Volume 25 Number 08 Newsletter of the Benson Neighborhood Association August 2016

Volunteerism is Alive and Well in Benson

The Benson Neighborhood Association (BNA) has had four big events this summer, starting with the Spring Cleanup, followed by the Garden Walk, then Benson Days and now the Brush up Nebraska Paint a Thon, which we are working on this week. We have been extremely busy, but believe each event offers something different and is a great reflec-tion of our community spirit.

Events are wonderful, but they do take a lot of manpower. The BNA could not have pulled off any of these events with-out the help of our generous volunteers. We have a small but mighty group which always volunteers and this year we saw many new members come out and get involved. We appreciate every single person who helped; we hope you got something out of it, too.

Work Will Start Soon in Benson Lion’s Park

According to Omaha Parks and Recreation, work should begin within the next two weeks on Benson Lions Park, located at 66th and Blondo. You may remember from earlier articles this spring, that the playground will be updated to include equipment for children of all ages. Some of the apparatuses will be moved closer to the center of the park and a walk-ing trail will surround the perimeter. A new bench and a picnic table will be added with grant funds that we received from the Benson Ames Alliance Mini Grant last fall and the Mayor’s Grant, this spring. The BNA spent much of the last four years raising money for playground improvements, so it is nice to see some of our funds used to improve a local park. (We had been raising money to improve Benson Park until the All-Play Foundation generously covered the cost of improvements there last year, giving Benson Park more than we could ever have hoped for.) We still have funds earmarked for Grace Young Park as well, which will be our next focus.

Next Meeting: Monday, August 29, 2016

Location: Benson Baptist Church 64th & Maple

7:00 pm Park and enter on the south side

of the building

Our guest speaker for this month’s

meeting is Marty Barnhart, Interim

Director, Omaha Municipal Land Bank

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Benson Magnet High School 5120 Maple St. 402-557-3000 www.ops.org/benson

Benson West Elementary School 6652 Maple St. 402-554-8633 www.ops.org/bensonwest

Holy Name School 2901 Fontenelle Blvd. 402-451-5403 www.holynameschoolomaha.org

Monroe Middle School 5105 Bedford Ave. 402-557-4605 www.ops.org/monroe

Montessori Co-op School 3713 N 52nd St 402-345-2001 mscomaha.org

Rose Hill Elementary School 5605 Corby St 402-554-6797 Rosehill.ops.org

St. Bernard’s Parochial School 3604 N 65 St. 402-553-4993 www.stbernardomaha.org

St. Pius X / St. Leo Grade School 6905 Blondo St. 402-551-6667 www.spsl.net

Benson School Members

School and Area Announcements

St. Pius X / St. Leo School News New to the neighborhood or making a school change for your child? St. Pius X / St. Leo Elementary School has openings for the 2016-17 school year (including 3 and 4 year old pre-kindergarten). To learn more about our diverse, academic- and service-centered school, call the school office at 402-551-6667 or visit our website at www.spsl.net.

St. Bernard in the Benson Days Parade! We had a great time. Thank you Benson Days!!

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR and JOIN US for “A Salute To America” St. Bernard Annual Benefit Dinner Auction is Octo-ber 29! Do you have connections with Benson busi-nesses? St. Bernard is looking to create a “Salute to Benson” basket for the silent auction. We’re looking for restaurant gift certificates, local beers, etc. to fill the basket. If you’d like to help, please call Rose Flores at the parish rectory: (402) 551-0269.

St. Bernard Students Hold Car Wash for Benson Family in Need St. Bernard school families reached out to a family in need in the Benson community. The students held a car wash on Saturday, August 13th in the school parking lot. The fund raiser was for Rachel Eadie and her family. Their house was next door to the house that was destroyed by the recent explosion and the family is currently living in a hotel. The fundraiser helped provide funds for living expenses.

Every little bit counts! Eadie’s daughter, Zarah Blount, is pictured in the photo along with students from St. Bernard school. Photo bottom row: Isabelle Borer, Lexi VonDollen, Zarah Blount Top: Lauren VonDolle

The Benson Neighborhood Association is looking into the best way to help the families who were affected by the house ex-plosion in Benson. We will let you know what we find out.

