The Foundry Brings Coworking, Coffee, Community to 14th Street

Downtown Lincoln Association Feature, Jan. 2019

Hang around executive director Randy Hawthorne at the new Foundry coffeehouse for five minutes, and he’ll have run into at least three people he knows.

Sitting in a chair by the window, he’ll wave to you before you even set foot in the place.

Building connections is second nature to Hawthorne, who has long been involved in marketing and community building in Lincoln. To him, it’s the driving force behind the new public meeting space and coffee bar attached to the Foundry coworking space on 14th street.

'Trilogy of dreams' fuels Lincoln woman's nursing career

Lincoln Journal Star, Sept. 2018

Nancy Haberstich’s nursing career has spanned more than 50 years since she decided it was her chosen path at age 5. It has taken her around the world and challenged her during times of crisis. She is not only a registered nurse, but an infection preventionist, international health educator, consultant, entrepreneur and owner of her own start-up business.

It’s the nursing career of a lifelong dreamer.

Freezing Brings an Instagram Phenomenon to Downtown

Downtown Lincoln Association, Sept. 2018

Thai rolled ice cream is a street vendor treat that became a global phenomenon this year. It isn’t your traditional ice cream cone: it starts as a milky, liquid base with fresh fruit or candy mixed in. The mixture is poured onto a freezing stainless steel plate where it is then quickly churned and flattened. Once it solidifies, it’s scraped off into tight rolls of ice cream, placed in a cup, and topped with whipped cream, fruit, candy, or whatever the heart desires.

The end result is something almost too pretty to eat and perfectly Instagrammable--so it’s no surprise the frosty desserts went viral and Thai rolled ice cream shops made their way to the Midwest.

Singing Servers in the Haymarket

Downtown Lincoln Association, Sept. 2018

Imagine a waitress that can belt a 1970s ballad as easily as she can tell you the evening’s specials.

That’s what you’ll find at Screamers, a dining and cabaret experience new this year to the Haymarket.

Kinkaider Brewery Opens Third Location in Lincoln Haymarket

Downtown Lincoln Association, Aug. 2018

A well-known Broken Bow brewery has opened its doors in the Haymarket District just in time for the Husker football season.

Tucked in alongside Iron Horse Park and Burlington Antique Mall, a neon sign points to the “taproom” and a fresh new wall of windows. It’s Kinkaider brewery, a name you might recognize emblazoned on your favorite Nebraska brews, like their “Dan the Wiser” Kölsch or their seasonal “Snow Beast” winter ale.  

Color Quest Encourages Quilting Curiosity, Hands-on Play

Downtown Lincoln Association, Aug. 2018

The Nebraska History Museum wanted to show off its growing collection of antique, Nebraska-made quilts by using something kids and adults alike could relate to: color.

At the museum’s new exhibit called Color Quest, which will be on display until January, you don’t need to be a quilt maker to understand the time and care put into every stitch of the designs.

Source Brings Healthy, On-the-Go Meals to Downtown

Downtown Lincoln Association, July 2018

Dawn Steffen’s brother Matt Zimmerman came to her with a problem: he traveled a lot for work and really needed healthier food in his life. He threw a lot of food away because he didn’t have time to cook it, and his schedule just didn’t allow him the time to maintain a healthy diet. He wished there was a way to turn "fast food" on its head--a place that had fast, but healthy, food.

Steffen, a seasoned entrepreneur, started doing some research and came up with a business solution: Source, a grab-and-go grocer with premade, healthy meals ready to heat up and enjoy.

Juice Stop Celebrates 20 Years of Business

Downtown Lincoln Association, July 2018

A post-workout ritual. A treat for the whole team. A hangover cure.

There are dozens of reasons Nebraskans keep coming back to Juice Stop for their smoothie fix, and August 8 will mark 20 years of loyal customers to the Lincoln business.

Green Flash Brewery Opens on P Street

Downtown Lincoln Association, July 2018

A taste of California has made its way to downtown Lincoln.

