Covering life, work, and play in the Historic Mill District and Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront neighborhoods. Have an opinion, local news or events to share? Contact us.
The SE Main Street parkway between East Hennepin Avenue and SE 6th Avenue will be closed on Monday, March 10, 2014 from 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
If you have any questions, please contact Jim Holtzlider at 612-230-6462 or jholtzlider@minneapolisparks.org.
Join us Saturday, March 8th, from 10am to 1pm at the Mill City Farmers Market indoor winter market inside the beautiful Mill City Museum.
Enjoy a dynamic marketplace of over 40 local vendors. You can expect to find everything from beets and cabbage to artisan chocolates, local honey, maple syrup, hand-milled flour, locally harvested wild rice, specialty cheeses, meat, eggs, baked goods, kimchi, preserves, and a variety of local ceramics, wood products, kitchen utensils, clothing, art and jewelry.
Produce Planner: Arugula/mizuna mix, spinach, chickweed, beets, potatoes, kale, salad turnips, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, dried mushrooms, and more!
Live Music, 11am – 1pm: MCFM welcomes local sensation The Cactus Blossoms to the Market!
Featured Local Artists: Crookedwood, The Ink Orchard, The Abbey, Matthew Krousey Ceramics, Heinz Brummel, Old World Cabinet, Aprilierre, and Larissa Loden.
Via a March 5 e-newsletter from the Hennepin County Library:
"Viva City,” a juried art show featuring exceptional work by Minneapolis Public Schools high school students, is open now through April 11 in Cargill Hall Gallery at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.
Art by Minneapolis Public Schools middle school students is similarly displayed through April 24 in John B. Davis Gallery at the Minneapolis Public Schools Davis Center, 1250 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis.
Now in its 20th year, “Viva City” celebrates student achievement in visual and performing arts by selecting two-and three-dimensional works by students in participating schools, for professional display and community viewing.
Student artists also participate in “Session Days,” working with established artist mentors to learn about the professional practices of their chosen art form and more
“[It’s] the premier arts event showcasing masterpieces created by young artists with a passion for drawing, ceramics, painting, graphic design and fiber arts — who happen to be MPS students!” stated Minneapolis Public Schools in a release.
Middle school and high school students involved in Viva City are eligible for awards from the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Utrecht, University of Minnesota, Minnesota College of Art and Design, and Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Viva City is coordinated by MPS Arts, which ensures equity of access to quality arts education for every MPS student, every day. For more information about MPS Arts and “Viva City,” visit mpsarts.org.
Exhibits are free. Cargill Hall Gallery hours are the same as the library’s: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday.
The film festival will be held Thursday, March 6 - Sunday, March 9.
The annual Italian Film Festival returns, premiering award-winning, contemporary Italian films and documentaries. Join us for four days of Italian films that will take you on a spectacular journey through the landscapes and stories of Italy and its people.
The Italian Cultural Center is pleased to extend an invitation to attend its 6th annual Italian Film Festival. In collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago, the ICC will bring prominent contemporary Italian feature films to the Twin Cities.
A variety of recently released Italian films will take moviegoers on a spectacular journey through the landscapes and stories of Italy and its people.
• Thursday, March 6th – Cuore Sacro (Sacred Heart) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
• Friday–Sunday, March 7th– 9th – All films are hosted by the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul
• Friday, March 7th – Opening Night Party that includes delicious appetizers, Italian wines (one glass included), live music and a live auction conducted by our guest, WCCO TV co-anchor Frank Vascellaro. The party begins at 6:30 PM at the Aster Café's beautiful River Room, right next door to the St. Anthony Main Theatre where the film Viva la libertà will screen at 8:45 PM.
• Saturday, March 8th – Verdi short documentary, The Venice Syndrome documentary (limited private screening), The Red and the Blue, Cosimo and Nicole
• Sunday, March 9th – Verdi short documentary, Every Blessed Day, Balancing Act, Scola’s Fellini
Here's some fun diversions to help get us thru March...
Via a March 4 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board e-newsletter:
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and the City of Minneapolis announce the 2014 Earth Day Clean-Up Event
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) along with the City of Minneapolis announce the 20th annual Minneapolis Earth Day Clean-Up event on Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Earth Day Clean-Up has become the largest community service project in Minneapolis and takes place at nearly 40 clean-up sites throughout the city. Since 2008, more than 12,000 residents have removed more than 75,000 lbs of garbage. It’s free to participate and residents are encouraged to participate by volunteering to help pick up trash in parks, neighborhoods, and watersheds. No registration needed, just choose a site and show up. To find a detailed list of clean-up sites and more information please visit http://www.minneapolisparks.org/ or call 612-230-6484.
