Joe Samba + Cydeways
All ages reggae rock concert featuring Joe Samba and Cydeways
8:00 PM
Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave., Omaha, NE 68104 https://reverblounge.com/events/
2025 Benefit Art Auction
Annual art auction supporting local artists and exhibitions
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
724 S. 12th Street Omaha, NE 68102 https://www.bemiscenter.org/events/benefit
17 October, Friday
Scary Movie Music with the Omaha Symphony (also Saturday)
The Omaha Symphony performs classic horror movie soundtracks
7:30 PM
Holland Center, 1200 Douglas St., Omaha, NE 68102 https://www.omahasymphony.org
Moose’s Monster Bash 2
Halloween-themed local concert featuring multiple bands
8:00 PM
6121 Military Ave, Omaha, NE https://reverblounge.com/events/
18 October, Saturday
Scary Movie Music with the Omaha Symphony
The Omaha Symphony performs classic horror movie soundtracks
7:30 PM
Holland Center, 1200 Douglas St, Omaha, NE 68102 https://www.omahasymphony.org
Joe Samba comes to Omaha on Thursday at the Reverb Lounge!
Colorful flyer of elephant with sunglasses playing the guitar while jungle animals watch on with text, “JOE SAMBA CYDEWAYS, OCTOBER 16, REVERB LOUNGE, OMAHA. NE”
Reverb Lounge
6121 Military Ave.
Omaha, NE 68104
402-884-5707
Visit and support First Lutheran Church fundraiser for the Neighborgood Pantry with Oktoberfest! Enjoy German music, food and hospitality on 11 October.
Home-made German food is served from 11 AM-1 PM and 5-7 PM.
First Lutheran Church
420 North Washington Street
Papillion, Nebraska 68046
My name is Sibhat Gebre Michael. Currently, I’m the owner of Lalibela Restaurant.
So, you were talking to me a little bit about the history of the restaurant…
Yeah, the restaurant has been open the last 15 years, since 2010. Since then, it has been a family business. Nothing changed, everybody’s the same. The only difference is the owner’s name. Everybody’s still doing the same thing.
The menu has changed a little bit. Can you tell us about the menu?
Do you think it’s changed? I don’t think it’s changed. We got a new print and a new picture we took, but we kept the same menu ever since the restaurant opened.
So everything is the same?
Everything is the same.
We might take out some items, but for now, everything is the same. In the future, we’re trying to expand more. We’re trying to add more desserts. That’s in the future, and we’ll see.
You have some very classic Ethiopian foods, and I’ve tried many of the dishes, and I just love them. My favorite, as everybody here knows, is Gored Gored.
Gored Gored, a cubed beef dish with salad and pepper mixture is shown on injera (flat circular bread made from teff)
Yes, we do, we do.
Please tell me a little bit about your food.
The only thing I would say is Ethiopian food is different than any other food. It’s like, even the spice we make, the Berbere or the Doro Wot, it’s different. It tastes different. We cook it for longer, and we have more spices in it. And yeah, my favorite one is combination. For the first-time people, I recommend a combination, which is every Ethiopian food, and you get it in a smaller portion, so on one plate pretty much you can try literally Ethiopia.
What kind of spices do you use?
The spice we use is called Berbere. Berbere has over 17 kinds of spices in it to make that different, distinguished taste.
I love that.
Yeah.
And tell us a little bit about the bread.
We call it injera bread. It’s made out of Teff flour, and it’s gluten-free, so it’s pretty much a healthy food to have.
I really enjoy that…the bread and all the spices and all of that. It’s probably good I don’t live nearby, because if I did live nearby I’d be here all the time because the food is so good here.
Yes, it is.
And the people are so good here. Both mean a lot to me.
All right, thank you.
Please tell us a little bit about your journey here as owner. What did you do before? How did you become the owner?
It’s a family business. My uncle is the one who started Lalibela. The opportunity came, and I just jumped in. And now I’m the owner, and we’re running it as a family. Even though I’m the owner, it’s just a family business.
The family touch is really evident in everything.
Yes.
Special low table for coffee preparation and serving, includes cups, sugar and incense
Like you see right here, this is pretty much a display of how Ethiopians drink coffee. This is for a ceremony, a holiday ceremony. People gather…family, friends, they come together like me and you right now.
And somebody sits down right there, you see, like the lady, pretty much somebody sits right there and makes coffee from scratch. They brew, they grind it, and what you see is they understand coffee. The smell puts you in a good mood, good spirit. That’s how people start their morning. They drink coffee with the family, and they go about their day, and they come home at night.
Any foods or dishes that you would like to talk about a little bit more? Or anything you want people to come here to try?
I would say the vegetarian is really good food. I recommend the vegetarian and the combination because it’s really different. I don’t know how to explain it, but like so many flavors in one big plate, so the experience is something you never had before.
I haven’t had the vegetarian one since you became owner, but there’s this cabbage…
Yeah.
I love that.
It’s the same thing …
Family recipe?
Yes, family recipe is passed down, so yeah.
I think those are always the best.
Yes, they are.
You have tea and do you have coffee now?
