8 issues by Omaha Magazine, LTD, 5921 S. 118 Circle, Omaha, NE 68137. Periodical postage at Omaha, NE, and additional offices and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Omaha Magazine, 5921 S. 118 Circle, Omaha, NE 68137
(paid ticketed admission for some exhibitions)
SCULPTURE GARDENS Open and free – all day every day!
explore
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Joslyn Art Museum features works from antiquity to the present with an emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century European and American art. A fun, educational, relaxing, and artful destination for all. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–4 pm. Just west of downtown Omaha. Café, Museum shop, and free parking.
2200 Dodge St. | Omaha, NE | (402) 342-3300 | www.joslyn.org MAY 2020
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» Exhibitions « INFLUENCE
Through Aug. 22 at Kaneko, 1111 Jones St. Creativity begins with an idea. Through the exploration of physical space, artistic themes, history, and experience, the season of INFLUENCE will examine the history of change at Kaneko while celebrating the future of the organization which has become a driving force for inclusion and diversity of creative thought in Omaha. 402.341.3800 —thekaneko.org
IKEBANA EXHIBITION
FACT AND FICTION IN CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY
May 1-10 at Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. Photography has become less believable in the age of the iPhone; images are presumed to have been manipulated or altered from their original forms. Exploring traditional genres of landscape, still life, and portraiture, the work of various award-winning photographers depict raw scenes that appeared before the lens at a precise moment. Tickets: $10 adults, free for youth 17 and under. 402.342.3300. —joslyn.org
May 1-3 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Ikebana is the art of Japanese flow arrangement. This annual Ikebana exhibition features arrangements from both classical and contemporary schools of Ikebana. Members of Ikebana International Omaha will be present during show hours to meet guests and answer questions about the art of Ikebana. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $10 adults, $5 children 3-12, free for garden members and children under 3. 402.346.4002. —lauritzengardens.org
NATURE CONNECTS: ART WITH LEGO® BRICKS
PULITZER PRIZE PHOTOGRAPHS
JOE MCHALE
May 1-3 at Durham Museum. 801 S. 10th St. Photography plays an important role in documenting history. Th is exhibit features over 80 large-format, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs with information about how the image was captured. Admission: $11 adults, $8 seniors (age 62+), $7 children 3-12, free for children under 2 and members. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org
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MAY 2020
May 1-10 at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. Created by artist Sean Kenney, this exhibit features incredible sculptures of endangered species built from nearly 800,000 LEGO bricks and builds awareness for conservation of all living things. Admission: $10 adults, $5 ages 3 to 12, free to ages 2 and under and members. 402.346.4002. —lauritzengardens.org
May 1-June 5 at Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam St. McHale is a visual artist based out of Kearney. His paintings are lively and full of kinetic energy. He creates a visual representation of moments when time stands still and the past, present and future combine into one. Admission: Free. 402.595-2122. —artscouncil.nebraska.gov
BARIGHT GALLERY ART SERIES EXHIBIT
May 1-July 7 at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center, 1111 N. Bellevue Blvd. Th is annual series features a different artist, or group of artists, each quarter. Th is time around, the group is Community. Community is a non-juried, salon style exhibit that celebrates the creativity of Fontenelle Forest members, neighbors, staff, volunteers and friends. The exhibit will be vibrant and diverse, featuring artists of any age, working in any medium or style. Admission: $11. 402.731.3140. —fontenelleforest.org
PICASSO, MASTER IN CLAY
May 1-Aug. 22 at El Museo Latino, 4701 S 25th St. The whimsical works of one of history’s most iconic artists is at El Museo Latino. The exhibition features more than 55 of the legendary Pablo Picasso’s stylized ceramics. On loan from the Park West Museum, this substantial collection is on display for the first time in Omaha. Admission: $5 adults, $4 college students with ID, $3.50 seniors and children ages 5-17, and free to children under 5 and active military with ID. 402.731.1137. —elmuseolatino.org
SPONTANEITY: 10 ABSTRACT PAINTERS FROM NEBRASKA
Through May 17 at Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth St. Th is exhibition features artwork by 10 abstract and abstract expressionist artists from Nebraska. Enjoy their spontaneous, gestural and colorful paintings. Admission: free. 402.305.1510. —gallery1516.org
GUITAR: THE INSTRUMENT THAT ROCKED THE WORLD
May 30 through Sept. 6 at the Durham Museum. Visitors can explore the history of the world’s most recognized musical instrument at this exhibit. It will feature more than 60 guitars and nearly 100 historical artifacts that display the heart of music. Admission: $11 adults, $7 children 3-12, $8 seniors (62+). Free for museum members. 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org
LIV SCHULMAN: THE GOBERNMENT
May 1-June 13 at Bemis Center, 724 S. 12th St. Paris-based artist Schulman’s multi-channel video The Gobernment is described as a fictional historical revision of the lives of forgotten women artists. Th is will be the first presentation of her work in the U.S. Admission: free. 402.341.7130. —bemiscenter.org
CLAUDIA WIESER: GENERATIONS
May 1-June 13 at Bemis Center, 724 S 12th St #3202. Wieser is a Bavarian artist whose hand-painted sculptures, gold-leafed drawings, and multi-media installations show her appreciation for classical forms, as well as abstract geometrics. Admission: free. 402.341.7130. —bemiscenter.org
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS: GRADING DOWNTOWN OMAHA
May 1-June 21 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. This educational photography exhibit shows images of the extensive street projects in downtown Omaha that took place throughout the 1880s-1920s. Viewers can learn about the projects that shaped Omaha and see how the streets have changed. Admission: $11 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $7 children (3-12). 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org
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SPORTY WOMEN: THE DESIRE TO COMPETE
Through Dec. 31 at Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Equal treatment for women in sports is as modern a topic today as it was for women 100 years ago. This exhibit uses images from the Durham Museum Photo Archive that highlight elements of conflicting standards that allowed women to compete in sports if they maintained their feminine appearance. Admission: $11 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $7 children (3-12). 402.444.5071. —durhammuseum.org
» Stage Performances « TEMPORARY INSANITY
May 1-17 at Bellevue Little Theatre, 203 W Mission Ave. Main characters Collyn and Emerson run a marketing firm and are trying to land major client despite several unusual obstacles. Times vary. Tickets: $18 adults, $16 seniors, $10 students with valid ID. 402.291.1554. —bellevuelittletheatre.weebly.com
1502 CUMING ST.
• (402) 819-8792 • INFO@OMAHADESIGNCENTER.COM
MARK NORMAND
May 3 at Funny Bone, 17305 Davenport St, Suite 201. Normand’s hilarious stand up acts have taken him across the United Sates and abroad. He has appeared on Conan, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert. 7:00 p.m. Tickets: $15$45. 402.493.8036. —omaha.funnybone.com
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE SERIES — EXTREME CAVE DIVING
May 12 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Attendees can voyage into the beautiful but dangerous “blue holes” of the Bahamas through stunning images and video from diver Kenny Broad. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $12-$28. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org
THE
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CHRISTOPHER TITUS
May 27 at Funny Bone, 17305 Davenport St., Suite 201. Titus is a comedian and actor. His satirical stand up act revolves around his dysfunctional family and shocking life experiences. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25-$55. 402.493.8036. —omaha.funnybone.com
THE COLOR PURPLE
May 29 through June 28 at Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple is an intimate comingof-age story set in rural Georgia and told through jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues. Times vary. Tickets: not yet available. —omahaplayhouse.com MAY 2020
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St. Frances Cabrini The spiritual home of the Little Italy and Old Market neighborhoods since 1857.
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A recognition awarded to associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.
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MAY 2020
OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR
SEBASTIAN LANE
May 8 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. This popular local blues player will perform with The Host Country, and Andrew Bailie 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $12 advanced, $15 day of show. 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com
WILD RIVERS
May 11 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. With exquisite harmonies, gorgeous melodies, and emotionally charged, tightly crafted lyrics, Wild Rivers deliver their unique blend of folk-pop songs that are inviting and infectious. Their sound is an amalgamation of their various influences, from contemporaries like The Lumineers, Bahamas and Kacey Musgraves, to the iconic storytellers of the 70s, like James Taylor, Neil Young, and Fleetwood Mac. 8 p.m. Tickets: $16 advanced, $20 day of show. 402.884.5707. —reverblounge.com
SCIENCE CAFE
May 12 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Science Cafes involve a conversation with a scientist about current topics. They are open to everyone (21 and older). The casual meeting place, plain language, and inclusive conversation create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for people with no science background. 7 p.m. Tickets: Free 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com
THE 1975 » Concerts «
SUPER HAPPY FUNTIME BURLESQUE FINAL SHOW
1200 CLUB — GRACE KELLY
May 2 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Saxophonist Grace Kelly is shaking up the jazz world. Kelly mixes jazz, funk, R&B, an electro-dance beat and soulful lyrics in a performance that is unlike any other. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $19-$40. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org
May 3 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. SHFB Is a 12 member live band, a burlesque troupe, and a circus act that is too contemporary, too modern, too bawdy, and too controversial to be defined just as “burlesque.” 8 p.m. Tickets: $10 402.884.5353 —waitingroomlounge.com
SATSANG
READ SOUTHHALL BAND
May 2 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. 9 p.m. May 7 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple May Satsang is a Sanskrit word meaning “in the company St. Born and raised in the heart of Oklahoma, Read of truth.” Lead singer and songwriter Drew McManus Southall brings a unique sound to country music. will share his soulful, reggae-infused blend of folkGrowing up listening to everything from Hank Wilrock and melodic hip hop and its message of strength, liams to Johnny Paycheck led him to fall in love with growth, and resilience. Tickets: $18 advanced, $20 day of the soulful stories behind country music. 9:30 p.m. Tickets: show. 402.884.5707. $15. 402.884.5353. —reverblounge.com —waitingroomlounge.com
07
ARCHERS OF LOAF
May 2 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, NC. Before breaking up in 1998, the group toured extensively and released four studio albums and several other works. In 2011, the band played a secret show in North Carolina and decided to get back together after. In February, the band released their first new song since 1998: “Raleigh Days.” 9 p.m. Tickets: $25. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
WILKINS CONDUCTS MAHLER
May 8-9 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Mahler’s final movement has been described as “the most sublime in all symphonic literature.” With features for mezzo-soprano, women and children’s choruses, trombone and a massive ensemble, audiences will experience the greatness that is Mahler. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $19-$260. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org
May 13 at Baxter Arena, 2425 S. 67th St. Multi award-winning British pop rock band the 1975 has a new album and an extensive new tour. Phoebe Bridges and Beabadoobee will open this show. 7 p.m. Tickets: $37-$77. 402.554.6200. —unomaha.edu
BAD BAD HATS & WILDERMISS
May 13 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Co-headliners Bad Bad Hats and Wildermiss are two Indie bands known to play their hearts out during their live shows. 8 p.m. Tickets: $12 advanced, $15 day of show. 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com
ANDREA VON KAMPEN
May 14 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Kampen is an independent folk singer-songwriter based in Lincoln. Her effortless vocal delivery has been described by Ear To The Ground Music as having “the conviction of a gospel track and the sincerity of a Dylan folk ballad.” 8 p.m. Tickets: $13 advanced, $15 day of show. 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com
DAVID RYAN HARRIS
May 14 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Th is singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist always sings, writes and performs with soul. He has performed with the likes of John Mayer, Dave Matthews and Santana. 8 p.m. Tickets: $15 402.884.5707 —reverblounge.com
MAY 2020
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OMAHA MAGAZINE | EVENTS CALENDAR
Four Old Market
WILLIAM ELIOTT WHITMORE
May 15 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Th is local musician will play his fans' favorites. 9 p.m. Tickets: $15. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
THE DEVIL MAKES THREE
May 17 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Th is trio is rooted in troubadour traditions of wandering folk, Delta blues, whiskey-soaked ragtime and reckless rock and roll. Their poetic lyrics unfold like short stories. 8 p.m. Tickets: $17 advanced, $20 day of show. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
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May 27 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Uncle Acid and the deadbeats have been making extraordinary psychedelic rock music since 2009. They combine elements of hard rock, turbo-blues, psychedelic pop and metal to create a sound unlike any other. 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $22 advanced, $25 day of show. 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com
GOOD TO BE KING
May 29 at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. This local band is performing Labor Day Weekend. 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $12 advanced, $15 day of show. 402.345.7569. —theslowdown.com
SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS
1200 CLUB — MATTHEW WHITAKER
MOLCHAT DOMA
SOUL OF MOTOWN
May 19 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. Th is American rock band from Chapel Hill, NC has been playing together for more than 30 years. Their legendary live shows are feature foot-stomping rock and roll that audiences can be sure to enjoy. 8 p.m. Tickets: $17 advanced, $20 day of show. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
May 21 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. 9 p.m. Tickets: $15 advanced, $20 day of show. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
Fresh chocolates and fudge made in our own kitchen.
UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS
BYRNE & KELLY
May 21 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Driven by dynamic vocal harmonies, this duo seamlessly combines genres like traditional Irish and Americana to create a fresh, Celtic folk sound that has been compared to iconic folk-rock duos like Simon & Garfunkel and The Everly Brothers. 7 p.m. Tickets: $38. 402.884.5707. —reverblounge.com
May 30 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Pianist Matthew Whitaker joyfully mixes old-school jazz with new school sounds. The 18-year-old is celebrated as a passionate musical prodigy, having opened for Stevie Wonder at the Apollo Theatre at age 10. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $19-$40. 402.345.0202. —o-pa.org
May 30-31 at Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St. Matt Catingub, dynamic vocalists and the Omaha Symphony will perform hit after hit during this terrific tribute to the Motown Sound. Audiences can expect to groove to top hits from The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and more. Times vary. Tickets: $19-$170. 402.345.0202. —o.pa.org
» Family & More «
NIGHT MOVES Travel essentials plus souvenirs and Nebraska-made gifts. OldMarketSundries.com • 402-345-7646
May 22 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. 9 p.m. Tickets: $13. 402.884.5707. —reverblounge.com
AMERICAN DOOKIE — THE ULTIMATE TRIBUTE TO GREEN DAY
May 22 at The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. American Dookie is Iowa’s Green Day tribute band. They will be playing hits, as well as deep cuts, from Green Day’s “Dookie” through “Revolution Radio” albums. 8 p.m. Tickets: $10. 402.884.5353. —waitingroomlounge.com
THE BOBBY LEES & UNEXPLAINED DEATH Authentic Italian desserts, coffee, and FlavorBurst TMice cream. DolciOldMarket.com • 402-345-8198
All located at 10th & Howard // 12 //
MAY 2020
May 24 at Lookout Lounge, 320 S. 72nd St. The Bobby Lees are a bone-shaking rock band out of Woodstock, NY. Their new track ‘GutterMilk’ and upcoming album were produced by underground punk-legend Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion. 8 p.m. Tickets: $8. 402.391.2554. —lookoutomaha.com
CSAS AND FARMER’S MARKETS
Gardening season is open in Omaha, and those desiring fresh produce will find plenty of options in the area, along with artisan cheeses, farm-raised meats, freshly baked breads, assorted treats, and craft items. There are several Community Supported Agriculture packages in the area supplying fresh produce through the season. An official list is printed at localharvest.org, but here are some that are ready to offer Omahans fresh produce for a share. Big Muddy Urban Farm —bigmuddyurbanfarm.com Terrapin Acres —Search "Terrapin Acres" on Facebook Theilen Produce Gardens —theilenproduce.com Wenninghoff 's —wenninghoff.com
Omaha Magazine is hopeful that the Farmer's Markets will open during the season. Because of that, here are the times and dates for the local markets. Attendees are encouraged to check with organizers for availablity before attending any market. • Council Bluff s (Bayliss Park) 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursdays • Old Market (11th and Jackson streets) 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays • Village Pointe (168th and Dodge streets) 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays • Aksarben Village (67th and Center streets) 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays • Papillion (84th and Lincoln streets) 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays • Night Market (Turner Park @ Midtown Crossing) 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Last Friday of the month • Florence Mill (9102 N. 30th St.) 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays • Rockbrook Village (110th and Center streets) 4-7 p.m. Wednesdays • Gifford Park (33rd and California streets) 5-8 p.m. Fridays
OMAHA LIT FESTIVAL NIGHTLY READINGS
Ongoing, online. Local authors are reading from their books each night around 6 p.m. —facebook.com/pg/OmahaLitFest/videos/
LOCAL AUTHORS TO CHECK OUT
Ongoing. Several local authors have published books in the last year. Many are available in Kindle edition, some are available on Amazon, still others are available in bookstores. • • • • • • • • • •
•
Baldwin, James M.M. Do Ants Have Souls? Baker, Lindsey. This is Bad. Coutley, Lisa Fay. Tether. Crucet, Jennine Capo. My Time Among the Whites. McGowan, James. The Brigands, Repenter, Players of the Game Book 1, and Repenter, The Hidden Chapters. McKinstry-Brown, Sarah. This Bright Darkness. Montag, Kassandra. After the Flood. Stokely, Kim. The Light Unleashed, Portals of Ayden Book 3 Vaughan, Carson. Zoo Nebraska Walker, Sally J. Desert Time, second edition; Learn Genre Film Secrets; Learn Screenwriting; Letting Go of Sacred Things, second edition; Meeting People; and A Writer’s Year, second edition. Wheeler, Ted. In Our Other Lives
ANIMALS & NATURE DAY
May 2 at Giff ord Farm, 700 Camp Giff ord Road. Visitors can spend time with the animals, explore the outdoor nature classroom, and spend time with other special animal and nature groups at Gifford Farm. There will also be three hands-on animal presentations with the animals throughout the morning. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Admission: $5. 402.597.4920. —esu3.org
YOGA ROCKS THE PARK
Starting May 3 at Turner Park at Midtown Crossing, 3110 Farnam St. This healing arts festival takes place on Sundays and combines yoga and live music as a way to heal your mind and body. This event occurs each Sunday through the end of June. Registration starts at 3:45 p.m., yoga starts at 4 p.m. Admission: free. 402.557.6006. —midtowncrossing.com
FOOD TRUCK RODEO — SPRING EDITION
May 15 in downtown Benson on Military Ave. The fifth annual Food Truck Rodeo put on by Food & Spirits Magazine, 1% Productions and Reverb Lounge will feature numerous food trucks, a beer garden and multiple outdoor bars. 4-11 p.m. Admission: free. 402.884.5707 —reverblounge.com
108th & Center rockbrookvillage.com
Why Helix is Better
LAND STEWARDSHIP: VOLUNTEER WORK DAY
May 16 at Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N. Volunteer with the Land Stewardship crew on selected Saturday mornings. Lunch is provided and anyone is welcome to join. Bring the family and get some hard work done. 8:30-11:30 a.m. 402.731.3140. —fontenelleforest.org
Most machines work front-to-back. Why Helix Is Better Why Helix Istradition Better The Helix turns on its side—
literally. With lateral side-to-side) Most machines work(or front-toMost machines front-tomovement, youwork use more muscles, back. The Helix turns tradition on which back. The Helix turns more tradition means you burn fat on than during its side— literally. With lateral its side— literally. With lateral the same a traditional workout—in ( or side-to-side) movement, you ( or side-to-side) movement, you amount of time. Equipment S usetormore muscles, which means ess tn e muscles, which means Fi use more you burn more fat than during a you burn more fat thanYOU during a THANK traditional workout– in the same traditional workout– in the same OMAHA! amount of time. amount of time.
OMAHA SPORTS COMMISSION AWARDS
May 28 at Holland Center for Performing Arts, 1200 Douglas St. Join the Omaha Sports Commission and the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame for their inaugural award ceremony as they recognize local sports stars. 7 p.m. Tickets: $80. 402.916.9444. —omahasports.org
TURNER PARK NIGHT MARKET
May 29 at Turner Park at Midtown Crossing, 3110 Farnam St. Visitors can come to Midtown Crossing for an evening market with local vendors, food, activities, music, and attractions. Th is event occurs the last Friday of each month, May-September. 6-10 p.m. Admission: free. 402.557.6006. —midtowncrossing.com
Full Service
Ha i r, Na i l s a nd S ki n Call today to schedule your appointment
11025 Elm St. / 402.397.7383 / reveomaha.com
Event times and details are correct as of presstime, but are subject to change. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many events are canceling and/or changing dates/time/places as needed. Most venues base these decisions on direction by the Douglas County Health Department and Nebraska’s publication of guidance on canceling events and limiting the number of people in public gatherings. Omaha Magazine encourages readers to visit venues' websites and/or calling ahead before attending an event or visiting a museum.
Best of Omaha 2020
VIEW THE 2020 BEST OF OMAHA RESULTS ONLINE! omahamagazine.com/pages/best-of-omaha
MAY 2020
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A+C MUSIC // STORY BY Tara Spencer
=An Analog Girl in a Digital World
For expanded content, open the camera on your smart device and hover over the QR code above.
M
ajel Connery Navigates the Plains of Pop Listening to Majel Connery’s music, it’s difficult to guess her origins. The Philadelphia-born, Nebraska-raised, currently bicoastal musician creates music that sounds otherworldly yet of-theearth. Her appearance is no-nonsense, with short hair and without makeup. She still looks as if she is always stage-ready—like she could perform at a moment’s notice. Honestly, that’s a huge part of her appeal. In conversation, she is entirely open, freely sharing her thoughts and feelings.
photography by bill sitzmann DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
“Just because I grew up with all these crazy, fancy people on the East Coast, it made me feel like somehow I should be embarrassed of being from the Midwest,” she said. “As I got older I was like, no, actually that’s incredibly unique… like people stand up and notice when I say I’m from Nebraska.”
// A+C MUSIC //
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onnery said she is in the process of trying to reclaim that sense of self and figure out what that means in terms of her public-facing artistic persona. After having worked hard to purge her Midwestern identity as a young adult, she now appreciates it.
Despite efforts to seem more “East Coast,” Connery was never quite able to shake her Midwest mentality. She is easily hurt by people. “It’s so nice to come back here. The places that I travel, they’re loud, they’re crowded, they’re dirty, everyone’s upset. When I walk into like, a Walgreen’s here, the people who work [at the store] are… friendly. They want to help me, like for real they wanna help me…I feel so taken care of,” she said. “It’s like a totally different universe here. It’s crazy.” Connery’s path has taken her many places. A self-described “music machine” while attending high school at Duchesne Academy, Connery said she participated in everything from forensics to all-state orchestra. (She joined Papillion-La Vista High School’s all-state orchestra, as Duchesne wasn’t large enough to have a group.) Classmate Meghan Schlattmann can confirm this. She said in high school, Connery would sing “Ave Maria” with a classmate. “[It] would bring tears to your eyes. She played the oboe, sang, played the piano—basically she could do it all…She is an extremely innovative musician.” Connery received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, a place she applied to at the last minute on a whim. Upon graduating from Princeton, she said she had plans to immediately enter into a conservatory musical program. However, they were thwarted by a vocalist’s nightmare—strep throat. Forced to take a year off, she decided to apply to grad schools instead. She attended The University of Chicago and got a degree in musicology. For the next 10 years, she said she “pretty much” stopped singing, stopped playing piano, and wasn’t composing. She started an avant-garde opera company, Opera Cabal, while in grad school and was the managing editor for Opera Quarterly, a peer-reviewed academic journal. Connery also taught at the University of California-Berkeley for two years. She was becoming a part of the support structure, “the admin.” At the end of those two years, she said she knew with “absolute certainty” that she would not be happy until she got back to performing.
Since then, she has embarked on the terrifying adventure of breaking into the mainstream music world. Acts that would be commonplace for a veteran are major feats for Connery. “I have spent many hours wandering through Guitar Center, looking at different kinds of cords and tearfully explaining my problem to the people who work there.” At the end of the day, though, she said she is proud for having tackled these challenges. Technology isn’t the only issue she’s encountered. Things such as contacting a venue and organizing a show have also proven to be quite different from the music world she’s known, not to mention the ever-changing landscape of social media. “The ways that are available for people to engage online are so multifarious now that it feels very overwhelming. Before you can book a show, before you can attract a label, you have to have a following.” The days of sending in mix tapes and demos are over. Connery said this has changed the way in which musicians have to be creative. They are forced to be original in a way that has little to do with music. She cites Vulfpeck and Billie Eilish as prime examples of this. Basically, it’s all about packaging, which is something she admits she is not good at. “I think that I’m an analog girl,” she said. “I feel like I could go to college [for] like, ‘how do you enter the pop world in your 30s?’” This is a question she has struggled with while trying to define her persona. She said she draws a lot of comparisons to other women musicians, and while most of them are flattering, they are often wildly inaccurate. “I think that when people hear my stuff, they just think, ‘what female artist do I know that seems to have, like a strong individual voice?’ and then just kind of pull somebody out of a hat.” If pressed to describe her sound or make comparisons, she said she would likely describe her music as “dream pop.” A comparison she makes is to Imogen Heap, because they both use vocal processing to create the impression of backing vocals. “She also composes songs that are kind of… achy? You know, like heartbreak? And I think my music is sad, a lot of the time.”
Allowing herself to put that sadness into words has been a challenge. Writing lyrics is a new endeavor for Connery. “I don’t think I realized until recently that writing the lyrics that will inform a piece of music is an even more intimate act than music,” she said. Once she realized she would need to write her own lyrics, she knew they would have to be about subjects close to her. At the time of this interview, she was working on her upcoming album, Euphoria, a somewhat ironic title, as she said it’s a feeling that is foreign to her. Something she is familiar with is her relationship to stress and anxiety. “I wake up first thing in the morning with some anxious thought in my head, and I go to bed with 12 more,” she said. So that’s what she writes about. She believes one song in particular will resonate with many, especially women. It’s about people always wanting her to act happier than she is. “I feel like it’s important for people like me who have a little more depressive side to be allowed to express that, and not be socially scolded for it,” Connery said. “I hate it when someone says, ‘hey, just smile’… there’s a sense that I am required to act a joyful part that I don’t feel I wanna play.” People have told her she should play more uptempo songs in her set. They have also told her she looks like an “impassive ice princess” when she’s performing, which she finds laughable. “[This] is hilarious to me because obviously inside I’m like, dissolving into the floor.” In reality, performing live is her favorite thing to do. Over the Christmas holiday, she performed at an intimate gathering in Omaha. “It was her idea to have it be a fundraiser for the music program at Duchesne,” Schlattmann said. “And I couldn’t think of a better way for people of the Duchesne community to see how this talent has grown since her graduation.” Now it’s time for the rest of the world to take notice. Visit majelconnery.com for more information.
=Ifto pressed describe
her sound or make comparisons, she said she would likely describe her music as “dream pop.�
MAY 2020
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// 17 //
PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION BY MATT WIECZOREK
A+C AUTHOR // STORY BY AN DR EW J. N E LSON
O n e M a n’s C r o s s - C o u n t r y J o u r n e y Becomes A Novel Idea
R
ob Kugler had suffered a lot of tragedy in his life by 2015. He was recently divorced. His grandmother died. His sister died. His brother was killed in Iraq. His own deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps had been difficult for his family.
Then, he discovered devastating news about his dog from a veterinarian. His chocolate Lab, Bella, had been a great comfort through much of that, essentially becoming his best friend. So when the veterinarian told Rob that 8 ½ year old Bella was suffering from bone cancer and would either need to be put down or have her front-left leg amputated, Kugler could barely contemplate life without her. But he had to. Because amputating the leg would only buy a few more months. Kugler, now 37, opted for surgery. When it was done, he and Bella hit the road. Kugler chronicled the tale of their cross-country travels in A Dog Named Beautiful: A Marine, a Dog, and a Long Road Trip Home, published in 2019 by Flatiron Books. Forbes named it one of the top seven travel books of the summer. In July, Kugler was interviewed by Willie Geist and Jenna Bush Hager on the Today Show. Kugler spent most of his early years in Broken Bow, Nebraska, where he lived with his mom after his parents divorced. Upon graduating high school, he joined the Marine Reserve unit in Omaha on the encouragement of his older brother, Mike Doheny. In 2007, he was alerted for deployment to Iraq. Before he left, he and his then-girlfriend got Bella as a puppy. While Kugler was in-country, Doheny wasn’t far away, working as a contractor in Iraq. He was killed when his convoy was hit with an improvised explosive device. Kugler came home for the funeral and returned to finish his tour. He left the Marines after returning to Nebraska in 2008.
