Star City Blog

Star City Blog Short Story Contest Deadline is May 1st!

Don't forget to send us your short stories by the May 1st deadline! We will continue to accept them until 11:59 p.m. on May 1st, with the contest officially closing at 12:00 a.m. Continue reading to refresh your memory on the contest guidelines. We look forward to hearing from you!

Submit a fictional short story following the theme “Survival in Tough Times” and have the chance to win $150. Runners up will win $75 and $50.

The contest will end May 1st, with the winners being announced at a later date.

Innovation through Imagination Camp Inspires Creativity at the Lincoln Children’s Museum April 30th

On Friday, April 30, the Lincoln Children’s Museum invites K-5 students to attend Innovation through Imagination (Rube Goldberg Machines) camp, where they’ll create elaborate sets of arms, wheels and gears out of everyday items to trigger a chain reaction that will make simple tasks extraordinarily complicated and exceptionally fun.

In addition to creating inventions of their own, Innovation through Imagination campers will learn the history of Rube Goldberg, a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor and author, whose background in engineering lead him to become one of the wackiest inventors of all time.

What's Happening in Lincoln This Spring and Summer?

Spring is in the air and the warming winds blowing around us hint that summer isn't too far away. Accompanying the weather and its rapid changes are a variety of fun and unique events and festivities going on in the Lincoln area.

Listed below are only a small taste of some of the events Lincoln and the surrounding area will see this spring and summer, so be sure to regularly check in to Star City Blog for info on all the great things happening in the Capital City!

Old Cheney Road Farmers Market - April 25th - November 7th
The Farmers’ Market begins its sixth season of providing our community with harvested in-season heirloom and traditional produce, artisan breads and cheeses, homemade baked goods, wild-crafted and traditional jams and jellies, honey, meats, fish and eggs, bedding plants and planters. Weekly, the Nebraska Master Gardener Program has a prominent spot at this market.  Their volunteers are available to educate and answer questions that market customers might have.

Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. every Sunday
Location: Old Cheney Center, 56th Street and Old Cheney Road
www.oldcheneyroadfarmersmarket.com

Sign Up by April 30th to Learn How to Salsa, Merengue and Rumba!

Don your dancing shoes and join us for Latin dance lessons with the Sheldon Art Association. Dance the night away in 4 fun weeks of lessons on Wednesday evenings at the DelRay Ballroom.

Plus, whether you're dancing a fiery salsa or a smoldering rumba, the ballroom will be available to you during the entire month of May to revel in the music!

Celebrate Arbor Day April 30th at the Nature Explore Classroom in Pioneers Park Nature Center

Here’s a great way the whole family can celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 30th: Attend the dedication of the newly certified Nature Explore Classroom at Pioneers Park Nature Center.

The dedication of Pioneers Park Nature Center Natural Play Area will be held April 30th – which is National Arbor Day – from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., and all families are welcome to attend the celebration. Pioneers Park Nature Center is located at 3201 S. Coddington in Lincoln.

During the event, families can explore the certified Nature Explore Classroom, take a discovery hike and experience the wonders of trees and the natural world on a spring evening, and spend time outdoors with friends and loved ones. Families are also encouraged to bring their own picnic supper and blanket.

PODCAST: Blog Talk Live: Interviews with Nolan Tredway and Nick Prueher

By Dennis Kornbluh

In tonight's program I'll talk to Nolan Tredway, a Lincoln-based artist who works in a variety of different mediums. He paints, sculpts, has created at least one music video, and seems generally unrestrained in terms of the forms in which he chooses to express his art. 

He is also the curator of the Tugboat Gallery, a joint venture with Peggy Gomez, which is located on the second floor at 116 N. 14th Street above Gomez Art Supply. Tugboat shows the work of numerous emerging and established artists.

This evening's show will be video simulcast on UStream.tv so that you can both hear about and see some of Tredway's art.  Click here during the show to watch the live video: http://www.starcityblog.com/blog-talk-live.html.

Craig Brester to Open Cornhusker State Games Torch Run May 3rd

University of Nebraska Wrestler and Howells native Craig Brester, who was recently named UNL’s 2010 Male Student-Athlete of the Year, will serve as the honorary first runner for the 2010 Cornhusker State Games Torch Run.
            
The Torch Run, which is sponsored by the Nebraska Air National Guard and Army National Guard, begins Monday, May 3rd at 2:30 p.m. with a brief staging ceremony at the Nebraska-Wyoming border on Highway 26 west of Morrill. 
            
Brester will hand the torch off to Husker women’s basketball recruit Jordan Hooper. Hooper, a prep standout from Alliance, will carry the Torch for the second mile of its 1,000-mile journey across Nebraska.

Science Odyssey: Hell Hath No Fury Like an Angry Volcano

After Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano blew its top, European air traffic was paralyzed and thousands of travelers on both sides of the Atlantic were stranded. In this week's episode, we talk with the Smithsonian Institute's Ed Venzke about the Icelandic volcano and why its ash is so dangerous to aircraft. Then we speak with volcanolgist Tobias Fischer (at left) about why some volcanoes are pussycats and others are tigers. Finally, we hear from geologist David Loope about the supervolcano building up pressure under Yellowstone National Park.

Volcano, Part 1 16:53

Volcano, Part 2 08:21

Clay Farris Naff is (claynaff.com) is a science author and blogger whose weekly radio program, Science Odyssey, airs Saturday mornings from 8:30 - 9:00 Central Time on KZUM, Lincoln's community radio station. You can hear it over the air at 89.3 FM or on the web live at kzum.org. Clay's science-and-religion blog on the Huffington Post can be seen here.

Get Enlightened at the Ignite Lincoln Event April 29th

A new event will be hitting Lincoln's downtown scene featuring a series of amusing, rapid-fire, 5-minute presentations. Ignite Lincoln will bring the community some enlightened local entertainment. 16 talented, interesting speakers were identified and chosen to present on the Bourbon Theatre's stage, Thursday, April 29.

The Ignite format consists of giving each of the 16 presenters 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds following the motto of “enlighten us, but make it quick.” Speakers come from all backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, technologists, do-it-yourselfers, creative professionals, and enthusiastic knowledge-seekers.

Experience the North Lincoln Art Crawl May 7th

On Friday, May 7, Against the Wall Gallery, Heart of Gold Jewelers, International Quilt Study Center & Museum, LUX Center for the Arts, Mo Java Café, 9 Muses Studio, and the lichen will participate in the North Lincoln Art Crawl. 

International Quilt Study Center & Museum Communications Coordinator, Maureen Ose says, “The North Lincoln Art Crawl is another great opportunity to shine a light on the quantity and quality of the arts and culture available in our North Lincoln neighborhoods.” 

Gallery maps will be provided at each of the galleries.