Echoes of the Heartland

Nebraska Humanities Series 2026

Hear the voices of Nebraska's rich past with the return of the exciting series, Echoes of the Heartland, featuring stories of history, culture, and music. This year's series will be presented by 11 speakers and performers from Humanities Nebraska and will feature their event, Nebraska Chautauqua: Weaving a Nation that will take place in Hastings June 26 & 27. Each event is free and open to the public and runs from February through December.

Upcoming Events

Nebraska Stories of Humanity: Holocaust Survivors & WWII Veterans
Speaker: Beth Dotan
February 25 @ 5:30pm

This program will look at the collections of Holocaust survivors who settled in Nebraska including Bea Karp of Omaha, Hanna Rosenberg of Lincoln and Irving Shapiro of Gering, and Nebraska WWII vets including Clarence Williams and Maurice Udes who liberated Nazi camps. Their archival materials are preserved in a digital humanities web portal at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Center for Digital Research in the Humanities. Dotan will demonstrate how digital methods elevate these stories and how personal archives have provided unexpected historical discovery and networking within our Nebraska community.

Sharpie: Nebraska's Queen of the Air
Speaker: Diane R. Bartels
March 28 @ 2pm

This Power Point presentation is based on Bartels’ extensive research and book about Evelyn Sharp, a pioneering, teenage aviatrix who became a war hero. Sharp taught men to fly and was one of the first women to ferry U.S. Army Air Force fighters during World War II, freeing men for combat. The program is appropriate for students as well as adults.

A Story and a Song
Speaker: Sam Wheelock
April 11 @ 2pm

The one man concert, "A Story and a Song" is performed by the grandson of a convicted moonshiner, Mountain Sam Wheelock. Growing up, he listened to the extended Carter Family play in an Aunt's front yard. Mountain Sam's mission, however, is to be respectful of that form, tipping his hat to pioneers like Bill Monroe, Stick and Brownie McGhee, while being active in the evolution of regional music. His mission is unique as he is the only performer involved in the creation of this genre of Americana/World music.

Musical Journey Across America: Songs That Helped Shape a Nation
Speaker: Chris Sayre
May 9 @ 2pm

From the engaging sea shanties of the Atlantic Coast to the haunting songs of the Appalachian Mountains, from the blues influenced melodies of the Deep South to the pioneer songs of the American West, join Chris Sayre as he presents a program reflecting the rich and diverse music of the continental United States. Performed on acoustic and resophonic guitars, button accordion, English concertina, fretted dulcimer, mandolin and musical saw, Mr. Sayre leaves his audiences with a deeper understanding of who we are.

Colonel Thomas Doane: Massachusetts Engineer to Nebraska Civic & Educational Leader
Speaker: Thomas N. King
June 13 @ 2pm

Step back to 1872 and listen to a chautauqua portrayal of the chief engineer of the B & M Railroad and famous Hoosac Tunnel Project. Doane was responsible for 240 miles of railroad and telegraph from Plattsmouth to Kearney. He was the co-founder of the town of Crete, Nebraska, founder of the first bank in Crete and with the association of the Congregational church, and founder of Doane College in 1872, so named in his honor.

Nebraska Chautauqua: Weaving a Nation
Event: Humanities Nebraska
June 26 & 27 @ TBD

In commemoration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, Humanities Nebraska invites you to explore a selection of lesser-known stories from our country’s rich tapestry of backgrounds and perspectives. It’s a fun, interactive experience that will help people connect with history and each other. Enjoy this family friendly event with multiple opportunities to explore topics from the past that affect us today and interact with experts and your community. Free for everyone! Locations, times, and other details to come.

George Custer & the Great Plains: History, Landscape, & Legacy
Speaker: Jeff Barnes
July 11 @ 2pm

George Armstrong Custer transformed from Civil War hero to a frontier figure, fully immersed in the vast, wild heart of the American West. Jeff Barnes has followed Custer’s nine-year path across the Great Plains, from 1867 in Nebraska to 1876 in Montana. Using Custer’s trail as his route, Barnes has collected the imagery and the stories to show how the energy, danger, and beauty of the Plains may have influenced Custer and helped shape his complex legacy—and why his story still begs reflection a century and a half after his death at the Little Bighorn.

Nebraska Spirit: The North Platte Canteen
Speaker: Charlotte Endorf
August 8 @ 2pm

During World War II, American soldiers from across the country rolled through North Platte, Nebraska, on troop trains en route to Europe and the Pacific. Learn the story of the community that turned a railroad depot into a legend and touched the lives of more than six million soldiers from 1942 to 1946. Charlotte salutes our humble Veterans who served in the military. 

Lewis & Clark: What Was Their Value Worth?
Speaker: Renae Hunt
September 12 @ 2pm

The Corps of Discovery was a fascinating group of individuals, but there were four members of the corps that were “valuable” but not paid. Hunt discusses these four members and tells stories of their adventures. She also dispels a few myths about these members. This program is appropriate for all ages.

Wounded Knee and the Impact of Northwest Nebraska
Speaker: Broc Anderson
October 17 @ 2pm

Northwest Nebraska, from the 1870s to the early twentieth century, had a complex economic and social relationship with the Pine Ridge Reservation. As the United States continued promoting settlement westward, the US military became the main proponents in displacing the Lakota from their land in Nebraska. Businessmen from around the country and within the border town communities sought the advantages of new economic opportunities being so close to a Native reservation. Aggressive assimilation policies and practices of the progressive era were largely taken advantage of by individuals who sought to gain politically and economically in their dealings with the Lakota.

Nebraskans and the Great War
Speaker: Dianne Bystrom
November 7 @ 2pm

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, this presentation describes how voting rights have evolved over time through the 15th, 19th and 26th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which extended voting rights to African American men in 1870, women in 1920, and 18-20 year-olds in 1971; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which removed discriminatory barriers to voting; and recent actions by the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress, and state legislatures.

The "Tradition" in Traditional Folk Music
Speaker: David Seay
December 12 @ 2pm

David Seay examines how folk traditions of different cultures have merged over the generations to become our own traditions as immigrants have found their way to Nebraska. This presentation features demonstrations and stories of folk instruments such as harmonica, penny whistle, Lakota style flute, ocarina, pan pipes, yak horn, bugle, musical saw, banjo, singing bowl, and limber toys. This show is very flexible and works for audiences of any age.

Funding provided by:

For more information about our partner, visit the Humanities Nebraska website.

For more information about this sponsor, visit the NE State Historical Society Foundation website.