Here at Arbor Day Farm, we love the crisp, cool air and the beautiful display of colorful leaves that only autumn can bring to Nebraska.

Even as the leaves begin to turn and fall off the trees, there is plenty left to do at Arbor Day Farm! Enjoy the fall favorites like:

• — zig-zagging through the corn maze
• — walking the orchard to u-pick apples
• — picking your own pumpkins and gourds from the patch

Don’t miss Art in the Woods – Wood carver’s edition. Come watch these artists create their permanent pieces for the Tree Adventure trails.

And join us for the Pumpkin Party on October 26^th for hayrack rides to the pumpkin patch, face painting, pumpkin painting and a Halloween hunt along the trails. Don’t forget to try our Arbor Day Farm wine at the Apple House Market with some fresh-baked bread and cheese. While you are there, pick up some pre-picked apples, pumpkins or gourds. And take home a gallon of fresh, hand-pressed apple cider and a pie.

No matter what brings you to Arbor Day Farm, we are sure you will find lots to do and enjoy. We’ll see you soon.

The transition to fall weather and activities is the best time of the year to experience our special place.  Whether you are in the market for fresh, orchard-picked apples, caramel apples, apple pie, or one of the many selections of wines and complementary foods to pick from, you and your family will fall in love with the many experiences to be had at the “Home of Arbor Day.”

Last year, the summer of 2012 brought a devastating drought to our location.  Although we harvested a fair amount of fruit, it left the trees stressed.  The spring of 2013 brought much needed rain in record amounts, and, I might add, that spring didn’t settle in until parts of June.  The elongated winter definitely caused problems with our bloom time.  Because of these events, our crops were delayed this spring.  We have settled in to a good apple crop, but it is going to be delayed due to the late spring.  We are finding out what it means to be “delayed” when our peach crop this year is still producing fruit in mid-August!

Nevertheless, Mother Nature continues to keep us humble.  We are thankful for fruit that will be harvested and we are thankful to all of the guests who continue to experience Arbor Day Farm in the fall.  There is no other place like it.  Come experience it for yourselves and I look forward to seeing you here.

Troy Tornabeni hails from the Chicago area and brings an extensive background of hospitality dining experience — along with a passion for all-things food — to the Lied Lodge kitchen.

Lied Lodge Executive Chef Troy Tornabeni. Photo credit: Laura Gironda.

Welcome, Chef Troy, and we look forward to delicious things ahead.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your professional experience in the Chicago area.

I grew up in the kitchen. My grandfather owned the Polk Hotel in Chicago, and I started in the dish room at age 10, working my way up to the broiler. I attended the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago for formal training and took apprenticeships under Paul Kahan at Blackbird, Noah Bekofsky at Aria in the Fairmont Hotel, and Gonzalo Resendiz at Hollywood Casino — all well-respected chefs in their own right. After graduation, I was offered the sous chef position at Hollywood Casino, then given the executive chef position at Fairbanks Steakhouse just eight months later at the age of 20. Since then, I’ve held executive chef positions with Hollywood Casino, Orchard Valley Golf Course, St. Andrews Golf and Country Club, and Stonebridge Country Club.

Q: Who are your culinary influences?      

David Burke, Rick Tramonto, Paul Kahan, my mother.

Q: Do you have a food philosophy?

I try not to live by any set philosophy in food, other than using the best ingredients available to create the best food from scratch — determined on concept, demographics, and budget. I try to evolve my repertoire around trends, seasonality, and sustainable and local whenever possible.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most about your role as Executive Chef at Lied Lodge? 

The opportunity to create memorable culinary moments out of the gorgeous offerings from Arbor Day Farm. It is so rare for a chef to be able to say, ‘The items I am cooking with today literally comes from our backyard.’ Here, I can say that.

They land at Omaha Eppley Airport, bleary-eyed from travel originating far and wide — sometimes from halfway around the world. They claim their bags and exit Door #2, looking up and down the curb for a driver they’ve not yet met and a car they don’t recognize. For many of these travelers, they’ve never set foot in Nebraska — let alone Nebraska City. But what they’ll soon find out is that the Lied Lodge shuttle drivers are among the best in the business.

Front row, from left: Dave Sackles, Arnie Beckman, and Dean Koehn are honored for their nearly 40 years of service as Lied Lodge airport shuttle drivers. Joining them in the back row is Rhonda Ullsperger, from the Lied Lodge front desk.

