What to do this weekend - June 12, 2025
Hi,
Welcome to This Week In Lincoln, a list of cool and important events happening in Lincoln, Nebraska. This newsletter is for anyone who is tired of having to wade through ugly AI-generated slop on Facebook to find fun things to do.
Below is a bunch of stuff that's happening this weekend: concerts, markets, protests and Pride events! But first, a quick report on the local arts scene.
I recommend that you make time to visit the Great Plains Art Museum, which I checked out last week for First Friday. I was especially struck by the rough, emotional bluntness of “The Journey: Documented Items/Undocumented Souls,” a photographic essay currently on display. It's a multimedia exhibit centered around a series of images from photographer John Moore, best known for his work on the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The Journey" would be a vital series at any time, but given the Trump administration's escalating crackdown on immigrants here in Nebraska and across the country, an art piece intended to humanize undocumented migrants feels particularly important. Some of the images, which focus mostly on objects and ephemera — a lost toothbrush, discarded clothing — left behind by people making the journey from Latin America to the United States, are genuinely striking. I keep thinking about one in particular: A close-up shot of two hands, handcuffed together and holding each other. It's a sensitive, tender image, and it has remained stuck in my head.
Parts of the exhibit didn't work for me. Some photos dispensed with subtlety in favor of sentimentality, and the overwhelming focus on lost objects with emotional shock value (like the child's backpack featured above) did, at times, seem to crowd out the actual human beings who we're meant to care about — at least, that was my experience. But that doesn't mean the photo essay as a whole isn't moving and powerful. You should visit the exhibit and judge for yourself!
"The Journey: Documented Items/Undocumented Souls" runs through August 23. The Great Plains Art Museum is open 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
Thanks for reading! Send feedback, suggestions, compliments and criticism to tynanstewart@proton.me
~ Ty
P.S. Please consider signing up for a paid subscription to help fund this work. I'm just one person and it takes a surprising amount of my time to find events that actually look worth your time. Your support will help keep this one-man project going.
Thursday, June 12
Baseball: Lincoln Saltdogs vs Milwaukee Milkmen
+ When: 7:05 pm
+ Where: Haymarket Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Tickets start at $13.50 for general admission (seating on the berm)
Concert: KZUM Stransky Park Concert Series: Star City Chorus
+ When: 7 to 9 pm
+ Where: Stranksy Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: The food truck Porkccentric will be on site.
Film: April
+ When: 4:50 pm and 7:30 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 4:50 pm, $12 tickets at 7:30 pm
+ Also: This is the last day this film will be playing at the Ross!
Film: We Were Dangerous
+ When: 5 pm and 7 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 5 pm, $12 tickets at 7 pm
History: Northeast Radial Bike Tour (organized by NeighborWorks Lincoln)
+ When: 5:30 to 7 pm
+ Where: 45th & Gladstone Playground Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: The organizers request that you RSVP in advance. "Come learn how neighbors and neighborhoods joined forces, organized, and built an alternative vision for their communities to stop an urban freeway in Lincoln’s own 'Freeway Fight!'"
Poetry: Lincoln Poetry Slam! (presented by the Nebraska Writers Collective)
+ When: 6:30 pm (doors), 7 to 9 pm (event)
+ Where: Larksong Writers Place (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Public Meeting: Historic Preservation Commission meeting
+ When: 2 pm
+ Where: Council Chambers in the County/City Building (Google Maps)
+ Also: This meeting is open to the public. Here's a link to the agenda.
Show: Nebraska Quarter Horse Association presents the 2025 Cornhusker Classic
+ When: 8 am start
+ Where: Sandhills Global Event Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: From the event page: "This six-day show features a comprehensive lineup of American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) approved classes, including halter, western pleasure, trail, and horsemanship."
Friday, June 13
Art: Art Talk Live Lunch and Listen (presented by KZUM)
+ When: 11 pm to 1 pm
+ Where: Clements Noyes Art Gallery (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: The organizers encourage you to bring a sack lunch!
