This Weekend in Mill City / November 19-21

Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis:

Friday, November 19

Book Arts Roundtable: Hamilton Wood Type Museum "Road Show" at MCBA

Zenon Dance Company at the Sourthern Theater

Backstage Tour at the Guthrie

Live Music at the 501 Club

Saturday, November 20

9th Annual Book Arts Fest: Unique Holiday Shopping at MCBA

Childish Movies at the Central Library

Mill City Farmers Market at Local D'lish

Washburn A Mill Tour

Grown Near Home: Winter Vegetables at Mill City Museum

Zenon Dance Company at the Sourthern Theater

Live Music at the 501 Club

Sunday, November 21

Accordo at Southern Theater

Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers at the Dome

Weekend Brunch

Saturday

Brunch at Spoonriver

Reservations recommended

10:00am - 2:00pm

See the menu

Sunday

Brunch at Spill the Wine
1101 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
612-339-3388

brunch buffet 10am- 2pm Sunday
$12/person (kids 3 and under eat free, 4-12 years are 1/2 price!)

includes: eggs, bacon, french toast, hash browns, fresh salad and fruit, pastries, build your own omlette bar and more...

featuring absolut bloody bar for $5.

also offering fair trade coffee and full bar. 

Tonight - Jazz Thursdays Series at the MacPhail Center for Music

Location:  MacPhail Center for Music, Antonello Hall, 501 South 2nd Street

Cost: Adults $10, Students $5

Time:
Q&A with artists 7:00pm–7:30pm
Concert begins at 8:00pm

Location:  MacPhail Center for Music, Antonello Hall, 501 South 2nd Street

Cost: Adults $10, Students $5

Jazz Thursdays: Meditations and Revelations, celebrating the works of jazz great Charles Mingus. “So Long Eric” featuring Mike Lewis, saxophone; Greg Lewis, trumpet; J.T. Bates, drums; Adam Linz, double bass; Bryan Nichols, piano.
 
Half politician, Half musician. Half New World explorer. Charles Mingus set the new standard for intensity in jazz. From wild highs to beautiful lows his music has shaped young musicians all over the world to ask, “Why is Governor Faubus so ridiculous?”

For more information call 612-321-0100.

The MacPhail Center for Music is located in the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis.

City Council Member Lisa Goodman Gets More Kudos

Two weeks ago we wrote about the help we received from Minneapolis Council Member Lisa Goodman and her staff member Ruth in solving a problem affecting our neighborhood.  Having moved to the Mill District  one year ago, we're still newcomers of sorts.  However, with a recent posting from Ross Kaplan on his blog as the latest evidence, it seems like our city government is hard at work for us - at least in the 7th Ward.  Below is an excerpt from a blog post from Mr. Kaplan on a problem he was having after a recent power outage:

P.S.: one silver lining in all this? A virtuouso performance by my City Council Member, Lisa Goodman.

In sheer exasperation, I looked up her home phone number Sunday night, and was shocked to find it listed.

I was even more shocked when Ms. Goodman returned my message within 10 minutes.

She proceeded to give me a mini-tutorial on Xcel Energy's inner workings, as well as multiple suggestions for getting action (call the fire dept. if it's genuinely an emergency) and avoiding another power outage (work with neighbors to bury the power line serving our homes).

It's nice to know we have a place to call...

Mill City Farmers Market this Weekend - The Winter Market

Yep, the Mill City Farmers Market is open this Saturday in partnership with Local D'lish!

4th Avenue Playground is Now Open Thanks to Volunteers

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has completed construction of the new playground at 4th Ave N and James I. Rice Parkway in Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood, and the playground is now open. Undaunted by high winds and cold rain, over 50 volunteers—local, regional, even national—showed up October 26 to assemble the first playground to be built on parkland on the west side of the central Mississippi Riverfront in Minneapolis.  “The families of the North Loop have long been advocating for this playground,” said 2nd Park District Commissioner Jon Olson. “The playground has been eagerly anticipated and promises to be well used.”

Though the playground equipment is now fully installed and ready to use, accessible surfacing will not be installed until spring due to the need for warmer temperatures for this work. Park staff may be on site intermittently through spring, as materials arrive and weather permits, to complete additional elements such as site furnishings, water connections and walkways. In spring, more volunteers will plant additional shrubs and perennials in preparation for the June grand opening. The parking lot adjacent to the playground has been reopened.

Signs of Mill City

Mill Ruins Park

In the Mill District of Minneapolis.

CORRECTION: This Weekend in Mill City

We inadvertently published items for the wrong dates in todays post for events this weekend.  The article has been updated with the correct events for this weekend.

