DARREN HOUSER
April 5^th, 2013, 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Petshop Gallery, 2727 North 62nd Street, welcomes local artist Darren Houser, Friday April 5^th as a not to miss stop for Benson First Friday.

Darren is a Nebraska native who has an MFA in Printmaking from Northern Illinois University. Since 2012, Darren has been teaching and continuing to making work in Omaha, Nebraska.

His work is fascinating, bringing together appropriated content from comic books, philosophy, and religious archetypes. He creates disorienting images of caricatured rhetoric showing the tortured folly of trying to reconcile religion’s altruistic foundations and its malevolent complicities so apparent from our modern perspective.

Obviously as I’ve gotten older and somehow acquired four kids and a wife and everything else life gives you, I have come to love and even adore where I’m from. So much in fact that a few years ago I became a raging Husker fan. Keep in mind that I have lived in Omaha for 28 years. I was born in Iowa and I was raised a Hawkeye. I realize talking about my college football allegiance is pointless. What I’m trying to say is that I fell in love, in a big way, with Nebraska. When my wife and I moved back from Chicago we ended up living around 72nd and Blondo. When we bought our first house we moved right down the road to 72nd and Maple. Now we live in NoBe (North Benson). North 65th Street and Ames. Benson fell in love with us and we fell in love with her. At no time in my life have I ever lived in a neighborhood that feels so much like a small town. We know and love and hangout with so many people in Benson, so many of our neighbors. Most of the time we can’t find a good enough reason to leave Benson. We have lived in this area for over 8 years. We have seen it grow every year and get better and better. I am very proud to say we were around when Benson was born again.

I love rasing my family in Benson. I love hanging out in Benson. I love shopping in Benson. I love taking my wife and friends out to eat in Benson. When I drive these beautiful, timeless streets, I feel like I am a part of a legacy. I feel like it’s up to me to help keep Benson alive. If you live in or around Benson, please feel blessed, because we are. We are truly a part of something great. Benson has been here for 125 years. There’s a reason for that.

We find ourselves setting out on a new adventure looking into 2013.  It is our oldest daughters last year of elementary school.  Our sons last year at home before Kindergarten.  It is our youngest daughters first year of life outside of her mothers womb.  We will inevitably meet and possibly make friends with some of our neighbors.  As snowy days give way to warm sunshine myself and my family will most certainly find ourselves looking at life in Benson from a whole new angle.

2013 is not just about a new home for us, it’s about growing up too.

Speaking of growing up, I have spent some of my free time in the past few weeks planning our food source for the upcoming season.  As is stands now, we as a family will be growing over 25 unique varieties of vegetables in our backyard.  From arugula to watermelon and everything in between including compost and cover crops, we are looking at a very solid and sustainable food source.  I encourage everyone to try and grow something, even if it’s one tomato plant.

I would like to wish everyone in Benson and beyond a very happy and healthy 2013. 

Ryan J Kingkade

(Click on images for larger size)

After the “Globetrotter Incident”, basketball remained a virtual non entity in my house until we moved to Kentucky when I was 11. Overnight I was transported to a world where basketball was king. Football was big, but basketball was huge. Everybody, no matter how poor, had a hoop in the driveway. Phys. Ed. classes were a de facto evaluation ground for prospective basketball players. We did drills, drills, and more drills. We had full 3 on 3 multi-day tournaments. Our classes were a crucible where the best players would rise to the top. And of course all of our Phys. Ed. classes were “taught” by the varsity basketball coach.

Unfortunately, I never rose to the top of this crucible. Since I was very short, and I was more of passer and defensive specialist, I did not fit the mold of a prototypical Kentucky Basketball player. My basketball dreams dashed I went into Cross Country running, but my love of basketball did not diminish. Going to college at Western Kentucky University I found an outlet for my basketball love. WKU basketball was a top 25 program for much of the 1990′s and I went to every game. I knew most of the players and coaches on both the men’s and women’s teams. I even had a crush on one of the women’s players and had the joy of catching her in my loving arms as she dove out of bounds for a loose ball during one game. In addition to that highlight I got to meet Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s son, Kareem Jr. and even beat his Kareem Sr.’s nephew in a game of one-on-one. Granted, I was in my 20′s and Kareem’s nephew was only about 14 but it still counts!

Eventually my travels led me to the University of Maine @ Augusta. During my time there I worked with the men’s and women’s team serving mainly as a practice player and volunteer assistant coach. The irony of the situation was that in Kentucky, I could not make the JV high school team but years later in Maine I was practicing against and helping coach a college team. I even had a coach from a small NAIA school call me up and ask me to enroll and be a walk on player. Although I declined that option to eventually pursue a writing career, I learned that if you love something enough and stay involved in it long enough eventually opportunities will present themselves to you.

This is a lesson that I hope my son learns faster than I did. I can’t wait to start taking him to Benson Bunnies basketball games. He may never develop a love for basketball, and that is OK. I do want him to see the young players working toward a common goal and the community coming together in support of their effort. I want him to see young people working hard and reaping results. If asked, I would love to help coach. Benson High is not my Alma mater, but it is a part of my community so in a way it is my school too. If you are reading this blog Benson High is your school also. I hope to see you and your children at the games. Be sure to say hi to me and my son. I promise he won’t burst into tears.

• First, Benson has become a premier destination neighborhood in Omaha.  In order to expand ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT opportunities, the organizations agree that Benson cannot have a highway running through its downtown.
• Second, is LOCAL CONTROL.  The BID would like opportunities to work with the city to improve traffic and pedestrian flow – but, because of the state highway designation standards, this is not possible.
• Finally – and perhaps most importantly – is SAFETY.  Downtown Benson experiences a higher-than-average number of motor vehicles travelling at a high rate of speed, often running lights. There have been several crashes on Maple Street recently. This current situation is not preferable for pedestrians.

By removing the designation of “highway” through Downtown Benson, the BID and BBA hope to gain the ability to work directly with the City of Omaha Public Works and find solutions to these issues.  They have the final say and we respect their decision making.

Please consider voicing your opinion on this issue by contacting the Mayor’s Office today.

EMAIL:  hotline@ci.omaha.ne.us
MAYOR’S HOTLINE:  (402) 444-5555   (Voice)
MAYOR’S OFFICE:   (402) 444-5000
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