Business/Organization Members

3N1 Salon………………………...…556-6511

Angel Starks Nebraska Realty………553-5744

Atchley Ford……………………...….574-2600

Beard & Mane Barber Shop………...779-8314

Beercade………………………….…934-9633

Benson American Legion, Post 112......493-9990

Benson Ames Alliance………………...554-4010

Benson Brewery.………………….….250-2524

Benson Community Center…………...444-5184

Benson Farmers Market……………...571-1785

Benson First Friday…………………..203-5488

Benson Hair Design………….……….551-4005

Benson Little League………………....714-7787

Benson Plant Rescue…………………933-3867

Benson Podiatry……………………..558-8100

Blondo Service Center……………….553-9459

Ralph K Brown, Jr., Attorney………...553-3611

Burke’s Pub…………………………..558-1365

Cake By The Pound at Ruby’s Place....614-9948

Cavanaugh Law Firm………………..341-2020

Choice Custom Framing……………...505-6666

Don’s TBA Services…………………..556-8811

Earl Bates Productions…………..…...451-7138

Edward Jones……………………….553-0198

Essential Pregnancy Services………..554-1000

First Edition Printing…………………558-2642

Fork N Farm.………………………...617-9678

Grama Judy’s Daycare…..…….........932-8801

Great Western Bank….…………….551-4310

Haney Shoes………………………...556-2022

Hartland BBQ……………………….397-5765

Holy Name Humble Jumble Shop…...451-5847

Jake’s Cigars and Spirits…….….…..934-9633

James J Regan, Regan Law Office….341-2020

Jane’s Health Market………………..558-8911

Jerry’s Bar…………….…………......553-3343

Jim’s Glass Service…………………..933-3355

Just Paint It…………………………..741-1031

Key Cleaners………………………..553-1543

Kremer Funeral Home……………….553-3155

Kris’ K-9 Klean-Up….…………….…558-0486

Lastime Roofing……………………..330-0911

Lot 2 Restaurant……………………..504-4200

Lulu’s Hair Design……………………551-7141

Maggie’s Farm ……………………...720-4964

Mantra Bar and Grille………………933-1666

Maple Crest Care Center…………....551-2110

Marion Tire Pros……………………..553-9393

Mark Goodall, Attorney……………..556-5010

Mary Kay-Joanne Floyd……….…....490-6614

Megapiranha Media.…………(623)-810-1532

Metaphrases Solutions……………….451-8774

Metropolitan Bldg & Loan…………...553-3611

Midwest Tae Kwon Do.………………932-2999

Mint Design Group…………………..330-2999

Mishmash…………………………….679-0959

Benson Neighborhood Association

P.O. BOX 4134 Omaha, NE 68104

Benson News is published through a voluntary, collaborative effort of Benson Neighborhood Association members. Copies are made by First Edition Printing in Benson. News and Ad Deadline The deadline is the15th of every month. E-mail bensonneighborhoodassociation@gmail.com to submit articles, advertisements and editorial. Please use ‘newsletter’ as the subject line in your e-mail. Mission Statement of the Benson Neighbor-hood Association To encourage participation in revitalization of Benson residential and business areas. To interact cooperatively with community, schools, churches and other organizations. To bring about positive change for residents in the Benson area. 2016 Board of Directors President Kathy Buchanan…………………..(402) 551-2884

Vice President Joe DiCostanzo…………………...(402) 547-6662

Secretary Chris Meza……………………….(402) 391-1323

Treasurer Mark Pflug……...……………..…..(402) 551-3156

2016 Board Members

Kylynn Hightower.……....……..…..(402) 708-3731 Vivian Ingraham……...………...…(402) 553-0152 Brian Fitzpatrick…………………..(402) 214-1299 Brian Hightower…………………..(402) 201-1154 Contact any board member at: bensonneighborhoodassociation@gmail.com

Benson Area Directory

The Benson Neighborhood Association is on facebook, twitter and wordpress.

Business/Organization Members

Nebraska Children’s Home Society….451-0787

NorthStar Foundation.……………….614-6360

Omaha Bicycle Co..…………….…...315-9900

Omaha Home for Boys ……………...457-7000

Omaha Public Library–Benson.….......444-4846

Pear Tree Performing Arts…………..960-8307

Pizza Shoppe…………….………….556-9090

Podany Promotions……………….....551-7505

Polecat Communications.………….....681-1901

Premier Therapy…………………….575-5700

Rainbow Recording Studios………….554-0123

repieced by Liz Moldenhauer….…....880-4664

S Bevingtons Mental Health Therapy..686-4122

Special Kneads, LLC………………...502-0154

St. Andrews Pub…………………...884-9047

State Farm-Andrea Maleki….……....991-0100

Studio of Dance Arts.………………..553-5005

Suzanne Luttig Photo………………...679-3801

Takoda Green Roofing………….…..978-3335

Teen Challenge……………………...551-2322

That Place in Benson.………………..504-4494

The Bike Pedlar………………..556-BIKE(2453)