“When Mike died, he left a letter with me that told me to chase my dreams,” he said. “So I did.” Kugler had long wanted to become an actor. So he and his new wife moved to Los Angeles. He took improv classes at The Groundlings Theatre & School. He started getting small roles and money started to trickle in. But friends were hard to make, especially when he would often end up auditioning against them. Bella and Kugler grew close in LA. When Kugler was about to say something, Bella would look at him and tilt her head and wait for him to speak. “She was very in tune with me,” he said. “She was, for all intents and purposes, my therapy dog.” The California life wasn’t for Kugler’s then-wife. She wanted to move back to Nebraska. Kugler did not. The couple divorced. Kugler got the dog. “I split my family up just to chase a dream, which may have been the dream of a kid…who didn’t want the life of the actors, but wanted the life of the characters,” he said. Kugler moved back to Lincoln in 2014. Bella developed a noticeable limp the following year. The veterinarian treated it as a muscular injury. But when it didn’t heal, Kugler took his dog to another veterinarian, who took X-rays, and informed him Bella had cancer. It had spread to her lungs. Taking the leg would relieve her of much of the pain, but also only give her three to six months.
MAY
// 19 //
2020
It wasn’t an easy decision, but Kugler described it as the best he ever made. After the surgery, Bella simply hopped out of the vet’s office as if it wasn’t much of a problem. Once he confirmed she was healthy enough to travel, Kugler decided to embark on a road trip with Bella. The idea was to hit all 50 states–or as many as possible before she passed. “My brother died while serving this country and I wanted to explore it,” he said. “I wanted to do it with my best friend while she was still there.” So they set off in Kugler’s black 2003 Toyota 4-Runner, nicknamed Ruthie the Runner. The first stop was Chicago, where he witnessed the protests of Laquan McDonald’s death. Then Detroit, with its blighted areas and dilapidated storefronts. Kugler likened his experiences to those of Forrest Gump. “I saw a much different narrative in person, traveling the country, than I saw on the news,” he said. “People with different views still treated each other well.” They traveled to Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie in Ohio and Arcadia National Park in Maine, where they saw the first sunrise of 2016. “We watched as many sunrises and as many sunsets as we could together,” he said. “It’s just really weird how that can connect you with the earth.” Knowing Bella’s diagnosis was terminal was a real gift, Kugler said. Such knowledge forces you to focus on the relationship because time is limited.
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n a hike in the Adirondacks, Kugler saw how tough Bella was, and how she had learned to cope with only three legs.
“One of the most beautiful things about this was watching her make the decisions on how she was going to make it up (Bald Mountain)…It just kind of drew me into another level of her intelligence.” They hiked to the very top, where Bella rested, her head on Kugler’s lap. “We just sat there and looked at the trees and the clouds rolling over.” They went down to the Florida Keys and swam in the ocean. Bella once hopped out of a pond to escape an alligator. It was in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, among bison and wild mustangs, that Kugler noticed a growing bump on Bella’s gums. In Loveland, Colorado, he took her to a veterinary clinic and learned that the cancer had spread to her mouth, was eating away at her gums, and beginning to shut down her lungs.
Rob Kugler and his co-pilot Bella.
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MAY 2020
On Oct. 28, 2016, he held Bella as the vet euthanized her. She lived 18 months after her diagnosis–much longer than anticipated. Kugler has spread her ashes in some of their favorite places, and at locales he had still planned to visit with Bella. He packed a pinch of her ashes inside a snowball and hurled it over the Grand Canyon. Kugler now lives in a rented cottage near Hood River, Oregon, with his life partner Kristen Beatty. They have two rescue border collies, Max and Jasper, as well as “a little mutt named Ginger,” who was rescued from a trash can in a lakeside town outside of Guadalajara, Mexico. “Kristen’s mother works with a rescue down there,” he said. “And [she] knew that Ginger would be a fit in our pack and arranged for her to come here and join us in the PNW.” The ever-growing crew loves taking road trips when they can afford it. “That’s kind of our jam,” he said. Though things may change a bit when their new addition arrives in July—a baby girl, who is due on Kugler’s birthday.
“If there is something that is tugging at you…if you are always thinking that you should be doing some other thing, maybe it’s worth figuring out why,” Kugler said. “You may be able to find yourself if you just go for it.” In a follow-up email, Kugler added a note to those reading the story. “Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this article. It’s an honor to be featured in such a great publication in my home state of Nebraska. I always feel fortunate for the opportunity to answer questions when being interviewed by writers, but I often request a chance to send in a bit of writing myself, as my spoken words can often be rushed or jumbled. Especially when that question is ‘If there is one message that you’d like to send to readers from your and Bella’s story, what would that be?’ With so many experiences, and countless lessons learned along the way, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one message. So, I let that question ruminate for a while, driving up into the woods with my dogs and looking out over the northwest mountainscape I now call home, and I believe I found the answer that best fits.
“Do not be paralyzed by the fear [of] death, rather let it be the most influential teacher to understand a n d e m b r a c e t h e g i f t t h a t w e’ v e b e e n g i v e n t o experience life on this incredible planet. And rather than competing for the acquisition of more things or arguing with our neighbors over whose opinion is correct, cherish every moment we have w i t h t h o s e w e l o v e a n d s ee a s m u c h o f t h e n a t u r a l world as possible. Life. As far as we know it, is a rar e thing in this universe. It would be a shame if we wer e always pr eoccupied acquiring things, too busy fighting with each other, or simply too afraid to actually live it.” For more information visit rklifeillustrated.com.
MAY 2020
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A + C V I S U A L // S T O R Y B Y B R YA N V O M A C K A P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y B I L L S I T Z M A N N / / D E S I G N B Y D E R E K J OY
Commu
nication & Conn ection
Sees
How
Jave Yoshimoto
Art
is a professor of art at the University of Nebraska at Omaha who creates by combining his personal thoughts and experiences with current events. One of his favorite pieces was based on the time he spent as a volunteer in Greece during the European Refugee Crisis in 2016. He was moved to help after seeing an image on the internet of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi lying dead on the beach. “I wanted to fi nd out more and not rely on anybody else’s stories and just collect my own stories and see what happens,” Yoshimoto said. He joined a Swedish nonprofit organization called Lighthouse Relief where he helped give refugees clothes, hot food, and places to stay.
»›
I want to use art therapy to really get to know the core of a person and give them a safe space to express themselves -Yoshimoto
23
Jave Yoshimoto (right) with studio assistant Elisa Wolcott (left)
Not only is he invested in his own practice but he is invested in the lives and practices of his students there have been few people that have been as supportive and inquisitive about me as a human and my work - Elisa Wolcott
‹«
I
MET SOME AMAZING PEOPLE,
“College was like this symbol of hope,” Yoshimoto said. “It became very important to me because it was my way of trying to push past being just a working-class person.”
The aforementioned piece of art, “What is Your Emergency?,” reflects Yoshimoto’s unique creative process and style. It was made using a laser cutter to engrave a multi-layered design onto a piece of wood and then painting it. The foreground shows a woman fleeing a background of destruction. As a whole, the piece is in the shape of a cell phone and features “Ignore” and “Accept” buttons to ask the viewer how they would respond to the situation.
Yoshimoto joked that he went to community college “for about seven years” before he began taking college seriously. He then spent almost a decade at universities from coast to coast and earned three degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in studio art at UC Santa Barbara in 2004, a Master of Arts in art therapy at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 2007 and a Master of Fine Arts in painting at Syracuse University in 2012.
both refugees and volunteers, and came back a different person,” he said.
At UNO, Yoshimoto works alongside Elisa Wolcott, his studio assistant. Yoshimoto did not teach Wolcott while she was a student at UNO, but he often visited her while she worked in her studio and pushed her to become a better artist. “Not only is he invested in his own practice, but he is invested in the lives and practices of his students,” Wolcott said. “There have been few people that have been as supportive and inquisitive about me as a human and my work.” Yoshimoto’s current position at UNO is ideal for someone interested in mentoring young artists while creating their own work, but it has been a long journey to this moment. Working at a university is poetic for a man who was once a high school dropout, homeless, and toiling away in dead-end jobs that left him unfulfi lled. He decided to direct his efforts towards college with the belief that he could do something more with his life. // 24 //
MAY 2020
Th roughout this period of time, Yoshimoto refi ned his skills and laid the groundwork to becoming who he is today. The fi rst time current events inspired his art was in 2011, when one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded occurred off the eastern coast of Japan. The earthquake and the ensuing tsunami caused extensive damage throughout the country. Yoshimoto, who lived in Japan until he was 10 years old, created a 30-foot painting called “Baptism in a Concrete Estuary” that told the story of the natural disaster from the destruction to the recovery efforts. “I was kind of beside myself and I was obsessed with the act of making art,” he said when explaining why he created such a large piece of work. “Th at’s when I knew I was an artist and that’s when I knew I couldn’t stop.” One of the primary motivations behind his work is the simple desire to connect with people.
“What I’ve found so far is that everybody wants to be heard and accepted for who they are,” Yoshimoto said. He studied art therapy in order to be a better support system for those around him. Art therapy is the process of working through difficult experiences by creating art. For two years, Yoshimoto was an art therapist at Asian Human Services in Chicago, where he worked with Asian immigrants and refugees in individual and group therapy sessions. “I want to use art therapy to really get to know the core of a person and give them a safe space to express themselves,” Yoshimoto said. His interest in mentoring younger artists can be traced to the time he worked with Seattle Public Schools in 2012. He said he enjoys being around youthful energy because it keeps him motivated and interested in the world and in making art. “He is continually looking for ways to be more self aware, to be invested in those around him, and ultimately develop, as well as constantly evaluate the integrity and honesty of his own work,” Wolcott said. Yoshimoto describes his life’s journey as “more than I ever envisioned for myself ” and at the end of the day, his art is all about communicating and connecting. “I just want to hopefully be the bridge of people’s hearts coming together,” he said. For more information visit javeyoshimoto.com
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Y ADVENTURE // STORY BY JEFF LACE DEREK JOY // DESIGN BY N AN M TZ SI LL BI BY Y PH RA OG OT PH
GREW UP IN LOVE WITH THE SKY.
S E S A H C O R D N E H C MIKE LA D N I W D N A S E I K BLACK S
Raised in Omaha, Lachendro became hooked on all things weather as he witnessed the spectacular storm fronts and epic cloud formations seen in Nebraska. He was raised on this skyscape that Nebraska poet Twyla Hansen described as where “the landscape inches/towards horizontal oblivion.”
“My dad, Julian, would take me out to the Offutt weather station to check out weather maps and satellite feeds,” he explained. Even as a young boy, Lachendro’s room contained the elements of a weather kit: barometers, homemade weather maps, and even homemade charts that recorded temperature. As he grew up, this fascination with extreme weather never left him. Lachendro participates regularly in the activity known as storm chasing, the act of traveling to locations where severe weather is happening in an attempt to photograph or study it. Lachendro currently serves as the primary editor and moderator of the Nebraska Storm Chaser page on Facebook, a group dedicated to networking and sharing information about severe weather in the region. It’s no casual hobby. Severe weather is dangerous, and the danger is a reality in much, if not all, of the United States. In 2019, there were 1,676 tornadoes in the U.S., including 44 in Nebraska and 53 in Iowa, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There were other severe weather occurrences as well. In Nebraska alone, there were 430 official hail events and 303 high-wind occurrences (defined as a sustained wind of 40-50 mph or more). Nationally, in 2019, tornadoes caused $19.5 billion in damage and killed 41 people. While many are drawn to storm chasing because of the potential danger involved, that’s not why Lachendro runs towards dark skies. He does not see storm chasing as so much about adrenaline as it is about the
community that shares a common love of the epic beauty and fantastic power of weather. Lachendro has made good friends storm chasing. When he returned to Nebraska after living in Colorado, he said storm chasing was a way for him to connect with people who shared a common interest. Eventually, he met Steve Blum and Chad Alcares, with whom he’s grown close. What began as a competition—they were streaming their chases on rival platforms—has become a close-knit friendship. Blum said Lachendro is a consummate chaser. “He has more energy than anyone I have ever met. It was like he downed an energy drink and a few packets of sugar each time we would talk to him.” He describes Lachendro as an incredibly talented photographer as well. Ultimately, though, he echoes Lachendro’s assertion that storm chasing is really as much about the people as it is about the supercells. “We often find ourselves on a group chat the night before a major outbreak, or even just to shoot the breeze. It’s great that our love of severe weather has led to a great friendship.” The data that these bands of friends collect is becoming a valuable tool in the quest for public safety. Storm chasers have become an important part of the process of collecting information for weather services. Lachendro explains that the first step in collecting data is looking at long-range forecasts from a variety of sources. The sources dedicated storm chasers use for this are steps up from everyday apps like the iPhone weather app and WeatherBug. A common app that’s used for long-range models is called Radarscope. “I pay attention to the jet stream, and we talk to each other and bounce ideas off of each other,” Lachendro explains. “The goal is to put yourself in the best potential place.” After a chase, the data is reported to weather
services, which use the information reported by spotters and chasers to better understand the scope of weather phenomenon and future threats. The other thing that keeps Lachendro looking to the horizon is simply the miracle of the sky itself. “The sky opens up,” Lachendro explained. “When you’re in front of a supercell, and you get all those colors, it’s beautiful. This is what makes a lot of people storm chase: the ability to see for miles. The fact you can just go out, and it is just you and the storm. That’s pretty incredible.” Have there been dangerous moments? Yes. “There have been a few close calls, but nothing that has directly put me in danger,” Lachendro said. “You always need to pay respect to a storm. It’s important to know your escape routes. You have close calls, but you learn from them.” His love of weather has informed many of his relationships. Lachendro has been married for five years, and he says his wife, Lisa, knew what she was getting into. There was even a weather map on their wedding cake. “When we started dating seriously, she suggested upping my life insurance policy,” he joked. He took her out on a chase once, but nothing happened. “It’s also called extreme waiting.” Lachendro warns against chasing without being highly prepared. Storm chasers should be ready and cautious, but “There’s nothing better than just being out there and paying respect to the storm,” he said. Visit @nebraskastormchasers on Facebook for more information.
Here are some suggestions for others who want to get involved in storm chasing:
Take a SKYWARN Class.
Get the Book.
The National Weather Service offers SKYWARN Class, a class that educates volunteers on storm spotting, and helps people get connected to other storm spotters. According to the weather service website, the class is free. Potential storm chasers learn about things such as: the basics of thunderstorm development; the fundamentals of storm structure; how to identify potential severe weather features; the right information to report and how to report it; and basic severe weather safety. They also get information on how to join SKYWARN, a network of between 350,000 to 400,000 volunteers who help keep their communities safe by providing timely and accurate information to the weather service. Trained spotters do not need to chase.
Lachendro recommends getting a copy of Storm Chasing Handbook by Tim Vasquez (second edition), and reading it thoroughly. While there are lots of books available, Storm Chasing Handbook is “kind of the bible for storm chasing,” Lachendro said.
Harness the power of YouTube. The internet is a treasure-trove of information when it comes to storm chasing dos and don’ts. A good storm chaser should draw on a wide variety of experiences in order to know what to anticipate, as well as different ways of keeping safe.
Don’t go out alone.
Knowledge is key.
A new storm chaser should never go out alone, according to Lachendro. They should try to make connections in the local storm chasing community and go out with someone with good experience storm chasing.
It does not take a lot of fancy equipment to chase. Lachendro says that the most important quality to have is a love of the beauty of weather.
MAY 2020
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Living Abroad in Hong Kong
F EAT URE // Story by Will Patterson Hong Kong is no stranger to clueless travelers. The hostel I HAD NOT PLANNED THIS Luckily, LIVING ABROAD owner IN found HONG me after being KONG tipped off by a construction worker thought struck me with sudden working late in the evening. I imagine he told her a confused guy THROUGH. The realization after I pulled my luggage with luggage was pacing back and forth in front of the building— out of a bright red taxi and was left alone on a dimly lit Hong Kong street on my first night in the southeast Asian country. My phone was almost dead, I wasn’t sure if my new SIM card was working, and I had no idea how to find my hostel. I didn’t have a plane ticket home—only a vague idea about how I was going to begin this new chapter of my life. // 28 //
MAY 2020
too anxious to enter any of the four doors that seemed to match the hostel address.
That first night was arguably the best sleep I’ve ever gotten. After 24 hours of traveling, I didn’t care that my new hostel-mates were the loudest snorers on earth. My body ignored the jet lag and stepped into its new sleep schedule out of sheer exhaustion.
Photograph by Ti ffany I p Design by Matt Wieczorek
I came to Hong Kong to work on my master’s degree in journalism at the University of Hong Kong. I can safely say that I got more experience than I bargained for. Between the political unrest, virus fears, and threat of economic ruin, news stories practically wrote themselves. But it also forced me and other journalists to look under the surface. The spirit of Hong Kong, for which the city has earned its incredible reputation, is still very much alive. Hong Kong holds a unique political and cultural position as a former British colony. Established officially as a colony in 1842 and legally returned to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, the region carries a history unlike any other. It’s not uncommon to hear the cliché that Hong Kong is “where East meets West.” The weight of colonialism is heavy and visible everywhere. Even seeing a sign for Paterson Street was a bit jarring the first time. Here I am, on the other side of the world, and there is a street bearing a variation of my last name. There’s a reason Hong Kong is a hot spot for urban photographers. Colonial architecture and iconic apartment styles make the urban landscape one-of-a-kind. Cradling the blockish, multicolored residential buildings are rocky hills capped with thick jungle foliage. A more mundane, but still unusual, sight is the bamboo scaffolding. Scaffolding gawkers flag themselves as newcomers instantly. I know, because I did the same thing when I arrived. Those visiting for the first time often stare at the intricately tied bamboo shafts climbing the sides of buildings. There is something strange about watching a construction worker use electric power tools whilst standing on hand-tied bamboo platforms.
My eyes crept open in the morning, and to my surprise there was no stained coffee table, no dirty red couch, no television—or anything else from my studio apartment in Omaha. For better or worse, I had committed to a year in a city with which I was unacquainted.
The transition from Omaha to Hong Kong comes with challenges that any Midwesterner would experience. For one thing, looking at the region’s borders is deceptive. The total area looks spacious for a population of around 7 million, but most of the population in concentrated around Victoria Harbor and a couple other enclaves.
“I CAME TO HONG KONG TO WORK ON MY MASTER’S DEGREE IN JOURNALISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. I CAN SAFELY SAY THAT I GOT MORE EXPERIENCE THAN I BARGAINED FOR.”
My first time on the MTR (Hong Kong’s subway system) was not a Nebraskanfriendly experience. I drove, or had been driven in, a car almost everywhere back home. At all times, I had a personal space bubble of a couple feet. Now I was suddenly thrust into these crowds tightly packing their way into train cars. Midwesterners should prepare to shrink their personal space bubbles before heading over. But if I had to choose the best thing about Hong Kong it would be the people and their diversity. The city lives up to its reputation as an international hub. It’s strange to look at a group of friends and often be the only American—or the only native English speaker. My greatest fear when moving abroad was that friends would be hard to find. Turns out, making friends is easy. In my experience, when everyone is a stranger and from somewhere else, the socializing is easier. I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a classroom with people from across the globe. The rules for social interaction loosen up when you’re genuinely curious about others and they are curious about you. An extension of this is the sharing of cultural experiences. This last November was my first Thanksgiving without family. The thought of sitting alone in my tiny apartment, eating cheap takeout food on Thanksgiving struck a wrong chord. So three classmates, two from Hong Kong and one from mainland China, joined me for a hotpot dinner. Hotpot is a type of Chinese meal in which a table shares a bowl of boiling broth used to cook various meats, seafoods, vegetables, noodles, dumplings—you name it. It’s a communal experience, and it seemed fitting for the spirit of Thanksgiving, even if I was far from home. One classmate, in true Thanksgiving fashion, treated me to a political argument after a couple beers. As fate would have it, tipsy arguments at dinner seem to be a multicultural affair. Fragments of the familiar crop up, even on the other side of the globe. Hong Kong may currently be best known for its political resistance and fight for democracy against the China Communist Party—complete with black-clad protesters, police brutality, Molotov cocktails, and tear gas. As a university student in Hong Kong, it’s not unusual to have friends who participated in some capacity.
MAY 2020
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// F EAT URE // I have friends who fled the city during the worst days and others who spent those same days fighting riot police. Young people, fed up with Hong Kong’s flawed democratic process, have seen that there’s only one real way to have your voice heard: with road blockades and petrol bombs. It’s been a complicated time for the city.
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On the tail end of January, the coronavirus scare gripped the city. Face mask and hand sanitizer shortages led to mild panic and then price gouging. Ironically, the government had banned wearing face masks without adequate reason in October to counter the protester method of hiding faces. I frequently tell people that I never saw “pre-crisis Hong Kong.” On one hand, I have always seen the city on edge, threatening to boil over. But on the other hand, I have witnessed the compassion of Hong Kongers in dark times. The first time I was tear gassed while photographing protests, a stranger handed me a new, unopened respirator. Other times I was offered saline solution for my eyes when I didn’t get my goggles on in time. I always knew that if anything happened while covering the protests, someone would not hesitate to help me. When I told local friends that I couldn’t find any face masks during the initial virus panic, I received multiple messages of people offering some of their own. That lack of hesitation still resonates.
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“Seriously, let me know if you need more masks,” one friend said. “And please don’t worry about the money. I have plenty of masks.” Before I came here, I read several travel guides that described Hong Kong culture as “cold.” I disagree. This place far from Omaha—both physically and culturally—has extended a warm welcome. And it takes more than a political crisis and virus outbreak to extinguish the Hong Kong spirit I’ve come to know and love. Visit willpattersonreports.com for more information.
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CARE B O R BEYOND DERS
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MAY 2020
FEATURE // STORY BY SEAN ROBINSON
DR. MELISSA DAHIR FILLS MEDICAL G A P AT HOME AND ABROAD
T
his isn’t your average trip to Walmart. Melissa Dahir is on a mission. She’s looking to score hundreds of undergarments and sanitary pads. Yes, hundreds.
Whipping through the parking lot in her drop-top convertible, accessorized in a chic white cowboy hat and equally chic boots, she evokes Shania Twain. Except that she’s also donning light gray medical scrubs. Man, she feels like a doctor.
That’s exactly what Dahir is. But for now, she’s just another Walmart shopper strutting into the discount store and racking up questionable stares from every teenage cart pusher in sight. That strut continues until she takes her throne—a motorized shopping cart. Circling an imaginary lasso above her head and scootering through aisles while jamming out to Lil Nas X’s country rap anthem “Old Town Road,” she fills her cart to the very brim…and then some. Her trip comes to a close with a celebratory jig back in the parking lot. Mission complete. Most Walmart stops—or most days for that matter—aren’t as twanged out for Dahir. She was filming a video to share across Facebook and garner donations for an upcoming trip to Kenya. That’s where her real mission lives—young women in need. “This was a fun way to bring attention to taboo topics that are normal for young women, but many don’t want to discuss among all cultures including ours,” Dahir said. “Many girls in Africa don’t go to school during their menstrual cycle due to lack and cost of sanitary products.” The video worked, leading to $5,735 in donations. The money was used to purchase even more feminine products that help keep girls in school during their cycle.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
For too many in sub-Saharan Africa, losing an education is the price for having a period. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one in 10 girls misses school while menstruating. In Kenya, specifically, these girls miss an average of 4.9 days of school each month. That’s almost two total months per year. “Once they start to get behind, some girls can’t return to school altogether,” Dahir said. Creating this video is just one small, smart, savvy way Dahir is filling a medical gap abroad. As one of the Metro’s leading experts in sexual medicine and vulvar pain, the doctorate prepared nurse practitioner with Omaha OB-GYN Associates is doing the same here at home in vastly different ways. “I’ve had to work hard to get to where I am, but I’ve been blessed with a good life,” Dahir said. “Now that I am in my 40s, I really want to do more. I want to understand health care from a global perspective. Why things are the way they are.” In typical Dahir fashion, the Columbus, Nebraska, native’s journey to becoming a specialized care provider was anything but usual. Originally, she thought her calling was as a more general nurse practitioner when she moved to Omaha in 1997 to study at Clarkson College. She became a board certified family nurse practitioner in 2004 and it was her first job in urology that impacted her path. She remembers women coming to her complaining of painful sex or losing their sexual desire. For these patients, it was about more than just intimacy. It was hurting their day-to-day lives. Marriages were on the line. However, Dahir didn’t know how to help them. In 2006, Dahir was accepted for an internship at Philadelphia’s Graduate Hospital where she received specialty training from Dr. Susan Kellogg, a leading national expert in this field. When she returned to Omaha later that year, she opened the first clinic devoted to vulvodynia, pelvic pain, and sexual dysfunction. “I was calling the women I saw before saying, ‘Come back! I can help now,’” Dahir said. “It was life-changing for me and my patients. Still, opening this kind of clinic was scary at first because the Midwest is largely conservative. I didn’t know how they would accept it.”
Fast forward a few more years—Dahir wanted to publish research and validate herself in the Midwest medical community so she got to work again. She received her DNP from Creighton University in 2013 where she studied evidence-based medicine and now she is a Co-Principal Investigator for a clinical trial led by Dr. Andrew Goldstein, a well known expert on the East Coast who just happens to be working with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop a protocol that uses cutting edge technology (Atila Biosystems, MobileODT, Wisap) to screen and treat 1.3 billion women who have never been screened for cervical cancer in Peru and Cambodia. Dahir knows her colleague will be part of the master plan. With both male and female patients coming from across state lines and a schedule that’s booked sometimes three months out, it’s clear they did. Dahir has even been named one of the fellows with the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health—a top distinction in her field. For most, that would be enough. Dahir isn’t most, though. Her path changed—or expanded rather— again when she met Zoe Ryan, a humanitarian who works to gain access to education for youth around the world. The two were at a meeting to discuss eradicating world poverty last spring and instantly connected as the only women in attendance. On a whim, Ryan told Dahir she was leaving for Cambodia in a week and invited her to join. Dahir accepted. During her six-day visit, she stayed with Dr. Phalla Heng, which helped to open her eyes to the stark reality of medical conditions in one of the poorest nations in the world. Heng delivers babies, seeing many of the mothers for the first time when they go into labor as prenatal care such as pap smears and screenings are rare. Stillbirth rates are nearly four times that of the United States, cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Cambodian women, and Heng is paid roughly the equivalent of 10 U.S. dollars per delivery. “A scarf I bought at a market in Cambodia was $10,” Dahir said. “Think about that. Delivering a baby is worth the same amount as a scarf.”
MAY 2020
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// FEATURE //
T
wo months later, in July 2019, Dahir took another trip with Ryan, this time to Kibera, the largest slum in Africa located in Nairobi, Kenya. Life expectancy here is only 30 years, with at least 10% of the population affected by HIV and most residents earning less than a dollar a day.
“Zoe’s the leader. She’s been everywhere. She finds the teams through networking to solve global problems,” Dahir said. “But she needed someone with medical experience too.” Beyond creating the video to finance the feminine products she smuggled into Kenya (due to pesky custom laws), Dahir had more time to prepare for this trip. She wanted to get a better idea of what to expect before traveling somewhere that looked like no place she’d seen before. Luckily, she only had to look across the office for that person. Dr. Ray Schulte, Dahir’s coworker at Omaha OB-GYN, has been to Kenya seven times to help with separate medical and social issues. He compares the country to the wild west.
