Family Outings: Hot rods and hot wheels

You can really spin your wheels this weekend.

First, check out vintage drag cars, traditional hot rods, custom cars and the Hudson Hornet from the hit film “Cars” at the World of Wheels at Qwest Center Omaha.

The show dedicated to all things auto is set for 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15, and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Get $2 off admission at O'Reilly Auto Parts stores.

The event will include BMX Freestyle Stunt Shows throughout the weekend. For a schedule and more information, see http://www.autorama.com/casi/show/omaha.php.

If that's not enough of a wheel thrill, check out the Arenacross Series at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.

The close-contact racing events will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday (which is amateur day). Reserved admission seats for Friday and Saturday are $40, $25 and $20.

MISSOURI VALLEY, IOWA

Get in tune with bluebirds

The bluebird gets to sing its tune this weekend the last of winter at the DeSoto Visitor Center near Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Sandy Seibert, president of Bluebirds Across Nebraska, will present a 60- to 90-minute program on the birds starting at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the visitor center at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge.

If you're warbling for more information, check out the weekend's wildlife film, “Bluebirds ... Bring Them Back.” The 20-minute film explores how the bluebird is unable to compete with starlings and sparrows for nest sites, resulting in the bluebird being driven away.

The film will show at noon, 1:30 and 2:45 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Daily entrance fees to the refuge are $3 per vehicle.

COUNCIL BLUFFS

Made by hand and all for sale

Oak furniture, paintings, ceramics, salsa, soups, jams, jellies ... what a spread!

And those are just a small sample of the handmade goods that will be available this weekend at the Spring Arts and Crafts Show at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.

More than 200 exhibitors from seven states are expected. Most exhibitors at the show will accept special-order requests.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, free to children 10 and younger.

BEATRICE

Amber waves of grain elevators

Celebrate Nebraska's agricultural roots with a look at iconic images of the region's historic grain elevators.

The exhibit, “Landmarks in a Sea of Grass: Grain Elevators and the American Landscape,” opens Sunday, the first day of National Agriculture Week.

The photos by Bruce Selyem, a Montana-based photographer and historian, will be on display at Homestead National Monument of America through September. Selyem and his wife, Barbara, have made a strong commitment to gather and record historical information about country grain elevators to preserve for future generations.

Admission is free to the exhibit and the monument, four miles west of Beatrice on Nebraska Highway 4. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/home or call 402-223-3514.

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