The Imaginarium ……………………812-3846

Tip Top Thrift Store………………….551-1302

Uncommon Talents…………………...669-8186

Walgreens………………………......551-6151

Important phone numbers

Code Enforcement (402) 444-5371 Street Repair (402) 444-4919 Animal Control (402) 444-7800 Mayor’s Hotline (402) 444-5555 Weeds over 18” (402) 444-5910 Councilman Pete Festersen (402) 444-5527 State Senator Burke Harr (402) 471-2722 Douglas Cty Comm. Mark Kraft (402) 444-7025

Welcome our newest business member:

Suzanne Luttig Photo Thanks Suzanne for all the great photos of Benson Days!

Benson Area Church Members

Benson Baptist Church 6319 Maple 402-551-1512 Services: Sunday @ 10:15 Sunday School 9:00

Bethany Lutheran Church 5151 NW Radial 402-558-6212 Service: Sunday @ 8:30 am Sunday school 10:00 am Citylight Benson Church 5612 Corby St 402-551-0760 Services: Sunday @ 9 am & 11am Citylightbenson.org

Holy Name Catholic Church 2901 Fontenelle Blvd. 402-451-6622 Services: Mon -Fri @ 8:30am Saturday @8:30 am & 5pm Sunday 8am, 10:30am, 12:00pm (Spanish) Immanuel Lutheran Church 2725 N 60 Ave. 402-553-5061 Services: Sun. @ 8:15 & 10:40 am Christian Education: 9:40 am

St. Bernard’s Catholic Church 3604 N 65 St. 402-551-0269 Services: Monday – Friday @ 8:00 am Saturday @ 5:00 p.m. Sunday @ 8 & 10 am

St. Paul United Methodist Church 5410 Corby 402-556-2433 Services: Saturday 5:00 pm (casual) Sunday 8:15 & 11:05 am (traditional) 9:35 a.m. (contemporary)

St. Pius X Catholic Church 6905 Blondo St 402-558-8446 Services: Sunday 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 am Mon - Fri @ 7:00 a.m. & 5:30 pm Saturday @ 5:00 & 7:00 pm Reconciliation Sat 3:30-4:30 pm or by appointment.

Waypoint Church 1313 N 48th St 402-884-4453 Services: Sunday at 9:00 and 11:00 am info@waypointomaha.com

Benson Baptist Church 6319 Maple St August 22 - Arts For All, Fall Session Begins, 5:00 p.m. August 23 - Fire with Friends, 7:30 p.m. August 24 - Front Lines Youth Group, every Wed 6:30 pm August 25 - Childcare Group Meeting, 6:00 p.m. August 27 - Food Pantry, 9:00 a.m. August 30 - Home School Group Begins, 9:00 a.m. August 30 - Bible Study, 9:00 a.m. September 2-4 - LifeLight Music Festival September 5 - Labor Day - Office Closed September 7 - Block Party – Food, Games, Live Music September 11 - Vision Sunday September 11 - Potluck Brunch, FLC, 9:00 a.m. September 11 - Quarterly Business Meeting, FLC, 9:45 am September 12 - SLT Meeting, 7:00 p.m. September 14 - Fall Kick Off for Front Lines and Kids Club Save the Date: Saturday, October 22, 2016 – Craft and Vendor Fair, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Benson Baptist Church at office@omahabbc.com.

Church News

Immanuel Lutheran Church SUNDAY SCHOOL "RALLY DAY FESTIVITIES "Rally Day" is being held on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 9:30 a.m. This special day is the beginning of our Sunday School teachings. The theme will be "God's work, Our hands." Our special guests will be the residents of Maple Crest Retirement Communi-ty. Following the Sunday School Rally will be a potluck luncheon with freewill offering, in the church Fellowship Hall. Proceeds from the potluck luncheon will benefit the renovation of the Maple Crest Retirement Community chapel. For more details please visit our website: www.Immanuel-Lutheran.com

DESSERT COMPETITION Immanuel Lutheran Church is holding our 2nd annual Best Dessert Competition on Sept. 25th. There is no entry fee. We know we have some amazing dessert makers and would like to showcase that

Bethany Lutheran Church Pastor John Langswiech from Midland, Michigan has ac-cepted a call to be the pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church. Pastor John, and his wife Phyllis, will arrive in Omaha about Sept 1st, and his first worship service will be Sunday, Sept 18th. He will be officially installed as pas-tor on Sunday, October 9 at 3:00 PM.

