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Community Partners
Thanks to our community partners, whose support makes Mill City Times possible:
MILL CITY FARMERS MARKET
With over 100 local farmers, food makers and artists, MCFM strives to build a local, sustainable and organic food economy in a vibrant, educational marketplace.
Maximizing the visitor experience of Minneapolis for the economic benefit of our community, making Minneapolis the destination of choice among travelers.
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.
Originally built as a railroad bridge in 1890, the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge was acquired by the MPRB in the 1970s and installed in its current location in the early 1980s.
Public invited to review plan to repair bridge between Boom Island Park and Nicollet Island
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) will host an Open House for the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge Repairs project on Thursday, Oct. 6, 6-7:30 pm at MPRB headquarters, 2117 West River Road.
The public is encouraged to attend to learn more and provide input regarding bridge repairs and improvements planned as part of the project, which will provide structural stability for the 126-year-old bridge and improve its overall usability.
At the meeting, closure and detour information and decking and railing options for bridge repairs will be available for public review. All are welcome to attend this public meeting to ask questions and share ideas, comments and concerns.
Public Meeting Date: Oct. 6, 2016 Time: 6-7:30 pm Location: MPRB Headquarters Address: 2117 West River Road Topic: Overview of a project that will repair the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge.
Thank you for a wonderful 2016 season of our Music and Movies in the Parks series! We truly hope you enjoyed your experience in the parks with us over the summer and will continue to support the program by coming to the shows in the future.
We are asking for one final favor as we wrap up the season. We are always looking to improve the program, and we're asking you to spare a few moments to fill out our survey. In doing so, you give us information on ways we can make the 2017 season even better. Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer our questions!
Nurses are amazing people who take great pride to care for people, most of whom they don’t even know. YogaFit would like to return the care by taking care of the nurses now. In an effort to help the nurses who are on strike, YogaFit is providing unlimited free yoga classes to all the nurses on strike from today until October 31st.
We have four locations in the metro area – Linden Hills, Loring Park, Northeast Minneapolis and Excelsior. To get started on the free classes, please email Ashok Dhariwal at ashok@mspyoga.com. To learn more about YogaFit, our locations, and our class formats please visit www.yogafitstudios.com. We have classes for all levels of experience.
Take in the best fall colors on a Segway Tour! The Minneapolis Magical History Tour runs through November 30. The tour office is located at 125 Main Street SE. 952-888-9200 Facebook
(ST. PAUL, MN – September 13, 2016) Old building and photography enthusiasts have two new opportunities to tour historic neighborhoods while honing artistic skills. The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM) is excited to host a pair of smartphone photography tours this fall, both of which debuted in the spring of 2016.
This evening tour begins at the old/new A Mill Artist Lofts with an introductory drink and presentation by professional photographer Eric Mueller. Mueller goes beyond filters, teaching how to capture the built and natural environment of the neighborhood.
Art history and architecture professor Kristin Anderson will lead us up Main Street to share historical and architectural context of the area. Participants can employ new photography techniques along this touras we stop at notable buildings. The tour finishes on the Stone Arch Bridge. PAM is bringing back this tour after its sold-out first run in May.
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Stillwater and Lift Bridge Brewery Tour Thursday, September 29th 5:30pm-8:00pm Pioneer Park Registration: $25, includes flight of beer at Lift Bridge Brewing Co.
PAM’s second Stillwater tour of 2016 will startat Pioneer Park overlooking downtown. Instagrammer extraordinaire EmilyFalkenberg will share favorite photography techniques, and local history buff Sally Erickson will guide the group through the North Hill neighborhood, stopping at the Warden’s House, Lowell Inn, and Isaac Staples Sawmill.
The group will loop back to Pioneer Park and take a sojourn over to the critically acclaimed Lift Bridge Brewing Co.Here, we will enjoy aflight of beerand takea tour of their beautiful beer lab. Beer is included in registration cost.
