Category: Omaha

Thursday, September 3

Build Your Modern Onboarding Blueprint
10:00 AM–12:00 PM; check-in begins at 9:30 AM
Catalyst Omaha
4601 Catalyst Court
Omaha, NE 68106
Registration required
A hands-on business workshop for HR leaders covering automated employee onboarding, workflow planning and retention measurement
https://your.omahachamber.org/events/Details/build-your-modern-onboarding-blueprint-a-2-hour-automation-masterclass-for-hr-leaders-1889560?rendermode=print

Nights at The Joslyn — Stories in Art
5:00–8:00 PM
Joslyn Art Museum
2200 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Free
Food and drinks cost extra
An evening of gallery activities, artmaking and special programs exploring stories represented through art
https://joslyn.org/events/nights-at-the-joslyn-24

Friday, September 4

LIII Convención Hispana de Alcohólicos Anónimos 
11:00 AM–11:00 PM
CHI Health Center Omaha
455 N. 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
The first day of the 53rd Hispanic Alcoholics Anonymous Convention for the United States and Canada
https://chihealthcenteromaha.com/event/liii-convencion-hispana-de-alcoholicos-anonimos
https://www.liiiconvencionhispanausacanada.org

Afro Fest Tech Day
5:00–8:00 PM
The Ashton at Millwork Commons
1229 Millwork Avenue
Omaha, NE 68102
Free
Registration requested
Networking, technology exhibits, AI panels and a small-business workshop intended to expand access to technology in African and Afro-diasporic communities
https://afromaha.com/afro-fest-tech-day

La Festa Italiana
6:00–11:00 PM
Il Palazzo
5110 N. 132nd Street
Omaha, NE 68164
Tickets needed
The American Italian Heritage Society’s annual celebration features Italian food, cultural traditions, children’s activities and dancing to The 70’s Band beginning at 8:00 PM.
https://omahaitaly.com/events-bad/la-festa-italiana

Midtown Mix featuring Post Service Collective
6:00–8:00 PM
Turner Park Terrace
3110 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68131
Free
An outdoor neighborhood concert featuring the Omaha funk band Post Service Collective
https://midtowncrossing.com/things-to-do/events

Friday Night Flicks-Zootopia 2
7:30–9:00 PM
Gene Leahy Mall
1001 Douglas Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Free
An outdoor family movie night with lawn games, giveaways, food trucks, face painting and free popcorn
https://theriverfrontomaha.com/events

Saturday, September 5

LIII Convención Hispana de Alcohólicos Anónimos — Day Two
7:00 AM–11:00 PM
CHI Health Center Omaha
455 N. 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Registration required
The second day of the Hispanic Alcoholics Anonymous Convention for the United States and Canada
https://chihealthcenteromaha.com/event/liii-convencion-hispana-de-alcoholicos-anonimos

Omaha Farmers Market — Old Market
8:00 AM–12:30 PM
Old Market, 11th and Jackson Streets
Omaha, NE 68102
Free
Approximately 100 vendors offer produce, baked goods, meats, flowers, crafts and prepared foods. SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks are accepted.

Saturday | Old Market

Monarch Tagging
9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Lauritzen Gardens, Quinn Oasis and Amphitheater
100 Bancroft Street
Omaha, NE 68108
Included with paid garden admission; free for garden members
Experts from the AAZK Omaha Chapter demonstrate how monarch butterflies are captured, tagged and released for migration research. No advance registration is required.
https://www.facebook.com/LauritzenGardens/posts/1535066155316851

Level Up Job, Housing and Resource Fair
11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Gene Leahy Mall at The RiverFront
1001 Douglas Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Free
Employers, housing organizations and community groups provide hiring opportunities, homeownership guidance, career coaching, financial resources and family activities.
https://www.freedomtainment.com/level-up-job-and-housing-fair

Art-Tastic Saturdays – Stories in Art
11:00 AM–2:00 PM
Joslyn Art Museum
2200 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Free
All-ages art activities include an American Midwest Ballet presentation, gallery sketching, artmaking, an Art Cart and a designated quiet space.
https://joslyn.org/events/art-tastic-saturday-13