This Weekend in Mill City / November 12-14

Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis:

Friday, November 12

New Work by MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Fellows at MCBA

Lionel Popkin: There is an Elephant in This Dance at the Southern Theater

Live Music at the 501 Club

Saturday, November 13

Discover Saturday: Minnesota Black Bears at the Children's Library

Cowboy Versus Samurai Opens at the Guthrie

Thanksgiving Paper Dinner at MCBA

MacPhail Free Family Music Event

Guest Chef: Shefzilla, Stewart Woodman at Mill City Museum

Volunteer Biennial: A Very Much More Opening Reception at the Soap Factory

Lionel Popkin: There is an Elephant in This Dance at the Southern Theater

How'd They Do That Workshop: The 39 Steps at the Guthrie

Live Music at the 501 Club

Sunday, November 14

Jazz Off the Charts at MacPhail Center for Music

Southern Songbook - Lush Life at the Sourthern Theater

Weekend Brunch

Saturday

Brunch at Spoonriver

Reservations recommended

10:00am - 2:00pm

See the menu

Sunday

Brunch at Spill the Wine
1101 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
612-339-3388

brunch buffet 10am- 2pm Sunday
$12/person (kids 3 and under eat free, 4-12 years are 1/2 price!)

includes: eggs, bacon, french toast, hash browns, fresh salad and fruit, pastries, build your own omlette bar and more...

featuring absolut bloody bar for $5.

also offering fair trade coffee and full bar.

Saturday & Sunday

501 Club Hash House Brunch

Vice President and Mrs. Mondale Featured on MPR

Mill District residents Walter and Joan Mondale were interviewed recently on Minnesota Public Radio on the topic of their long, love filled life together.  A couple of mentions are made about one of the landmarks of our neighborhood:

"Today, the Mondales live in a loft overlooking the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. The walls are decorated with political mementos, memoribilia and artwork. Joan has worked or taught in the arts for decades, earning her the nickname Joan of Art."

"One of their favorite things to do is walk across the Stone Arch Bridge. Even after decades in public life, Joan and Walter Mondale are still humbled when people recognize them on the street."

Listen to the interview here:

Read the story on MPR here...

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/11/10/walter-joan-mondale-profile/

Former President Jimmy Carter, left, and former Vice President Walter Mondale walk together after helping build a Habitat for Humanity home in Minneapolis, October 6, 2010. (MPR Photo / Jefferey Thompson)

Opening reception for Coffee House and Toothpaste Press at Open Book - From Letterpress to E-book

Minnesota Center for Book Arts is pleased to host an exhibition celebrating over 25 years of Minneapolis-based Coffee House Press and its letterpress predecessor Toothpaste Press, founded by Allan Kornblum. See how Coffee House Press has grown from a small mimeographed poetry magazine called Toothpaste to an independent nonprofit publishing company with international reach and an award-winning history of excellence.

With introductory comments from Emilie Buchwald, the opening reception will spotlight founder Allan Kornblum who will present on the the genesis and history of Coffee House and Toothpaste, with refreshments to follow.

The exhibition will be on display through January 9, 2011.

Opening reception: Coffee House and Toothpaste Press: From Letterpress to E-book
at the Open Book Cowles Literary Commons

Thursday, November 11; 6:45pm

Location: Open Book at 1011 Washington Avenue South

History of the City of Minneapolis - Part 1

This is a great read if you're researching the history of Minneapolis, but maybe not for a casual read. Published in 1893. Author: Isaac Atwater.

Donwload (big file - almost 50MB)

35w Bridge Memorial to be completed by August 1, 2011

Visit the 35W Bridge Memorial website:

http://35wbridge.org/dedication-of-memorial/

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board last Wednesday approved West River Parkway as the site for the Remembrance Garden – a memorial to the Aug. 1, 2007 collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis.

While no start date was given for construction to begin, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak committed to the memorial being completed in time for a August 1 formal dedication - the 4 year anniverary of the bridge collapse.

Download artist renderings of the memorial here...

The site of the 35w Bridge Memorial is in the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis.

Finalists Chosen for Riverfront Design Competition [Video]

Video of the Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition Press Conference

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Minneapolis Parks Foundation, with Creative Partners, University of Minnesota College of Design and Walker Art Center, announced the Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition finalists yesterday:

Ken Smith Workshop | New York City
Stoss Landscape Urbanism | Boston
Tom Leader Studio | Berkeley
Turenscape | Beijing

The teams‘ collective work includes award-winning riverfront and industrial reclamation park projects, in places such as Shanghai, Memphis, Toronto, New York City, Dubai, Milwaukee and London.

Fifty-five design teams responded to the RFQ, and the 13-member jury noted that the quality was exceptionally high. Says Bill Morrish, MR|DC jury member, and Dean of the School of Constructed Environments and Associate Dean, Parsons The New School of Design in New York City, “The four teams we short-listed comprise innovative and inspirational people who will work very hard to create great concepts for the Minneapolis riverfront.” Learn more about their work on the Teams page.

Each team will produce 21st-century parks designs for 220 acres of parkland and the surrounding neighborhoods along both sides of the 5.4-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from the Stone Arch Bridge in the historic downtown Mill District to the city’s northern limits. The winning design will be a comprehensive, integrated vision for the Upper Riverfront that establishes parks as the engine for economic development, transforms the river into a connector rather than a barrier between east and west banks, and refocuses Minneapolis toward what is one of the three great rivers of the world.