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These classes are hosted by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM), a statewide nonprofit organization that leads and inspires people to connect to valued places in their communities. Whether it’s an old home or storefront on the corner, a rural community’s old high school, or an urban neighborhood’s long-retired factory, PAM works to preserve and protect the bond felt by community members toward these places, the memories such places represent, and the distinct characteristics they display.
This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.
MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL - Thursday Musical announces its 125th season for the Thursday Morning Artist Series, including Living Concert Notes with MPR announcer Steve Staruch and composer David Evan Thomas, and the Home Programs.
HOME PROGRAMS
A time-honored tradition, the Home Programs are the heart of the organization’s membership community. Members of Thursday Musical on October 20, 2016 and April 20, 2017 will open their homes for a total of six programs to season subscribers/members for an intimate, “salon-style” concert experience. Programs will feature several returning performing members and two Thursday Musical debuts by pianist Otto Loehrke (Oct. 20) and mezzo-soprano April Hansen (Apr. 20). Please see thursdaymusical.org/home-programs for a complete schedule.
THURSDAY MORNING ARTIST SERIES
The Thursday Morning Artist Series has been presented since 1892 on Thursdays. It is the organization’s longest-running recital and chamber music series with a legacy of featuring some of the most talented classical musicians in Minnesota. Programs are currently being held at 10:30 a.m. in the acoustically impressive Antonello Hall at MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis. Complimentary coffee and donuts are provided in the lobby starting at 10:00 am served by members of Thursday Musical. Detailed program information will be announced throughout the season.
Kicking off the season is a free concert on October 6 including a preconcert reception at 9:30 am with Living Concerts Notes hosted by Guest Moderator MPR announcer Steve Staurch.
On the program will be Amy Morris, flute and Mary Goetz, piano performing Malagigi the Sorcerer by Venezuelan-born composer Efrain Amaya and Tango Etude by Astor Piazzolla; the Başgöze – Pinto Piano Duo (Susana Pinto, piano and Pinar Başgöze, piano) will perform works by Brazilian composers Ernesto Nazareth, Zequinha de Abre and Francisco Mignone; and clarinet trio (Janet Greene, Pat O'Keefe, and Nina Olsen) will be performing Eight Bagatelles by local composer Sarah Miller who has been teaching composition and piano at MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis,for seventeen years.
Tickets and Memberships
Concert Memberships for the 2016-17 concert season are now available to renewing and new subscribers. Thursday Musical continues its legacy of providing outstanding concert programming at affordable prices. Subscribers can access 12 Thursday Morning Artist Series concerts and 4 Home Programs for under $8 each ($95 general\$85 seniors). (Note: Home Programs are only available to season subscribers.) Subscriptions can be purchased online, by phone or in person at any Thursday Morning Artist Series concert.
Individual tickets for the Thursday Morning Artist Series can be purchased at the door for $15. All concerts are open seating and take place at MacPhail Center for Music, 501 S 2nd Street. For more information, call (612) 333-0313 or visit thursdaymusical.org/membership.
September 10 was Hunger Solutions Day at the Mill City Farmers Market. Food access for all is key to Mill City Farmers Market's mission of nourishing the community. Staff from Hunger Solution Minnesota were on hand with information on their programs. Hunger Solutions is a comprehensive hunger relief organization that works to end hunger in Minnesota. The organization was created in 2001, as a result of the merger between Minnesota Food Bank Network and Minnesota Food Shelf Association.
The theme of Market Chef Jenny Breen's Mill City Cooks demo was Cooking on a SNAP Budget, during which she provided suggestions on how to incorporate healthy ingredients into nutritious, economical and tasty meals. The Curried Chick Peas with Autumn Vegetables recipe she prepared costs less that $3 per serving.
Rosemary in cookies? That's right, and it's a wonderful thing! I'm just thankful there were only 6 in the package or I would have snacked myself into a shortbread stupor...
The info booth is always hoppin'.
