What to do this weekend - August 7, 2025
Hi,
Welcome to This Week In Lincoln.
Thanks to all the new folks who've signed up recently! Scroll down and you'll find the usual roundup of local events happening later this week. But first, I've got a few other things to share.
Some of you might not know, but I sometimes publish writing in publications that are much cooler than this little blog. For example: I've got a new story in the Flatwater Free Press today! It's about the impact of federal funding cuts to organizations in Nebraska that support the arts. The cuts have hit things like theaters, music festivals, First Friday art walks — exactly the kind of stuff I try to highlight in this newsletter every week.

Here are the first few paragraphs:
Dave Marsh stepped up onto the flatbed trailer that would serve as his stage. The gig: an Independence Day celebration near Crawford in Nebraska’s far northwest corner, far from his home outside of Lincoln.
Despite the distance, the scene felt familiar.
The longtime musician has spent the past 30 years traversing the state to educate audiences about his eclectic arsenal of instruments, which includes the accordion and the guitar but also the hammered dulcimer and bodhran, among many others. He estimates he has introduced hundreds of Nebraska kids to folk music during that time.
“A lot of these kids don’t know what a banjo is,” said Marsh, who also plays banjo. “And a lot of the other instruments that I play are things that they just don’t see.”
But that musical mission could be in jeopardy. Humanities Nebraska, which financially supports Marsh’s work and hundreds of similar programs that reach tens of thousands of Nebraskans each year, is among at least a dozen cultural institutions in the state facing financial uncertainty in the wake of federal funding cuts by the Trump administration earlier this year.
You can read the whole thing here, and then go support the Flatwater Free Press! Help them pay me to write more stories like this.
There's so much news happening all the time, and so many bad things to keep track of. You probably saw a headline at some point in the past few months about the arts and humanities being defunded. But I tried my best to do a more substantive follow-up on past coverage and capture the material impact of what DOGE and the Trump administration are doing.
One thing I didn't really realize until I started reporting this story: A ton of the cuts in Nebraska have hit programs that introduce kids — and especially kids in low-income households — to music and theater. The fact that poorer children will be hurt more by such "cost-cutting" measures seems obvious to me now in retrospect. Wealthy families will always be able buy private music lessons and instruments and theater tickets for their kids; that's never going to be a problem for them. But when public programs are defunded, it's all the other children who lose out and, by extension, the community as a whole.
There was also some relevant breaking news last night that I wasn't able to mention in my story: A federal judge ruled that DOGE's attempt to slash grants to support the humanities — including money intended for Humanities Nebraska, an organization featured heavily in my story — was likely unconstitutional. What this means for the future still isn't totally clear. It'll likely be a long time before anyone gets their promised funding — if it ever happens at all. But I wanted to mention that news here.
One more thing: I've got an update on a previous newsletter.
Folks who've been reading for a while might remember me complaining about how, since I moved here earlier this year, I hadn't managed to exchange a Midwest/Nebraska/one-finger wave while driving, despite my repeated attempts. (I'm willing to admit that it's probably because I haven't spent enough time driving in rural areas.)
But that finally changed! Someone in Lincoln reciprocated! A big thank you to the random man in the white sports car who I passed while driving to the co-op last night. You helped make me feel welcome.
Got an event you want to see included in next week's newsletter? Submit it here. You can also send feedback, suggestions, compliments and criticism to tynanstewart@proton.me
Thanks so much for reading. Talk to you again next Thursday!
~ Ty
P.S. This newsletter is free to read, but I do have a paid option for anyone who'd like to support the work I'm doing. If you don't have the means, I totally understand. But please consider sharing this issue with someone who'd find it useful or interesting!
Thursday, August 7
Thursday, August 7
Fair: Lancaster County Super Fair
+ When: The fair runs all day, with stuff that started at 8 am
+ Where: Sandhills Global Event Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $15 per vehicle gets you a day pass
There's a ton going on: Vendors, exhibits, family activities, a petting zoo, competitions, live music, food, and more. The fair runs through Saturday, August 9.
Thursday, August 7
Film: Folktales
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10
From the Ross's website: "In Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s life-affirming film, teenagers converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway where they must rely on only themselves, one another, and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions."
Last chance to see this at the Ross!
Thursday, August 7
Film: Mr. Blake at Your Service!
+ When: 7:20 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $12
From the Ross's website: "Mr. Andrew Blake (John Malkovich), a recently widowed British businessman, by happenstance takes a job as a butler in a manor house in northern France in a bid to get closer to the memory of his late French wife. His life takes an unexpected turn as he finds himself befriending not only the household staff but the charming lady of the house (Fanny Ardant) as well."