Afro Fest Omaha
2:00–10:00 PM
Sonny’s Builders District
724 N. 16th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Tickets needed
A celebration of African and African-diaspora culture featuring music, dance, fashion, food, arts and crafts, a children’s area, technology activities and more than 80 vendors
https://afromaha.com

LOVAM Jazz Festival
4:30–10:00 PM
Turner Park Pavilion
3110 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68131
Free
The 14th annual outdoor jazz festival features Eric Darius, Vincent Ingala and Jessy J.
https://midtowncrossing.com/things-to-do/events

La Festa Italiana -Saturday
5:00–11:00 PM
Il Palazzo
5110 N. 132nd Street
Omaha, NE 68164
Tickets needed
Italian food, cultural activities and family entertainment, with dancing to Taxi Driver beginning at 8:00 PM
https://omahaitaly.com/events-bad/la-festa-italiana

Unity Fest
7:00–11:00 PM
Gene Leahy Mall Pavilion
1001 Douglas Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Free ticket required; paid VIP option available
Freedomtainment and Casa de la Cultura present music and cultural performances intended to connect Omaha’s neighborhoods and diverse communities.
https://www.freedomtainment.com/unity-fest

Sunday, September 6

LIII Convención Hispana de Alcohólicos Anónimos
7:00 AM–11:59 PM
CHI Health Center Omaha
455 N. 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Registration information is provided by the convention; the accessible official pages do not publish the fee
The concluding day of the Hispanic Alcoholics Anonymous Convention for the United States and Canada
https://chihealthcenteromaha.com/event/liii-convencion-hispana-de-alcoholicos-anonimos

Omaha Farmers Market- Aksarben Village
9:00 AM–1:00 PM
67th Street and Mercy Road
Omaha, NE 68106
Free
Local produce, foods, plants and specialty goods, with SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks accepted
https://omahafarmersmarket.com/aksarben-village

La Festa Italiana — Sunday
12:00–11:00 PM
Il Palazzo
5110 N. 132nd Street
Omaha, NE 68164
Tickets needed
The final festival day includes Italian food and cultural activities, with dancing to ECKO beginning at 8:00 PM.
https://omahaitaly.com/events-bad/la-festa-italiana

 

This is OmahaNebraska.com with…

Olga Sannikova.

Tell me a little bit about yourself: how you got here and what you did before you were a pilot.

I am originally from Latvia, and I grew up in Canada. I moved to the States in 2001 right after high school.

I started flying in high school. I took my first intro lesson, and I instantly fell in love. From there I started working random jobs to pay for flying. I continued flying small GA planes like Cessnas. I flew photographers. I did scenic tours. I also volunteered with animal shelter organizations, flying animals to rescue centers. But throughout that time I worked as a piano teacher, so for about 20 years my full-time job was a piano teacher and my side jobs were flying. But my dream was also to be a pilot.

In 2020 I purchased my first airplane. I bought an experimental home-built RV-4, and I started formation flying. I joined a formation team, and that was my first exposure to air shows. I still fly with them, Dawn Patrol air shows, and I continued on. Also in 2020 I got my first jet job, and I started flying for a medevac company. We flew organs and flew them all over the West Coast, and then I got on with a company called NetJets and I fly a Global 6000.

But my air show experience and my jet experience was what led me to the Pink Jet. And the two combined are what got me a recommendation from a good friend of mine, Jason Soames, who volunteers for CAF and flies numerous airplanes, including a MiG-17. And so he was the one that recommended me to the Pink Jet organization. I interviewed with them, and now I am privileged and fortunate enough to get to be a volunteer pilot with Aerial Angels.

Tell us a little bit about Pink Jet.

Pink Jet is a nonprofit organization. It is Aerial Angels. The plane is owned by the nonprofit, and we are all volunteer pilots. Myself, Olga Sannikova, and Stephanie Goetz, our president, are the two female pilots, and we travel to air shows and we do speaking engagements and meet with the crowd. We also have several volunteer pilots as well. There’s four others that help with ferrying, with maintenance, and all sorts of other things. The organization is run entirely on volunteers and donations.

What’s the website or contact information for that?

The best way to connect with us and to find out more about us online is “thepinkjet.org” and on Instagram it’s “thepinkjet. The thing I should have mentioned about the pink jet is our ultimate mission, which is breast cancer awareness and early detection. We emphasize early testing for breast cancer. We also empower women in aviation and try to encourage young women and girls to pursue a career in aviation and show them that even though it’s primarily a male-dominated field, there is still room and a place for women to fly.

Any advice for young people wanting to become a pilot?

I think the advice is that it could be a tough road depending on what route you take. A lot of it depends also on industry and whether they need pilots or there’s a shortage of pilots. Sometimes it takes a while to get hired as a pilot, regardless of how many hours you have. But the advice would be stick it out, stick with it, keep working at it, keep trying. If you ever have a bad day, don’t let it get to you, just keep trying and working through it. It’s tough, it’s a steep learning curve, but it’s well worth it.

That’s great advice for everyone.

Yeah, great advice in life. If it doesn’t work out and if it’s harder, then it’s probably even more worth it just to keep fighting on.

Thank you very much. Is there a question you wish I would have asked or something you want to tell us that I haven’t put the seat out there for?

Gosh, I guess if it’s applicable, professional aviation was always my dream, but it is my second career. Sometimes with our final goal, the thing that we want to do most, there are different ways to get to it and it’s not necessarily a direct path, but it really is a journey. So after 20 years of working with kids and teaching piano, I was able to put myself in a position where I could wait out the hiring slump in aviation and 20 years later was able to finally apply for my dream job. I did love teaching, so teaching was also my dream job unexpectedly as well.

I don’t think many people are fortunate to have their first job be the one they really love.

Yeah, my first job was pizza delivery driver. I was a waitress, I was a nanny, I did all sorts of jobs to pay for flight lessons, and then out of all the random things I did, piano took off, and I ended up loving it and really enjoying it. So yes, I was fortunate to find something that really made me happy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Learn more about the Pink Jet:
https://thepinkjet.org
https://www.instagram.com/thepinkjet

This is OmahaNebraska.com with…

I am First Lieutenant Katherine O’Meara, and I am part of Civil Air Patrol. Civil Air Patrol is the Air Force auxiliary, and we focus on cadet programs, aerospace education, and emergency services. Our cadet program teaches youth age 12 to 18 leadership skills, aerospace skills, and some of those emergency services skills. Our aerospace education focuses on different topics, and then we also have badges such as model rocketry. Our emergency services focus on disaster relief. For example, if a tornado comes through, we can either fly to assess the damages or we can do some groundwork after that.

How did you get involved?

I got involved when I was 14, so I’ve spent almost five years in the program. What actually happened is I read a book by an astronaut whose name is Chris Hadfield. He’s a Canadian astronaut, and he did this as a kid. I was like, “I want to do that because I want to be an astronaut.” I’m currently studying aerospace engineering.

Where are you studying?

I am studying at University of Missouri, Science and Technology.

So you’ll be going back for school?

Yes.

For those who are interested in the program, how can they get involved?

To get involved, the first step is to visit the National Civil Air Patrol website. Type “Civil Air Patrol” into Google to find our website [https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com]. The next step is to find a squadron near you. For example, Offutt Composite Squadron meets on base. We’re in the little building next to the BX, and we meet on Thursday nights starting at 6:30. But there are squadrons all over the state and all over the country. We even have squadrons in Puerto Rico. So truly anyone can get involved.

Thank you.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Learn more at: 
https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com

This is OmahaNebraska.com with…

John Mummery, and I’m with the Commemorative Air Force.

Tell us a little bit about the Commemorative Air Force and what you do.

The Commemorative Air Force is a worldwide non-profit organization that operates World War II aircraft. We operate the largest fleet in the world, about 175 flying aircraft from World War II.

