River Rats Serve Up Star Wars Family Fun on the Northside

A running item in the Sunday Star Tribune is the "Names & Faces" in the variety section.  I normally skip the self-congratulating who's who at various galas, but several weeks ago something caught my eye.  Normal people were profiled at the riverfront by West Broadway, attending a show by the Twin Cities River Rats.  The kicker?  It was a Star Wars-themed performance.

A combination of the riverfront, north Minneapolis, and Star Wars, and I missed it.  I wasn't sure if I would ever live THAT down.  As it turns out however, the Star Wars show is their theme for the whole summer.  I saw a post on the "Positively Northside" Facebook page (we tend to have a lot of northside Facebook pages these days) that a show was happening last week, and I ran out the door to attend.

Back to the Strib for a moment...

Upcoming Events from Mississippi Riverfront Partnership

Here are upcoming events along the Mississippi River:

Sunday, Nov. 13         

Great River Outing: 

Gems Along the Mississippi River Trail

1:30 – 3:00 p.m.                        

Co-hosted with AFCAC

Join the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership on a walk with park historian David Smith, Commissioner Liz Wielinski, and Marshall Terrace resident and AFCAC co-facilitator Mary Jamin Maguire to visit three riverfront park gems: Marshall Terrace, Edgewater, and Gluek Riverside.

We will follow Marshall Street Northeast, formerly the Red River Oxcart Trail, and now the multi-state Mississippi River Trail. On the route are the Lowry Bridge and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization headquarters - both currently under construction. 

We will discuss the Above the Falls and the RiverFIRST plans to complete a continuous riverfront park and trails for walking and biking, connecting these riverfront parks. 

We will conclude with a visit to the Sample Room for a treat and conversation.

Click HERE to register for our Gems Along the Mississippi River tour. 

Tuesday, Nov. 29                        

Upper River Forum: (Topic TBD)

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.                        

Co-hosted with AFCAC; 

at MPRB, 2117 West River Road

Hear about hot issues shaping the Upper Riverfront. Agenda in development.

Monday, Dec 5                        

Great River Outing: Tour of Graco on the Mississippi  

Requires pre-registration! Limited to 40 participants.

5:30 – 6:45 p.m.                        

at Graco, Inc.,  88 - 11th Avenue NE

Once a quiet family-owned business, Graco Inc. has become one of the world's premier manufacturers of fluid-handling equipment and systems. It has pioneered technology and equipment for a wide variety of fluid handling applications.

Consider, for instance, that Graco equipment:
·      squeezes tomato paste onto millions of frozen pizzas,
·      pumps oil and lubricating fluids into millions of cars,
·      applies paint to homes, business and industrial installations, and
·      helps give cars made around the world their high-gloss finishes.

By successfully exploring a growing number of applications, Graco's performance in recent years has been remarkable.

Join the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership as we tour the worldwide headquarters of Graco, Inc., and learn what it means to be an engaged neighbor on the Mississippi river.

Click HERE to register for the Graco tour. 

Thursday, Dec. 8                        

Central River Forum: (Topic TBD)

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.                        

at Mill City Museum, 704 S 2nd St

Hear about hot issues shaping the Central Riverfront. Agenda in development.

Sunday, Dec. 11                        

Great River Outing: Snowshoeing North Miss

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.                        

at Carl Kroening Interpretive Center, 4900 Mississippi Ct.

Join us for a snowshoeing excursion through North Mississippi Regional Park with Minneapolis Park Board Naturalists. During our adventure we will explore areas that most people only see in summer and watch for wildlife as we tromp down to the Mississippi River.

*Snowshoes are easily strapped to boots and spread your weight over a larger distance allowing you to stay on top of the snow for easier travel. If you can walk, you can snowshoe.

Click HERE to register for Snowshoeing.