Last chance to see this at the Ross!
Thursday, August 7
Music: VEAUX + Fox Royale + The Zooeys
+ When: 7 pm (doors), 8 pm (show)
+ Where: Bourbon Theatre (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $22.09 including fees
Thursday, August 7
Music: Yates McKendree
+ When: 6 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $20.29 including fees (Buy tickets here)
A blues artist from Nashville. Here's a link to a performance of his from a few months back.
Thursday, August 7
Open Mic: Open Mic Night at the Hub Cafe
+ When: 5 to 8 pm
+ Where: The Hub Cafe (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Seems to be free, though it'd be a shame not to buy a drink while you're there.
Open to musicians, singers, comedians and poets! If you're not any of those things, well, you can still show up and listen.
Thursday, August 7
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 (though there are cheaper options later in the show's run)
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."
Shows will continue from August 8 to 10, and again next week from August 14 to 17.
Friday, August 8
Friday, August 8
Books: Abby E. Murray in conversation with Ava Winter
+ When: 5:30 to 6:30 pm
+ Where: Francie & Finch Bookshop (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Seems to be free!
More details from Francie & Finch's website: "Join us on Friday, August 8th as poet Ava Winter talks with Abby E. Murray about their second poetry collection Recovery Commands. Selected out of 300 entries as the 2024 winner of the Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Prize, this book explores the intersection of military and civilian life."
Friday, August 8
Film: Sorry, Baby
+ When: 7:15 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $12
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."
More showings are scheduled through August 21!
Friday, August 8
Film: The Last Class
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10
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 14!
Friday, August 8
Film: White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
+ When: 7 to 10 pm
+ Where: Black Cat House (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
A 2007 documentary directed by Steven Okazaki, featuring interviews with survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Friday, August 8
Music: Igor and the Red Elvises
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $13.61 including fees (Buy tickets here)
Siberian Surf Rock comes to Lincoln!
Friday, August 8
Music: Paa Kow
+ When: 9 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $23.10 including fees (Buy tickets here)
This sounds insanely good. More from the Zoo Bar's website: "Internationally acclaimed drummer and composer Paa Kow (pronounced Pah-Ko) fuses the vibrant rhythms and melodies of his Ghanaian roots with jazz and Afro-pop, creating a sound as dynamic as it is unique."
Friday, August 8
Roller Derby: No Coast's 20th Anniversary!
+ When: 7 pm
+ Where: Boiler Brewing Company, 129 North 10th Street (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Not sure if there's a cover
More details from the event Facebook page: "No Coast skaters, past and present, will be in the tap room to celebrate, take photos, and roll out the tapping of a special Boiler beer commemorating No Coast’s 20th Anniversary!"
Friday, August 8
Sports: UNL Women's Soccer vs. Colorado State - Exhibition
+ When: 7 pm
+ Where: Hibner Soccer Stadium (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Friday, August 8
Theater: Come From Away
+ When: 7:30 pm
+ Where: Lincoln Community Playhouse (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $29.15 including fees
More details from the theater's website: "Come from Away is based on the true story of the time when the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland, played host to the world. What started as an average day in a small town turned into an international sleepover, when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the globe, were diverted to Gander’s airstrip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander cheered the stranded travelers with music, an open bar, and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family."
Saturday, August 9
Saturday, August 9
Market: 2025 East Campus Discovery Days and Farmers Market
+ When: 10 am to 1 pm
+ Where: East Campus Mall, 3550 East Campus Loop (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free, but there will be plenty of vendors to buy from.
From the event page: "The East Campus Discovery Days and Farmers Market at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a fun, family-friendly event for all ages. It’s more than a farmer’s market. It’s more than a science day. Come for the hands-on, science focused fun. Stay to enjoy live music and food trucks."
Saturday, August 9
Market: Community Free Market - August
+ 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.
Saturday, August 9
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.
CA Waller will be performing live.
Saturday, August 9
Market: Parking Lot Party - Open Harvest turns 50!
+ When: 10 am to 4 pm
+ Where: Open Harvest Co-op Grocery (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Help celebrate the Co-op's 50th birthday!
Saturday, August 9
Roller Derby: No Coast's 20th Anniversary Double Header
+ When: 5 pm
+ Where: Ice Box (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $18 general admission, $20 trackside seating (must be 18+), $5 for children (Buy tickets here)
More details from No Coast's website: "Fueled by action, nostalgia, and a few surprises, this final doubleheader will celebrate the league’s 20th Anniversary! As part of the celebration, this event will feature a commemorative 20th Anniversary history display, limited edition merchandise, and a VIP section for past No Coast skaters and officials."