Green Flash Brewhouse and Eatery opened up its doors at 1630 P Street (formerly Ploughshare) in early June. The Lincoln location is Green Flash’s first out-of-state brewery; the business began in 2002 in San Diego, where the beer is hoppy and business is hopping with a 4,000 square foot tasting room and 30 beers on tap.

Downtown Lincoln’s Urban Arboretum Continues to Branch Out

Downtown Lincoln Association, June 2018

In 100 degree weather, a walk in downtown Lincoln can still be made in the shade.

It’s not an accident: downtown is one of the largest regional urban arboretums in the Midwest. The nearly 1,200 trees and 97 different species in the area are carefully identified in order to gain certification as one.

Nia Technique keeps seniors healthy, moving

Lincoln Journal Star, July 2017

Every Thursday afternoon, a small group of women gather at the Van Dorn Villa senior residential community recreation room and take off their shoes.

The room is usually used for movie nights and Bingo games, but today the chairs are pushed to the wall so there can be space to move — really move.

Instructor Holly Nastasi turns on some music with a beat and begins her class with a simple breathing exercise. The next hour will be devoted to the Nia technique — a dance fitness class that exercises the mind and spirit just as much as the body.

Lincoln cyclists Stevens, Cheuvront and Streich keep pedaling to remain active

Lincoln Journal Star, March 2017

In the days of the Big Eight, Ray Stevens was a track star -- he was the record holder in the mile run at the University of Nebraska. In 1963, he was named the Daily Nebraskan Athlete of the Year.

Following his college career, he didn’t run for 13 years.

Then, he says, he fell into a bad group of guys.

“They convinced me I could run a marathon,” Stevens said. “And Jeff Cheuvront was one of those guys.”

Former Lincoln Northeast High School cross country coach Clayton Streich soon fell into the mix, and the trio was solidified.

After running numerous marathons, the three still wanted to remain active -- but running wasn’t as fun as it used to be.

Now, as an alternate form of exercise, Stevens, Cheuvront and Streich -- at ages 76, 72 and 78, respectively -- have made cycling a daily part of their lives, and despite knee replacements and hard falls, they aren’t planning to slow down anytime soon. The three still participate in the five-day Tour de Nebraska every year.

Kit Boesch says it's never too late — or early — to start fencing

Lincoln Journal Star, July 2016

Kit Boesch will tell you she managed to do two things in 2010: She made the United States Fencing team at age 65, and she threw her back out.

Instead of traveling to Croatia to compete with the team, Boesch went home and had back surgery.

She’ll tell you it was only a minor setback.

Letters from the editors: Embrace the culture Nebraska offers

Daily Nebraskan Column, Feb 2015

Last Friday, I got to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra right here in Lincoln, only a few blocks away from my apartment.

It was an incredible experience, to say the least.

I sat in the very back row of the balcony – I could feel the nosebleed coming on – but the energy that filled the completely packed Lied Center for Performing Arts was electrifying.

CHRISTENSEN: Women can enjoy true love with Galentines

Daily Nebraskan Column, Feb. 2015

Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day.

Every year, it’s the same. Either you’ve got a significant other and can’t wait do couple-y things together, or you’re preparing your blackened, single heart for a night of wallowing in your own un-loveable stench. Maybe you’ve got a significant other and are still dreading Saturday. Either way, V-Day is a thing, whether you like it or not.

And no, believe it or not, I’m not here to share with you that being single on Valentine’s Day is actually great, and you should love yourself instead, nor will I take the stance of something along the lines of, “Valentine’s Day is a beautiful celebration of your one-and-only and gee, isn’t that swell?”

I won’t even comment on how Valentine’s Day is merely a Hallmark holiday, which began with an honest celebration of a saint and is now a capitalist, corporate heyday.

No. This year, I’m here to talk about the greatest love stories of all time: the friendships between women.

CHRISTENSEN: Anime NebrasKon allows people to be who they are

Daily Nebraskan Column, Nov. 2014

You really haven’t lived until you’ve been to a convention, or, more specifically, Anime NebrasKon.

