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If you were an Omaha jazz fan in the 1940’s, there was only one place to be -the Dreamland Ballroom. It was where you went to dance and see your idols play.
One evening in 1943 at the Dreamland, Omaha’s own Preston Love went to see the Count Basie Band. Love’s idol, and Basie’s lead saxophone player, Earle Warren, called out to him, “I’ve been looking for you.”
The astonished young man thought Warren was kidding, but was told that he was being considered to take his hero’s place in the great band. Love played about an hour before Basie sent the band valet to tell him to be at the Union Station the next morning at eight-thirty.
Now, the jazz of those days is being honored as the central theme in the city’s revitalization of the North 24th street area.
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In August of 2004, the $518,000 Dreamland Plaza was opened at the site of the ballroom as part of a $2 million streetscape improvement program. The ribbon cutting was done with safety scissors by the 26 honored guests from the preschool program Educare.
In December, Omaha artist, Littleton Alston, unveiled his Jazz Trio sculpture in the Plaza. The trio gives new life to what was the site of many a great evening of
music and dancing.
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Across the street, the new $3.3 million 22,000 square foot headquarters of Family Housing Advisory services is open for business. The new facility features a 110 seat community cafe, a teaching kitchen, and community rooms. Metropolitan Community College will run a culinary institute out of the building.
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Across Lake Street stands the Martin Luther King Cornerstone Memorial and just around the corner at 2510 North 24th is Omaha’s tribute to its own jazz great, Preston Love.
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The Love’s Jazz and Arts Center is Omaha’s newest cultural jewel in the Old Jewel Building. The 8,000 square foot center, partially funded by a $24,000 grant from the Omaha Housing Authority’s nonprofit foundation, features Preston Love memorabilia, gallery space, performance areas and classrooms.
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In addition to being a Mecca for jazz fans, the Love’s Center will help preserve Omaha’s jazz past and give generations to come the opportunity to learn about music, art and the area’s cultural heritage.
To find out more about the Love’s Jazz and Art Center visit their website at:
http://www.lovesjazzartcenter.org/
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