Saturday, August 9
Science: Investigate Saturday Science Lab - Patterns in Nature
+ When: 10 am to 1 pm
+ Where: University of Nebraska State Museum - Morrill Hall (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Included with the cost of museum admission.
More details from the Museum's Facebook page: "From convergent evolution to crystal formation, explore some of the many patterns that we see repeating themselves in nature. UNSM's educators and education interns will lead a variety of hands-on activities exploring the patterns in nature."
Saturday, August 9
Zines! Salt Creek Zine Fest
+ When: noon to 4 pm
+ Where: F Street Community Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
From the organizers: "Zine fests are an opportunity for lovers of indie art to buy and trade zines, a flexible and limitless medium of art that's low-cost and encourages breaking boundaries. It's also an opportunity for artists who make zines to share their work, meet other artists, and build a local community."
I'll be selling zines here!! Come by and say hello!!
Sunday, August 10
Sunday, August 10
Art: Porch Art Palooza
+ When: 1 to 6 pm
+ Where: Everett and Near South neighborhood
+ Cost: Free!
Dozens and dozens of local artists are participating! Here's a link to a map with all the houses and porches participating. Physical maps available at Gomez Art Supply and Pepe's Bistro.
Sunday, August 10
Books: Silent Book Club LNK
+ When: 2:30 to 4 pm
+ Where: Sower Books (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Folks will chat about their books at 2:30 pm and read together from 3 to 4 pm.
Sunday, August 10
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.
Featuring a culinary demo by Chef Rachel Nissen of Facole Fare.
Sunday, August 10
Music: An Acoustic Night feat. John Gold, Rich Confer, Haily Taylor and more
+ When: 8 pm (doors), 9 pm (show)
+ Where: Duffy's Tavern (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $7 | $10 for minors
Sunday, August 10
Music: Iris Blue + Alls + Joyrager
+ When: 6:30 pm (doors), 7:30 pm (show)
+ Where: The Juice Box (DM them on Instagram for the address)
+ Cost: TBA
Check the Juice Box's Instagram for updates on this show!
+ Iris Blue: spotify / linktree / insta
+ Alls: bandcamp / linktree / insta
+ Joyrager: linktree / insta
Sunday, August 10
Music: Listening Room Concert - Mike Vitale
+ When: 2 pm
+ Where: Clements Noyes Art Gallery (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $15 suggested donation to the musician
Things to do next week:
Monday, August 11
Music: Anson Funderburgh, Mike Morgan, & Shawn Pittman: A Texas Blues Summit
+ When: 6 pm
+ Where: The Zoo Bar (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $23.10 including fees (Buy tickets here)
Monday, August 11
Public Meeting: Lincoln City Council
+ When: 3 to 5 pm
+ Where: Council Chambers in the County/City Building, 555 S. 10th Street (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. The agenda has not yet been posted.
Tuesday, August 12
Public Meeting: Board of Health
+ When: 4 to 5 pm
+ Where: Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, 3131 O Street (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. The agenda can be found here.
Tuesday, August 12
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 13
Music: Lincoln Community Foundation Garden Performance Series: The Midnight Wanderers
+ When: noon to 1 pm
+ Where: Lincoln Community Foundation Garden, 1421 N St. (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Thursday, August 14
Public Meeting: Historic Preservation Commission
+ When: 2 to 4:30 pm
+ Where: County/City Building, 555 S 10th St. (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. The agenda has not yet been posted online.
Thursday, August 14
Sports: UNL Women's Soccer vs. Southern Indiana
+ When: 7:05 pm
+ Where: Hibner Soccer Stadium (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Tickets start at $9
Friday, August 15
Books: Silent Book Club
+ When: 7:30 to 11 pm
+ Where: Branched Oak Observatory (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Bring a book of your choice and read quietly. Optional discussion and tour of the observatory later in the evening. Find more details on the event page!
Things to do later this month and next:
Wednesday, August 20
Public Meeting: Citizen Police Advisory Board
+ When: 4 to 5 pm
+ Where: City/County Building, Conference Room 303, 555 S 10th St (Google Maps)
This meeting is open to the public. You can find the agenda here.
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.
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!"
Tuesday, September 9
Music: Mugshot + Iced Wrist + Your Own Knife
+ When: 6 pm (doors), 7 pm (show)
+ Where: Duffy's Tavern (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 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 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."