I can’t think of anything more timeless than summer camp. Look at those adorable kids hiking in the photo above. It was taken in 2016. But if you ignore the clothes, it could have been snapped in 1966. Or 1916.
And, for many Omaha families, Hummel Park Day Camp is the timeless tradition. It’s hikes in the wilderness, a game of capture the flag, maybe making a lifelong friend while roasting s’mores over a roaring campfire.
It’s the chance to be a kid, blessedly unplugged, dirty kneed, encouraged and protected to be a little wild and free.
There’s just one thing missing from this Rockwellian portrait: North Omaha kids. Which is particularly noteworthy, I think, since Hummel Park exists deep in the heart of North Omaha.
Addie Costello’s story today, the result of a public records request and some good data analysis by her, shows what it shows: The majority of Hummel campers are from the more western parts of Omaha. Only 1 of 20 campers hail from North Omaha.
There are many reasons for this, and her good story discusses ‘em.
But the story today forced me to think about all the ways, both big and small, that inequality manifests itself in the city I now call home.
And here, unless we do something about it, is one of the small but telling ways in which Omaha is unequal.
It’s just a day camp, sure. But it’s the chance, for a few weeks each summer, to have something that feels like perfectly distilled childhood.
Mrs. Gentzler Goes to Lincoln: Our new government watchdog reporter, Sara Gentzler, started full-time for us in January, just in time to cover the fun-filled 90-day romp otherwise known as the 2023 session of the Nebraska Legislature. She isn’t going to cover the day-to-day of the Legislature…there are many talented reporters in Nebraska who do that and do it very well. But she will work on depth and investigative stories that dovetail with the Legislature’s work. In fact, she’s working on a few of them right now. And she also did a nice TV interview with News Channel Nebraska to discuss her first FFP story, on the ways in which the low wages we pay state senators warps the Legislature itself.
Thanks to our sponsor: Well, lookee there, just in time for Dry January, it’s Sandhills Elixir, a cool little Nebraska company that makes zero-proof spirits and teaches you how to use them to make zero-proof drinks. I have been a fan of Sandhills since I first tasted it. And I’m very thankful they are supporting nonprofit journalism and the Flatwater Free Press.
Thank you to the Omaha World-Herald: We needed photos to illustrate our story about the Hummel Park day camp. They had lovely photos taken in 2016 by photographer Rebecca Gratz. They allowed us to use those photos. It made the journalism that we share with media outlets across the state better.
Hype train: Can I trust you to keep a secret? We have a big announcement coming next Monday. And then another one on Friday. And then yet another later in the month. Ok, ok, I can’t tell you exactly what any of these announcements are, not yet, not even if I whisper them directly into your ear. But I can tell you this: It’s gonna be a big damn year at the Flatwater Free Press.
Questions wanted: Some of our best story ideas come from readers, and they typically start with a burning question that just cries out for an answer. Have a question that our reporters need to look into? Complete this form or reach our newsroom at [email protected].
See you next week,
—Matthew Hansen, Executive Editor
Here’s what we’re into this week: News from around Nebraska
Every week we like to share great Nebraska journalism, no matter who made it. Here’s what caught our eye this week:
- So-called “dark money” has deeply infiltrated Nebraska political campaigns in the past few years. A new bill authored by Sen. Carol Blood, recently defeated by Jim Pillen in the campaign to become Nebraska’s governor, aims to bring this money into the light. Story by the one and only Paul Hammel of the Nebraska Examiner.
- Our FFP correspondent Carson Vaughan does good work with a variety of Nebraska news outlets. This week, he had an important one for Nebraska Public Media. In the aftermath of a fire that burned up a quarter of Nebraska’s famed hand-planted forest, how should we replant it? And should we, period?
- Speaking of climate disasters…oh my gosh they are costing Nebraska a staggering amount of money. The World-Herald’s Nancy Gaarder, who has been expertly covering state climate issues for years, on just how much these weather disasters are costing us.
