Morrill Hall

I have a distinct memory of boarding my school bus in the fourth grade and traveling to Lincoln with forty of my classmates. Upon arriving to UNL’s campus, our faces beamed with excitement upon seeing Memorial Stadium. Our main activity of the day, however, was Morrill Hall. I remember seeing this giant elephant (whom I now know as Archie, a mammoth), and being very interested on what the museum held inside.

Even now, I am still entranced by Morrill Hall. The official Nebraska State Museum, it has exhibits on everything from indigenous peoples, paleontology and even photos from National Geographic. The museum is vast in its research and collections, with its website featuring areas of Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, invertebrate Paleontology, Parasitology, Vertebrate, Paleontology and Zoology.

Though the countless fossils are fascinating, I am greatly intrigued by the beautiful murals that accompany these exhibits, further providing a beautiful and contextual landscape to the museum’s countless lessons.

Though I was lucky enough to experience the museum at a young age, I am so grateful that admission is free for UNL students and faculty, so I can peruse the venue as much as I please. I’m also a big fan of the Mueller Planetarium and their diverse shows for guests. Who could ask for more?

The fact that Lincoln is home to a Smithsonian affiliate museum is incredible, and speaks highly of the science, artistry and culture the museum provides to Lincoln citizens. Though I have visited the museum countless times, I am always amazed at what I learn every time I go. To learn more about Morrill Hall, visit their website.

Gallery Nine

Similar to many cities across the country, Lincoln’s art scene comes alive the first Friday of every month. As an artist myself, I love exploring downtown Lincoln every month and seeing the incredible work completed by our local artists. One of my favorite stops during this event is Gallery Nine. Featuring almost thirty artists, Gallery Nine is a unique collection of paintings, quilting, ceramics, jewelry, cards and more.

Though the free wine and hors d'oeuvre are quite enticing, I’m more moved by the numerous creations by talented artists, created on a variety of mediums. Nearly every month, I enter the gallery through the small alley, filled with beautiful landscaping and greenery, and enter the bright lobby.

After filling up at the cheese plate, I make my way through the first floor of the gallery. I twist and turn and climb the stairs to visit the individual studios on the second floor. There, I become more and more entranced as I gaze up and down the walls at the art around me, and have great conversations with the artists about their pieces and the meaning behind them. It truly is a wonderful cultural experience!

Seeing as this Friday, December 2, is the last First Friday of the year, I sincerely encourage you to visit Gallery Nine and the other galleries showcased during this event. You can find a list of their events here: http://downtownlincoln.org/explore/first-friday.html.  According to their Facebook page, Gallery Nine will be opening a Holiday Show that “will feature ornaments, cards, ceramics, jewelry, paintings, turned wood, and other great handmade gift for everyone on your list.”

Honest Abes

People love food. I do at least. Something really great about Lincoln is the variety of food choices and quality of everything that is in this city. Most of the restaurants that are in the Haymarket or downtown area are very craft and high-end establishments. There are a few places that stand out as my favorites such as Blue Sushi, and Culinary Underground. However, one local restaurant has caught Lincoln by storm specializing in burgers, and that place is Honest Abe's.

Call it what you want to call it, Honest Abe's knows how to cook up a mean burger. With two locations now (the most recent being in downtown Lincoln) Honest Abe's is growing rapidly and local foodies are going ham over this place; pun intended. In their inception, this burger joint expected to sell around 350 burgers a week. They have by far exceed expectations as they now serve over 600 burgers on an average Saturday.

Besides the name being very obvious, the restaurant is super community-oriented. People come and meet at this place for good company and a good meal. It has almost becoming a Lincoln staple when people are visiting the area.

This place creates such an atmosphere, too. Not only to the obvious homage to President Lincoln himself, but the whole restaurant is covered in black and white. They call their fries "Freedom Fries". All of their burgers have a fun name to them that don't really suggest much about the burger itself. It's one of those places that you just have to go in to believe what it's really like. You can check out their menu and plan your visit ahead of time here: http://grounduprestaurants.com/menus/HAmenu.pdf

How exactly did they come up with this concept though? The name obviously connects with Lincoln. The owner tries to connect politics and food, without actually doing so. They have a slogan that reads "Burgers and Freedom", but nothing they stand for suggest anything about politics. In the words of the founder himself,  “We just make honest food.” Besides American style burgers, the restaurant also collects a variety of different products to exclude that controversy, like Mexican coke for example.