The biggest challenge Dahir faced was correcting misinformed beliefs rooted in the way of slum life. This is a sprawling neighborhood of an estimated 1 million people, void of most infrastructure. One where women are openly raped in public and choose to sell themselves to afford menstrual hygiene products. A place where police have allegedly been bribed to cover up assault cases against victims as young as 4. So Dahir knew it was without sarcasm and in full sincerity when one day a young boy asked her if a girl wearing a skirt meant that she was giving consent to be raped. “Everyone should know sexual health is a human right. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not dirty. It’s an important part of who you are, and it should always be healthy, not violent,” Dahir said. Her solution to redefining this culture? Education—even beyond the classroom. That’s where her next project in Kenya came in. When she wasn’t teaching classes, Dahir spent her time helping rebuild an
“THROUGH ALL THIS WORK, I HOPE I EMPOWER WOMEN TO TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR HEALTH, STAY IN SCHOOL, AND STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES, THEN, I HOPE THESE WOMEN WILL EMPOWER OTHER WOMEN TO DO THE SAME” —Dr. Melissa Dahir “It takes a little debriefing,” Schulte said. “You’re going to see things you never expected to see.” He has helped evaluate hospitals, teach interns and residents, and is a board member of Salama Stove. This organization provides free stoves designed to reduce smoke inhalation in Kenyan homes as traditional open-fire-cooking methods expose people to carbon monoxide and burn injuries. “As doctors, it’s true, we go to improve the health and wellbeing in countries that have limited resources,” Schulte said. “But we also go as individuals to meet our own needs. We live in a country that’s pretty rich, so we feel the need to pass some of that along to others.” For Dahir, passing some of that richness along came in the form of teaching. Her role in Kenya was to lead sexual and menstrual health classes in grade schools— something new to most Kibera youth.
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MAY 2020
after-school ballet program called Project Elimu. Here, Kibera children are safe to dance, play, and learn life skills. In conjunction with Dahir’s work, Mike Wamaya, program director, is creating a dance about menstrual health to raise awareness and break through harmful stigmas. Not only are the dancers gaining new knowledge, but so are audience members—many of whom are adults who have never received sexual health education either—when Project Elimu performs the routine for the community. “Education is the key to better, especially for women,” Dahir said. “If you educate yourself, you’re more likely to be free from situations of sexual violence. Then, a woman isn’t dependent on a man for a source of income regardless of how he treats her.” Dahir’s approach to helping Kenya is threefold: teaching sexual health classes, rebuilding Project Elimu, and helping a project that’s in its infancy stages.
Cindy Berkland, a retired nurse practitioner from Omaha OB-GYN Associates, asked for Dahir’s help in a plan that will teach women how to sew reusable menstrual pads. Despite having much smaller wages, a box of disposable pads is the same price in Kenya as the United States. Berkland’s solution is a pad that can be washed and reused again and again. “Having your period is an embarrassing topic that girls, parents, and schools avoid,” said Berkland, who previously helped open the first women’s hospital in Naivasha, Kenya. “These girls get very little guidance, so they hide during this time. The issue is then compounded by the families having little money to spend on a pad.” Beyond providing a cost-effective and ecofriendly solution, the program will teach Kenyan women how to sew—a career skill that leads to independent income. The pads will be donated to schools and sold in packs of six for $5. “Through all this work, I hope I empower women to take charge of their health, stay in school, and stand up for themselves,” Dahir said. “Then, I hope these women will empower other women to do the same.” Like Ryan, Berkland is relying on Dahir’s specialized medical knowledge to help spread the word on the budding initiative in an informed yet meaningful manner. “She has the counseling skills and experience,” Berkland said. “It’s a structured program, factual based and sensitive, but I know she can get the message across really well.” In February, Dahir walked into a west Omaha bakery. This time she left the cowboy hat at home. It had been more than six months since her two-week trip to Kenya and even longer since Cambodia. Still, pieces of her remain all those thousands of miles away. Among a bustling lunch crowd, her pride and protective nature for the girls and women she met overseas was palpable. She talked of their conditions. Their challenges. Their courage. “I’ll try not to get emotional,” she uttered, as if saying it out loud means it will come true. (It doesn’t.) With her clinic busy as ever, she hasn’t been able to go back yet but tentatively has plans to return to Kenya in later 2020. In the meantime, Cambodia is coming to her.
Thanks Omaha for over 30 Years! Heng is moving to live with Dahir and her family in August. Heng will study American prenatal care, so she can bring those practices back to her village and open a women’s clinic with the help of Dahir and Ryan. The goal is to lessen the number of stillborn babies, increase screenings, and offer a little hope and healing for a population that hasn’t seen much for far too long. “It is a web, really. There are many people in my life who will play a special role in these global endeavors,” Dahir said. That makes Heng the latest addition to this web—Dahir near the center, helping others like herself turn advocacy into action.
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“This isn’t just some small project,” Dahir said. “We’re here to make real change. This is just the beginning.” It has also reaffirmed a belief that people are more important than anything else in this world. “My travels to Cambodia and Kenya sent me on a trajectory that truly changed my life because I now place very little value on material possessions,” Dahir said via email. “On the way back from Kenya, I distinctly remember walking through the Frankfurt airport. There were high-end designer stores everywhere and I saw the shoes I had been wanting for the past two years. They were 40% less than in the U.S.—but I immediately walked away. It was that very moment when I realized my life really had changed. Yes, I could have afforded the shoes, but they were not a necessity. I have adjusted my spending habits because I have many other global commitments now. I am paying for Cindy’s (my “adopted” daughter) college in Kenya. Cindy wants to be a mental health therapist so that she can counsel the numerous women who have been victims of abuse. I have achieved many goals which didn’t come easily, but making a global impact in health care was an aspiration I never thought would happen. My dream has come true and it is very infectious in a good way. These global projects make me feel joyful and I cannot wait for the next trip overseas.” The people of Walmart have been warned. Visit melissadahir.com for more information.
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TAKE GOOD RISKS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH LEMKE DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
A DAU G H T E R ’ S LOV E P U TS T H E W H O L E WO R L D I N H E R H A N D S
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MAY 2020
FEATURE // INTRO BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN STORY BY JULIUS FREDRICK
Photographer Sarah Lemke shared a special bond with her father, Tyler. In March 2019, her world was turned upside down when he succumbed to depression. Sarah lost her adviser, her confidante, and a piece of her heart. A journey of discovery began when she found a fantastical list. “My dad had purposely laid out papers in file boxes,” Sarah said. “They were random papers in boxes. He printed out a note that read ‘This room has important papers in it.’ I didn’t want to throw anything away that he wanted to save. There were a lot of photos and letters…I thought this might be cool for an art project. I was just going through all the papers in all the boxes. I found one that read ‘estimated route for Tyler’s world trip.’ I knew he had been to London and I knew he had been to Russia before. I think those were the only places he had been to.” As the year progressed, Sarah and her boyfriend, Julius Fredrick, became more disenchanted with the world. She struggled with her mental health. They became less interested in the material and more interested in the guttural, the things that make life worth living. “One of the sayings my dad said to me nearly every day was ‘Take good risks and do something I wouldn’t do,’” Sarah said. “I always asked what that meant, and he never told me. My dad taught me to be cautious of your surroundings, but if you are informed and educated and know that the good outweigh the bad you should go for it.” Together, she and Fredrick went for it— the journey of a lifetime, with stops in London, Amsterdam, Morocco, Budapest. Bucharest, Romania, Japan, and more. In early January 2020, Sarah and Julius undertook the journey Tyler hoped someday to take himself, but never did.
Swansea, Wales. Lighthouse off the eastern coast of the city’s ‘Mumbles’ area
What follows are two columns Julius wrote to be printed in Omaha Magazine. The original intent was to run these columns as a series, as the trip was projected to last several months. The pair decided, after traveling together a little under three months, that the worldwide coronavirus pandemic made the adventure a bad risk at this time.
F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 0 A frosty January morning heralds our departure from the Amtrak station on ninth street in downtown Omaha. Due to ongoing renovations, the platform is open to the elements and slick with ice. We’d been waiting for months for our journey to begin, fettering a growing sense of inertia—at times bordering on vertigo—as we gathered supplies and charted our course. Now the moment had finally arrived, and instead of sprinting headlong towards new destinations, we waddle gingerly. At one backpack apiece, our coats are thin and designed for portability. I notice Sarah is shivering beside me. “A little chilly out, huh?” I mutter with mock surprise. “Yeah—it’s cold.” There’s a hitch in her voice. That’s when I see the tears. “I’m fine,” she says, “I just can’t believe this is really happening.” “Me neither…Your dad would be so proud.” For a moment she looks downcast, rosy cheeks spilling onto icy cement. Then, she gives a deep breath and a flip of her hair. A broad, beaming smile. “Let’s do this!” I nod in assent and take hold of her hand. A shrill whistle pierces the frigid air, and passengers begin to board. Sarah leaps over the gap and through the threshold. I’m right there behind her. Since that day we’ve sliced into Chicago’s food scene and crawled the bars of New York City. We’ve jumped dunes in Morocco’s Agafay Desert to make tea time with indigenous Amazigh villagers. Within London’s Leake Street Tunnel, we observed graffiti artists working to the thunderous clamor of a bongo drum brigade. We’ve witnessed Husker football levels of hysteria during a rugby match in Cardiff, Wales, followed by the tranquil waves of the Bristol Channel in neighboring Swansea. Now, we’re in Santiago, Chile. Here, we’ve met the warmth of the locals, the sunshine, and delicious empanadas; we’ve also encountered the sting of teargas and the breathless tension of civil unrest.
// FEATURE //
Through the good and the bad, we’re cautious yet brave. Sarah is healing. I’m right there. MID-MARCH 2020 “Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world, yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our head from a blue sky.” -Albert Camus, The Plague (1947) The sky is blue and the sun shines brightly on Santiago, Chile. In the morning it simmers up from behind the Andes, tracing the mountain ridges like a cardiogram; the pulse of a newly born day. A gasp of violet, then gold, overtakes the peaks. A final yawn, and sunlight spills into the city below. Workers, parents, and schoolchildren hustle through crosswalks and funnel into metro stations. Buses sputter to life, pitching exhaust towards shopkeepers haggling with chains and padlocks. Rapid-fire Chilean Spanish rattles through the streets, occasionally punctuated by calls of “¡fruta fresca aqui!” or “¡taxi, por favor!”. In the Parque Forestal, young couples exchange ‘besos’ (kisses) beneath the cover of palms. Meanwhile, elderly gentlemen chew cigar caps over chessboards, brows knotted in concentration despite the ceaseless chatter of the Plaza de Armas. From her sanctuary atop San Cristobal Hill, the Blessed Virgin gazes skyward, arms outstretched. Iron-cast lips form an eternal plea: forgive them. A stunning yet average day in Chile’s capital; untouched and unbothered. An invisible storm brews continents away. A foreigner’s forecast. Nothing to worry about. Tranquilo. Sarah and I arrived Feb. 18, 2020. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly on Santiago.
We had embarked from London, having decided that England was simply too cold and the weather too unpredictable after a duet of winter storms (Ciara, and partner Dennis a week later) had caused extensive damage throughout the U.K. With COVID19 festering in Asia and beginning to spread into the Middle East—plus wanting to save our Schengen Visa for warmer months— we agreed to a temporary break from Tyler’s itinerary (having crossed Chicago, New York City, and London from our list). At this juncture, we were cautiously optimistic that the virus would be contained; most European nations reported less than 20 confirmed cases and world leaders signaled confidence in their public health protocols. So we flew south, oblivious to the fact that catastrophe had been lurking just behind. Like many, our ignorance was a hybrid between authentic and willful. In the end, we avoided the COVID-19 crisis in Europe through dumb luck and the pursuit of summer. In Santiago, we found it: average temperatures of 85 degrees and sun-kissed skin. We hiked San Cristobal regularly, enjoyed the local cuisine (e.g. delectable empanadas), and formed relationships with some very kind, very funny locals. However, we also experienced firsthand the tremors of civil unrest, ongoing since late October. At night, especially on weekends, groups largely composed of university students swarmed the streets in protest of the Chilean government. While typically nonviolent—with chants and graffiti the most commonplace forms of rebellion— confrontations with the Carabineros (Chile’s police force) could turn ugly fast. Chunks of cement lobbed at armored police vehicles were met with return-fire from teargas bazookas; Sarah and I soon learned to mind the direction of the wind. Yet International Women’s Day, marked by thousands of women marching the streets of Santiago, was both spirited and peaceful—not to mention remarkable to document. We’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
THROUGH THE GOOD A N D T H E BA D , W E ’ R E CAU T I O U S Y E T B R AV E .
Exactly 30 days from our arrival, we exited our Miraflores apartment for the final time. A Starbucks across the street had served as a frequent hub for wifi and coffee, and we heaved our bulking packs through the familiar threshold once more. The newspaper stand appeared benign enough just a week prior, but now the crimson headlines suited the content: alarm. “ C O R O N AV I R U S : G O B I E R N O PA R A C E R R A R F R O N T E R A S , C E R R A R A E U R O P U E RTO ” We arrived at Santiago de Chile International Airport at noon, intending to board a flight for Puerto Montt at 2 p.m.—the first leg of our journey into the vast Patagonian wilderness. We stood outside the terminal for a long time, weighing our options. Justifications like “at least we’ll be isolated,” and “we still have 60 days on our visa, maybe that’s long enough?” floundered anxiously between us. As 2 p.m. approached, arrived, and passed, our feet had made the decision that our pride couldn’t. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly on Santiago as rain coursed down our cheeks; we could finally see the storm clouds.
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We boarded a plane for Miami on March 17, 2020, the second to last flight to America before the airport closed indefinitely. On Tyler’s advice, we had set out two and half months ago to experience the world. On that same advice, we’ve returned home. Dreams deferred, not dashed. A commitment intact.
SUMMER IS COMING!
He had said, “take good risks.” Visit takegoodrisks.com for more information
opractor Chir
Sarah Lemke metering light in preparation of a 35mm film photograph. Cliffs overlooking Langland Bay.
KocaChiropractic.com 11420 Blondo St, Ste. 102 | 402.496.4570 MAY 2020
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Omaha Magazine is proud to publish the Omaha results of The Best Lawyers in America ©, widely regarded as the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. What makes this list the “go-to” guide? Two reasons: one, lawyers are not required to pay a fee for a basic listing in the guide; two, inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© is based entirely on confidential peer review.
CREDIT
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DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All listed attorneys have been verified as being members in good standing with their respective state bar associations as of July 1, 2019, where that information is publicly available. Consumers should contact their state bar association for verification and additional information prior to securing legal services of any attorney. Copyright 2020 by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC, Augusta, GA All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of this list may be made without permission of BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of this list without permission. “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Best Lawyers” are registered trademarks of BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC.
METHODOLOGY FOR BEST LAWYERS® This list is excerpted from the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the pre-eminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Published since 1983, Best Lawyers lists attorneys in 146 specialties, representing all 50 states, who have been chosen through an exhaustive survey in which thousands of the nation’s top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The 2020 edition of Best Lawyers is based on 8.3 million evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. The method used to compile Best Lawyers remains unchanged since the first edition was compiled almost 40 years ago. Lawyers are chosen for inclusion based solely on the vote of their peers. Listings cannot be bought, and no purchase is required to be included. In this regard, Best Lawyers remains the gold standard of reliability and integrity in lawyer ratings. The nomination pool for the 2020 edition consisted of all lawyers whose names appeared in the previous edition of Best Lawyers, lawyers who were nominated since the previous survey, and new nominees solicited from listed attorneys. In general, lawyers were asked to vote only on nominees in their own specialty in their own jurisdiction. Lawyers in closely related specialties were asked to vote across specialties, as were lawyers in smaller jurisdictions. Where specialties are national or international in nature, lawyers were asked to vote nationally as well as locally. Voting lawyers were also given an opportunity to offer more detailed comments on nominees. Each year, half of the voting pool receives fax or email ballots; the other half is polled by phone. Voting lawyers were provided this general guideline for determining if a nominee should be listed among “the best”: “If you had a close friend or relative who needed a real estate lawyer (for example), and you could not handle the case yourself, to whom would you refer them?” All votes and comments were solicited with a guarantee of confidentiality—a critical factor in the viability and validity of Best Lawyers’ surveys. To ensure the rigor of the selection process, lawyers were urged to use only their highest standards when voting, and to evaluate each nominee based only on his or her individual merits. The additional comments were used to make more accurate comparisons between voting patterns and weight votes accordingly. Best Lawyers uses various methodological tools to identify and correct for anomalies in both the nomination and voting process. Ultimately, of course, a lawyer’s inclusion is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow attorneys. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, the breadth of the survey, the candor of the respondents, and the sophistication of the polling methodology largely correct for any biases. For all these reasons, Best Lawyers lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate and useful guide to the best lawyers in the United States available anywhere.
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MAY 2020
The law firm of Slowiaczek Albers, PC LLO devotes their practice to family law services including divorce, premarital agreements, complex marital estates, business valuations, child custody, child support and mediation. With decades of experience, they pride themselves on professionalism and client satisfaction. The firm focuses on complex and intricate aspects of matrimonial law and represents high net worth clients, business owners, and professionals and their spouses. The firm also assists parents with custody matters. Slowiaczek Albers has extensive trial experience while striving to provide their clients with satisfactory settlement options. John S. Slowiaczek has been recognized in Best Lawyers® annually since 1995 and Virginia has been recognized since 2011. In the area of Family Law, John was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® in 2009 and 2016 in the Omaha Metro Area. Virginia received the “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® in 2011, 2014 and 2018 for Family Law in Omaha. John is currently the President of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers. He recently served as President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Both he and Virginia have received the highest rating (“AV”) by the Martindale-Hubbell legal directory. Slowiaczek Albers P.C., L.L.O. is pleased to announce the firm has received a Tier One ranking in the 2020 edition of U.S. News - Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” for the Metropolitan Omaha area in the practice of Family Law. Our team of lawyers include Hannah C. Sommers and Dennis G. Whelan. T. Geoffrey Lieben is Of Counsel advising the firm on tax, estate and employee benefit matters.
A Divorce & Family Law Firm 100 Scoular Building | 2027 Dodge Street | Omaha, NE 68102 | 402-930-1000 | saalawyers.com
MAY 2020
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ANTITRUST LAW McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David H. Roe Roger W. Wells
APPELLATE PRACTICE Fraser Stryker Patrick S. Cooper
ARBITRATION Baird Holm D. Nick Caporale Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Michael F. Kinney
BANKRUPTCY AND CREDITOR DEBTOR RIGHTS / INSOLVENCY AND REORGANIZATION LAW
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS (INCLUDING LLCS AND PARTNERSHIPS)
Baird Holm Brandon R. Tomjack Steven C. Turner T. Randall Wright
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Jonathan L. Grob David L. Hefflinger Nicholas K. Niemann Daniel C. Pape Roger W. Wells Thomas M. Worthington
Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger Martin P. Pelster Koley Jessen Kristin M. Krueger Donald L. Swanson
McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Richard D. Myers
Kutak Rock Michael G. Mullin Matthew G. Miller Matthew G. Miller
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert J. Bothe James J. Niemeier Douglas E. Quinn
Woodke & Gibbons David M. Woodke
Telpner Peterson Law Firm Charles L. Smith
AVIATION LAW
BET-THE-COMPANY LITIGATION
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz James D. Wegner
Baird Holm Steven D. Davidson William G. Dittrick
O’Connor Law Office Robert E. O’Connor
Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John R. Douglas Charles F. Gotch Michael F. Kinney
BANKING AND FINANCE LAW Baird Holm Thomas O. Ashby Lawrence E. Kritenbrink Steven C. Turner John S. Zeilinger Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger Richard L. Anderson Robert M. Gonderinger Koley Jessen Thomas F. Ackley Max J. Burbach Marlon M. Lofgren Kutak Rock H. Dale Dixon Bryan G. Handlos McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert J. Bothe Douglas E. Quinn David H. Roe Woods Aitken Frank J. Mihulka
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MAY 2020
Erickson Sederstrom Thomas J. Culhane Fraser Stryker Joseph K. Meusey Johnson Tabor & Johnson Law Thomas E. Johnson Kutak Rock Thomas H. Dahlk John P. Passarelli Lamson Dugan and Murray William M. Lamson McGrath North Mullin & Kratz James P. Fitzgerald William F. Hargens
Domina Law Group David A. Domina
Willson & Pechacek Frank W. Pechacek 421 West Broadway, Suite 200 Council Bluffs, IA 51503 712.322.6000 willsonpechacek.com
CLOSELY HELD COMPANIES AND FAMILY BUSINESSES LAW Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Paul R. Elofson David M. Hohman
Houghton Bradford Whitted David S. Houghton Robert W. Mullin Johnson Tabor & Johnson Law Thomas E. Johnson Kutak Rock Victoria H. Buter Thomas H. Dahlk Michael S. Degan Patrick B. Griffin Bartholomew L. McLeay Robert M. Slovek
Koley Jessen Brandon D. Hamm Michael M. Hupp Eric B. Oxley Kurt F. Tjaden McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Gary M. Gotsdiner
McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Robert L. Lepp
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Jonathan L. Grob David L. Hefflinger Nicholas K. Niemann Daniel C. Pape Jeffrey J. Pirruccello James D. Wegner
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert J. Bothe Patrick E. Brookhouser Mark F. Enenbach James P. Fitzgerald James J. Frost William F. Hargens Leo A. Knowles Thomas C. McGowan Brian T. McKernan Robert D. Mullin James J. Niemeier J. Scott Paul Patrick D. Pepper James G. Powers
Baird Holm Jill Robb Ackerman Steven D. Davidson William G. Dittrick
Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman David D. Ernst Edward D. Hotz
Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John R. Douglas Charles F. Gotch Michael F. Kinney
Woods Aitken Bruce A. Smith Todd W. Weidemann
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert J. Bothe
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert J. Bothe Douglas E. Quinn
Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Gerald L. Friedrichsen
Lamson Dugan and Murray Brian J. Brislen Jason W. Grams William M. Lamson Mark E. Novotny Cathy Trent-Vilim Patrick G. Vipond
COMMERCIAL FINANCE LAW
COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS / UCC LAW
Erickson Sederstrom Thomas J. Culhane
Fraser Stryker Michael F. Coyle Joseph E. Jones Wayne J. Mark Joseph K. Meusey
Kutak Rock Jeffrey T. Wegner
John C. Brownrigg Mediation & Arbitration Services John C. Brownrigg
Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Trenten P. Bausch Richard P. Jeffries
Willson & Pechacek Frank W. Pechacek 421 West Broadway, Suite 200 Council Bluffs, IA 51503 712.322.6000 willsonpechacek.com
CONSTRUCTION LAW Baird Holm P. Scott Dye Lawrence E. Kritenbrink Fraser Stryker Wayne J. Mark Russell A. Westerhold Kutak Rock Jeremy T. Fitzpatrick McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Ronald L. Comes Lee H. Hamann Woods Aitken Todd W. Weidemann
COPYRIGHT LAW Baird Holm Jill Robb Ackerman James E. O’Connor Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Bruce D. Vosburg McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Brian T. McKernan
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE LAW Baird Holm Dennis J. Fogland McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David L. Hefflinger Guy Lawson
Vacanti Shattuck, Attorneys congratulates Christopher A. Vacanti for being named ”Lawyer of the Year” in 2012 and 2020 in the practice of Family Law by The Best Lawyers in America©, and for being included in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© for the practice area of Family Law. The Best Lawyers in America© is the oldest and most respected peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession. Christopher A. Vacanti and the lawyers at Vacanti Shattuck have significant experience guiding their clients through difficult transitions in their divorce, child custody, and other family law matters. Vacanti Shattuck prides itself on providing steady counsel, responsive service, and powerful advocacy.
Vacanti Shattuck, Attorneys | Lawyers Dedicated to Helping Families in Transition.
vsfamilylaw.com | 2051 Harney Street | Omaha, NE | 402.345.7600 MAY 2020
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CORPORATE LAW
McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Robert L. Lepp
Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman R. Craig Fry John W. Herdzina Howard J. Kaslow Thomas J. Malicki Baird Holm Dennis J. Fogland Richard E. Putnam Michael C. Schilken John S. Zeilinger Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Rochelle A. Mullen Michael C. Pallesen Erftmier Law Donald L. Erftmier Erickson Sederstrom William T. Foley Virgil K. Johnson Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan David M. Hohman Bruce D. Vosburg Fraser Stryker Mark L. Brasee Robert L. Freeman Travis S. Tyler Gross & Welch James P. Waldron Husch Blackwell David E. Gardels Todd A. Richardson Koley Jessen Teresa A. Beaufait Michael M. Hupp Marlon M. Lofgren M. Shaun McGaughey Eric B. Oxley Kutak Rock Michael L. Curry Lamson Dugan and Murray Robert J. Murray McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Gary M. Gotsdiner Keith A. Green R. Thomas Workman McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David L. Hefflinger Keith P. Larsen Thomas C. McGowan Daniel C. Pape Jeffrey S. Penne Jeffrey J. Pirruccello James D. Wegner Roger W. Wells Thomas M. Worthington
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MAY 2020
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS (ERISA) LAW Willson & Pechacek Frank W. Pechacek 421 West Broadway, Suite 200 Council Bluffs, IA 51503 712.322.6000 willsonpechacek.com Woods Aitken Michael D. Matejka Frank J. Mihulka
CRIMINAL DEFENSE: GENERAL PRACTICE Dornan, Troia, Howard, Breitkreutz & Conway Stuart J. Dornan
Badura & Wintz Law Daniel J. Wintz Baird Holm Gary N. Clatterbuck Gary W. Radil Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Thomas G. McKeon
CRIMINAL DEFENSE: WHITE-COLLAR
Koley Jessen Margaret C. Hershiser
DUI/DWI DEFENSE Schaefer Shapiro James E. Schaefer
EDUCATION LAW EEKLegal Elizabeth Eynon-Kokrda Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Robert T. Cannella
ELDER LAW Badura & Wintz Law Margaret A. Badura Daniel J. Wintz Mark John Malousek Law Office Mark John Malousek 1904 Farnam Street Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68102 402.341.9931 malouseklaw.com
Fraser Stryker Stephen M. Bruckner
McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Nancy A. Roberts
Schaefer Shapiro James E. Schaefer
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Patrick E. Brookhouser
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Joan M. Cannon Jonathan L. Grob Peter C. Langdon
Byam & Hoarty Thomas F. Hoarty
EMPLOYMENT LAW MANAGEMENT Baird Holm Christopher R. Hedican George E. Martin Mark McQueen Scott S. Moore Scott P. Moore R. J. Stevenson Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Tara A. Stingley Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Robert T. Cannella Fraser Stryker Patrick J. Barrett Kathryn A. Dittrick
Vacanti Shattuck, Attorneys congratulates Christopher A. Vacanti for being included in the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© for the practice area of Family Law. The Best Lawyers in America© is the oldest and most respected peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession.
FINANCIAL SERVICES REGULATION LAW
Christopher A. Vacanti and the lawyers at Vacanti Shattuck have significant experience guiding their clients through difficult transitions in their divorce, child custody, and other family law matters. Vacanti Shattuck prides itself on providing steady counsel, responsive service, and powerful advocacy.
Vacanti Shattuck, Attorneys | Lawyers Dedicated to Helping Families in Transition.