These drivers consistently give a warm welcome to our guests, dutifully loading their bags and embarking on the nearly one-hour journey south to Nebraska City, the home of Arbor Day. As the miles pass, so does the friendly banter and the Q-and-A session, ranging from “So… what’s there to do in Nebraska City?” to “Where can I get an Omaha steak?” and everything in between.

These shuttle drivers provide the first living, breathing impression of the Arbor Day Foundation and our mission to plant trees. They serve as part tour guide and part chauffeur. They make the trip in every kind of weather, and sometimes multiple times a day. Without fail, though, they safely deliver guests to our doorstep.

Dave, Arnie, and Dean: we sincerely thank you for your nearly 40 years of service behind the wheel of the Lied Lodge shuttle vehicles.

A greener planet, one seedling at a time.

 Johnson Controls, Inc., is the latest partner to team up with the Arbor Day Foundation for an initiative called the Employee Forest program. Through this initiative, some of Johnson Controls’ nearly 60,000 North American employees will plant trees in the communities where they work and live – so far, spanning from Montana to Wisconsin and points beyond.

The relationship between the two organizations developed in Spring of 2011 when Johnson Controls provided a much-needed mechanical solution for the Lied Lodge & Conference Center chiller system. From there, the two companies further explored the overlap of their respective core values of environmental stewardship and sustainability. The result: the 2013 launch of the Employee Forest program.

Representatives from Johnson Controls, Inc, and the Arbor Day Foundation met on May 21, 2013, at Lied Lodge. Shown left to right: Adam Nielsen, Johnson Controls Account Representative; Mike Harms, Johnson Controls Service Branch Manager; Jason Epsenhart, Lied Lodge Chief Engineer; Doug Farrar, Vice President Arbor Day Farm; Phil Bakken, Arbor Day Farm Development Coordinator; Karen Houser, Lied Lodge General Manager.

Through the program, teams of Johnson Controls employees identify community parks, schools, and other public spaces that each would benefit from having 52 additional trees planted. The employees then coordinate efforts with local tree boards and community groups to carry out an organized plan of tree planting – volunteering 100+ hours to do so and improving their communities with each tree planted. To date, 20 Johnson Controls locations in the U.S. have signed on to participate in the Employee Forest program with more expected to follow suit; so far in Nebraska, cities benefitting from the program include Omaha, Lincoln, and Kearney.

“The Employee Forest program is meaningful on a couple of different levels,” said Doug Farrar, Vice President of Arbor Day Farm. “Any initiative that gets employees working together outside their typical work setting, collaborating and engaging in meaningful activities is key in building camaraderie and workplace buy-in. The Johnson Controls Employee Forest program specifically engages Johnson Controls employees in the good work of tree planting, which is an immediate win for these communities and a long-term win for the overall environment we all share.”

Farrar continued, “This partnership with Johnson Controls is just one example of corporations ‘doing the right thing’ for our environment, and the model is one that can be repeated across multiple industries. We look forward to expanding this initiative for a greener planet.”

We’re celebrating 20 years of inspiring stewardship.

The Arbor Day Foundation acquired J. Sterling Morton’s original 260-acre estate in Nebraska City in 1972, and this National Historic Landmark was the ideal setting for carrying forth Morton’s legacy — specifically through a state-of-the-art conference center. After more than five years of planning, design, fundraising, and construction, Lied Lodge first opened our doors to the public in October 1993.

View the Photo Gallery: Lied Lodge Under Construction & Architect Renderings

Lied Lodge & Conference Center, circa 1993. Click the photo for more archived photos from the construction process.

How It Began
Lied Lodge was thoughtfully designed to be a grand, beautiful, nature-inspired facility that would serve many. Turning Lied Lodge from vision to reality began with a $6 million congressional appropriation endorsed by the National Association of State Foresters and administered by the U.S. Forest Service. This appropriation was matched with a major donation from the Lied Foundation Trust along with donations from environmental agencies, foundations and corporations, and more than 100,000 contributions from Arbor Day Foundation members.Over the past 20 years, Lied Lodge has become a sought-after gathering place, a home base, a learning site, and an inspiration for people who care deeply about our natural world and its future. It’s a place where people can come together and be inspired by nature. It’s where families stay for a summer getaway, where brides and grooms say “I do,” and where friends meet up for a drink or gather ’round a table for a delicious meal.