Learn more...

• Ken Smith Workshop, [PDF] New York.

• Stoss Landscape Urbanism, Boston.

• Tom Leader Studio, Berkeley, Calif.

• Turenscape, Bejing, China.

Signs of Mill City

The North Star Woolen Mill Sign at Night

The Northstar Mill is located in the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis.

American Red Cross Blood Donor Center Open Today and Waiting for Your Donation

You benefit too when you donate at the Red Cross:

- It feels great to donate!

- You get free juice and cookies.

- It's something you can spare – most people have blood to spare... yet, there is still not enough to go around.

- You will help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed – most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do.

- You will be someone's hero – in fact, you may help as many as three people with just one donation.

Location: American Red Cross Minneapolis Blood Dononation Center, 1201 West River Parkway

Time: 10:45am - 5:15pm

Donation Types: Blood

Phone: 800-448-3543

Mill City Museum Job Posting

The Minnesota Historical Society seeks applicants for an Interpreter I to engage, educate, and entertain visitors to the Mill City Museum and present lessons to school groups using a variety of interpretive and performance techniques to communicate historical information. This is a part-time, regular position (832 annual hours) located at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, MN.

For complete details visit http://www.mnhs.org/about/jobs/836.html

This Weekend in Mill City / November 05-07

Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis:

Friday, November 5

Mentor Series: C.J. Hribal at The Loft

Lunch with MacPhail

Book Release Party at CorAzoN

Live Music at the 501 Club

Saturday, November 6

Holiday Note Cards (Beginners) at MCBA

Washburn A Mill Tour

Equilibrium: Doug Kearney at The Loft

A Disappearing Number at the Guthrie

Live Music at the 501 Club

Sunday, November 7

Steve Roehm Drumset Master Class “Improve Your Groove” – Understanding your Role in a Band at MacPhail

An evening with Eileen Myles at The Loft

Vikings vs. Cardinals at the Dome

Weekend Brunch

Saturday

Brunch at Spoonriver

Reservations recommended

10:00am - 2:00pm

See the menu

Sunday

Brunch at Spill the Wine
1101 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415
612-339-3388

brunch buffet 10am- 2pm Sunday
$12/person (kids 3 and under eat free, 4-12 years are 1/2 price!)

includes: eggs, bacon, french toast, hash browns, fresh salad and fruit, pastries, build your own omlette bar and more...

featuring absolut bloody bar for $5.

also offering fair trade coffee and full bar. 

The Siren Has Been Silenced

At 1:00 pm yesterday, the first Wednesday of the month, the siren was silent.  Great news for the neighborhood, and the family with the 5 month old baby living right next to it.

See update from original article below:

Update on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 11:06AM

Ruth from City Council Member Lisa Goodmans' office called this morning with good news - the siren has been deactivated!  The City is searching for a new location, and I've been put in touch with the person in charge - stay tuned for more as it becomes available.

Wish I could say it was the result of this story, but the truth is far less dramatic.  The truth is heartening as well - all it took was one phone call to City Council Member Lisa Goodmans' office and some behind the scenes work by Ruth.  Our immediate neighborhood is now just a little bit better place to live, and I've had a positive first experience working with the City of Minneapolis.  Thank you Ruth and Council Member Goodman.

BTW - to be fair to the City of Minneapolis, they did not put the siren next to residential buildings, the siren has been at this location for many years.  The buildings actually went up near the siren.

Park Vista Condos Inch Closer to Approval

Last week the Minneapolis Zoning and Planning Commission recommended the City Council approve an appeal by Shamrock Development to increase to number of parking spaces allowed at the proposed Park Vista condo development across from Gold Medal Park in the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis.

At its Sept. 7 meeting, the planning commission approved the conditional-use permit for the Park Vista project. On the parking issue, the planning commission approved 1.8 parking spaces per residential unit. The planning commission also added the condition that Stanton provide a shared car, such as HourCar, at the project.

Stanton appealed, making a case for 1.85 spaces per residential unit and protesting the shared-car requirement. Stanton's number includes the 10 visitor parking spaces - seven more than are required by the city. Stanton is proposing underground parking, not a surface parking lot.

From an article by Dolan Media

The appeal goes before the full council at its meeting on Friday November 5, 2010.

Mill City Farmers Market and Mill City Times Announce Partnership

Mill City Farmers Market and Mill City Times announced a partnership today aimed at strengthening the ties between local businesses, local sustainable organic agriculture, and building community engagement.

As part of this effort, Mill City Times has become a sponsor of the popular farmers market, located in the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis.

"We are thrilled to have Mill City Times as a new partner of the Mill City Farmers Market! We share a commitment to engaging our community and spreading the word about our wonderful Mill District neighborhood and look forward to working together," said Marjorie Hegstrom, Executive Director of the Mill City Farmers Market.

Read the full press release...