theBeat – August 2016

theBeat
Written by Shannon Siebert

Quote of the Day— “Another fun night last night!! Trying to think of what else to say and I’m speechless…. This has truly been a dream come true!!!”  Michael Phelps

WHAT’S TRENDING OUT THERE?

THE STORY:  What’s the rage?

Pokemon Go of Course

This new app tops all current trends out there. There are many pros & cons as it has become insanely popular. Personally I haven’t seen anyone in Henderson playing it, but go to Lincoln and you can’t miss groups of youngsters glued to their phones traipsing around looking for Pokemons. But just for giggles, I downloaded the app and found myself walking out the door looking for my first Pokemon. I can now see why folks are distracted while playing this silly game! I ended up backed up into some shrubs in front of Matt Buller’s building unsuccessfully trying to slay some feisty animated animal that wouldn’t go down. I don’t recommend attempting to play while on your bike or driving. Pokemon isn’t new. It was first developed in Japan in 1996 and some of the early versions of the game were Pokemon Red and Green and were used on the Nintendo Game Boy. Let me know how it works in small town USA.

Back-to-School

The next hottest trend has to be the Back-to-School bandwagon! I don’t care if you’re buying a car or pencils, there’s a Back-to-School deal in August! But what a deal for Heartland students in junior or senior high—your very own computer. Wow! Now that’s a true Back-to-School deal. Read the fine print: Laptop Loan Agreement but basically for a small insurance fee ($30), kids can use a MacBook Air laptop with a carrying case all year at home & school. The fee is only required if a student wants to take the laptop home. Who wouldn’t get excited about going back to school with that kind of a deal. 

PERKS

With the new cafe/bakery PERKS open in town, there’s suddenly a parking shortage on Main Street. That’s a good sign. Check out their upcoming GRAND OPENING event on Friday, August 19.  In addition, on the 19th from 8:00-10:00 PM, the City will host another Back-to-School “Rock the Block” night on our gorgeous new Main Street. If you didn’t get a chance to “Rock the Block” during Community Days, come out with your wheels (skate board, trike, bike, roller blades) and cruise with the music.

Fitbit  

If you are not counting your steps you’re definitely not trending in the right direction! It’s almost a rarity to NOT see someone without the trademark Fitbit bracelet activity tracker that counts how many steps you take each day and lots of other fitness minded stuff. And wouldn’t you know, they’ve got a Back-to-School special as well. Like many apps, you can have friends so you can one up each other and brag about how you got in 10,000 steps before lunch. I decided to go incognito with my Fitbit, so I’m sporting the ZIP Fitbit that discreetly clips onto my waistband hidden from prying eyes that might want me to reveal my step count.   

Hannah Huston

Surprise announcement!

Hannah Huston, who happens to be a Grand Island native, announced this week that she will be performing at the Nebraska State Fair, Friday, September 2 at the Heartland Event Center. WhooHoo! I went online and purchased my two tickets for a measly $6 a piece. Now that’s what I’d call a Back-to-School deal! 

Here’s a bit of inside information about Hannah and her band. Andy Butler, son of Mark & Judy Butler, was hired by Hannah to be her band leader. He’s been practicing with her for about a month getting ready for her first Nebraska State Fair gig. Andy grew up in Sutton where his father Mark was the vocal teacher. He’s been pursuing his own music career the past few years in Los Angeles and recently moved back to Lincoln where he performs with his own band ANJ. It will be fun to see what kind of a role Andy plays with Hannah on the stage. 

theBeat

Trends come and go but it’s hard to escape them even if you live in Henderson. ————————————————————————————————————

What people are watching….RIO Summer 2016 Olympics of course. Most Nebraskans are very interested in following the USA Women’s Volleyball team with former NU players Jordan Larson, Kayla Banwarth, and Kelsey Robinson.  And even closer to home is the javelin thrower Maggie Malone from Geneva. Many Heartland athletes competed against Maggie, a 2012 Fillmore Central graduate, in high school track, volleyball, & basketball.   

What to say when you see someone dancing on Main Street….
Who’s picking the playlist? One of the many improvements with the Main Street project was the addition of an outdoor sound system. For the first few months, music was only played on Fridays, but now it’s on everyday from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. City Clerk Connie Brown is in charge of picking the tunes and like everything these days, you have to pay to play—music that is. According to Brown, the City purchased licenses in order to legally play music through the system. Mostly instrumental music is played that is set on a random shuffle each day. So don’t be afraid to kick up your feet now and then if you like what you hear while on Main Street.

Word for the day:

Skylark
\SKAHY-lahrk\
verb
Definition
1. to folic; sport
“Come August 17 when school starts, there won’t be much reason to skylark around anymore.”