Yes, we have Ethiopian spice tea, and we have Ethiopian coffee, too. So the coffee is a little bit strong, but it’s really good. The originator of coffee… really, coffee comes from the region of Kaffa. That’s the original coffee. That really came from the Ethiopian word Kaffa. So we’re known as coffee drinkers. Yes.
Thank you very much.
All right, thank you, thank you.
Exterior of Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
Visit for yourself and enjoy the great food and hospitality of this Omaha restaurant.
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant 4422 Cass St, Omaha, NE 68131
Imagine… OHB’s Annual Fundraising Event
Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: The Barn at the Ackerhurst Dairy Farm, Bennington, NE 68007
Description: An inspiring evening supporting youth and family programs with dinner, auction, and speakers. https://ohb.org/events/imagine2025/
Late Nights at the Zoo: Croctoberfest
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium,3701 S 10th St, Omaha, NE 68107
Description: A unique adults-only evening featuring beer tastings, food, and special zoo experiences. https://www.omahazoo.com/special-events https://www.omahazoo.com
Joslyn Castle Vendor Fair
Time: 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Joslyn Castle & Gardens, Omaha, NE 68131
Description: A special evening event featuring local artists, live music, and open castle tours. https://www.joslyncastle.com
Holland 20th Anniversary Concert
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St, Omaha, NE
Description: Celebrate 20 years of the Holland Center with a special symphonic performance. https://www.omahasymphony.org/season/2025-26-season
JR Robinson Band Concert
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: North Omaha Music & Arts (NOMA), 2510 N 24th St, Omaha, NE https://northomahamusic.org/events/
5 October, Sunday
Our Turn – Relaxed Concert
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Holland Performing Arts Center, Omaha, NE
Description: An inclusive and sensory-friendly concert designed for all ages and abilities. https://www.omahasymphony.org/calendar/2025-10
9th Annual Porchfest OMA
Time: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Location: Gifford Park Neighborhood (North 33rd & California), Omaha, NE
Description: A community festival with over 80 performances, art vendors, food, and family activities spread across porches and streets. https://www.omahamobilestage.org/events/9th-annual-porchfest-omaha-ne
24th Annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk & Family Festival
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Heartland of America Park, 800 Douglas St, Omaha, NE 68102 https://theriverfrontomaha.com/events//
Monarch Tagging at the Zoo
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, 3701 S 10th St, Omaha, NE 68107 https://www.omahazoo.com
37th Annual Fall Home & Garden Expo
Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Oak View Mall, 3001 S 144th St, Omaha, NE 68144 https://oakviewmall.com
The Outsiders (Musical)
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Orpheum Theater, 409 S 16th St, Omaha, NE 68102 https://o-pa.org/performances
Omaha Mayor John Ewing on the “Baby Bob” Bridge with the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in the background
Hi, this is OmahaNebraska.com here with…
Mayor John Ewing.
This Baby Bob Bridge is pretty exciting on the connection. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Yeah, sure. I think it’s a critical piece of our infrastructure.
What it allows us to do is have the ability to connect to the trails that are in this area, the trails that are in Council Bluffs, and also connect the two cities.
One of the things I’m working diligently on is building a metro area economic development plan.
And these type of things, these type of relationships allow us to be able to build that trust. And when you have trust, then you can work faster and more effectively. And so this is just one example of being able to do that when we can build a bridge to each other’s cities.
What would you like to tell the people on the Iowa side to come see?
Well, I would love for them to come on over and check out the College World Series or other events we might have. At Charles Schwab Field, we have the CHI Center directly across the street from the bridge.
We would love for them to come over and frequent events there.
Also we have the Hilton Hotel, very close by, that if they want to just do a staycation and just take a few days away, come on over, enjoy Omaha and be able to enjoy the amenities that we have like the Old Market, the Zoo and other things like that.
Brandon Garrett, Council Bluffs Chief of Staff for Mayor Walsh, on the “Baby Bob” Bridge with the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge in the background
This is OmahaNebraska.com here with …
Brandon Garrett and I am the Chief of Staff for Mayor Walsh with the city of Council Bluffs.
Please tell me a little bit about the Iowa side for “Baby Bob”.
This is important for both communities. But first and foremost, we want to invite the residents of Omaha to come over the bridge and visit Council Bluffs and our trail network and our local businesses.
There’s lots to see, lots of recreation and natural amenities to check out, and we would love to share that with you.
We’re also happy in terms of our residents having a more direct route to come into the downtown Omaha area. You know, right here by the CHI Arena and Charles Schwab Field and the Old Market is right over here.
So it’s a positive for us as well. … we’re happy to be connected better.
As soon as we [from Omaha] get over the Bob Kerrey Bridge, what kind of things can people experience on the Iowa side?
Well, right now we have Tom Hanafan Park with the Great Lawn and some sculptural art and some our recreational trails right away under construction.
Now, however, we have a multitude of recreational amenities, including a new dog park, an overlook pier, a children’s playground.
A Tree Top Walk that will be connected to the Bob Kerrey Bridge and an adventure tower that will include rock climbing, caving, and two roller glides, kind of like zip lines.