What I love most about Honest Abes, though, is their food. You can just tell that everything is fresh and every single burger that comes out of their kitchen was made in a way that really resonated with consmers. There is a lot of care that goes into the assembly and cooking process of each meal, and that's something that speaks wonders in the food industry. Their burgers are huge, piled high with the most unique toppings imaginable. Their fries are honestly to die for, and the overall experience is just unbeatable.

Before I spoil to much, I will just leave it at the fact that you need to try Honest Abes yourself. You definitely will not regret a single decision (besides maybe eating a little too much). Local Lincoln has so much to offer, including food! Go out there and get yourself one of the Greatest Burgers Ever.

Cornhusker Marching Band

They call them themselves the Pride of All Nebraska. Some say they are the most popular band in the state. I know for a fact they are the largest band in the state, standing strong with 330 members. No, I'm not talking about a local rock band, I'm talking about the Cornhusker Marching Band of course! Today on Loving Local Lincoln, I decided to take a look at what our local students are doing to provide so much to our community.

You can hear them ringing around the entire city during football season. The Cornhusker Marching Band plays at gigs, events, fundraisers, bars, and of course football games, throughout the fall semester. Each one being at a non-scheduled time for these kids. Their dedication and work effort definitely goes unnoticed by many, but today, I am here to shine light on the future of our community and what they are doing behind the scenes to provide us with pride, cheer, and entertainment.

The band in compromised of 330 members, including staff and color guard. They are undergraduate (and some graduate) students of all majors and backgrounds. There are kids from as far away as eastern Pennsylvania in the band majoring in everything from ag. econ, to studio art. As a four year member of the band, I was immersed in the hard work and dedication it takes to be a part of something so amazing and large.

Marching band is set up like any other class that someone might take at the University. We have a scheduled meeting time every single day, and we get a grade at the end of the year. What people don't realize is all the extra time and effort that goes into it. When you put it on paper, meeting from 7am until 8:20am Monday through Friday doesn't seem so bad. In reality, though, these kids are usually on campus by 6:15am every day meeting with their sections practicing. They then have to take countless hours throughout the week to practice their music, and make sure it's memorized for Saturday's game. Not to mention all of the other events, gigs, or sporting events they are asked to make a presence at throughout the week. Check out some of the events that the band plays at here: http://www.unl.edu/band/welcome . All of this really adds up along with the other fifteen credit hours a lot of these kids are enrolled in.

Pushing all of this hard work aside, I can first hand say that every moment of this is worth it. Marching Band provided me with the opportunity to perform in front of 91,000 of the country's craziest sports fanatics. It provided me with hundreds of people I can honestly call some of my best friends. And most importantly, it provided me with a sense of belonging and pride to this University and this state.

As I stated before, the kids in the marching band are the ones that are soon to be out in our work field. They are the ones that are going to be creating the next revolutionary product or app for your phone. The hard work and dedication it takes to be a part of this group makes for an amazing future, and I am so thankful that I got an opportunity to be a part of it. Just another reason why diving into Local Lincoln is so important. 

Corey Rourke Photography

Rather than taking a look at a local company here in Lincoln, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at a local who is doing so much to better our community and provide a high-end service to those who need it. Photography is something that is literally everywhere. You could go to the smallest town in this state and probably still find a photographer close by. Corey Rourke is a local photographer here in Lincoln that is taking over the high-end clients by storm.

Photography is definitely a lost art. People do it mostly just for commercial uses now. What people don't realize, though, is that there is a real practice and eye that makes a good photographer great. It's way more than just owning an expensive piece of equipment and sort of knowing how to operate it. Corey Rourke, owner of Corey Rourke Photography, is taking the art of photography and turning it into one of the most successful businesses in Lincoln.

Corey's expertise doesn't stop at taking family pictures. He does everything from weddings, to head shots, to fully curated magazine product shoots. His versatile repertoire and extensive knowledge of the industry makes him one of the biggest competitors in the photography market in this area. He has a dynamic style focusing on making each shoot about fun, fashion, and illustration. Earlier this year, Corey was named the Nebraska Professional Wedding Photographer of the Year by the organization. He gained that honor with his work at a wedding held at the Roca Ride Event Center in Roca Nebraska. You can read more about that and see more of his photos here: http://coreyrourkephotography.com/

In the last two years, I have had the pleasure of working beside Corey as his intern. I have nothing but positive and professional comments to make about him. He works so well with a variety of different people. He is always up for doing something different and outside-the-box, and produces amazing work every single time.

If you're looking for some photography help, I would definitely recommend giving Corey a call.  You can usually catch him at most of the local bridal shows held here in Lincoln over the course of the year. Him and his team are set up and ready to answer any questions someone might have, whether that be about his services, or photography in general. Corey is just another example of why Local Lincoln is so good.

