When the National Wakeboarding Championships happened in my neighborhood and no one seemed to notice, I was pretty irate about the breakdown in communication. I even publicly questioned two of our park board officials about it. Well last week, a Hawthorne resident told me about an email newsletter she gets that did announce that event beforehand. The Minneapolis River Current spreads the word about quite a few different events, not all of them happening on the river. Unfortunately, I can't seem to locate either a website or a Facebook account for this service, only a gmail address. Click on the link to sign up for news and information.
Since these announcements aren't readily found on the internet, the most recent River Current updates can be found after the jump...
...with apologies if the hyperlinks don't work. This was cut and pasted over from an email and I don't have time to manually add in every single link.
*****Events and Activities*****
Mill City Farmers Market – Melons!
Saturday, September 3, 8 am – 1 pm
Chicago Avenue between Second Street South and West River Parkway
This week’s 10 a.m. Cooking Demo will feature local Thai chef and restaurateur, Joe Hatch-Surisook of Sen Yai Sen Lek, joining Heather Hartman in the Market Cafe to enjoy Minnesota-grown melons. From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., enjoy a Market favorite, Light of the Moon Band. From 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Market sponsor Phillips Prairie Organic Vodka returns to Mill City with refreshing Watermelon Cocktails. Double Gold Medal winner from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, awarded 2011 #1 Domestic Vodka and Double Gold Medal by The Fifty Best. Stop by the booth to taste and learn about this organic, kosher and gluten-free vodka sustainably produced in Benson, Minnesota. Cheers! At the all-day book signing, Salad Girl Pam Powell shares 150 seasonal recipes using organic and locally grown ingredients in her new cookbook, Salad Days. The Art Market will feature Weavers Guild, Guillermo Cuellar, Fruits of the Sea and Stirsby. For more information (including what products are expected at the market this week – don’t forget your shopping list), recipes and to sign up for the market’s email newsletter: http://www.
Mill City Museum Programs and Events
704 Second Street South
For more information about Mill City Museum events call 612-341-7555, or visit http://www.millcitymuseum.org
Reading: Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice
Saturday, September 3, 10 – 11 am
Mill City Museum and Brooklyn History Round Table host Duluth author Jack Salmela, who will talk about his new book Sisterhood of the Hennepin Chalice. Includes tour of Minneapolis milling area. Call Diane, 763-607-1150, to RSVP.
Historic Main Street Walking Tour
Saturday, September 17, 1 pm
Stroll through the Minneapolis’ oldest neighborhood with a Mill City Museum guide, who will talk about the rich past and exciting future of historic Main Street. The tour will highlight the life in the village of St. Anthony, changes along Main Street throughout the years and such landmarks as the 1855 Upton Block, 1858 Martin & Morrison Building, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the Pillsbury A Mill and the Chalybeate Mineral Springs. This tour will begin and end at Pracna Restaurant, 117 Main Street S.E. Tours include admission to Mill City Museum. Fee: $14 adults, $12 senior citizens, $10 children ages 6-17 and MHS members. Includes museum admission. Reservations required; call 612-341-7555.
Railroad History Tour
Sunday, September 18, 1 pm
Beginning with the arrival of Minnesota’s first rail line in 1862, Minneapolis boomed in population, flour milling, lumber production and warehousing as a rail network extended throughout the Upper Midwest. Take a guided tour to discover the impact of railroads on the Mill City, visiting railroad landmarks such as the Stone Arch Bridge, Milwaukee Road Depot and the Minneapolis Eastern Railway engine house and trestle. Along the way, find clues to the vanishing railroad landscape and learn about the new rail era that has arrived with the Hiawatha light rail and the North Star commuter rail. The tour will begin and end at Mill City Museum, where participants can visit the museum’s gallery, included in the price of the tour. Fee: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MHS members. Includes museum admission. Reservations required; call 612-341-7555.
Literary Punch Card Punch Party
Wednesday, September 14, 5–7 pm
Club Jäger, 923 Washington Avenue North
Join some friendly folks from the Loft, Coffee House Press, Graywolf Press, Milkweed Editions and Rain Taxi Review of Books to inaugurate the Literary Punch Card. Receive your Literary Punch Card, learn about the card and the punch-eligible events this fall, drink punch and celebrate the vibrant literary community. Card holders are eligible to win literary swag as a reward for attending literary events. http://www.litpunch.com Literary Punch Card eligible.
Central River Forum: Focus on the East Bank
Thursday, September 15, time TBA
Mill City Museum, 704 Second Street South
The developers of the Pillsbury A Mill property will present their plans for this National Historic Landmark. The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership convenes a quarterly forum in the Central Riverfront concerning issues shaping this area. The forums are attended by residents from the Central Riverfront and influence leaders from throughout the region interested in this area. Please visit http://www.
Sample of Activities and Classes at The Loft
1011 Washington Avenue South
For information about The Loft’s wide variety of classes and other activities: http://www.loft.org.
