Omaha was getting so much attention with this article being shared all over the place it only felt right that my lovely hometown, Norfolk, got a little attention as well.
(Feel free to click away now if you’re not from Nebraska… Or read on, just don’t say I didn’t warn you that you’re probably going to want to move to Nebraska after reading this.)
1. It’s not Norfolk, Virginia.
2. It’s pronounced Nor-fork. Or “Nor-folllk” if you work at the radio station or live in Columbus.
3. Like the club scene? Great, Norfolk has one of the hottest clubs in Northeast, Nebraska. It’s called “Club Hollywood” and it might as well be in Hollywood it’s so damn posh. warning: it is however the one spot in Norfolk where someone has actually been stabbed.
4. Norfolk drivers loathe 40 county drivers.
5. Once upon a time Norfolk showcased the scariest Christmas decorations ever at the Norfolk Community College. I don’t remember their official name, but I called them the “Scary Days Christmas Boxes.” They were terrifying little robotic people in different Christmas scenes with demonic smiling faces that stared at you from behind their glass box. But it just wasn’t Christmas until you had driven out there and looked at them with your scared brothers and sisters sitting on top of you in your parents mini van.
6. Don’t own a car? No problem, Norfolk has one taxi cab.
7. Ever bought a Hallmark card before? Well Joyce Hall created the Norfolk Post Card Company back in 1908 before moving it to Kansas City, Missouri, where it became Hallmark Cards. So basically you can thank Norfolk for all of your Hallmark cards.
8. Everything is two minutes away. Or less. Usually less.
9. Norfolk’s city auditorium was the original Etsy. (I mean they host a lot of craft shows where you can buy a cute snowman door holder or aprons with mismatching buttons on them.)
10. Speaking of the city auditorium, it’s home to one of the best pancake feeds in the state. Just make sure you ask for extra sausage links, those old Lions Club members always go skimpy on the sausage for some reason.
11. Ta-Ha-Zouka. Enough said. Or maybe not enough said, nobody really understands what that park is about anyway.
12. Ricardos. Ricardos. Ricardos.
13. We make them extra sloppy for you. Norfolk is home to the original sloppy joe, the Tastee Beef.
14. Here’ssssss Johnny. Pretty sure we all know by now that Johnny Carson was raised here.
15. So was Jay Wolfe.
16. Norfolk is home to one of the biggest firework shows in a five county radius. It’s called the Big Bang Boom and it’s great. Just don’t ask the teens what they call it.
17. Like the show Dance Moms? Perfect! With four dance studios in town, Norfolk has a ton of them. Just look for their bumper stickers…
18. Want a new pair of Silver jeans? Two words- The Buckle.
19. Nice people. Norfolk is full of them. One time I got a flat tire and a nice man named “Al” tried to fix it for me, but when he couldn’t he kindly gave me a ride to my parents house free of charge. And he didn’t kill me.
20. Prenger’s cheese dip and cracker bread sticks. The best free appetizer you’ll ever have. (And in the winter you have to check out their snow village. It will put your grandma’s to shame for sure.)
21. The Madison County Fair is the best fair in the world. Probably. Or at the very least it’s the best in Northeast, Nebraska. To be honest I’m not completely sure because I’ve only been once in my life, but when I was eight I thought it was sweet.
22. Norfolk used to have a cool hotel called “Ramada Inn” and it was the hot spot for birthday parties in the early 90s. It’s probably a moot point since it hasn’t been around for years abut I figured it was worth mentioning.
23. The best beef jerky you will ever taste is sold on Logan Avenue at a place called R&M Meats. It’s kind of hard to find, but when you do you’ll be forever grateful.
24. The shrimp nachos downtown at Tienda Leons are to die for. A lot of people don’t realize Norfolk is home to a lot of great authentic mexican restaurants.
25. And most of all, because it’s a slice of the good life. It really is.
If this doesn’t entice you to move to Norfolk, I honestly don’t know what else would. So when you’re ready to live somewhere where you can actually leave the keys in your car with it running while you go into a store (my dad seriously did this just two weeks ago) you know where to go. And then call Norfolk’s best realtor, Jade Lafleur, to sell you a home.
This post makes me want to pick up and move right out of Omaha to good ol' Norfolk. Well this post and the fact that Norfolk houses one of the states best Valentino's. Pizza and pasta buffet? Sign me up.
Well thank you Katie. We strive to always serve the best.
That awesome beef jerky is made by R&M meats. They also make excellent pulled pork & amazing bacon (sweet, sweet meat candy!).
Thank you! I'm adding their name to the list right now. That place is the best!
Haha well I think maybe I'll leave Lincoln and move to Norfolk. Hahaha. Valentino's for the win.
I bursted out laughing when I read the part concerning 40 county drivers. The most accurate thing on this whole list!
I miss the scary Christmas boxes!
I miss the scary Christmas boxes!
I miss the scary Christmas boxes!
I miss the scary Christmas boxes!
I miss the scary Christmas boxes!
Most of the scary boxes are now displayed for a good month in Creighton they turn their park into Santa's Village and you can drive through free of charge and it is awesome
I love it, I need to visit them asap!
Creighton is about 45 minutes north of Norfolk by the way
Club Hollywood is so cool it closed!!! :p
What happened to the Depot?
Haha, love this list! Now might be the best time to say I've been to Norfolk many times, in fact I dated someone for awhile you probably went to high school with. I'll shut up now 🙂
Why did you mention the Buckle? It's a chain store that has nothing to do with the town.
It is? I had no idea! What are you going to tell me next, that Silver jeans are no longer in style either? Let's not get too carried away now.
Helene Sula likes this response. ^^^
As the man that sponsored an and helped to build those "scary" displays, I am mystified by the term scary. The only one that comes to mind as scary was the one involving the Grinch, which followed the atoryline from Dr. Seuss. All the rest are what we hoped were warm and friendly Christmas themed displays.
Mr. John Day, I truly can't thank you enough for your Christmas boxes! They were a well loved Christmas tradition in our house as well as many others I know. I was scared of anything that resembled a moving doll when I was younger which is what the boxes reminded me of, other than that I was simply being playful because I can honestly say I was very sad when they were taken out of Norfolk.
My family and I loved the displays! It was a Christmas tradition to go and see them each year. Thank you Mr. Day!
I remember driving around the Day house to see all the Christmas displays before they were moved to Northeast. It was a major traffic jam, but the best part of visiting Norfolk at Christmas. (Well, that and the family gatherings!)
Hahahah being from Columbus this post is pretty hilarious. I'm pretty sure you have inspired me to do a 25 Best things about Columbus post too!
I remember those "Scary Days Christmas Boxes". I learned to drive a car in that parking lot next to those little demons of joy.
This makes me miss my hometown so much 🙁
what do teens call the big bang boom?
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