Beer gardens sport
relaxed atmosphere
By Kelly Anders
Staff Reporter
Onlv a handful of Lincoln bars
are sporting beer gardens this sea
son, just a few watering holes have
them. Only three bars (that this
writer knows of) possess these
grown-up wonderlands -- The
Brass Rail, P.O. Pears and Oscar’s.
Short and sweet, a beer garden
is an outside extension of a bar in
which people are granted the lux
ury' of guzzling in the out-of-doors
without worrying about getting
cited by the police for having open
containers of alcohol (this, sadly,
occurs daily in many local parks).
One even has a sandbox to play in
— volleyball, that is. All three have
bars outside durinc designated
hours and picnic tables. In a nut
shell, beer gardens are like kiddie
playgrounds — adult style.
The beer garden of the Brass
Rail, 14360 St., is rather small (as is
the Rail, itself) with several picnic
tables and a bar. Music from the
inside jukebox is piped out via
speakers.
The garden has been open regu
larly since the beginning of April,
said Rick Dostal, a bartender. The
bar out there is open Thursday,
Friday and Saturday nights, he
added.
Dostal said the garden is pretty
popular at times.
“When it’s hot,” he said, “there
could be only five or 10 people
inside the bar, and the garden is
packed.”
Dostal said he attributes this
phenomenon to “Spring Fever.”
The setting is ideal, he said.
“It’s relaxed and close to cam
pus,” he said. “People like to come
down, sit out in the sun and have a
couple of beers.”
The garden of P.O. Pears, 322 S.
9th St., is the only one with a
sandbox, said Ron Schroeder, bar
tender and promotion manager. A
volleyball league plays out there
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
nights, he said.
In addition to the net and sand,
P.O. Pears sports a brick deck,
picnic tables, an outside bar and
occasional visits by bands. The bar
is open when bands are outside, he
said.
There is never a cover charge to
get into the bar or to see the bands,
ocnrueuer saiu.
“We pay out of our own pocket
and hope to make up for it in liquor
sales,” he said. “We get pretty good
crowds for bands.”
Oscars, 800 O St., has a patio
sized beer garden, said Don Arena,
the manager. An awning covers
part of the area. There are several
picnics tables and an outside bar.
The bar is open Fridays and
Saturdays starting at 8 p.m. or 9
p.m., Arena said. On football Satur
days it opens at 11 a. m. or noon, he
said, closes after the crowd leaves
and re-opens in the evening.
The garden, which has been
open for about five years, is popu
lar during football Saturdays and
when the weather is nice.
“It really packs 'em in,” he said.
Rule for summer school j
is to enroll in fun classes I
By Andy Upright
Staff Reporter
To some, summer school may
seem be an oxymoron, and some
thing to avoid, while others man
age to integrate it into their reality.
Yet whether the reality is erasing a
failing grade, accumulating credit
hours, or purely masochistic, you
might want to follow one rule of
thumb: Take something that
sounds at least remotely interest
ing.
One such course offered this
summer is “Detective Fiction,”
English 208A. The course is taught
by 15-year veteran Fran/ Blaha.
According to Blaha, the course
entails a study in the “history and
development” of detective fiction.
The reading material for the
class ranges from early 19th cen
tury tiction, such as hdgar Allen
Poe, to more contemporary au
thors, such as Agatha Christie and
Nicolas Freeling. Another contem
porary author studied in the class is
South Dakotan Harold Adams,
who bases much of his work on his
home state, Blaha said.
One of the main aims of the
class is to relate detective fiction to
"current political, cultural and so
cial events,” Blaha said. The class
will be studying how detective fic
tion reflects on or brings out popu
lar views in our society. Views or
attitudes on issues such as "class
attitudes on social roles,” or "crime
and the police,” will be explored,
he said. Blaha said one of his
hopes is to help students gain their
own perspective on the issues.
If for no other reason, you might
take detective fiction because "the
class offers mostly enjoyable and
suspenseful reading,” Blaha said.
Another course that may be of
help in gaining a perspective on
the world is Geography Lab 152.
The purpose of the lab is ‘‘two
fold,’’ one reason is to complement
Geography 150, the other is to
“give students practical technical
practice,” said Doug Kluck, in
structor. The primary goal of the
ciass is to “reach a better under
standing of physical geography^'
he said.