Sunflowers! Immediately put a smile on your face, don't they?
A child's body language as to when they no longer want to carry something...
Via a September 8 Press Release from the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition:
Minneapolis, MN--The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition will be expanding its mission to include walking and pedestrian work. Walking and biking in our city makes it stronger and an even better place to live, work, and play. Biking and walking are both fun, healthy, clean, equitable, and efficient ways to get around and are growing rapidly in popularity in Minneapolis.
“I am so excited to be a part of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition during this amazing time,” said LaTrisha Vetaw, Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition Board President. “This expansion aligns with the Coalition’s goal to reach out to and serve communities of color. I see this change as a big win for the communities I serve daily and all the citizens of Minneapolis who currently bike and walk, or that will soon be biking and walking.”
The Coalition has worked side-by-side with pedestrian voices on many policy and on-the-ground projects around the city. This change will formalize work the Coalition has been doing already to support walkability through Complete Streets, Open Streets, Safe Routes to School, and more. Walking and biking are increasingly popular in Minneapolis, but there are still far too many unsafe and uncomfortable streets and too many people hit and killed or injured. The Coalition will work to bring forward the voices and perspectives of people walking and in wheelchairs to make streets safer and better for everyone.
“I admire the work the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition does towards making streets safer, in both incremental, concrete ways, and by shaping policy as they help elected and appointed officials understand the needs and vulnerabilities of people outside cars.” said Julia Curran, a walking advocate and member of the Minneapolis Pedestrian Alliance. “I'm thrilled that they're expanding their circle to include all of us who walk in Minneapolis.”
The Coalition will be taking time to engage with stakeholders over the coming months before defining the specifics of a new mission, vision, name, and initial priorities for pedestrian work in 2017.
The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, which formed in 2009, has grown into one of the most influential advocacy organizations in Minneapolis, uniting a network of more than 12,000 people and 1,300 volunteers. The Coalition organizes Open Streets Minneapolis events, which will attract more than 70,000 people this year to walk, bike, and play in car-free streets for a weekend day.
Next week the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul presents THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK - THE TOURING YEARS with a special International Premiere event screening on Thursday, September 15 at 7:00pm and for a week-long run starting Friday, September 16 at the Film Society’s St. Anthony Main Theatre.
Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard's new documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at The Beatles’ early years. Exclusively in theaters, each showing includes The Beatles’ newly restored and remastered 35mm concert footage from their iconic Shea Stadium performance in 1965 — the 30 minute HD concert follows the film.
An application to participate on the Community Advisory Committee for the Parcel 'D' development at the Scherer site is now available. Applications are due Oct. 20, 2016 and appointments will be made by Nov. 1, 2016.
The Scherer site contains 11 acres of riverfront land that will be developed with both parkland and commercial elements to help offset operating costs. The former lumberyard, located just north of the Plymouth Avenue Bridge along the Northeast Minneapolis riverfront, was purchased by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in 2010. Parcel D occupies the northeast corner of the site.
A private development team will be engaged to undertake the design, construction, operation and management of the Parcel ‘D’ portion of the former Scherer Bros. site. The goal of the development is for it to serve as an activator for the future Hall’s Island Park and a way of connecting local businesses and organizations to the park and riverfront. For more information, please see a site concept plan and visit the project page.
Community Advisory Committees provide volunteer opportunities for stakeholders to share insight and resources and serve to build and sustain relationships between the community, partner agencies, and the MPRB. Members of the CAC are expected to represent the views of regional park users and to work collaboratively with each other and the public to provide comprehensive recommendations to the Board about the project.
Responsibilities of CAC members
Through this process, CAC members are expected to become knowledgeable about the project and its scope, understand and represent the park and recreation needs of the community and park visitors and act as community liaisons for the project. Members will participate in public CAC meetings, advise MPRB staff and consultants throughout the planning process, and recommend to the Board of Commissioners a preferred concept plan for development of Parcel ‘D’.
