What to do this weekend - August 21, 2025
Hi,
Welcome to This Week In Lincoln.
Thanks to everyone new who has signed up for the newsletter recently! And a special thanks to everyone who has been here for a while. You're all great.
If you scroll down, you'll find a curated list of cool events happening this weekend, next week, and later in the year. But first: A bit of a diatribe about something Nebraska-related that's been on my mind.
Sometimes, I see something so morally repulsive and ugly that it does permanent damage to my soul. Sorry to inflict this suffering on you too, but here's what did it this week:
You've probably already seen the news that ICE is planning to use a state prison in McCook as an immigrant detention camp. It's the single biggest story in Nebraska right now. But in case you haven't, here are a few paragraphs from the Associated Press's coverage to catch you up:
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska announced plans Tuesday for an immigration detention center in the remote southwest corner of the state as President Donald Trump’s administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.
The facility will be dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink,” a play on Nebraska’s nickname of the Cornhusker State and an old slang term for jail. The alliterative name follows in the vein of the previously announced “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” detention centers in Florida and the “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana.
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had agreed to use an existing minimum security prison work camp in McCook — a remote city of about 7,000 people in the middle of the wide-open prairies between Denver and Omaha — to house people awaiting deportation and being held for other immigration proceedings. It’s expected to be a Midwest hub for detainees from several states.
What's the point of giving our state's forthcoming ICE facility a cutesy, alliterative name? What purpose does it actually serve? Once I got past my initial feelings of revulsion, those are the questions I started wrestling with. There are plenty of easy, glib answers, and as with the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida, I see a lot of folks arguing that referencing the names at all is an unacceptable form of normalization. But I actually do think it's worth digging a bit deeper and trying to understand what's really happening here.
Both "Cornhusker Clink" and the AI-generated image of corncobs in ICE caps that DHS posted on its Twitter account are intentionally provocative. That much seems quite clear. The second Trump administration is full of professional internet trolls and they are undeniably skilled at posting rage-bait to maximize engagement. That doesn't mean it's wrong to be upset and disturbed by something that's upsetting and disturbing. It's just useful to remember that this kind of stunt is designed to be outrageous.
But the people who find "Cornhusker Clink" disturbing are only a small part of the intended audience. The gimmicky name and ugly image exist primarily so that far-right accounts on Twitter will repost it along with a laugh-cry emoji. These things are, first and foremost, applause-bait for the members of Trump's base who are terminally online.
This strategy is a good example of what writer Mitch Therieau calls "agit-slop," a technique of propaganda that transforms objective cruelty into something memeable and easily digestible. If you're the type of person who wants to defend the systematic mass deportation of immigrants — but would rather not have to think about the unpleasant details of what it looks like in practice — having a cute little nickname you can use to trigger the libs is a useful shield against reality.
Because let's be clear: There is abundant evidence that other ICE prisons are sites of rampant cruelty and neglect, and there's no reason to believe that the new McCook detention center will be any different. To take just one recent example, here's Wired magazine reporting on a U.S. Senate investigation that documented over 500 credible reports of human rights abuses in immigration detention since the beginning of the year:
The accounts of abuse span facilities in 25 states and include Puerto Rico, US military bases, and charter deportation flights. Among the most harrowing: a pregnant woman reportedly bled for days before being taken to a hospital, only to miscarry alone without medical attention. Others described being forced to sleep on the floor or denied meals and medical exams. Attorneys reported that their clients’ prenatal checkups were canceled for weeks at a time.
Children as young as 2 were also subjected to neglect. One US citizen child with severe medical needs was hospitalized multiple times while in Customs and Border Protection custody, where an officer allegedly dismissed her mother’s pleas for help by telling her to “just give the girl a cracker.” Another child recovering from brain surgery was reportedly denied follow-up care, and a 4-year-old undergoing cancer treatment was deported without access to doctors.
