Streetscapes Walking Tour: Skid Row Minneapolis: A tour of the old Gateway District

Take a trip into the historic heart of Minneapolis. Today it’s center of a revitalizing downtown, but once it was home to the largest Skid Row in the upper Midwest. Urban redevelopment swept away nearly 200 buildings in the early 1960s, but enough remains of the old city to enable a journey of imagination into a streetscape of cheap bars, flophouses and rescue missions. Your guide is James Eli Shiffer, a Star Tribune editor and columnist, and the author of the new book, “The King of Skid Row: John Bacich and the Twilight Years of Old Minneapolis.”

More info and Tickets

Teddy Bear Clinic Invites Children to Explore HCMC’s Pediatric Emergency Department - May 21

Teddy Bear Clinic invites children and their friends to explore HCMC’s pediatric emergency department

Visiting an emergency department for the first time can be scary – but not on Saturday, May 21 from 8-10 AM when kids are invited to bring their Teddy Bears to Hennepin County Medical Center’s (HCMC) Emergency Department for a special Teddy Bear Clinic.

“The goal of this free event is to expose children to the medical environment before a traumatic situation occurs,” explains HCMC emergency physician Dr. Ashley Strobel. “In addition to preventing trauma, we hope to help children feel more comfortable in this setting and with the procedures that occur during a typical emergency department visit. Allowing Teddy – or any other stuffed animal – to participate demonstrates the friendly nature and loving goal of a visit.”

Teddy Bears visiting the emergency department on May 21 will be “admitted” and may have a variety of procedures performed including blood pressure and heart rate checks, injections, stitches, x-rays, or a splint or bandage placed on their paws.

The Teddy Bear Clinic may be a special occasion, but Teddy Bears are welcome in the emergency department anytime. In fact, parents are encouraged to have their child bring their Teddy Bear or any item that will add to their comfort (electronic games, favorite toys, blanket or doll).

While these familiar items can be helpful, Dr. Strobel reminds parents that they are their child’s source of strength and security during an emergency visit. “Being honest about what might happen and reducing anxiety are important. If a procedure is required in the emergency department, parents can help ease the anxiety by talking to them, calming and supporting their child. They can also remind their child that the doctor or nurse is doing something to make them feel better.”

This is especially true for a child’s biggest fear – the needle. HCMC is implementing a poke plan to minimize injection anxiety with the goal of becoming an “ouch-less” emergency department. This is accomplished with the use of creams, sprays, medications, and even laughing gas.  HCMC’s Child Life Specialists also play a key role in providing activities to help distract children from painful procedures.

“As a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center we have a duty to our community to provide the highest level of pediatric emergency and surgical care,” says Dr. Strobel. “And part of the healing experience is to reduce anxiety for the child and family during traumatizing and stressful situations in an unfamiliar hospital environment. Knowing what may happen and having a special friend like Teddy navigate those experiences can minimize these fears.”

In addition to the Teddy Bear examinations, the Teddy Bear Clinic will feature Teddy bear repairs and sew-ups, trauma prevention activities, ambulance and fire truck tours, and free bike helmet give-ways (while supplies last). For more information go to hcmc.org/teddy.

For more than 120 years, Hennepin County Medical Center has successfully taken care of critically injured and ill children. That experience makes a huge difference when a child’s life is at risk. HCMC is a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center with the right people and equipment in place, ready to care for critically injured children from the time of injury through rehabilitation.

Fourth Annual Foodie 4 Mile Run Benefiting the Northeast Farmers Market Saturday, May 21

Fourth Annual Foodie Four Mile Run Benefiting the Northeast Farmers Market Saturday, May 21, 2016 Opening Day of the Market
Registration Now Open

[MINNEAPOLIS – May 16, 2016] The Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market announces The Foodie Four Mile: Race to the Market. It will be a fun run held Saturday, May 21, starting at 8:00 a.m., one hour before the Market opens the season.

Organizers say that the event's purpose is threefold, encompassing a fun run, a fundraiser, and celebration of the 2016 season Market opening. Costumes, dogs and strollers are welcome. This is a zero waste event.