Mostek Law Michael S. Mostek Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law McGrath North Mullin & Kratz J. Scott Paul
FAMILY LAW Brodkey, Cuddigan, Peebles, Belmont & Line Benjamin M. Belmont Campagna Law Office Patrick A. Campagna 416 S. 14th Street, Suite 201 Omaha, NE 68102 402.995.9170 campagnalawoffice.com Kinney Mason John Kinney Lustgarten & Roberts Michael B. Lustgarten Donald A. Roberts
Baird Holm Steven C. Turner John S. Zeilinger
vsfamilylaw.com | 2051 Harney Street | Omaha, NE | 402.345.7600
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Steven P. Case
Jackson Lewis Joseph S. Dreesen Christopher E. Hoyme Chad P. Richter
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David H. Roe
FRANCHISE LAW Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman John W. Herdzina Baird Holm Michael L. Sullivan Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Gary R. Batenhorst Trenten P. Bausch Kutak Rock John P. Passarelli McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Michael T. Eversden
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS PRACTICE Baird Holm David J. Kramer
HEALTH CARE LAW Baird Holm Vickie B. Ahlers Alex M. Clarke John R. Holdenried Barbara E. Person Ellick, Jones, Buelt, Blazek & Longo Amy L. Longo
Koley Jessen Margaret C. Hershiser McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Mary Hewitt
Vacanti Shattuck Christopher A. Vacanti 2051 Harney St. Omaha, NE 402.345.7600 vsfamilylaw.com
Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman Randall C. Hanson
Koley Jessen Michael J. Linder
EMPLOYMENT LAW INDIVIDUALS
Kutak Rock Thomas J. Kenny
ENERGY LAW
Kutak Rock John E. Schembari
J. William Gallup J. William Gallup
J. William Gallup J. William Gallup
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz A. Stevenson Bogue Aaron A. Clark Roger J. Miller Abigail M. Moland
Slowiaczek Albers Virginia A. Albers John S. Slowiaczek 100 Scoular Building, 2027 Dodge St. Omaha, NE 68102 402.930.1000 saalawyers.com
Erickson Sederstrom Charles V. Sederstrom Fraser Stryker James L. Quinlan Koley Jessen Karen M. Shuler
Kutak Rock Robert L. Cohen
Fraser Stryker Joseph K. Meusey
Fraser Stryker Stephen M. Bruckner
Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman Thomas R. Pansing
Lamson Dugan and Murray William R. Settles
Koley Jessen John M. Lingelbach
LEGAL MALPRACTICE LAW PLAINTIFFS
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Steven P. Case Mark F. Enenbach William F. Hargens Thomas C. McGowan
IMMIGRATION LAW Baird Holm Amy L. Erlbacher-Anderson Scott S. Moore Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Dustin J. Kessler Jackson Lewis Amy L. Peck McGrath North Mullin & Kratz A. Stevenson Bogue
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAW Baird Holm James E. O’Connor Kutak Rock Michael K. Bydalek
INSURANCE LAW Baird Holm Steven D. Davidson Fraser Stryker David C. Mullin Rex A. Rezac Gross & Welch Thomas A. Grennan John A. Svoboda Kutak Rock Michael G. Mullin Lamson Dugan and Murray Anne Marie O’Brien Patrick G. Vipond McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William J. Birkel James J. Frost Robert D. Mullin J. Scott Paul John F. Thomas Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman Edward D. Hotz Stuart Tinley Law Firm Robert M. Livingston
Willson & Pechacek Frank W. Pechacek 421 West Broadway, Suite 200 Council Bluffs, IA 51503 712.322.6000 willsonpechacek.com Woodke & Gibbons Michael T. Gibbons
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FINANCE LAW
Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John R. Douglas
LITIGATION - ANTITRUST
Mostek Law Michael S. Mostek
Kutak Rock John P. Passarelli
LITIGATION - ERISA
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Mark F. Enenbach
Husch Blackwell David E. Gardels
LITIGATION - BANKING AND FINANCE
LABOR LAW - MANAGEMENT
Kutak Rock Jeffrey T. Wegner
Baird Holm Christopher R. Hedican Mark McQueen Scott S. Moore Scott P. Moore R.J. Stevenson
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William F. Hargens James G. Powers
Badura & Wintz Law Daniel J. Wintz Baird Holm Steven D. Davidson Fraser Stryker Timothy J. Thalken Kutak Rock P. Brian Bartels Tory M. Bishop John E. Schembari
LITIGATION - BANKRUPTCY
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Aaron A. Clark
Baird Holm T. Randall Wright
LITIGATION - FIRST AMENDMENT
Fraser Stryker Patrick J. Barrett
Koley Jessen Donald L. Swanson
Koley Jessen Michael C. Cox
Jackson Lewis Joseph S. Dreesen Christopher E. Hoyme
Kutak Rock Jeffrey T. Wegner
LITIGATION - INSURANCE
Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Robert T. Cannella
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz A. Stevenson Bogue Roger J. Miller
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert J. Bothe James G. Powers Douglas E. Quinn
LAND USE AND ZONING LAW
Telpner Peterson Law Firm Charles L. Smith
Baird Holm David C. Levy Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger Richard L. Anderson McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Ronald L. Comes Robert G. Dailey Lee H. Hamann Steven D. Johnson Steven D. Johnson
LEGAL MALPRACTICE LAW DEFENDANTS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John R. Douglas
LITIGATION - CONSTRUCTION Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Charles F. Gotch Erickson Sederstrom Thomas J. Culhane Fraser Stryker Joseph E. Jones Wayne J. Mark McGrath North Mullin & Kratz James G. Powers
LITIGATION - ENVIRONMENTAL Baird Holm John P. Heil
Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Mark J. Daly Fraser Stryker Patrick S. Cooper Mark C. Laughlin Koley Jessen John M. Lingelbach Lamson Dugan and Murray Daniel P. Chesire Anne Marie O’Brien McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William J. Birkel Robert D. Mullin J. Scott Paul Patrick D. Pepper
Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Bruce D. Vosburg Kutak Rock John P. Passarelli McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William F. Hargens
LITIGATION - LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Baird Holm Allison D. Balus Heidi A. Guttau George E. Martin Scott P. Moore Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Tara A. Stingley Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Robert T. Cannella Fraser Stryker Patrick J. Barrett Jackson Lewis Joseph S. Dreesen Christopher E. Hoyme Chad P. Richter Kenneth M. Wentz McGrath North Mullin & Kratz A. Stevenson Bogue Aaron A. Clark Roger J. Miller
LITIGATION - LAND USE AND ZONING Baird Holm Scott P. Moore McGrath North Mullin & Kratz James G. Powers
LITIGATION - MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS Kutak Rock Thomas H. Dahlk McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William F. Hargens
LITIGATION - PATENT
Woodke & Gibbons Michael T. Gibbons
Kutak Rock John P. Passarelli
LITIGATION - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Thomte Patent Law Office Dennis L. Thomte
Baird Holm Jill Robb Ackerman
MAY 2020
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LITIGATION - REAL ESTATE Baird Holm Steven D. Davidson Scott P. Moore Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger Richard L. Anderson Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman Dennis P. Hogan
LITIGATION AND CONTROVERSY - TAX
Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman David D. Ernst
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Nicholas K. Niemann Jeffrey J. Pirruccello
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAW PLAINTIFFS
Smith, Slusky, Pohren & Rogers Howard N. Kaplan
Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John R. Douglas
MASS TORT LITIGATION / CLASS ACTIONS - DEFENDANTS
Hauptman, O’Brien, Wolf & Lathrop Timothy J. O’Brien
Smith, Slusky, Pohren & Rogers Jerry M. Slusky
Fraser Stryker Mark C. Laughlin
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS LAW
Woods Aitken Michael D. Matejka
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Patrick E. Brookhouser
Baird Holm Dennis J. Fogland John S. Zeilinger
LITIGATION - REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT (SEC, TELECOM, ENERGY)
MASS TORT LITIGATION / CLASS ACTIONS - PLAINTIFFS
Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Rochelle A. Mullen
Kutak Rock Thomas H. Dahlk
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William F. Hargens
Lamson Dugan and Murray William M. Lamson
MEDIATION
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Mark F. Enenbach
LITIGATION - SECURITIES Kutak Rock Thomas H. Dahlk Patrick B. Griffin McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Patrick E. Brookhouser James P. Fitzgerald James J. Frost William F. Hargens Patrick D. Pepper
LITIGATION - TRUSTS AND ESTATES Baird Holm Sharon R. Kresha Carlson & Burnett Adam J. Wintz Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Susan J. Spahn Nick R. Taylor Mark John Malousek Law Office Mark John Malousek 1904 Farnam Street - Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68102 402.341.9931 malouseklaw.com
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MAY 2020
Baird Holm D. Nick Caporale Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Michael F. Kinney
Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Bruce D. Vosburg Fraser Stryker Robert L. Freeman Paul J. Halbur Husch Blackwell Todd A. Richardson
John C. Brownrigg Mediation & Arbitration Services John C. Brownrigg
Koley Jessen Teresa A. Beaufait Taylor C. Dieckman Michael M. Hupp M. Shaun McGaughey
Kutak Rock Michael G. Mullin
Kutak Rock Michael L. Curry
Matthew G. Miller Matthew G. Miller
McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Gary M. Gotsdiner Keith A. Green
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz J. Terry Macnamara Woodke & Gibbons David M. Woodke
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAW DEFENDANTS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas John R. Douglas Charles F. Gotch Michael F. Kinney Brien M. Welch Lamson Dugan and Murray William M. Lamson Mark E. Novotny William R. Settles Patrick G. Vipond
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David L. Hefflinger Keith P. Larsen Guy Lawson Roger W. Wells Thomas M. Worthington
MUNICIPAL LAW Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman Timothy M. Kenny Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Thomas G. McKeon
NONPROFIT / CHARITIES LAW Baird Holm Gary W. Radil Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Nick R. Taylor Koley Jessen Karen M. Shuler Kutak Rock Howard Fredrick Hahn McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David L. Hefflinger Jeffrey J. Pirruccello James D. Wegner
PATENT LAW Thomte Patent Law Office Dennis L. Thomte
PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION - DEFENDANTS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Charles F. Gotch Michael F. Kinney Ronald F. Krause Brien M. Welch Erickson Sederstrom Jerald L. Rauterkus Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Mark J. Daly Fraser Stryker Michael F. Coyle Joseph K. Meusey David C. Mullin Gross & Welch Thomas A. Grennan John A. Svoboda Kutak Rock Michael G. Mullin Lamson Dugan and Murray Daniel P. Chesire William M. Lamson David J. Schmitt Kyle Wallor McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert D. Mullin Stuart Tinley Law Firm Kristopher K. Madsen Woodke & Gibbons Michael T. Gibbons
PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION - PLAINTIFFS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Michael F. Kinney Fraser Stryker Michael F. Coyle Gross & Welch Thomas A. Grennan Houghton Bradford Whitted Robert W. Mullin McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert D. Mullin John F. Thomas O’Connor Law Office Robert E. O’Connor Sibbernsen Law Firm E. Terry Sibbernsen
PRIVACY AND DATA SECURITY LAW Koley Jessen Roberta L. Christensen McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Thomas J. Kelley
PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION - DEFENDANTS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Charles F. Gotch Michael F. Kinney Ronald F. Krause Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Gerald L. Friedrichsen Fraser Stryker Rex A. Rezac Lamson Dugan and Murray Daniel P. Chesire McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Robert D. Mullin Woodke & Gibbons Michael T. Gibbons
PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION - PLAINTIFFS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Michael F. Kinney
PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE LAW - DEFENDANTS
Husch Blackwell Adam N. Charlsen
Kutak Rock Howard Fredrick Hahn
Fraser Stryker Mark C. Laughlin
Koley Jessen Thomas F. Ackley Max J. Burbach
Lamson Dugan and Murray Robert J. Murray
Lamson Dugan and Murray William R. Settles Patrick G. Vipond
Kutak Rock Heather K. Aeschleman
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William F. Hargens
PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE LAW - PLAINTIFFS McGrath North Mullin & Kratz J. Scott Paul Strigenz Law Mandy L. Strigenz
PUBLIC FINANCE LAW Baird Holm Charles J. Addy Kutak Rock Patricia Schuett Peterson
RAILROAD LAW Lamson Dugan and Murray Anne Marie O’Brien David J. Schmitt
REAL ESTATE LAW Baird Holm Jon E. Blumenthal P. Scott Dye Lawrence E. Kritenbrink Jacqueline A. Pueppke Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather Rochelle A. Mullen
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Ronald L. Comes Robert G. Dailey Lee H. Hamann David R. Madden Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman John Q. Bachman James D. Buser Dennis P. Hogan Smith, Slusky, Pohren & Rogers Jerry M. Slusky H. Daniel Smith Steven D. Johnson Steven D. Johnson Walentine O’Toole Michael F. Kivett Woods Aitken Michael D. Matejka Frank J. Mihulka
SECURITIES / CAPITAL MARKETS LAW McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David L. Hefflinger Guy Lawson
SECURITIES REGULATION Baird Holm Dennis J. Fogland
Croker, Huck, Kasher, DeWitt, Anderson & Gonderinger Richard L. Anderson
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz David L. Hefflinger Guy Lawson
Dvorak Law Group John M. Prososki
SPORTS LAW
Fraser Stryker Mark L. Brasee Troy F. Meyerson Fullenkamp, Jobeun, Johnson & Beller John H. Fullenkamp Larry A. Jobeun Gross & Welch James P. Waldron Houghton Bradford Whitted Warren R. Whitted
Fraser Stryker Robert L. Freeman
TAX LAW Baird Holm Gary W. Radil Gross & Welch William J. Lindsay Koley Jessen Brandon D. Hamm Kurt F. Tjaden
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Austin C. Bradley Jonathan L. Grob David L. Hefflinger Thomas J. Kelley Nicholas K. Niemann Daniel C. Pape Jeffrey J. Pirruccello James D. Wegner Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman Thomas R. Pansing Smith, Slusky, Pohren & Rogers Howard N. Kaplan
TECHNOLOGY LAW Koley Jessen Roberta L. Christensen Kutak Rock Michael K. Bydalek Trademark Law Baird Holm James E. O’Connor Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Bruce D. Vosburg Kutak Rock Patrick C. Stephenson James M. Sulentic
TRANSPORTATION LAW O’Connor Law Office Robert E. O’Connor
Ellick, Jones, Buelt, Blazek & Longo Michael D. Jones
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW - CLAIMANTS
Erftmier Law Donald L. Erftmier
Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Dennis R. Riekenberg
Erickson Sederstrom Daniel Dittman David J. Nielsen
Peters Law Firm Jacob J. Peters
Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan Susan J. Spahn Nick R. Taylor
Steve Howard Law Steven Howard 4060 Vinton Street Suite 201 Omaha, NE 68105 402.281.4680 stevehowardlaw.com
Gross & Welch William J. Lindsay Koley Jessen Brandon D. Hamm Lisa M. Lehan James A. Tews Kurt F. Tjaden Alexander J. Wolf Lamson Dugan and Murray Daniel J. Waters McGill, Gotsdiner, Workman & Lepp Mary Hewitt
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW - EMPLOYERS Cassem, Tierney, Adams, Gotch & Douglas Dennis R. Riekenberg Gross & Welch John W. Iliff McGrath North Mullin & Kratz William J. Birkel Robert D. Mullin John F. Thomas
McGrath North Mullin & Kratz Jonathan L. Grob David L. Hefflinger Nicholas K. Niemann Daniel C. Pape Jeffrey J. Pirruccello James D. Wegner Pansing Hogan Ernst & Bachman Thomas R. Pansing Vandenack Weaver Mary E. Vandenack
TRUSTS AND ESTATES Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman Howard J. Kaslow Thomas J. Malicki Badura & Wintz Law Margaret A. Badura Daniel J. Wintz Baird Holm Ronald C. Jensen Sharon R. Kresha Gary W. Radil Michael C. Schilken Michael L. Sullivan
Willson & Pechacek Frank W. Pechacek 421 West Broadway, Suite 200 Council Bluffs, IA 51503 712.322.6000 willsonpechacek.com
Barkdoll & Von Ahsen Mary A. Donovan Martello Dvorak Law Group David M. Dvorak
MAY 2020
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GEN-O // STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
CALE FERRIN’S CAREER TAKES OFF
C
Cale Ferrin may not be a household name—yet—but if his face looks familiar, it’s because in a little over five years since his 2014 debut at a local talent competition, the 13-year-old’s entertainment career is blossoming.
He modeled for Nike and Target campaigns, and Parents magazine. He guest-starred in episodes of the TV shows Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Teachers, and Speechless. He appeared in two short films and a music video. He appeared on several local TV talk shows, emceed a couple of area events, and even narrated “Meet the Bluejays” videos for Creighton University. It gets better. Cale not only played the role of “Freddie” in the 2019 feature film More Beautiful for Having Been Broken, he’s a season regular on TV, having acted in a starring role for two seasons of a Canadian sci-fi series called Endlings.
“[My career] is going better than expected,” Cale said. “I never thought I would be in the second year of a TV series.” His career success would be remarkable for any young teen, but Cale stands out in another way: he was diagnosed as a newborn with Fanconi anemia, a genetic disorder so uncommon that he’s likely the only person in the state of Nebraska who has the condition. He needed a host of surgeries as a youngster and manages some ongoing symptoms along with effects on his balance and coordination. His parents—Britteny and Justin Ferrin— and his medical team also must keep careful watch for other complications that could still develop. Cale said despite the challenges his condition presents, he’s proud that his success is helping create opportunities for other performers. “The percentage of special-needs actors in a leading role is like zero-point-two percent. Less than one percent,” he said. “I want to give a shout-out to any special-needs actor that’s out there: Just go for it! Do what you love…Let’s try to get that percentage higher.”
In his More Beautiful role, Cale’s condition, and his unique abilities, are embraced. “‘Freddie’ is a special-needs kid who has Fanconi anemia…I think it’s a very empowering movie because it helps people to maybe understand Fanconi anemia a little bit,” he said. “The director originally didn’t quite pin down the disability of the character, and then when she cast Cale she agreed to have it be Fanconi anemia,” Britteny said. “It’s amazing just to bring light to what life with a special-needs child is.” “Casting the role of Freddie was the most critical aspect of this film. I would not cast anyone who did not have special needs,” producer Nicole Conn said. “When we first read Cale in 2015, he was only 8. The minute he came into the room, he owned it. His energy was palpably loving. When I picked him up at the end and hugged him, I felt like I was hugging God, and that’s how that line ended up in the film—no joke.” Conn said she would like to see more inclusivity in general. “Actors with special needs bring an authenticity to their condition and perspective that you simply can’t pretend,” she said. “More and more folks are speaking out and pushing this door open for those who have special needs to be more in control of their stories. And it’s important for the viewers to see these authentic representations.” In Endlings—available to U.S. viewers on Hulu—Cale’s character, Finn, did not call for a special-needs actor. “They don’t highlight the disability. In Endlings, it never comes up,” Britteny said. “That’s empowering for Cale as an actor.” “Endlings is about four foster kids who find out that they’re not alone in the universe. They pretty much save animals who have gone extinct. Finn is a kid who had a tragedy happen when he was younger; his mother abandoned him,” Cale said. “He doesn’t talk at all in season one.” continued on page 55
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MAY 2020
PLAYING IN A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD
THE MANY TRAVELS OF TREVOR RICHARDS
SPORTS // STORY BY CHRIS HATCH // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
T
he funny thing about dots on a map: travelers who get enough of them end up making themselves a mosaic.
They go from point A to point B enough, and suddenly they’ve got an entire alphabet. One that doesn’t have 26 letters or even one language, but speaks to the innate humanity of our species’ desire to travel, to traverse. Trevor Richards is a man whose adventures have created a work of roaming pointillism. His hemisphere-spanning exploits may not always start in the same place, but usually end back where they began: Omaha, Nebraska.
While this town isn’t his first home, it is the place in the United States where the South Africa native first landed with his family when he was 10 years old. His father, a surgeon, decided to move the four-generation South African family from Johannesburg to Omaha in search of new opportunities. It wasn’t easy, at first. “The move to America was definitely tough. We went straight from the sun-soaked, bustling city of Johannesburg and came cruising in over the snow-covered cornfields of the Midwest,” Richards said. As excited as he was for new opportunities, there was a learning curve for Richards that arced through food, language, and culture. He did speak one language that has neither dialect nor inf lection; that crosses borders and fences and the jagged two-dimensional walls inked onto a map: sports. It was this currency, so widely known and accepted in the state of Nebraska, that helped to ease the transition. The rugby player saw his own love of f luid aggression and a unified team driving towards their goal ref lected back in the mirror of his new home.
“Watching rugby on Saturdays with my dad and brother was one of my better memories from childhood,” Richards said. “Much like Cornhusker football in Nebraska, the Springboks are almost holy to some. South African boys grow up coveting the jersey and [the] honor that is bestowed upon it.” Never one to turn down a challenge, Richards threw himself into his new life in this new place, and it didn’t take long for him to find his niche. He would go on to star at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the late 2000s as a captain on the rugby team, and by 2009 had climbed the ranks to the USA Sevens National Team. The Sevens refers to a team made up of seven athletes playing seven-minute halves, whereas rugby is usually played with 15 athletes playing 40-minute halves. Then, injury struck. Shortly after playing for the United States in a tournament in Fiji, Richards had to have a career-ending surgery. He wasn’t able to play his beloved sport anymore. He quickly found that he didn’t need to be on the pitch to be in the action. He found a new way to be around the sport that he loved. “I first considered coaching as an avenue towards the later stages of my college career. I was such a fan of the game and generally understood it better than most, so much that I was often one of the players directing and instructing my teammates during matches,” he said. “I was further encouraged by the idea that I had so many volunteer rugby coaches over the years that I felt a slight responsibility to pay it back.” His new profession came with a built-in nomadic quality that suited him well, and he took jobs all over the country as a coach. In between, he still found time to explore. From the time he was a little boy, he had been raised to seek the untamed side of life.
“When the boys (her sons) were about 8 and 9 years old, we took a weeklong trip through a game preserve on foot,” said his mother, Karen Richards. “It was just us and the two guides.” Much like his grandfather, a man whose exploits included a perilous stint as a gold miner that took him through the wildest parts of Africa, Richards determined that he would use his home in Nebraska not as a permanent, staid location, but as a kind of basecamp for the boomerang journeys that took him out and back. “We took them on safari, at least three to four times a year. For them, it was just a way of life,” Karen said. “They always went camping and canoeing.” When he wasn’t coaching, he traveled—and traveled. He did the kinds of things that you only see in beer commercials and quickly brush off as pure Anheuser-Busch propaganda. He traversed east. He wandered west. He talked his way onto the pitching decks of an Alaskan fishing boat—a job so rough that even the rugby-hardened Richards admitted it was one of the toughest things he’s ever done—in order to fund a six-month motorcycle ride through the depths of South America. He was always seeking, always finding, always looking for another way to fire up his combustion-engine adrenal glands one more time. Richards’ latest challenge? Head coach of the women’s rugby team at Central Washington University. However, he still finds time to make it back to Omaha to visit his parents in between long-distance canoe racing and honing his coaching craft abroad. “I get back to Omaha about two to three times a year,” Richards said. “It does hold a special place in my heart. I am grateful for the upbringing I had there and the lifelong friends who essentially became family. I think of the warm people.” It turns out, even when you’re 16,000 feet up on an Ecuadorian volcano, you can still see exactly where you came from. Visit cwu.edu for more information.
MAY
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2020
GIVING
CALENDAR MAY 2 0 2 0
FEATURED EVENT
May 20 (midnight-11:59 p.m.)
OMAHA GIVES! omahagives.org
Spring is normally one of the busiest gala seasons in Omaha, but this year is unique, and many events have cancelled or postponed. One way to ensure that nonprofits gain necessary funding is through online charitable events such as this one, which works with more than 1,000 Omaha nonprofits.
May 2 (9 a.m.-noon)
May 9 (5:30-9 p.m.)
May 20 (midnight-11:59 p.m.)
Benefiting: National MS Society Location: Werner Park
Benefiting: Joslyn Castle Trust Location: Joslyn Castle
Benefiting: more than 1,000 Omaha nonprofits Location: online
VIRTUAL WALK MS
JOSLYN CASTLE UNLOCKED
—nationalmssociety.org
—joslyncastle.org
May 2 (4:30-8:30 p.m.)
May 11 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.) *Note: Rain date of June 8 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.)
CHAMPAGNE AND DIAMONDS
Benefiting: Micah House Location: Mid-America Center
CHIP IN FOR CHILDREN GOLF TOURNAMENT
Benefiting: Children’s Square USA Location: Council Bluffs Country Club
—themicahhouse.org
May 9 (all day)
LETTER CARRIERS’ STAMP OUT HUNGER FOOD DRIVE
Benefiting: local food banks Location: personal homes (mail carriers will pick up food)
May
16
—childrenssquare.org
Benefiting: Save the Brain Campaign Location: Quarry Oaks Golf Club
—savethebraincampaign.org
May 9 (7 a.m.-2 p.m.)
May 16 (11 a.m.-2 p.m.)
Benefiting: Wear Yellow Nebraska Location: Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
Benefiting: My Sister’s Keeper Nebraska Location: Benson Park
—wearyellownebraska.org
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MAY 2020
—omahagives.org
May 25 (8 a.m.-noon)
MEMORIAL DAY RUN
Benefiting: Boys Town Location: Boys Town Skip Palrang Memorial Fieldhouse —memorialdayrun.com
May 16 (8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.)
SIXTH ANNUAL SAVE THE BRAIN CAMPAIGN GOLF TOURNAMENT
—stampouthungerfooddrive.us
17TH ANNUAL WEAR YELLOW RIDE, FUN RUN & WALK
OMAHA GIVES!
SPRING HONORS WALK —@mskneb on Facebook
Event times and details may change.
Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings. Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.
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MAY 2020
// GEN-O // continued from page 48
“YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY IS GOING TO COME, AND YOU REALLY JUST HAVE TO JUMP ON IT.” -BRITTENY FERRIN
ELEGANCE
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Portraying a person with selective mutism doesn’t exactly come naturally for the self-described “chatty” teen, but communicating Finn’s emotions through body language, facial expressions, and other nonverbal means has broadened his acting skills, Cale said.
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The role also stretches his imagination. Because “endlings” are creatures representing the last of their species, not to mention the otherworldly nature of the series and the fact that it’s set 20 years in the future, Cale has both human and computer-generated castmates. “You have to react to things that aren’t there,” he explained.
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Filming Endlings on location in Canada has necessitated adjustments for the whole family, which includes his older brother J.J. and younger sister Anna. The family has needed to split into essentially two single-parent households—Britteny and Cale head north and Justin oversees the homefront—but everyone is on board.
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“This is something we’ve agreed upon as a family,” Britteny said. “It’s hard, but we schedule visits and FaceTime.” Being small for his age and appearing younger is advantageous for Cale as a child actor. This not only can prolong his career, but having greater maturity than a child of a character’s age he may be portraying creates the potential for larger roles. However, timing is everything, Britteny said. “You never know when an opportunity is going to come, and you really just have to jump on it.”
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As long as the work is still fun, Cale— with the support of his family—will continue to seek opportunities on both the big screen and small screen. “You get less of your dose of Cale in a guest-star role than you do in a feature film,” Cale said, adding with a laugh: “Or as my mom might say, ‘It’s a Cale overload!’” Follow Cale Ferrin on caleferrin.com, on Facebook @caleferrinsuperstar, or on Instagram @caleferrin.
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MAY 2020
American An
Samoa LAIKA LEWIS’ ADVENTURES IN PEACEKEEPING G I V I N G P R O F I L E // S T O R Y B Y C H R I S B O W L I N G P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y B I L L S I T Z M A N N / / D E S I G N B Y D E R E K J OY
s the car careened down the coast, scenes of exotic nature A surrounded the young woman in the passenger seat. Dark thickets of brush transformed into expansive views of a blue tropical ocean. People on horseback passed the early-2000s, white Nissan four-door as dogs and feral pigs crossed the coastal byway. Laika Lewis, then a 22-year-old from Omaha, found the verdant scenes of Samoa entrancing. “It’s the most green you’ve ever seen,” said Lewis, who volunteered with the Peace Corps on the island country off the coast of Australia for two years.
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“HUMAN VALUE AND DIGNITY DOESN’T JUST COME FROM HOW EFFICIENT AND PRODUCTIVE YOU CAN BE, OR HOW MUCH MONEY YOU CAN HAVE. JUST YOU BEING HUMAN IS VALUABLE ENOUGH. YOU BEING ALIVE IS WORTHY ENOUGH.” - LAIKA LEWIS
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// 58 //
MAY 2020
that different
, to the feeling and the attitude From the places and the people, th a visit. wor ly nite defi er� ract Cha St. Joseph offers “Uncommon .com s and events visit StJoMo For attractions, festival
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// GIVING PROFILE //
“You’re not there to be an American. You are there to fully integrate and become a part of that community.” - LAIKA LEWIS
«
Ain sunrises over the ocean and
nd while Lewis experienced beauty
swimming under waterfalls, that’s not the story she tells about Samoa.
