Things to do in Omaha, Nov. 9–18

OMAHA — A Veterans Day program, a holiday boutique, lucha libre at two library branches, a planetarium show and a jazz night are on the calendar from Monday, Nov. 9, through Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Last updated 7:42 a.m. CT, Nov. 9.

All times Central.

Worship services and faith events for Nov. 8–14 are in our weekly faith guide.

Monday, Nov. 9

• I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice (official page), 6-7 p.m., Milton R. Abrahams Branch, 5111 N. 90th St.; Joseph Starita discusses his book on Chief Standing Bear; free, ages 19 and older; full; registration closed.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

• Veterans Celebration (official page), 10:30 a.m., Millard Senior Center at Montclair, 2304 S. 135th Ave.
• STEAM Teens: Zen Gardens Part 2 (Do Space) (official page), 4-6 p.m., Central Library, 7205 Dodge St.; in the second of two sessions, teens 3D-print the garden pieces they designed in Part 1; free; registration required.
• Haunting Tales and Human Remains (official page), 6-7 p.m., Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch, 2100 Reading Plz., Elkhorn; forensic anthropologist Dr. Katie East explains the real science behind vampire, mummy and ghost legends; free, adults 19 and older; registration encouraged at (402) 289-4367.
• 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.

Wednesday, Nov. 11

• Veterans Day: Celebrating African Americans Who Served (official page), noon-3 p.m., Great Plains Black History Museum, 2221 N. 24th St.; the museum's Veterans Day program honoring African Americans who served.

Thursday, Nov. 12

• Curiosity Crew: LEGOs (Do Space) (official page), 10-11 a.m., Central Library, 7205 Dodge St.; children ages 2 to 6 and a caregiver build Lego cars; full; registration closed.

Friday, Nov. 13

• Omaha Holiday Boutique (official page), 10 a.m.-9 p.m., CHI Health Center convention center, 455 N. 10th St.; also 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15; a three-day holiday gift market; tickets sold through the venue page.
• UNO Public Planetarium Show: One Sky (official page), 6:30 and 8 p.m., Durham Science Center, Room 135, 6601 University Dr. N.; also 4:30 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15; a fulldome show on how different cultures see the sky; $10 online.

Saturday, Nov. 14

• Lucha Libre with Latin Thunder (official page), 10-11 a.m., South Omaha Library, 2808 Q St.; the wrestler shows his moves and takes questions, then kids can decorate a luchador mask; free, all ages, with a parent or caregiver staying; no registration, but groups over 10 should call ahead.
• Learn to Play: Canasta with Elaine (official page), 10 a.m.-noon, Charles B. Washington Branch, 2868 Ames Ave.; Elaine Heath teaches the classic card game to families and newcomers; ages 8 and up; registration required at (402) 444-4849.
• 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; registration required at (402) 444-6284.
• BioDiscovery Lab: Bioluminescence (official page), 11 a.m.-noon, Kiewit Luminarium, 345 Riverfront Drive; a hands-on workshop on living things that make their own light, with Metropolitan Community College; free with daily admission or membership; early registration required.
• The Plastics Puzzle (official page), 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Kiewit Luminarium, 345 Riverfront Drive; also 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15; Keep Omaha Beautiful explains what the recycling numbers on plastics mean; free with daily admission or membership.
• Night Sky Adventure with Gifford Farm (official page), sessions at 1, 1:45 and 2:30 p.m., Saddlebrook Branch, 14850 Laurel Ave.; a mobile planetarium show on stars and constellations, plus themed crafts; free, ages 6-12, with a parent or caregiver staying; registration required for a time slot at (402) 444-5780.
• Lucha libre con Latin Thunder (official page), 2-3 p.m., Willa Cather Branch, 1905 S. 44th St.; a bilingual session of the same lucha libre program; free, all ages; online registration encouraged but not required.

Sunday, Nov. 15

• 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 appreciated.

Monday, Nov. 16

• UNO Jazz Ensemble II and III (official page), 7:30 p.m., Strauss Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, 6305 University Dr. N.; two university jazz bands in concert; choose your own ticket price, $0 and up, with cash or checks at the door.

Wednesday, Nov. 18

• Bilingual Introduction to U.S. Citizenship (official page), 6-7:30 p.m., Downtown Branch, 1401 Jones St., Meeting Room 206; a bilingual overview of eligibility, the naturalization test and the Latino Center of the Midlands' citizenship classes and scholarships, with time for questions.
• Past, Present, Futures writing workshop with Noni Williams (official page), 6:30 p.m., Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center, 2289 S. 67th St.; a reflection and writing session where participants can share their own work; free; RSVP requested, limited to 25.

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; museum hours 1-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
• 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.
• Native American Heritage Month Story Walk (official page), through Nov. 30, Arches Playground, Gene Leahy Mall at The RiverFront; a story walk open 5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

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

Source: Omaha Public Library: I Am a Man / Joseph Starita; ENOA New Horizons, November 2026; Omaha Public Library: STEAM Teens: Zen Gardens Part 2; Omaha Public Library: Haunting Tales and Human Remains; Great Plains Black History Museum; Omaha Public Library: Curiosity Crew, Nov. 12; CHI Health Center: Omaha Holiday Boutique; UNO Events: One Sky; Omaha Public Library: Lucha Libre with Latin Thunder, South Omaha; Omaha Public Library: Canasta with Elaine; Omaha Public Library: Spark Studio; Kiewit Luminarium: BioDiscovery Lab; Kiewit Luminarium: The Plastics Puzzle; Omaha Public Library: Night Sky Adventure; Omaha Public Library: Lucha libre con Latin Thunder, Willa Cather; UNO Events: Past, Present, Futures programming (Bak chess, Nov. 18 writing workshop); UNO Events: UNO Jazz Ensemble II and III; Omaha Public Library: Bilingual Introduction to U.S. Citizenship; El Museo Latino: Day of the Dead; The RiverFront: Native American Heritage Month Story Walk.

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. 9, 2026, between 5:50 a.m. and 5:54 a.m. CT, and re-checked on the OPL gateway feed at 7:42 a.m. CT (Starita Nov. 9: full, registration closed, waitlist 10/10; Curiosity Crew Nov. 12: full, registration closed, 3 waitlisted), and checked against the record by our copy desk before publishing.