Omaha’s Anime NebrasKon is just one among many other interest-specific conventions, or cons, cropping up all over the country. Some, like San Diego’s Comic-Con, have generated more notoriety than others, but NebKon is growing in size every year.

UNL Theatre opens season with 'UNITY (1918)'

Lincoln Journal Star, Oct. 2014

This coming week, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Theatre is opening its season with a play that will hit close to home.

And although “UNITY (1918)” is set on the Canadian prairie during the end of World War I and the height of the Spanish flu outbreak, director and assistant professor of theatre Ian Borden said the characters constantly remind him of the Nebraska community he’s surrounded with every day.

Piano virtuoso makes Lincoln debut at Lied on Tuesday

Lincoln Journal Star, Oct. 2014

Marc-André Hamelin can bring the dead back to life -- but he’s no Frankenstein.

The Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer said he finds a great reward in breathing new life into otherwise neglected pieces of music.

“I feel really privileged, actually,” said Hamelin, who will be making his Lincoln debut at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday. “It’s a special, warm feeling to be able to point people to things that they have never heard, that they might find beautiful. Then the pieces become favorites, and my work is done.”

CHRISTENSEN: I wasn't prepared for the WWE SmackDown

Daily Nebraskan Column, Sept. 2014

It’s a Tuesday night, and I’m on the floor of the Pinnacle Bank Arena rubbing shoulders with Lincolnites donning plastic masks, “BOLIEVE” t-shirts and an insatiable hunger for the fine art of professional wrestling.

The smell of sweat and unresolved tension lingers in the air, and I pee a little when the gratuitous pyrotechnics go off about 10 feet behind me.

This is the WWE SmackDown, and I am obviously not prepared.

Actor ogre-joyed to play 'Shrek'

Lincoln Journal Star, July 2014

Shawn Carlson hasn’t set foot on the Pinewood Bowl stage since he was cast in “The Wizard of Oz” back in 1999.

Now, after 15 years, Carlson’s returning with the title role in Pinewood’s “Shrek: The Musical.” And with opening night only a week away, you could say he’s, well, ogre-joyed.

“Leading roles like this for big guys are rare, so I just felt like I had to take a shot at it,” Carlson said. “It was a chance to play an exciting character with a nice arc. And it’s just so funny. I love the story.”

With accidents and parties, some college students struggle getting back security deposits

Daily Nebraskan, April 2014

Like many other 20-year-olds fresh out of a year of campus housing, the fall semester marked a momentous occasion for sophomore Tyler Loebig: his first time signing a lease.

Off-campus independence aside, Loebig soon learned that with leases come security deposits, and with security deposits come, well, losing security deposits.

“The first hole in the wall happened within the first month,” Loebig said. “I’m not even sure how it went down. One minute my roommate was running up the stairs, and the next she had her whole arm through the wall, basically. I laughed about it, but, I mean, there’s this huge-ass hole at the top of our stairs.”

Lincoln’s Ruby Begonia’s, Black Market thrive in thrift shopping market

Daily Nebraskan, April 2014

Step into Ruby Begonia’s, and you’ll be greeted with pastels, gauzy dresses and the occasional pantsuit.

No, it’s not the back of your grandmother’s closet, but Ruby’s will gladly take those gems off her hands if she’s not planning on a night on the town anytime soon.

The locally owned vintage thrift shop, located downtown on P Street, has been taking your grandpa’s style long before Macklemore had anything to say about it.

Amu Manu offers only authentic ramen noodle dishes in 300 miles

Daily Nebraskan, April 2014

If you thought ramen noodles could only be the box of cheap, crusty orange packets on your top shelf that will survive the apocalypse, it’s time to reconsider your college cuisine.

Amu Manu noodles, the former Oso Burrito located at 15th and O streets, is serving up steaming bowls of ramen. And, no, you won’t find an artificial chicken powder packet anywhere on site.

Germans from Russia Museum looks to discover, preserve history of immigrants

Daily Nebraskan, April 2014

Drive down South 9th Street, and a bright green sign pointing out the direction of the “Germans from Russia Museum” may pique your interest.