Instead, it’s the story of a mother who raised her children to care about their community and a daughter who took that propensity for change global. It spans North Omaha and small island villages, as well as a plan for the future that expands the picture even further. At its base, the story is about empathy, that the world is better off when people work to understand one another. “Human value and dignity doesn’t just come from how efficient and productive you can be, or how much money you can have,” Lewis said. “Just you being human is valuable enough. You being alive is worthy enough.” For as long as Lewis can remember, her family focused on giving back. At 6, she sacrificed Saturdays to hand out hot chocolate on winter days or help with backpack drives at the Salvation Army. It was important to Lewis’ mother, Shekita Lewis, who moved to Omaha from a small Alabama town in 1978 as a toddler. By 8 years old, Shekita spent her Saturdays picking up trash around the Logan Fontenelle apartments where they lived or other areas in North Omaha. When Shekita had kids of her own, she not only instilled the importance of service hours, she made them mandatory. However, she didn’t have to push Lewis to complete them. One winter morning Shekita told her daughter it was too cold and they could skip volunteering this time. Lewis, around 9, fired back. “She said, ‘No mom we’re going,’” Shekita remembered. “‘These people depend on us, we have to go.’”
Laika continued that dedication to volunteering and service into high school at Duchesne Academy and later at Grinnell College in Iowa. When she graduated in 2017, Lewis wanted to take the next step in volunteering. The Peace Corps, a government agency that’s sent 235,000 volunteers to provide social and economic development abroad, stood out. She liked that, unlike other programs, its volunteers only go where they’re requested and work on projects the country identifies. It also ensures volunteers show respect and deference to the country. “You’re not there to be an American,” she said. “You are there to fully integrate and become a part of that community.” She applied in December 2016 and was accepted the following May. In late September, she and 16 others gathered in Houston, Texas, to make the nearly 6,000mile journey to the island. The country of narrow coasts, rocky mountains, and lush forests consists of two islands that together are only about twothirds the size of Rhode Island. The group spent three months learning the language, culture, and what they would need to know to survive while living as the only American in their host community. That isolation gets to some volunteers. Lewis said one girl flew home without even making it 24 hours on the island. She questioned why she was there at times, especially seeing friends’ social media posts of Fourth of July parties while it was just another work day in Samoa. New experiences kept her invested. In Samoa, the community does everything together, she said. If someone wants to spend time alone, everyone else assumes they’re sick. And while some volunteers needed that personal space, Lewis tried to say yes to everything. “If you come to the table open and willing to say yes to anything, you’ll be okay,” she said. “It might be 80, 90 degrees out, but I’m going to sit here and drink this hot chocolate because that’s what the family is doing.” Other times were harder. In the middle of a cyclone, Lewis struggled in the throes of dengue fever, a common disease in Samoa transmitted by mosquitos. Her mom remembers talking to her on the phone later and telling her she could come home. But even then, she didn’t waver. “’Mom,’” she remembers her daughter saying, “‘they need me.’”
During her time in Samoa, Lewis saw immense growth in her students, not only in their ability to speak English, but also in their comprehension of the language and confidence in themselves. Lewis remembers meeting one student through a leadership group she ran for young girls. The quiet, shy 11-year-old didn’t speak much English, and even in Samoan her communication was guarded. As Lewis mentored her, the girl became more outspoken. She went from the back of her church choir to standing in the front, from barely speaking to singing a solo in front of the village in a foreign language. When it came time for Lewis to leave, the girl embraced her, tears streaming down her face. “I’m going to miss you so much,” Lewis remembers the girl telling her in perfect English. Those are the memories Lewis brought to Omaha when she returned this January, and her mom can tell the difference it’s made. “She was so much more mature, matter of fact, knew what she wanted,” her mother said. “She wasn’t taking anything for granted, she was grabbing the bull by the horns and running with it.” In March, Lewis began her next journey, a job as a site coordinator and program manager at Central Texas College at Camp Buehring, but she took time to reflect on Samoa and how it relates to the career path she’s trying to carve out. Lewis’ aim is to become a doctor and start an organization that accredits hospitals, clinics, and doctors based on the equity of their care—the “Lewis stamp of approval,” she imagines. Th is has all connected her to the values her mom instilled as a child: community and giving yourself to a cause greater than any one person. Around the world, the community might be bigger, the opportunities to make a difference grander, but the driving force remains the same. “You get to see the true dignity and heart within people,” she said. Visit peacecorps.gov for more information.
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GREAT GOLF.
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MAY 2020
SHOWCASING LOCAL ART IN A
MIDCENTURY MODERN DREAM
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KNOW WHAT’S BELOW CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG DID YOU KNOW THAT MANY UTILITIES ARE BURIED JUST A FEW INCHES BELOW THE GROUND? You can easily hit a line when digging for simple gardening projects, like planting flowers or shrubs. Follow these instructions to stay safe this spring and take advantage of the free utility marking service: 1. Call 811 or make an online request at ne1call.com at least TWO business days in advance of your excavation project. 2. Mark the proposed area of your excavation with white flags or white paint prior to the utility operator’s arrival. Ensure the area is safe and accessible by unlocking gates and securing all pets. 3. On average, 7-8 utility operators are notified for each request. So, be patient and make sure you have heard from them before digging. This usually doesn’t take more than two days.
IT’S FREE. IT’S EASY. IT’S THE LAW.
4. Respect the marks (flags or paint) made by the utility operators — they are your guide for the duration of the project. Make sure to dig carefully according to the regulations. If you are unable to maintain the marks or the project takes longer than your request’s expiration date, please call 811 to ask for refreshed markings. 5. If you damage any underground utilities during excavation, call 811. If you smell gas, leave the area and call 911 from a safe distance, followed by M.U.D.’s 24-hour emergency number: 402.554.7777.
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VOLUME 10 · Issue 3
EDITORIAL Managing Editor DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN Senior Editor TARA SPENCER Associate Editor LINDA PERSIGEHL Contributing Writers HANNAH AMROLLAHI · MEGAN FABRY · JENNA GALLAGHER LISA LUKECART · PATRICK M C GEE · STACIE MUHLE CARRIELLE SEDERSTEN · LIZ STEVENS
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OmahaHome E N T R Y WAY
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CON TEN TS 65
OmahaHome Entr y way
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A P OT T ER U NE A R T HS JOY
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Spaces A K I T C H E N R E D O I N S TAT E M E N T B L U E
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Feature A RUSTIC HOME WITH BOHEMIAN CHARM
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At Home FA R M H O U S E C H I C + FA M I LY F U N AT O L I V E A C R E S
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Feature LOC AL ART IN A MIDCENT URY MODERN DRE A M
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A rchitecture REIMAGINING THE MODERN HOME
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Har vest E V E R Y P L A N T D E S E R V E S A PA R T N E R
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Transformations C R E AT I N G A C U L I N A R Y C L A S S I C
ON THE COVER
Eric Burden’s art-inspired living room. Story page 86. Photo by Bill Sitzmann.
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his year, spring fever has a whole new meaning. Most of us have spent weeks stuck at home, trying to remain optimistic amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s thought that a person’s physical environment has a direct impact on their well-being. And as of late, it’s become imperative that one’s house be their haven. A home should lift your mood, deliver instant gratification, and help rejuvenate you, physically and mentally. One simple way to reenergize your home is to make a few decor adjustments. Small things like repositioning a table or refreshing your mantel are perfect ways to bring new life to a focal point in the room. Changing out pillows and throws to reflect the warmer weather can be like switching out wardrobes in spring and fall. Another way to bring spring into your surroundings is with nature. Incorporating tropical plants or floral print artwork will instantly bring warmth into your home. Joy O’Conner, this issue’s maker, creates earthen products that add a natural element to any space. Patrick McGee offers another option in the garden with tips for companion planting in his harvest piece. This issue also includes home styles ranging from farmhouse chic to rustic Bohemian to midcentury modern featuring high-tech elements that are sure to inspire you. We at OmahaHome so appreciate our advertisers, as well as all those homeowners and designers who’ve allowed us to share their wonderful home décor and remodeling stories. And to our readers, thank you for allowing us into your homes each issue. Omaha is such an amazing community! On a positive endnote—days are longer, flowers are blooming, and trees are sprouting leaves again. There is such beauty all around us! Let’s hope our gratitude is renewed as well. Sandy Matson Contributing Editor
A POTTER UNEARTHS JOY
Artist Joy O’Conner with EARTHENjoy Ceramics will tell you, pottery molded her life into a new image. Not just professionally, but personally. A decade ago, she could see the cracks in her stressful life emerging. She knew they would eventually explode, like too much moisture in a piece of pottery. The water turns to a pressure-filled steam which can’t escape until the clay shatters. It finally materialized when O’Conner took her 1-year-old son, Paxton, in for a routine checkup. He was fine; she was not. O’Conner burst into tears. O’Conner would later be diagnosed with situational depression (also called stress response syndrome or adjustment disorder), which typically occurs after a major life event or specific trauma. O’Conner had a lot on her plate.
STORY BY Lisa Lukecart PHOTOGRAPHY BY Bill Sitzmann DESIGN BY Mady Besch
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HOME • MAY 2020
Her 3-year-old daughter, Delaney, had been diagnosed with high-functioning autism. “Most days, I was always on edge knowing Delaney might have a meltdown. I would just be waiting for the time bomb to go off,” O’Conner explained. After taking a very low dose of Prozac, O’Conner felt better. But pottery would become the real life-changer, helping mold her life into something better…emotionally healthier. Her mother-inlaw, Jane Farley, brought over a huge sheet of clay so the two could make Christmas ornaments in late 2013. Farley said, “I knew when I struggled, I needed that. I needed to go out in the studio and throw things on the wheel.” The pottery exercise reminded O’Conner of her childhood, when she used to dip her young hands into the natural clay of a stream on her grandfather’s land. She shaped and molded tiny objects which her mother collected.
“It’s super rewarding to [mold] an ugly lump of earth, and the end result is beautiful,” O’Conner explained. With her father in the Air Force, the family was required to move many times. O’Conner furthered her talents in the fourth grade under Farley’s tutelage inside the “Potter’s Shed” during her time in Omaha. The shed looked like an old chicken house converted into an art classroom where Farley educated children and adults about pottery. “I taught her all I could, but she could probably teach me now,” Farley said. “She’s just so good with her hands. She is a natural with it.” O’Conner also met her future husband, Patrick, who is Farley’s son. After connecting off and on for years, the couple married in 2006. O’Conner put all her energy into raising their two children, but realized she needed an outlet after that Christmas making and selling ornaments.
When the children went to bed, O’Conner would put on a movie or podcast and dig her hands into some clay. As she worked well into the night, she felt the worries of the day melt away. “Art is definitely a coping skill. It pulls people out of depression,” mental health counselor Vera Petersen confirmed. Petersen utilizes art in trauma therapy, knowing it can get people out of bed. Farley gave O’Conner a tiny kiln for firing and baking pottery. The size seemed perfect for detailed pieces such as earrings, necklaces, and trinkets. She began selling EARTHENjoy, as she called her jewelry, in six shops around Omaha and Lincoln. Her popularity grew so much she bought a bigger kiln and began making vases and hanging pots. She later outgrew the room in her house and opened a studio at artisan workspace Bench in downtown Omaha in 2017.
O’Conner has since scaled back her business to balance her time, but items can still be bought at Wax Buffalo in Lincoln, Made in Omaha, and other retail outlets. Customers can also stop by her Bench studio by appointment. It’s her website, however, that takes most of the hits, and products quickly sell out. Her husband helps her with the marketing on occasion. “Just watching her excel has been medicine for me,” her mother-inlaw said. Breast cancer has kept Farley away from pottery recently. O’Conner is hoping to get her back behind the wheel.
“IT’S SUPER REWARDING TO [MOLD] AN UGLY LUMP OF EARTH AND THE END RESULT IS BEAUTIFUL.”
—Joy O’Conner
MAY 2020 • HOME
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Most mornings these days, O’Conner drops the children off at school before heading to Bench. The maker lights a smoky, wood-scented candle before beginning work. The light is bright, but the room is cold if the kiln isn’t lit, so she almost always wears a stocking cap. She dons an olive-colored apron over her men’s overalls, throws on a TED Talk, and focuses on that day’s task. If just starting, O’Conner slices the clay like butter with a wire tool, weighs it, and forms it into balls. It’s like kneading hard dough, and time must be given to let it rest in a plastic bag. The artist will sometimes use porcelain, which is smooth and soft but tends to crack. So O’Conner prefers earthenware clay, which feels gritty and sandy as she slaps it on the center of the wheel. She pushes up the sleeves of her bright yellow shirt, rests her elbows on her knees, and assumes a stiff position. As the wheel turns, O’Conner re-wets her hands and pinches the clay to thin down the walls. Pottery takes time to dry overnight and a few more days to carve it. “Clay captures my imagination,” she explained. “It has endless possibilities.” O’Conner will sometimes add glaze first, followed by a surface technique called sgraffito to make a design. Other times, she might apply adhesive dots, which are brushed with wax resist (watered down wax). After another drying period, the clay is fired in the kiln at 1800 to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit for another eight to 12 hours, then cooled down double the time it took to fire. If glaze is applied, it’s fired again. It’s like melting glass. An ivory vessel dotted with colorful confetti is perfect for a plant or a fun party. Hanging planters, whether a
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MAKER
bright red faceted or a light blue chiseled option, are strung with 30 inches of leather cord to add an artistic touch to windows. The planters contain nontoxic lead-free clays and glazes so plants tucked into the deep and wide ceramics are safe. With her necklaces, O’Conner likes to apply gold luster, which looks blood red before it heads into the kiln. The sol pendant is the result, a blush-colored circle seemingly dipped partly in gold. Each comes in a variety of colors and no two pieces are ever quite the same. A variety of styles lends itself to a choice for almost any earring wearer, whether a large duo-staked piece or a smaller stocking stud. Traditional circular studs contain 22K gold luster in ostrich, smoke, black, and other colors with hypoallergenic surgical steel posts. Sometimes she dabbles in sculpture options, like the half satin, half glossy earrings which resemble a person with a white circular head and a macaroni shaped torso. Bol danglers seem like miniature olive and ivory pottery bowls, held by 14K gold ear wires. Petersen, who is also part-owner of Bench, purchased 40-plus pairs of EARTHENjoy earrings, which she described as a good weight on her ears. Petersen explained she “feels joy” when seeing the end product. Like her pottery line name, O’Conner puts that emotion into her work now that her days are filled with happiness. She recently told her daughter, who is excelling, that being inspired “makes life so much more fun” because creating something so beautiful gives life more meaning. Follow along with Joy O’Conner on instagram at instagram.com/earthenjoy. Visit shopearthenjoy.com to purchase items.
“CLAY CAPTURES MY IMAGINATION,” JOY O’CONNER EXPLAINED. “IT HAS ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.”
A Kitchen Redo
story by Jenna Gallagher photography by Bill Sitzmann design by Mady Besch
Statement Blue
in
When Tara Miller married her husband, Ryan, and moved into his 1992-built home in the Millard area four years ago, she knew they were going to make some changes—even if Ryan didn’t necessarily know it yet. “Like every home built in the 1990s, the kitchen was filled with golden oak. It was all tone on tone and had sticky-note yellow walls,” Tara said, laughing. At the time, Ryan, a structural engineer, didn’t see the problem. He bought the house because it had good bones and a new roof. If the appliances all worked, who cared what color the walls were? Slowly but surely, Tara won him over. As a designer and owner of The Heartland Interior Design, she’s well versed on how to procure preferences from clients and create a design plan. “I started asking him about cabinet colors. White? No. Black? No,” she said. “I knew dark blue was his favorite color. So, finally I suggested this classic navy and it all began to come together.”
MAY 2020 • HOME
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The couple didn’t have a specific budget in mind, but was able to keep the costs down to about $10,000 by doing all the renovations themselves and keeping the original layout of the kitchen intact—only removing some dated pendant lighting and replacing one cabinet with open shelving. They didn’t upgrade their appliances or f looring and even kept the original brass cabinet hardware, determining that the warm metal looked modern against the new paint job.
S PAC E S
“Blues and greens are so timeless because they’re all about bringing in nature. And nature will never go out of style.”
“We did all the plumbing, installed the new lighting, and did all the painting ourselves. The cabinets were what took the longest,” Ryan recalled, describing an exhaustive months-long process of sanding, stripping, priming, painting multiple coats, and sealing. “But it helped that we didn’t have to hang them or knock down any walls.” Tara estimated that by doing the kitchen renovations themselves— with some help from Ryan’s parents, who are both general contractors— the couple saved about $5,000. This enabled them to splurge on a few items: a new brass Kohler faucet (“Ryan says we’re taking that with us when we move,” she said); a deeper kitchen sink in chic white instead of factory-issue stainless steel; white quartz countertops, which they had professionally installed; and the kitchen’s showstopper, a Carrara marble tile backsplash in a herringbone pattern. “We knew we wanted a white countertop to balance the navy cabinets, and the marble brings in golds, grays, and beiges,” Tara said, noting that opting for a similar-looking, low-maintenance quartz for the workhorse countertops created a harmonious f low, but at a much lower cost than if they’d gone with marble for both surfaces.
While Tara appreciates the all-white kitchen look that’s been popular for several years, she feels that incorporating contrast, such as the dark blue cabinets and the plants that Ryan enjoys tending, keeps the space from becoming rooted in current trends. Plus, it ref lects the couple’s love of the outdoors. “Blues and greens are so timeless because they’re all about bringing in nature. And nature will never go out of style,” Tara said. One need look no further for proof of this than Ryan. Despite spending an excessive amount of time painting his cabinets dark blue, it is still his favorite color. And he loves his new kitchen. “After we got it done, I realized how much more I like being in there,” he said.
Of course, Tara agreed. “A welldesigned space just makes you feel better,” she said. “And, since the first thing that sells a home is the kitchen (followed by the master bath), that’s usually a good place to start. When we’re ready to sell, we will get back our investment in this project and so much more.” The couple’s next room makeover will probably involve a little less painting, but it’s an even bigger deal. “We’re redoing one of the bedrooms,” Tara said with a twinkle in her eye that makes it clear she’s about to break some happy news. “We’re expecting a baby in July.”
OmahaMagazine.com
F E AT U R E
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Four years ago, Amber and Eric Goodenough
walked into a home near 50th and Cuming streets and were immediately taken with its early-1900s style. It wasn’t perfect, but they could visualize what it could become with some imagination and a little elbow grease.
The Goodenoughs are not Omaha natives; Eric grew up in Santa Barbara, California, while Amber grew up “everywhere.” Her parents relocated their family to Omaha when she was in high school, and she attended Brownell Talbot and Central High School before moving to Lake Cunningham. Soon after she met Eric, and they married in 2000. The couple brief ly settled in Omaha and opened Caffeine Dreams, a popular café on Farnam Street. However, they soon became overcome with wanderlust and decided to sell the café and travel the country. They traveled nonstop for five years before coming back to Omaha in 2013, buying a place downtown.
story by Megan Fabry photography by Bill Sitzmann design by Mady Besch
“We love just being close enough to walk everywhere, and Dundee has this great neighborhood feel. And I just love an old house because there’s so much character.” — AMBER GOODENOUGH
Then just a few years later, although they loved the Old Market and all it had to offer, they decided to sell their loft and settle down in Dundee. “We just love the walkability [of the area],” Amber said. “If [Eric] had his choice, he would live with no car. We love just being close enough to walk everywhere, and Dundee has this great neighborhood feel. And I just love an old house because there’s so much character. The new builds just don’t have that,” she added. The Goodenoughs realized early on that, in order to turn the century-old three bedroom, 1 1/2 bath house into their dream home, they were going to need some professional help. They reached out to Bryan Frost, owner and founder of Black Awning, an interior design company that specializes in designing and decorating historic homes. Frost’s first priority was to discuss the Goodenough’s vision for their home and build on their ideas. “I ask the client what spaces are of top priority and work with their budget to see how much we can realistically do at one time,” Frost said. “Amber and Eric had more concerns about the small kitchen size. I like to look at the bones of the home, and I started to brainstorm ideas on how to achieve a larger kitchen.”
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As the couple had little use for the large dining room, they decided to relocate the kitchen to the dining space. This project took over 50 man-hours to plan and two months to finish. In the end, they created a large, functional kitchen with modern finishes and vintage touches, while still keeping the original charm. Amber, a wellness coach and yoga teacher, decided to turn the former kitchen space into her home office. This project proved to be a bigger endeavor than expected as well. They had to dig through two layers of tile and linoleum to discover wood f loors underneath and break open the plaster walls to reveal exposed brick. Despite the extra work, the effort was well worth it, Amber said. The Goodenoughs’ decor features a black and white contrast in the cabinets and tile, while keeping defining features, including f loating walnut shelves, copper decorations, and concrete countertops (which Eric poured himself ) and finishes. “I wanted to keep it warm with all the wood and keep everything else kind of neutral. That’s my vibe, I’m kind of like a hippie lady,” Amber said with a laugh. “So I kind of brought my aesthetic in, which is lots of greens and earthy things.”
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A pass-through window was created between Amber’s home office and the kitchen, where a cozy coffee bar is set up in the corner and light constantly shines through the southfacing window. “Amber and Eric had several inspirations for the kitchen on their wish list,” Frost said. He said he drew from those inspirations when choosing materials to use throughout the house. “I wanted the materials to have repetition and cohesion as the spaces transitioned, room to room.”
Cleaning Serv ice me Ho
Next, they began renovating the upstairs bathroom. The f loor f launts a concrete Moroccan-inspired tile, which the couple installed themselves, along with a new sink and cabinet that recesses into the wall to save space. One of the extra bedrooms serves as Eric’s workspace for his web developing job, while the third is a yoga and meditation room that ref lects both of their personalities. Eric’s Ganesha tapestry, which symbolizes strength and power, features prominently in the room, while Amber’s Buddha figurines, sage and crystals, and photos of the couple’s family and friends provide soothing focal points for meditation. The couple begins each morning in this room sharing thoughts and sipping coffee before starting their day.
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From the outset of the home reno, the Goodenoughs were dedicated to keeping a tight budget and avoiding expensive decorations that would quickly add up over time. Frost, Amber, and Eric searched places such as Target, IKEA, and Junkstock for modestly priced furniture and accessories to add personality and f lair to their new home. “I try to mix vintage pieces with new stuff and do something really clean and calming,” Amber said. “I think mostly it’s just about making a space that’s relaxing and chill. I’ve got enough anxiety in my life, I don’t need to be anxious when I come home.” The Goodenoughs continue to work on their home together and come up with new ideas every day to make it exactly what they imagined. After so many years of travel, they are happy to finally have a permanent abode that truly encapsulates who they are.
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AT HOM E story by Hannah Amrollahi
photography by John Gawley
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design by Mady Besch
Olive Acres was still a dream nine years ago for Cortney Sells, president of The Firm Business Brokerage. Then, on a trip to Las Vegas, a chance meeting with a fellow traveler kicked off a chain of events that led to her dream country estate becoming a reality. “I ate bad olives and missed my f light,” Sells said, explaining the origin of the moniker.
Delayed, she met Adam Jaime visiting from Boston. She liked olives, he didn’t, they clicked. Then he moved to Omaha and they added two children, Vienna and Knoxx, to their first home. “I knew Cort really wanted to own a farm,” Jaime said. “I love Nebraska. It’s a totally different way of life.” Real estate agent Franny Shaver-Batchelder learned the children of a former Union Pacific president were selling their property in Yutan, Nebraska.
“We’d see so many different places, but nothing met the criteria,” ShaverBatchelder said. While the farm “stood still,” having never been updated, its frame, acreage, original maple woodwork, and location had the makings of Sells’ dream home. “She started to have this vision,” ShaverBatchelder said. Acting as interior designers and general contractors, Sells and Jaime spent a year on renovations. “We just started gutting,” Sells said.
The redesign converted a garage into a mudroom space with custom shiplap, knocked out 17 walls for an open floor plan, and added a wine cellar in the basement. The separate living spaces are now delineated by counters, flooring, wall coverings, and fixtures rather than walls, and unique patterns pull colors, textures, and themes across the home. With 14 different wall coverings among other eclectic pairings, Cortney heard, “You cannot have this many” from others often, but she could picture it coming together. “It has so much character,” Sells said. Now, “They love it more.” The library’s maple beams, stone fireplace with a genuine Union Pacific wooden railway tie mantel, and bookcase that sits opposite were restored. Sells added horse burlap-textured wallpaper, maps between the ceiling beams, and “speckled antler”
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carpet to create a depth and coziness surprising in a large room with ample natural light. A pitch card table provides space for the family’s favorite game. “My children read every night, so it was important to have a library,” Sells said. Daughter Vienna designed her bedroom in purple and teal, and likes to rearrange the furniture and decorations on occasion. She suggested the nook under the basement stairs and campaigned for an added TV. When not tending to Coco, the chestnut brown lamb she bottle-raised, Vienna said she enjoys the acreage. “I just do crazy sports,” she said, “like four-wheeling and wake boarding.” The renovated outdoor pool rivals local waterparks and is filled by area fire trucks.
A lazy river loops around a swim-up bar. It’s flanked to the left by the splash pad and an 18-person, in-ground jacuzzi; on the right, sun tanners enjoy a view of the lake used for water sports. A sound system and fire pit round out the space and extend the season. Inside, the basement f loors are moisture-resistant. A generous changing room provides lockers and privacy for dressing, along with a faux-grass floor. Above, the deck and maple screened porch offer a beautiful Midwestern vista. “It is our favorite spot,” Sells said. “We can see the pond and the animals.” Olive Acres is home to horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle. Sells said she wanted to give her children a taste of her childhood, especially showing animals at Aksarben.
Cortney hosting a girls' night out in her backyard
Sells and Jaime with kids Vienna and Knoxx enjoying some family time
“I ate bad olives and missed my flight,” Sells said. Delayed, she met Adam Jaime visiting from Boston. She liked olives, he didn’t, they clicked.
“
Wall coverings by Harwood Services
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“I thought, I am going to have my family grow up showing cattle and doing chores,” Sells said. The master bedroom looks out onto the feed troughs, so Sells and Jaime wake up to views of cows each morning. Barn doors reveal the master shower with one-way tinted windows for a full view of the fields. A Japanese soaking tub (also enjoyed by Coco) sits across from the vanity. Sells recommended picking and choosing fixtures, going “Costco instead of custom” and mixing price ranges on less instrumental fixtures. “Once you set the tone, it all blends in,” she said. The family used local contractors for all the work, even taking their suggestions on design elements, such as the arched doorway to the wine cellar. “We trust them like family,” Sells said. “We didn’t have to have some fancy contractors. We had three local guys and they worked hard and became our friends.” Sells said life on the farm suits her and helps her balance career and family. For work, she is constantly “on the phone doing deals, buying and selling. I love that the cell phones don’t work out here. It lets me be 100% with my family. I’m 100% present,” Sells said. “Work will be there, but all the blood, sweat, and tears? [Family] is what it is all for.” Jaime said he enjoys tackling farm projects, from driving the Bobcat to repairing the extensive fencing to contain the livestock, to perfecting his burn pile technique. But his favorite part of life at Olive Acres? Well, on this his views align with Sells’. “It’s secluded,” Jaime said. “It’s complete family time.” The foursome is looking forward to their first full summer in the home. Vienna prepared with a special Valentine’s Day gift for Sells— matching mother-daughter swimsuits for Memorial Day 2020. “This will be our very first kick-off,” Sells said. “She’s so excited.”
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omahamagazine.com MAY 2020 • HOME
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F E AT U R E
S H OWCAS I N G LO CA L A RT I N A
MIDCENTURY MODERN DREAM story by Liz Stevens
photography by Bill Sitzmann design by Mady Besch
IN A NEIGHBORHOOD nestled off 84th and Pacific streets, amongst a sea of lighttoned and neutral color schemes, one home in particular catches the eye; its dark charcoal paint and midcentury modern f lare create an aesthetic contrast that’s hard to miss. Homeowner and BUNGALOW/8 Hairdressing owner Eric Burden purchased this 1980 ranch in October 2014 and began renovating in June 2015. The home was reimagined with midcentury modern design elements and pops of intrigue from local artists’ works and family mementos. Using his cousin’s construction company, Idea Construction, the home was stripped down to its bare bones, Burden said. “We did our best to maintain the original structure of the house without getting rid of the character,” he added.
