Today We Honor Those Who Selflessly Gave Their Lives
Monday, May 30, 2022 at 2:53AM |
Kim Eslinger | 
Remembering and honoring all military members who have died while serving in United States armed forces.
Kim Eslinger
Editor
612-321-8040
kim@millcitymedia.org
Brianna Ojard
Associate Editor
David Tinjum
Publisher
612-321-8020
dave@millcitymedia.org
Becky Fillinger
Small Business Reporter
Email Becky...
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Enhancing the Minneapolis riverfront environment—for people and pollinators.
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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.

Remembering and honoring all military members who have died while serving in United States armed forces.
Our shopping basket from the May 28 Mill City Farmers Market.
American Hazelnut Company, Jabà Noodles and PaChia Blooms made their debut at the May 28 Mill City Farmers Market. Three very welcome additions!
American Hazelnut Company is a collaborative of hazelnut growers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. You'll find hazelnut oil, roasted hazelnuts, flour and seasoned hazelnuts in convenient snack packs. They're next Market date is June 11th.
Jabà Noodles is a Taiwanese street food company. Their cold noodle dishes are composed of authentic Taiwanese noodles (wheat or gluten free) with fresh local julienned veggies and your choice of tofu, chicken or pork, plus other toppings. They also sell jars of chili oil and fried shallots (oh so crispy and sweet!). Jabà Noodles will be back at the Market on July 2nd.
PaChia Blooms offers a variety of beautiful, ethical and minimalistic handmade products including bath bombs, bath salts and candles. Of the many scents offers, we chose Dreamy Sea and Twilight Forest candles with wood wicks. Their next Market date is August 6th.
The Power of Produce program has returned after a 2-year pandemic hiatus. On the final Saturday of each month, kids can receive $2 to shop the market when they sample the veggie of the month.
Happy to see Maazah return to the Market. All three versions are terrific, but I'm addicted to the aioli!
Burning River Farm is back, so fresh arugula is officially back in my diet.
See Fred Golchin of French Nugget Company for all things lavender.
There's no resisting the lush display of flowers and plants from Green Earth Growers!

Parkway updates from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board:
West River Parkway is scheduled to close between 4th Avenue N and Portland Avenue on Wednesday, June 1 for a project that will bring power to the plaza in front of Water Works for food trucks and other vendors. Trails and the Stone Arch Bridge parking lot will remain open.
REMINDER: West River Parkway is scheduled to close between 4th Avenue N and Portland Avenue from Tuesday, July 5 to Tuesday, July 17 for work related to the reconstruction of the 3rd Avenue Bridge by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. During this closure, the Stone Arch Bridge parking lot will remain open and trails will close during the week and reopen on weekends. Visit Hwy 65/3rd Avenue Bridge Reconstruction website for details on that project.

4th Street Reconstruction Project Overview
The City of Minneapolis is reconstructing 4th St. between 2nd Ave. N and 4th Ave. S in downtown Minneapolis. The reconstruction will include wider sidewalks, improved crossings, a new bi-directional off-street bike path on the north side of the street, lighting, trees, and planting beds. Construction is underway and is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.
What's Happening Next Week?
Roadway reconstruction continues on 4th St. between 2nd Ave. N and Hennepin Ave. Fourth St. is currently closed to vehicle traffic between 1st Ave. N and Hennepin Ave. Local access is being maintained between 2nd Ave. N and 1st Ave. N.
*Please note that the construction schedules are subject to change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.
What to expect during construction?
Upcoming Events
4th Street Weekly Stakeholder Meeting
Weekly project newsletters are sent out weekly and virtual stakeholder meetings occur bi-weekly. Join us at the next stakeholder meeting to get project updates, talk with project staff and get your questions/concerns answered.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings:
June 3rd: 9-9:30 a.m.
June 17th: 9-9:30 a.m.
Teams Meeting: Click here to join the meeting
Stay connected
There are multiple ways to get information including email updates and ongoing stakeholder meetings. Visit the project website for more information and to sign up for project updates: www.minneapolismn.gov/government/projects/fourth-st-n-and-s/
Provide questions, comments or concerns on the interactive map: https://zan.mysocialpinpoint.com/4thstreetreconstruction
Email the project team: info@4thstmpls.com
Contact the project hotline: 612-412-9774
Concrete pouring between 1st Avenue N and Hennepin Avenue