If anything close to this happens at the McCook facility, it'll be pretty damn hard to square with Nebraska's slogan of "The Good Life." And it will make the now-discarded tagline, "Nebraska, honestly it's not for everyone," seem like an open threat.
Here are some links to other coverage of the McCook facility, if you want to read more:
- What we know about the new ICE detention center in McCook (Nebraska Public Media)
- Nebraska will let Trump use McCook prison as ICE facility, governor says (Lincoln Journal-Star)
- University of Nebraska distances itself from 'Cornhusker Clink' detention center name (Lincoln Journal-Star)
- Next federal immigration detention center headed to Nebraska’s McCook (Nebraska Examiner)
- What’s in a name? Fed moniker for Nebraska immigration jail draws ire and defense (Nebraska Examiner)
- Gov. Pillen plans to use McCook facility as immigration detention center (10/11)
- Livestream of Governor Pillen's press conference about the facilty (NTV News/YouTube)
Thanks for reading. Got an event you want to see featured in next week's newsletter? Submit it here. You can also send feedback, suggestions, compliments, and criticism to tynanstewart@proton.me
I've also got a number of standalone pieces about Lincoln and Nebraska in the works. Some history columns, book reviews, maybe some deeper dives into particular things happening in the community. Mostly, I have a ton of things that interest me and not nearly enough time to explore them all! But stay tuned and also send me ideas for anything you want to see written about.
~ Ty
P.S. This newsletter is free to read but not free to produce, so I encourage you to sign-up as a paid supporter, if you have the means. If you don't, I totally understand! Times are tough. But please consider at least sharing this newsletter with someone else who might find it valuable.
Thursday, August 21
Thursday, August 21
Film: Sorry, Baby
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10
More details from the Ross's website: "Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least. When a beloved friend visits on the brink of a major milestone, Agnes starts to realize just how stuck she’s been, and begins to work through how to move forward."
Last chance to see this at the Ross!
Thursday, August 21
Film: The Last Class
+ When: 7:15 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $12
More details from the Ross's website: "Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich always considered teaching his true calling. As he faces his final class, he wrestles with the dual realities of his own aging and his students inheriting a world out of balance."
More showings scheduled through August 28!
Thursday, August 21
Music: Front Porch
+ When: 6 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar, 136 N 14th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $17.20 with fees (Buy tickets here)
The Arkansas-based bluegrass band returns to Lincoln! Check out their website and music here.
Thursday, August 21
Public Meeting: Safe Streets Lincoln - Vision Zero Action Plan: Public Open House
+ When: 5 to 7 pm
+ Where: Elliott Elementary School, 225 S 25th St. (Google Maps)
More details from the city's website: "Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) and project team members will share safety data, present preliminary system-wide strategies, and invite feedback from attendees. Community input remains vital to shaping a plan that works for Lincoln. Community members are encouraged to attend, ask questions, and share insights that support safer streets."
Thursday, August 21
Social: Weekly Leftist Meetup
+ When: 5:30 to 7 pm
+ Where: Crescent Moon Coffee, 140 N 8th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Organized by Lincoln's DSA branch. More details from their Instagram: "New Month; New Meetup Location! Join us at Crescent Moon Coffee any Thursday this month from 5:30-7pm. Come meet some other left leaning fellows and chat, share, or just listen and learn a bit about us. Drop-in/Drop-out at your leisure. Hope to see ya at one!"
Friday, August 22
Friday, August 22
Books: The Nebraska Heritage Book Club
+ When: noon to 1 pm
+ Where: Bennett Martin Public Library, 4th floor conference room (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
The book for August is The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee.
Friday, August 22
Film: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10
More details from the Ross's website: "In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight at 21 years old. Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer."
More showings scheduled through August 28!
