Brunch at Day Block Brewing Company

Did you know Day Block Brewing Company has a Sunday brunch menu?

Loved the BENE pizza - you can dip the outer crust in the soft egg yolks.  :)

The Baron of Bubble at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park

While out enjoying the glorious weather this past Sunday, who should we come upon at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park?  None other than The Baron of Bubble.   :)

This Sunday: 30 Days of Biking 2014 Kick Off at Gold Medal Park

OMG - Did you see the weather report for Sunday ? ! ?

Looks like a perfect day for the 11:00am kick off of 30 Days of Biking’s fifth year.

Details:

We’ll gather at Gold Medal Park at 11 a.m., kick off around noon, and end at Red Stag Supperclub. We'll have spoke cards for you, too! First-come, first-served.

Our ride leader and MC is Mario Macaruso; 2F4L (a.k.a., Eric Shoultz) will snap the group photo; and Recovery Bike Shop will provide mechanical superheroism. Let's ride.

Pledge to bike every day in April at http://30daysofbiking.com/pledge.

Pothole Update from Mayor Betsy Hodges

Via a March 26, 2014, e-newsletter from Mayor Betsy Hodges:

Dear Friend,

Last month, I sent you a message saying that while warm weather was good news, potholes are not. Today, I would say the same thing. The flux in temperatures has continued to create potholes all across the area, as water gets into small cracks, freezes again, and then expands to create bigger cracks. When that happens over and over, the potholes get bigger and more numerous.

To meet this year's worse-than-usual conditions, we are doing more than usual to overcome them. Working with my colleagues on the City Council, I will be moving forward a request to add an extra $1 million for pothole repair this year.

What we’ve been doing

Right now, city crews are focused on temporary repairs for potholes. The ambient and pavement temperatures are still too cold to allow the materials needed for permanent repairs to adhere to the pavement. This means crews are only able to “fill” potholes and not yet “repair” them.
While filling potholes are only temporary fixes, crews are able to do them rather quickly. Right now the City is running at least two to three crews dedicated to pothole filling, covering as much ground as possible, taking care of the worst areas right off the bat.

What we’ll be doing next

Permanent repairs typically start with the beginning of the summer construction/maintenance season, which starts next week for 2014. City crews will begin to transition to permanent repairs next week. We are hopeful the warm temperatures this weekend will finally warm things up enough to allow for permanent repairs. We already have access to hot mix asphalt from the St. Paul Public Works municipal asphalt plant, which we will use as soon as it can adhere to the pavement. If the temperatures are still too cold, crews will continue in “fill mode” and then return to permanent repairs as conditions allow.

Permanent repairs require additional work, so they do take longer to do. While that will slow down the process, we have a plan in place to make sure we continue covering as much ground as possible.

Accelerating pothole repair work

The additional $1 million in funding will allow the city to bring on additional, temporary labor to create up to two additional crews for two months. We will also contract with a pothole patching service provider for two spray patching units for about two months, or as needed. Each of these units is essentially like having an additional crew, which means we will be doubling and in some cases tripling our efforts.

The late departure of winter has also slightly delayed some of our street construction – these crews will focus on potholes for a short period until they can start up.

I’m staying focused on the good news, which is that spring is increasingly upon us and our crews are working hard to keep Minneapolis pothole-free. I’m happy to see that many potholes have been filled… but I know others are popping up. I appreciate your helping reporting these and hope to continue to see improvements.

Thanks,
 
Mayor Betsy Hodges
City of Minneapolis

Northern Spark 2014 - Update #1

Many of us missed having the Northern Spark event in our Mill District and surrounding neighborhoods last year. We were excited to learn they're returning to Minneapolis for 2014.  To whet your appetite, below are the first of many ongoing updates we'll post between now and June 14.

Luke Savisky to Animate Gold Medal Silos with You

Northern Lights.mn is excited to bring a monumental work by Austin, TX-based artist, projectionist and performer Luke Savisky to Northern Spark 2014.

Working with multiple video projections layered and montaged over the Gold Medal silos in Minneapolis, Savisky will animate the structure with the help of Northern Spark participants in a project titled E/x MN. Participants will enter Savisky's dreamscape by reclining on specially-made filming platforms and performing for the camera. Live video feed of participants will be projected onto the massive silos; their images will appear to move through the structures and interact with each other, unfolding a broken and spontaneous narrative. Enduring and changing through the night, the video projections will create a beautiful and immersive transformation of both the iconic silos and the people who experience Northern Spark.

