SCREAMING EAGLES 🦅

Happy Friday Ledgers, and a belated happy birthday to America! 🎆 

You never fail to throw an incredible party, complete with dazzling explosives that threaten our meat nubs (also known as hands), a patriotic theme, and a generous 15-hour supply of lingering noxious fumes.

We applaud your commitment to celebrating in style. Congratulations on turning 248—here's to many more. 🍻

In this week’s issue:

• YMCA: Why so lonely?

• What To Do: Zoo Fest, whitewater, and Thai food.

• Sportz: Throwing dimes, at all times.

• Neighborhood Watch: A downtown classic.

Are you tired? Drink some water. Have a headache? Drink some water. Suffering from the meat sweats? Drink some water.

TLDR: Don’t forget to drink some water this weekend.

- Landon

Last Week’s Poll Results:
What should the sorority house be converted into?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👩‍🎓 Student Housing (42%)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🛌 Bed and Breakfast (35%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🏠 Single-Family Mansion (23%)

YMCA

Lonel-YMCA 👷‍♀️

Like an orphaned kitten in the rain, the Downtown YMCA building at 1039 P Street sits sad and alone, awaiting its new owner. This wait has now stretched over two years since it was put back on the market and four years since the YMCA originally closed its doors.

Best known for its multi-floor layout, cave-like weight room, and classic oval track overlooking the basketball courts, the building embodied an old-school brand of exercise. It offered plain and simple fitness, devoid of the amenities today’s upscale gyms boast.

A very condensed timeline of the YMCA building…

• 1925: 1039 P Street is constructed.

• March 2020: The downtown YMCA closes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• December 2021: The building is sold to Roberts Bros. Home Buyers LLC for $950,000.

• September 2022: The YMCA building is put back on the market.

• Today: The YMCA building is still for sale, sporting a current low price of $800,000.

To put it bluntly, the building’s condition can only be described as average at best. And yet, its prolonged time on the market is puzzling. While renovations would undoubtedly require immense funding to modernize, an $800,000 price tag seems like a bargain—even if the buyer plans to tear it down. This is especially so as the building’s price is nearly on par with a land assessment of $733,000 (via LoopNet). So why isn’t it selling?

There are likely a dozen reasons, but here are a few humble guesses from a writer unqualified to give them.

• Interest Rates… Higher interest rates have delayed other construction projects, such as the $100 million Lincoln Bold project, which was paused last fall. Investors might be playing it conservatively, waiting for projected rate decreases from the Fed later this year.

• Lack of vision… It is highly likely that once purchased, this building would be converted into something else. But what? More condos? A smaller student housing complex? A hotel?

• Complexities with Georgian Place… Perhaps the building renovations have natural conflicts with shared spaces of the neighboring Georgian Place building that would make construction difficult.

The fate of the Downtown YMCA remains a mystery, leaving us to wonder when—or if—this once-bustling hub of fitness and community will find new life.

WHAT TO DO

Zoo Fest, whitewater, and Thai food.

As firework ashes fell from the sky, marking our victory over British oppressors, we faced a new conundrum—what to do with the rest of the three-day weekend?

🥁 ZooFest
Hit up Zoofest tonight at The Zoo Bar for live blues music. The three-day festival runs through Saturday and is the perfect way to kick off the real weekend. Before the show, grab a burger at Honest Abe's. Here's your order: Greatest Burger Ever, parmesan truffle fries, and your preferred carbonated beverage. It’s simple, always hits, and fits the tone of a patriotic weekend.

Not feeling blues music tonight? Explore First Friday across Lincoln’s many art galleries.

🌊 North Fork Whitewater Park
This summer, let’s cross a few cities off your Nebraska bucket list, starting with Norfolk, NE. Tomorrow, you’re day-tripping to check out the all-new North Fork Whitewater Park. Take a spin in a tube or a kayak with friends or family. Need a bit more adrenaline? Try river surfing.

Rent gear from a local shop, or bring your own. The park is free to the public and has multiple access points.

NOTE: With regional flooding, make sure to call ahead before driving to make sure the park is still open.

🥘 Mixing Pot
After a weekend of socializing, you’ll use Sunday to recharge. Take it slow, lounge around, and maybe check out a movie at the theatres. When your hunger kicks in, embrace the best of the American Melting Pot with dinner from a place that sells something other than burgers and glizzies. We recommend Blessing Thai Restaurant near 27th and Superior Street. Get the Fried Yellow Noodles with your preferred protein for an experience so delicious you’ll be guaranteed to moan, "GOD BLESS AMERICA." 🤤 

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

• 🏀 Basketball: Keisei Tominaga is headed to the Indiana Pacers on a free agent deal.

• 🥇 Olympics: Maggie Malone-Hardin from Geneva, NE, won the javelin title at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

• 🏈 Football: NU lands top South Dakota tackle Shawn Hammerbeck in 2025 Class.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

128 N 13th Street, Suite 1200, Lincoln, NE 68508

Downtown Classic

Located in University Towers (the Rococo theatre building), this condo has stolen our hearts and won’t let them go. A picture is worth a thousand words, but let us put a few words down in appreciation.

Three stories of tasteful styling, unmatched features, and a striking balance of classic with modern elements have us thinking this is a true 10/10. We’re a sucker for the wall molding, the curved steel staircase, and the timeless tile choices throughout.

Should you become its next owner, we hope you’ll embrace hosting at the highest level, as this place is truly too good to keep secret.

The Details:

• 4 beds, 3 baths

• 2,316 sq/ft

• Built in 2006

• Insane views

❤️ KEEP: The wall molding, kitchen, the balcony perfect for hosting, the spiral staircase, and the living room windows.

🗑️ TOSS: The pink wallpaper in the guest room. Don’t touch anything else.

CHECKLIST

An over-ambitious weekend to-do list.

• Clean up all the fireworks from last night.

• Pick up some more propane (you’ll need it for the weekend ahead).

• Keep the squad hydrated. Take some Liquid IV packets with you wherever you go.

• Take your dog to the dog park. They deserve it after a traumatizing week of fireworks.

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

• Windmill: LES demolished two of Nebraska’s oldest windmills with controlled explosions.

• Grain Elevator: A long-time grain elevator has been purchased and will be demolished.

• NDOT: The West Beltway Project receives approval and will cost an estimated $52M.

• Tilt: A Lincoln gas station was knocked over by winds.

🐯 Weekly Wildcard:
One headline (or post) we never saw coming.

• R/Lincoln: The dominator spent the night in Lincoln (click the post link for a photo of the vehicle). 🌪️