Parents and families of the Benson community are invited to enroll their 3 -5 year olds in our Jesus-centered pre-school. Classes begin August 28/ 29 at 9:00 AM. A parent orientation is scheduled for 6:30 PM on August 24 at the church, 5151 Northwest Radial Hwy. Registrations will be appreciated before that date. Call the church office at 401 558 6212 or contact: bethanyoffice@aol.com for more information.

Young at Heart, Bethany seniors 55 & older, will hold its first meeting of the year on Tuesday, Sept 13 at 11:30 for lunch in the church Fellowship Hall. The meeting will fea-ture sportscaster Dave Webber with a musical program. Pastor William Moorhead, St. Paul Lutheran Church, will lead devotions. The group meets most months on the sec-

talent. The last day to enter the competition is Sept 18th. To determine the winner, we will need dessert tasters, who get to vote on a favorite dessert. On September 25th, from 9:00 - 10:15 am in the Fellowship Hall, you can taste everything and vote for your favorite, for only $5.00. Please join us in this gastronomical endeavor. For more details please visit our website: www.Immanuel-Lutheran.com.

Blood Drive at St. Paul United Methodist Church There will be a blood drive on Sunday, August 28, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby Street. Please call the church office at 402-556-2433 to reserve your blood donation time. Walk-ins are also welcome.

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Library News

Benson Family Storytime Thursday, Sept. 8, 15, 22, 28, 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Saturday, Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24, 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Join us for stories, creative movement, music and more. Interaction and participation are welcome. We will ex-plore the early literacy skills of singing, playing, reading, talking and writing in each storytime. Children of all ages are welcome; storytimes will be tailored for the age of the children present. Childcare groups, please call in ad-vance. Toddlers, Preschool, Family

Book and Bagels Book Club Thursday, 9/1/2016,10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Group discussion of adult fiction and non-fiction books. Adults, Seniors

Benson Teen Collective Saturday, 9/10/2016, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Join other local teens the 2nd Saturday of each month to hang out, eat food, and try out various games, crafts, and other activities. Teens

Benson Mystery Book Club Tuesday, 9/13/2016, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Join us for a group discussion about adult mystery novels. Adults & Seniors

Blending Your Own Tea Saturday, 9/17/2016, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Tire Collection Event

ONE DAY ONLY - FREE TO ALL OMAHA

AND DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS

Saturday, August 27, 2016 9am to 3pm Omaha South High School Parking Lot South 23rd and J Streets

Bring your car, motorcycle, or small truck tires •NO tires with rims or tubes will be accepted •NO tires from dealers or auto shops accepted (OPEN TO RESIDENTS ONLY) •Dropping off tires before or after the designated event time is PROHIBITED and will be considered ILLEGAL DUMPING (Violators will be prosecuted) •Residents will be responsible for unloading tires

Sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Environmen-tal Quality& City of Omaha Public Works Department.

Church news, cont. ond Tuesday for lunch. Larry Thompson, KETV Channel 7 Seven Can Help, will be the featured speaker in October. The Immanuel Singers from Immanuel Village will present the musical OLIVER at the Thanksgiving luncheon meeting in November.

It's Outdoor Worship and a Picnic when Bethany Luther-an, Bethlehem Lutheran and St Paul Lutheran members gather at Benson Park on September 11 at 10:00 AM. Pastor Mark Winkleman of Morrison. IL, former vicar for the three congregations, will be the preacher and Pastor William Moorhead, liturgist. New members to Bethany & St Paul will be confirmed during the worship service.

To start the new school year Bethany members present-ed 75 backpacks, filled with school supplies to children of the New Life Nepali Church. The children, grades Kinder-garten - Grade 6, received the backpacks on Sunday, Au-gust 14 after their worship service. The New Life Nepali Church worships on Sundays in the Bethany Fellowship Hall. Bethany members were supported with a grant from Lutheran Church Extension for this gift.

Library news, cont. Register Required What is a base tea? Should I use black tea, or green? Come learn about tea blending and all the things you can add to a base tea to make an outstanding drink. Adults, Seniors, Teens

STD Testing Saturday, 9/17/2016, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Benson Branch Free STD testing by the Douglas County Health Depart-ment.