MPRB Promise
The MPRB will work with the CAC and stakeholders for advice and innovation in formulating solutions and incorporate recommendations to the maximum extent possible.
Time Commitment
The total time commitment for CAC members is estimated at 20-40 hours. Meetings will occur in the evenings from November 2016 through May 2017. The CAC will have five official CAC meetings about two hours each.
Appointment Process
All completed CAC applications will be forwarded to all the appointers. Applicants may be contacted directly by an appointer to discuss the project and interest. All those who apply will be contacted if they are appointed.
September 3 was Back To School Day at the Mill City Farmers Market. It's always fun to see so many kids at the Market - I applaud all parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and others who bring their little ones.
Lorenzo LopezRocha of American Sustainable Organics grows rare and exotic peppers, tomatoes, corn and other items on farmland in Marine on St. Croix. His impressive display at the September 3 Market included the aptly named Tom Thumb popping corn. This sample in his hand is a fully developed cob.
Mi Ae Lipe signed copies of her latest book, Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, a guide to over 90 fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown by community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms across North America. It includes over 360 diverse, delicious recipes and comprehensive cooking information on each crop.
You know fall is around the corner when you see a basket of decorative gourds, and ornamental cabbage starts showing up in the bouquets...
Yum! Our neighbor Doug enjoyed BBQ Pork Hash from the griddle masters of Black Cat Natural Foods.
Manu Gallur of Green Stick Armyis on a mission to encourage trash pick-up activities and education to clean up downtown Minneapolis. He introduced shoppers to his handy gadget at the September 3 Market. Look for a separate post later this week on our Farmers Market blog.
The kids from Urban Roots are back! Check out their website to learn about the great things this organization is doing. Their fundraising event, Get to Know Your Urban Roots, is September 15 at Harriet Island Pavilion in St. Paul.
Below, Chefs Nettie Colón (left) and Beth Jones (right) pictured with MCFM Executive Director Martha Archer as they start amassing ingredients for the feast being served at the September 11 Harvest Social.
Beth's son agreed to be my "hand model" for the Sonny's ice cream shot.
Below is Jill Colella, Editor of Ingredient Magazine and Butternut Magazine. These publications for kids are made in Minnesota and distributed around the world, bringing food literacy to children and tweens.
Ames Farm added Honeycrisp and Early Gold apples AND pears to this week's offerings. :)
Oh no - an abandoned baby cuke! :(
Oops - no Milly the Goat this week - the Train shed was so packed I couldn't even get close enough for a shot (but that's a good thing!).
Kevin Kling, noted playwright, storyteller and popular commentator on NPR All Things Considered and Simone Perrin, vocalist, accordionista, actress and composer who has been featured on A Prairie Home Companion will be honoring the National Park Service 100th Anniversary with an exclusive and memorable performance featuring the Mississippi River.
Talented and entertaining auctioneer, Karen Sorbo, returns to conduct the live auction.
Proceeds from the annual fundraiser support the Market's mission “to inspire and nurture a healthy community by building a local, sustainable, and organic food economy in a vibrant educational marketplace.” Funds raised also benefit their educational programming. Learn about these initiatives here: 2016 MCFM Programming Report.
Funds raised during the Annual Benefit are also used to for a mini grant program, Fund a Need, which supports the farmers of the MCFM. In 2015, 12 grants totaling over $20,600 were awarded, and 7 grants for over $13,800 have already beem awarded in 2016. Read about the 2015 Farmer Grants here.
Click here to buy tickets online, or stop by the info booth at Mill City Farmers Market - open tomorrow, September 3, between 8:00am and 1:00pm.
Exhibition location & hours: A Mill Artist Lofts, 315 SE Main Street
Open by appointment, 617.276.6341
Reception: Thursday, September 15, 2016, 5-9 p.m.
The community is invited to a reception at A Mill Artist Lofts on Thursday, September 15, celebrating Context, an exhibition of new work by Twin Cities photographer Tucker Hollingsworth. The artist will be present.
