A P-51 Mustang Gunfighter, Boeing Stearman, and T-6 Texan sit on the airstrip between flights on Saturday at Ross Aviation.
A P-51 Mustang Gunfighter, Boeing Stearman, and T-6 Texan sit on the airstrip between flights on Saturday at Ross Aviation.
Nebraska State Fly-In to grace the skies at O’Neill Municipal Airport this weekend (copy)
Aerobatic performances, fireworks and exotic cars will be shown off at the Nebraska State Fly-In on Friday and Saturday at the O’Neill Municipal Airport John L. Baker Field.
There will be opportunities for meet-and-greets with pilots and performers, interactive exhibits and kid-friendly activities. The gates will open at 7 p.m. Friday.
The 32nd annual event will feature a Friday night air show performance by Erik Edgren’s 1939 “T-Clips.” He describes it as a “little bit of ballet and a rock n’ roll show.”
Six aerobatic performers will take flight in different makes and models from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Food trucks and local booths will also be at the event.
Donations will be accepted at the entrance.
Bunnies and squirrels entertain patients as they dine at Bellevue Medical Center (copy)
It looks like a scene almost straight out of a Disney movie.
Squirrels, rabbits and birds dine together at a picnic table built just for them in a small green space on the west side of the Bellevue Medical Center. The table is covered with a red-checked tablecloth, and the animals eat out of red bowls and cups.
Patients doing cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation on the basement floor love watching the running, climbing and playing of the creatures living at 2510 BMC Drive.
“There have been times when the squirrels will climb the tree just above the table and bird feeder and hang upside down from the branch to get into the bird feeder,” said Jesse Paulson, cardiac rehab operations coordinator for Nebraska Medicine.
The animals are the first thing many patients ask about when they arrive for treatment.
Their antics become a conversation starter, Paulson said.
“It helps distract them a bit from the exercises they are doing,” he said. “It makes it a little more enjoyable and easier for them.”
Patient Ira Olson’s service dog, Zechariah, is one of the biggest fans.
The blue heeler-border collie mix has been visiting with his owner a few times a week as the military veteran undergoes pulmonary rehabilitation.
“He wants to get there. He pulls me down the hall,” Olson said. “He’s got nose prints on the door.”
Patients had already been enjoying watching the animals through the large windows of the rehab center when, a year ago, physical therapist Airon Seitz built the 2x2 square foot table — complete with benches. The red bowls drilled into the table are filled with peanuts and corn. A patient brought in a bird feeder.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” Paulson said. “Slowly but surely they started coming more and more often.”
Olson, an artist who moved to the area from South Dakota to undergo treatment, watches the animals as he uses the treadmill. He finds it relaxing. Zechariah, also a patient favorite, likes the rabbits best, his owner said.
“He sits at the door and watches them,” Olson said. “He doesn’t bark. He doesn’t make any sound.”
Feeding the animals is a team effort. Several patients contribute by bringing peanuts.
The amounts needed vary depending on the weather. Demand isn’t as high on hotter days.
“You can tell when food bowls are empty,” Paulson said. “They will come and almost sit in front of the door like they are waiting for us to bring in the food.”
Monarch butterfly pollinates flowers in Omaha garden