Today, tall, vertical windowpanes all along the back side of the house allow in an abundance of natural light, bringing the home alive again. Burden said he was inspired by midcentury modern design, having spent much time at his grandparents’ home as a child. “I was in love with that house. It was my favorite place to be,” he recalled. When construction ended, the home’s interior was reconceived with the help of designers Julia Russell of Julia Russell Designs and Roger Hazard and Chris Stout-Hazard of Roger + Chris.
Russell, who also has a passion for the design style (“I have a midcentury modern house myself ” which “WE DID OUR BEST TO she partially restored), said the MAINTAIN THE ORIGINAL project goal was simple. “When STRUCTURE OF THE we went into [the Burden House], they [previous owners] HOUSE WITHOUT GETTING had really changed the style. RID OF THE CHARACTER.” We tried to honor the original — ERIC BU RDEN integrity of the house.”
While the layout was being reconfigured, the plumbing, electrical work, and windows were all replaced, Burden said.
Midcentury modern design is about form and function while making pieces feel artistic. This was accomplished by choosing unique textures, comfortable accent furniture, and a few custom pieces that make a statement.
MAY 2020 • HOME
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Moving up a long driveway, a solid wood half wall with large chrome house numbers frames the walkway up to the home’s front door. The front patio, which was formerly just a few steps leading to the entry, is now roofed in to give the space a modern f lare. The door opens up to living space with a fireplace and great natural light.
To add color to his home, Burden incorporated artwork from the original collection created by his father, painter Steven Burden. A large blue and orange abstract piece above the fireplace brings a modern f lair and great energy to the space. The room has a custom cream-colored leather couch from Roger + Chris that Burden describes as a “modern chesterfield, but without the rivets.” Adjacent to the fireplace is a gallery wall showcasing work by famous pop artist Donald Robertson. One piece features a woman in the foreground and a Reese’s peanut butter cereal box design in the background. Burden selected an installation piece from local designer Angie Seykora as well. “I am really into artwork, I am really involved with the Lauritzen Gardens antique show, and I am a big gardener, personally. A lot of the artwork in the house was bought at Omaha [events].”
MAY 2020 • HOME
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Russell said she appreciated working with a huge art lover. “Eric has such a unique style of art, which made it fun. Because he has been collecting, we laid everything out. He was thinking about what he had and what he could get, and was excited at the prospect of adding new pieces to his collection.” Moving through the home, the kitchen has a bright and spacious feel. The light fixtures hanging over the island’s waterfall countertop were refurbished from an old diner from the 1950s. Two gold table lamps, set back in the countertop corners, and plants on top of the island add points of interest. The small railing just off to the side of the room was created to mimic a piece from his grandparents’ home. The focal point in the room, however, is a large circular painting done by his father, with bright blues, oranges, and yellow.
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BURDEN SAID HE WAS INSPIRED BY MIDCENTURY MODERN DESIGN, HAVING SPENT MUCH TIME AT HIS GRANDPARENTS' HOME AS A CHILD. “I WAS IN LOVE WITH THAT HOUSE. IT WAS MY FAVORITE PLACE TO BE.” “I spend most of my time in the kitchen,” Burden said. “We did all lower cabinets so there is plenty of space. We can see the natural beauty of the neighborhood [from here.] Whenever we have a party, everyone is hanging out here.” What is now the dining room and living space used to be the garage, Burden said. He brought more family art into this space by adding some framed Mola art pieces from his grandparents’ trip to Panama in the late 1960s. The dining room table is situated along several large windows with white transparent treatments. The dark wooden table is accented by a couple red chairs.
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Directly next to the kitchen area is another living space with a custom-made redorange couch from Roger + Chris, who also refurbished chairs to match. The space is defined by a large built-in bookshelf and entertainment center separating the living room from the entryway. The master bedroom and ensuite are toward the back of the home. The side wall in the master is full of windows with delicate fabric treatments. Burden said he loves waking up to the natural light poking through the blinds. Double doors open to the master bath to reveal a bright spa-like oasis. Burden selected a dark grey tile to complement the charcoal cabinets and silver accents around the room. The other rooms in the house continue to pair neutral tones with pops of color and statement furniture pieces. “Really, we wanted to keep it simple, picking accents that went really well together,” Burden said. “You just learn that simpler choices are much better.”
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HOME • MAY 2020
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Burden’s home features many paintings by his father, Steven Burden, including this large circular piece.
MAY 2020 • HOME
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REIMAGINING THE MODERN HOME Asymmetry, Long Sight Lines Among Big Trends
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OmahaMagazine.com
A RCHITEC T UR E story by Carrielle Sedersten
photography by Bill Sitzmann
design by Mady Besch
“ I N ” A R E M O D E R N P L A N S F E AT U R I N G I N T E N T I O N A L A S Y M M E T R Y, S L E E K L I N E S A N D LONG SIGHT LINES, AND ABUNDANT GLASS, OFTENTIMES MUDDLING THE LINE BETWEEN THE INDOORS AND OUTDOORS.
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“ YO U CA N D O N E T F L I X . YO U C O U L D CA L L T H E K I D S U P STA I RS. Y O U C A N S A Y, ‘ H E Y, G O O G L E , W H A T ’ S O N M Y C A L E N D A R T O D A Y ? ’ ” —Tamarah Kronaizl Wh a t h o m e b u y e r s w a n t is always changing, and right now, it’s all about the open f loor plan. Open f loor plans aren’t new. They’ve been around since the ’90s. What is new is how home builders are reimagining them for the next decade.
“The modern house can be very cold to some people,” said Matt Kronaizl, president and owner of Sierra Homes. “Bringing in the little bit of wood, I think, not only brings in that midcentury look a little bit, but it also tones it back and warms it up.”
Bolder than the commercial f looring is the can’t-miss maple wood and black steel f loating staircase leading up to a multi-functional loft area, laundry room, and three bedrooms, all with walk-in closets, on the second f loor.
Considered “in” are modern plans featuring intentional asymmetry, sleek lines and long sight lines, and abundant glass, oftentimes muddling the line between the indoors and outdoors.
The front door opens to a spacious living area with 18foot ceilings and a set of six large, inset picture windows extending up the back wall, supplying a clear view of the backyard. A gas fireplace sits in the right corner, with in-wall LED plaster lighting incrementally placed up the wall to the tray ceiling.
The master suite can not be found on the second f loor, though. The new normal is to have it on the main f loor. This one has 14-foot vaulted ceilings, a two-person walk-in shower plus a bathtub, and a custom walk-in closet. What it doesn’t have is space for a couch—a shift from the huge master bedrooms of the ’90s and 2000s. Today’s homebuyers want that extra space elsewhere.
Inspired by their tastes and midcentury style, Matt and Tamarah Kronaizl of Sierra Homes started building their modern “Maui” plan Street of Dreams house in February 2019 in the new Bridgeport development at south 180th Street and Cornhusker Highway. Completed in August, the contemporary 1 1/2 story home is nearly 4,000 square feet with four bedrooms and five baths. The home’s dark mono-pitched roof compliments the mix of vertical cedar planks with charcoal stucco cement siding and smooth light gray brick blocks. Geometric windows on the bright blue front door offer guests a prelude of the modern design inside.
Also on the main f loor is the kitchen with a large rectangular window thoughtfully positioned above the sink, making the kitchen feel as open as the living room even without the 18-foot ceilings. The clean lines from the “black velvet” birch Eurostyle cabinets, along with the white quartz countertops, complement the large-format, commercial luxury vinyl tile f looring that runs throughout the main f loor. “This [f looring] was a bold move, but I said everyone’s going to have wood,” said Tamarah Kronaizl, designer and realtor at Exclusive Listings Group at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.
“Every family’s different, but what we’re hearing a lot is, we want almost a no-phone zone,” Matt said. “We want a convenient space where we can all hang out together.” Technology might not have a seat at the dinner table, but it does have a place in the kitchen. All the kitchen appliances are Wi-Fi capable and accessible by an app. Imagine being able to set your home oven to preheat before leaving work with a touch of your phone.
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Matt said, “With today’s families, sometimes 15-20 minutes is the difference between being able to cook at home and get the kids to sports and not.” The home has other smart features like Sonos speakers and a Ring doorbell, as well as Wi-Fi light switches and automated shades. The most high-tech appliance is the GE Kitchen Hub. A 27-inch touch screen with two cameras and speakers that controls all the technology in the house and also doubles as a hood vent. Tamarah said, “You can do Netf lix. You could call the kids upstairs. You can say, ‘Hey, Google, what’s on my calendar today?’” It even dictates recipes and shows step-by-step video instructions for making a dish.
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The home’s exterior and interior design might say midcentury modern, but the house technology is certainly 21st century. Visit sierrahomesomaha.com to see more photos of this modern build.
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MAY 2020 • HOME
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H A RV E S T
P eople aren’t the only organisms
that benefit from companionship. Plants also form mutually beneficial relationships. Some provide scarce nutrients, while others provide relief from parasites and pests. Gardeners can improve yield by knowing which plants provide benefit to their neighbors. This practice is known as “companion planting.” Companion planting aims to take into consideration various characteristics of plants that may be beneficial to one another. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac Companion Planting Guide, companion plants provide each other shade regulation, natural supports, improved plant health, healthy soil, and weed suppression. Companion planting is nothing new. According to livelovefruit.com’s Companion Planting Chart, companion planting can be traced back to indigenous people across North America who utilized the Three Sisters gardening method, which incorporates maize (corn), beans, and squash. The method aims to capitalize on the complementary characteristics and needs of all three different plants: corn stalks provide a structure on which beans can grow; beans provide a source of nitrogen for corn and squash; and squash provides ground cover that discourages non-beneficial organisms such as parasitic insects and undesired plants (competition). Theoretically, the plants nourish one another, shelter one another, and their arrangement saves space. Three Sisters gardens are just one example of clever gardening to suit a particular set of needs. Modern vegetable gardeners have myriad needs to consider when companion planting. Tomato gardeners, for instance, may look to repel pests such as nematodes, also known as round worms, to improve yield. According to the Companion Planting Chart, asparagus does just that (and tomato plants repel asparagus beetles). According to the Chart, chives repel pesky aphids and Japanese beetles (and may even improve the f lavor of tomatoes). Garlic is also an excellent companion to tomatoes, as it reportedly repels aphids, whitef lies, Japanese beetles, root mag-
OmahaMagazine.com
According to the Chart, chives repel pesky aphids and Japanese beetles (and may even improve the flavor of tomatoes). Garlic is also reportedly an excellent companion to tomatoes, as it reportedly repels aphids, whiteflies, Japanese beetles, root maggots, and many other non-beneficial pests. gots, and many other non-beneficial pests. Basil, beans, borage, carrots, celery, collards, lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, and peppers all possess qualities that may benefit tomatoes, according to the Chart. On the f lip side, some plants reportedly grow poorly with one another. These pairings are known as “combatants.” Gardeners interested in companion planting should be cognizant of them. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, white garlic and onions are not compatible with beans and peas and will stunt their growth. Potatoes and beans do not jive with sunf lowers, and cabbage and caulif lower are also combatants. Although there are many resources available on companion planting, according to Is Companion Planting Scientific?, companion planting has few and controverted scientific bases (cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/ archive/companionplanting.html). That’s not to say it should be discouraged or that it has no merit. If gardeners find that it works, they should continue onward. Companion crops benefit each other in a variety of ways. Moreover, such a carefully planned garden also provides satisfaction to the gardener and connection to the earth itself—our companion. The Companion Planting Chart can be found at livelovefruit.com/companion-planting-chart/. The Old Farmer’s Almanac Companion Planting Guide can be found at almanac.com/content/companion-planting-guide.
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A Kitchen Remodel with Storage and Style to Spare
Creating a Culinary Classic
story by Stacie Muhle photography by Thomas Grady design by Mady Besch
MAY 2020 • HOME
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OmahaMagazine.com
T R A NSF OR M AT IONS
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As a designer with Artistico Interiors, I was asked to consult on this remodel project in Wahoo, Nebraska, by contractor David Benson of Superior Home Improvement, also a NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) member and past president. The two of us worked diligently with the homeowners to accommodate their long wish list.
In addition, the homeowner needed ample general storage space. We did a thorough inventory of every single item in the current kitchen, from coffee mugs to cookbooks and everything in between. We then created a schedule and itemized each cabinet to accommodate every item. Artistico designed the cabinet layout and provided the cabinetry for the project. We chose many specialty products, including automated-drive upper cabinets that open at the push of a button, smart sink bases equipped with a mat and storage bins, custom island legs with crystal ball accents, appliance garages, and a blind
corner cabinet with full-access revolving trays. We also provided several specialty inserts, such as spice racks, tray dividers, toekick area storage, a spring-loaded mixer shelf, pullout food storage container organizer, and cutlery dividers. One of the most significant challenges we faced was creating multi-purpose spaces that could be used for elegant gatherings while still maintaining an environment that felt like a unified space and kept within the budget. I offered the clients 22 design concept layouts, asking them
to choose their favorite things from each to make a combined layout that they both loved. Originally, the whole wall that surrounded the dining room was to be removed up to the ceiling. When planning for wall removal, the engineer determined that the trusses were originally designed for the standard cathedral roof. Once we opened the ceiling, we discovered that was not the case.Â
Meet the Interior Designer
STACIE MUHLE
ARTI STICO I NTERIO RS
BEFORE
The clients’ desires for the new space included the following: a two-cook kitchen, walk-in pantry, baking center, canning center, separate buffet/pie space, iPad docking station for recipes, small appliance storage, a large, functional island with second sink, coffee bar, recycle system, wine refrigerator, and new f looring. They also requested defined spaces, yet an open f low f loor plan for large entertaining of family and guests.
Stacie Muhle is the only designer in Nebraska who has a B.S. of Interior Architecture and holds a certificate in Remodeling Project Management from NARI. Stacie is also an adjunct professor in the Interior Design Department at Metropolitan Community College.
They were custom built, with the kitchen wall being the support for half of the trusses. The engineer and I had to scramble to make the changes to accommodate a support post in the middle of the room. Two separate LVL beams were installed, and the old kitchen area was framed down to match the old dining room ceiling height. I had to reconfigure the cabinets, as they had already been ordered. I split the island and went to a freestanding dining table in front of a long bench. We also added the island ceiling detail to accentuate and make the column become part of the space. I believe everything happens for a reason, and the end result of this surprise was a project even better than the original. The ability to quickly change plans and develop great solutions when problem arise is a great designer quality to have.
The use of stone selected from Baltazar’s adds a texture to the space that is heightened by lush greenery and architectural f loral, and acts to visually link the wine lounge, entertainment center, and buffet corner to the adjoining relaxing living space, dining area, and kitchen. The warm and calming color palette and mix of materials used in this project give you an immediate sense of Zen, inspiring you to stay and spend time with great friends and family. The result is a space with added layers of depth and dimension, providing a soothing environment for social gathering. The home saw an amazing transformation with no detail overlooked.
BEFORE
BEFORE
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// 60 PLUS //
W
we have been having these past few weeks. During this crazy pandemic, people have been working from home, and hopefully, they stay home when possible. Although it is tough some days to not go directly to the store when you run out of milk or stay home when we want to visit the library, it has been important to remember that people over age 60 are susceptible to illnesses of all types. HAT AN ADVENTURE
This issue of 60-Plus is a part of our Adventure Issue, and we are spotlighting some marvelous people who have been on unique adventures over the past year, decade, and longer. Our Active Living is about Pat Whitaker, who has been skeet shooting for six decades. He has also been a friend and mentor to many young skeet shooters as a coach for shooting teams. In another article, we profile Sandra Martin, an Omahan in her 70s who undertook a solo trip to Israel to study the Jewish tradition of Kabbalah. Suffering from foot pain certainly is not fun, but, although it afflicts many seniors, it can be avoided. Michael Zimmerman, DPM, of CHI Health Clinic Foot and Ankle explains how and why taking care of your feet is important. And if you want to talk about adventurous people, Ron Cooley has spent his life living one adventure after another. As the guitar player for Mannheim Steamroller, he spent years traveling from one worldwide locale to the next, often performing in more than one city each week. He has also mentored many students as an instructor at Creighton University. Spring has sprung, and it is a great time to have an adventure.
Contributing Editor
Pat Whitaker MAY 2020 • 60PLUS
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ACTIVE LIVING // Story by Jeff Lacey // Photography by Bill Sitzmann // Design by Derek Joy
A QUIET EYE ON SIX DECADES OF SPORT SHOOTING THE HARRY A. KOCH TRAP AND SKEET RANGE in Omaha is open every day but
Monday. The field house has a great wall of windows that looks out on to the shooting ranges and the muffled, deliberate sound of shotgun fire can be heard outside. The field house is spacious and peaceful, and sport shooters sit, drink coffee, watch people shoot, and talk about life.
One of those shooters is Pat Whitaker. Whitaker visits the range three or four times a week to help coach the Iowa Western Sport Shooting Team and to shoot on his own. At 78, he is handsome, bright-eyed, and humble. Sitting down for a cup of coffee with him, one might not suspect that he is revered in the Omaha sport shooting community; they might never guess he had at one time been a world champion in the sport, or that he once set sport-shooting records in military competition. >>
MAY 2020 • 60PLUS
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// ACTIVE LIVING //
<< Whitaker hails from Midland, Texas, and learned how to shoot from his father, hunting dove and quail on those arid western plains. Then he joined the Army, where he served actively for 24 years. He completed three tours in Vietnam, and was an infantry officer. Eventually, he earned a spot in the Army’s competitive marksmanship unit. Insofar as his accomplishments as a marksman go, a highlight of his career was winning a world championship. These days, the National Skeet Shooting Association conducts annual championships at their home grounds in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to the establishment of that facility, the championships rotated among a handful of facilities large enough to accommodate several hundred competitors. In 1972, Rochester, New York, was the selected site. One of the events was a 200-target event that embraced international rules, requiring a low gun starting position, variable delayed release of the target, and speedier targets overall. Whitaker won that championship. The month prior to that, he lost a shoot-off for second place in the Olympic selection shoot in Phoenix, Arizona (He was the alternate for the Munich Games), and two months before that, he won the Inter-Service Military Championships, setting a then national record in the process.
Range supervisor Ryan Glow said Whitaker’s presence is an absolute gift to the facility, and to sport shooting. “He’s just a great ambassador to the sport,” Glow explained. “Pat helps out with everything that he can around here. He helps coach the college teams and the high school teams. He has even been coaching me for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been shooting competitively for 15 years.” Glow said Whitaker stands out as a teacher for his experience and his ability to understand the individual needs of each student. “He’s been around the world, he’s seen everything. He’s shot a little bit of every discipline. He’s been there, and he knows what he’s talking about. He also knows how to connect with different kids. He knows how to get a thought across. It doesn’t work the same way with every kid, and he knows how to switch up his teaching tactics to help each student.” Shooting skeet appears to be a simple activity that most people can imagine a basic version of. The shooter stands, gun cradled in the shoulder, eyes cast out into open air. When ready, the shooter calls pull, and from one of two towers (referred to as the high tower and the low tower, set across from each other exactly 120 feet, nine inches) the orange target
“Whitaker’s presence is an absolute gift to the facility, and to sport shooting. He’s just a great ambassador to the sport.” Ryan Glow When asked about this list of honors, Whitaker, true to the fundamentals of his sport, keeps his eyes out front. “Whatever accomplishments I have I don’t really worry about now. Those things are nice, but what I like now is to stay active and teach others the sport.” So he does. He is a regular at the Koch Range on 68th and Harrison streets, showing up several days a week to guide young shooters who are learning the craft of shotgun sports—which, incidentally, is the second-fastest-growing collegiate sport, only bested in growth rate by competitive bass fishing.
He especially loves the sense of teamwork he sees develop on a shotgun team. “Particularly on the high school teams, there is a wonderful sense of team play that many kids get to experience who might not be able to otherwise. We don’t cut. Everybody can shoot. There’s a great sense of teamwork.” His most memorable student would probably be his own son, Nash (currently an emergency room physician in Indianapolis). “I taught him to shoot as my dad taught me, with the same shotgun, an Ansley Fox, side-by-side, 20-gauge,” Whitaker said. “We’ve shot a lot of father-son events. He’s a good shot. He’s salty, too.” It is obvious when talking to Whitaker that he loves the sport deeply, and that he loves mentoring others in the art and science of shotgun marksmanship. He radiates kindness. However, Whitaker is no ostrich as far as the current cultural issues surrounding guns go. He is very aware of how culturally charged the subject is. The career Army infantry officer and expert marksman explained his current feelings on the subject: “I do not belong to the NR A. I resent when any organization starts to direct me how to vote. I am against assault rifles. I don’t feel they have a role in our society. But I also fear losing our second amendment rights to overreach. I love to hunt, I love sport shooting.” “Where’s the voice of reason?” he continued. In 2018, Whitaker was inducted into the Nebraska Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Some might take that as a sign to rest on your accomplishments. Whitaker, true once again to the principles of his sport, has no such intention. At 78, he has his eyes out front, ready with a steady hand to teach the sport he loves when the chance comes.
leaps as quick as a thought. The moment is a blink, a breath, a reflex; the gunshot cracks and echoes; the target sails free, or, if hit, shatters (either in part, or completely). Then the moment is over. While the act appears straightforward, Whitaker said a great number of things need to converge in the hands, eyes, and mind of the shooter in order to make those few seconds a display of accuracy and grace. As an instructor, Whitaker is patient and focused, an expert at offering only the advice the shooter needs. He has done this with countless sport shooters, including 20 years assisting the Creighton Prep trap team. MAY 2020 • 60PLUS
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To Israel With Love THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME M U S T B E TA K E N E V E RY DAY ~PROFILE // Story by Sara Locke // Photography Contributed // Design by Derek Joy~
I
T IS A brave soul
who feels a calling to travel, drops everything, and crosses the world for a journey of selfexploration. What makes Sandi Martin’s journey of discovery more unique is that it came long after she had built a life she loved, and felt no need to escape from.
“The trip was a surprise to many people,” Martin mused. “That a woman over 70 would take off on a solo trip across the world.” Unlike many people who plan adventures during a time of transition or to escape a stagnated existence, Martin wasn’t lost, alone, or aimless. A noted writer, devoted mother, and faithful member of the Jewish community, she was living a fulfilling and happy life. She wasn’t trying to get away, she was diving deeper.
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~Finding the Questions~ “I’d reached a point where I realized I still needed some answers,” Martin said. “What is my purpose? Am I a body with a soul, or a soul with a body? Why is there evil?” As she searched her faith for answers to the eternal questions, Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, became her Rosetta Stone. Martin became interested in Kabbalah after taking classes led by Rabbi M. Mendel Katzman of the ultraorthodox organization ONE Chabad. While many are familiar with Kabbalah through its commoditization by celebrities such as Madonna, true practice isn’t through a book or a bracelet. It may seem to be a Hollywood dream, but to the faithful practitioners here in Omaha, it embraces the soul of Judaism.
“It’s not as visible here as it is in Israel, of course,” Martin said. “In big ways and small, there are people practicing all over Omaha. Kabbalah is the way you live. It is both the showing of and feeling of true gratitude. After spending more time with people who knew more than I did, believed and worshiped and practiced differently, I really felt the call to make my first trip.” Having explored Europe with friends previously, Martin knew this call was more than a case of wanderlust. In October 2018, she took her first trip to Israel through Amiel Tours. The tour stopped in Tsfat, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Golan Heights. A valuable spiritual resource during this time was her own rabbi, Rabbi Emeritus Aryeh Azriel of Temple Israel. He spent time with Martin, helping her plan classes and activities to attend while in Israel.
“There’s a saying among visitors, ‘You go to Israel the first time to see where you want to come back to.’ In my case, that’s exactly what happened. I needed more time in Tsfat.” Soon after her initial return, Martin applied for an Albert and Eleanor Feldman Family Israel Foundation grant through the Jewish Federation of Omaha. The foundation’s purpose is to implement and enhance the relationship of Jews in Omaha with Israel. She readied herself to spend nearly a month solo in Israel.
~Across the World in a Click~ Prior to her 2019 trip, Martin learned of Yedidah Cohen, an experienced practitioner and guide of the Kabbalah practice who lives in Israel. Cohen offers courses online leading students through the text, creating a safe place to explore and learn in a small community. Those like Martin, who make the journey to Tsfat, are able to explore the texts with Cohen in person. “One day I finally asked Yedidah, ‘Why do we struggle with good and evil? Why do good people still fight this battle?’ and she told me that the ego shouts, but the soul whispers.” Laurie Rappeport, owner of Myrtle the Turtle Guest House in Tsfat, has seen visitors of every kind since purchasing the space in 1987. Out of all of these stories, she remembers Martin’s courage and kindness during her stay in the cottage.
“The trip was a surprise to many people,” Martin mused. “That a woman over 70 would take off on a solo trip across the world.” “Sandi was really open to the whole experience, welcoming even the unpleasant aspects of travel with grace and warmth,” Rappeport said. “She didn’t speak the language, but was very patient. She didn’t let the language barrier stop her from immersing herself in the experience.”
~The Reverence of Effort~ Martin casually recalled the physical effort of the trip, which she references as a metaphor to the religion. “It’s no coincidence that the destination was difficult to access,” Martin said. “There was, of course, the plane, the train, and walking, but a surprising amount of climbing. I had to be as strong of body to finish this experience as I was strong of spirit to start it. But by the time I got home and should have been exhausted, I found myself ready to endure the rest of the journey. I’m ready to keep listening, to keep learning without judgement.”
Martin stated that while she hasn’t ruled out another trek to Israel, the lesson she brought back was that it wasn’t where she was going that made the trip revelatory. It was the act of making a decision to ask a question, to move toward truths, and to embrace the journey. “It’s not about finding answers, it’s about finding the courage to ask the questions, and to listen to the whispers. It was affirming to realize that I was the only one who could limit myself, in how much I can do and how much I can learn.” Realizing that there will always be more to learn doesn’t present as an insurmountable task to Martin. Rather, it shows that this is a story that doesn’t end, and whose next chapters she has yet to write.
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biggest mistake people make is not getting â&#x20AC;&#x153; The treatment soon enough. A lot of the people in that age group, especially. They wait until the pain is more severe, especially when it comes to deformity issues, like hammertoes and bunions. - Michael Zimmerman
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HEALTH // Story by Linda Persigehl // Design by Derek Joy
Seniors & Foot Pain Need Not Be Inseparable EARLY CARE, NEW TREATMENTS OFFER PROMISE
M
ICHAEL ZIMMERMAN, DPM,
a podiatrist and foot surgeon with CHI Health Clinic Foot & Ankle, sees a lot of seniors in his practice. Whether the cause is age-related, such as arthritis or stress fractures from brittle bones, or injury-related, from an accident or overuse, debilitating foot pain affects many in their golden years, prohibiting them from living their best life.
Unfortunately, many of them come to him after suffering in silence far too long. “The biggest mistake people make is not getting treatment soon enough,” Zimmerman said. “A lot of the people in that age group, especially. They wait until the pain is more severe, especially when it comes to deformity issues, like hammertoes and bunions. “If treated early, they could have a faster, easier recovery. Instead, the treatment plan takes longer, is more extensive.” It’s estimated than one in four adults over the age of 45 suffer from foot pain, which can greatly affect one’s mobility and balance. In fact, one study showed foot pain was associated with a 62% increased risk of falls. Maintaining good foot health as one gets older is vital to maintaining overall health and an active lifestyle. With 26 bones, 33 joints, and dozens of muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the foot is a complex system that needs personal attention. Zimmerman said many foot ailments affecting seniors can simply be avoided with good practices. “Age, overuse, injury or strain, not allowing injuries to properly heal, improper shoe gear…these are all causes of foot pain,” Zimmerman said. “And in many cases these causes are not completely unpreventable.”