However, the idea of a museum dedicated to the heritage of such a specific group of immigrants isn’t surprising at all – more than 100,000 Germans emigrated from Russia to settle in the Midwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but uncovering the rich history of these ancestors has been an uphill battle for those looking for answers.

Tugboat Gallery’s ‘Devour & Purge’ installation presents astrological artwork

Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 2014

While Youth Lagoon’s “Afternoon” plays softly on a nearby speaker, a video projector emits the only light in the gallery. Small pieces of paper hanging from the ceiling cast shadows on the wall, and a ladder and boxes of installation material clutter the floor.

It’s Wednesday night in downtown Lincoln, and above the constant thumping from Duffy’s Tavern, Jamie Danielle Hardy is working tirelessly to finish setting up an art installation upstairs in the Tugboat Gallery before her opening on First Friday.

Despite professional advice, students continue to procrastinate

Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 2014

There are two types of people: those who start to perspire when a professor warns them that “you can’t start this assignment the night before” and those who accept the challenge.

According to Psychology Today, about 20 percent of the population identifies themselves as the latter — a procrastinator.

Like many other students, seniors Jackson Hedrick and Cory Soukup sat in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Union Runza last night instead of doing a handful of other things.

“I reckon I’ve been a procrastinator since the day I was born,” Hedrick said.

Campus Rec personal trainer finds satisfaction in helping others

Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 2014

It’s 6:15 on a Wednesday morning, cold enough outside to make anyone retreat back under the covers for the day.

For University of Nebraska-Lincoln Campus Recreation Center trainer Kelsey Turner, it’s go time.

The nutrition and health sciences graduate student is already adjusting her microphone headset to begin an early morning barbell strength class.

“It is incredibly hard to get up at 5 in the morning, but we kind of have a core group here that keeps each other going,” Turner said. “We’re all tired together, so we just try to have a good time.”

Downtown Greek restaurant differentiates itself with authentic menu, service

Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 2014

It’s 1 a.m. on a Saturday, and you’re stumbling down O Street after a night out and a series of bad decisions.

You might not look so hot anymore, but just around the corner on 14th Street is your holy grail: Ali Baba Gyros.

The Greek restaurant has been a staple for after-midnight cravings for almost 27 years since Naquibullah and Mahboob Attaie first introduced their gyros to the Lincoln community.

The brothers said they do what they do for two simple reasons.

“We love the food, and we love the customers,” Mahboob said.

Fanfiction puts fans in control of favorite stories

Daily Nebraskan, Dec. 2013

When Rachel Busskohl fell in love with the Japanese anime “Soul Eater” in high school, she fell hard.

So much, in fact, that she couldn’t quite accept it when two of her favorite characters, Soul and Maka, didn’t end up a couple at the end of the series.

One day, bored out of her mind in class, Busskohl picked up a pen and began to ask the question, “What if?”

It didn’t take long for her to find the world of fanfiction, where thousands of other fans were asking the same question about their favorite books, anime and movies.

UNL library workers attend Japanese anime conventions, dress an many characters

Daily Nebraskan, Oct. 2013

Miranda Hruska and Nicole St. Arnold lead a double life.

During the week, they work the circulation desk at Love Library. On the weekends, they’re either sporting “Mass Effect” armor or look like they’ve walked straight out of a Japanese anime.

The two said they don’t really understand the Halloween hype — it’s all pretty typical for them.

Hruska and St. Arnold are a part of the cosplay community. Short for “costume play,” cosplay is a performance art where participants dress up as characters from video games, anime, movies or pretty much anything they can pull off.

Ghosts of Lincoln Bus Tours tell positive, negative paranormal experiences

Daily Nebraskan, Oct. 2013

Scott Colborn starts every one of his Lincoln bus tours with a simple question.

“Who here has seen a ghost?”

Many hands will slowly raise — but Colborn’s is always first.

The Lincoln native has been a host of the “Exploring Unexplained Phenomena” radio program on KZUM 89.3 FM since 1984. He’s also a paranormal researcher, guitar teacher, father, and organizer of the Ghosts of Lincoln Bus Tours that will be making rounds this month.