Hennepin Avenue Downtown Reconstruction Project
Hennepin Ave. will be reconstructed between 12th Street and Washington Avenue. The City will reconstruct the pavement from building face to building face, including improvements to public and private utility infrastructure, and improved space for pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and vehicles.
Latest Project News
Concrete Pavement continues to be poured this past week between 5th and 7th Streets. Additional lanes are being reconstructed in the 7th Street intersection as well.
Lane and partial intersection closures will continue
On Phase II north of 5th St, the planter rail installation has begun.
What's Coming Up
The last portion of the 7th Street intersection will get poured next week to allow an additional lane of traffic through the intersection. Preparations are being made for the LRT shutdown at 5th St with pavement removals and conduit work in anticipation for the weekend concrete paving work.
Local access to the 5th-6th driveways will change next week with entrance and exit to 6th St.
Single lane traffic will remain at 7th through next week as well.
For more information see attached update. Hennepin_Update_Vol93.pdf
Contact Info
For more information on this project contact:

Join Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) for an evening planting along the shoreline at BF Nelson Park. This park, across the river from Nicollet Island in Minneapolis, offers scenic walkways and views of the Mississippi River.
Last fall, volunteers began removing buckthorn from the shoreline. Now, there are gaps in the woods at this park that are ready to be filled with native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. Planting native species along the shoreline will not only add diversity to this ecosystem, but stabilize the banks and help prevent erosion. By planting a variety of grasses and flowering plants, you'll help beautify this park and protect its future!
All are welcome and no experience is necessary. All volunteers are encouraged to work at their own pace, and all tools, gloves and training will be provided. This event is part of FMR's Above the Falls Stewards program, engaging North and Northeast Minneapolis residents to protect and restore their riverfront parks.

A Tribute to Peter Ostroushko: Mandolin & Guitar Concert
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Carnegie Hall, MacPhail Center for Music, and the mandolin all have one thing in common: legendary mandolinist, Emmy award winner, composer, and international musician, Peter Ostroushko.
MacPhail Center for Music will celebrate Peter’s life and music with a free tribute concert on June 5th at 2 pm in Antonello Hall. The event is open to the public. All are welcome.
Peter Ostroushko spent more than 40 years as a frequent performer on A Prairie Home Companion and has performed with the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and was featured on Austin City Limits, Late Night with David Letterman, and even Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. He was a beloved, long-time faculty member at MacPhail. Peter succumbed to heart failure in 2021 and Minnesota’s music community now welcomes the opportunity to pay tribute to this beloved talent.
Multi-instrumentalist Richard Kriehn is now carrying the torch of his beloved mentor and colleague as faculty at MacPhail Center for Music teaching mandolin, guitar, and fiddle. It was Peter’s wish that Richard continues sharing the mandolin, giving way to MacPhail’s new mandolin/fiddle program, started in Peter’s honor. Several of his mandolins are being donated (at Peter’s request) to MacPhail to continue his legacy. The instruments will be used by faculty and students wishing to study mandolin. They will be displayed at the concert.
The concert will feature well-known Peter Ostroushko songs performed by Kriehn and long-time Ostroushko collaborator, Dean Magraw. Tributes will be given by former students, colleagues, and family.
Kolman & Reeb Gallery is pleased to present its next Project Space grantee exhibition: Artistic Lichens, composed of new work by encaustic artist, Julie Snidle. The exhibition opens June 11 with a reception from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, and closes August 6, 2022.
Orange Chocolate ChipSnidle will also give an artist talk and demonstrate her artistic process at 7:00 pm on July 7 during the Northrup King Building’s monthly First Thursday event.
The motivation for the exhibition came to Snidle while she was attending an encaustic conference on Cape Cod. “I’d walk out onto a nearby seawall, which was comprised of gray boulders encrusted with bright, yellow-orange lichens, Xanthoria parientina,” she recalls. “I couldn’t stop looking at them. I knew I had to create a new body of work inspired by those beautiful lichens.
FlameThe Kolman & Reeb Gallery Project Space Grant made it possible for Snidle to paint 51 abstract encaustic artworks of different sizes: “A whole gallery of paintings that celebrates these fascinating organisms,” she says. “Even though I’ve done a lot of research on lichens the paintings are not scientifically accurate. They’re not biological studies. They’re abstracted interpretations.” Encaustic, or beeswax, she adds, “has a wonderful malleability that adds multi-dimensionality to the paintings. The series has allowed me to explore new and unusual methods to achieve the colors, textures, and shapes I’ve appreciated for so long.”
Julie SnidleAnita Sue Kolman, gallery co-owner and partner is pleased that, “Our Project Space Grant initiative has allowed Julie to investigate a whole new array of techniques in the encaustic world that will surely engage our collectors and visitors." Jodi Reeb, gallery co-owner, partner, and curator of the show added, “I’m thrilled we could give Julie the time and support she desired to experiment with encaustic and generate new work through our Project Space Grant Program. As an encaustic artist and sculptor myself, I’m excited to see what she brings into the gallery for everyone to enjoy.”
Snidle concludes the Project Space Grant has “opened a pathway for me to explore the idea of abstracting nature. I see something every day that catches my eye - a color combination, a play of light and shadow, an unusual plant. Through this grant, and the making of this work, I’m now comfortable with the idea of abstracting those visual surprises. I hope visitors to the gallery delight in what I’ve achieved.”