One of the most common ailments Zimmerman sees is seniors is plantar fasciitis, which is caused by inflammation of the tendon, or fascia, that runs along the bottom of the foot and connects the toes to the heel. “There’s general pain at the insertion point where the fascia hits the heel bone, and it can vary from a sharp, stabbing pain to a just an ache,” he said. “The pain is worst when you first awake and step out of bed or walk barefoot.” While rest and icing the sore fascia help relieve the pain, Zimmerman said stretching the achilles tendon first thing in the morning and several times throughout the day is the at-home therapy he recommends most. “All-day management offers the best outcome for treatment and prevention.” If at-home therapy fails, he typically prescribes the patient anti-inflammatory medication, or prescription medication such as oral steroids. “We also may try over-the-counter orthotics, sometimes prescription orthotics….Maybe steroid injections at the pain site, or physical therapy. “Typically, 80-95% of patients see signs of improvement within four to six weeks” with these treatments, he said. “A combination of therapies is best, not just one modality.” Rarely is surgery needed. Zimmerman said patients must try conservative therapies for at least six months (with little success) before surgery is initiated. “Only then do we take an MRI and determine the right surgical treatment. (After surgery), the patient walks in a boot for a week or so, then moves to normal shoe wear.”
Another very common foot ailment Zimmerman sees in seniors is Achilles tendonitis, which is typically caused by overuse/injury of the Achilles tendon—the largest tendon in the body—which connects lower calf muscles to the heel bone. Like plantar faciitis, tendonitis can be treated with eccentric (or elongation) stretching. “(For the Achilles) this involves stretching the tendon by placing your foot on a step so the heel hangs off, then slowly lowering the heel, elongating the tendon,” Zimmerman said. “Patients should do this three to five times a day and hold for 10 to 15 seconds each time.” Treatment may also require placing a heel lift in the shoe—full time at first, then gradually less time—to relieve some of the tension on the heel. These inserts can be bought over the counter at retailers like The Good Feet Store or Kohll’s Pharmacy. Should stretching and heel lifts not prove sufficient, physical therapy, including deep tissue massage, and anti-inflammatory medication (either oral or topical) may be prescribed. “Again, surgery is a last resort,” he said. Zimmerman said he’s encouraged by a host of newer foot pain treatments that are being employed by physical therapists to treat plantar fasciitis and tendonitis, including dry needling. The technique, also called myofascial trigger point needling, uses a thin filiform needle to go through the skin and stimulate underlying muscular and connective tissue for pain management. “It’s similar to acupuncture, but the treatment goes to one area,” he said. Another cutting-edge treatment showing promise is platelet-rich plasma injections, or PRPs, Zimmerman said. The treatment involves extracting the patient’s own blood platelets and injecting them into the injured muscles, ligaments, and other body tissues to accelerate the healing process. Though some patients seek great benefits from rehab treatments, over-the-counter solutions, and physical therapy, there are still those who require surgical solutions. However, there is progress on that front, Zimmerman said, encouragingly. “We’re also doing more minimally invasive procedures, too, which involve smaller incisions and sometimes using cameras to do surgery, rather than a large, open surgery,” he said. “These allow for a faster recovery.”
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FEATURE // STORY BY JENNIFER LITTON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN BY DEREK JOY
Omaha's
Ron CooleY & His Global Adventures MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER MUSICIAN Ron Cooley was led to his life’s work through the guitar he found of his father’s while in high school exploring his grandparents’ house. “I was real happy to find that guitar and I basically taught myself for most of the early years,” Cooley said. Cooley has a master’s degree in period composition and music education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After nearly 50 years on the road, touring in vans, buses, commercial flights, and private jets, at age 71, he’s officially retired. Now, he plays where he wants, when he wants…which is quite often, actually. He performs jazz before the Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball games and plays to tourists at Gorat’s during Berkshire week. On Sunday mornings, he plays in the Freedom Choir during Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
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C
OOLEY WAS BORN in South Dakota, where his father, William, attended college on the G.I. Bill after returning from World War II. The family moved to Omaha for a job and lived near 16th and Lake streets before moving to Florence. He remembers his dad riding the trolley car to work at his job with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in the early 1950s.
Cooley’s music adventures took him to Guam at age 22 when his band, Pilot, played a twomonth gig at a Japanese hotel during the last years of the Vietnam conflict. “There was a lot of peace and love songs. We were hippies.” He said their style didn’t go over well there. “A lot of the enlisted men liked us, but the generals wanted to put our band off limits.” Cooley knew the owners wanted to fire the band, but they couldn’t find anyone else to replace them. “We learned a whole new repertoire while we were there. It was a unique experience,” he said. After returning to the United States, the band broke up. He then moved to Boston and studied with jazz guitarist Mick Goodrick, but he soon returned to Omaha where, in 1974, he met Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis. The duo toured the nation with country artist C.W. McCall of 1970s “Convoy” fame. Cooley remembers when Mannheim Steamroller played in Germany in the early 1990s. “I would get up and walk the streets of whatever city we were in,” Cooley said. “It was so much fun.” Those years were busy for him. On Mondays and Tuesdays he would teach music at Creighton University. Todd Fink of the bands The Faint and CLOSENESS took his first guitar class with Cooley when he was a freshman at Creighton University. “I liked it so much that I ultimately decided to major in classical guitar,” Fink said. “It was a long road. I mean, I had a lot to learn. I think the most valuable thing I learned from him was how to listen to all of the simultaneous melodies in the music and make each of them really sing.” Fink says you can play all of the notes in a piece of music but it doesn’t really sound musical until you are hearing the components (melody, harmony, and bass) separately and understand how they relate to each other. “The clearer your understanding, the better you can communicate the music. I still think about the music I make this same way,” he said. “Ron is a fantastic player and an ideal teacher. He taught me classical guitar, but knowing that he knew other guitar styles— blues, jazz, rock, etc., made him relatable.” // 120 //
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“In my mind, I have him as a king, emperor, prime minister. He’s just a wonderful man.” - Doug Fackler After teaching students who would soon become rock stars like Fink, Cooley would visit a different city with Mannheim Steamroller, stay for four or five days, and perform seven shows. “We did that for about five years,” Cooley said. “Then we started doing arenas.” As Mannheim Steamroller’s fame progressed, so did their entourage. “We went from one truck to eight trucks for arenas. It was huge,” Cooley said. They played a show, then the crew loaded the trucks and moved forward. Cooley continued, “The band would get in Chip’s jet and we’d fly to do The Tonight Show or the Today show or Good Morning America.” His still remembers the heat of volcano lava while touring Hawaii during down-time for a gig. He played a duet with the Welsh diva Charlotte Church thanks to a connection he met on the road. “It was just me and her and the orchestra,” Cooley remembered. He toured Captain Cook Cove with his wife, Christine. He met presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush when Mannheim Steamroller played at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. And while he’s met two different leaders of the free world, musician Doug Fackler regards Cooley in near equal stature. “In my mind, I have him as a king, emperor, prime minister. He’s just a wonderful man,” said Fackler, former bandmate of Cooley’s in Omaha’s River City All-Stars, a popular rock band in the 1980s. “Ron is the godfather of musicians and rock and roll,” he said. “It seems like at Disneyworld one of the questions they ask is ‘Is that the way that Walt would have done it?’” Fackler continued. “Walt Disney had his way of doing it and it’s always put the people first and build up the talented people around you, and Ron is very similar to that. He always takes people into consideration.”
“It seems if you’re going to make a change in your band like in personnel, logically, we would say, ‘well, you’d better talk to Ron first because Ron would give you all of the inside because he’d have all the answers,” he said. Fackler first saw Cooley play at Sandy’s Escape, a popular teenage hot spot in in Benson during the mid-1960s. “He was playing in a great band, L.A. Carnival.” Eventually the two began to play together. “We took our acoustic guitars and played them with no borders,” Fackler said. “One of us had a tambourine on our foot and we had an old parade drum that we would use to keep beat. Just to widen things out. It was a lot of fun.” Doug “Otis Twelve” Wesselmann, local radio legend and Omaha Magazine contributor, remembers seeing the River City All-Stars play. “They were so good,” Wesselmann said. “Such great musicianship. Ron was always amazing, as was Doug Fackler, and Richie Thieman may be the best songwriter I ever worked with. Tight.” “Ron Cooley never plays above your ability to join him,” said broadcaster and Omaha emcee Dave Webber. “He can play any style, any kind of guitar. We were sitting out at Shirley’s Diner. We’d get together…and I said, ‘Let’s do “El Paso,” Ronnie.’” “He goes bum bum ba bum bum, da bum, bum…and so we sing ‘El Paso’ and he does all the little guitar licks that Marty Robbins and all those guys out in L.A. did for that song and I go, ‘Oh my God,’” Webber said. Cooley’s musical path, forged with hard work mixed with fortune, has led him to legendary status in the music world. “I like to think I’ve been very lucky because there’s not too many people that can say they’ve survived as a freelance musician and a freelance music teacher in a city this size for all these years.” His many fans, no doubt, will keep coming to hear Ron Cooley play his guitar wherever he decides to appear. For more information visit mannheimsteamroller.com
OBVIOUSLY OMAHA // STORY BY ERIN WALTER // PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
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Outdoor Omaha PLAY, STAY, GET OUTSIDE
Omaha may not have mountains or coastlines, but it is far from lacking in outdoor adventures. There are endless opportunities to encounter the wild and experience nature. Locals and visitors can explore the state parks, swim in the lakes, and hike on the trails. They can appreciate the wonder and beauty of the area’s unique wildlife, plants, and landforms. People will also, hopefully, leave these spaces better than they found them, as everyone plays an active role in protecting and conserving the area’s vibrant nature scenes for generations to come.
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Here are a few of the places where people can experience the great outdoors in and around Omaha.
01. FONTENELLE FOREST 1111 BELLEVUE BLVD. N 402.731.3140 FONTENELLEFOREST.ORG Each visit to Fontenelle Forest has a different adventure in store. Located in Bellevue, this nature hub has a variety of hiking trails that feature a range of ecosystems, from lush forest to oak savanna, prairie, and wetlands. The new TreeRush Adventures park lets visitors experience the area from the treetops on a ropes course that combines zip lines, suspended bridges, and rope ladders.
02. HITCHCOCK NATURE CENTER 27792 SKI HILL LOOP 712.545.3283 POTTCOCONSERVATION.COM Located in the heart of the Loess Hills, Hitchcock Nature Center exists primarily to build and foster understanding and appreciation of the landform’s significance. Visitors can hike through the hills to see remnants of prairie as well as plants and animals found nowhere else in Nebraska. Open year-round, visitors can set up a peaceful picnic, bird-watch, star-gaze, snow sled, bike, and more. Campers can escape for a weekend of tent, RV, backcountry, or cabin camping with a variety of terrains and views available.
03. DRIFTWOOD PADDLE ADVENTURES STANDING BEAR LAKE: 6404 N. 132ND ST. LAKE ZORINSKY: 3808 S. 156TH ST. 402.850.0538 DRIFTWOODPADDLEADVENTURES.COM Stand-up paddleboarding is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. People can see what all the rave is about with Driftwood Paddle Adventures. With services offered at Standing Bear Lake and Lake Zorinsky, each session includes all the gear needed, a brief lesson and guide to help on the water and show participants around. Customers can book at sunrise or sunset to enjoy breathtaking scenes from the sky while out on the water.
04. EUGENE T. MAHONEY STATE PARK 28500 W. PARK HIGHWAY 402.944.2523 OUTDOORNEBRASKA.GOV Visitors can climb the 70-foot tall observation tower at Mahoney State Park to gaze upon the most spectacular view of the Platte River around. Other activities at this modern, year-round nature escape include scenic hiking, horseback riding, and Go Ape ropes course, a three-hour journey through the lush forest canopy. When the weather turns cold, the park opens to crosscountry skiing, tobogganing, and ice fishing.
e Brisbois
Photo by Lanc
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05. CHALCO HILLS RECREATION AREA 8901 S. 154TH ST. 402.444.6222 PAPIONRD.ORG Wehrspann Lake, which covers a great expanse of 246 acres, is the main attraction of Chalco Hills. The lake is stocked with a variety of fish and features a universally accessible fishing pier and a boat launch. With seven miles of trails encircling the lake, this is a beautiful place to walk, run, and bike. Several picnic areas with covered pavilions are perfect for cookouts, relaxing after a long hike, or spending time in nature with family and friends.
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a azine/Nebrask raskaland Mag Photo by Neb n rks Commissio Game and Pa
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06. PLATTE RIVER STATE PARK 14421 346TH ST. 402.234.2217 OUTDOORNEBRASKA.GOV This little park is a hidden gem in the Omaha nature scene. For those looking for more of a challenge in their hikes, the varied terrain at Platte River State Park is sure to satisfy. Visitors can experience the gentle, soothing trickle of one of the state’s most well-known waterfalls while walking in the creek above and below it. The camping options at this park suit a variety of needs: there are campgrounds for tents and RVs; charming, vintage cabins with homey accommodations; and brand-new “glamping” cabins provide a luxurious yet nature-immersive experience. MAY
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Photo by Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
DINING FEATURE // STORY BY TIM TRUDELL
D AV E U T T E R B A C K â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S FOOD ADVENTURE WITH FRIENDS
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSHUA FOO // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
From left: Dave Utterback and Kane Adkisson in Japan
// DINING FEATURE //
hen most people plan a vacation, they pack sunscreen, loungewear, a camera, and snacks. When Dave Utterback plans a trip, he packs his palate and passport. Utterback, owner and chef at Yoshitomo in the Benson neighborhood, doesn't take a vacation—he goes on a food adventure. Specifically, he travels to Japan, where he explores the country and its culinary scene, looking for authentic additions to his Omaha sushi eatery. Utterback, named as a semifinalist for the prestigious 2020 James Beard Foundation Award as outstanding chef in the Midwest, has traveled to Japan several times over the past 12 years. Initially, he visited the country once a year, spending several weeks exploring and sampling its food, seeking to ensure he captured the right ingredients so he could create similar dishes when back in Omaha. Following the birth of his son, he realized he missed his family soon into his trips, so he changed his travel routine to two 10-day trips. “On about the fifth or sixth day, I start missing my kids,” Utterback said. While he has regular spots where he enjoys dining, Utterback visits different areas of Japan each trip, which introduce him to different chef styles and cuisines. “It’s for work and research, so I want to sample different destinations,” he said. “I’m always looking for new items to try here.” Not seeking to copy the dish ingredient by ingredient, Utterback uses his trips to influence the Omaha menu. “I can know how something should taste instead of thinking or hoping it tastes like it should,” Utterback said.
NOT SEEKING TO COPY THE DISH I N G R E D I E N T BY I N G R E D I E N T , U T T E R B A C K USES HIS TRIPS TO INFLUENCE THE OMAHA MENU. “I CAN KNOW HOW S O M E T H I N G S H O U L D TA S T E I N S T E A D O F T H I N K I N G O R H O P I N G I T TA S T E S L I K E I T S H O U L D ” - D AV E U T T E R B A C K // 124 //
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His most recent trip took him on unique paths he hadn’t traveled before. He said he ate pigeon for the first time. However, quite possibly the most memorable event of this trip occurred during a visit to the fish market with his friend Hiroyuki Sato, a celebrity chef in Japan. The fish market is usually closed to the public, so you need to be invited by a chef to attend. During the visit, Sato introduced Utterback to Yukitaka Yamaguchi, the “King of Tuna” in Japan. The tuna broker exclusively provides the best tuna to 200 of Japan’s top restaurants, Utterback said. Yamaguchi’s social status gives him an opportunity to sample about 20-30 bites of the world’s best tuna daily. If it passes his palate, the fish will be served at some of Japan’s finest eateries. When asked if he wanted to sample a bite, Utterback had only one response. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “It was the most amazing bite of tuna ever.” He felt special, Utterback said, because people make reservations months in advance at Sato’s restaurant, which seats five or six people at a counter, for an opportunity to spend up to $400 for one bite of tuna similar to the ones they were sampling that day at the market. “And I was the only person on the planet trying that bite of tuna,” he said. Utterback’s Japan tour this round was extra special for him because he had traveling mates. Kane Adkisson—who is preparing to open a pop-up restaurant in North Downtown and has cooked with Utterback at Yoshitomo—jumped at the chance to return to Japan, this time with Utterback and photographers Joshua and Sam Foo. The Foo brothers photographed and filmed the trip for projects they are working on with the chefs, walking the area in the early morning, before the day’s rush started, photographing anything that caught their eye.
Adkisson spent three months in Japan in 2016, working as a line cook at the Michelin-starred Crony, a small Tokyo restaurant. He enjoyed the opportunity to share his memories of Tokyo with his friends. The quartet enjoyed dinner at Muroi, a family restaurant, where his friend Go-San Muroi, is chef. Muroi and his father go mushroom hunting on the mountainside of Mount Fuji, Adkisson said.
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// DINING FEATURE //
HIS SECOND TRIP T O J A PA N WA S C O N S I D E R A B LY DIFFERENT THAN HIS 2016 E XP E R I E N C E . “There’s a huge language barrier,” Adkisson said. “[And] it’s a huge cutthroat business there...To go back and hang out with these guys and to go back to his (Muroi) restaurant and see how he’s grown as a chef—he gets to run his own ship.” Utterback appreciated the opportunity to travel with Adkisson. “When you travel with another chef, it’s a different experience,” Utterback said. “You’re hyper-analyzing food. Rarely do you get to hang out, or geek out. It makes it a different experience with another chef. “Kane’s prior experience brought a uniqueness to the trip. He’s got different spots than I would.” One of his favorite dining experiences was at Sato’s restaurant, Adkisson said. Utterback’s friend created a 26-piece sushi dinner at his restaurant, Hakkoku. The Foo brothers’ view of the cities they visited—Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka—was considerably different than the chefs’. They were observers, watching the two men interact with other chefs and taking in the food scene. “It was cool to go over there with two chefs,” Joshua said. “It was fun watching them shop together, eat together, and drink together.” The Foos, who are originally from Shenandoah, Iowa, didn’t have a lot of experience with Asian food growing up. Traveling to Japan and sampling fresh, authentic Asian food was a change from their childhood, he said.
“We ate a lot of ‘La Choy’ growing up. We’d beg our mom for Chinese and it was ‘La Choy’ to us.” Another difference for Joshua was his menu in Japan. Eating a plant-based diet, he was challenged to find options that didn’t contain meat, he said. Finding vegetarian options often required stopping in small stores, where he could buy dinner kits that met his needs. However, he said one of the best meals he had on the trip was a delicious dish they had at Muroi, made with fresh mushrooms and rice. Food truly drove their adventure. The quartet took a day trip to Osaka, where they stood in line to order okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake, known for its savory taste. As Utterback plans his next trip to Japan, his appreciation for the country extends beyond food. As a Japanese-American, if he wants a specific Asian dish, he either has to make it or seek it out. In Japan, it’s likely already on the menu. And, he said, it’s nice to be around people who look like him. “I don’t mean this to be negative, but here, I’m ethnic,” Utterback said. “There, I’m not ethnic. I’m just one of 36 million people [in Tokyo].” Visit yoshitomo.com for more information.
“IT WAS COOL TO GO OVER THERE WITH TWO CHEFS. IT WAS FUN WATCHING THEM SHOP TOGETHER, EAT TOGETHER, AND DRINK TOGETHER.” - JOSHUA FOO
MAY 2020
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PROFILE // STORY BY TAMSEN BUTLER
olo y AND THE ART OF
FOLLOWING DREAMS
Most people have a dream trip in their minds, but many of them assign the “someday” designation to taking the trip or instead simply resign to never going. After all, far too many obstacles can stop a person from taking a trip they’ve always wanted, whether it’s work or family obligations. Curt Safrenek isn’t the type of person to stash dreams into the “someday” file in his brain. When he decided he wanted to journey to Japan to immerse himself in cuisine and culture, he made it happen. “Traveling to Japan to learn about their culture and cooking techniques had nothing at all to do with my current, primary occupation,” said the independent software engineer. “My philosophy leans towards the idea of YOLO (you only live once)—and the fact that I am not getting any younger,” he added. “I had long had an interest in Japan, its food and culture. I had taken a Japanese language course in college around 25 years ago, which ignited my interest and desire to continue learning.” When he approached his wife, Linda, about planning a solo trip to Japan to learn about the culture and cooking techniques, she was all for it. “Curt quietly contemplates things on his own, gathers all his facts, and then brings these topics up with me,” she said. “So he pretty much had the details ironed out when he told me he wanted to go to Japan. I was only mildly surprised because this is how he rolls. It was a great opportunity to immerse himself in their culture and get in-depth learning about his favorite cuisine.” Before leaving for his Japanese adventure in July 2018, Curt said he put in a “huge number of hours at my day job.” He scrambled to prepare everything for his month-long absence. Gustolab International arranged his homestay and activities in Japan. “For the month I was in Japan I stayed with a host couple—Susumu and Ruriko Miyamoto. My homestay with the Miyamotos was a huge part of why my trip was so successful and meaningful. We bonded very quickly and became quite
close for me being there for such a short period of time. They were wonderful hosts, helping me learn some of the language (I am still horrible at speaking Japanese), cooking me many, many meals, taking me on excursions to other cities, restaurants, and cultural/historical landmarks, and showing me an extraordinary level of kindness and hospitality.” “I didn’t go into the trip with a set of goals or list of things to learn,” he said. “Rather, I approached it with an open mind and took in as much as I could while there. It seems that much of what I took away from my time in Japan was more of a philosophy and way of thinking rather than a strict, prescriptive set of movements, skills, tasks, or techniques.” While in Japan, Safranek enjoyed foods that were new and different from typical American cuisine. “Many of the ‘street’ foods I came to really like included takoyaki (octopus in fried balls of batter), okonomiyaki (a savory pancake with cabbage), yakisoba (a wheat noodle dish with pork, cabbage, onions, and carrots topped with mayo and bonito flakes), and obviously ramen,” Safranek said. “The sushi, which should go without saying, was amazing,” he continued. “The conveyor-belt sushi restaurants were great because the sushi never ends, it just keeps rolling past you on plates riding a conveyor-belt that stretches through the entire restaurant and into the back where they continually keep things rolling out.” Upon his return to America, Safranek immediately purchased some utensils he’d learned to use in Japan. “An oroshigane, which is a type of food grater the grates much finer than a Western style grater, a set of very long chopsticks—the ones I have are a little over 16 inches, and a Japanese mortar (suribachi) and pestle (surikogi) that makes grinding nuts and seeds so much easier.” He also returned with a renewed dislike for wasting food. “I will say that my time in Japan definitely amplified my desire
“It seems that much of what I took away from my time in Japan was more of a philosophy and way of thinking rather than a strict, prescriptive set of movements, skills, tasks, or techniques.”
to avoid wasting anything,” he said. “In Japan I learned about their term for waste—mottainai (translated as ‘what a waste’), which seemed to be taken very seriously and practiced by everyone, not just by those preparing food, but by those eating it as well.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMAN // DESIGN BY MATT WIECZOREK
CURT SAFRANEK’S “SOMEDAY”
“I can remember having a conversation with a number of people where we were talking about this concept/ term. I related the usual American buffet situation where people go up to the buffet, fill up their plates with copious amounts of food, eat maybe half of it, then go back for more of something else, letting the untouched food be thrown away like it is no big deal. My story put looks of horror and disgust on the listeners’ faces—like I had just described some sort of heinous crime against humanity; this would never happen in Japan. This is just one example that highlighted one of the many disparities between the two cultures’ attitudes and practices, particularly with respect to food and food waste…which I firmly believe we Americans could learn a thing or two from the Japanese.” Safranek would love to someday return to Japan to visit the Miyamotos and explore more of the country, but he doesn’t have any solid plans for future travels. His newfound cuisine now benefits his family, who are grateful for his skills in the kitchen. “Our family reaps the benefits every day of Curt’s passion and I have to say that I truly love it. Asian cuisine has become his favorite to prepare, so when he returned, he had further perfected something at which he was already very good,” said Linda. “Even before going, he made outstanding ramen, which takes him many days to prepare. We don’t always know the true impact of his trip because he was good at this prior to going.” “I have thought about starting a private/ specialty catering business at some point in the future. I do have some catering experience through culinary school as well as through personal/private engagements, but right now I do not have enough time to devote to that enterprise,” said Safranek. But will a man who has a history of following his dreams eventually follow his dream of someday opening a catering business? His response: “Someday.”
MAY 2020
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DINING PROFILE // Story by Carrielle Sedersten
How Chef Deke Reichardt is Writing His Next Culinary Chapter
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN // DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BY MATT WIECZOREK
MAY
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2020
C
Chef Deke Reichardt started working in restaurants when he was a teenager. More than 35 years later, in the summer of 2016, he found himself at a turning point in his culinary career after selling his Old Market restaurant, Jackson Street Tavern. Now four years into his next chapter as a full-time culinary arts instructor at Metro Community College’s Institute for Culinary Arts, he’s still having a hard time adjusting.
“The hours actually have made me a little bit of a lunatic because my schedule is 7 [a.m.] to 3 [p.m.] Monday through Thursday,” Reichardt said. It’s quite a difference from the 16-plus hours he worked nearly every day at the restaurant. Having an abundance of free time feels foreign to Reichardt, but the change of pace made space for new experiences. “I start climbing the walls a little bit, and so I have to find something constructive [to do],” he said. He stays busy by challenging himself educationally. Last February, he traveled to his alma mater, Johnson & Wales University in Miami, and took the test to become an American Culinary Federation (ACF) Certified Executive Chef.
// DINING PROFILE // Much like Nebraskans acclimate to the higher altitude in Denver before heading into the Rocky Mountains, Reichardt’s Peru trip started in Lima for that reason. Parts of the capital city sit along the Pacific Ocean at sea level, while its highest points have an elevation of 5,090 feet, similar to Denver’s. Most Peruvian cities rest between 6,000 and 12,000 feet and, for visitors, living at such heights requires time to acclimate to prevent altitude sickness. Over the centuries, Peruvians learned other ways to adapt to highland living, and it is reflected in their culture, especially culinarily. Reichardt and his students learned more about how they adapt on the second leg of their trip in the mountain city of Cusco. When they got off the plane in Cusco, 11,200 feet above sea level, the unusualness of locals selling baskets of coca leaves caused an uproar with Reichardt’s students, largely because of the product’s association with the illegal drug cocaine. “That [coca leaves] was something they used actually in some of the cooking we had,” said Kara Ruocco, a pastry chef at Le Bouillon and former student who went on the Peru trip with Reichardt. “We went
flavors and some peppers and onions, tomatoes. It typically has french fries that get thrown in right at the tail end of the stir fry. It’s this mesh of craziness.” In Peru, like in most countries, cuisines vary from region to region. In warmer climates closer to the coast, the fare is lighter, and in the cooler mountainous regions, foods are heartier. It happens even moreso in Peru because the mountains isolate communities, requiring them to be self-sustainable. “They really, with all of their food, everything came from the land,” Ruocco said. “Nothing was store bought. They had fresh markets. You can see where everything was coming from. Everything was so flavorful. I haven’t had seafood as good as I can get in Peru.” Regionally sourced ingredients are most noticeable in a dish called ceviche. On the coast, it’s generally made using fresh white fish that’s not too fatty, such as sea bass and corvina. In higher altitudes, ceviche is made with fresh trout caught from the rivers.