Friday, August 22
Music: Lyndhurst + Everybody's Friend + Woodhaven + Pearl Parade
+ When: 7:30 pm (doors), 8 pm (show)
+ Where: 1867 Bar, 101 N 14th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $12 at the door
Friday, August 22
Music: Mark Stuart
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar, 136 N 14th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10
More details from the Zoo Bar's Facebook page: "Mark Stuart brings stories to life with every note he plays. From swampy blues riffs to Beatles-esque melodies, from razor-sharp fingerpicking to searing slide guitar, his music is an unfiltered, road-worn reflection of a life spent chasing songs. He’s shared stages with legends, but his voice—and his guitar—are the kind that leave their own mark."
Friday, August 22
Music: Neva Dinova + The Sun-Less Trio + Stephen Bartolomei + Ashley Rayne Boe + Custom Catacombs
+ When: 9 pm
+ Where: Duffy's Tavern, 1412 O St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $5
More details from Duffy's website: "We're celebrating the release of the "V.V. Vol. 1" LP compilation, featuring Nebraska musicians with ties stretching back more than three decades into our music scene's history. As much as this show is a celebration of the artists included in the compilation, it's a celebration of vinyl records and physical listening, "of sharing physical and aural space in a musical collection."
Friday, August 22
Protest: Not In Our State!
+ When: noon to 1 pm
+ Where: Nebraska Governor's Mansion, 1425 H St. (Google Maps)
Organized by Mothers & Others: Justice and Mercy For Immigrants.
More details from their Facebook page: "In light of the Governor's announcement of an ICE detention center in McCook, you are invited to join Mothers and Others: Justice and Mercy for Immigrants for a peaceful legal witness outside the Governor's mansion, Friday, August 22, noon to 1 p.m. Please bring signs with civil messages supporting our immigrant neighbors."
Friday, August 22
Public Meeting: West Haymarket JPA Meeting
+ When: 1 to 2 pm
+ Where: Council Chambers, County-City Building, 555 South 10th St. (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. You can find the agenda posted here.
More details from the city's website: "The West Haymarket Joint Public Agency (WHJPA) is the governmental agency responsible for oversight of the project, for issuing bonds, collecting revenue, and making bond payments over the course of the Project. Participants in the agency are the City and the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska."
Saturday, August 23
Saturday, August 23
Books: Linked2Literacy Wordstock 2025
+ When: 10 am to 1 pm
+ Where: Antelope Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
It's a book swap! More details from the event Facebook page: "Guests will enjoy unlimited books to take home, food trucks, carnival games, along with engaging stories from local celebrity readers who share our passion for literacy."
Saturday, August 23
Film: One Book One Lincoln Movie Day
+ When: 2 to 4 pm
+ Where: Walt Branch Library, 6701 S 14th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
More details from the library's website: "Whether you have read the One Book One Lincoln finalist James by Percival Everett or not, you may be inspired to revisit Mark Twain's classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Join us for a watch party of what critics deem as the best adaptation of this novel, the 1993 film version starring Elijah Wood and Courtney B. Vance. Enjoy refreshments at this family-friendly event."
Saturday, August 23
Film: Outdoor Movie Night | Monsters University
+ When: 7 to 10 pm
+ Where: 2530 Q St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
More details from NeighborWorks's website: "Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us in the yard at 2530 Q Street on Saturday, August 23. We'll be screening Disney Pixar's Monsters University! Free to attend! Free popcorn! Free parking! The movie will start just after sunset at 8:15 p.m. and runs 104 minutes."
Saturday, August 23
Fundraiser: Help Your Neighbor for the Center for Legal Immigration Assistance
+ When: 5 to 8 pm
+ Where: Tierra Park, 2800 Tierra Dr. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Seems to be free to attend!
Come out and make signs for protests (supplies will be provided), and listen to live music from The Toasted Ponies, The Strange Bedfellows with Bev Jester, and The Tidball Barger Band. The organizers suggest that you bring lawn chairs or a blanket.
Saturday, August 23
Market: Historic Haymarket Farmers' Market
+ When: 8 am to noon
+ Where: Haymarket (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free, but there will be plenty of vendors to buy from.
Dustin West will be performing live.
