Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack. I don’t care if I ever get back…

Nebraska’s fascination with the boys of summer most likely began after Alexander Cartwright’s modernized game gained favor and swept the frontier in the mid-1800s. Omaha’s first organized club assembled in 1867.

In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings stopped in Omaha, pounding the locals, 65 – 1. The Omaha catcher vanished during the 7th inning stretch. His teammates couldn’t find a replacement.

A decade later, the Northwestern League came together, including Davenport, Rockford, Omaha and Dubuque. This lineup formed the first minor league not located on the East Coast.

Around the turn of the century, baseball promoter Guy Green coordinated the formation of the Nebraska Indians baseball team, scouting players from the schools at both Genoa and Santee, as well as the Omaha and Winnebago reservations.

The team fireballed its way across the Cornhusker state, playing local town teams and creating a Wild West ambiance for zealous crowds. This team overcame its initial flash-in-the-pan persona, becoming a top exhibition team.

Nebraska has fielded its share of Hall of Famers, too. Add these names to the scorecard:  Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was born in Elba; Tilden’s favorite son, Richie Ashburn; Omaha native Wade Boggs; “Wahoo Sam” Crawford from – you guessed it – Wahoo;  Bob Gibson, Omaha native;  manager Billy Southworth was born in Harvard; and Arthur “Dazzy” Vance grew up in Hastings.

Currently, Nebraska natives Alex Gordon and Joba Chamberlain make headlines for KC and NY Yankees, respectively.

My dad and I share an appreciation for the game. When I was a kid, we’d travel to Hastings and watch the local American Legion team. Nothing better on a summer evening than watching baseball, eating a cherry Sno-cone and battling a few mosquitoes. (My husband would disagree. He doesn’t understand the allure of the game.)

But the stories about baseball that intrigue me come from my dad when he was a kid. He talks about the town teams from Wausa and Crofton, games against farm team players, some-day major leaguers, where the love of the game reverberated as loudly as the crack of the wooden bat.

These were the games that brought communities together. These were the games that provided entertainment and seemed to connect everyone. Something bigger was at stake during these simpler times, and baseball was the vehicle that united them all.

I remember Wausa’s ballpark on summer Sunday evenings, or sometimes during the week (Wednesdays, maybe?), watching the locals swing and sometimes miss or send a grand slam over the outfield fence.

Even a generation later, a baseball game was a social event, where neighbors and friends congregated to cheer on the neighbors and friends on the field.

When the last batter was called out, we walked back to my grandparents’ house, the glow of field lights filtering above cottonwood trees, slowly fading into darkness.

Baseball is a tradition that’s as American – and Nebraskan – as hot dogs and apple pie.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery, so…. Hello, I’m LuAnn and I am a candle junkie. Step into any room in our home and you’ll undoubtedly find a candle.

A number of the candles come from the Cornhusker state. In my opinion, a number of these candle makers came about as a way to supplement income and grew into some booming businesses.

One of my first Nebraska-made came from Sugar Shack Country Candles, made in Edgar, Nebraska, which isn’t too far from the town I grew up.  Sugar Shack began making candles in 1994.

A family-owned candle business located in Weston, Nebraska is Bloom’n Soy Candle Company. Candles by Blazin’ Saddles also offers western-themed candles made from soybeans. Don’t forget about Heritage Falls Candle Company from Falls City. 100% soy candles also available from EcoScents in Omaha.

Master’s Hand Candle Company took shape by turning homemade Christmas gifts into a full-line candle shop. They also make chocolate! Visit their factory in Tekamah, Nebraska. Tours available by appointment.

Another favorite candle maker is located in Hastings. The Barn Candle Company offers a variety of options and have hand-poured their candles since 1997.

Try a wooden wick candle from Cryin’ Creek Candles in Weeping Water.

Let a Nebraska-made candle light up your world.

            If you walked into the house I grew up in, undoubtedly you e heard music. Either the radio blared, a 45 or 33 spun on the record player, or an 8-track or cassette tape played.

            Music added another note to our family bond. Dad sang along with the radio every morning while we readied ourselves for school. Mom taught us childhood ditties. My sister and I argued over which record we’d listen to first . . . until our parents bought a second record player.

            It’s not surprising, then, that our family anticipated the Grammy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Although the awards were established in 1958, the awards show wasn’t telecast live until 1971 on ABC. Before then, the 1959 show became an episode in the NBC Sunday Showcase series, which featured plays, variety shows and original made-for-TV dramas.

            Originally, both Los Angeles and New York hosted award ceremonies, with winners accepting the gold-plated, gilded gramophone statuette at one of the sites.  

            What’s the Nebraska connection? Ten musicians, artists, or producers with Nebraska ties have either won or been nominated for the award.

            The first Nebraska recipient hailed from Hebron. Kenneth L. Darby, a composer, and singer, won in 1959. Incidentally, Darby also won three Oscars for best score of a musical movie and best musical adaptation for his work on “The King and I,” “Porgy and Bess,” and “Camelot.”