After recently completing residencies at SFAI (Santa Fe, NM), OPUS HOUSE (Truchas, NM), VCCA (Amherst, VA), and in between exhibits in Madrid, Prague and Tuscany, Tucker Hollingsworth returns to Minneapolis with Context, an exhibition of new works in A Mill Artist Loft’s gallery.
The show will exhibit photographs Tucker describes as “photographing technology and contemporary photographic choice” using the basic subjects of spheres, lines, atmosphere, and play. With the camera as manufacturer, time as a collaborator, and, as has come to be expected with Tucker, an array of untraditional strategies to make an image, Hollingsworth’s photographs attempt to reconsider and redefine what an image is, can be, and does, if not just how to reconsider image-making. Infusing the body of the photographer into the exposure of the photograph, revealing the digital biases of camera technology, and injecting simultaneity into static images, are a few of the tricks at play.
On view at the gallery will be more than a dozen photographs, some measuring six feet in height, culled from Hollingsworth’s work from the past 24 months. Non-representational and suggesting densely woven textiles, the vividly hued images investigate the terrain of what is called camera noise, or the interiority of the camera. Also on view will be a selection of landscaped-based photographs. Semi-representational and often characterized by a jewel-toned palette, the landscape photographs are taken at night in both urban and rural environments. Hollingsworth uses only ambient light whether it is the full moon, the head and tail lights of passing vehicles or street lamps for his extended exposures, some lasting up to 30 minutes.
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Born in 1984 in Boston, MA, Hollingsworth grew up in Florida and has lived in Minnesota since 2000. He currently resides in Minneapolis, MN. In 2012 he was a fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst, VA, the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, IL, and he completed an artist residency at the Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, MN. In 2010 and 2011 he completed residencies at Tofte Lake Center, Tofte, MN under the auspices of the Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist program. In 2011 he was awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Grant. His work has been shown at Nina Bliese Gallery, Minneapolis, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis and at Locanda Toscanini, in Tuscany, Italy.
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Editor's Note - Tucker was featured on TPT's MN Original earlier this year:
Franklin Avenue Bridge reopens to traffic Thursday, September 1
The Franklin Avenue Bridge (County Road 5) will reopen to traffic on the evening of Thursday, September 1. The bridge has been closed since May so that crews could remove and replace the deck.
The restored bridge features a new driving surface for motorists, as well as dedicated and separated bicycle and pedestrian lanes on both sides of the bridge. The bridge also has vertically-oriented concrete rails, like the ones originally used on the bridge. Reproductions of historic lights have been added.
The bridge deck was constructed using the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method to reduce the duration of the traffic closure. More than 360 deck panels were constructed upstream at Bohemian Flats. This summer, the panels were floated down the Mississippi River and hoisted into place.
Other improvements to the bridge are needed to restore deteriorated areas of the bridge, prevent future degradation due to road salt and other exposure and to preserve the structural integrity and historical nature of the concrete arches. This work began last year and will continue after the deck reopens.
For the next few months, there will be intermittent lane closures for motorists. And bicyclists and pedestrians will only be able to use one side of the bridge at a time. These closures are needed as crews finish work, as well as remove temporary structures needed for the deck replacement and utility work.
Here are some pictures from an August 31 project update email:
The northern (westbound) pedestrian and bike lanes separated from the motor vehicle traffic. These lanes are protected from the vehicles with a concrete wall topped with a steel rail. This layout is repeated on the other side of the bridge. The outer bridge railing is now vertically-oriented concrete rails, like the ones used on the original bridge. Reproductions of historic lights have also been added.
A view of the motor vehicle traffic lanes.
A look from the bridge approaching the intersection of East River Parkway.
The final photo shows the western approach with painted bike lane.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is happy to announce a section of West River Parkway that has been closed for more two years, from 4th Street S to E 24th Street, will reopen at 4:30 pm on Thursday, Sept. 1.
