March – April 2024 Newsletter

Here’s the March/April 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure: March – April 2024 newsletter  If you’ve been thinking about getting a club shirt, check out the options in the newsletter – it’s a time-limited deal!

Not mentioned in the newsletter is our March 20th free walk at 11 a.m. at The RiverFront for Women’s History Month. (Remember that free walks don’t earn Event Credit if you are a book stamper.)

We’ll be sending out a Trail Mail toward the end of March, just to get you all geared up for National Walking Week, April 1st – April 7th.

 

November – December 2023 newsletter

Our latest newsletter is now available. Click here to start reading: November – December 2023 Newsletter

A couple of things to emphasize from the newsletter:

  • Elections for our 2024 Club Officers and 2023 Walker of the Year will start online on November 20th.  Look for your email from netrailblazers@gmail.com. The link is good for two adult club members in the same household. Those who cannot vote online may vote at the December 4th club meeting. All nominees are running unopposed, so unless a nomination “from the floor” is made during voting, voting in person will be limited to either a “yes” or a “no” by voice vote. No ballots will be printed or mailed.
  • Our December 2nd Lights Walk, starting at KANEKO at 4 p.m. looks to be a huge event, based on feedback we’re seeing on Meetup and Facebook. Can you help by bringing cookies? Can you help staff the event? A SignUpGenius link to volunteer was previously sent out. If you missed it, just drop us a line, letting us know how you’d like to help.

September – October 2023 newsletter, plus a month’s worth of events

Our latest newsletter can be found here: September/October 2023 newsletter

And here’s a quick look at upcoming events for the next month:

  • Friday, September 15 starting from the Plymouth County Historical Museum in LeMars, Iowa, 10 a.m. to noon start times, 5k and 10k routes available, $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.
  • Wednesday, September 20 starting from the Leahy Mall, 6 p.m. start of “How Sweet It is!” walking tour. Registrations have closed for this event, but email netrailblazers@gmail.com to be put on the wait list. No fee to attend. Dogs not allowed. Not suitable for strollers.
  • Thursday, September 28 starting from Tom Hanafan Park in Council Bluffs. 5k Group Walk starting at 10 a.m. $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome.
  • Saturday, September 30 starting from Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. 5k Group Walk starting at 10 a.m. $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.
  • Saturday, October 7 starting from Peak Performance in Omaha, 9 a.m. to noon start times, 5k and 10k routes available, $3 fee. 5k Group Walk starting at 10 a.m. $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.
  • Saturday, October 14 starting from St. James Methodist Church in Bellevue, NE, 10 a.m. start time for 5k or 10k group walk. . $3 fee. Dogs and strollers welcome on the trail.

Now, for the fine print: 

  • You must come 15 minutes early for all group walks to fill out paperwork and pay required fees. 
  • Details, such as starting point addresses and walk ratings can be found on our website at: 2023 Walk Calendar

July – August 2023 Newsletter

Our latest newsletter is available here: July – August 2023 Newsletter

Since the newsletter comes out on a bimonthly basis, you’ll want to stay informed on new walks and events as they are created. How? You have several options:

May-June newsletter, June Walks and looking ahead to September!

Our May-June newsletter is available here: May-June Newsletter  Remember,  only club members receive the full newsletter shortly after publication. Want to become a club member? Print out this application and mail it in with your payment.


If you get our “Trail Mail” e-newsletter, all of the following information will sound familiar. “Trail Mail” is open to anyone who wants to receive our irregular e-newsletter with updates on walks and upcoming events. Sign up via the website pop-up or send an email to netrailblazers@gmail.com.

Saturday, June 3rd, 9:30 a.m. start time for 5k and 11k Group Walk for National Trails Day. Seymour Smith Park, 6802 Harrison Street, Omaha, NE 68127
 $3 fee to walk. Leashed dogs are welcome. Seymour Smith Park at 72nd and Harrison Streets in Omaha will be the starting point of our exploration of the Keystone and Papio Trails. We’ll start walking as a group at 9:30 a.m.  Your choice to walk 5 km or 11 km on flat, paved trails, suitable for strollers and great for leashed dogs. Meet in the southeast corner of the big parking lot (the northern one) a few minutes early to sign the waiver and pay the $3 fee. This qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit.

Saturday, June 24th, 10:00 a.m. start time for 5k Group Walk to honor Bonnie Christensen during Chuck Wagon Days. Adair City Park, 401 – 449 4th St, Adair, IA 50002

Join Iowa’s Walking Club in Adair, Iowa, for a 5K group walk and a chance to remember charter club member Bonnie Christensen. $3 fee for all walkers; this qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Adair City Park. The walk is being held in conjunction with Adair’s annual Chuck Wagon Days, and the park will be hosting multiple events.

