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The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation is a 501(c)(3) civic and philanthropic organization in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben were formed in 1895 by the Omaha Commercial Club, the predecessor to the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. [1] The Commercial Club sought to demonstrate Omaha's economic viability in the face of the depression following the Panic of 1893 and the city's potential loss of the annual state fair after complaints about its management of the 1894 fair. [2] Business leaders in Omaha and other Midwestern metropolises at the time used fairs and festivals to boost their cities' images and compete with each other and East Coast cities for investment and residents. [3] In an effort to keep the state fair in Omaha, The Commercial Club provided funds for improvements to the 1895 state fair; it also organized a new festival in the style of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which had similarly inspired the Veiled Prophet celebration in St. Louis [4]
The name "Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben" is said to have been created during an 1895 trip of Commercial Club leadership to buy parade floats and costumes from New Orleans Mardi Gras krewes. During a discussion on a train, one Club leader suggested, "Why not reverse the name of our beloved state, since everything seems to be going backwards these days? Nebraska hyphenated and spelled backwards is Ak-Sar-Ben." [4] Another proposed modifying the name to "Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben," since they felt the businessmen had heroically saved the fair for the city. [5] A Catholic priest who overheard the group shared his interpretation of the meaning of Ak-Sar-Ben based on his translations of the syllables into Syrian, Arabic, and Hebrew, respectively. He believed it stood for "the King, his Domain, and his Retainers." [4] The priest and the Club leaders then decided to call the "domain" over which the organization would "rule" the Kingdom of Quivira; this was inspired by a mythical city of gold which Spanish conquistadors had explored the Great Plains in search of during the 16th century, and which the group erroneously believed was located in Nebraska. [6]
While the initial purpose of the organization was to keep the Nebraska State Fair in Omaha, it was eventually moved to Lincoln and subsequently to Grand Island. [7]
Other initiatives the group has pursued include the purchase of the Douglas Street Bridge (the first road bridge across the Missouri River), in hopes of removing its tolls (the bridge was renamed the Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge). From the 1920s through the 1990s, the Knights built and operated a horse racing track and arena complex, also named Ak-Sar-Ben. In 1992 the Knights donated the horse racing track and arena complex to a new legal entity – the Ak-Sar-Ben Future Trust. This organization is developing the property for multi-purpose under the name Aksarben Village. [8]
The Knights of AKSARBEN Foundation continues its efforts to serve the 112-year-old mission of "building a more prosperous heartland where communities can flourish and every child can succeed." The organization supports financial need based scholarship programs, administers Nebraska's Pioneer Farm program, Good Neighbor Awards, and Ike Friedman Leadership Awards. It produces the AKSARBEN Stockshow & Rodeo and the Ak-Sar-Ben Coronation Ball.
The AKSARBEN Stockshow & Rodeo, [9] was established in 1927 and has a mission of empowering youth to reach their full potential as productive adults through learning opportunities which develop live skills and character.
AKSARBEN Rodeo is an annual festival of the region's heritage. Its three core events include the Douglas County Fair, The Ak-Sar-Ben 4-H Livestock Exposition, and the Ak-Sar-Ben Rodeo, host of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour – Omaha Round. [10]
AKSARBEN's Coronation Ball is a celebration of volunteerism and civic pride. It is a fund-raising event that supports need-based scholarship programs and recognizes the volunteer efforts of individuals throughout the region through the honoring of families.
In 2005, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights of the American Hockey League were named after the Knights, which had a minority ownership stake in the team, but after two seasons of mediocre attendance the franchise was relocated in 2007 to the Quad Cities; it is currently located in Calgary, Alberta.
The Nebraska Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad between Chicago, Illinois; Omaha, Nebraska; and Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1947 to 1971. Until 1968, the service was provided by two Twin Cities Zephyr articulated trainsets — the "Train of the Gods" and "Train of the Goddesses" — that became synonymous with it. The Nebraska Zephyr was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971. The "Train of the Goddesses" set is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.
The CHI Health Center Omaha is an arena and convention center in the central United States, located in the North Downtown neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. Operated by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA), the 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) facility has an 18,975-seat arena, a 194,000 sq ft (18,000 m2) exhibition hall, and 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) of meeting space.
The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Omaha, Nebraska, United States at the Omaha Civic Auditorium from 2005–07. Following the 2006–07 season, the Calgary Flames announced that the team would relocate to the Quad Cities for 2007–08.
The Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track and Coliseum was an indoor arena and horse racing complex in the central United States, located in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) between Lincoln, Nebraska and Chicago, Illinois, United States. The first version operated from 1940 to 1947; a revived service operated from 1953 to 1970. The "Ak-Sar-Ben" portion of name was created by spelling Nebraska (Neb-ras-ka) backwards and taken from a fraternal organization of the same name. "Zephyr" was a name applied by the CB&Q to many of its trains, beginning with the Pioneer Zephyr in 1934. The name derived from "Zephyrus", the Greek god of the west wind.
The Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge was a Whipple through truss bridge that was the first road bridge to cross the Missouri River connecting Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was replaced in 1966 by the Interstate 480 girder bridge.
The Nebraska State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is held annually in Grand Island, approximately 100 miles west of the state capital of Lincoln, which hosted the fair until 2010. The fair usually runs for 11 days, and since the early 1990s it has ended on Labor Day.
Eugene C. Eppley also known as Gene, was a hotel magnate in Omaha, Nebraska. Eppley is credited with single-handedly building one of the most successful hotel empires, by the 1950s the largest privately owned hotel chain in the United States.
North Omaha, Nebraska has a recorded history spanning over 200 years, pre-dating the rest of Omaha, encompassing wildcat banks, ethnic enclaves, race riots and social change. North Omaha has roots back to 1812 and the founding of Fort Lisa. It includes the Mormon settlement of Cutler's Park and Winter Quarters in 1846, a lynching before the turn of the twentieth century, the thriving 24th Street community of the 1920s, the bustling development of its African-American community through the 1950s, a series of riots in the 1960s, and redevelopment in the late 20th and early 21st century.
The history of Omaha, Nebraska, began before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. When it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree Ferry to bring settlers from Council Bluffs to Omaha. A treaty with the Omaha Tribe allowed the creation of the Nebraska Territory, and Omaha City was founded on July 4, 1854. With early settlement came claim jumpers and squatters, and the formation of a vigilante law group called the Omaha Claim Club, which was one of many claim clubs across the Midwest. During this period many of the city's founding fathers received lots in Scriptown, which was made possible by the actions of the Omaha Claim Club. The club's violent actions were challenged successfully in a case ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, Baker v. Morton, which led to the end of the organization.
Sports in Omaha, Nebraska are supported by a high attendance at events and tax support from the City of Omaha. Omaha, Nebraska is home to several professional sports teams and modern sports venues.
The economy of Omaha, Nebraska is linked to the city's status as a major commercial hub in the Midwestern United States since its founding in 1854. Dubbed the "Motor Mouth City" by The New York Times, Omaha is widely regarded as the telecommunications capital of the United States. The city's economy includes agriculture, food processing, insurance, transportation, healthcare and education. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway has lived in Omaha all of his life, as have the ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Railroad and Mutual of Omaha Companies, and Kiewit Corporation, all Fortune 500 corporations.
The University of Nebraska Curling Club is the collegiate curling team that represents the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They are an officially recognized organization on the campus in Lincoln, and are affiliated with the Aksarben Curling Association. Their home arena is Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska. The team, founded in late 2007, practices at the Breslow Ice Hockey Center near main campus. They are coached by Nancy Myers and led by president Olivia Schuster and vice president Seamus Hurley.
The Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company, known as O&CB, was incorporated in 1886 in order to connect Omaha, Nebraska with Council Bluffs, Iowa over the Missouri River. With a sanctioned monopoly over streetcar service in the two cities, the O&CB was among the earliest major electric street railway systems in the nation, and was one of the last streetcar operators in the U.S., making its last run in 1955.
Gambling in Omaha, Nebraska has been significant throughout the city's history. From its founding in the 1850s through the 1930s, the city was known as a "wide-open" town, meaning that gambling of all sorts was accepted either openly or in closed quarters. By the mid-20th century, Omaha reportedly had more illicit gambling per capita than any other city in the nation. From the 1930s through the 1970s, the city's gambling was controlled by an Italian criminal element.
Aksarben Village is a mixed-use development in the central United States, located in Omaha, Nebraska. Measuring over one million square feet (93,000 m2), it is on the land of the former Ak-Sar-Ben coliseum and horse track.
Isaac White Carpenter Jr. was American business executive and federal political appointee. He was the president of the Carpenter Paper Company in Omaha, Nebraska, for over 20 years, retiring in 1961 when the company was sold. He served in the Eisenhower administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration from 1954 to 1957.
Ak-Sar-Ben or Aksarben may refer to:
Although there is anecdotal evidence of an amateur radio club in Omaha prior to World War II, The Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club (AARC), as it exists today, was started in 1945 and has been affiliated with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) since that time. The club is not affiliated with The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben.
Nebraska had more failures than success in ice hockey for much of its history. However, since the 1990s the sport has seen a massive amount of growth in the cornhusker state.
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