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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 1996)
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Bring in this coupon for 2 FREE WEEKS 4760 Leighton Ave. 467-4653 Expires 2/14/96 Certain Restrictions Apply I f* American Heart h Association Figntmg He.m Disease ana Stroke Complete Natural Foods Grocery 1618 South St 475-9069 Open 9 - 9 Daily' London $229 Paris $229 Frankfurt $229 Madrid $249 Amsterdam $309 Prague $339 Rome $319 Fares are each way from Omaha based on round rip purdiase. Restricaons apply, taxes not induced and lares subject to change and/or availability. Caff today tor otter worktmdt deef/nsffoar. CIEE: Council oo International Educational Exchange 1-800-2-C0UH0IL [1-800-226-86241 Denny Continued from Page 9 be. Oh, sure, Denny looked as ifhe had some fire in those beady black eyes. His orange bill gleamed as brightly as any other duck’s. His majestic green feathered head and jet black wings had an air of excellence about them. We didn’t even know what kind of duck it was; more importantly, we didn’t care. He had a bill, webbed feet and quacked — in our ignorant minds, he would do just fine. And when we looked at the compe tition, our confidence in Denny was given a slight boost. There were plenty of ugly ducks out there. Ducks with twisted faces and narrow bills. Their faded and tat tered wings looked like the remnants of a torn trailer-park couch. These poor excuses for waterfowl couldn’t possibly overtake our fine specimen, could they? But for some addit ional confidence, we turned to none other than the two time, defending Quack-Offchampion, Tim Blythe of Lincoln. Before the race, Blythe recom mended a training table that consisted of Andre Cold Duck Champagne and, chillingly enough, last year’s Quack Off losers. We took Blythe’s advice to heart, if not to our stomachs, and stood wait ing for our mentor to take the track and show us how it was done. A few short minutes later, Blythe was disqualified for not fully clipping the wings of his youngduckling (a rule of which he was well aware). . Jay Calderon/DN The thrill of victory is shared by a duck jockey and his rent-a duck in the 16th annual Avoca Quack-Off. But we brushed our tears of disbe lief aside and set ourselves to the task at hand. Our desire to win was stron ger than ever. As Denny sat poised at the edge of the track, our hearts swelled with pride. We were no longer just newspaper reporters, we were duck racers. And, God willing, we would be champions. But, as we said before, it wasn’t meant to be. Denny let our faith slide off him like water off a ... well, you know. Halfway down the track, Denny decided that he wasn’t meant to be a racer. He sat down. He didn’t budge — not one muscle. As quickly as the race had begun, it was over. We had lost, and we left Avoca without the coveted prize money. But we’ll be back next year — a little wiser to the ways of competitive duck racing and without a reporter’s note book and camera holding us back. Watch out, Avoca. You haven’t seen the last of us yet. Quack-off Continued from Page 9 handlers, the farmer is paid with beer. Just a glance at the enthusiastic crowd would indicate that beer may, in fact, play a bigpart in the festivities. As the ducks were plucked one by one from their cozy trailer and placed onto the icy surface of the Webb Foot Raceway, there was a definite sense of friendly hysteria in the air. When the starting whistle finally blew, that hysteria culminated in a hail of feathers, a roar of approval and a gang of four or five “duck jockeys” clapping their hands, hooting, hollering and doing whatever they could to literally scare their ducks across the finish line. But even the wildest and most in ebriatedoffanseventually succumbed to the tension of what was developing here. Somebody had to win. And, after two hours of racing, that winner was Sheryl Matthes of Lin coln. Along with her rent-a-duck, “Dude,” she earned not only the SI00 prize money, but also the honor, praise and pride that accompany the Quack Off title. “It feels wonderful,” said Matthes, who was all smiles, soon after the race’s completion. While the duck enthusiasts headed for Town Hall to continue the celebra tion, the ducks stayed in their trailer to think a little — to evaluate their per formances Saturday, both the good and the bad. For them, as long as there is winter, beer and ducks, there will be a day to play. LOOK NO FURTHER Matrixx has a job for you • $6.25/hr + Bonuses • Full and part-time shifts r|I| • Paid training • Flexible hours • Advancement opportunities • Benefit package • Casual, clean & friendly ? ifl Marimba takes center stage By Patrick Hambrecht Music Critic — Makoto Nakura ended his Saturday nigh marimba concert with wild applause, a standing I-ovat‘on ar,d a moving en cure periurinance oi /\v< Maria.” Throughout the show Nakura wowed audiences a Kimball Hall with both hi; dazzling speed and boyisi charm, showcased cffec Concert lively in ramp Armstrong : Poimaw “Gaian Pulse” and Johanr ■*®»*®**» Sebastian Bach’s “Sonati No. 1 in G minor.” Perhaps the highlight of the evening, “Gaiat Pulse” exhibited Nakura playing with a se quenced computer tape. The performer de scribed the song earlier by saying he, “compete: with the tape.” This rivalry paired the primitive sound of th< f marimba’s clanging wood against overpower ing and ominous electronic chirping and whooshing roars, as though he were playing in . t adigital airplane hanger. ItwasplainthatNakura \ was hammering out the natural beat of Gaia, the ■ Greek goddess of the earth, against the impos : ing irregularity of technology, but no clear winner could be detected. , In both “Gaian Pulse” and “Sonata No. 1,” Nakura used the easy rhythm of the percussion ; instrument for an interesting effect, and then i combined it with a delightful, dramatic sense of ■ melody. ; This Japanese performer is a strong advo i cate for returning the marimba to a solo instru l ment, as it was better known early in the 1920s and 1930s. i In that, he championed the instrument beau ■ tifully, showing its versatile assets with the ■ regal works of Bach, the sentimental Irish song ! “The Last Rose of Summer” and the cheerful sensuality of “Reflections on ‘The Nature of : Water’” by Jacob Druckman. ‘Sesame ’ magic shines again ■i ■ ?*' m r By Brian Priesman Theater Critic Bob Dole would have been proud. Family values were everywhere Friday night at Pershing - Auditorium as hundreds of Theater families braved the winter RpiflPlIf weathcr to see their favorite nGVlGlf “Sesame Street” friends sing |l|| and dance just for them. ror aimosi iwo nours, rsig Bird, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Elmo, Oscar, the Count and more sang and danced about how wonderful school was. The story concerned an imaginary school with Pro lessor urover as tne teacner wlio wanted to show everyone his favorite subject: Show and tell. Big Bird, however, didn’t have anythingto show, so he kept stalling by having Grover teach other subjects. The show, which was brought to Lincoln by the letters “Q” and “U,” was filled with songs for all ages. The Count, along with Bert and Ernie, did a wonderful “Blues Brothers” im pression as he sang about the joy of numbers. Bert sangabout his unusual “Old MacDonald’s Farm.” The star of the show was Big Bird, who kept trying to decide what to bring to show and tell. It was touching to watch him struggle with difficult decisions. In the end, Big Bird decided that his friends were the most important thing he had and that was what he wanted to bring to show and tell— his friends. All in all, this year’s “Sesame Street Live” was a hit, as children of al 1 ages sang and danced their way home. American Heart Association