W elcome to 12 months of a new year – and 12 reasons why we think our state is unique. Nebraska Life greets 2023 with gratitude and a new tradition: the Good Life List. Please write to us to share what – or who – you think we should include next year. Happy New Year!


1. The Sower

The Sower is as iconic to Nebraska as the Statue of Liberty is to New York City – and since Nebraska’s statue is on top of the 400-foot tower of the Nebraska State Capitol, it stands even taller. German-born Lee Lawrie created the 19-foot bronze statue, which was mounted on the dome in 1930. Facing the northwest, a determined-looking farmer prepares to scatter seeds. His bare feet grip a 12 ½-foot pedestal of corn and wheat husks. His muscular calves flex.

Other Lawrie sculptural works decorate the Nebraska State Capitol using bas-relief (sculpting on a 2D plane to create a 3D appearance) on themes including law, Native American people and history. But no singular piece rivals the Sower for recognition.

Thousands gathered to watch in 1930 as the 7-ton statue was lifted to the top of the building. The Sower plants more than seeds – he invites us to preserve hope through adversity and to keep doing the work it takes to prosper.


2. Kolaches

At one point, Nebraska had more Czech farmers than any state in the Union. The Homestead Act of 1854 attracted these immigrants who brought their traditions and, most deliciously, their kolache recipes. The pastry continues to connect Nebraskans to their roots. The sweet yeasty dough surrounding a fruit or poppy seed filling is central to annual Czech celebrations in Verdigre and Wilber. Prague broke the record for making the world’s largest kolache not once but twice. In 1987, it created a 2,605-pound kolache, and in 1992 baked a 5,200-pound behemoth.

At Clarkson Bakery, Kim Scott (née Brabec) prepares 120 dozen kolaches for a typical Friday. Before holidays, that figure can rise to 170 dozen. When Scott was a child, her grandma would bring her and her four brothers warm kolaches to enjoy. Now Scott enjoys watching young children visit her bakery. “It’s something we’ve had at every meal for generations,” she said. A sweet Nebraska tradition continues.


3. Baby Elephants

Nebraska’s biggest babies are celebrating their first birthdays this January. The baby African elephants born at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium have become a source of pride for Nebraskans, many of whom sported elephant vanity license plates long before the babes arrived.
Babies Eugenia and Sonny are best friends who love to cuddle, chase and tumble – much to visitors’ delight. The babies, born to mothers Kiki and Claire, have the same father, Callee. And, if all goes well, they’ll soon have more playmates and half-siblings. Mothers Lolly and Jayei are both expecting babies in 2023. With a dwindling global population of elephants, these babies represent hope for the future and demonstrate the Zoo’s contribution to the conservation of the species. That’s something worth trumpeting about – just not too loudly … the babies are finally taking a nap.

 

4. Genevieve Randall

There probably aren’t many voices that Nebraskans from Scottsbluff to Seward can easily recognize. Still, Genevieve Randall’s distinctive dulcet tones have been a fixture on Nebraska Public Media for two decades. As host of classical programming, Randall eases Nebraskans’ mornings statewide before she revs it up at the end of the week with a party.

Friday LIVE amplifies arts and humanities programming throughout Nebraska and includes live performances. Randall warmly engages her guests to share insight into their art and to reflect on how Nebraska inspires them.

The show also introduces listeners to different venues throughout the state, taping at locations such as the Red Cloud Opera House and The Most Unlikely Place in Lewellen. Randall gives equal care and attention to small-town theater companies and art galleries as she does to larger metro productions and institutions. Her spotlight on the vast and diverse offerings of our state’s arts and culture gives us all something to celebrate.


5. Chimney Rock

Nebraska’s most recognizable landmark once lifted pioneers’ hearts. Chimney Rock was an important touchstone on the Oregon Trail for these westward travelers. It signified that one part of their journey was concluding, another beginning.

This spire-shaped formation of Brule clay, volcanic ash and Arikaree sandstone has lost about 30 feet of its height to erosion in the last 150 years, but it still holds enormous regard among Nebraskans. In Bayard, the delightful Chimney Rock Museum offers views of the rock. It features artifacts, information, hands-on exhibits, including a miniature wagon (complete with a scale) and items to load, from flour and bacon to guns and clothing. It demonstrates how pioneers had to make hard choices in deciding what to bring on their westward journey. Nearby, Chimney Rock Cemetery shows that many made the ultimate sacrifice for their dream. A one-mile out-and-back trail from the cemetery affords a closer look at the geological wonder that’s inspired generations.

 

6. Windmills

Some places in Nebraska feel so windswept and wide-open that it can almost create a feeling of loneliness. But look up to the horizon, and chances are a windmill is standing nearby. Windmills symbolize the past and the hard work that everyday life once required. They brought water to livestock and people, making inhospitable places home.

In Nebraska City, the Kregel Windmill Factory Museum, located in the Prairie-style building on Central Avenue, is the only preserved original historic windmill factory in the U.S.A. The factory made over 2,000 windmills, one at a time, during its 112 years in business until 1991.

Nebraska’s windmills have out-of-state admirers, too. Shannon Gibson, from Knoxville, Tennessee, visited Nebraska years ago to research the Oregon Trail and has returned nine times since. Sometimes when she’s in a remote spot searching for trail ruts or pioneer graves, the windmill might be the only tangible connection left to those pioneer days.