The four mile course will be an excellent opportunity for runners and walkers of every skill level to enjoy a run or walk in Minneapolis' most historic and beautiful areas. The run starts in Northeast at B. F. Nelson Park (400 Marshall Street NE), winds along the Mississippi River through the St. Anthony West, Nicollet Island, and St. Anthony Main districts. After crossing the Stone Arch Bridge, the second half of the run will go through the wooded west side riverfront parks and Boom Island Park.

A portion of the event proceeds will also go to The Food Group's Harvest for the Hungry program. Harvest for the Hungry purchases fresh, locally-grown produce from Minnesota and Wisconsin farms to provide to Minnesota households facing hunger.

As a “Foodie Rally,” the run is a unique opportunity for fitness-conscious foodies to celebrate the Market's seventeenth season, enjoy awesome post-race treats, receive unique dish towel and market bucks to spend at the market during the 2016 season. Runners are encouraged to make it a “Foodie Four and a Quarter” by jogging to the Market to spend their bucks at the market after enjoying refreshments at the finish line.

The Northeast Farmers Market is located on the corner of 7th Avenue NE and University Avenue NE in the St. Boniface Church parking lot.

For more information and to register go to: http://www.active.com/minneapolis-mn/running/distance-running-races/foodie-4-mile-2016?int

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Contact: info@northeastmarket.org

Foodie Four Mile
Saturday, May 21st 2016
8:00 am
Pioneers Statue, B.F. Nelson Park

Northeast Farmers Market
Saturday, May 21st – October 22nd
9:00 am to 1:00 pm
University and 7th Avenues NE Minneapolis

In the News - News from Downtown & the Riverfront Neighborhoods

TOP STORIES LAST WEEK

Say what? Minneapolis' Downtown East gets a new, unpronounceable name
The name that no one used for the stadium area of downtown Minneapolis is being replaced with a new name no one's likely to use.

Upper Falls lock observation deck to reopen for summer months
The visitor center deck at the lock and dam will open to the public on May 28 and remain open through Labor Day weekend. Hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Developers go own way after North Loop joint venture is nixed by neighbors
A recent North Loop land swap between United Properties and Greco LLC frees the two developers to pursue individual projects after their joint venture on a Washington Avenue site in Minneapolis failed.

Caught up in the whirl
Back in Northeast for the 21st annual Art-A-Whirl

City finalizing short-term operations plan for Commons park
Under the proposed agreement, the DID would oversee cleaning, maintenance, coordination of activities and the development of safety protocols, among other things, for the 4.2-acre park next to the new Vikings stadium.

A paddle on the urban Mississippi
There are many points within the Twin Cities for a great Mississippi river water adventure; both above and below St. Anthony Falls.

Franklin Avenue bridge makeover and detours expected to end by Labor Day weekend
With accelerated construction methods, Mpls. span set to reopen by Labor Day.

Nordstrom Rack coming to IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis
After nearly two years of looking for the right spot downtown, Nordstrom Inc. has zeroed in on the former Gap store space in IDS Center on Nicollet Mall.

Minnesota Vikings announce horn-like sculpture on the west plaza of new stadium
The sculpture, which likely won’t be completed until later in August, will be 107 feet long, 25 feet high, 30 feet wide and weigh more than 38 tons.

Field turf being installed at Vikings' new home
Vikings vice president Lester Bagley calls the turf "one of the last visible milestones" of construction.

Event center to open in former Pillsbury machine shop
For many soon-to-wed couples, the Stone Arch Bridge area is a hotspot for photos. Now an event center is breathing life into a nearby Pillsbury machine shop building just steps from the Marcy-Holmes riverfront.

Northeast Minneapolis studio offers yoga by candelight
Soothing music and soft lights make a traditional vinyasa yoga class even more relaxing.

Milkweed Editions to open new bookstore in downtown Minneapolis
Independent publishing house Milkweed Editions is planning to open a new bookstore in the Open Book building in downtown Minneapolis.

Milkweed Editions to Open Indie Bookstore
Milkweed Books will boast an 18-foot ceiling and shelving that goes from the floor almost up to the ceiling. There will be a street entrance, as well as access from Coffee Gallery. The brick back wall will have a felt covering, so that book-related art, including book jacket art, can be pinned there on a rotating basis.

Milkweed Editions to open new chapter, bookshop in Open Book building
The publishing house will open Milkweed Books in early July at 1011 Washington Av. S.