The City of Minneapolis would like to remind residents that plastic bags are not accepted in the one-sort recycling program or with yard waste collection. If you collect your recycling in a plastic bag, the recyclables must be dumped from the bag into the recycling cart. The plastic bag can be placed in the garbage or it can be brought to a participating grocery or retail store for recycling. Yard waste must be placed in Kraft (paper bags), compostable plastic bags or in reusable containers at least 26 inches in height with handles for collection by city crews. For more information please visit www.minneapolismn.gov/solid-waste or call Solid Waste & Recycling at 612-673-2917.
Recycle Run 5k, 10K, and Free Kids Run – Saturday, April 19, 2014
The Recycle Run was created to support sustainable park projects including the Earth Day Clean-Up. The event takes place Saturday, April 19 around beautiful Lake Harriet in south Minneapolis. Youth ages 11 and under can participate in the FREE half-mile kids run! The 5K and 10K Runs are both chip-timed events. All participants will receive a t-shirt and giveaways with registration. Participants are encouraged to bring their used running shoes and shirts. Items will be collected and recycled. Register at http://www.minneapolisrecyclerun.com/.
Contact:
Tom Godfrey
Community Outreach Supervisor - Events
612-230-6484
tgodfrey@minneapolisparks.org
Via a March 4, 2014, e-newletter from Mayor Betsy Hodges:
Dear Friend,
As often happens in Minnesota, come March, we still have snow piled up and ice covering the streets. I know many of you are frustrated with the long winter and the tough driving conditions around the City and across the metro area. I wanted to let you know what the City of Minneapolis Public Works is doing to address the snow and ice on our streets, to keep traffic moving as best as possible.
When it snows, plowing and treating streets is the first priority. As we have snow in the forecast each day this week, Public Works will first prioritize clearing the snow.
We know the ice, which is bonded to the streets, is a major problem. These areas are everywhere, but are particularly problematic downtown and anywhere else the pavements are mostly in shade. The chemical deicers the City uses are not effective at temperatures below 15 degrees. So while we continue trying to treat the streets, the best our crews can do is chip away at the ice until we see significant, long-term rises in temperature. During that time, crews are focusing their efforts in areas with higher traffic volumes and/or speeds. The slightly higher temps forecast in the next few days should help.
We also have crews occasionally going into the residential streets to try to clean up the even sides of the streets where we had problems during the last snow emergencies. The thick snowpack and bonded ice will remain there for a while. If we get any warming, the hard-pack can sometimes "fluff up," making it look like it snowed again, or crews were never there to plow. Crews are also dealing with alley plowing concerns as they arise.
Public Works, Police and Fire, as well as Metro Transit are still working to evaluate, prioritize and determine what to do with snow emergency routes that appear narrowed. Plowing crews are already addressing some from Metro Transit, day and night, when they're able. As for non-snow emergency streets, Public Works and Regulatory Services Traffic Control are working together to enforce the Winter Parking Restrictions where appropriate. These restrictions - while frustrating for many - are necessary to ensure emergency response vehicles have enough space to make it down the streets. Remember that until further notice, or April 1, do not park on the even numbered side of non-Snow Emergency routes unless otherwise posted. You can find out more about the restriction and download multi-language flyers here.
This week crews are working on an aggressive corner clearing operation. Just prior to the February 17 snow emergency, crews had worked to clear almost all of the approximately 16,000 corners, but after getting another 15 inches of snow since then, the corners were all filled in again.
Crews from Public Works are also tasked to enforce the sidewalk shoveling ordinances. Please be sure you're doing your part by shoveling the sidewalk in front of your home or business. You can also help out the City by digging out the fire hydrant on your block. There are more than 8,000 fire hydrants in the City of Minneapolis, and the Fire Department is asking the public to help out when you're able.
I know many of you are dealing with slick streets and possibly difficulties parking or navigating your alley. The great people who work at Public Works are responsible for all of the work I've just mentioned. They have daily and short-term work plans, and they work to balance all the needs and priorities across the City - those priorities can change daily, or even hourly. And as I mentioned, if it snows, everything stops until crews deal with that immediate priority.
Please don't hesitate to share your concerns with me or through 311. I thank all of you for your patience as Public Works employees strive daily to keep our streets open and traffic moving, and keep our City running well.
