When pioneers crossed into Nebraska, they were greeted by waves of prairie grass, rippling with the wind. As society progressed, that prairie vanished, making way for crop and livestock production and urbanization.

Now, nine miles northwest of downtown Lincoln, the virgin prairie – known as the nine-mile prairie -  covers 230 acres. Formerly, it covered 640 acreas. The majority of the land has never been plowed ( a small corner was at one point) and livestock grazed on some of the grass.

In the 1920s, the land was part of a University of Nebraska study of plant ecology, led by Professor Weaver. Today, 392 species of vascular plants have been identified on the prairie, along with 80 species of birds. UNL continues to use the area for the study of conservation, management and restoration of tall prairie grass.

Big Bluestem grass, cottonwood and honey locust trees, sumac and eastern juniper are just a few of the species located on this plot of land.

Once upon a time (1850s), in a growing Missouri River town (Omaha), amber waves of grain and hops were harvested to supply the big four breweries. In Omaha, beer was king and poured supreme.

In 1856, McCumbe’s Brewery opened as the River City’s first brewery. Two brothers purchased McCumbe’s in 1861 and switched the name to Metz. Business boomed.

Krug’s Brewery opened in 1859. Falstaff purchased the plant in 1936 and by the mid 1960s, was the third largest brewer in America. Eventually the company sold to Pabst and Falstaff fell to its demise. The Omaha plant shut its doors in 1985.

Storz Brewing and Willow Springs originated in Saratoga, Nebraska, in Douglas County in 1863. Eventually the brewery moved to Omaha. In 1884, the plant foreman, Gottlieb Storz, bought the factory. Considering the boom in Omaha – the crowded and growing stockyards  and the influx of immigrants to the town’s South side – beer was a natural fit. During Prohibition, Storz continued its reign with near beer products. By 1960, Storz sold one-third of all beer in Nebraska, but just over a decade later, it would shut down operations. The year: 1972.

It would take nearly  20 years for a new beer movement in the Cornhusker State. In March 1991, Lazlo’s became Nebraska’s first craft brewer. In 1997, when the legislature passed laws allowing the sale of craft beer outside the brew pub, the name changed to Empyrean.

Two of my favorite craft beer spots are Gottberg Brew Pub in Columbus. The beer is great; so is the root beer for those who choose not to drink. And I love the Upstream Brewing Company in Omaha’s Old Market. Both spots have such great character (as well as characters!!).  Now, ten breweries exist in Nebraska, and over a handful of craft brew bars operate. (Plus, they’re the only two I’ve visited. So far!)

Nebraska breweries include:

• Empyrean Brewing - Lincoln
• Gottberg Brewery - Columbus
• Jaipur Brewing Company - Omaha
• Lucky Bucket Brewing - LaVista
• Modern Monks – Misty’s - Lincoln
• Nebraska Brewing Company - Papillion
• Schilling Bridge - Pawnee City
• Spilker Ales - Cortland
• Thunderhead Brewing - Kearney
• Upstream Brewing - Omaha

Try one of these Nebraska-made craft breweries and toast the amber waves of Nebraska hops and grain.

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.

                This time of year, talk about the boys of fall dominates conversations around the water cooler or over a cold one after the Friday night lights have long faded into darkness. Intercepted passes, punt returns for touchdowns, and fumbled footballs – along with dropped hopes and dreams – overshadow these tête-à-têtes.

                What about the girls of fall, the women who dig, set, and spike their way to 25 points during at least two matches per week? Do we stand around in the break room and chat about a back row attack or banter over a brew or two about the physics of the jump serve?

                In a state where the UNL volleyball queens are held in as high esteem as the football kings, those scenarios are entirely possible. But Nebraska’s volleyball history doesn’t extend back to the 1890s. No, Nebraska’s venture into volleyball began 35 years ago.

                Once Congress passed Title IX in 1972, the university realized they would need to offer athletic opportunities for women. Prior to 1975, university female athletes competed on club teams operating without any funding.

                Pat Sullivan served as the Huskers first coach, amassing an 83-21 record in two seasons. At this time, Nebraska’s volleyball team competed in play sanctioned by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.

                Then, serendipity stepped in, spinning her magic all the way to Louisburg College in North Carolina. The women’s basketball coach, a young man named Paul Sanderford, pulled a job advertisement for the head volleyball position at Nebraska from the trash can and gave it to Terry Pettit, Louisburg’s head volleyball coach.