Publication Reading: Bonnie Jo Campbell -- Once Upon a River
Thursday, September 15, 7 pm
A finalist for the National Book Award and the NBCC Award and the winner of the ForeWord Review’s Book of the Year Award in Fiction for her critically acclaimed short story collection American Salvage, Bonnie Jo Campbell is one of the most compelling new voices in American fiction. With keen insight, Campbell takes her trademark storytelling wit to new heights in the luminous novel Once Upon a River. Masterfully evoking the sublime American wilderness favored by Annie Proulx and Wallace Stegner, this richly layered tale of love, hardship, self-exploration and fortitude introduces the truly unforgettable character of Margo Crane and her river odyssey through rural Michigan. Bonnie Jo Campbell is the author of several other books. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. www.bonniejocampbell.com Literary Punch Card eligible.
Second Story Reading Series: An LGBT Young Adult Literature Panel and Reading
Saturday, September 17, 7 pm
A panel discussion about young adult LGBT publishing and literature with Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Pat Schmatz and David Levithan will be followed by a reading by authors David Levithan and Brian Farrey. David Levithan is the author of many acclaimed novels, including The Lover's Dictionary, Boy Meets Boy, The Realm of Possibility, Love is the Higher Law (an IndieBound Top Ten pick), Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist with Rachel Cohn, which was turned into a popular movie. Brian Farrey is the acquiring editor for Flux, the young adult imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide. Brian studied in Hamline University’s MFA program, where his final project was named Outstanding Fiction Thesis in 2008. Kirstin Cronn-Mills is a novelist and poet. Her first novel, The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind, was a finalist for the 2010 Minnesota Book Award for Young People's Literature. Her second novel, Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, will be published in 2012. Pat Schmatz grew up in rural Wisconsin and published her first novel, Mrs. Estronsky and the UFO (Windstorm Creative) in 2001. Circle the Truth (Carolrhoda Books, 2007) was chosen by Wisconsin Library Association as one of the outstanding books for children by a Wisconsin author, and Mousetraps (Carolrhoda Books, 2008) was awarded the Council for Wisconsin Writers Award for children’s fiction and was a 2009 Lambda Literary Award nominee for best children’s/young adult fiction. Bluefish (Candlewick Press, 2011), Pat’s fourth novel for teens, is a recipient of the 2010 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship.
Alcina's Island: A Picnic Operetta
Riverfront locations:
Friday, September 16 (Parking Day), 12 noon; First Street North and Third Avenue North
Saturday, October 1, 4 pm; Nicollet Island Farm, Nicollet Street and Maple Place
In a unique marriage of the theatrical arts and the sustainable foods movement, Mixed Precipitation presents Handel's 1735 masterpiece Alcina, in a unique adaptation touring to community garden spaces during the 2011 harvest season. In its third season, this celebration of music and food is becoming a neighborhood tradition. Director Scotty Reynolds, in collaboration with music director Marya Hart, choreographer Nancy Nair, chef Nick Schneider and fourteen singers and musicians. Handel's 1735 opera is based on an episode from the swashbuckling epic poem Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto—a tale of spells, rings of invisibility and magic lances. In our colorful re-imagining, the garden becomes a truck stop on the American highway and scheming sorceresses Alcina and Morgana become magical truck stop waitresses. Through the power of their dark magic, they lure brave truckers astray and transform them into the enchanted flora and fauna that populates their island paradise. We combine Handel’s early baroque with trucker songs and classic country from the likes of Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette and Buck Owens. This magical story is family friendly and full of adventure. The magic of this island is all the more savory, with Chef Nick Schneider's five-course sampling menu of locally sourced treats created especially for this performance. Our story is told in Italian, Spanish, English and the universal language of food! Please call 612-619-2112 or visit http://www.mixedprecipitation.
Sample of Performances at MacPhail Center for Music
501 Second Street South
For more information about events (including student performances) and classes: http://www.macphail.org or 612-321-0100.
Lunch with MacPhail
Friday, September 16, 12 noon – 1:30 pm
Join MacPhail for lunch and an inside look at MacPhail, followed by an up close and personal look and performance of the Yamaha Disklavier piano. This event will feature technology's role in music education at MacPhail. This event is intended for adults interested in learning more about the work at MacPhail. Free. RSVP to an event by calling 612-767-5343 or send an email.
Half Way to St. Patrick’s Day at Keegan’s Pub
Friday, September 16, 7 – 10 pm
Saturday, September 17, 3 pm on
Keegan’s Pub, 16 University Avenue NE
Saturday, September 17, is exactly half way to St. Patrick’s Day. In the belief that nobody should have to wait a full year between St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Keegan’s Pub is hosting festivities during the weekend. On Friday, September 16, the big tent goes up behind the pub and the Irish Band Erin Rogue will play from 7 to 10 p.m. On Saturday, September 17, the tent will open at 3:00 pm. Scott Devlin will play at 5:00 p.m., followed by Erin Rogue at 7:00 p.m. “This will be the tenth time we’ve hosted this event” said publican Terry Keegan. “We originated it in 2002 and it gets bigger and better each year.” For more information, contact Keegan’s Pub at 612-252-0880 or go to www.keeganspub.com.
