CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Like millions of others, Natasha Jacka went stir-crazy during a COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, until it dawned on her that there might be great opportunity in having nowhere to go.

Jacka used the pandemic and the suspension of her studies at an agricultural college to plant her own vineyard at her family home in South Africa. It was a way to fast forward her dream of becoming a winemaker by bringing it, literally, within reach.

Nothing in the wine world moves too fast, though, and it was four years before the first harvest and vintage.

LINCOLN — As the sun rises this month on the “Great American State Fair” in Washington, D.C., for the nation’s 250th birthday, various Nebraska businesses and moments will be among those represented.

Nebraska is one of dozens of states and territories where leaders are designing pavilions to go up on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for a 16-day honor beginning June 25. Some states have pulled out of designing exhibits, some citing fiscal concerns, but Pillen and leaders from some of the largest Nebraska businesses said Monday they’re excited to show off.

As corporations sponsor floats and employee marches during Pride Month parades, it’s important to remember just how recently the majority of American office workers felt they had to conceal their sexuality in the workplace.

In the 1970s there were no legal protections for LGBTQ workers outside of a handful of cities. If a company found out you were gay, it could fire you on the spot.