Thank You
So as we pass this 20th year in 2013, all of us at Lied Lodge & Conference Center want to say THANK YOU. Thank you to the generous donations and the incredibly hard work of people and organizations back in 1993 and beyond, who had the foresight and fervor to build what Lied Lodge has become. We thank all the guests who’ve stayed with us, met with us, dined with us, and otherwise “been here” with us through the years. We thank the City of Nebraska City, the Home of Arbor Day. And we thank the many employees who’ve played a key role in making our guests feel welcome and helping each one of them create unique memories of their visit here.

Happy 20th birthday, Lied Lodge. Here’s to many more years of inspiring stewardship.

For the complete story on Lied Lodge’s 20-year history, visit http://www.liedlodge.org/twenty

If you’ve been our guest in the past, we’d love to hear about your experience — tell us about it in the comments, below.

Nebraska City is known for being the home of Arbor Day, the tree planter’s holiday. And now, it’s known for bringing tree-themed sculptures to the streets in a public art project called “An Enchanted Arboretum.”

A total of 71 poly-resin tree sculptures have been placed at various points around town for the summer, letting the locals and tourists alike enjoy their whimsical beauty.

All the trees will be displayed in Nebraska City until late September 2013.  The six-foot trees done by professional artists and high school students will be mounted on concrete bases and set into the ground in public outdoor places.  The rest of the trees, all four feet tall and designed by students, will be displayed at various businesses throughout the community.

Here at Arbor Day Farm and Lied Lodge, we’re honored to be the temporary summer home for four different sculptures in the public art project: one in the Lied Lodge lobby, one out front of Lied Lodge’s main entrance, one at the Apple House Market, and another near the sidewalk at the Tree Adventure.

Wondering where else to find the sculptures? Download and print the UPDATED Enchanted Arboretum community map and take an art-filled walk.

We invite you to visit Nebraska City this summer and enjoy these works of art!

Hundreds of people turned out for the unveiling of the Enchanted Arboretum project in downtown Nebraska City on April 20, 2013.

Nebraska City school students work on their Enchanted Arboretum maquette, a small–scale mock-up of their final tree sculpture.

The landscape team at Lied Lodge in Nebraska City install a six-foot tree sculpture from Enchanted Arboretum, the community’s public art project on display this summer.

Find more photos, maps, and other information online at http://www.enchantedarboretum.com

Here in Nebraska City, Arbor Day’s hometown, we’re planning lots of fun.

Special Activities at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City

Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure is open extended hours on Saturday & Sunday, April 27 & 28, from 9am to 5pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for youth (age 3-12).

Tree climbing is always a hit at Arbor Day Farm.

Special events for Arbor Day 2013 at the Tree Adventure attraction include tree climbing, cross-cut sawing competitions, Arbor Day Farm wine tasting, face painting, bubble making, live music and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Outdoor Family Fun Trailer.

During this special weekend celebration, Discovery Rides into the orchard and forest at Arbor Day Farm will depart at noon, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, April 27 & 28. We’re hoping for beautiful pink blossoms in the orchard by this time, so don’t miss your chance to see them up-close. Bring your camera! Discovery Ride tickets are $4 for adults; $3 for youth (age 3-12).

The Tree Adventure’s regular features are always available on every visit:
• Climb the 50-foot-high treehouse
• Hike the wooded trails.
• Solve mysteries in the Nature Explore Club Cabin.
• See the feature film, Trees in the Movies, where trees are the stars of the show
• Make music in the Nature Explore Classrooms
• Scramble up the 20-foot Spider Web

Also during your visit to Arbor Day Farm, be sure to stop and shop at the Apple House Market.  Choose from delicious food items, small gifts, home decor and Arbor Day Farm wines — the perfect souvenir from our own vineyards.

Download the Arbor Day Farm Celebration Flyer (PDF), which includes a map to find your way to all the special activities.

The mansion at Arbor Lodge State Historical Park in Nebraska City, Nebraska

Special Activities in the Nebraska City Community

The entire Nebraska City community takes great pride in being the birthplace of Arbor Day, and celebrations happen all over the city to mark this great event every year.

For the 2013 Arbor Day Celebration, the Nebraska City community has selected the theme of “Dig It, Plant It, Grow It.”

Nebraska City Arbor Day events include a 5k/10k run/walk, a parade, a chili cook-off, a home and garden show, and more activities for locals and visitors alike.  Download the Nebraska City Arbor Day schedule of events for complete details.

Regardless of how you celebrate Arbor Day, two simple words sum it up best: Plant Trees!

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You’ve never experienced the Tree Adventure — or the symphony — quite like this!

Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure in Nebraska City and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra are teaming up for a one-of-a-kind outdoor music event, called Nature’s Symphony, on Saturday, May 4, from 3:00-5:00pm.

Guests of this event will stroll through the forested trails at the Tree Adventure, finding different musicians from Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, making music in the woods. World-renown violinist Anton Miller will play atop the 50-foot-high treehouse and Maestro Ed Polochick will play piano in the log-beamed Discovery Ride Depot, making for a musical, memorable encounter in the great outdoors.

Four food and wine stations will be situated along the trails, each featuring a selection of bite-sized hors d’oeuvres and Arbor Day Farm wines to enjoy while you roam.

“The Nature’s Symphony event is intended to bring a new perspective to audience members – about symphonic music as well as about nature,” said Doug Farrar, Vice President of Arbor Day Farm. “Our goal is to provide opportunities for individuals to make meaningful connections in nature, and the orchestra provides a unique soundtrack for doing just that.”

Nature’s Symphony Q & A:

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra Maestro Edward Polochick will play piano in the Discovery Ride Depot.

What is Nature’s Symphony?
Nature’s Symphony is an outdoor event on May 4, 2013, 3-5pm, designed for people who love music, nature, food and wine. Members of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra will play various instruments along the wooded trails at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure in Nebraska City. Guests are invited to stroll the trails while enjoying food, wine, and beautiful sounds in the forest. Specifically, world-renown violinist Anton Miller will play the violin atop the 50-foot-high treehouse; LSO Maestro Edward Polochick will play the piano in the log-beamed Discovery Ride Depot.

How much do tickets cost and where can I purchase them?
Tickets for Nature’s Symphony are on sale now: $25 for adults; $10 for youth (age 3-12). Tickets can be purchased online at www.arbordayfarm.org/symphony; or in person at Arbor Day Farm, including at the Lied Lodge Front Desk, the Tree Adventure attraction, and the Apple House Market.

A Nature’s Symphony lodging package is available at Lied Lodge for $189, which includes two tickets to the music event combined with an overnight stay on your choice of May 3 or May 4, 2013. To reserve the Nature’s Symphony lodging package, please call 800-546-5433.

What’s the dress code for Nature’s Symphony?
Nature’s Symphony is an outdoor event and we want you to be comfortable while strolling the trails, finding Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra musicians making music in the forest.  Please come casual, relax, and enjoy yourself; good walking shoes are encouraged.

World-renown violinist Anton Miller will play atop the 50-foot-high treehouse at Nature’s Symphony.

This is an outdoor event. What about inclement weather?
While we’re hoping for a beautiful, sunny day on May 4, we know that springtime in Nebraska can be a bit unpredictable. Nature’s Symphony will go on, rain or shine. In case of rain, the musicians will play together in a tent and in the Discovery Ride Depot at Arbor Day Farm, and attendees can gather around to enjoy the music.

What kind of food and wine will be offered?
Four food and wine stations will be situated along the trails, each featuring a selection of bite-sized hors d’oeuvres and Arbor Day Farm wines to enjoy while you roam.

Where can I find more information about Nature’s Symphony?
Contact Chris Campbell, Director of Arbor Day Farm, (402) 873-8724 or ccampbell@arbordayfarm.org
Online: arbordayfarm.org/symphony

Nature’s Symphony at Arbor Day Farm is generously supported by these sponsors:
the Otoe County Visitors Committee; Dietze Music; Firespring; Cornerstone Printing; Leadership Resources; and TenDot Corporate Travel.

Gathering near Union, Nebraska, the volunteer crew set out to collect as many as 10,000 healthy donor cuttings that will be replanted in the Missouri River Valley this spring.

Tyler Janke of The Nature Conservancy explained that as much as 80% of the cottonwood forest along the river corridor has been lost to habitat change, flooding, and just old age. This concerted effort to restore the riparian forest will benefit a variety of native wildlife — from beavers to bald eagles — and will help stabilize the river bank.

This is the third time volunteer groups from these organizations have worked together specifically on cottonwood restoration along the Missouri River, with first cuttings taken in February 2012, a planting event in May 2012, and gathering last week to harvest more cuttings.

Related: Read our blog post about the May 2012 cottonwood planting north of Nebraska City, NE.

The cottonwood crew, front row from left: Sara, Tyler, Brad, Luke, Chase, Corey. Back row: Josh, Alex, Emily, Ashley, Beth, Darry, Heather, Connie, Tyler, Kate, Robin and Joe.

Photos courtesy Carrie Benes, the Arbor Day Foundation.