The second week of August will feature two of downtown Lincoln’s major outdoor music events.

As the film industry gains back momentum after coming to a screeching halt during the pandemic, movie theaters are beginning to increase their showings.

Branched Oak Observatory may not be open every evening or weekend, but they aim to open twice per month. Most of their events are called “Star Parties,” and are typically held around the new moon to allow for optimal viewing of galaxies, nebulas, star clusters, and other objects in the night sky.

This Saturday, June 19, Star City Pride will be hosting their first ever in-person Pride Parade. The Star City Pride Festival will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday at Matt Lot on 8th and S Streets and will continue into Saturday following the morning parade. The weekend will feature 50+ vendors, interactive events, speakers, and entertainers.

This Saturday, Stand in for Nebraska will be hosting the second bi-annual Journey For Justice event. This time around, the Spring weather will provide for a trail experience that is perhaps more comfortable, but equally meaningful.

Over the weekend, more than 60 volunteers helped install the annuals at Sunken Gardens for their Wake Up The Beds event. This year’s “Ruby Slippers” theme harkens back to the original intent of the gardens when it was created in the midst of the Depression: to provide something beautiful to the city of Lincoln in uncertain times, and to remind the community that there’s no place like home.

The first Give To Lincoln Day exceeded all expectations. With just a little over 100 nonprofits participating in 2011, they reached their quiet goal of $1 million. Since then, the event has steadily grown. In 2020, a record $7 million was raised in the community from about 28,000 donations.