SUSAN SCHAEFER PHOTOGRAPHY at Grain Belt Bottling House for Art-A-Whirl

Minneapolis, MN, May 16, 2016 - Mill City Times reporter/photographer Susan Schaefer will be one of the artists showing in the historic Grain Belt Bottling House, 79 Thirteenth Avenue N.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55413, balcony level. Hours are: Friday, May 20th, 5 - 10pm, Saturday, May 21st, 12 - 8pm, and Sunday, May 22nd, 12 – 5pm.

Susan will show recent work from: her Portraits of Empowerment: Women’s Wellbeing book and exhibition, the Minneapolis Photo Center “Portraits” exhibit, the University of Minnesota Fine Arts student photography show, select Miksang Contemplative prints, and her new Mississippi River Bridges series. Fine arts prints, books, watercolor cards, and a lush tropical 2017 Contemplative Calendar will be available for purchase.

The artists of the historic Grain Belt Bottling House will kick off with a festive food, wine and  beer event at Friday evening’s opening. Be sure to begin your art adventure at the historic Grain Belt Bottling House.

Art-A-Whirl has been named one of the United States’ premiere art events, attracting up to 30,000 art seekers during its weekend long extravaganza.

Scenes from the May 14 Mill City Farmers Market

In case you missed the May 14 Mill City Farmers Market - here's a few pics to give you an idea of what you missed. 

Asparagus units are referred to as "spears", but this one from Sweed Lake Farms is more like a javelin!

The goat! :)

The Mill District Milliner: Celina Kane

Story by Julie Craven

This story started with a dilemma, and the dilemma was my big head.

I have the unfortunate combination of a large head and Irish skin. Graduation mortar boards popped off my head. Hard hats for plant tours had to be adjusted and cute sun hats looked ridiculous on me. So after another failed attempt to find a hat for some summer sun protection, Maggie said, “Mom, you're just going to have to see if Celina can make you a hat that fits.”

Celina Kane is Hat Make. The milliner lives and works in the A-Mill Artist Lofts. Celina’s creative and entrepreneurial leanings come naturally - her mother Brenda Langton of Spoonriver restaurant is a Mill District icon. But after a triple major at the University of Minnesota in Art History, Political Science and French Studies, Celina found herself drawn to how the elements of design connected with the historical and cultural significance of hats.

“There’s a myth that I studied millinery in Paris, which isn't quite the case," Celina shared. "I did study in Paris, but the interest in hat making came after graduation.” One of her first classes was with Duluth milliner Emily Moe. Since then, she has studied with couture milliners, artists who create totally handmade hats. Anya Caliendo is one of her mentors. The New York based milliner has created hats for celebrities including Lady Gaga. Closer to home, Karen Morris, a St. Paul milliner, known for her occasion and Derby hats, has helped Celina continue to develop her craft.

The shelves that line the studio wall are filled with carved wooden hat blocks. There are piles and baskets of fabrics, ribbon and trim sheets of sinamay, a woven straw hat material. A steamer and a sewing machine take up the center of the room and it was fascinating to hear Celina describe the variety of processes involved - steaming, blocking, trimming - for a variety of hats; cloches, turbans, fedoras, boaters.

So what's on trend in the hat world? Her first collection included 17 hat styles and the new collection has 15. Her personal favorite is the Ojo Crow, a wide floppy brimmed hat that was the most popular item in her winter collection. The Quadratto is another favorite, her own block design, with color and fabric variations that make it a year round choice.

Hat Make will be among over 100 artists at the A-Mill Artist Lofts open during Art-A-Whirl this year (May 20-22). Trolleys will run from the heart of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District to the A-Mill location. Artist demonstrations, live entertainment, book signings and food offerings will make it a riverfront destination for the annual arts celebration.

Since restaurants are my regular beat, I asked her about her favorite (I actually asked her for her two favorite restaurants!) “Spoonriver, of course, and my other favorite is Shuang Chengin Dinkytown. It's amazing!”

And my new hat? Like all of Celina’s designs, it has a name and this one is called The Fold.  There’s a vertical fold, shaped with a hat pin created by concrete artist Beau Sinchai of Koonyai Studio. Bring on the sunshine!

Website: hatmake.com

Julie Craven can be reached at julie@millcitymedia.org

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Editor's note - The A-Mill building has been transformed into a work of art.  If you haven't yet had a chance to experience it, Art-A-Whirl is the perfect opportunity to do so!

