Arts & Entertainment
Underground Capitol1
houses state officials
when disaster strikes
By Andy Upright
Staff Reporter
A relic of the Cold War, the
Underground Capitol could house
Gov. Kay Orr and 209 other key state
officials in case of a nuclear attack.
“We’re in the business of dealing
with the unthinkable,” said Cindy
Johnston, public information officer
at the Nebraska Civil Defense
Agency.
The Civil Defense Agency -
which doubles as the headquarters
for the Nebraska Underground Capi
tol at 14th street and Military Road -
is where the Nebraska Legislature
would convene and the state govern
ment would conduct its business in
the event of a national or local emer
gency.
The first reminder that this build
ing is a form of protection against
unthinkable nuclear holocaust is a
huge, one-foot thick, stccl-rcin
forced cement door that would close
hydraulically in the case of disaster.
According to a pamphlet given
out by the Civil Defense Agency, the
building’s structure is *rsimply a
concrete box of extremely heavy
construction.”
With the walls’, ceilings’ and
floors’ thickness ranging from 24 to
42 inches, the complex is indeed
heavily constructed. The floor in the
heart of the building, the communi
cations room, even has a shock resis
tant system built into it that could
i
absorb the blast erf1 an explosion. <
This “self-sustaining unit’ ’ could ]
harbor members of the legislature for !
up to two weeks. With 14 days worth
ca dried food that has a shelf life of 10 i
years, a water well, a full 2,500- 4
gallon storage tank and a well
equipped kitchen, the unit could
support state officials’ appetites as
well as official functions.
A decontamination room
equipped with a clothing drop/incin
erator and a shower would cover the
hygiene aspect of nuclear survival.
Behind a door which reads “open
only after nuclear attack/’ an air
filter is ready to supply the complex
with sufficiently filtered air.
If die power should go out in such
an incident, the building has two
50,000-watt diesel generators.
If these accommodations don’t
prove adequate, then the patrons
could opt to use the “post-blast es
cape hatch / ’ a tunnel that leads from
the complex to the outdoors.
The Underground Capitol was
conceived in the late 1950s,
Johnston said. The construction
started in 1960 and the building was
first occupied on Jan. 31,1963. The
federal government and the State of
Nebraska shared the $388,000 bell.
At the time, the United States and
the Soviet Union were involved in
the Cold War. The Cuban missile
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■
Wind auintet breezes into second season
M.
By Mick Dyer
Senior Reporter
The Prairie Wind Quintet
begins its second season of
performing with an Octobcrfest
celebration of German wind
quintet music Friday.
The performance features
premiers of music by two early
19th century composers, Ignaz
Fr&nzl and Wolfgang Bren^
nstciner, that have never been
performed in Nebraska.
John Walker, oboist for the
quintet, said that the quintet has
experienced some positive per
sonnel changes since the group
first organized in August of 1987.
“This is a harder working
group," Walker said.
Walker said the Prairie Wind
Quintet is working to develop a
strong professional presence in
Lincoln.
All members of the quintet
belong to the Lincoln Musicians'
Association, which is sponsored by
the American Federation of
Musicians. The Quintet belongs to
Chamber Music Antprica, a nat
ional organization for the promo
tion of chamber groups.
He said there are other small
chamber groups playing in
Lincoln, but none of them are as
aggressive about playing as the
Prairie Wind Quintet. Walker said
that in addition to the group's
scheduled performance series, it
often plays for private groups.
Jayna Nelson, flutist for the
quintet, said the quintet is not
having to struggle to survive as
much as other small groups of
professional musicians.
“Actually we arc doing very
well," she said.
Michael Lcderer, clarinet
player, agreed.
“We’ve got a lot of work,” he
said.
Other members of the quintet
are Suzi Koken, bassoon, and
Douglas Stotter, French horn.
Trie quintet has been busy
lately. In the past week, it has
performed twice, and the group
will be on the Lincoln Live
program on KFOR Monday at
12:i0p.m.andon KZUM Tuesday
at 7 p.m.
All of the members of the
quintet said they enjoy playing
together because of their mutual
passion for the music. But playing
the music is more than just
spiritually rewarding for quintet
members.
“It’s fun to play, but it’s fun to
get paid too,” Walker said.
Walker said this spring the
quintet would like to commission a
composer to write music especially *
for the quintet. He said the quintet
is going to try to bring Donna
Perrino, a composer from St.
Louis, to Lincoln to work for them.
She composed the music for
several popular commercials,
Walker said.
“She’s a struggling composer in
the field of serious music,” Walker
said.
In the summer, the quintet is
planning a three or four week tour
around the Midwest, Walker said.
Other future plans for the quintet
include sponsoring a national
composition contest.
There will be a reception after
the concert where patrons will be
served a free glass of non-alcoholic
imported German beer.
Tickets at the door are $6 for
adults and $4 for students and
children. Advanced tickets and
season tickets are available at a
reduced price at Dietz Music,
Players Music and the Sound
Environment.
The first concert begins at 8
5.m. at Grace Lutheran Church,
2nd and Washington streets.
Other performance dates for the
concert series are Dec. 9, Feb. 10,
March 17 and May 5. All concerts
begin at 8 p m. at Grace Lutheran
Church.
Tlta Prarta Wind Quintal (clockwise from top left): Mika ledeiar, clarinet; Jayne Nelson,
flute; John Walter, oboe; Douglas Stotter, French horn; and Suzi Kokan, bassoon.
Stewart concert has been canceled, refunds available
Prom Staff Reports
Because of a rescheduling con
flict, the Rod Stewart concert sched
uled for Oct. 29 at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center has been canceled.
The concert is not being resched
uled, according to John Fremstad,
nunor concerts coordinator for the
University Program Council. UPC
was presenting the Lincoln show.
Tickets will be refunded at the
place of purchase, Fremstad said.
About 3,500 tickets were sold for
$16.50 plus a 75 cents handling
charge. The full amount will be re
funded, he said.
Stewart was ill earlier in the “Lost
in America” tour, and was forced to
postpone some iold-out shows on the
Bast Coast The soki-oui shows over*
lap the date of the Lincoln concert,
thus the cancellation.
Stewart’s gravelly voice brought
him fame with songs like “Maggie
Mtoy” and “If You Want My Body.”
The English rocker has recently hit
the top 40 singles charts with ,fFor
cver Young” and “Lost in You.”
During the rescheduling process,
several (fates in the Southeast were
moved, and three Midwest tour stops
were bumped from Stewart s itiner
ary: Lincoln, Manhattan, Kan., and
Wichita, Kan.
UPC will not reschedule another
concert for the Oct. 29 date, Frcmstad
said.
• Def Leppard will play Oct. 19 in
the Sports Center, while Van Hakn is
scheduled to appear Nov. 3.
