Harvest Festival and Home Tour Showcase NoMi!

Post, photos, and videos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Topping last year's Lowry Avenue dedication in the surprisingly cold weather would be difficult, but thanks to DOCS Gym, this year's Harvest Festival did just that.  Another blog and a slideshow post have already covered this event quite well, so let's go (more or less) straight to the

right after a word from a local business...

Jug Liquor Demolition in Progress

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Last summer, the owner of the Slice of Chicago restaurant at 1600 W Broadway came forward with a proposal to turn the mutated phone booth of a building at the corner of Broadway and Washington into yet another fried food takeout joint.  I never set foot in the place when Jug Liquor was still open for business, although during my brief stay at "Upper Drug-o-topia," the professional drunkards downstairs frequented Jug to buy their 24-packs of Milwaukee's Best (which, for the record is NOT Milwaukee's best).

On top of simply not needing another fried food and styrofoam-producing shack along Broadway, there's another reason to be relieved that this particular proposal never had more substance than the cheap "Natural Ice" beers that were sold at Jug.  The owner of Slice of Chicago at 1600 West Broadway entered into a voluntary agreement to withdraw his food manufacturer/business license "in lieu of an adverse hearing."  Apparently there were both major health/safety violations there as well as continuous drug dealing on the premises.  Good for Jordan that the place was shut down, and good for Hawthorne that the same stuff didn't pop up here.

While the Jug Liquor site has no demolition order on it, I find it hard to imagine anything else happening with this property, and have reason to believe the owner is razing the structure on his own volition.  Maybe in the near future, we can get something like a Nice Ride bike rack on a key intersection.

Polars Outmatched by Athleticism of Lakers, QB Scott

Corey Smith picks off Southwest, scoring a defensive touchdown.

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Early on in the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 37-21 victory, it was clear this was a new kind of challenge for the Polars.  First, running back Morocco Ballard, injured in last week's match, was on the sidelines and not suited up.  He would be missed.  More importantly however, Lakers' QB Ayrton Scott was a dominating force.  The senior was poised in the pocket, could run when the play broke down, and frequently lowered his shoulder to break tackles when most quarterbacks would slide to avoid contact.  He passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 105 more.

More impressive than his statistics, however, was the fact that...

KSTP: The Headless Chicken of Local News

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

UPDATE:  As referenced in the comments section below, it appears KSTP has now changed the video slightly.  This is a positive development and shows at least some commitment to accuracy.  Given KSTP's history of poor reporting in NoMi however, the original text of my article below will remain as is.

Some time ago, Johnny Northside called KSTP the slumlord of local media. He was too generous. At least a slumlord generally knows what they're doing. KSTP, on the other hand is clearly unaware of even the most basic facts, and continues to either neglect the positive developments in NoMi or lump them in with their next opportunity to cover blood and guts.

The most recent example of this happened today, when...

NXNS Exclusive: Homicide at 30th and Colfax

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

An apparent homicide was committed moments ago near the intersection of 30th and Colfax Avenues North.  Not much information is known at this time, other than that the victim is a white male.  He was shot while inside a vehicle, although it is unknown if he or the shooter, or someone else, was driving at the time.  He got out of the car, ran half a block, collapsed, and died.  The shoe in the middle of the road and what looks to be a car seat seem to be part of what happened as well.

JACC Makes NoMi Beautiful

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Approximately 175 volunteers from the Jordan neighborhood, the Pohlad Foundation, Catalyst, and many other partners are converging on the Glengale Park for a community beautification project today.  Volunteers will be landscaping, building retaining walls, and doing some painting at people's homes.

All of this started at the break of dawn, and dedicated residents and volunteers will be working in Jordan all day.  Other partners to be thanked include The Ackerberg Group, the city of Minneapolis, Glengale Park residents, Neighborhood Housing Services, the Northside Home Fund, RJM Construction (these are the experts who are directing the volunteers), Urban Homeworks, Minnesota Internship Center at Unity House, and NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association).

If you make it over there to do some work yourself, you just might get one of those snazzy yellow t-shirts too.

Prelude to Buying Into NoMi

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman

After announcing my intentions to spend a year buying as much as possible with a connection to NoMi, I've been informally watching some of my purchases.  I'm kind of hoping this also makes me more conscious of everyday spending, and it may change some basic habits for the better.  There have been times when I put my paycheck in the bank, stop at the gas station to fill up the tank, and get some guacamole and bean dip.  Then, by the time I get home, it (meaning my paycheck...and the gasoline...and since I'm being honest here, also the guacamole and bean dip) is just GONE, and I can't seem to figure out why.  That sort of thing should happen with less frequency if I'm tracking my spending rather closely.

So, with that in mind, let's examine some of the noteworthy purchases, focusing on what I did NOT buy in or connected to NoMi...