LUSH Lounge & Theater is celebrating Pride with a fun week of programming, and tickets are on sale now. PLUSH: A LUSH Pride Experience is a fun-filled week of drag shows, concerts, DJ dance parties and more. PLUSH will run June 22-26 with events happening inside LUSH, outside on the patio, and in the parking lot.

“Since this is our first Pride as owners, we wanted to create a fun atmosphere where everyone can celebrate and have a good time.” Jared Lawrence, Co-owner, LUSH Lounge & Theater
While there will be events happening each day during Pride week from June 22-26, an outdoor Pride Party will take place in the parking lot on Saturday, June 25. Headlining the party will be a concert from Billy Gillman and Brooke Eden.
PLUSH Programming Schedule
Wednesday, June 22
o Drag Queen Bingo from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
o PLUSH & Play Gayme Show Hosted by Jason Matheson from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 23
o Erin Schwab & Friends Special Pride Show from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
o DJ Dance Party from 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Friday, June 24
o Pride Kick-off Happy Hour from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
o RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewing Party from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
o DJ in the lounge from 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
o Mirage: Drag After Dark in the theater at 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 25
o Outdoor Stage
- DJ LaKesha 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
- Billy Gilman & Brook Eden concert from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
- Mirage: Drag After Dark from 8:30 - 10:00 p.m.
o LUSH
- DJ on the patio from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
- DJ Dance Party in the theater from 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sunday, June 26
o Live stream the Twin Cities Pride Parade in the theater
o DJ on the patio from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
o Drag pop-up performances in the lounge and patio from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
o Drag Bingo in the theater from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
PLUSH passes are now available for purchase, including three options:
· The PLUSH Pass $150: Access to all events during Pride week, plus a limited-edition t-shirt, and preferred reserved seating at events.
· Weekend Pass $75: Access to all events at LUSH on Saturday and Sunday.
· Saturday Pass $65: Access to all events at LUSH on Saturday.
To view a full lineup of entertainment and events and to purchase tickets, visit lushmpls.com and follow on social media @lushmpls.

The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience
Climb down the rabbit hole to a topsy-turvy cocktail adventure!
Tickets are on now sale for a whimsical pop-up experience coming to Stilheart Distillery & Cocktail Lounge, 124 N 3rd Avenue, Suite 100. The Wonderland tea party experience will open July 20th and run until October 23rd, 2022.
Create your own liquid concoctions under the watchful eye of The Mad Hatter and expect things to get curious and curiouser. Dive through the looking glass and into a fantasy world where you will play croquet with flamingos, paint the roses red and devour 'Eat Me' cookies! Solve riddles and challenges just like Alice and unlock all the ingredients to create your own enchanted teapot cocktails. It's all fun and games until someone steals the Queen of Hearts' tarts!
Explore the magic and join the tea party to end all tea parties! This 90 minute alternate reality experience in Wonderland includes a welcome drink, two bespoke Wonderland cocktails and an 'Eat Me' cookie. $47 per person - Reservations.
The Alice is a production of Hidden Media Network. This event has been a huge hit, selling out Sydney and Melbourne before beginning a US tour and selling out multiple cities including New York, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco and Chicago.
As usual, our shopping basket from the May 21 Mill City Farmers Market is packed! New items include ready to bake buttermilk biscuits from Vikings and Goddesses Pie Company, Schmickles pickles, a potted cactus from Sol Soils and smoked country style sausages from Sweet Lou's.
Schmickles! Like so many tasty treats we enjoy today, this product came to be when friends told Nick and Felecia Schmidt their homemade pickles were so good they should be selling them. Those encouraging buddies even helped the Schmidts come up with a company name, which is a combination of their last name and pickles. Schmickles are produced in small batches using ingredients from local farmers markets.
Travis Thein and John Porter of Sol Soils offer a variety of high-quality soils, soil components and soil toppers designed for potted cacti, succulents and houseplants. For those of us who are not inclined to come up with our own creations, they had an array of potted cacti and succulents ready to take home.
I took this little guy home. Sol Soils provides care instructions with your purchase to eliminate any guesswork.