Lincoln’s Spirit Halloween embraces spooky holiday

Daily Nebraskan, Oct. 2013

Spirit Halloween doesn’t do the holiday halfway.

After all, it wouldn’t be a Halloween shop without a motion-sensor demon fortune teller to greet you when you walk in (spoiler: your fortune won’t likely be pleasant.)

The seasonal store, located on North 48th Street, across from Target, is one of 1,100 Spirit Halloween locations across the country open for three months of the year.

“It’s fun,” said manager Kim Peters of Lincoln, who has worked at the store every Halloween for the past seven years. “It’s like a three month vacation job.”

Rising out-of-state tuition puts limits on college students

Daily Nebraskan, Sept. 2013

Is there really no place like Nebraska?

With out-of-state tuition rising every year, some students say their college experience is becoming as drab as the cobwebs collecting in their savings account, but others believe leaving the state for education is overrated.

Either way, University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have something to say about what being here means to them. And no matter the Husker pride, it’s the price tag that’s keeping the majority of Nebraska students in their home state.

Goodwill Hunting: A guide to Lincoln's Goodwills

Daily Nebraskan, Sept. 2013

So you’re a broke college student in need of many student loans to pay for a quality education. However, no amount of intellectual stimulation could ever take the place of your endless need for useless shit.

Lucky for you, Macklemore says it’s cool to buy things second-hand now, and also lucky for you, Lincoln has five Goodwill locations for you to choose from. But which one is worthy of tag-popping? Here’s the lowdown for your own Goodwill Hunting, sans Robin Williams:

Community CROPS plots grow vegetables, individual relationships with nature

Daily Nebraskan, April 2013

For some, a garden is more than just a patch of soil. It’s a family activity, a healthy alternative, a memory of home or simply an escape from day-to-day life. Community CROPS is here to give the people of Lincoln a little piece of Earth of their own.

Community CROPS (Combining Resources, Opportunities, and People for Sustainability) began in 2003 with one community garden in the Lincoln area.

Ingrid Kirst took over as executive director of the organization in the summer of 2005 after volunteering with the local gardening movement.

“Community CROPS was just a bunch of people who came together and decided that having a garden would be a good social statement about how people can grow their own food,” Kirst said.

Lincoln photographer returns to refugee roots for documentary

Daily Nebraskan, April 2013

For Wesaam Al-Badry, a camera isn’t just a camera.

Growing up in a refugee camp in the shadow of war, it was hope. Facing a violent path in adolescence, it was an escape. Now, it’s a way for the 29-year-old photographer to show the world what strength, resilience and the human spirit means through his own lens.

And he’s not going to sit still and let the world pass him by.

Kill County releases new record despite distance

Daily Nebraskan, April 2013

It’s a Sunday afternoon, the sun is hot on the dashboard and singer-songwriter Ringo of Kill County is driving through the Nebraska plains from Michigan. He’s finally meeting up with the rest of the band in Lincoln to release its new record at the Zoo Bar, the band’s third full-length album since 2007.

Josh James, the other half of Kill County’s lead vocals and lyrics, already made the drive up to Nebraska from Austin, Texas, and drummer Brad Kindler is flying in from Africa, while Jon Augustine and Joe Salvati round out the rest of the group.

If anything is going to separate Kill County’s Lincoln-native, country-folk sound, it won’t be the miles.

Funk group Here Come the Mummies unwraps depth of band's undead personas

Daily Nebraskan, March 2013

Whoever said the undead can’t be the life of the party needs a reality check.

Because despite tattered bandages and “the stench of 2,000 years,” Here Come the Mummies sure do know how to throw down a funky beat.

Made up of 13 musicians, Here Come the Mummies has been active since 2000 and are based in Nashville, Tenn., but that’s about the absolute extent of public knowledge — the rest is literally kept under wraps.