Concert: Billy Currington (with special guests Parmalee and Cole Goodwin)
+ When: 6 pm (doors), 7 pm (show)
+ Where: Pinewood Bowl Theater (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Tickets start at $64.45
Concert: Bryan Martin, Drew Phillips Band
+ When: 7 pm (doors), 8 pm (show)
+ Where: Bourbon Theatre (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Tickets start at $27.24 (the price includes online fees)
Film: Friendship
+ When: 5:20 pm and 7:30 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 5:20 pm, $12 tickets at 7:30 pm
Film: We Were Dangerous
+ When: 5 pm and 7 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 5 pm, $12 tickets at 7 pm
Film: Movies in the Park presents IF
+ When: The event will begin "around 8:45-9:00 p.m. depending on sunset."
+ Where: 1650 Memorial Dr - Antelope Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free! No RSVP or ticket needed.
+ Also: This is part of a movie series sponsored by Lincoln Parks and Recreation and the Lincoln Parks Foundation.
Poetry: Poetry at the Lion – Jewel Rodgers
+ When: 5:30 to 7:45 pm
+ Where: St. Mark's on the Campus Episcopal Church (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Seems to be free.
🏳️🌈 Pride: 2025 Star City Pride Festival: Day 1
+ When: 4 pm
+ Where: Woods Park neighborhood, 30th & J St.
+ Cost: Free!
Science: NASA Night at the Branched Oak Observatory
+ When: 6 pm (doors), 6:30 to 11 pm (event)
+ Where: Branched Oak Observatory (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: From the organizers: "Join us for a unique opportunity to meet a current flight director of NASA and to learn about the space administration’s current research and space missions."
Show: Nebraska Quarter Horse Association presents the 2025 Cornhusker Classic
+ When: 8 am start
+ Where: Sandhills Global Event Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: From the event page: "This six-day show features a comprehensive lineup of American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) approved classes, including halter, western pleasure, trail, and horsemanship."
Saturday, June 14
Art: Drop-In Tour of Sheldon Museum of Art
+ When: 2 pm
+ Where: Sheldon Museum of Art (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: A guided tour of the exhibitions “Exploding Native Inevitable” and “Visualizing Survivance, Visualizing Permanence.”
Concert: Psychostick, Texas Toast Chainsaw Massacre, Hatricide, Rival Within, Evil Shadows
+ When: 6 pm (doors), 6:30 pm (show)
+ Where: Bourbon Theatre (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Tickets start at $27.24 (the price includes online fees)
Film: Friendship
+ When: 12:40 pm, 2:50 pm, 5:10 pm, and 7:20 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 12:40 pm, 2:50 pm, and 5:10 pm, $12 tickets at 7:20 pm
Film: We Were Dangerous
+ When: 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm, $12 tickets at 7 pm
Film: The Lego Movie (Outdoor Movie Night organized by NeighborWorks Lincoln)
+ When: 8 pm (pre-movie yard games), 9 pm (movie starts)
+ Where: 2530 Q Street (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: Free popcorn and free parking!
Film: The Land Before Time (Family Film Fest)
+ When: 11 am
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free! Tickets available at the box office the day of the screening.
Market: 2025 East Campus Discovery Days and Farmers Market
+ When: 10 am to 1 pm
+ Where: East Campus Mall (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free, but there will be plenty of vendors to buy from.
Market: Community Free Market
+ When: 10 to 11:30 am
+ Where: Seng Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: “It’s like a yard sale, except everything is free!” Bring your items in good condition to give away (along with a folding table or blanket to display them). More details on the event page.
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.
Museum: Archie's Party (a celebration of the UNL State Museum)
+ When: 9 am to 3 pm
+ Where: Location (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Access to all events included with the cost of museum admission ($12.50 for adults). Advance tickets are encouraged but not required.
+ Also: The museum is supporting the Food Bank of Lincoln with a collection drive, and visitors are invited to bring a donation. You can find a list of the food bank's most-needed items on the event page.
Plants: Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Spring Plant Sale
+ When: 9 am to noon
+ Where: Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Greenhouse (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free, but there will be plants for sale.
+ Also: From the organizers: "Perennials for shade and sun, herbs, grasses and a selection of shrubs and trees will be available for sale."