Thanks,
Mayor Betsy Hodges
City of Minneapolis
The Metrodome is almost gone:
We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The owners of “Mattie St. Clair’s House of Spirits on Main Street”, or “Mattie’s on Main” for short, have launched a Kickstarter that offers rewards unique to its Minneapolis Riverfront location. The bar/restaurant, scheduled to open in Spring 2014, launched the Kickstarter to give customers a chance to create a charming and unique atmosphere with a high quality patio and entertainment space.
The Kickstarter, video, and full list of rewards are available here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/21713142/matties-on-main-fresh-minneapolis-riverfront-enter
Rewards start at just $10 and include a number of limited-availability items:
● Limited edition “Mattie’s on Main” merchandise
● Dinner and Priority Seating for the riverfront fireworks on July 4th and during Aquatennial.
● Design the monthly dessert or “Adult Milkshake” specials and have your name listed on the menu for that month.
● A luncheon and book reading hosted by Penny Peterson, author of "Minneapolis Madams: The Lost History of Prostitution on the Riverfront."
The Kickstarter video features interviews with the owners about the project and the Kickstarter, along with comments from local entertainers Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs, and Minneapolis 3rd Ward City Council Member Jacob Frey:
“There’s a very limited amount of venues that actually are suited to what we do, so we’re super excited to be able to come back to our old stomping grounds of Nordeast Minneapolis and put back into the community that has really given so much to us.” - Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs, Cabaret Performers
“Mattie’s will be a very playful way to capture the history and pay tribute to what St. Anthony Main once was… this is an area that’s coming back into its own. The history, the story, the culture and of course the food, I think will allow this place to really be a huge success.” - Jacob Frey, Minneapolis 3rd Ward City Council Member
About Mattie’s On Main:
“Mattie St. Clair’s House of Spirits on Main Street”, or “Mattie’s on Main” for short, will be opening in Spring 2014 as a modern-day saloon featuring a year-round patio and a stage for live music and entertainment. Mattie’s on Main will feature a full liquor bar, 16 local beers on tap, and signature craft cocktails. In addition, the bar will feature upscale pub food, unique appetizers, adult shakes, and signature desserts from the Wilde Roast Cafe Pastry Chef Jeff Christianson. The performance stage area of the restaurant will provide space for live music acts, local performers, and themed events.
We are absolutely thrilled to have Mill District resident Rachel Kahn as a new contributor to Mill City Times' Farmers Market blog.
Rachel is a gluten free food writer and wellness consultant, whose philosophy is 'healthy food is decadence inspired'. She is in the process of meeting with Mill City Farmers Market vendors, working on in-depth pieces on products near and dear to her heart. Click here for Rachel's first article, highlighting an afternoon spent making Juniper Caraway Cabbage with Adrienne of Kiss My Cabbage.
Future articles will include Sunrise Flour Mill and Buffalo by Bike. Learn more about Rachel at http://www.loveself.org/ and follow her on Facebook. You can reach Rachel at rachel@loveself.org, www.loveselfmagazine.com
Welcome, Rachel! :)
Mortenson Construction and its subcontractors successfully demolished the Metrodome’s remaining ring beam, which is part of the building’s roof structure at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. The ring beam and corners of the Metrodome were brought down with 84 charges of dynamite set in 24 columns of the upper concourse.
Watch the exposion (includes slow motion):
The aftermath of the explosive demolition this weekend. See the video here...
We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, Minn. (February 21, 2014) - The demolition of the Metrodome’s remaining ring beam, which is part of the building’s roof structure, is scheduled for Sunday, February 23, at 7:30 a.m. The concrete ring beam will be demolished with controlled explosive charges, similar to the technology that was used to sever the Metrodome’s roof cables.
Click here for the full press release from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.
Above - shoppers enjoying the March 2013 market at the Arboretum.
Via a February 20 e-newsletter from the Mill City Farmers Market:
On Saturday, March 15, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will host the Mill City Farmers Market and over 40 of its fabulous vendors in a bustling marketplace full of quality, locally produced, homegrown products. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Arboretum's Oswald Visitor Center, shoppers can choose from an abundance of fresh produce, freshly milled grains and flours, preserves, artisan cheeses, pastured meats, beautifully crafted ceramics, kitchen utensils, jewelry, and much more.