The segment was closed following record-breaking rainfall in Minneapolis throughout June 2014. Just before 7 pm on June 19, 2014, a torrential downfall compounded by heavily saturated soils caused a steep, 100-foot wide section of the west bank of the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis to fail. The slope failure created a mudslide that sent a huge quantity of mud and debris rocketing down the riverbank, across West River Parkway and into the river.
Fortunately no one was hurt, but the project proved to be challenging from an administrative, engineering and construction perspective. For the public’s safety, a section of the parkway and trails remained closed during the investigation and repair of the mudslide. The MPRB sincerely appreciates the public’s patience while work was performed.
Project Overview
• Five retaining walls – three near the top of the slope and two at the bottom – work together to stabilize the slope and reduce its incline. • A network of new underground drain tile will redirect groundwater to an improved storm sewer system that will prevent surface storm water runoff from saturating the slope’s soil. • The previous poor, unconsolidated soil was replaced with more structurally stable soil. • New vegetation, once established, will help anchor the slope. • The parkway and trails were repaved and guardrails replaced.
You can help us make the Monarch Festival a successful, fun event for everyone! Volunteers must be at least 14 yrs and speak English (bilingual with Spanish is needed too). All volunteers receive an official Festival T-shirt as our way of saying thank you.
The annual Monarch Festival celebrates the monarch butterfly's amazing migration from Minnesota to Mexico. Using art, music, dance, games, native plants, prairie tours and food, the festival raises awareness of the need to provide and protect monarch habitat.
The free event is on Sept. 10 form 10 am to 4 pm. The Monarch Festival takes place near the Nokomis Naturescape, a certified Monarch Waystation, featuring native plants that monarchs need to lay eggs, host caterpillars and get nectar.
Dumpling & Strand uses blue labels for their gluten-free pasta packages.
Below, Nick Nelson from the Wedge Community Co-op's catering department prepares a Toasted Millet Salad.
Jeez, again with the rain? :p
Tickets are still available for the September 11 Harvest Social. The special guest this year is local storyteller extraordinaire - the one and only Kevin Kling!
If you haven't tried the cheese from Cosmic Wheel Creamery - you're missing out on a little slice of heaven on earth.
Pumpkin sighting!
Slow Money Minnesota was the August 27 Community Booth. Started last year, Slow Money Minnesota is an emerging network that increases the flow of knowledge and capital in support of local food makers and farming.
Mystery item:
Melissa Driscoll of Seven Songs Organic Farm weighs some ginger for me - the first of the season.
Volunteer for Bicyclist & Pedestrian Counts – September 13-15, 2016
Minneapolis Public Works is gearing up to conduct its 10th annual Bicyclist and Pedestrian Count, and you can help! Volunteers are needed to count the number of bicyclists and pedestrians at many locations around the city. The main days for counting will be September 13-15. All count shifts are from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Minneapolis Public Works is also teaming up with Hennepin County this year, offering new counting locations outside of Minneapolis in first-ring suburbs. More information on this is available when you sign up.
Minneapolis and Hennepin County conduct bicyclist and pedestrian counts in order to understand the impact of non-motorized traffic on streets, sidewalks, and trails. Accurate counts allow us to plan and build for bicyclists and pedestrians, while tracking what’s successful and what should be done differently.
MINNEAPOLIS (August 25, 2016) — The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (MDID) will again recognize the top green spaces in Downtown Minneapolis during the 7th annual Greening & Public Realm Awards, and its asking the general public to help out.
The Greening Awards, an MDID initiative since 2010, celebrate outstanding examples of greening and placemaking that improve public space in Downtown Minneapolis. Winners will be selected by public vote at MinneapolisDID.com/GreeningAwards. The vote will be open Aug. 25 through Sept. 7.
