New Horizons PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 389
A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging
October 2022 | Vol. 47 | No.10
Jeff Barnes:
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Great Plains author
By Ron Petersen rom the great plains in the west to the urbanization in the east, from corn and beef to famous Nebraskans like Warren Buffet, Bob Gibson and Gerald Ford. The rich history of Nebraska goes on and on. One of the best ways to learn about the history of Nebraska, is through Great Plains author and speaker, Jeff Barnes. “My books are primarily about Nebraska history,” Jeff Barnes said. “I try to come up with a new book and presentation every year. For my own entertainment and education, I like to find out new things and share that information with the public.” The Omaha native went to school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and later worked at his first job in Nebraska City. Early on his career, Barnes bounced around working for KFRX in Lincoln, the Nebraska City News-Press, Midlands Business Journal in Omaha and was even the Press Secretary for Ben Nelson. Although he changed jobs, he never left Nebraska. After working in the newspaper industry and for a couple public relations firms for nearly 30 years, Barnes felt like it was time to be a freelance writer and work full-time on the topics he enjoyed writing about. “I was tired of working in the cubicles and went strictly freelance,” Barnes said. “I’ve always been paid by others to write for them, but I thought maybe I’ll write for myself for a while and see how that works out. I love it—I don’t get into the office politics, I don’t get the dress codes or the strict office hours. It’s the way to go.”
Breaking records Harriet Bloemker, 90, broke a world record in the javelin throw and a national record in the discus in Lincoln. The Fremont native isn’t quite finished. Page 8.
In 2008, Barnes came out with his first book, Forts of the Northern Plains: Guide to Historic Military Posts of the Plains Indian Wars, a guide on 51 fort sites in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. When his book started to sell, Barnes said he wanted to go out and talk about his book to various audiences around Nebraska. As an introvert, Barnes knew this was going to be a challenge, but after speaking in front of his family, he was ready to do it in front of large crowds. “I got kind of an adrenaline rush from speaking,” he said. “I got on as a speaker with Humanities Nebraska in 2009 because they were looking for someone to give a talk on forts of Nebraska. I started putting together talks and it went on from there.” Over the last 13 years, Barnes is averaging one presentation a week whether that is speaking at a library, museum or a book signing. His 750th apperence is coming up at the end of 2022 in Curtis, Nebraska. Barnes has been to 74 counties in Nebraska and has presented in nine other states around the Midwest. Barnes is currently working on a book that is similar to a travel guide of Nebraska. “I’d like to have a guide for people to throw in the glove compartment,” he said. “I really like to get people to get off of the main highways and interstate because that is where a lot of this history happened. I’ll also have GPS coordinates, road conditions and directions.”
Every topic Barnes presents is a different aspect of the history of Nebraska. A few topics is also based off of one of his seven books he has written, to not only promote the book, but to go more in depth about the history through the presentation. “I’ve done a speech on Buffalo Bill and how he went from an obscure army scout, to a famous superstar, the Oregon trail and the many ways you could die getting across Nebraska,” he said. “The latest thing I’m working on is usually what I’m most excited about because I’m learning new things. I’d love to have an image loaded during my presentations because my audience is going to see and hear new things they haven’t heard or seen before.” --Jeff Barnes continued on page 9.
Mother returns to orchestra with son; season is underway
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By Ron Petersen ust this last January, Kristine Wolfe had turned 50-years-old, celebrating a milestone of living half of a century. The mother who has a passion for music has a son who also shares the same passion, found the best opportunity to play in an orchestra together.
An orchestra that only consists of musicians who must be 25 and under or 50 years and older. “With my son going off to college next year, I felt like this might be the one opportunity to play with him in an ensemble,” Kristine Wolfe said. Kristine Wolfe, a Papillion native, found a love for music growing up as a kid. Wolfe attended Papillion-La Vista high school, where she and her music friends stumbled upon the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha (IGO). --Wolfe continued to page 9.