Given that the class is a lab,
students will be getting hands-on
experience, while having fun
“drawing maps and measuring I
various things,” he said. Crayons, I
colored pencils and perhaps rulers ■
may be necessary for the course, I
though “it depends on the instmc-1
tor,” he said. ^
Kluck said the class is worth-1
while since "you get to learn about I
the world, the natural environ-JB
mem.”
A third class that may offer somr
summer interest is bowling, taught I
in the East Campus Union by [/
Donna Neal. Even if you have no
experience holding a bowling ball, /
the class is “open to all bowlers,*^
Neal said.
The emphasis of the class isto j
help bowlers improve their game A
by gaining some "knowledge andn
skill,” she said. /'
“Bingo Bowling” is one class
activity used to improve the; i
bowler’s skill. "They call it bowling r
bingo because you look to see /
what you have," she said. The I
game helps the bowler learn to
evaluate their bowling, and how to
“pick up your leaves,” she said.
The fact that bowling is "some
thing you can do for a lifetime” is
one aspect of the class that Neal
said she appreciates. j
So, if you’ve got the motivation, '
or have been threatening to lake /
some classes at the "U" this sum- ‘
mer, you may wish to check out
some of these offerings. /
IfSeveral bands provide\^
L local concert opportunities
'/4 By Mark Lage
W^Senior Reporter
At The early weeks of summer
^^vacation will provide freed stu
yldents with several notable local
A concert opportunities, and those
W willing to trek to adjoining states
j ( will be able to take in enough
i heavy metal to add several pieces
\/l / of large-scale art to the UNL cam
1 hi pus.
jj Lincoln’s biggest attraction up
y i coming is undoubtedly Cheap
f / Trick, who will bring themselves
r ]j and 50 guitars to Pinewood Bowl
at Pioneers rant, 10 piay a Deneiu
for Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska.
According to KTGL FM’s general
manager, Mark O’Brien, this is the
first event of this magnitude to be
held at the Pinewood Bowl.
Pinewood Bowl will also hold
the upcoming Ecology Now bene
fit, featuring local bands.
Most of the local big-concert
attraction action will be in Omaha
thissummer, at Peony Park and the
Civic Auditorium.
This Sunday night will see Edie
Brickell and the New Bohemians at
Peony Park, to play their hit single
“What 1 Am,” and the rest of their
successful debut album, “Shooting
Rubberbands at the Stars.”
The Replacements will also be at
Peony Park on May 25. It’s always
interesting to see just how drunk
they will be, and this year one has
to be curious as to how the layered
acoustics of their latest album
“Don’t Tell a Soul,” will translate to
a live stage. Will Tommy Stinson
wear make-up? You can find out
for yourself.
Omaha Civic Auditorium’s only
upcoming show promises to be a
big ugly one, as the dual-headline
tour of The Cult and Metallica
makes a stop there on June 14. The
Cult is touring in support of their
new album, while Metallica still
rides the ever-growing success of
“And Justice For All." The Cult
mic?ht he interestincr to see on their
own sometimes, maybe, but in this
double-bill they are way out of
their league.
More metal is to be found in
Missouri and Iowa. Poison and Ralt
will both appear at Kansas City’s
Sandstone on different dates in
May. Poison will play on May 11,
and Rail will appear on May 27.
Those looking for bona fide
punishment can see Poison twice
in the month of May, as they will be
part of the infamous, annual Iowa
Jam, in Des Moines on May 29.
Joining Poison for the Jam will be
Tesla, Winger, and the Bullet Boys.
“Wow,” says J.J. Cook, KFRX air
personality on that stations new
Concert Line.
Lincoln’s Batman Headquarters
Batman Comic Books- ^ * Buttons * Posters *
Current & Back Issues * Novelties * Collectibles *
T-shirts (Dozens of Styles) Movie Tie-in Items
(OSNI<
g 10 East Park Plaza Harvey Oaks Plaza
m. VrlBI ^ 200 N. 66th, Suite 208 A 144th & Center
Lincoln Omaha
Comics, Science Fiction. Games 467-2727 333-8118
COPYRIGHT © 19S6 DC COMICS INC. COPYRIGHT © DC COMICS INC. 1986
Think.
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