Community Builders toured Albion on Thursday, April 24. Community Builders is a group that supports local communities and businesses by sharing ideas and resources. Partners are Central Community College, Cornhusker Public Power District, and Loup Power District. All tours are open to the public.
WELCOME TO ALBION
Andrew Devine, City Administrator
Albion City Administrator Andrew Devine said Albion is a small community with big ideas.
And many of those ideas have become reality because Albion’s residents never really ask if they can do something, but how soon.
“They have the ability to identify what they want and what they can do, and then they have the drive and fortitude to actually go do it,” Devine said.
He said it’s been that way for quite some time.
The Boone County Fitness Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The facility features cardio and weight equipment, an indoor track, pool, and sauna. The Albion Family Aquatic Center has been up and running for more than a decade.
The Eli Portal Memorial Playground just opened this month. Community members raised more than $150,000 for the new inclusive play area. They raised another $300,000 to put an enclosed batting cage at the sports complex.
A rural workforce housing grant a couple of years ago helped pave the way for a new housing subdivision. The city also received a $1 million grant from the State of Nebraska to renovate a park in an undeveloped neighborhood. That park will be linked to the sports complex and another park via a walking trail.
Devine has served as City Administrator for 18 years. He highlighted the efforts of the Boone County Foundation Fund, Boone County Economic Development, and Albion Economic Development Group and the many volunteers throughout the community that have made these projects happen.
“We have a tremendous business community, tremendous health care system, tremendous school system,” he said. “We have an excellent tradition of philanthropic leadership in our community.”
Learn more: www.albionne.com
BOONE COUNTY AGRICULTURE & EDUCATION CENTER/NIEWHOHNER ARENA
Chuck Rolf, Manager
The idea for a new arena and extension office at the Boone County Fairgrounds originated about 10 years ago. The existing show room was small and cramped.
Residents began exploring different funding options including a county tax levy.
Eventually the Delbert Niewohner family stepped in and pledged $850,000 toward the project over 10 years. Boone County agreed to pay $1.3 million toward the building so the extension office could move from the courthouse.
Manager Chuck Rolf said that left the committee with $850,000 to raise.
“We did that in two weeks,” he said.
And so for the last five years, the multi-purpose livestock exposition and show arena has hosted concerts, auctions, livestock shows, rodeos, and barrel racing and roping competitions. In January, the venue hosted a conference wrestling tournament. Rolf packed down the dirt, laid down plastic, and topped it with six wrestling mats. Most the arena’s events are free to the public.
In addition to the extension offices and arena, the building also features a large commercial kitchen and meeting room.
Rolf and his wife typically man the concession stand, but sometimes school or community groups step in and earn a percentage of the profits.
Area residents can also buy individual or family memberships to use the arena for riding anytime it is not in use by another group.
Rolf said the arena has hosted some events that are attended by people from around the country. He’s gotten calls for campground reservations from people in North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Canada.
And he’s not all that surprised.
“It sells itself,” he said. “It really does.”
Learn more: boonecountyarena.com
THE DOTTED DAISY
Betsy Harris, Owner
Back in 2011, Betsy Harris opened a gift shop called the Gray Haired Trout in a downtown Albion building owned by her aunt.
In 2015, she moved the store down the block and ended up buying the building in 2019, changing the name to The Dotted Daisy.
“Then Covid hit,” she said. “And we were struggling.”
Harris said after businesses began opening back up to the public she had a hard decision to make: stay in business or shut down.
Then she realized there was a third option.
“We needed to add something to get more people in the door,” she said.
Throughout her years of owning a gift shop she heard the occasional chatter about how Albion really needed a coffee shop.
“So we decided to go for it and we opened the gift shop in September 2021 and it’s been the best decision we ever made,” she said.
Harris admitted there was a learning curve.
“I knew nothing about coffee when I opened,” she said. “Absolutely nothing.”
So she reached out to a knowledgeable family member and her coffee bean vendor for advice and education. She also watched a lot of YouTube videos.
While the coffee drinks and smoothies have been a successful addition to the Dotted Daisy, Harris knows the business must continue evolving to get customers through the door. She and her staff create new recipes for monthly specials. She brings in new gift items as she can. This summer, the business will offer Lotus energy drinks and boba drinks.
She’s also brainstorming other options for expanding her business.
“We’ll see where the road takes us,” she said.
BOUTIQUE 29eleven
Tiffany Curry, owner
Tiffany Curry was working as Premier Jewelry representative years ago when her children were small. She loved the job, but eventually home shows became less popular and the company went out of business in 2020.
There was one good thing that came out of it, though. She met her friend Carrie Kavan.
The two were both former teachers who then had a decision to make. As they hashed out their options Kavan broached an idea with Curry — maybe they should open a boutique.
“So, six years later, here we are,” Curry said.
Kavan opened her boutique in St. Paul and Curry’s Albion store followed. The store offers clothing for women sized small through 3x as well as some gift items.
Curry said they also opened up the store to pop-up vendors. Right now, she has homemade candles and soaps from a mother-daughter team. Another vendor wraps books, marks the genre, and markets it as “blind date with a book.”
The boutique also has a trailer they use to sell their clothing at community events and hospital fundraisers.
