Omaha's zoo to offer Ghouls & Glow experience in October: Short Takes

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium is excited to announce the return of Ghouls & Glow the weekends of Oct. 17-20 and 24-27.

It will feature performances by Omaha Circus Arts and Omaha Street Percussion. Guests will enjoy trick-or-treat stations, carousel rides, a dance party at the Spookeasy, specialty fall-themed treats at food locations and lanterns throughout the entire event.

Guests can add a souvenir treat bag to their ticket to commemorate the experience.

New this year is a spooky pumpkin adventure, a virtual reality experience that will take guests on a journey through a magical pumpkin patch in the Lozier Giant Screen Theater lobby.

Guests can also reserve one of 14 fully furnished private Ghouly Iglooze. Those include early admission, bar service, a private space and special activities.

Tickets are limited. Reserve a spot at OmahaZoo.com/GhoulsandGlow .

Breast cancer event is planned for Tuesday

Health professional and Food for Life instructor Cody Stubbe will lead a breast cancer prevention rally at noon Tuesday at Nebraska Methodist College at 720 N. 87th St. in Omaha.

Stubbe will be joined by other health care professionals and breast cancer prevention advocates and survivors. The Millard West High School drummers and University of Nebraska at Omaha's "The Herd," the university's official drum line, will help the assembled group beat the drums for breast cancer prevention.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"In two decades as a nurse, I have seen firsthand the ability of food to contribute to illness and chronic disease and, more to the point, the ability of whole, plant-based foods to heal the body," Stubbe said. "This event empowers us with the knowledge that we can help prevent and reduce our risks with simple lifestyle changes."

Stubbe is a Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a health advocacy nonprofit of 17,000 doctors, that organizes the free Let's Beat Breast Cancer events. Food for Life is a nutrition education and cooking program.

"Having this event on campus is important so we can bring this message to college students as they are still forming lifelong dietary patterns," she said.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. In Nebraska alone in 2024, there will be an estimated 1,770 new cases of breast cancer and 270 breast cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease disproportionately affects Black women, who have a higher rate of death from breast cancer than white women.

The Physicians Committee encourages people to reduce breast cancer risk by following the research-backed four-pronged approach: Eat a whole-food, plant-based diet, exercise regularly. limit alcohol and maintain a healthy weight.

Dreamweaver event raises $14,000 for dreams for older adults

Dreamweaver Foundation announced that its recent golf scramble fundraiser at Miracle Hill Golf Course raised a record-breaking amount to help support the 100-plus dreams for older adults living in low income that Dreamweaver fulfills each year.

The August event, planned and organized by Frontier Senior Living, drew 132 golfers across 33 teams and 18 hole sponsors.

Don Woods, regional director of sales at Frontier Senior Living, highlighted the event's success. "We're incredibly proud to have organized the largest third-party event in Dreamweaver's history and the biggest golf event ever at Miracle Hill." he said. "It was a great day for a fantastic cause!"

A check presentation took place at The Brant at Gretna Senior Living on Sept. 4, recognizing the $14,000 raised, which will directly support Dreamweaver Foundation's mission to enhance the quality of life for aging adults in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and surrounding communities.

Habitat for Humanity receives Lowe's grant

Habitat for Humanity of Omaha has announced that it has received a $50,000 grant from Lowe's to help repair five homes in Omaha.

The funding will support Habitat for Humanity of Omaha's efforts to make homes safer and healthier, protect affordable housing stock and preserve and create vibrant communities. With the grant's support, Habitat Omaha can provide more families with critical home repairs, such as replacing HVAC systems and repairing damaged roofs. The grant funds allow Habitat Omaha and its trusted subcontractors to perform the repairs immediately and offer the homeowners 0% interest loans to make the repairs affordable.

"This Lowe's grant helps Habitat Omaha assist more low- to moderate-income families," said Randy Beagley, Habitat Omaha's home improvement programs project manager. "This support has a significant impact by helping homeowners provide safe, stable homes for their children and families and preserve and sustain vibrant neighborhoods and communities."

The Lowe's funding is part of a two-year, $6 million donation to Habitat for Humanity International to support home repair and preservation efforts in owner-occupied homes.

This year, funding will enable 110 local Habitat affiliates to complete 295 projects, affecting nearly 700 families across the U.S. Last year, Habitat Omaha completed 130 critical home repairs on owner-occupied homes in its five-county service area. Since 2003, Lowe's and Habitat have worked together to help more than 18,000 people build or improve a place to call home.

Race for Big Dreams raises awareness, funds

More than 200 members of the Omaha community celebrated CRCC's annual Race for Big Dreams, an event dedicated to raising essential funds to support the comprehensive resources CRCC provides for children and young adults with complex medical and developmental needs.

The Race for Big Dreams supports CRCC's work as a one-of-a-kind care center for families with children who have medical, cognitive or behavioral challenges. CRCC offers weekday child care with integrated resources, including in-house specialized medical care, therapeutic services and educational support.