            Hastings native Neal Hefti, a jazz trumpeter and composer, won the Grammy in 1966 as the composer for “Basie” and for his score for the “Batman” TV show. Hefti was also nominated as an artist on “Jazz Pops,” for the movie score from “Harlow,” and the TV score from “The Odd Couple.”

            Screen star Henry Fonda won a Grammy in 1977 in the Best Spoken Word category for “Great American Documents.”

            That same year, the Eagles won four awards, including Record of the Year for “Hotel California.” Scottsbluff-born Randy Meisner was a founding member of the group.

            In 1979, Paul H. Williams hit Grammy gold twice for “The Muppet Movie” soundtrack. He was also nominated for his work on “The Muppet Christmas Carol” in 1992.

            Bandleader Glenn Miller lived in North Platte. Three of his songs have been included in the Grammy Hall of Fame: “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo.”

            Mannheim Steamroller’s Chip Davis, who lives in Omaha, was nominated in 1985 and won “Best New Age Recording” in 1990.

            Jazz artist Karrin Allyson lived in Omaha. She’s received three Grammy nominations during the last 15 years.

            Born in Lincoln, James Valentine heads pop group Maroon 5 as a guitarist. He’s nabbed two Grammys: 2005 Best New Artist and Best Group Pop Performance in 2006.

            Omaha’s Zachary Nipper isn’t a musician, but the graphic artist designed the cover for the Bright Eyes album “Cassadega” and won the Best Recording Package in 2008.

            While outsiders may not consider Nebraska a music hotbed, our claim to Grammy fame proves we have talented musicians in the middle of the heartland.

Trivial Pursuit. It’s one of my favorite board games. This week, I challenge you to a round of Nebraska trivia. And trust me, I just recently discovered some of this minutiae.  

In the 1960s, toy company Mattel barely kept up with demand for its Barbie dolls. Hasbro recognized that the toy market was missing out on potential sales by not having a male doll for boys. Thus, G.I. Joe was introduced on February 1, 1964.

When Hasbro relaunched the G.I. Joe series in 1982 as part of “A Real American Hero” series, a plethora of G.I. Joe figures were introduced. Each character had its own file card or basic character sketch.

What’s the relationship between the plastic fighting machine and the Cornhusker state?  Nebraska’s action figure from the series was released in 1986 named Wendell A. Metzger, a.k.a. Leatherneck. Metzger hailed from Stromsburg, and served as a Gunnery Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was skilled as a drill instructor and in infantry.

The initial Leatherneck was released in 1986 but was discontinued in 1988. That year, the figure was part of an exclusive “Special Mission: Brazil” boxed set. The final Leatherneck doll came out in 1993 (along with a Gung Ho missile launcher). Leatherneck made his first comic book appearance in G.I. Joe #48.

 Did you know that a Nebraska resident played Brian Cooper on the TV series “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”? Shawn Toovey, who was born in Lincoln (but moved to Texas at age 4), played the character Brian Cooper.

 Question: How many baseball players from Nebraska have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York? Answer: Seven. Grover Cleveland Alexander, Richie Ashburn, Wade Boggs, Sam Crawford, Bob Gibson, William Southworth, and Arthur “Dazzy” Vance. Question: How many of you have visited the Museum of Nebraska Major League Baseball? Located on Main Street in St. Paul, this museum is worth a visit.

Miss out on Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania? Don’t worry. You can head to Unadilla, the Groundhog Capital of Nebraska, to see if Unadilla Bill predicts spring or six additional weeks of winter.

 Edwin Perkins, the inventor of Kool-Aid, marketed a Kool-Aid bubble gum – a favorite during the “off” season.

 What’s your favorite children’s book? I like sharing “C is for Cornhusker” with the grandsons. The Lincoln City Libraries have childrens books illustrated by seven artists with Nebraska ties.

 Former Vice President Dick Cheney was born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln. He dropped out of Yale, but he did graduate from the University of Wyoming.

Former Husker Brandon Jackson starts at running back for the Green Bay Packers in this weekend’s Super Bowl XLV. How many former Huskers have played in the season finale? Since 1967, 50 former Huskers have appeared in 64 Super Bowl games. The first: Kent McCloughan, Super Bowl II, in 1967.

 Keeping score? Somehow I imagine my dad, our family’s Trivial Pursuit guru, knew all the answers. He doesn’t roll dice, but he knows trivia that isn’t trivial.

What’s your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid? Growing up, I enjoyed a glass or two of Black Cherry. Grape and cherry were a close second.

Nebraska’s Kool-Aid (or is it Kool-Ade) connection began in Hendley, located in Furnas County. Later, Edwin Perkins worked on the dry concentrate from First Street in Hastings. Find out more about Nebraska’s Official Soft Drink in this week’s Nebraskaisms column.