The walk will begin promptly at 10:00 to avoid conflict with the Chuck Wagon Days Parade that begins at 10:30 and passes by the park. The walk will pass by an honor roll of Adair veterans who served in WWII, through residential areas, venturing briefly into Guthrie County and through downtown, past City Hall, and past the Methodist Church where Bonnie was a member and sang in the choir.

The park’s main entrance will be closed. From I-80 Exit 76, head north on 5th Street (White Pole Road) past the main park entrance. Continue north on 5th Street and take the next right (Stuart Street), then turn right at 4th Street to enter the park. Look for the blue and white Iowa’s Walking Club banner. Restrooms and parking are available in the park.

Monday, September 4, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pleasant Valley Rock School House – 150 Year Celebration Walk, 3.7 miles SE of Table Rock, Nebraska on Railroad Drive/628th Ave

Help celebrate this one-room schoolhouse’s 150th anniversary by walking the route many children walked to and from school on the day before the traditional school year started. Lunch will be available with beer and brats, water, and polka music in beer tent. Walking sticks and bug spray strongly recommended due to the terrain. $3 fee for all walkers; this qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit.

Take NE-50 S to Vine St in Table Rock, then take Railroad Drive for 3.7 miles to 628 Avenue. School will be on the right. More complete driving directions at https://my.ava.org/event-view.php?sn=124361

Regional Roundup September 15 – 17, 2023, hosted by GDMVA: Iowa’s Walking Club. See the flyer posted on our website for all details and walks and to sign up for meals and t-shirts by August 18th. Preregistration for the walks is NOT necessary. The host hotel for this weekend is Grand Stay Hotel & Suites, 2679 Rock Ridge Drive, Rock Valley, IA.

Friday, September 15, 10 a.m. to noon, Plymouth County Historical Museum
335 1st Ave SW, Le Mars, IA 51031 (part of the Regional Roundup)

The Trailblazers will host the walk in Le Mars, Iowa, the Ice Cream Capital of the World! You can walk this walk at any time during the Roundup, by going to the host hotel and registering, but we will be staffing the walk in person on Friday, September 15th from 10 a.m. to noon. Please finish by 3. The museum is open for visitors from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.


January/February 2023 newsletter

The latest club newsletter, full of information about future walking dates and events is available here: January – February 2023 newsletter

Be sure to join us Friday, January 20th at 2 p.m. at the Gene Leahy Mall (13th & Farnam Streets in Omaha) for a group walk of the Mall on National Take a Walk Outdoors Day. The event is free, so save your change for the parking meters and maybe a nice cuppa something hot for after the walk!

 

November/December Newsletter

All of the information that you need to plan your next couple of months of walking! Click here to read the current newsletter: November – December 2022 Newsletter    

The Holiday Lights Festival returns! Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 3rd for our annual Lights Walk. KANEKO at 11th & Jones in Omaha is graciously hosting the club, with plenty of room to spread out and offer cookies, hot drinks and over 100 items for a holiday raffle! Thank you to The RiverFront for sponsoring the walk. This year, there’s no fee to walk, so grab your friends, family and leashed pets and come between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to starting walking 5k or 10k with us. Be sure to save some time and check out all the family-friendly activities a few blocks away at the Gene Leahy Mall at 13th & Farnam, also sponsored by The RiverFront.

July – August 2022 Newsletter

Our latest newsletter is available here: July – August 2022 Newsletter 

Three important things (besides seeing all the gorgeous pictures!):

  1. The deadline for registering for the 10 a.m. Saturday, July 30th Junto Wine Group Walk in Seward, NE is Monday, July 25th. We need to know how many lunches we need to order! Please register here: Junto Wine Walk registration  Be sure to bring a lawn chair with you. Plug this address into your GPS to find us: 1356 182nd Seward, NE 68434 (between Lincoln and Seward).
  2. Our next club activity is a 5k Group Walk of the “Veterans and Libraries” seasonal walk, which starts at the Memorial Park Rose Garden. The walk starts promptly at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30th, so come a bit early to pay your $3 (exact change, please!) and sign the registration form.  This seasonal walk is normally only available via the Online Start Box, so this 5k Group Walk might be the chance you’ve been waiting for to walk this fabulous route.  The Rose Garden is best approached from Robert H. Storz Drive, approximately at N. 57th and Underwood Avenues.
  3. After our September 10th walk at Flanagan Lake (more details at 2022 Walk Calendar), our first club meeting of the season will be on Monday, September 12th at 7 p.m. at a BRAND NEW LOCATION! Maple Ridge Retirement Community has graciously invited us to meet at their facility at 3525 N 167th Cir, Omaha, NE 68116. Be sure to plug that into your GPS, as it’s a bit tricky to get in there. It’s a bit NE of N. 168th and W. Maple Road.