Curry said the boutique has been going to hospitals for more than five years. They set up their mobile boutique outside the hospitals at a designated time and donate 20% of the profits to the hospital.
Curry and her family moved to Albion six years ago after her husband took a job at the school. She said the community’s businesses all work together to plan events and help each other.
“In small towns, you have to be community minded, but also you have to make your own business,” she said.
Curry is also on the chamber board and recognizes the important role it has in Albion.
“We have a really active chamber that tries to get people out and about in the community as well,” she said.
THE NEST
Ray Barnes, owner
Ray Barnes grew up in Omaha, but spent a lot of time in Albion visiting his grandfather — sometimes for a couple weeks at a time.
Then he grew up, joined the military, and was out of the state for about 20 years. But the fond memories of Albion remained, so it wasn’t a hard decision to move his family back to Nebraska to be closer to his mother.
Next up was deciding what to do in Albion. Barnes soon realized what was missing — a family entertainment venue.
The Nest features axe throwing, family-friendly games, arcade games, and karaoke.
“It’s a good opportunity for families to just get together and enjoy each other’s company without having to go to Grand Island, go to Columbus, or go out of town,” Barnes said.
Some of the entertainment, like karaoke and a large Connect4 game are free for kids. This way they can come in after school and have some fun if they need a place to go.
Barnes said kids can get buy a fountain pop and refill it as many times as they like while at The Nest. He also has a unique self-pour tap beer station for the adults.
Customers set up a tab and receive a card that they tap on the reader. They can then pull the tap to fill their cup, getting charged by the ounce.
Barnes said the axe throwing is typically limited to children 10 and older. However, he does have a safety axe setup that he can put in an adjoining lane.
“That way they can spend time together as a family, he said. “We want to try to keep the family unit together and enjoying that time together.”
Customers can call to reserve the axe throwing lanes. Walk-ins are welcome as well.
The venue is available for rentals. Barnes said he has opened up The Nest for birthday parties, company parties, and meetings.
Learn more: boonenest.com
HWY 14 BREWERY
Greg & Mandy Luettel, Owners
Greg Luettel is a self-taught brewer. His wife, Mandy, said at one time their house in Omaha was full of brewing equipment as Greg experimented and perfected his processes.
“My kitchen, my garage, my basement at any given time had an experiment going on,” she joked.
But those experiments panned out. In 2018, the couple moved back home to Albion, bought an old floral shop and opened Hwy 14.
“Greg’s vision was always to have a tap room along Highway 14,” Mandy said.
That vision proved to be a success. Greg said they started with one 30-gallon barrel system. In 2019, they upgraded to a three-barrel system. Then Covid hit and people weren’t coming in any more.
“We had to start figuring out ways to get more beer outside the door,” Greg said.
They began canning a few varieties of their beer and allowing customers to stop in for a build-your-own six pack.
As the world slowly went back to normal and restrictions eased, business picked up again.
Then came an unexpected opportunity: a second taproom.
Mandy said the owners of Country Shadows in Columbus reached out on a whim to see if the couple would be interested in buying the property. They agreed to lease and eventually purchased the property at the end of 2024.
“We took a risk but it was the right one,” Mandy said. “It’s been a really good opportunity for us to expand our business.”
In addition to a restaurant, the Columbus location now offers catering services.
Two years ago, the adjoining pharmacy came up for sale and the couple jumped at the chance to expand. They opened a doorway and added seating, skill games, and a small stage.
“We don’t know what we did without the space,” Mandy said. “We’re now able to host larger events.”
Today, Greg said he usually brews four days each week. He ages ales about three weeks. Lagers ferment at colder temperatures and take about a month and a half.
“You really have to plan ahead,” he said.
There are 12 beers on tap in Albion and 14 in Columbus that are rotated periodically. Over the years, they have offered as many as 100 different beers.
BOONE BEGINNINGS
Jay Wolf, Board Member
The Nebraska Community Foundation helped facilitate a few visioning sessions in Albion over the years and childcare concerns popped up more than once.
In-home providers were retiring, leaving few options for working parents. A committee began researching solutions and decided to raise funds for a new childcare center.
They raised $4.6 million for construction, operating capital, and a reserve fund. Eighty percent of those funds were local.
“The community got behind the concept right away,” Wolf said. “You didn’t have to explain to people how important it is to have the center here. They know that if you want to have a vibrant community, you’ve got to have opportunities for working parents to have a place where their children can be cared for.”
The Albion Economic Development Corporation purchased land on the south edge of town and donated it to Boone Beginnings. The facility opened in 2021.
The secure center cares for 60-70 children aged six weeks to five years. It has a full kitchen and outdoor play areas.
Wolf said there are still challenges that need to be worked out including retaining qualified staff. In addition, daycare is expensive for young parents. Boone beginnings offers tuition assistance for some parents and supplements income with community donations.
But these challenges are worth it, Wolf said. To have a thriving community you need good education and healthcare systems, recreation, housing and childcare.
“If you’re short on any one of those five building blocks, you’ve got a problem,” he said.
That’s why he is especially grateful to his community.
“The community support has been and continues to be tremendous,” Wolf said.