Teen Manga Club Saturday, 9/24/2016, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM If you love all things manga and anime related, you should definitely join us the 4th Saturday of each month to have fun talking about manga and watching anime with other teens. Ages 12-18 are welcome. Teens & Twe Labor Day - All locations closed 9/5/2016

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Benson Farmers

Market by Peggy Gilmore Benson Farmers Market begins its final month of season nine in Sep-tember. We made it through the season with the help of the Benson Neighborhood Association and our committed vendors as well as new and loyal customers, who have followed us to our new location at the Omaha Home for Boys.

We recently held a serious conversation about the pro's and con's of being at the Omaha Home for Boys vs. downtown on Military Avenue. We conclud-ed that although there was a perception that there was more traffic at the Military street location, this isn't really true. When going over our previous two years, the number of vendors is minimally down, but as this year has progressed, the number has in-creased almost weekly. We have decided that we are staying put for the next four years and will con-tinue to reach out to more vendors and hope that they will make it over to the Omaha Home for Boys .

In the meantime, we encourage you to take ad-vantage of the wonderful vegetables available this year. There are all varieties of tomatoes, green on-ions, beets, potatoes and of course everyone's favorite, corn on the cob.

Use the coupon below to get a discount toward any purchase for the rest of the season. We have also set the date for this year's Holiday Market, Novem-ber 19, 2016 with the location TBD. Hope to see you there. If anyone wants to have a table at the Holi-day Market, please send your email to bensonfarmersmarket@gmail.com and introduce yourselves to the planners.

BENSON FARMERS MARKET

OPEN

Every Saturday through September

AT NEW PERMANENT LOCATION

OMAHA HOME FOR BOYS

4343 N 52nd ST

www.bensonfarmersmarket.org

Bring this coupon to the market for a free gift through the end of the season

we take WIC & SNAP

Dear Members, Please renew today if you have not yet done so. BNA memberships run from July 1st through June 30th each year. Most of you remember and send your dues in like clock-work. For those of you who don’t, this is just a gentle reminder. New members who joined in 2016 are not due until July 1, 2017. Thanks! Mark Pflug, Treasurer

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Benson Days

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A big thank you for all of those involved with Benson Days this year. It was a great success and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. The Pancake Man was putting on a good show as he was flipping the wonderful pancakes. The parade was great with so many participants and so many vendors were present. The BNA, Benson merchants and everyone else involved should be proud of the job they did in putting on this wonderful day. Darlene Hodakowski

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49th and Caldwell Sewer Separation

Project Update

49TH and Caldwell Area Sewer Separation Project Up-date (Construction Update – July 22, 2016) To help you navigate the neighborhood as easily as possible, the following provides information about street closings and project progress. All efforts are pending weather. Current Construction Stage • Roadway, driveway, and sidewalk work continues on Seward Street, west of Happy Hollow Boulevard. • Cleanup and sodding will follow paving efforts on this segment of Seward Street which is expected to be open in approximately 2-3 weeks. • Removals and sewer work have begun 49th Street from Saddle Creek Rd to Seward Street (Phase III of the project). Next Construction Stage • Work will continue northward along 49th Street from Seward Street to Decatur Street. This work is ex-pected to begin in late August. Traffic will be detoured around these areas while construction is taking place. For questions contact: Gabe Astorino (402) 206-3205 Jesse Walz (402) 861-1721

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Memberships for the BNA run July - June of each year. To join or renew, fill out the form and return it with your membership dues to: Benson Neighborhood Association PO Box 4134, Omaha NE 68104.

Benson First Friday

If you have not already done so, please renew today!

The next Benson First Friday (BFF) is Friday, September 2nd. The follow-ing events are planned:

At PETSHOP: Opening reception for BLINDER - new work by Zachary Clement (Oregon) and Kelly Olson (Nebraska)

On Display: Perfect Pears, Perfect Peaches - Brian David Downs (Minnesota) At The Sydney: Artist: Jacquline Smith At Military Ave & Maple St. :Jake's BLOCK PARTY w/ SATCHEL GRANDE, Midwest Dilemma, AZP, Matt Cox, & Brad Hoshaw. ***BFF Artist Market located outside the gates ! BFF Femme Fest (#BFFFF) is returning for its annual celebration of women in music! 50+ bands playing at 8 venues ! @Waiting Room Lounge, Burke's Pub, Petshop, Re-verb Lounge, Pizza Shoppe Collective, The Sydney, Barley Street Tavern, & SoundCheck Rehearsal Studio

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Benson Neighborhood Association PO BOX 4134 Omaha, NE 68104

The Indie