Saturdays, May 28 - September 3, 9:00-10:00am
After a pandemic-forced hiatus, Yoga in the Park returns next Saturday, May 28 in Gold Medal Park at 9 a.m. These sessions are sponsored by Be That Neighbor, and are free and open to all.
Bring you mat and water, and meet by the orange sculpture in the park. Please arrive a few minutes early to sign a Medical Liability Waiver.

“Dinosaurs unfurl in their rhythmic wildness. These dinosaurs vogue and groove and take up space in their world, in harmony, with each other.”
The Impact Theory of Mass Extinction tells the story of two black, queer teens who discover dinosaur bones in their South Minneapolis neighborhood. The teens get sucked into a prehistoric portal where they are taken in by a nurturing “queendom” of dinosaurs. In this new world, our protagonists learn the ways of the dinosaurs as they prepare for their impending extinction.
Puppeteer Steve Ackerman has transformed the historic Avalon Theater into a lush, prehistoric landscape. Live music and sound effects will animate the teens’ Jurassic journey.
Photo: Uche Iroegbu
Impact Theory is born from the skills of local artists: shadow, table top, and large-scale puppet builders; mask makers; musicians; puppeteers; filmmakers; and actors. The creative brilliance of this team breathes life into this Minneapolis Dinosaur adventure premiering at the Avalon Theater this June.
Impact Theory is the brainchild of playwright, Junauda Petrus-Nasah and puppeteer, Steve Ackerman. They wanted to craft a piece based on Petrus-Nasah’s experience as a queer Black girl growing up in 1980s South Minneapolis. She was inspired by what is now the Greenway, but were once train tracks peppered with graffiti and debris. The site, she recalls, resembled a magic portal to another world.
Puppetry’s unique ability to embody the fantastic make it the perfect art form to tell this story. Petrus-Nasah has always felt a deep connection to puppetry and In the Heart of the Beast, explaining:
“Puppetry has chosen me so many times in life. As a person of Trinidadian and Cruzan descent where there is a carnival and sort of parade history and legacy, Heart of the Beast and MayDay was proximity to that…I never could have imagined that I would be writing things one day that would be in this theater that I would be passing by all the time as a teenager.”
Exploring the relationship between humans and puppets gives us “a hopeful and exciting way to exhume and discover new ways of being,” says Director Harry Waters, Jr.
Impact Theory will be Heart of the Beast’s first puppet and mask production since 2018.
Petrus-Nasah hopes that Impact Theory will give kids of color and Indigenous youth the chance to see themselves reflected in puppetry. She aims to inspire children in the neighborhood to explore the medium, “Puppetry is one of those art forms that is so immersive, magnetizing, and magical. I want young people to see that puppetry is a tool and a possibility for the future as an art form and as a form of healing.”
Performance Schedule:
Thursday, June 16 7:30p (Opening Night)
Friday, June 17 - 7:30p
Saturday, June 18 - 7:30p
Sunday, June 19 - 2:00p Free!*
Sunday, June 19 - 7:30p
Thursday, June 23 - 7:30p Free!*
Friday, June 24 - 7:30p
Saturday, June 25 - 7:30p
Sunday, June 26 - 2:00p Free! Access*
Sunday, June 26 - 7:30p
*The performance on Sunday, June 26 at 2pm will have ASL interpretation and audio description available. Heart of the Beast Theatre will offer a sensory touch tour on this date at 1 pm. There will be free ear plugs and fidgets for audience members as well. Additional accessibility infor. Please note - the three free performances (June 19 at 2pm, June 23 at 7:30pm, and June 26 at 2pm) are intended for children and families in the Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods. All other performances are pay-as-able. All audience members must wear face masks. Tickets and information.

Registration is now open for summer Continuing Education courses at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) for those looking to deepen their creative practice or learn a new skill. Topics include painting, graphic design, animation, printmaking, UX design, illustration, and more. A small sampling of classes are below, and the full list of offerings can be viewed at mcad.edu/ce.