Here's a glimpse at participating vendors for the March 15 event: Ames Farm (honey, beeswax candles), Bliss Granola, Buffalo by Bike, Cafe Palmira (coffee beans), Down in the Valley Bakehouse (gluten-free goodies), Gorkha Palace (chutneys), HeathGlen Farm (jams and jellies), Kiss My Cabbage (kimchi, lacto-fermented veggies), Jeanne Beatrice (handmade baskets), Martha's Joy (pickled vegetables), Northern Lakes Wild Rice (locally harvested wild rice), Olsen Naturals (all natural bodycare), Spring Finn and Co (leather handbags and handmade jewelry), Singing Hills Goat Dairy (goat cheese), Stones Throw Urban Farm and Women’s Environmental Institute (fresh local produce!),Sunshine Harvest Farm (pastured meats and farm fresh eggs), and Sunrise Flour Mill (freshly milled whole grains and flours). A full list of participating vendors can be found at millcityfarmersmarket.org.
Founded in 2006 by local acclaimed chef and restaurateur Brenda Langton, the Mill City Farmers Market has earned a reputation for its promotion and support of local, sustainable and organic agriculture. Typically located next to the Guthrie Theater and Langton's Spoonriver restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, the market is making its third annual appearance at the Arboretum! As a special treat at the March 15 event, Mill City Farmers Markets own chef, Heather Hartman, will also be on-site doing a cooking demonstration and sampling MN Wild Rice-Bison Meatballs in BBQ Sauce. Need another reason to visit the Arboretum on March 15? Check out these fun activities:
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest, is part of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences & located 9 miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen. The Arboretum is disability accessible and smoke free. Admission: $12 adults; free for members & ages 12 and under.
;)
Via a February 19 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:
The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board will host a two-day charrette to gather public input for the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan. This is the final charrette of five for the Master Plan and will focus on West River Road from Plymouth Ave to 35W with connections to the River and to the adjacent neighborhoods. A charrette is an intensive creative session intended to generate alternative approaches to a design problem. It is a way to immerse a project team with key stakeholders and the community in a real-time, iterative learning and creative process. Please join us!
Charrette Public Meeting Day 1:
Date - 2/26/14 - Wednesday
Time - 8:00am to 10:00am
Location – MPRB Board Room – 2117 West River Road North, Minneapolis
Teams - Central Riverfront Master Plan Team
Meeting Info: Comment and feedback to define key site program issues, possibilities, and limitations for West River Road
Charrette Public Meeting Day 2:
Date - 2/27/14 - Thursday
Time - 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Location - MPRB Board Room – 2117 West River Road North, Minneapolis
Teams - Central Riverfront Master Plan Team
Meeting Info: Review preliminary design framework plan and concepts for West River Road completed during the charrette.
The Park Board encourages the public to stop by MPRB Headquarters to share ideas, concerns and priorities with the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park design team. Later in January, ideas from this two-day charrette will be presented to the project advisory committees for discussion.
For more information, please go to the MPRB project page.
Contact: Tyler Pederson, Landscape Architect
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
612-230-6418
tpederson@minneapolisparks.org
Excerpt from a February 19, 2014, Metropolitan Council e-newsletter:
Expect trains anytime as operator training begins February 24.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Feb. 19, 2014 –Anytime becomes train time on the METRO Green Line (Central Corridor LRT) beginning Monday when more than 100 light rail operators start preparing for the line’s June 14 opening.
“Staying off tracks and practicing other safe habits around trains takes on a heightened importance. Safety is a shared responsibility, so please visit http://www.metrotransit.org/green-line-safety and review the safety messages,” said Mike Conlon, Metro Transit’s director of rail and bus safety.
In addition, Metro Transit police would like to remind the public that violations of basic transit laws are misdemeanors with $180 fines.
Weekday roundtrips for light rail trains will occur as often as 10 minutes apart between Lowertown St. Paul and the connection with the Blue Line. The training runs are for 61 newly hired and certified Green Line operators and 58 Blue Line operators and their instructors. The operators already know how to run the trains. The purpose of the trips is to familiarize them with the Green Line route, stations, standard operating procedures and other features.
In addition to these operator training runs, trains movements will continue for test purposes. Test trains may operate anytime, any day of the week. In April, Metro Transit will switch to operating trains on the regular-service schedule from about 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week to prepare for the June 14 opening.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota’s transit-pedestrian mall is an area where people need to have a heightened awareness of their surroundings.
“As the light rail training runs begin, pedestrians and cyclists will need to watch for both buses and trains sharing the tracks on the East Bank. It becomes especially important for everyone to observe all pedestrian, bike and traffic laws,” said Pamela Wheelock, Vice President for University Services.
The mall has gathering spots flanking both ends of the East Bank Station on Washington Avenue. These gathering areas are basically sidewalks between the two tracks on which trains and buses will operate. Pedestrians in these areas will need to use designated crosswalks and walk-signal buttons. Cyclists will need to use bike boxes to ride across the tracks at intersections. No left turns will be allowed for cyclists or drivers crossing the tracks.