Samples of Classes and Activities at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts
1011 Washington Avenue South, 612-215-2520, http://www.mnbookarts.org
Hours: Monday 10 am -- 5 pm, Tuesday 10 am -- 9 pm, Wednesday-Saturday 10 am -- 5 pm, Sunday 12 noon – 4 pm
Class details, instructor biographies, registration details and online registration are all available at http://www.mnbookarts.org/
Dirty Works: A Book Arts Sampler
with Amy Pleticha, Sara Parr and Sue Bjerke
Saturday, September 17, 10 am – 5 pm; and Sunday, September 18, 1 – 4 pm
Get your hands dirty in MCBA's studios with this one-weekend introduction to the three traditional book arts: papermaking, printing, and bookbinding. Start in the paper studio, pigmenting and pulling cover-weight sheets of paper; then make a print on a Vandercook printing press. On the second day, learn some basic bookbinding structures, using your own handmade sheets and other decorative papers as covers. Great for beginners. $150 ($135 members) + $25 supply fee. To register: http://www.mnbookarts.org/
River Heritage Fest
Saturday, September 17, 1 – 5 pm
North Mississippi Regional Park
Celebrate the rich cultural history of the Mississippi River. Enjoy a picnic dinner, live horse-drawn wagon rides, music and meeting a "voyageur." Help make apple cider and rope, try building a log cabin and using a washboard. Make a cornhusk doll. Test your lumberjack/jill skills using a crosscut saw. Have fun walking on stilts. Co-presented with Lind-Bohanon Neighborhood Association. Reservations required; reference activity #416907-02. $5. To receive a 20% discount for groups of four or more call 763-559-6700. For information: http://www.threeriversparks.
Ukrainian Heritage Festival
Sunday, September 18, 12 noon – 5 pm
Ukrainian Center, 301 Main Street NE
Enjoy live performances of song, music and dance, a cultural exhibit, Ukrainian food, a beer garden, an eating contest, royalty competition, silent auction, arts and crafts vendors, a kid’s area and more. Something for everyone, with free admission. For information: http://www.
*****Informational Updates and Resources*****
RiverLife Web Site
River Life, a program of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, is pleased to announce the launch of their new web site at riverlife.umn.edu. Launched in late August, 2011, the web site reflects their evolving program and commitment to help their audience learn more about rivers and river issues. River Life uses social media, a digital atlas and case study reports to develop and share knowledge on the scientific and professional practices that create inclusive, sustainable rivers. They discuss science, planning, engagement, inclusion, sustainability and river issues in a spatial, thoughtful, and timely manner. While visiting the web site you can explore useful and interesting River Resources, keep up-to-date on what has caught our attention in the media in the River Portal, and examine the stories of how communities and individuals have lived with the river at River Stories. Make the river a part of your curriculum or teaching and get on the ground experience with the river as a part of River Rangers. See how stories, resources and issues connect spatially with the River Atlas – a bird’s eye view of rivers and river issues. For more information you can read our River Talk blog, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Rivers represent perhaps the most complex biological and physical systems in the world. Yet our great rivers are threatened: water quality and quantity both are at peril from overuse, from competing uses and from a generalized failure to recognize how valuable and imperiled the resource really is. Our work is grounded in a conviction that future river managers will need to be conversant in the sciences, public policy, design, planning and in the engagement programs that reach the broadest sectors of the populace. There’s great work happening all over. Exemplary projects, programs, and places. All this and more at the River Life site riverlife.umn.edu. Go take a look and tell them what you think!
CPED Quarterly Reports
CPED has released the 2011 Second Quarter Minneapolis Trends report and Major Development Project Maps, available at the following links (note: there’s actually some promising trends in here!):
*****Riverfront News Articles*****
Mill City Farmers Market Harvest Moon Dinner (second item in this piece)
City Running Tours
Scherer Brothers Site Clean Up
Zen Box in Mill District City Apartments (first item in this piece; note: the restaurant doesn’t quite look open yet)
Soap Factory $99 Sale and Mill City Farmers Market Dinner (first and last items in this piece)
Aster Café
Huffington Post Visits Guthrie
MacPhail Family Music Event
Minnesota Idea Open Challenge II – Water
The River Current is published on the Webber Camden neighborhood organization website (webbercamden(dot)org). Among other awesome stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe Webber-Camden site is indeed a host of excellent information. It makes me jealous that we don't yet have the same level of sophistication in NoMi neighborhoods south of Lowry.
ReplyDeleteTechnically though, the River Current was published on the Folwell website. Still, this is great to see that announcements like this are being published on the web.
The one thing the Folwell site doesn't do that North by Northside has done: put a "River Current" tag/label on the post. If you Google "Minneapolis River Current," this blog comes up on the first page. (Barely, but after one post.) As of today, Folwell's site doesn't come up until the middle of page four - and that link is to an entry almost two years old. The vast majority of internet searches rarely look beyond the first page, and the number of views goes down dramatically for subsequent pages.
ReplyDelete