East Bank Mississippi River Care: Wild Sanctuary at Owamni, Father Hennepin Bluffs Park Lower Trail
Saturday, June 4, 9 am - 12 pm.
Join the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association to care for the wild, natural sanctuary on the East Bank of the Mississippi River where bald eagles and great blue herons hunt and the Mississippi once tumbled over massive limestone to create Owamni, later named St. Anthony Falls.
Participants will restore and care for native habitat, planting native wildflowers and grasses and remove invasive perennials and woody vegetation. For more information, a list of all 2022 dates, and to register, go to https://www.marcy-holmes.org/father_hennepin_stewards.
Volunteers will meet at the Lower Trail, near the corner of Main Street SE and Third Avenue SE, across from Pillsbury A Mill.

4th Street Reconstruction Project Overview
The City of Minneapolis is reconstructing 4th St. between 2nd Ave. N and 4th Ave. S in downtown Minneapolis. The reconstruction will include wider sidewalks, improved crossings, a new bi-directional off-street bike path on the north side of the street, lighting, trees, and planting beds. Construction is underway and is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.
What's Happening Next Week?
Roadway reconstruction continues on 4th St. between 2nd Ave. N and Hennepin Ave. Fourth St. is currently closed to vehicle traffic between 1st Ave. N and Hennepin Ave. Local access is being maintained between 2nd Ave. N and 1st Ave. N.
*Please note that the construction schedules are subject to change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.
What to expect during construction?
Upcoming Events
4th Street weekly Stakeholder Meeting.
Weekly project newsletters and virtual stakeholder meetings are sent out weekly. Join us at the next stakeholder meeting to get project updates, talk with project staff and get your questions/concerns answered.
There will be no stakeholder meeting on Friday, May 27, 2022. Meetings will resume their weekly schedule Friday, June 3, 2022.
Next Meeting: June 3, 9-9:30 a.m.
Teams Meeting: Click here to join the meeting
Stay connected
There are multiple ways to get information including email updates and ongoing stakeholder meetings. Visit the project website for more information and to sign up for project updates: www.minneapolismn.gov/government/projects/fourth-st-n-and-s/
Provide questions, comments or concerns on the interactive map: https://zan.mysocialpinpoint.com/4thstreetreconstruction
Email the project team: info@4thstmpls.com
Contact the project hotline: 612-412-9774
Roadway reconstruction near the Hennepin Avenue intersection.
Roadway repaving at the 1st Avenue N intersection.
1:00pm-5:00pm - Loring Park, 1382 Willow Street https://loringpark.org/


Green Minneapolis recently announced a summer long series of free performing arts presentations at Peavey Plaza, the City of Minneapolis owned downtown architectural landmark.
Green Minneapolis believes in the power of art to nurture human connection, and parks and public spaces are some of the best places in our community where people from all walks of life come together to relax, recreate and get to know one another.
As part of the broader reanimation of downtown, every week from June thru September, Peavey Plaza will be the place to go downtown for free music, dance and theater performances. Performing partners include the Minnesota Orchestra, the Children’s Theatre Company, Cantus, MNspin, ARENA DANCES, Mirage Performing Arts, Joe Davis & The Poetic Diaspora and Westminster Presbyterian Church Music Program. Funding for this programming is made possible by charitable contributions to Green Minneapolis.
For a complete listing of performances, visit greenminneapolis.org/events.


Hennepin Avenue Downtown Reconstruction Project
Hennepin Ave. will be reconstructed between 12th Street and Washington Avenue. The City will reconstruct the pavement from building face to building face, including improvements to public and private utility infrastructure, and improved space for pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and vehicles.
Latest Project News
Concrete Paving is in full swing from 5th to 7th, including two thirds of the 7th Street Intersection. Traffic on 7th will reopen to two lanes crossing the Hennepin intersection starting Saturday morning.
On Phase 2 north of 5th Street, perennial and annual plantings were completed this week as well.
What's Coming Up
Next week will bring more lanes of concrete paving from 5th to 7th on Hennepin. The remaining work on the third lane in the 7th St Intersection will begin next week as well.
Planter railings will start to be installed north of 5th next week followed by the railing lights.
5th Street will be closed west of Hennepin starting Monday next week.
For more information please see attached update. Hennepin_Update_Vol92.pdf
Contact Us
For more information on this project contact:

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