LINCOLN – Celebrated writer and American West historian Mari Sandoz continues to shape our understanding of Plains history. The April 3 episode of Nebraska Public Media’s award-winning local television series “Nebraska Stories" reveals her enduring legacy, the influence of her writings and what the future holds for her work.
In April, “Nebraska Stories” episodes air on television at 8 p.m. CT on Thursdays, April 3, 10, 17 and 24, on Nebraska Public Media.
The April 3 episode of “Nebraska Stories” also introduces a couple from Arnold who keeps their minds sharp by building Lego creations together. With more than 500 sets, the duo works side by side, snapping pieces into place, sorting tiny bricks and bringing their ideas to life.
On April 10, the series investigates the meat science that led to the development of the popular flat iron steak and follows a 53-foot-long Trailer of Terror along the rolling hills of northern Nebraska near Wausa. The haunted mobile attraction is the brainchild of a family from Atkinson who dares locals to step inside.
The theme for the April 17 episode of “Nebraska Stories” is “A Day at the Museum,” with stories about the world-class Sheldon Art Museum on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an exhibit at Norfolk’s Elkhorn Valley Museum that focuses on the life of comedian and late-night talk show host Johnny Carson and art at the Flatwater Folk Art Museum in Brownville.
On April 24, the last “Nebraska Stories” episode of the month introduces a 96-year-old former teacher and Husker cheerleader whose legacy lives on in the students she mentored. Judy Batten was on a team that pioneered the Lincoln Public Schools gifted student program and was a founder of the Lincoln Children’s Museum.
Also in April, the series tells stories about North Omaha through a tour with Preston Love, Jr., a record-breaking Seward native with a passion for axe throwing, the tragic 1913 Omaha tornado through a survivor’s letters and the Sandhills Open Road Challenge. Other “Nebraska Stories” focus on a blind baseball coach and the restoration of a 1940s tractor retrieved from the Alaska wilderness and once owned by America’s last homesteader.
The masterful storytellers who work on “Nebraska Stories” travel statewide, serving as the modern archivists of Nebraska’s stories – both present and past. Enjoyed by viewers across the state for its feature-based, characterdriven storytelling, “Nebraska Stories” covers art, science, history, sports, performance, nature and more.
New episodes repeat Fridays at 7:30 p.m. CT on Nebraska Public Media. “Nebraska Stories” is funded in part by The Margaret and Martha Thomas Foundation and the Bill Harris and MarySue Hormel Harris Fund for the Presentation of Cultural Programming. The series is also funded in part by the Teammates Mentoring Program, Phelps County Memorial Health Center and Discover Northwest Nebraska.
The series is on Facebook, at NebraskaPublicMedia.org/nebraskastories and available for streaming on the Nebraska Public Media app.