This year, 37 unique finalists were selected through an interactive public nomination process were divided into 12 categories based on the project’s characteristics and size. Among the finalists selected were 15 unique new nominees—a continued sign of the growing diversity of greening in the downtown area—as well as 15 past winners. Five of last year’s 12 winners are nominated again this year, including six-time winner Loring Greenway and five-time winner Target Plaza South Entry.
“Enhanced greening continues to be an important goal in downtown Minneapolis, as it accentuates the vibrancy of our city,” said Steve Cramer, President & CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District. “Each year, the Greening Awards helps raise awareness about the importance of greening and allows us to celebrate those who add greening to our community.”
The MDID Greening Awards aims to eclipse last year’s record participation of 1,312 votes, more than 400 more than the previous record.
This year’s vote also includes a new category that focuses on added art to our downtown public realm. Nominees for the Public Art category include the Eduardo Kobra and Greg Gossel murals, art added to Gold Medal Park from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (currently being renovated) and the new Medtronic Plaza Viking horn sculpture outside U.S. Bank Stadium.
Winners will receive a commemorative Greening Award created by Wood from the Hood, a Minneapolis-based company that reclaims discarded trees from urban neighborhoods and creates high-quality wood products. Each award will display the year the award was issued.
The MDID Greening Awards are intended to inspire all to work toward making downtown greener and more vibrant. The MDID’s mission through the Greening Awards is to encourage all downtown businesses and organizations to participate in the greening effort.
The public is encouraged to vote by visiting www.MinneapolisDID.com/GreeningAwards and clicking on the interactive vote link. Each category will showcase the finalists along with a photo of each location for easy viewing and identification. This year’s 12 categories include the following finalists:
Small Green Space Activation
Parklet at 13th & Hennepin (Espresso Royale & Salon Rouge) *
Living Room Station*
The Living Bus Shelter*
The Loon Street Café*
Small Green Space
American Academy of Neurology
Federal Courthouse Plaza
Target Plaza South Entry
Large Green Space Activation
Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza
Hennepin County Government Center South Plaza
Target Field Station
Large Green Space
Loring Greenway
The Commons*
Triangle Park
Façade Greening
4Marq Apartments*
JB Hudson
Kenosha Building
MSFA Parking Ramp*
Public Art
The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Mural by Eduardo Kobra*
Greg Gossel Mural*
Gold Medal Park
The Horn (Medtronic Plaza Sculpture)*
Outdoor Café
8th Street Grill
Bachelor Farmer*
Mason’s Restaurant Barre
The Local
Streetscape Greening
Central Lutheran Church
Target Plaza Commons
The Carlyle
Streetscape Green Infrastructure
1st Street North Streetscape Improvements
Boulevard Gardens at 4th & Hennepin*
Wells Fargo Towers*
Entryway Greening
City Hall
Lindsay Lofts*
Textile Building*
Public Realm Improvement
4Marq Apartments Façade Greening*
Bachelor Farmer Outdoor Café*
Boulevard Gardens at 4th & Hennepin*
Greg Gossel Mural*
MSFA Parking Ramp*
The Commons*
The Horn (Medtronic Plaza Sculpture)*
The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Mural by Eduardo Kobra*
Wells Fargo Towers Streetscapes*
Best Neighborhood
Elliot Park
Loring Park
Mill District
North Loop
* New Nominee in this category
The public is encouraged to not only vote on a winner for each category but to also celebrate greening on social media year-round. Send your greening photos to @MinneapolisDID on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #GreenAwardsMpls.
Founded in early 2009, after more than five years of formative planning and advocacy by the downtown business community, the Minneapolis DID delivers higher levels of service to make downtown cleaner, greener, safer and more vibrant throughout a 120-block area, as is the case with most Business Improvement Districts. For more information, visit http://www.minneapolisdid.com/.
Friday, September 16, 2016 at 12:12PM
Originally built as a railroad bridge in 1890, the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge was acquired by the MPRB in the 1970s and installed in its current location in the early 1980s.
A look from the bridge approaching the intersection of East River Parkway.
