Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 37

This is the 37th week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 37th one to attain statehood) is...

Nebraska

Date of Statehood: March 1, 1867

Nebraska is located in the bottom third of the country’s most populated states. With a total population of about 1.8 million people and most of its residents living in rural communities, it is also one of the least densely populated states. 

Sometimes known as the Beef State; the beef industry is the second largest in the US (to Texas), it is estimated that one in five steaks are produced in Nebraska.

Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state.

Nebraska's Chimney Rock was the landmark most often mentioned in journal entries by travelers on the Oregon Trail.

The Nebraska state insect is the honeybee.

Nebraska was once called "The Great American Desert."

The 9-1-1 system of emergency communication, now used across the country, was developed and first used in Lincoln.

The largest porch swing in the world is located in Hebron, Nebraska and it can sit 18 adults or 25 children.

Nebraska currently rates as the nation's third-happiest state, behind both North and South Dakota. 

Nebraska has an official state soft drink: Kool-Aid. Originally called “Fruit Smack,” Kool-Aid was invented by a man named Edwin Perkins who ran a small mail-order business out of Hastings, Nebraska. Though the Fruit Smack concentrate syrup was one of his most popular products, the glass bottles often broke in transit. Perkins invented a powder concentrate in 1927 to solve the problem, and Kool-Aid was born.

The first time two women ever ran against each other for the governorship of a state was in 1986 in the state of Nebraska. 

The Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, houses the largest indoor rainforest in the United States. The Lied Lunge, covering 1.5 acres of land with an eight-story building, features flora, fauna and animals from rainforests all over the globe.

In Omaha, Nebraska you can find a six-foot-tall statue of the famous Chef Boyardee. Yes, the friendly face who graces the cans of Spaghetti-Os. And yes, he was a real person.

The University of Nebraska in Lincoln is home to the largest weight room in the United States. In fact, it covers a whopping 3/4 of an acre meaning there’s plenty of space for the entire football team to get a proper workout.

The state of Nebraska is nowhere near an ocean. However, there is a lighthouse that stands along the road in Ashland, Nebraska. The lighthouse was constructed over 75 years ago and graces a 40-acre lake nearby. 

Omaha's first postmaster, who was also employed as a bricklayer, surveyor and city councilman, used to carry the letters in his hat. Anyone expecting mail needed to intercept him as he went about his daily business, at which point he'd remove his hat and try to locate the letter.

Nebraska's Sandhills were home to some of the nation's first straw-bale buildings. The first one documented was a schoolhouse built around 1896, but it didn't last too long as it was eaten by cows in 1902. 

Carhenge can be found near Alliance, Nebraska. It is a replica of England's Stonehenge, made out of old cars.

The people of Fremont Nebraska hold the record for making the world's largest open-faced sandwich. The topping? 1,652 lbs. of yummy Spam, fresh from the city's own Hormel meat-packing plant.

In the late 1800s, a law created in Lehigh, Nebraska forbid merchants from selling donut holes. One lawmaker claimed donut holes were a waste and believed that by selling the middle of the donut bakers were trying to make an undue profit. Thankfully, the law was repealed in the late 1990s, but these tasty round treats are still hard to come by in the town of Lehigh. 

In Blue Hill Nebraska, no female wearing a "hat that would scare a timid person" can be seen eating onions in public - it's the law.

Shirtless gentlemen planning a trip to Omaha beware, keep it au naturel because men are not allowed to run around with a shaved chest in that city. 

Another state law prohibits children from burping in church, and threatens the parents with jail time should such an unfortunate eructation occur. 

It is against the law for bars to sell beer unless they are also brewing a pot of soup.

Hotels are required by law to provide clean white nightshirts to their guests.

By Nebraska law, drivers on mountains should drive with caution near the right hand edge of the highway –there are no mountains in Nebraska!

It is illegal to go whale fishing in Nebraska.

I decided to go with this bit of Nebraska information for my card's inspiration... Charles Lindbergh took his first flying lessons at the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation flying school in Lincoln in 1922. He paid $300 for 10 hours of instruction—a small fortune at the time. 

There is an airplane stamp included in the stamp set, 

but I decided to used this awesome airplane brad instead:

Here is the inside of my card:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamp/Die Set: Concord & 9th Globe Greetings stamped with Memento Cottage Ivy and Tuxedo Black Ink and sponged with Tim Holtz Stormy Sky Distressed Ink

Papers: Recollections Black and Ivory and SU Cool Caribbean and Marina Mist CS and Gartner Studios Map DP

Die: Nestabilities Ovals

Embellishments: Celebrate It Ribbon and Airplane Brad from an unknown vendor