The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership Invites You to Enter the Mississippi Minute Film Festival Contest!

One River, One Minute, Your Vision – The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership invites you to share your vision of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in a 60-second long video that informs, energizes and inspires.

Sitting within blocks of thousands of Minneapolis downtown workers, residents and visitors is one of the greatest natural wonders in the world, a national park, the Mississippi River. The trouble is, too many people don’t realize it’s there. While revitalization efforts have reclaimed portions of the Minneapolis riverfront, much of it is still inaccessible and in places virtually invisible. The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership seeks to make the invisible visible and will unveil the best submissions at their annual Riverfront Summit on October 20 via the engaging medium of video. Create a vision that tugs at heartstrings or makes people laugh, that showcases an appreciation for– or the future potential of – the urban riverfront in Minneapolis.

Submissions are due August 31, 2014, at 5:00pm!

Click here for more information, including the categories, jury list and how to submit an entry. 

Marcy-Holmes “Box Fresh” Utility Wraps Project

The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association (MHNA) commissioned six local artists to create original artwork to cover utility boxes throughout Marcy-Holmes.  These utility boxes, formerly covered with graffiti, are now permanently wrapped with original designs.

The “Box Fresh” Utility Wraps Project is a collaboration of the MHNA and The Soap Factory.  Images range from a city nightscape and vintage photo booth to contemporary and conceptual designs.

Friends of the Mississippi annual “Evening Celebrating the Mississippi River” set for October 1

Friends of the Mississippi has held their annual “Evening Celebrating the Mississippi River” since 2002.   This year’s location is the Weisman Art Museum, overlooking the beginning of the River Gorge, and a beautiful place to celebrate the Twin Cities stretch of the Mississippi River.

This year’s event will feature playwright and storyteller Kevin Kling as the guest speaker. Kevin is perhaps best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and his storytelling stage shows like “Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log”. He delivers hilarious, often tender autobiographical tales that are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are. His storytelling started when a friend from the now defunct Brass Tacks Theatre asked him to perform his stories. Since then, he has been awarded numerous arts grants and fellowships. The National Endowment for the Arts, The McKnight Foundation, The Minnesota State Arts Board, The Bush Foundation, The Jerome Foundation and others have recognized Kling’s artistry. On October 1, he will be highlighting the Mississippi River in his tales and stories.

The live auction will feature delicious food and beer experiences, outings, art, and far away destinations – all with a link to the Mississippi River! More details will follow in the coming months.  Expect fantastic hors d’oeuvres and beverages, the company of fellow river lovers, a testimonial or two, and more.

NOTE - The evening is invitation only, and invitations will be sent in August. Please contact John at jbriel@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x19 to receive an invite.

Public Invited to Attend Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Ecological System Plan Meetings August 7 & 27

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) are preparing the first-ever Ecological System Plan. This plan will set a vision for making parks and public lands more friendly to the environment.

The initial Public Meeting is August 7, 5:30-7:30pm, at the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board, 2117 West River Road.

The Ecological System Plan will seek to first understand the ecology of the city and watershed, then plan for parks and public lands management and improvements that benefit both humans and nature. It will address specific threats such as climate change, decreasing water quality, explosion of invasive species, increasing runoff, and fragmentation of habitat. It will envision a more environmentally sound way of managing the impacts of the city, so that the city can be cleaner, greener, cooler, and more efficient.

 Specifically, the ecological system plan will:

• Compile, create, and illustrate city-wide ecological data;
• Craft a vision for natural resources and public lands within the watershed and city;
• Outline guiding principles for management; and
• Challenge the community to rethink the city around them—from the local neighborhood park to the Grand Rounds to backyards—in terms of ecological function, benefit, and health

In addition to attending the first CAC meeting, the public may provide input and stay informed about the project in the following ways:  

• Visit the project website to stay up to date on the project and see some of the amazing maps and drawings we plan to create. Go to www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects and select “Ecological System Plan.”
• Attend the second CAC meeting scheduled for August 27 and another in October, the exact date of which is to be determined. All CAC meetings will take place from 5:30-7:30 pm at MPRB headquarters.
• Attend any of the planned community events that will take place in the parks over the next year and a half. More details will be made available on the project website as these events are scheduled and planned.
• Sign up to receive e-mail updates by subscribing on the project website or at www.minneapolisparks.org/subscribe or, if you are already a subscriber, by adding “Ecological System Plan” to your subscription preferences.