🏳️🌈 Pride: Star City Pride Parade
+ When: 10 am
+ Where: Nebraska State Capitol (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
🏳️🌈 Pride: 2025 Star City Pride Festival: Day 2
+ When: noon to 11 pm
+ Where: 17th St. between O & P St., outside Das Haus (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $15
+ Also: Anyone aged 10 and under gets in free! But after 6 pm, the event is restricted to folks 19 & up.
Protest: NO KINGS: Nationwide Day of Defiance
+ When: 9:30 to 11:30 am
+ Where: O Street & South 10th Street
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: This is one of hundreds of planned protests against Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda happening across the country and around the world. The link above provides more details and an option to RSVP, but I want to emphasize you're not required to do so. (In fact, I suggest that you don't register in advance. It's a protest! You can just literally just show up!)
Show: Nebraska Quarter Horse Association presents the 2025 Cornhusker Classic
+ When: 8 am start
+ Where: Sandhills Global Event Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: From the event page: "This six-day show features a comprehensive lineup of American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) approved classes, including halter, western pleasure, trail, and horsemanship."
Volunteer: Malone/Hawley Neighborhood Clean-Up (organized by NeighborWorks Lincoln)
+ When: 9 am to noon
+ Where: 2640 R Street (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: According to the organizers: "Dumpsters will be set up in the parking lot at Sower Church at 2640 R Street. Items accepted include large debris, electronics, metal, appliances, and tires."
Sunday, June 15 - Father's Day
Art: Sheldon Museum of Art Family Day
+ When: 2 to 4 pm
+ Where: Sheldon Museum of Art (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free, but advance registration is encouraged.
Film: Friendship
+ When: 12:40 pm, 2:50 pm, 5:10 pm, and 7:20 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 12:40 pm, 2:50 pm, and 5:10 pm, $12 tickets at 7:20 pm
Film: We Were Dangerous
+ When: 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm
+ Where: Ross Media Arts Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: $10 tickets at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm, $12 tickets at 7 pm
Show: Nebraska Quarter Horse Association presents the 2025 Cornhusker Classic
+ When: 8 am start
+ Where: Sandhills Global Event Center (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: From the event page: "This six-day show features a comprehensive lineup of American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) approved classes, including halter, western pleasure, trail, and horsemanship."
Things to do next week:
Monday, June 16
Concert: 2025 Spring Jazz Series - Monday Night Big Band Directed by Bryan Canonigo (presented by the Capital Jazz Society)
+ When: 7 to 9:30 pm
+ Where: Storm Cellar (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Tuesday, June 17
Concert: Jazz in June - Pete Fucinaro
+ When: 7 pm
+ Where: Sheldon Sculpture Garden
+ Cost: Free! But VIP tickets are available for $30.
Wednesday, June 18
Market: Hub Cafe Farmer's Market
+ When: 5 to 7 pm
+ Where: Union Plaza (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free! But it's a farmer's market so there will be stuff available to purchase.
Wednesday, June 18
Concert: Live @ Telegraph - NE Grease and Power
+ When: 6 to 9 pm
+ Where: The Mill - Telegraph (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Thursday, June 19
Concert: KZUM Stransky Park Concert Series: Ris, Dre.S and Ria Gold
+ When: 7 to 9 pm
+ Where: Stranksy Park (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Friday, June 20
Art: June Third Friday Event at the Clements Noyes Art Gallery
+ When: 5 to 8:30 pm
+ Where: Clements Noyes Art Gallery (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
Friday, June 20
Books: Silent Book Club
+ When: 7:30 to 11 pm
+ Where: Branched Oak Observatory (Google Maps)
+ Cost: Free!
+ Also: Bring a book and read quietly at the observatory. More details on the event page!
Saturday, June 21
Adoption: 2025 Pup Crawl in the Telegraph District
+ When: 3 to 7 pm
+ Where: Multiple locations, including Code Beer Company, Craft Axe Throwing, Off-Leash Dog Bar, Saro Cider and The Post.
+ Cost: $15 tickets.
+ Also: From the organizers: "Meet dogs available for adoption from Brave Animal Rescue, Dolly's Legacy Animal Rescue, and Nebraska No Kill Canine Rescue."