Things to do in Omaha, Nov. 5–14

OMAHA — Jazz, a kids' writing workshop, a blood drive, chess, a planetarium show and kids' maker time are on the calendar from Thursday, Nov. 5, through Saturday, Nov. 14.

Last updated 5:55 a.m. CT, Nov. 5.

All times Central.

Worship services and faith events are in our faith calendar for Nov. 1–9 and Nov. 1–5 faith listings.

Thursday, Nov. 5

• Writers Workshop for Kids: Food Writing (official page), 6-7:30 p.m., A.V. Sorensen Branch, 4808 Cass St.; children 8-12 bring a family recipe and write about food, memory and tradition; free; registration required at 402-444-5274.
• MAYJO and UNO Jazz Ensemble 1 featuring Karrin Allyson (official page), 7:30 p.m., Strauss Performing Arts Center, 6305 University Dr. N.; a big-band concert with singer Karrin Allyson; choose your ticket price, starting at $0, proceeds to UNO jazz scholarships; general admission.

Friday, Nov. 6

• Community Blood Drive (official page), 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Staenberg Omaha JCC, 333 S. 132nd St.; the Nebraska Community Blood Bank bus parks outside the main entrance; advance registration requested through the blood bank.

Saturday, Nov. 7

• Day of the Dead at Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch (official page), 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, 11001 S. 48th St., Papillion; a fiesta honoring loved ones who have died.
• The Pen and the Sword: D&D Club (official page), 1-4 p.m., Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch, 2100 Reading Plz., Elkhorn; a Dungeons & Dragons game for adults of any experience level; registration required at (402) 289-4367.

Sunday, Nov. 8

• Bak to Basics: Chess for All Ages (official page), 1 p.m., Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center, 2289 S. 67th St.; a tour on how artist Samuel Bak uses chess, then a game; free; limited to 12, RSVP requested.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

• Veterans Celebration (official page), 10:30 a.m., Millard Senior Center at Montclair, 2304 S. 135th Ave..
• Caregiver Solutions Group (official page), St. Vincent de Paul Church, 14330 Eagle Run Dr.; a discussion group for family caregivers led by Flaherty Senior Consulting; time not stated, call or text 402-312-9324.

Thursday, Nov. 12

• Curiosity Crew: LEGOs (Do Space) (official page), 10-11 a.m., Central Library, 7205 Dodge St.; children under 6 and a caregiver build Lego cars; full, registration closed.

Friday, Nov. 13

• UNO Public Planetarium Show: One Sky (official page), 6:30 and 8 p.m., Durham Science Center, Room 135, 6601 University Dr. N.; $10 online.

Saturday, Nov. 14

• Spark Studio (official page), 10:30-11:30 a.m., Milton R. Abrahams Branch, 5111 N. 90th St.; a hands-on STEAM program where kids build, design and explore; ages 7-12; free; registration required by phone at 402-444-6284.

Ongoing exhibits and activities

• The History of the Buffalo Soldiers (official page), through Jan. 2, 2027, Great Plains Black History Museum, 2221 N. 24th St.; the story of the Army's all-Black regiments formed after the Civil War.
• Day of the Dead / Día de Muertos (official page), through Nov. 21, El Museo Latino, 4701 S. 25th St.; ofrendas honoring loved ones; guided tours by advance reservation.
• Día de Muertos ofrenda (official page), through Nov. 6, Joslyn Castle & Gardens, 3902 Davenport St.; an ofrenda by Monica Gomez; viewing hours not stated, call (402) 595-2199.

Have an event, a local photo or a neighbor we should know about? Email editor@omahacommons.com.

Source: Omaha Public Library: Writers Workshop for Kids; UNO Events: MAYJO and UNO Jazz Ensemble 1; Jewish Federation of Omaha: Community Blood Drive; Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch: Festivals; Omaha Public Library: D&D Club; UNO Events: Past, Present, Futures programming; ENOA New Horizons, November 2026; Omaha Public Library: Curiosity Crew, Nov. 12; UNO Events: One Sky; Omaha Public Library: Spark Studio, Nov. 14; Great Plains Black History Museum; El Museo Latino: Day of the Dead; Joslyn Castle & Gardens: Día de Muertos.

How we checked this: Reported from the organizers' event pages, the Omaha Public Library's public events feed and ENOA's New Horizons for November 2026, opened Nov. 5, 2026, between 5:49 and 5:53 a.m. CT, and checked against the record by our copy desk before publishing.