Events   

After opening with LSO Composer-in-Residence Elena Ruehr’s “Broadway Boogie Woogie,” LSO celebrates the culmination of her three-year residency by presenting her newly commissioned “Violin Concerto No. 3,” written for the orchestra and concertmaster Anton Miller. Following intermission, LSO performs Ludwig van Beethoven’s magnificent and heroic “Symphony No. 3 Eroica”.

Join us for lunch at the Great Plains Culinary Institute at Southeast Community College. In addition to a delicious buffet lunch prepared and served by the students, learn about the culinary program by taking a tour of the facility and observing a food preparation demonstration. Past participants are welcome to attend again. Parking information will be provided prior to this event.

Lila Mae’s Southern Kitchen is the place to satisfy your cravings for something different. The menu for this event offers your choice of three main dishes, which we will gather after the Registration Deadline: corn meal crusted whiting fish, okra vegetarian stew, or Nashville hot chicken strips. Top off your meal with either a sweet peach cobbler or butter cake. Come join this epicurean experience and learn about the origins of the restaurant and its recipes.

In “Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth, experience the tender journey of old friends Kenneth and Bert as they sip on mai tais at the local tiki bar. When Kenneth’s longtime job ends, he is forced to push past his boundaries and reconcile with his past. Witness the intimate moments as you are drawn into a world where every choice matters and every connection holds the power to change lives. Join the production team for a talk and tour before the show.

The General Crook House Museum is the authentically restored home of Civil War and National Indian Wars hero, General George Crook. The home, constructed in 1879, is beautifully furnished to represent the age of Victorian splendor and provides a vivid look at Nebraska’s early military and social history. Learn about General George Crook’s life, the homes architecture, and its role in Fort Omaha. Enjoy a docent-led tour followed by a catered luncheon, featuring a chicken salad croissant, garden pasta salad, fresh fruit kabob and 7-layer bar. Notify the OLLI office if you have specific dietary requirements.

“Jeopardy: The Team Edition” brings the classic TV game show to life in a fun, collaborative setting. Teams work together to answer questions from a full-size electronic game board, choosing from a variety of topics and point values. The format encourages teamwork, lively discussion, and plenty of laughs. 

Team up with OLLI friends and experience Medieval Putt, indoor mini golf with a fun medieval theme! Take on one of two challenging 18-hole courses amongst amazing décor like a full-size castle, 8-foot-tall Iron Throne, 40-foot-long flying dragon, knights, and even a dragon ride. Marvel at the ingenuity it takes to create these structures and enjoy OLLI camaraderie while you figure out ways to get that little ball into the hole.

“The Bell Affair” is an award-winning film that tells the powerful story of Daniel and Mary Bell, an enslaved couple who sued for their freedom and led one of the largest escape attempts in U.S. history. Using an innovative live-action animation style, the film highlights the often-overlooked history of how enslaved people used the courts to challenge their bondage. The filmmakers will share the unique challenges of bringing this story to life—working with actors spread across the country and filming without ever gathering the full cast in one location due to COVID.

Climb aboard for a fun and fascinating bus tour to two standout historic sites in southeastern Nebraska. Our day begins at Homestead National Historical Park near Beatrice, where a ranger-led introduction and short film set the stage for exploring the Heritage Center, a pioneer cabin, and the surrounding grounds. After lunch, we’ll head to nearby Wymore to visit the one-of-a-kind Great Plains Welsh Centre, home to the only U.S. cultural resources dedicated to Welsh immigrants on the Great Plains.

A new adaptation of Frederick Knott’s masterpiece of suspense and 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film. When a husband plots the perfect crime to murder his wife, things quickly spiral into a web of deceit, betrayal, and unexpected twists. This gripping mystery will have you guessing until the final moment. Enjoy a backstage tour prior to the show.

Enjoy the fun and camaraderie of mini bowling. The rules are the same as traditional bowling, but everything is scaled down. The bowling balls are smaller, about the size of a grapefruit, weigh about 2 ½ pounds and have no holes; the lanes are about half the distance, about one foot off the ground. Half the size, twice the fun! 

Journey to northeast Nebraska to discover the lives of two individuals whose voices shaped history and culture. At the John G. Neihardt State Historical Site in Bancroft, explore the legacy of Nebraska’s poet laureate and his search for meaning through story. After a boxed lunch at the Neihardt Center, travel to Walthill and visit the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center to learn how compassion, courage, and service transformed health care and community life. Between Bancroft and Walthill, we’ll stop at the Bancroft Cemetery to view the graves of Dr. Susan and her family.

Join OLLI friends at James Arthur Vineyards to explore unconventional wine pairings with familiasr "junk food". Sample a range of wines matched with classic snack-aisle items and compare how each pairing works. This session offers a simple, practical look at how different flavors interact.

One of Nebraska’s greatest attractions is the annual arrival and departure of thousands of Sandhill Cranes and other migratory birds to replenish their fuel as they graze and roost in and around the fertile fields along the Platte River. Enjoy this phenomenon through a day trip that will include an educational session on “Crain Behavior Basics,” viewing exhibits, dinner in the area and an evening guided viewing of Cranes in blinds at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon.