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About us

by Jim Greelis

   The Omaha Racing Pigeon Association (ORPA) is a group of men and women in the Omaha metropolitan area committed to the sport of racing homing pigeons. The same type of bird that helped save American and Allied lives in World Wars  when America depended on these feathered couriers to get messages out behind enemy lines.

   The ORPA membership varies a little bit every year but is around 30 members and we fly a race series in the spring and fall every year. We enjoy competing amongst ourselves and against other clubs in Lincoln, Sioux City and Platte Valley. Omaha is proud to be the transporter for these other clubs so that they can economically get their birds out to race stations from Cozad, Nebraska to Rawlins, Wyoming.

   Each year towards the end of June, we join other clubs from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, etc. in a joint pigeon release from Topeka, Kansas in one of the largest races in the midwest. This is an exciting race for us and the other clubs to know that the birds arriving at our lofts—on the same day of the release—have had to navigate their direction along with all of the other birds seeking their way home…whether that is in Texas, Colorado, or right here in Omaha.

   Although most of the prizes we fly for in the Omaha club are paper diplomas, we do have one special race in September called the Nebraska Grain Belt Classic Futurity. In this race, club members and others from other clubs enter their birds along with a small entry fee to win modest monetary prizes.

   The ORPA is a club chartered by the American Racing Pigeon Union-a national organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the sport of racing pigeons. The club was founded in 1962 with 10 members. This club has been instrumental in bringing some of Americas most knowledgeable men in this sport to Omaha to share their expertise and wisdom with others in the region.

   The ORPA is proud to be able to contribute in our community by sponsoring Little League teams, as well as supporting parades and other public events with our pigeon releases.