Saturday, August 23
Music: Head Change
+ When: 9 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar, 136 N 14th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10
Come out and see a local band! Here are links to their stuff: insta / spotify
Saturday, August 23
Theater: Punk Rock Romeo & Juliet
+ When: 7 to 10 pm
+ Where: Wyuka Stables (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Tickets start at $32.50 for today's performance
A production of the Flatwater Shakespeare Company. More details from their website: "Shakespeare gets a mohawk in this raw and rebellious take on Romeo and Juliet. Set in a gritty, guitar-fueled world where love and rage collide, Flatwater’s punk rock adaptation brings Verona’s feuding families to life with thrashing energy, DIY grit, and heart-on-your-sleeve passion."
Last chance to see this show!
Sunday, August 24
Sunday, August 24
Market: Sunday Farmers' Market at College View
+ When: 10 am to 2 pm
+ Where: 4801 Prescott Ave. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free, but it's a farmer's market, so be prepared to spend money.
Things to do next week:
Monday, August 25
Public Meeting: Lincoln Board of Education Special Meeting/Public Hearing
+ When: 6 pm
+ Where: Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O St. (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. The agenda is available online, and the main event is a public hearing on LPS's 2025-26 proposed budget. A chance to show up and make your voice heard!
Tuesday, August 26
Film: Daft State
+ When: 7:30 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $5
More details from the Ross's website: "Easton’s mysterious psychological destruction drives him to the edge of sanity and possible self-harm by those who love him most… his wife and daughter. Will Easton succumb to their increasingly traumatizing pressure, or will he conquer the dark forces at play?"
Part of the Made in Nebraska Summer Series!
Tuesday, August 26
Public Meeting: Lincoln Board of Education
+ When: 6 pm
+ Where: Steve Joel District Leadership Center, 5905 O St. (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. The agenda has not yet been posted online.
Wednesday, August 27
Trivia: Weekly Trivia at Saro Cider!
+ When: 7 pm
+ Where: Saro Cider, 1746 N St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: No cover!
Thursday, August 28
Training: Know Your Rights: Protecting Your Community with Josh Snowden of the ACLU
+ When: 6:15 pm (doors), 6:30 pm (event)
+ Where: Jane Snyder Trails Center, 250 N 21st St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Organized by the Open Harvest Co-op Grocery.
More details from the Co-op's Facebook page: "Join Josh Snowden from the ACLU for this essential community training. Together, we’ll: Learn the legal rights of both citizens and non-citizens when approached by ICE or police; understand the shifting political climate and its impact on immigrant and civil rights; strengthen our collective ability to protect and support one another."
Friday, August 29
Film: East of Wall
+ When: 7:30 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $12
This is a special screening! Writer/director Kate Beecroft will be at the Ross for a discussion following this screening.
More details from the Ross's website: "EAST OF WALL is an authentic portrait of female resilience in the ‘New West’ inspired and played by the women and girls who live it. Set in the Badlands of South Dakota, Tabatha, a young, rebellious rancher, who rescues and resells horses, must make hard decisions to deal with her fractured family, financial uncertainty, and unresolved grief, all while providing refuge for a group of wayward neighborhood teens."
More showings scheduled through September 11!
Saturday, August 30
Crafting: Sewing Saturday: Weaving
+ When: 10 am to 2 pm
+ Where: International Quilt Museum, 1523 N. 33rd St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Materials are included with the cost of museum admission!
More details from the museum's website: "Join the International Quilt Museum for Sewing Saturday: Weaving on August 30. Sewing Saturdays are a chance for guests of any age to learn sewing skills and create a small, take-home project! Don’t worry if this is your first sewing experience — help will be nearby if you need it."
Saturday, August 30
History: Introduction to Oral History Resources of Lincoln
+ When: 11 am to 12:30 pm
+ Where: Bennett Martin Public Library, Auditorium (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
From the library's website: "Join the Lincoln Lancaster County Genealogical Society for an introduction to their digitized 1980 Lincoln oral history resources!"