Tell me a little bit about this particular plane and what it did.

We’re here today at the Offutt Air Force Base Show. We’re based out of Grand Junction, Colorado, and what we flew here today is a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber from World War II.

Is that similar to a P-3?

No, this would have been the largest of aircraft deployed to U.S. carriers in World War II, and it carried a single 2,000-pound torpedo, primarily used against Japanese shipping in World War II.

And tell us a little bit about yourself and what you did before and then why you’re with the CAF.

Okay, so I’m retired, and this is really my retirement gig. I just love old World War II aircraft. I love going to shows and trying to foster our mission, which is really to kind of educate people about World War II and the heroes of World War II, as well as inspire younger generations using the example of what people did in the war, and inspire the younger generations along similar paths of excellence.

World War II was a very remarkable time. So many people stepping up to the plate and doing things they didn’t even know they could do.

That’s correct. One of the things I love talking to younger people about is the fact that the men that served in these aircraft were all in their late teens and early 20s. I try to inspire them by saying they’re in the same age group, and they have the same opportunities today as back then, if they think about it. They just have to seek out those opportunities and they can perform just like the so-called Greatest Generation performed as well.

Is there a particular mission for this one that sticks out in your mind?

Well, this one, yes. This one’s unique because it is an actual combat veteran. Now, it was delivered in 1945 with the intention of being deployed for the invasion of Japan. It never got deployed because the war ended. However, very quickly it went into service with the Canadian Navy, and it served for a number of years in anti-submarine patrol in the North Atlantic off of Canadian aircraft carriers.

That’s why I was thinking of the other more modern aircraft.

Exactly. So it actually was the precursor—you’re correct—of the P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft. The other interesting thing is that other than being a carrier combat veteran of the Cold War, this aircraft was selected due to its missions. It was selected to be one of only 12 aircraft that honored the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, and it flew over her coronation in 1953.

It was in active Canadian service, and she chose it to represent the Commonwealth of Canada for her coronation.

Wow.

Yes. It also served in some movies, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It was in that movie. We’ve restored it to what it would have looked like had it gone to the invasion of Japan. That’s how we’ve restored its look. But it’s really a veteran of the Canadian Cold War.

It takes a tremendous amount of money, even with a modern plane, to keep it up and all of that. Tell us about some of the restoration work for this and for your other planes and how people can get involved.

The Commemorative Air Force has what we call wings or squadrons all over the country. The closest one to Omaha is based in Council Bluffs, and it’s called the Great Plains Squadron, but we have them all over the country. People can volunteer for those squadrons to either help restore aircraft or help keep them flying. The typical World War II aircraft now for restoration will take about 20 years to restore. They’re very, very long projects. This one took us about 10 years to restore. and has been flying actively on tour since the early ’80s.

Does your organization have a website?

Yes, the Rocky Mountain Wing of the Commemorative Air Force has a website at rmwcaf.org.

I’m sure there’s a donation button there…

There is a donation button there. [ https://rmwcaf.org/donate-and-support-the-rmw ] There’s also a link to our rides button. One of the most unique things we do is to offer rides in a lot of our aircraft to the general public.  [ https://rmwcaf.org/warbird-rides  ] That’s an unbelievable experience. Our absolute most favorite thing that we do on tour—and it’s getting more rare—is to be able to give a ride to an actual World War II veteran who served in the actual aircraft. This year in St. George, Utah, we flew a 101-year-old veteran who was a ball turret gunner in a TBM Avenger. Those people are disappearing, but it’s amazing to fly them. If we don’t fly them, another wonderful thing we like to do is to offer tours or flights to the children and grandchildren of World War II veterans. That gives them the connection.

It’s very important to keep history alive and these amazing aircraft, so thank you very much.

Thank you.

Links:

Rocky Mountain Wing CAF
https://rmwcaf.org

Great Plains Squadron
https://www.greatplainswingcaf.org/Great_Plains_Wing/index.html