May 20 - Bike to Work from Northeast with Council Members Frey and Reich (and after-work Whirlygig! with Indeed Brewing)

Bike to Work with Council Members Frey and Reich

Bike to work with Council Members Frey and Reich on Friday, May 20. The ride will leave from the Nice Ride Station at 22nd Avenue NE and Central Avenue NE at 7:45 and will end at Government Plaza in downtown Minneapolis. The route will wend through Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis neighborhoods and then across the Stone Arch Bridge.

Register

WHEN May 20 at 7:45am - 8:45am
WHERE Nice Ride Station,  2200 Central Ave NE Google map and directions

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After Work Bike Ride to Indeed Brewing Company's Whirlygig 2016!

5:00pm: Meet at Gold Medal Park
5:30pm: Ride to Indeed Brewing (711 15th Ave NE) for Music, Food, and FUN!
$1 entry goes towards Indeed We Can

Details

WHEN May 20 at 5:00pm - 6:30pm
WHERE Gold Medal Park 

Mill City Summer Opera - Sweeney Todd - General Public Tickets go on Sale Monday, May 16

Mill City Summer Opera tickets for their fifth season, July 15-24, are going on sale to the general public on Monday, May 16th! The performance is Sweeney Todd and excitement is building with artistic director David Lefkowich and talent. See their Facebook page for Barber Seat features on performers.

Pre-sale tickets went on sale May 9th, and general tickets will go on sale Monday, May 16th. Ticket prices for all nights except opening night range from $35 through $125, based on location of seats.  Tickets typically sell out within five days, but please note about 35 $35 seats are held for rush for each show. First come first serve!

Ticket info.

Northern Spark Updates - Get Ready for June 11!