Ghostly Streetcar Will Project the Past into the Present

The Shiny Naughty Collective (Marieka Heinlen, Sarah Honeywell, and Angela Maki Jones) have teamed up with The Flightless Bird Brothers (Jeremy Clark and John Murphy) to create an installation titled Razing Minneapolis—or—The Ghostly Streetcar History Tour. This apparition will project historic architectural silhouettes on modern buildings, telling stories of our lost Twin Cities, in the West River Parkway zone during Northern Spark 2014.

You may remember the Shiny Naughty Collective for their past appearances at Northern Spark with the Naughty Shanty (2012) and Kaleidoscope Shanty (2013) as part of Art Shanty Projects. The Ghostly Streetcar History Tour is their first independently presented Northern Spark project.

Events to spark your interest

Luke Savisky Happy Hour • March 27 @ 6pm-7:30pm Join Northern Spark staff and volunteers for a casual happy hour at Zen Box Izakaya to welcome artist Luke Savisky to Minneapolis. Northrop Grand Re-Opening begins • April 4, 2014 Events include the Northrop Inside Out Grand Reopening Gala performance, reception, and Inside Out After Dark dance party. Art(ists) on the Verge 5 artist talks • April 12 @ 2pm + April 19 @ noon AOV5 fellow Aaron Marx (NS 2014 project with MakeSh!t) will discuss his work currently on view at The Soap Factory. Northern Spark 2014 • June 14 @ 9:01pm - 5:26am Only 81 days away!

MPRB Announces May - August 2014 Park Highlights

Via a March 24 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Looking for some fun-filled activities for you and your family this spring and summer? Spend the season with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB)!

The newest edition of our park highlights brochure was mailed to all Minneapolis households inside the Minneapolis Public Schools Community Education catalog in early March.

Hold onto your park highlights guide all season long – it features more than 40 popular events for friends and family throughout the summer and opportunities to stay active and save up to $30 by using the discount codes when you register for the Gridiron Gallop, Hot Dam 5K Run and Walk and the Minneapolis Bike Tour

For those residing outside of Minneapolis – and for anyone looking for a sneak peak – be sure to check out the electronic version of the park highlights brochure.

We've got some great things lined up in the parks during the months to come – so mark your calendars now!

4th Annual Downtown Greening Awards

Watershed Event: Exploring a New Water Ethic for Minnesota - April 11 at Mill City Museum

Watershed Event: Exploring a New Water Ethic for Minnesota

Fee: FREE

Join Mill City Museum, 704 South Second Street, on Friday, April 11, from 3 to 9:30 p.m. for "Watershed Event: Exploring a New Water Ethic for Minnesota," a public symposium on future scenarios and imagined solutions to clean, abundant water in Minnesota.

The free symposium is hosted by the University of Minnesota Students for Design Activism and includes a panel discussion and the premier screening of "Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West."

The schedule of events includes:

3:00 to 5:30pm: Building a Future for Water: Transforming Practice, Policy and Implementation.

In this panel session, keynote speaker Bill Wenk, landscape architect of the St. Paul Great River Passage, will speak about the past and future realities of living and working in an arid climate and open the conversation to panelists and the audience for envisioning the bridge between the small-scale strategies and the large-scale problems facing the future of Minnesota’s waters.

Panelists include: Brian Hicks, Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition; John Linc Stine, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner; and moderator: Dave Peters, journalist for Minnesota Public Radio’s "Ground Level".

5:30 to 7:00pm: Food, drink and informal conversation.

7:00 to 8:00pm: "Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West."

"Watershed" examines the questions raised by the personal, economic and environmental use and value of water that is used and transported from the headwaters of the Colorado River to its outlets in the Southwest. The challenges faced by those in the West are similar to those faced here in Minnesota.

8:00 to 9:30pm: Steps Towards Change: Resources for a New Water Ethic in Minnesota.

Using the movie "Watershed" as a launching point, this panel session will address current changes in the landscape and the visible decline of quantity and quality of Minnesota's water.