The Week Ahead in Mill City

Each week we provide an easy to reference list of events and activities for the week ahead in the Historic Mill District and Minneapolis Riverfront Neighborhoods.  Have an event to share?  Submit your events here...

Monday, July 28

• July 28, 2014, Monday - "Music in the Park" at Nicollet Island Amphitheater

Tuesday, July 29

• July 29, 2014, Tuesday - Let's Go Play! Workshop at MCBA
• July 29, 2014, Tuesday - "Music & Movies in the Park" at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park
• July 29, 2014, Tuesday - Minneapolis History Pub Crawl: Old Saint Anthony

Wednesday, July 30

• July 30, 2014, Wedneday - Common Room Tours with the Soap Factory

Thursday, July 31

• July 31, 2014, Thursday - Live Music at Mattie's on Main

Friday, August 1

• August 1, 2014, Friday - Live Music at Aster Cafe
• August 1, 2014, Friday - Open Source: An Evening with Libby Larsen at MacPhail
• August 1, 2014, Friday - 2nd Annual Riverfront Fest at Sheridan Memorial Park
• August 1, 2014, Friday - BOWER: Éireann Lorsung, Katrina Vandenberg, and Ben Weaver at The Loft
• August 1, 2014, Friday - Brodini Comedy Magic at Central Library

Saturday, August 2

• August 2, 2014, Saturday - How'd They Do That Workshop at The Guthrie: Vonya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - Yoga Rocks the Park at Marquette Plaza
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - Women’s Work: History Player Eva Valesh Tour at Mill City Museum
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - Mill City Farmers Market
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - Kräftskiva 3.0 at The Bachelor Farmer
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - Common Room Tours with the Soap Factory
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - O’wamni: Falling Water Festival at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park
• August 2, 2014, Saturday - WordSong with Florestan Recital Project at The Loft

Sunday, August 3

• August 3, 2014, Sunday - 8th Annual Red Stag Block Party - In Cahoots! A Collaboration of Craft
• August 3, 2014, Sunday - Swing Brunch at Aster Cafe
• August 3, 2014, Sunday - Engineering the Falls Tour with History Player William de la Barre at Mill City Museum

[Download] West Bank Interpretive Vision - Final Draft

Excerpt from the introduction to the West Bank Interpretive Vision:

The West Bank of St. Anthony Falls was once an internationally known industrial complex built on the only waterfall on one of the world’s great rivers. Today the waterfall and river are attracting millions of visitors each year, many of whom enjoy the historical, cultural, and natural resources of the area.

What draws people to St. Anthony Falls has changed through time. The powerful river that flows over the falls had once sustained native people; today the falls remain a spiritual place for the Dakota. When early tourists traveled far and wide to admire wonders of nature, the falls became a sought-after destination. When rivers powered the nation’s industry, the falls produced enough energy to run the greatest milling center the world had ever known. When only railroads linked western farms to manufacturing centers and international ports, the falls stood at a critical hub of the nation’s rail network. The falls have long sustained an enduring confluence of human and natural systems

As a center for industry, the West Bank reached its zenith between the 1880s and 1920s, when Minneapolis was known as the “flour milling capital of the world.” In the decades that followed much of the area’s waterpower, milling, and railroad complex was buried, removed, or lost to fire. What remains is an extraordinary archaeological resource that holds memorable stories and large-scale artifacts, that if revealed would astonish today’s visitors. The area also holds stories of the falls that transcend history—in relationships with people and animals that are as present today as they have been for millennia.

Stay tuned for when the download of the West Bank Interpretive Vision is available!  Sorry for the error.