Saturday, August 30
Market: Y-Not Mini Market
+ When: noon to 5 pm
+ Where: Resonator Gallery at Turbine Flats, 2124 Y St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free! But it's a market so come buy things.
Things to do later this year:
Tuesday, September 2
Film: My Friend, Norman
+ When: 7:30 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $5
More details from the Ross's website: "Take a journey with Norman Geske, Nebraska’s Father of the Arts, with this feature length documentary about the impact one man has had on the artistic and cultural heritage of Nebraska and beyond."
Part of the Made in Nebraska Summer Series!
Friday, September 5
Art: Bugs & Bones: September First Friday at the Resonator
+ When: 5 to 8 pm
+ Where: Resonator Gallery at Turbine Flats, 2124 Y St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
More details from the event's Facebook page: "Join us at the Resonator Gallery this coming First Friday and enjoy locally made art, vendors and more! The exhibit "BUGS & BONES", features the unique works by local artists Caleb Dutton and Scott McDonald."
Friday, September 5
Art: September First Friday at the LUX
+ When: 5 to 8 pm
+ Where: LUX Center for the Arts, 2601 N 48th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
A bunch of cool sounding exhibitions are opening! Go check them out!
More details from their website: "See work from Nathan Murray in Undercurrents in the West Gallery, Lead Me to Loose Me by Maddie Hinrichs in the East Gallery, the Lincoln Modern Quilt Guild Fall Exhibition in the Community Gallery, plus a brand new exhibition in the Lux Print Gallery."
Tuesday, September 9
Music: Mugshot + Iced Wrist + Your Own Knife
+ When: 6 pm (doors), 7 pm (show)
+ Where: Duffy's Tavern, 1412 O St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 advance tickets, $12 day of the show
Links to the bands' music and socials:
+ Mugshot: linktree / insta / merch
+ Iced Wrist: bandcamp / linktree / insta
+ Your Own Knife: bandcamp / linktree / insta
Saturday, September 13
Market: Community Free Market
+ When: 10 to 11:30 am
+ Where: Seng Park, 49th & Garland (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
From the Facebook page: "It’s like a yard sale, except everything is free!” Celebrating 13 years! Find more details at the link above.
Thursday, September 18
Social: Nerd Nite
+ When: 7 pm
+ Where: Saro Cider, 1746 N St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: No cover!
Saturday, September 20
Art: Art in the Garden
+ When: 10 am to 6 pm
+ Where: Sunken Gardens (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Presented by Clements Noyes Art Gallery. More details from the event's Facebook page: "Join us for our annual family-friendly Art Show & Sale in Lincoln's beautiful Sunken Gardens. We will have art, artists, live music, dance and food trucks."
Sunday, September 21
Art: EMERGE LNK: Mural + Street Art Festival
+ When: 10 am to 3 pm
+ Where: LUX Center, 2601 N 48th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
This will be taking place concurrently with the Uni Place Maker's Market (see below).
Sunday, September 21
Market: Uni Place Creative District Maker’s Market
+ When: 10 am to 2 pm
+ Where: 2649 North 48th St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
I will also be tabling here!!! Come by and get some of my zines!!!
Sunday, September 28
Music: Porch Jam 2025
+ When: noon to 5 pm
+ Where: Cooper Park and surrounding blocks (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
More details from the festival's website: "Porch Jam is a celebration of community and folk stylings of music! Playing music on the porch was once a more common experience and we want to bring that back!! We will be hosting bands to play through the afternoon, as well as food trucks and kid activities! We encourage everyone to come to the South Salt Creek Neighborhood to celebrate music and community."
Wednesday, October 15
Music: Social Cinema + Sego + Estrogen Projection
+ When: 8 pm (doors), 9 pm (show)
+ Where: Duffy's Tavern, 1412 O St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $13 advance tickets | $15 day of the show
Some awesome local bands playing along with LA-based alt-pop act Sego:
+ Social Cinema: website / bandcamp / insta
+ Sego: linktree / bandcamp / insta
+ Estrogen Projection: linktree / spotify / insta