El Puente

Chapter 1 of 14 · Sunday, October 11

The send-off

New Orleans, Louisiana

Every trip has a first photo, and this one began with two shakers of Cajun seasoning set out on the hood of a car. It is a small thing, but it says a lot about where the trip started. New Orleans travels with its flavor, and a week on the Great Plains was going to need a little help.

The seasoning turned out to be a preview. Before the week was over, New Orleans would stand up in front of the national convention and ask to host the next one. So the first picture of the trip and one of the last big moments of the week point to the same place: Louisiana, ready to share its table.

From here, the trip ran north to Omaha, where a week of reunions, ceremonies and new memories was waiting.

1 photo · New Orleans, Louisiana

Chapter 2 of 14 · Monday, October 12

Arrival in Omaha

Downtown Omaha

Omaha introduced itself under a clear blue sky. The first photos from downtown look straight up: a tall glass tower catching the light, traffic signals on the corner, and the tall Brickline sign marking a block of brick buildings and new construction.

After a long day of travel, the next picture tells the rest of the story: a comfortable chair, a drink in hand, and a smile that says the hard part is over.

Arrival day is the quietest day of any convention week. Registration was not open yet, the schedule had not started, and there was time to simply look around. Downtown Omaha mixes old warehouse brick with new glass and steel, and it made a good first impression.

3 photos · Downtown Omaha

Chapter 3 of 14 · Tuesday, October 13 · Morning

The calm before

Downtown Omaha

Tuesday morning was the calm before the convention. Friends met up in the hotel lobby for the first group photos of the week, some in sport coats and medallions, others in caps and team jackets. A screen showed the Douglas County agenda for October 13, a reminder that the host community was busy too.

The hospitality suite got ready for the days ahead: counters lined with snacks, bottles set out for the evenings, and a refrigerator stocked to the top with drinks. Anyone who has worked a convention knows how important that room becomes by the end of the week.

Later, a drive through downtown showed off the city under a gray sky: the tall tower that anchors the skyline, wide empty streets, and a striking black building wrapped in sharp angles. One more quiet morning, and then the week would begin.

9 photos · Downtown Omaha

Chapter 4 of 14 · Tuesday, October 13 · Afternoon

A Maverick welcome

University of Nebraska Omaha

On Tuesday afternoon, the University of Nebraska Omaha opened its campus to the group. The tour started beside a black University of Nebraska police SUV, a natural photo stop for a group of peace officers. Then came the Mavericks: a big statue of the school mascot in a red and white jersey, and members taking turns to pose beside it.

From there the tour moved through UNO’s athletic facilities: a fieldhouse, a competition pool with lanes running the length of the hall, and a ballpark with rows of seats under a white shade canopy. Near the stadium, a sculpture and plaque honored Omaha’s long run as home of the College World Series.

The last stop was the hockey arena, with clean white ice, steep seating and a scoreboard hanging over center ice. Even the ice resurfacer got its moment in the photos, parked in its bay.

30 photos · University of Nebraska Omaha

Chapter 5 of 14 · Tuesday, October 13 · Evening

Registration opens

The conference hotel

By Tuesday evening, the convention had a front door. The registration desk was set up in the hotel, draped with a black banner bearing the NLPOA star. One sign welcomed members to registration. Another announced that the conference app was ready, with a code to scan.

Members picked up their credentials on blue lanyards with the NLPOA crest, along with the 2026 convention program, its dates printed in gold: October 14th to 17th, 2026.

There were extras on the table too. The Texas State Chapter ran a giveaway raffle, and NLPOA FIFA challenge coins were on sale at $30 each for anyone who wanted a keepsake from the week.

It is a simple scene, but it is where every convention really starts: a name on a badge, a program in hand, and a week of plans ahead.

6 photos · The conference hotel

Chapter 6 of 14 · Wednesday, October 14

Opening ceremonies

The conference hotel

Wednesday the convention opened with ceremony. An honor guard in dress uniform lined up for a photo, with white gloves, shoulder cords and rifles at their side. They set the tone for everything that followed: respect, tradition and pride in service.

Inside the meeting room, the head table took its place on a raised stage behind a wooden podium carrying the NLPOA crest, with flags standing at the side.

Opening day is when a convention becomes official. A room full of members from across the country settles in, the program begins, and for the next four days this hotel becomes home.

2 photos · The conference hotel

Chapter 7 of 14 · Wednesday, October 14 (date estimated)

A visit to Boys Town

Boys Town, Nebraska

A group made the short trip west to Boys Town, the village Father Edward Flanagan founded in 1917 as a home for boys who had nowhere else to go. More than a century later, it is still one of the best known names in child and family care in the country.

The visit began outside a brick house with a white porch, where the group gathered by a statue for a photo in the autumn sun. Inside the museum, the exhibits told the village’s story, under a sign about its work saving children.