                Pettit never would have known about the Nebraska job without Sanderford’s intervention, and Husker volleyball would not be the same.  Incidentally, Sanderford served as UNL’s women’s basketball coach from 1997 – 2002.

                Pettit’s teams competed in six NCAA semifinals and defeated Texas for the national championship in 1995. He retired in 1999. His former assistant, John Cook, took over the program. In just over a decade, his teams won two national titles and appeared in five semifinals.

                This season’s team appears to be on track for post-season success. Only four regular season matches remain before first round competition begins in December. Let’s hope it’s a well-played, successful road leading this deserving group to Kansas City.

                The accomplishments of the program not only are amazing, considering how long it’s existed, but it has also inspired so many female athletes across the state. Ask a young girl about volleyball and she’ll more than likely tell you when she grows up, she wants to play for the Cornhuskers.

                Weston. Johnson. Reitsma. Nepo. Holmquist. Larson. Anderson. Banworth. Pavan.

                The All-American girls of fall.

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                Let’s take a moment on Veteran’s Day to say thank you to the 21.9 million military veterans in the United States, in addition to our current forces serving around the world.

                Without your dedication, service and protection, we would not experience the freedoms we so easily enjoy. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed and we will never forget your courage.

Share Nebraska volleyball memories or Veteran’s Day comments at luannschindler.com or on LuAnn’s Facebook page.

Before the first streaks of a rosy-fingered dawn swell across the horizon, weary yet wired travelers trickle into empty parking lots, warming up for the day’s activities.

The parking lot – slowly filling to a noisy commotion – is hallowed ground, where backyard barbeque goes high-tech, memories are tossed around more than a T-Magic pass, and stories grow larger than the legendary T.O. himself.

This may be the last Great American neighborhood party, a sacred autumnal ritual where the three “F’s” – fans, family and friends – partake in the four “B’s” – bonding, boasting, brats, and beverages.

It’s Saturday, game day in Lincoln, and the total package sold as Husker mania is not complete without a tailgate party.

The art of the tailgate party became popular during the Civil War, according to historian and tailgate aficionado Stephen Linn. Picture this: 1861, Battle of Bull Run. A group of Virginian aristocrats fraternized and shared a picnic lunch of fried chicken, pheasant and ham while the Yankees and Confederates battled it out.

Somehow, the custom survived.

The College Football Hall of Fame reports partying prior to kickoff began at the first officially recognized collegiate pigskin scrimmage between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869 at College Field in Brunswick, New Jersey. Visitors arrived by horse and buggy and brought refreshments. Cold meat sandwiches, shucked oysters on the half shell, honey-laced cakes and lemonade filled the buffet table.

My, how tailgate has changed!

Now, RVs fill parking lots, Husker flag proudly waving from the rooftop, right next to the satellite dish that’s connected to a 36-inch flat screen TV. Open-air tents protect tailgaters from Augusts’ hot sun and the chill of November snow.

Games of skill, chance and stupidity are available for the competitive crowd. Others remain satisfied with conversation and camaraderie that unites this sea of red.

And the food….oh, the food. Today’s fare pummels my family’s usual tuna or spam-salad sandwiches on wheat bread, cookies and iced tea into the ground. Sorry, mom. I know you prepared those sandwiches with love, but we should have fired up the Hibachi and been tailgating trendsetters.

The 2010 Weber Tailgating Study reports that across the U.S., gourmet dishes are trouncing the basic hot dog competition. Chicken, ribs, brats and steak rank as favorites among epicurean tailgaters. Overall, 35 percent of respondents report serving adventurous party foods.

Perhaps a side of Bevo will be served in some Lincoln parking lot this Saturday.

While NU didn’t make Tailgater Monthly’s 2010 Top Ten list (Colorado and Texas did), Lincoln’s tailgate scene appears to be flourishing. Family-friendly spots like Husker Pavilion, with its carnival-like excitement, draw large crowds.

Our preferred spot is on Cassie’s deck in the Haymarket. The “F’s” gather on her deck for a round of “B’s” before kickoff.  

But sometimes, I think about the parking garage at 14^th and N, my childhood tailgate paradise, where a father, mother and two daughters shared tuna salad sandwiches while listening to the pre-game show and established our family’s Great American party tradition.

Share your favorite tailgate stories with LuAnn.