Each musician — although it’s a widespread rumor that at least a few of them are well-known — has a mummy moniker (such as Mummy Cass, Eddie Mummy and K.W. Tut) and dresses in bandages from head to toe. The members’ identities are the band’s best-kept secret, and you won’t have any luck scouring the Internet for answers.

Piano players: Three artists behind Lincoln’s keyboard resurgence

Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 2013

There’s something about a set of ivory and black keys that has mesmerized musicians for generations and generations.

Maybe it’s the instrument’s simplicity or its versatility, but the piano plays an important role in the process of creating music for artists from a broad spectrum of genres. Powerful Science’s sci-fi synth, AZP’s soulful jams and Josh Hoyer and The Shadowboxers' country-blues have one thing in common: it all begins with the pianist.

Rex Walton leaves Poetry at the Moon, reflects on writing

Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 2013

If you’re looking for Rex Walton, he just might be sipping on a cappuccino — “classic, no foam” — while reading the latest edition of Prairie Schooner and taking inspiration from his surroundings as people drift in and out of Crescent Moon Coffee.

Walton, who has been writing poetry for more than 20 years, has a love for the spoken word just as deep as the written word. Ten years ago he began Poetry at the Moon, a weekly reading series at Crescent Moon where writers gather for conversation and to listen to each one another’s poetry.

After a decade of organizing featured poets at the coffeehouse, Walton is ready to hand over the reins.

UNL students scramble for Coca-Cola fix under Pepsi contract

Daily Nebraskan, Jan. 2013

University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are all Coked up.

We’re not talking Charlie Sheen, but the bubbly beverage is so hard to get your hands on at a Pepsi campus, it may as well be a black market drug.

“When I found out there wasn’t any Coke on campus, I was flipping tables in the dining hall,” said Zach Kyle, a freshman theater major. “Honestly, had I known UNL was a Pepsi campus, it probably would have affected my college decision.”

Kyle said Coca-Cola fans don’t joke around about their drink of choice. He is one of many students on campus who will go to great lengths to get their daily carbonated fix.

“I’ll get my friends to drive me to McDonald’s or wherever just to get a Coke,” Kyle said. “I’ll never resort to drinking Pepsi. I can smell the difference.”

UNL student finds success writing for Lincoln’s Red Theater

Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 2012

Zac Franzen will tell you that everything he does is entirely for his audience.

A junior international relations major and artistic and managing director of the Red Theater in Lincoln, Franzen began acting when he was 8 years old and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

Franzen first came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a theater performance major.

“I stuck with that for two semesters, then I began to hate the department here at UNL,” Franzen said. “So I went and auditioned for Juilliard in Chicago and got accepted into their school for performing arts.”

International students experience new friendship, community isolation on campus

Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 2012

It’s a Monday night and friends Craig Mayfield and Jungang Li are eating dinner at Selleck Dining Hall as usual.

Mayfield, a senior civil engineering major, and Li, a marketing graduate student from China, met rock climbing at the Campus Recreation Center.

“Harry will tell you all he does is study,” Mayfield teased Li, “but I think he knows how to have fun.”

“I really don’t have fun!” said Li, who prefers to be called Harry Potter in the United States, with a smile. “I study every day. If you want to know what I do for fun, ask Craig. He’s my only American friend.”

The two University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are usually busy with school but always make time to grab some food together in the dining hall.

Week of vegan diet incurs grumbling stomach, newfound admiration

Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 2012

Going vegan for the first time in your life is a lot like when you pour a bowl of cereal, only to realize the milk is gone. Then you search the fridge for something else for breakfast, and it turns out there’s only a bottle of ketchup and a few leftover soy sauce packets, so you end up going back to sleep, comforted only by a bag of frozen peas you hope will thaw out soon.

My first day as a vegan has been filled with confusion and the realization that basically everything I eat contains some form of dairy or eggs or is meat. After a meal last night that resembled The Last Supper, I was vulnerable and didn’t know what to do, so all I ate was half a box of fruit snacks. Granted, they were gluten-free, but that was Vegan Fail No. 1, because a true vegan probably wouldn’t eat something that claims it’s fruit but looks like a smiley face.