If I were to tell you that you would be visiting five countries without a passport, would you believe that we would  tour a castle, with Scottish dancers to entertain us, have lunch at a Irish pub with an true Irish entertainer, tour a beautiful Greek Orthodox Church with a guide to point out the beautiful surroundings and leaded windows then feed us a Greek dinner, and proceed to invite members of our group to join in their dance?

Add to that the El Museo Latino dance performers and a welcome party with a Ukrainian lady who shared their story and introduced us to their ritual towel, the Rushnyk.

Have you guessed that we are actually in Omaha, Neb.?

Other highlights included the Omaha Community Theater, which is the largest community theater in the country.

There was local talent along with professional actors that performed in the farce comedy “Lend me a Tenor,”  one of the best and funniest productions we have seen in a long time.

Another day was spent at the Henry Doorly Zoo, one of the largest in the country.  A tram ride took us first to see the outdoor animals. Their dome was so well designed in three levels that we could easily see many displays from the cute penguins, to the fish, sharks,  butterfly area, and so many stops that were children friendly.

We listened to a pipe organ concert on a restored, rebuilt Kimball Theatre  pipe organ. Jerry Pawlak, who has been playing for so many years has outfitted a listening room with large pipes, instruments, chimes, bells and drums to make all the sounds he uses in a huge variety of music.

He also added some video and included some silent movies.

Some times surprise stops are a real highlight which was the case on this trip. Our first stop near Greenfield, Iowa we visited the Freedom Rock, located south of Interstate 80 was very interesting and unique.

Since 1999, this huge rock is painted each year, usually in May before Memorial Day with a patriotic theme.

Ray Sorenson ll is the gifted artist who displays his spiritual and patriotic  feelings of gratitude to our military and freedom for our country, honoring all branches of military.

You can view all the  paintings at the FreedomRock.com.  This young man also shared that of the many visitors that come to see it each year, the veterans are the most impressed. I will  included more details on some of the visits we made there.

 Upcoming Trips

May 1: Fall trip to the Smoky Mountains.  There is a waiting list.

May 10: Church Basement Ladies at the Plymouth Playhouse. Departure is at 9:30 a.m. from Wal-Mart. I have been able to reserve four more seats if you are interested.

May 20: “Lets Celebrate.” In the past 25 years many of you have been with us and made many friends. We will be reminiscing with photos, stories and entertainment with Crazy George at Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit, a German restaurant in Minneapolis.  Get into the spirit and wear a hat or perhaps a shirt you have bought on a trip.

We are taking two buses and have room to add more persons. We will depart at 10:30 a.m.

A German meal will be served for our lunch. Return time will be about 5:45 p.m.

June 7: “Fox on the Fairway” at the Old Log Dinner Theater.  Last day to pay is May 14.

June 19: Our Charming Austrian Lady “Inge Schmenke.” This will be a visit to her Iowa home, she names Villa Commenga. she has a wonderful Austrian dinner planned with stories of her escaping from Austria into Canada, and then marrying a Iowa farmer.

She is a delight.

Our May newsletter is available at the south entrance.  Newsletters will be arriving in the mail for members.