What separates Peruvian ceviche from Mexican ceviche—well-known in the states—is the curing He’s also gone to the “Nothing was store bought. They had fresh markets. liquid used. Peruvian New York City Wine ceviche uses leche de You can see where everything was coming from. & Food Festival as a tiger (tiger’s milk), a spicy culinary lead voluncitrus-based marinade Everything was so flavorful. I haven’t had seafood made with lime teer the last few years juice, as good as I can get in Peru.” -Kara Ruocco and worked with fish, a little lemon, onion, Emeril Lagasse and in celery roots, garlic, ginger, the kitchen at Cafe Boulud, a one-star to this really nice restaurant, and they and cilantro. The ingredients change Michelin restaurant owned by French accented a lot of their dishes with it.” slightly depending on region, but as celebrity chef and restaurateur Daniel Reichardt said, “One thing in Peru, whatBouludin 2018. Raw coca leaves do not possess any mindever part of the country you’re in, they’re altering properties. They do, however, help still doing ceviche.” As an instructor at MCC, he’s had the with the altitude. Locals roll the leaves opportunity to go on culinary trips with into a ball and keep it in their mouth or Reichardt had a full travel calendar to his students across the country and abroad. chew on them throughout the day. start his summer. He was headed to Cuba He attended the National Restaurant in May for a five-day non-credit culinary Association Show in Chicago multiple “They drink a lot of coca tea,” Reichardt trip through MCC. Then he was going times, and has visited San Antonio; Santa said. Coca leaf tea (made from coca leaves to Providence, Rhode Island, in June for Fe, New Mexico; and New Orleans. His ground into tea) is a natural remedy for a continuing education class, and then favorite trip so far was a 14-day venture to altitude sickness, and it’s also something to Italy for 12 days on another MCC Peru in July 2018. many locals have for breakfast. culinary study abroad trip. Those plans are now canceled due to COVID-19. Located in western South America on the He adds that another thing that helps with Pacific Ocean, Peru is wildly famous for its the altitude is lots of carbs. “They’re really When asked if he would ever open another sky-high ancient Inca site Machu Picchu big on carbs [in Peru],” he said. “You’ll get restaurant, Reichardt said, “Every couple in the Andes Mountains. The central a lot of plates that have both potatoes and of minutes I start looking [for restaurant Andes span Peru from the north to the rice on there.” Like the classic Peruvian spots] and I don’t get much further than southeast, with the highest peaks reaching dish lomo saltado. that.” Knowing all the gas he has left in more than four miles above sea level. It’s a the tank, don’t rule him out. destination that leaves travelers breathless “Lomo saltado is kind of like a stir fry and, in more ways than one. again, it has rice and potatoes,” Reichardt Visit mccneb.edu for more information about said. “Usually, a beef that’s been marinated future continuing education culinary trips with some soy sauce and more Asian open to the public. MAY
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2020
- Sponsored Content -
Omaha
DINING GUIDE AMERICAN
Get a Little Get Saucy.
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Catch all the action at DJ Dugout Sports Bar’s seven Omaha-area locations. DJ’s Dugout features delicious wings, burgers, wraps, salads, appetizers, and an impressive drink menu. Plus, DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar has huge media walls full of HD TVs and projectors. Dig In at the Dugout! —djsdugout.com
JAMS- $$
7814 Dodge St. - 402.399.8300 17070 Wright Plz, Ste. 100 - 402.810.9600 1101 Harney St. in the OldMarket - 402.614.9333
Jams is an Omaha restaurant legacy, an “American Grill” that offers a melting pot of different styles and varieties. The dishes are made with high-quality ingredients that pair well with award-winning wines or creative cocktails. —jamseats.com
LE PEEP - $
69th & Pacific - 402.933.2776 177th and Center streets - 402.934.9914 156th Street & W. Dodge Road - 402.408.1728 120th and Blondo streets - 402.991.8222 Le Peep puts a wholesome perspective on your favorite neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot. Fresh. Simple. Elegant. Inviting. We put the emphasis on people, both patrons and staff. We focus on providing each of our guests the fresh food and friendly service that they have come to expect. Open daily 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. —lepeepomaha.com DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
MAY 2020
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SECTION // NAMES
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MAY 2020
SINCE 1921
rotellasbakery.com
Omaha
DINING GUIDE Breakfast
LISA’S RADIAL CAFE - $
817 N. 40th St. - 402-551-2176
American. Cafe. Diner. Vegetarian-friendly. Gluten-free options. This old-school diner serves hearty portions of American comfort classics for breakfast and lunch. Family-owned and operated. This business is a must if you’re in the area. People rave about our chickenfried steak, stuffed French toast, coffee, and friendly staff. Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m.-2 p.m
156th & Dodge • 408-1728 177th & Center • 934-9914 120th & Blondo • 991-8222 69th & Pacific • 933-2776
Thanks for Voting Us # BREAKFAST YEARS in a Row!
12
1
Drive-Thru Open (Center St. Only) Open Daily 6:30am-2:00pm Serving Breakfast & Lunch All Day!
LEPEEPOMAHA.COM | @LEPEEPOMAHA
Since 1936, we’ve been making our worldfamous Stella’s hamburgers the same way. The family secrets have been handed down to each owner, ensuring that your burger is the same as the one you fell in love with the first time you tried Stella’s. And if it’s your first time, we know you’ll be back! Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sunday. —stellasbarandgrill.com
TED AND WALLY’S - $ 1120 Jackson St. - 402.341.5827
thanks to our customers for voting us the
Hamburger
STELLA’S - $
106 S. Galvin Road, Bellevue 402.291.6088
“BEST BURGER
IN OMAHA
“Serving World Famous Hamburgers Since 1936” 106 Galvin Rd., Bellevue, NE • 402-291-6088 • Open Monday-Saturday, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Come experience the true taste of homemade ice cream in the Old Market. Since 1986, we’ve created gourmet ice cream flavors in small batches using rock salt and ice. We offer your favorites, plus unique flavors like margarita, green tea, Guinness, and French toast. Special orders available. —tedandwallys.com
I TA L I A N LA CASA PIZZARIA - $$
45th and Leavenworth streets 402.556.6464
La Casa Pizzaria has been serving Omaha its legendary Neapolitan-style pizza and pasta for 60 years. We offer dine-in, carry-out, party facilities, catering, and now pizza shipments to the 48 contiguous states. Open TuesdaySaturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. —lacasapizzaria.net
OMAHA’S ORIGINAL STEAKHOUSE
Prime Rib
• Proudly serving visitor & locals for 90 years. • Featured on CNN.com Best Meat Cities in America • Serving hand-cut steaks, aged on premise & slow-roasted prime rib with pride
402.731.4774 • johnnyscafe.com 27th & ‘L’ St., Kennedy Frwy, ‘L’ St. Exit 8 Minutes from Downtown Omaha
Best Of Omaha 14 Years Running
WHERE GOOD FOOD AND GOOD SERVICE NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE.
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
MAY 2020
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Seafood - Mexican - Sushi
5101 S 36 th St, Omaha, NE 68107 - 402-213-5723 - Daily Food & Drink Specials
HAPPY HOUR:
Tues–Sat 3-6pm & All Day Sunday
REVERSE HAPPY HOUR:
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STEAKS • CHOPS • SEAFOOD ITALIAN SPECIALTIES 7 private party rooms Seating up to 400 Lots of parking
735 N 14th St. Omaha, NE 68102 402.933.4222 | hookandlime.com
1620 S. 10th Street
402-345-8313
www.casciossteakhouse.com
Bringing Italy to Omaha Since 1919
Take a Taste of Italy Home Today! Tues-Thurs: 8:30am-8pm Friday: 8:30am-8:30pm Saturday: 7:30am-8pm Sunday: 7:30am-6pm
WALKING DISTANCE TO
CHI HEALTH CENTER OMAHA & TD AMERITRADE PARK CLEAR BAG POLICY IS IN EFFECT. 402.346.9116 | 501 N. 13th Street | theMattOmaha.com /the old mattress factory omaha
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An Omaha favorite for over 100 years (1919-2019)
402.345.3438 621 Pacific St, Omaha NE orsibakery.com
Pasta
THANK YOU FOR VOTING OUR PASTA
NUMBER #1
Rockbrook Village (108th & Center) 402.391.2585 www.pastaamore.com We can accommodate parties of 30 or more, by reservation only Catering Available
DINNER HOURS // Mon-Thur: 4:30-9PM, Fri & Sat: 4:30-10PM
// 136 //
MAY 2020
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Omaha
DINING GUIDE LO SOLE MIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO - $$
3001 S. 32nd Ave. - 402.345.5656
The restaurant is located in a residential neighborhood, surrounded by charming homes. Everyone is greeted with homemade bread, a bowl of fresh tomatoes and basil, a bowl of oven-roasted garlic cloves, specially seasoned olive oil, and (at night) a jug of Chianti! The menu includes a large variety of pasta, chicken, veal, seafood, and even a delicious New York steak. Traditional dishes such as lasagna, tortellini, and eggplant parmigiana are also available. Lunch offerings include panini, salads, and one of the best pizzas in town. Patio seating, full bar, and a great wine list complete the atmosphere. No reservations, except for private rooms. —losolemio.com
SPEZIA - $$$
3125 S. 72nd St. - 402.391.2950 Choose Spezia for lunch or dinner, where you’ll find a casual elegance that’s perfect for business guests, get-togethers, or any special occasion. Exceptional food, wine, and service, with a delectable menu: fresh seafood, certified Angus steaks, innovative pasta, risotto, gnocchi, cioppino, lamb, entrée salads, Mediterranean chicken, flatbreads, and fresh salmon daily. Enjoy a full bar, Italian and California wines, Anniversary/Lovers’ Booth (call to reserve), private dining rooms, and wood-fired grill. Open Monday-Sunday. Cocktail hour 4-6 p.m., when all cocktails, glasses of wine, and beers are half price. Evening reservations recommended. —speziarestaurant.com
MEXICAN PASTA AMORE - $$
11027 Prairie Brook Road 402.391.2585
Pastas are made fresh daily, including tortellini, fettuccine, and capellini. Daily specials and menu items include a variety of fresh seafood and regional Italian dishes, such as linguini amore and calamari steak, penne Florentine, gnocchi, spaghetti puttanesca, and osso buco. Filet mignon is also offered for those who appreciate nationally renowned Nebraska beef. To complement your dining experience, the restaurant offers a full bar and extensive wine list. Be sure to leave room for homemade desserts, like the tiramisu and cannoli. Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. Reservations recommended. —pastaamore.com
PITCH - $$
5021 Underwood Ave. - 402.590.2625 An OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice for 2014 HotSpot Restaurant in America. Keeping up with the traditional way the first pizzas in Italy were made, our pizzas are cooked in a coal-fired oven. The menu also features seafood, hand-cut steak, housemade pastas, and burgers full of flavor. Our goal is to provide you with local, housemade, and imported ingredients. We offer a happy hour menu through the week. Our bar provides an array of in-house concoctions as well as your traditional libations. Our wine selection is well-thought-out and most impressive. You will enjoy Pitch. Monday 3 p.m.-10 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., FridaySaturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 3-10 p.m. —pitchpizzeria.co
LA MESA - $$
158th Street and W. Maple Road - 402.557.6130 156th and Q streets - 402.763.2555 110th St. and W. Maple Road - 402.496.1101 Fort Crook Road and Hwy 370, Bellevue - 402.733.8754 84th Street and Tara Plaza, Papillion - 402.593.0983 Lake Manawa Exit, Council Bluffs - 712.256.2762 Enjoy awesome enchiladas, fabulous fajitas, seafood specialties, mouth-watering margaritas, and more at La Mesa. Come see why La Mesa has been voted Omaha’s No. 1 Mexican restaurant 16 years in a row. SundayThursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. —lamesaomaha.com
FERNANDO’S - $
7555 Pacific St. - 402.339.8006. 380 N. 114th St. - 402.330.5707 Featuring Sonoran-style cooking made fresh daily. Catering and party rooms also available. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4-9 p.m. —fernandosomaha.com
MARGARITA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT - $
4915 S. 72nd St. - 402.393.7515
Margarita’s is a business with more than seven years in the food world. We offer authentic Mexican food where you can enjoy a nice moment with your family. —margaritasmenu.com
JULIO’S - $
2820 S. 123rd Court - 402.330.2110
Locally owned since 1977, Julio’s prides themselves on serving the finest Tex-Mex cuisine and offering top-notch customer service. Our loyal customers are the reason we have been around for nearly 40 years. We have an extensive menu that has both classic and innovative dishes—giving everyone the opportunity to find something they love. Salivating for Southwestern fare? We have tacos, tostadas, a dozen different enchiladas, and classic fajitas. And, of course, nachos! —julios.com
ROMEO’S MEXICAN FOOD AND PIZZA - $
90th and Blondo streets - 402.391.8870 146th St. and W. Center Road - 402.330.4160) 96th and L streets - 402.331.5656 Galvin and Avery roads, Bellevue - 402.292.2028 29th and Farnam streets - 402.346.1110
Romeo’s is your friendly, family Mexican food and pizza restaurant.We take real pride in serving our guests generous portions of the freshest, most flavorful dishes made with the finest ingredients available. Zesty seasonings and the freshest ingredients combine to ensure the ultimate in flavor. Our savory taco meat is prepared every morning at each location. Make sure to try our chimichangas; they’re the best in town. —romeosomaha.com
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
$=$1-10 • $$=$10-20 • $$$=$20-30 • $$$$=$30+
MAY 2020
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Omaha
Prime Rib
DINING GUIDE
SPECIAL DINING BÄRCHEN BEER GARDEN - $
6209 Maple St. - 402.502.9902
Located in Benson, Bärchen is a modern American beer garden and beer hall influenced by German communal drinking culture. Indoor seating for approximately 125 people and outdoor seating in our beer garden for approximately 125-150 people. The laid-back atmosphere pairs well with our 30 rotating taps, international beer list, unique sausage & sandwich menu, and locally made pretzels. We are family and dog friendly—all are welcome. Hours: Tues-Thurs 3 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri & Sat 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information or to host an event, please email gm@barchenbeer.com —barchenbeer.com
Thank You, Thank You,
Thank You
an Dining Itali
For Continually Voting For Us!
Serving Lunch & Dinner Mon-Sat 3001 S. 32nd Ave / Omaha, NE 402.345.5656
BRUSHI BISTRO+BAR - $$
721 N. 132nd St. - 402.884.6878
Swiss-trained chef Paul Braunschweiler combines the best of Europe’s epicurean delights with an American flair. Brushi’s casual and open atmosphere combine to create a true bistro experience. Fresh ingredients highlight the menu. Happy Hours and nightly specials. Private dining available. Patio seating weather permitting. —brushiomaha.com
5021 Underwood Ave. Omaha, NE 402-590-2625
17808 Burke St. Omaha, NE 402-289-4096
6350 E. Thomas RD. Scottsdale, AZ 480-272-7500
CRESCENT MOON ALE HOUSE - $
3578 Farnam St. - 402.345.1708
Founded in 1996, we’ve grown into Beer Corner USA with the additions of The Huber Haus German Beer Hall, Max and Joe’s Belgian Beer Tavern, and Beertopia—Omaha’s Ultimate Beer Store. With more than 60 beers on tap and Omaha’s best Reuben sandwich, we are a Midtown beer-lover’s destination. Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.2 a.m. Kitchen hours: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight. Closed Sunday. —beercornerusa.co
www.romeosOMAHA.com
DINING GUIDE LEGEND
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xican Dining Me
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633 Old Lincoln Hwy, Crescent, IA 51526
712.545.3744 | pinkpoodlesteakhouse.com
Omaha
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DINING GUIDE FIRST WATCH - $
1222 S. 71st St. - 402.932.5691 2855 S. 168th St. - 402.330.3444 3605 N. 147th St. - 402.965.3444 304 Olson Drive., Papillion - 402.965.3444 2015 Pratt Ave., Bellevue - 402.991.3448 We begin each morning at the crack of dawn, slicing fresh fruits and vegetables, baking muffins, and whipping up our French toast batter from scratch. Everything is made toorder here at First Watch. We use only the finest ingredients possible for the freshest taste around. —firstwatch.com
GREEK ISLANDS - $
3821 Center St. - 402.346.1528 Greek cuisine with specials every day at reasonable prices. We are well-known for our gyro sandwiches and salads. We cater and can accommodate a party for 65 guests. Carryout and delivery available. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. —greekislandsomaha.com
J.COCO - $$$
5203 Leavenworth St. - 402.884.2626
The building that once housed a beloved neighborhood grocery has a new future. Built as a grocery back in 1925, it is now home to J. Coco. Our seasonal menus, rooted in tradition, showcase our natural ingredients. Local, organic, and sustainable when available. We feature craft bartending, housemade desserts, and pastas. We celebrate the traditional with a modern twist. Lunch: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: Monday-Saturday 5 p.m.-close. —jcocoomaha.com
KOREA GARDEN AUTHENTIC ASIAN CUISINE AND SUSHI - $$ 5352 S. 72nd St. - 402.505.4089
Lunch specials served Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., featuring signature Korean dishes like bulgogi, doenjang jjigae, and grilled mackerel. Menu includes appetizers, traditional specialties, rice, noodles, soup, and beverages. —koreangardenomaha.com
Try Omaha’s Favorite Reuben!
PARADISE BAKERY - $
17305 Davenport St. - 402.934.5757 120 Regency Parkway - 402.991.3000
Omaha’s largest selection of craft beers.
Paradise Bakery offers freshly prepared baked goods made from scratch every morning with the finest ingredients available. Offering a variety of meals including soups, salads, and sandwiches. Our associates are extremely proud of the reputation Paradise has earned for providing exceptional service and producing the finest-quality products. —paradisebakery.co
TAJ KABOB AND CURRY - $ 654 N. 114th St. 402.933.1445 / 402.238.4317
Taj of Omaha shares its love of traditional Indian cuisine with friends and family in the Omaha area. The owners invite you to come enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and new menu. Taj offers both lunch and dinner specials, delivery and catering services, and a free party room. —tajofomaha.com
3578 Farnam St • 402-345-1708 www.beercornerusa.com ek Dining Gre
Greek Islands Restaurant Omaha, NE
Family Owned Since 1983 CATERING / PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE HOMEMADE, FRESH FOOD, ALWAYS.
3821 Center St. / 402.346.1528 GreekIslandsOmaha.com
STEAKHOUSES CASCIO’S - $$
1620 S. 10th St. - 402-345-8313 Cascio’s is Omaha’s No. 1 steakhouse. We have been serving Omaha for 69 years. We feature steaks, chops, seafood, and Italian specialties. We have seven private party rooms, seating for up to 400 people, and plenty of parking. —casciossteakhouse.com
THE DROVER RESTAURANT & LOUNGE - $$$ 2121 S. 73rd St. - 402-391-7440
Famous for the original Whiskey Steak. Truly a one-of-a-kind Midwestern experience. Excellent food, wine, service, and value. Rare...and very well done. Lunch Monday- Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., cocktail hour 3-6 p.m., dinner nightly 5 p.m. —droverrestaurant.com
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DINING GUIDE LEGEND
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NEBRASK A
COMMUNITY APPRECIATION DAY May 2
in Grand Island. Event goers can enjoy full day of events, free, at the Stuhr Museum. 308-385-5316. —stuhrmuseum.gov
DOWNTOWN SHOW AND SHINE May 3 at 206 Main Street in Cedar Falls. Cars and motorcycles will line up Main Street for viewing. Vendors will be available for food purchase at this free event open to the public. 319-277-0213. —communitymainstreet.org
HELICOPTER DAY May 16 at Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Ashland. Spectators will be able to watch in wonder as commercial and private helicopters fly over the horizon and land right in front them This family-fun event includes a drone workshop, free balloon animals, a make-and-take project, and hands-on activities. 402-944-3100. —sacmuseum.org
BOONE RIVER VALLEY FESTIVAL May 22-25 at the Boone Valley Brewery in Boone. Festival attendees can enjoy a weekend filled with music, crafts, and fun for the whole family. —boonerivervalleyfestival.com
ANNUAL BROWNVILLE SPRING FLEA MARKET May 23-25 in Brownville.
IOWA
MAY
ART WALK May 2 at Kohlmann
02
Park in Waverly. This fine arts walk includes over 40 artists for goers to look at. Open to the public. 319-3524526 —waverlychamber.com
VINTAGE GARDEN MARKET WITH FRIENDS May 2-3 at Rural Route Rust
in Avoca. Attendees can enjoy an outdoor market of vintage goods. Drinks, food, and vendors will be available. 402-267-4104. —ruralrouterust.com
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Seventy-six trombones (or more) will parade through the streets of this Iowa town, where Music Man composer Meredith Wilson lived. Along with marching bands, this festival includes a carnival, food, games, and live entertainment. 641-423-5724. —nibandfest.com
CELEBRASIAN MAY 21-23 at the Western Gateway Park in Des Moines. In its 18th year, Celebrasian will be a celebration and appreciation of Asian culture, uniting the Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities in Des Moines. Guests can enjoy live performances, authentic food, and educational activities. 515-770-1026. —iowaasianalliance.com
NEBRASKA JUNKATHON May 22-24 in Sargent. Vendors come together for a festival of antiques, food, and more. 308750-9435. —facebook.com/junkathonfleamarket
Hundreds of vendors bring their wares to this annual tradition, including recycled and up-cycled products, food, and antiques. 402-825-6001. —brownvillehistoricalsociety.org
82TH ANNUAL NORTH IOWA BAND FESTIVAL May 21-25 in Mason City.
SPRING GARDEN FESTIVAL May 7-10 at Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden in Des Moines. This event celebrates everything garden, activities, workshops, and much more. 515-323-6290. —dmbotanicalgarden.com 80TH ANNUAL ORANGE CITY TULIP FESTIVAL May 14-16 in Orange City. This
event, which began in 1936, celebrates Dutch heritage and consists of beautiful tulips, dances performed in traditional Dutch clothing, daily parades, old-country foods, and more. 712-707-4510. —octulipfestival.com
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MAY
23-25
SPRING ART & CRAFT FESTIVAL May 23-25 at
Triangle Park in McGregor. This events kicks off summer with events including face painting and kid activities. 563-873-2186. —mcgreg-marq.org
MAIFEST MAY 30-31 AT AMANA COLONIES. Normally held the first of
May, this event is being held in late May this year due to the coronavirus. Dancers, food trucks, and a parade will bring German traditions to this celebration of Spring. 319-622-7622. Email info@ amanacolnies.com for more information.
MISSOURI
GATSBY DAYS May 1-3 in Excelsior Springs. Break out the beads, fringe, and zoot suits for this homage to the roaring ‘20s. Events include a fashion stroll, antique car parade, a Gin & Jazz party, vaudeville performances, and more. 816-630-6161. —esculturalguild.com
NO, IT’S NOT CHIMNEY ROCK, IT’S JUST A STOP SIGN. BUT WHEN YOU TAKE A RIGHT AT THAT STOP SIGN THE HIGHWAY TAKES YOU TO LAKE MINATARE WHERE LATER THIS SUMMER BOBBY JOHNSON WILL CATCH HIS FIRST FISH, STAY UP LATE, MAKE S’MORES, AND SLEEP IN A TENT.
TO GET BACK THERE NEXT SUMMER HE’S GONNA NEED TO MAKE SURE HIS DAD TAKES A RIGHT AT THIS VERY STOP SIGN SO HE CAN DO IT ALL AGAIN. LANDMARKS ARE MORE THAN JUST CHIMNEY ROCK AND SCOTTS BLUFF. LANDMARKS ARE HOW WE FIND OUR WAY TO NEW MEMORIES. VISIT NEBRASKA’S LANDMARK COUNTRY.
Visit Nebraska’s Landmark Country. 800 -788-9475 | NebraskaLandmarkCountry.com
2020 APPLE BLOSSOM PARADE FESTIVAL
May 2 in St. Joseph. The parade has been in existence for over ninety years, and it has expanded into a festival with a Kansas City BBQ Society-sanctioned barbecue contest. The event runs in conjunction with Discover Downtown, which features live music, food vendors, and kids activities. 816-261-0422. —appleblossomparade.com
FOR LOCAL EVENTS.
MAY 2020
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HARRY’S HAY DAYS May 4-5 in Grandview. This family-friendly event, taking place at the childhood home of Harry S. Truman, will be a celebration of his birthday and legacy. It is a two day event filled with music, vendors, games, and a parade. 816-316-4888. — grandviewharryshaydays.com ARTFEST ON WALNUT May 2-3 in Springfield. Over 100 artists will be on display at this celebration of art, with performances, food, and activities for the whole family. 417-831-6200. —springfieldarts.org MAY
VOLKSWESTON May 30
in Weston. This event will display Vintage Volkswagens along Main St. to the City Hall parking lot. 816-640-2757. —westonmo.com
30
CENTRALIA ANCHOR FESTIVAL May 29-31 at the City Square in Centralia. This events brings a family fun day filled with music, a parade and carnival, and more. 573-682-2272. —centraliamochamber.com K ANSAS
PEONY FESTIVAL May 16-17 at Stockton
Area Chamber of Commerce in Stockton. The annual Peony Festival will feature peony displays around the city. The event includes a parade, craft vendors, and more. 785-425-6703. —stocktonks.com
LAWRENCE BUSKER FESTIVAL May 22-25, Downtown Lawrence. This annual event invites everyone to enjoy a getweird-weekend. It includes unusual live performances by artists, both local and global, and includes the Thursday evening Busker Ball. It has become so popular an extra day (Monday) has been added. 785843-2787. —lawrencebuskerfest.com
Lake McConaughy Stay in Ogallala and Play at Lake McConaughy this summer! 55 square miles of water for fishing, boating and more fun. Explore the Petrified Wood & Art Gallery, Boot Hill, Mansion on the Hill, and Front Street’s free Cowboy Museum. Visit Ogallala and Paxton for unique shopping & dining. Plan your trip at ilovelakemac.com 800-658-4390
Event times and details may change.
Visit omahamagazine.com for complete listings. Check with venue or event organizer to confirm.
MAY 2020
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NOT FUNNY // COLUMN BY OTIS TWELVE // PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL SITZMANN
DON’T GIVE UP, OR ELSE DO
R
ecently the world has become a scarier, darker place. There are frightening headlines and complex crises everywhere we turn. It’s tempting to give up. It’s all too easy to slip into gloom, doom, and despair.
Fortunately, when everything goes wrong…when the world is out of control…when the future looks bleak…we have a large supply of old maxims, mottos, and proverbs to keep us going.
“Buck up,” people say. “But do you mean a dollar bill or a male deer?” I ask. They ignore me. It’s an important distinction, but they just think I’m a hopeless concrete thinker.
“Nixon quit,” I say. They finally respond to me, “Yeah, Nixon quit and he didn’t win.” I have to give them that one. “Okay, Nixon was a loser, but what about Pope Benedict?” This time they ignore me. No one wants to take the chance of discussing religion in mixed company. “The glass isn’t half empty, it’s half full,” people say. “But isn’t it important what the glass is half full of?” I ask. They strike back, “Never end a sentence with a preposition!” I borrow Churchill’s retort, “That’s the sort of pedantry up with which I will not put.” That silences them for a moment. Hey, what’s in the damn glass is important.
“When they give you lemons, make lemonade,” people say.
“The Chinese word for crisis consists of two symbols. One means crisis and the other means opportunity,” people say.
“But processed sugar isn’t good for you, and I have a few paper cuts on my fingertips,” I point out. Again, they ignore me, even though I’m right. Too much refined white sugar and my immune system takes the week off. That’s not a good thing when we’re living through the Age of Anti-immune Systems. And paper cuts, I mean, weren’t we supposed to be “paperless” by now?
“Really?” I ask. “Well, I looked it up and the Chinese word for crisis does contain two symbols. They mean crisis and disturbance. So, you just made up that whole ‘opportunity’ thing.” There is no “opportunity.” None. It’s a lie. A crisis, whether it’s Chinese or Nebraskan, is a crisis—a disturbing crisis. Sorry, to disabuse you happy people, but truth sets you free.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” people say. “But where are they going exactly?” I ask. “I mean, do they run away? When things get tough do the tough take a road trip with an old friend? Do things go wrong when a gun goes off and then they drive their car over a cliff? Is Brad Pitt somewhere in there?” Hey, life can actually imitate life, right? That’s especially true when a cool vintage T-Bird is involved. Anyway, I have no idea where the tough went.
And here’s some more truth. When things look bleak… when what’s in that half-full glass hits the fan…forget about that positive, optimistic outlook. Give into despair. Lose all hope… Just hug somebody tight. And meet me for a whiskey when all this is over. Otis Twelve hosts the radio program Early Morning Classics with Otis Twelve on 90.7 KVNO, weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Visit kvno.org for more information.
“Quitters never win,” people say.
MARCH/APRIL
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2020
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