Clyde Malone Center

Children are what makes a community, a community. They are the future of our community. Our future leaders, teachers, business professionals, and overall community members. There are countless numbers of programs throughout this city that provide care for children of Lincoln at after school programs, summer camps, and numerous other organizations. One, in particular, holds the core of the Lincoln community together by providing exceptional care and service to kids and their families. The Clyde Malone center, located right in the center of the city, is doing just that.

This children's center is not like every other after school program around. Located on 20th and U street, the Malone center's mission is to honor and strengthen the African American community in Lincoln and Lancaster County by serving as a cornerstone for educational, cultural, and advocacy programs for all people. You can't say that about every child care center. The Malone center really takes their service to heart. They strive to create a community where person develops to their full potential. The thing that sets the Malone center apart the most from other places, in my opinion, is the fact that they aren't just watching children for their parents, they are helping these kids grow and make sure they succeed in the future. They do so by honoring their four core values: Accountability, Diversity, Collaboration, Excellence.

The Clyde Malone Center also has a number of programs that they feel will contribute to their vision of bettering the African American community. A few that really stand out to me (but these aren't all of them! http://www.malonecenter.org/programs) include: Health Outreach Program, Talented Tenth, Moving Forward to End Domestic Violence, and Strong Courageous Girls Program. The fact that they strive to reach out and teach these kids about important issues that will shape their future speaks wonders to me.

My roommate had the pleasure of working at the Clyde Malone Center for two years as a Youth Worker. I decided to ask her a little bit about her experience there. When asked what the most rewarding thing about working there she stated that making a difference in a kid's life every single day was hands down the best part about the job.

"We really got to do a wide range of activities with the kids that varied every day.  We would help them with their homework, go on educational field trips around the city, and contribute to the multiple programs we had set up on site."

Lincoln may not be a city that is struggling much with their community members, but I honestly think that is because of great organizations like the Malone Center. Places like this should really get more recognition for the work they are doing for the kids of this community and their future. It's only going to reflect in years to come, and I can't wait to see what's in store for Lincoln.

Hear Nebraska

One thing that many people assume Lincoln lacks is a good music scene. With the addition of Pinnacle Bank Arena a few years back, that has brought a ton of new opportunities for concerts, and more popular artists to come to Lincoln for shows. Yes, I know that big concerts that come and go throughout the year don't really count toward the "music scene" of a city, but there's more to Lincoln that meets the eye. On this installment of Loving Local Lincoln, I am going to dive into an organization that makes music in Nebraska their priority; Hear Nebraska.

Hear Nebraska is a non-profit organization based in Lincoln that focuses on making the state of Nebraska a globally recognized cultural destination. The organization was created by at-the-time college graduate Andrew Norman, and his now wife, Angie. Hear Nebraska first started as Andrew's masters project in 2010, and blossomed into what it is today. The organization now has five full-time staff members, a team of nine on the Board of Directors, and eleven interns spanning across the state.

You may be thinking, what could a non-profit organization benefit in a farming-heavy state like Nebraska? They change the game in that aspect. Hear Nebraska's mission is to meaningfully connect and engage fans, artists, and communities through music journalism, education, and events. As I stated before, with the new Pinnacle Bank Arena, Century Link Center, Bourbon Theater, Sokal Auditorium, and countless other venues that span across this state, the opportunity for music in Nebraska, and especially Lincoln, is at an all time high.

Hear Nebraska sets out to do three things with their non-profit: Develop and provide exposure Nebraska's music, arts and creative industries, Illustrate and create reasons for young people to invest and stay in this state, And train and educate the next generation of Nebraska's leaders, while increasing arts appreciation and state pride. They have a ton of really great content on their website, (http://hearnebraska.org/) including articles written weekly about new events going on. 

One really cool thing that I have noticed about Hear Nebraska's blogging content is that they not only promote what's going on in our community, but they keep it very local. Promoting local bands that are aspiring to make it big is exactly what their mission is about, and they are fufilling that every single day. Not into the live music so much? They have content for that too. They make sure to not only provide exposure for bands and other music events, but they provide exposure for music outlets in communities as well. For example: they had a really great article about a local record store here in Lincoln.

Hear Nebraska is just another example of the many wonders lying here in Lincoln that many are not aware about. Who says Lincoln doesn't have a good music scene? Not me. Thanks to Hear Nebraska, the music and art exposure is at an all time high, and continues to grow every single day.