Omaha Events Sept 3-9: New Streetcar Reveal, Live Music

Omaha just revealed the face of its future streetcar, city council wrapped up next year's budget with a few close votes, and your Labor Day week calendar is packed with new restaurants and live music.

Here's what's inside:

Let's dive in!

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🐴 Adams County 4-H program helps kids of all abilities saddle up
Eighteen-year-old Easton Krumm used to be nervous around big animals. Now he's showing horses thanks to a unified riding program that pairs kids with special needs and volunteer 4-H buddies. His confidence has grown so much that this year he told his longtime helper to step back and let him lead.

🚂 Durham Museum highlights Omaha's railroad history with new photography exhibit
The Durham Museum just opened a new train photography exhibit called "One Track Mind," featuring work by acclaimed photographer Blair Bunting. It's part of the Omaha Common Senses Festival, celebrating Omaha's deep railroad roots, since the transcontinental railroad's "golden spike" story started right here. The exhibit runs through October 4.

🚁 Amazon drone deliveries in Papillion raise weather, safety questions
Hundreds of packages are now dropping into Papillion yards daily as part of Amazon's Prime Air drone service. The drones ground themselves in high wind, rain or lightning, and even Papillion police say they feel safer after touring the fulfillment center. The service currently reaches about seven and a half miles from the warehouse.

🚋 Omaha reveals streetcar vehicle design and nickname ahead of 2028 launch
Omaha just unveiled the look and nickname for its upcoming streetcar system: meet OSCAR. City leaders picked the vibrant orange, white and blue design after gathering feedback from neighbors and focus groups. All six streetcars are expected to arrive in 2027, with service starting in 2028.

💛 Good Grief Group gives people a place to face their pain without judgment
North Omaha facilitator Kizzetta Holmes leads the Good Grief Group, a weekly gathering where people can talk openly about loss, whether it's a death, divorce or lost dream. She describes grief as a wave that can resurface anytime, and wants neighbors to know they don't have to carry it alone. The group meets Thursdays at 6pm.

🛟 Mom pushes for water safety with free life jacket lending partnership
After losing her son Wyatt in a canoe accident, Michala Stepanek partnered with the Papio Missouri River NRD to launch a free life jacket lending station at Wehrspann Lake. The station started with 14 jackets and has grown to 27 through community donations. Organizers hope to expand it to all 16 district reservoirs.

The commercial real estate playbook is being rewritten—and Brightway Commercial's expertise is where businesses are putting their trust for measurable savings. The company specializes in tenant representation, investment sales, and strategic consulting that protects your bottom line.

Why smart businesses choose Brightway:

💰 Property Tax Cut Falls Short in Close Vote
A push to lower Omaha’s property tax rate and shift $4.37 million over to sales tax instead came up just short at the council table. Mayor John Ewing and several residents spoke during the public hearing, but the measure failed 3-4. That means the property tax rate in the newly adopted budget stays as originally proposed.

🏛️ Council Signs Off on the 2027 City Budget
After weeks of hearings and tweaks, the council approved next year’s city budget 7-0. Members also locked in the 2027-2032 Capital Improvement Program, which lays out major infrastructure projects planned for the next six years.

🍽️ $40K Shifts From One Omaha to Food Bank Despite Pushback
Nearly a dozen North Omaha residents and community leaders spoke up to defend funding for One Omaha, but the council voted 7-0 to move $40,000 from the nonprofit over to the Food Bank of the Heartland instead. Speakers worried about what the cut could mean for North Omaha programming.

🎉 Local Causes Get a Budget Boost
The council padded next year’s budget with extra money for Dreamland Park, B&B Sports Academy, North Omaha Music and Arts, Georgia’s House of Hope, the Blue Bucket Project and Native Omaha Days, all paid for by trimming the city’s contingency fund.

🏨 Drury Plaza Hotel Headed Downtown
An eight-story, 210-room Drury Plaza Hotel is coming to 501 South 10th Street, with structured parking, a fitness center, an indoor pool and a restaurant. The council approved up to $7.55 million in redevelopment incentives to help make it happen.

🏘️ 198 Affordable Homes Planned for 2501 Center Street
Two aging buildings near 2501 Center Street will come down to make room for 180 new apartments and 18 townhomes, all reserved for income-qualified renters. The council approved up to $3.6 million in tax increment financing to help the project pencil out.

🚒 New Fire Station #70 Moves Forward
The council awarded a $5.68 million contract to Meco-Henne Contracting to build Fire Station #70, funded through the city’s 2022 public facilities bond.

Watch the City Council meeting here.

Here’s the latest on Omaha’s restaurant scene - openings, moves, and what’s next.

Q: Sumner Street in Lincoln is where you can find the home (and maybe a monogramed welcome mat showing the initials "WJB") of what politician who ran against William McKinley twice and Theodore Roosevelt once as the Democratic nominee in three U.S. presidential elections?

(Answer below.)

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*Dates and times can change, so please confirm with the venue before you go.

*Dates and times can change, so please confirm with the venue before you go.

TRIVIA ANSWER

A: William Jennings Bryan