 

7. Runza

Runzas, or bierocks (spelled with or without a “k”), are as Nebraskan as it gets. Each bite of the sandwich with ground beef, cabbage, onions and spices baked in a pocket of perfectly soft bread feels like a homecoming. Nebraskans eat Runzas at Memorial Stadium Husker games and Omaha Stormchasers baseball games. They chew them in the car, running kids around. Many families, my own included, even make them at home. How many Old-World foods, this one deriving from German-Russian immigrants, made it as fast-food favorites? 

Siblings Sally Everett and Alex Brening popularized the sandwich when they opened the first Runza in Lincoln in 1949; later, franchises grew throughout the state. But Runza restaurants aren’t the only establishment serving this Nebraska specialty. Sehnert’s Bakery and Bieroc Cafe in McCook (founded in 1957) does too. From Runza to Sehnert’s, from my mom’s to the lady next door’s, the recipes may differ, but the fundamental elements of warm bread, ground beef, cabbage, onion and spices keep hungry Nebraskans returning for more.

 

8. Cranes

The central Platte River is the hottest Nebraska tourist spot for migratory birds like sandhill cranes. But our state also provides migratory habitats for other species, like endangered whooping cranes. Whooping cranes prefer to roost in shallow rivers and wetlands, feed in those places, along with agricultural fields, and settle in spots isolated from humans. No wonder Nebraska hits all the sweet spots for these majestic birds.
It’s incredible to see a rare whooping crane, but it’s equally impressive to see an enormous flock of sandhill cranes dance, fish and trill on the water. Many people describe their first time watching thousands descend upon the Platte to roost as a spiritual experience. It feels like stepping out of time, and one can almost imagine what life was like before humans ever trod this land of sky, rivers and grass – just the sound of the wind, the rattling bugling call of the cranes and the gentle gurgle of water.

 

9. Golden Spike Tower & Visitor Center

Covering 2,850 acres, Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. A classification yard sorts and separates railway cars onto different tracks to organize trains by destination and purpose. Bailey Yard is located on the busiest freight rail line in the U.S. on east-west and north-south corridors. Visitors can watch the tremendous work underway from the Golden Spike Tower. An open-air observation deck on the seventh floor incorporates the sounds and smells of the yard, while an enclosed viewing area on the eighth floor provides comfort in all seasons.
Each day, Bailey Yard manages more than 10,000 railroad cars with 17 receiving and 16 departing tracks. Workers sort, fuel and repair cars. Trains carrying automobiles, grain, chemicals and retail products pass through this busy place where operations run 24-7. The visitor center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during winter and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

 

10. Dark Skies

The Sandhills region offers more beauty than rolling hills and verdant prairies. Wait until dark and look up. You’ll see the galaxy unfold – especially at Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area. The 729-acre SRA offers fishing, boating, and camping and hosts an annual weeklong Nebraska Star Party, which draws as many as 250 hobbyist astronomers and their families every summer. In autumn 2022, Merritt Reservoir became the first and only Nebraska location to receive distinction as an “International Dark Sky Park,” awarded by the nonprofit organization International Dark-Sky Association.

Nebraska Tourism Commission and Nebraska Game and Parks collaborated to apply for and earn the certification. They had to meet strict nocturnal environment guidelines, so they retrofitted exterior light fixtures and made a dark-sky-friendly outdoor lighting maintenance plan. Nearby, the city of Valentine cooperated, too, with the help of Nebraska Star Party planners. The star partiers advised the town’s efforts to select dark-sky-friendly fixtures for a downtown beautification project underway. When Nebraskans work together, the results sparkle.

 

11. Ali S. Khan

Ali S. Khan, a world-renowned public health expert, serves as Dean at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health. A physician formerly at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he served as a disease detective for two decades, Khan traveled the world studying bioterrorism, global health and emerging infectious diseases.

This Brooklyn-born-and-raised son of Kashmiri immigrants is proud to call Omaha home. Khan helped start the nation’s biodefense program and limit the scope of anthrax and other health emergencies. He was an  authoritative  voice  on  the COVID-19  pandemic. He traveled to Uganda to assist the World Health Organization’s response to an Ebola outbreak.
UNMC has a history of biopreparedness work. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it received federal funding for bioterrorism preparedness and, in 2005, opened the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. Teams trained for years before activating the unit in 2014 to care for Americans with Ebola as Dr. Khan deployed to Sierra Leone to assist in the response.

At UNMC, Dr. Khan helps prepare the American health system for outbreaks and train future public health leaders.

 

12. Museum of Nebraska Art

Since 1986, the Museum of Nebraska Art has made its home in an iconic renovated 1911 United States Post Office. Honored as the official visual arts collection of the state by the Nebraska Legislature, the museum has expanded its Nebraska art collection from 30 pieces to more than 5,000 during its 45-year history.

To make room for its many offerings and provide an even richer museum experience, the MONA is undergoing exciting renovations this year, including adding galleries with new technologies, a stocked community studio, an expansive outdoor space featuring Nebraska plants, an expanded library, better entrance accessibility, and a centrally located commons area. Perhaps most crucially, there will be increased square footage for artwork storage and exhibition preparation.

Though the doors remain closed until 2024, virtual gallery tours are available, and several MONA exhibitions travel the state through its ARTreach program. Meanwhile, Nebraska art lovers wait for the unveiling of the most spectacular masterpiece yet – a transformed MONA.