The highlight was a vintage blue and white Boys Town bus parked inside the museum. Members posed in front of it, then climbed aboard and filled its seats, smiling like a class on a field trip.

For a group that spends its working life protecting communities, it was a fitting stop: a place built on the idea that every child deserves a chance.

8 photos · Boys Town, Nebraska

Chapter 8 of 14 · Thursday, October 15

A full house

The conference hotel

Thursday was the first full day of the convention, and the hotel was busy from morning to evening. Meeting rooms filled with members at long tables, and the main hall filled with round tables under the chandeliers, facing the head table on stage.

Between sessions, the busiest spot in the building was the NLPOA photo wall, a backdrop printed with the association’s crest. Chapters lined up for group photos. Old friends posed side by side. Some photos are formal, in suits and ties; others are selfies taken with a grin.

By the end of the day, the photo wall had captured dozens of moments, and the week had found its rhythm: gather, reconnect, and take one more picture.

31 photos · The conference hotel

Chapter 9 of 14 · Friday, October 16 · Sunrise

Memorial at dawn

Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Early Friday, a group went to the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial and arrived at first light. The sky was heavy with clouds, and the memorial’s lights were still glowing against the dark.

The grounds are built for remembrance. A long wall carries the memorial’s name and the emblems of the armed services. A Huey helicopter, the aircraft that defined the Vietnam War for a generation, is mounted high above the plaza as if it were still in flight. The American flag and the POW/MIA flag fly overhead, beside the Hall of Honor.

Members walked the grounds slowly. They stopped at stone markers carrying the seals of the military branches, stood beneath the helicopter, and gathered for group photos as the day began to break.

It was a quiet, respectful way to begin the day.

23 photos · Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Chapter 10 of 14 · Friday, October 16

Friday at the hotel

The conference hotel

Back at the hotel, Friday picked up where Thursday left off. Members filled the meeting rooms again, and the stage in the main hall stayed busy as one person after another stepped up to the podium.

It was the last full day before Saturday’s convention business, so there was plenty to talk about in the hallways and around the tables.

Once again the photo wall drew a crowd. Members in suits and chapter polos lined up in groups of three, four and six, shaking hands and posing for the camera.

And there were selfies, the most honest photos of any convention: three or four faces squeezed together, everyone smiling.

23 photos · The conference hotel

Chapter 11 of 14 · Friday, October 16 · Evening

Dinner downtown

Downtown Omaha

Friday night was for food and friendship. The group took over a long table at a downtown restaurant with exposed brick walls, arched windows and warm, low light.

The photos are taken from the end of the table, looking down a long row of faces. Glasses are raised, plates are pushed aside, and everyone leans in toward the camera.

Dinners like this are where a convention becomes personal. There is no agenda at the table, just stories from home, jokes about the week, and plans for next time. With the convention business and the gala still ahead on Saturday, it was the last easy evening of the week, and the group made the most of it.

2 photos · Downtown Omaha

Chapter 12 of 14 · Saturday, October 17 · Morning

Convention day

The conference hotel

Saturday morning, the association got down to business. Delegates filled the hall for the annual general business meeting, with the head table on stage and flags standing at each side.

One after another, members stepped up to the podium with the NLPOA crest. Some spoke from notes, some from slides on the screen. The photos show a long line of voices, each taking a turn.

One of the most colorful moments came when New Orleans made its pitch to host the next national conference. The image on screen showed a parade on a French Quarter street, a brass band, and a banner that read “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” with the words NOLA 27.

It was a long morning, and it is the heart of what the association is: members with a voice, deciding together where to go next.

53 photos · The conference hotel

Chapter 13 of 14 · Saturday, October 17 · Midday

Everyone together

The conference hotel

At midday, everyone stopped for the most important photo of the week. Members gathered in front of the stage, the first row seated and everyone else standing behind, until the frame was full of faces.

It took a few tries. In one shot someone is still crossing in front of the camera; another is taken from the floor. The final picture gets it right: row after row of members from chapters across the country, together in one room.

Years from now, this is the photo people will look for first.

3 photos · The conference hotel

Chapter 14 of 14 · Saturday, October 17 · Evening

The awards gala

The conference hotel

The week ended in style. On Saturday night, members arrived dressed for the 2026 Formal Awards Gala in dark suits, evening gowns and, here and there, a cowboy hat.

The ballroom was set with round tables, white linens and chandeliers. At the front of the room, honorees received crystal awards and certificates, then went to the photo wall for a picture. Some posed alone, some with family, and some with their whole chapter.

The photos tell the story of the evening: proud smiles, firm handshakes, awards held high, and group after group lined up in front of the backdrop. As the night went on, the pictures got bigger and more crowded as friends pulled each other into one more shot.

It was the perfect ending to a week in Omaha.

67 photos · The conference hotel

Next year

Hasta la próxima

See you in New Orleans · NOLA 27