Panelists include: Sharon Day, Executive Director of the Indigenous Peoples’ Task Force; Deborah Swackhamer, Co-Director of the U of M's Water Resources Center; and Matt Tucker, University of Minnesota Professor of Landscape Architecture.

For more information visit the Watershed Event website.

Watershed Event is co-curated by Floodplain Collective, University of Minnesota Department of Landscape Architecture, and Mill City Museum. It is hosted by the University of Minnesota Students for Design Activism. All programs are free and open to the public.

Apply to Serve on the Minneapolis Pedestrian or Bicycle Advisory Committees

Applications are now being accepted for open board positions on the Minneapolis Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee. The positions are appointed by the City Council and Mayor. Applications will be reviewed beginning April 25, 2013, but the positions are open until filled.

Pedestrian Advisory Committee

The Minneapolis Pedestrian Advisory Committee was created to advise the Mayor and City Council on policies, programs, and actions for improving pedestrian safety, mobility, accessibility, and comfort; for promoting walking for transportation, recreation, and health purposes; and for strengthening the linkage between the pedestrian environment and public transportation. The board is composed of members of the public and city and partner agency staff.

Pedestrian Advisory Committee application information

Bicycle Advisory Committee

The role of the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee is to promote both commuter and recreational bicycling, to advocate for bicycling infrastructure improvements, to encourage safe riding, and to involve people interested in bicycling issues throughout the city. The committee functions as an advisory committee to the Mayor and City Council as well as the Minneapolis Park Board and serves as a liaison to bicyclists, businesses, neighborhoods, and other communities and agencies. The board is composed of members of the public and city and partner agency staff.

Bicycle Advisory Committee application information

Road Closures for March 15 Get Lucky! 7K

The Minneapolis Parks and Rec Board reminds you that the following parkways will be closed 8:00am – Noon tomorrow, March 15, for the Get Lucky! 7K:

West River Road Parkway – 11th Avenue South to Plymouth Avenue. Main Street – 6^th Avenue SE to 5^th Avenue NE.  (The race starts on 2nd Street South near Portland Avenue.  More Info.)

Please note that the duration of the closures is subject to change based on the event's start and finish times. A complete list of current and upcoming parkway closures is available online.

Puccini’s Tosca Announced for Mill City Summer Opera’s Third Season

Minneapolis' newest opera company, the Mill City Summer Opera, has announced it will produce Tosca by Giacomo Puccini for its third season. Tosca will be presented at 7:30 p.m. opening night July 12, and July 13, 16, 18, 20 and 22. Mill City Museum’s dramatic Ruin Courtyard will again be the venue for all performances.

Mill City Summer Opera was founded in 2011 to bring the Twin Cities exceptional opera performances set in a nontraditional venue. Artistic Director David Lefkowich and Music Director Brian DeMaris have assembled a first-rate design team and cast, featuring acclaimed American soprano Jill Gardner and exciting tenor Dinya Vania as Cavaradossi. Gardner and Vania sang these roles together at the Lyric Opera Baltimore in 2011 to great acclaim. 

Click here for full news release.

March 8 at the Mill City Farmers Market

A big "Thank You!" to Goldfinch Flowers for bringing some Spring to the March 8 Market. :)

Below, staff from The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul were at the March 8 MCFM with infomation on their organization, as well as the Italian Film Festival, Cuban Film Festival and Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. Whether you're an avid film lover, or just in search of something out of the ordinary, be sure to check them out!

Reminders - The Mill City Farmers Market vendors will be at the Arboretum in Chanhassen next Saturday, March 15; and the final indoors Market at the Mill City Museum will be April 12.  :)

SE Main Street Closed Tomorrow Morning, March 10

The SE Main Street parkway between East Hennepin Avenue and SE 6^th 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.

Tomorrow! Mill City Farmers Market inside the Mill City Museum!

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.

Juried Art Show Open Now Through April 11 at Central Library

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.

6th Annual Italian Film Festival Kicks Off Tonight, March 6

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

March RLife Events at The Depot

Here's some fun diversions to help get us thru March...

MPRB Announces 2014 Earth Day Clean-Up Event

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

An Update on Plowing, Ice and Snow from Mayor Hodges

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

‘Mattie’s On Main’ launches Kickstarter with Unique Minneapolis Riverfront Rewards

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.