See a video demonstration of how to safely use the Washington Avenue new bike boxes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a5DSBlXqLE.
What the public can expect
Traffic should not be affected. Trains will operate with traffic, following traffic signals. If signals are unavailable or not functioning, trains will operate under guidance from Metro Transit controllers.
Trains normally will not exceed 35 mph during training and after revenue service begins. Speeds will be lower in downtown St. Paul and through the University of Minnesota.
Operators will not open train doors at stations or give rides to the public.
Stay safe. Stay off tracks.
The Central Corridor LRT Project emphasizes four main safety points:
• Always stay off the tracks;
• Stay off station platforms until service begins in June 2014. After service begins, a paid fare will be required to be on platforms;
• Look both ways for oncoming trains during training and testing and after service begins;
• Cross only at intersections and legal mid-block crosswalks.
How to learn more
With the advent of train testing last summer, Metro Transit, Central Corridor LRT Project staff and the city of St. Paul collaborated on production of a safety video and public service announcements. Project staff began safety presentations to businesses, neighborhood groups school groups and others, and Metro Transit created safety posters for station kiosks, brochures and wrapped train exteriors in safety messages. See Metro Transit’s safety webpage for tips for staying safe and how to request a presentation at http://www.metrotransit.org/green-line-safety
How to view the safety video, PSAs
Here are the links to the Green Line Quiz Bowl safety video and three PSAs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH2iAQBVF0I
Mid-block crossing PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYduwYwAaxQ
Crossing tracks PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqHgEXaXS2I
Stations PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2vE6FnLnMs
For more project facts, see:
Metro Green Line Fact Sheet: http://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Current-Projects/Central-Corridor/Publications-And-Resources/News/Green-Line-Fact-Sheet.aspx
Updates to the June 14 celebration will be posted at: http://www.metrotransit.org/greenline
Via a February 18, 2014, e-newletter from Mayor Betsy Hodges:
Dear Friend,
The good news: the weather is warming up again, at least for a while.
The bad news: potholes love warm weather followed by cold weather followed by warm weather. Water gets in small cracks, expands as it freezes, and then creates big cracks. The more often that happens, the bigger and more numerous the potholes get.
So we are in for a pothole-y spring.
More good news: We are already working on it and responding whenever the weather permits. We know it's been a tough winter, and the City is prepared to patch up our roads as quickly as we can. That includes the potholes already out there, and the potholes we'll continue to see throughout the spring.
As aggressive and proactive as the City will be, I’m asking for your help in reporting potholes. When you see one, contact Minneapolis 311. When you do that, we immediately map your report into our GIS system and make sure the areas that are most in trouble are at the top of the repair list. While fixing all potholes is the end goal, your help in prioritizing them is critical. Even if you think to yourself that surely, someone has reported the pothole, go ahead and report it anyway. I’d rather hear from 20 people that City workers need to fix a pothole, than not hear from anyone about the problem. Whether we do a “cold mix” patch or a permanent fix with hot asphalt, simply put, our streets need to be passable.
So, please help us keep Minneapolis pothole-free. We’re working as quickly as we can to fix the problems and look forward to hearing from you on where they pop up next. I appreciate your help and hope you all see improvements soon.
Thanks,
Mayor Betsy Hodges
City of Minneapolis
P.S. To learn more about how I’m working to address the issues affecting our city, check out my website and my blog, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.
You can see right through the Metrodome.
We're attempting to publish a photo with this same view each week from the start of construction through the first game played at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis.
A three part series adapted from a report for the McKnight Foundation’s Food for Thought series by local author Jay Walljasper.
A River Runs Through Us: Why the Mississippi is Crucial To MSP’s Future
The river has the potential to draw business, newcomers and tourists — the way the mountains do for Denver and the seacoast for Sydney.
Big Plans Being Hatched for Downtown Waterfronts in Minneapolis and St. Paul
Once industrial, today's riverfronts host new parks, luxury housing and office spaces — with all kinds of ideas percolating for the future.
The Mississippi’s Importance to MSP Doesn't Stop as It Flows On South
The Upper Mississippi between Dubuque and the Twin Cities qualifies as one of America’s most storied regions.
http://www.minnpost.com/environment/2014/01/mississippi-s-importance-msp-doesnt-stop-it-flows-south
Mill City Times | 35W Bridge Memorial | Mill District Block Party | Mill City Media
Sunday, March 9, 2014 at 5:00AM