CRCC serves more than 600 children annually through its two centers and school-based programming.

"The children and young adults CRCC have the privilege of serving are the stars of the Race for Big Dreams event as well as our organization," said Mike Bird, CEO and president of CRCC. "A large majority of the clients in our two child care locations have complex medical and developmental needs, and CRCC raises money to ensure we can offer the specialized care they deserve seamlessly during the day."

This year's race took place on Sept. 14 at Aksarben Village and included an untimed 5K and half-mile fun walk options. New to the event this year, CRCC welcomed Omaha residents, including members of the University of Nebraska at Omaha track team, to cheer on the participants in the Lap of Champions, a special lap for CRCC and metro-area children and their families.

Roncalli coach to be honored

On Oct. 4, Omaha Roncalli will honor Roger Higgins at halftime of its home football game with Omaha Gross.

Higgins was a longtime coach, teacher, athletic director and principal at Cathedral and Bryan High Schools and Roncalli. He retired from teaching in 1992 but remained a coach at Roncalli, specifically in track. He died in 2010.

Roncalli has recently added a new turf football field and just finished a new track named Higgins Family Track.

"He loved all sports, but he had a definite affinity for track," daughter Cele Finley said.

Entries sought for photo contest

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will accept submissions for the 2024 Nebraskaland Magazine photo contest starting Tuesday.

Submissions should be made at Magazine.OutdoorNebraska.gov . To be eligible for the contest, photos should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31.

Photographers of all ages and skill levels are invited to submit photos in four categories:

Wildlife: wild mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish

Scenic: in which landmarks, scenery or inanimate objects are prominent

Recreation: people enjoying the outdoors through hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, skiing or other outdoor activities. No traditional sports images will be accepted.

Macro: native wildflowers, foliage, fruiting bodies or other parts of plants and the creepy crawly creatures that inhabit them.

All photos must be taken in Nebraska.

Submissions will be judged by Nebraskaland staff, and winning photos will be published in the January/February 2025 issue of Nebraskaland Magazine. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded in all categories, and a Best in Show prize also will be awarded.

Find the complete contest rules at Magazine.OutdoorNebraska.gov/about/photo-contest .

Nebraska Diaper Bank celebrates big milestone

The Nebraska Diaper Bank celebrated a significant milestone by distributing its 8 millionth diaper to a local mother in need last week.

The organization held a brief ceremony at Center For People in Lincoln, with remarks by Tegan Reed, executive director of Nebraska Diaper Bank.

"We are beyond proud to have provided 8 million diapers to families in need. For each diaper, there's a parent who can breathe a little easier and a baby who feels more comforted and cared for," Reed said. "The need in our community is real, and it's growing, but so is our passion to help. Every day, we're working toward a future where no family has to worry about diaper shortages — because every baby deserves to be happy, healthy and safe."

Village Pointe to hold Halloween Boo Bash

Look for a spook-tacular time at Village Pointe during its free annual Halloween Boo Bash from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 12.

The family-friendly event at 17305 Davenport St. will feature trick-or-treating, face painting, balloon artists and exciting gift card giveaways along Davenport Street.

Events:

Acorn Acres will reopen on Oct. 9

Acorn Acres, a half-acre playscape in Fontenelle Forest that introduces nature to people of all ages and comfort levels, will reopen to the public on Oct. 9 after being renovated to accommodate more abilities.

The reimagined playscape — which features natural forest materials to encourage imagination, unstructured play and confidence in nature — now incorporates accommodations for people using mobility aids and for people with needs related to sight, touch, sound sensitivity and energy level. It's also designed for caregivers of different ability levels.

A grand opening celebration, Acorn Acres Discovery Day, is scheduled for Oct. 19.

Updates include graded ground with flat paths to accommodate mobility aids and strollers; signage with high-contrast, low-glare colors and text that meet accessibility standards, as well as raised lettering and pictograms; signage translated into Spanish and Braille; plenty of seating for rest; and easy accessibility from the Riverview Boardwalk, providing a large but contained area for people to confidently explore and play in nature.

Updates to the playscape's flat paths will not be complete until later this fall. The current paths are made of decomposed granite.

People can visit with the purchase of a Fontenelle Forest day pass or membership. Acorn Acres is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the same hours as Fontenelle Forest.

'Donut dolly' to discuss Vietnam experience

During the Vietnam War, young Red Cross "donut dollies" traveled by truck and helicopter to remote firebases across South Vietnam, bringing an hour or two of games and songs to frontline U.S. troops.

One of the donut dollies, Dorris Heaston of Omaha, will tell her story at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Bennington American Legion Post 266, 15312 S. 2nd St. A light dinner will be served from 5 to 6 p.m. Donations are being accepted for the VA food pantry.

Short Takes is a compilation of lightly edited press releases from various organizations. If you'd like to have your information included, send it to at least 10 days before the item needs to run. Photos are welcomed.

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