Experience new realities at Northern Spark View this email in your browser

Helado Negro sparks the night We're so excited to announce our headliner for this year's Opening Ceremony, Helado Negro. Coming on the heels of opening for a sold-out Devendra Banhart show at the Walker Art Center, Helado Negro will help you start your Northern Spark night off with a bang. Roberto Carlos Lange, the voice and mastermind behind the act, celebrates his Ecuadorian roots, performing futuristic tropical rhythms with bilingual English and Spanish lyrics. Join us at the Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza for family friendly pre-festival activities with the Creative City Challenge Winner Wolf and Moose. The fun begins at 5:30 pm on June 11th, followed by the Opening Ceremony with Helado Negro and Minneaolis Mayor Betsey Hodges beginning at 8:30pm! #interconnect Play all night at Game Bar Game Bar returns to Northern Spark for a second year, with an all-night celebration of video games about climate change from around the world, presented by Northern Lights.mn and GLITCH. Sponsored by Fulton Brewery, the Game Bar invites you to witness and engage with games across platforms and formats—enter alternate realities, projection installations, custom arcade cabinets; sit down for a board game; or pick up a deck of cards. Featuring a variety of games curated by Evva Kraikul and Tyler Stefanich, Game Bar hosts an interactive lounge inside the Mill City Museum. With games Minnesota, Italy, the Czech Republic, and China, a dozen oversized screens will allow visitors to watch and play, while a roving console backpack brings the games right out to the audience. GLITCH promotes the exploration of digital games as a culture, career, and creative practice. They work to educate, inspire, and equip emerging talent with the tools for success in the digital game and simulation fields. #perceive Step Into Another World Step into a new fully immersive medium when you visit Virtual Reality: The New Frontier, an international selection of independent virtual reality works. The lineup includes some of the most compelling narrative and documentary VR storytelling being independently created today, plus specially selected pieces simRvR, Let's Go Crazy, and Black Lives Matter MPLS by local Minnesota artists. Presented in collaboration with the Walker Art Center, Sundance Institute's New Frontier Program, and Northern Lights.mn. simRVR by Bill Gorcica, Mark Gill, Matt Julius, Kristian Twombly invites you to witness the growing toxicity of a river, and how the smallest changes impact the farthest reaches of our food web. Black Lives Matter MPLS by Chuck Olson allows you to experience one peaceful night at the Black Lives Matter protest in North Minneapolis this past winter. In Let's Go Crazy, also by Chuck Olson, witness Dem Atlas perform a tribute to Prince in front of thousands of fans who gathered in front of First Avenue after his death. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Sundance Institute's New Frontier program has provided the highest level of curation in this emerging field since 2007. Incorporating fiction, non-fiction and hybrid projects to showcase innovations in storytelling as it intesects with technology, performance, film, art and music, he works featured in Virtual Reality: The New Frontier will be available for viewing at Northern Spark on June 11 and at the Walker Art Center until Thursday, June 16, and for download at sundance.org/vr #move Be a part of the magic - volunteer! There are so many ways to volunteer for Northern Spark! Come join the team to help out with the thrilling project Virtual Reality: The New Frontier. This collaboration between the Walker Art Center, Sundance Institute's New Frontier Program and Northern Lights.mn will showcase compelling virtual reality works from local, national and international artists. Volunteers help out in 3-hour shifts, which means that you can both volunteer for Northern Spark and participate in it! Lots of roles and times are still available. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 11th and sign-up to volunteer at 2016.northernspark.org/about/volunteer.   Want to hear more? Watch this video to see why our Northern Spark volunteers keep coming back! #act Enjoy a Fulton at the Launch Party We are pleased to present Fulton Brewery as a sponsor for the 2016 Launch Party. Founded in 2009 and now a local staple, Fulton produces the vast majority of their beer at their Northeast brewery. Did you know they are Minneapolis' first taproom? Perhaps you'll find yourself there enjoying a pint during MN Craft Beer Week, and then you'll buy yourself a launch party ticket or two. What could be better than a Fulton enjoyed with friends under a Twin Cities sky before an all-night art festival? In this spirit, current and new subscribers of the Northern Lights.mn newsletter can enter to win Launch Party tickets here! Winner will be announced on May 24. Kick off Northern Spark's 6th year and start your adventure with artistic food curated by Marin Restaurant and Bar & Mill Valley Kitchen, Wise Acre, Black Sheep Pizza, The Third Bird, Al Vento, Eastside, Heyday, Alma, Forepaugh's and more. Enjoy beverages from Fulton Brewery and Lionheart Cider as you listen to music from jazz hip-hop group Doks Robotiks, along with K.Raydio and Bae Tigre! Golden Hour: 7-8 pm ($125 and $250) / Musical guest Doks Robotiks, an energetic, eight member jazz hip-hop group with special guests. Artistic hors d’oeuvres and a SPARKling beverage. VIP balcony seating available. Launch Party: 8-9 pm ($60) / Another set from Doks Robotiks and additional special guests. Artistic hors d’oeuvres and a delicious array of beverages. #act now and get your tickets to the Launch Party today! The Launch Party is presented by the Northern Spark 2016 Host Committee. Leah Gilliam: Artist Talk and Lesberation Game Play Test Saturday, May 21st at 2pm Juxtaposition Arts, 2007 Emerson Ave N, Minneapolis Free! Leah Gilliam talks about her art and tech careers followed by a play session of Lesberation: Trouble in Paradise, a story-telling game where players navigate the social and political complexities of a lesbian commune. Leah Gilliam’s long career of making media continues to expand the horizons of technology-based art in relationship to culture. An accomplished film/videomaker, new media artist, coder, strategist and game designer, Gilliam brings race, gender and sexual orientation into sharp conversation through interactive projects. Her interests range from the obsolescence of technology to the cultural and imaginative implications of human contact with Mars. More recently, her analog board games create a low-tech space for people to have real-world conversations through fantastical scenarios. RSVP on Facebook Now Hiring: Partnership and Outreach Coordinator Northern Lights.mn seeks a Partnership and Outreach Coordinator to support the partnership work of the Northern Spark festival. Apply by May 27th, 2016. Click here for more info!

What's up next with The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul

They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music In Exile Opening May 13 | 35th MSPIFF Official Selection | program: New Releases British director Johanna Schwartz's vibrant documentary follows musicians in Mali in the wake of a jihadist takeover and subsequent banning of music. Featuring original music by 35th MSPIFF special guests Songhoy Blues. ...read more

The Invitation Opening May 13 | 35th MSPIFF Official Selection | program: Dark Out Malicious intentions seem to be on the menu in Karyn Kusama's brilliantly paced thriller centering on a man who attends a suspicious dinner party hosted by his ex-wife Eden and new husband David. ...read more

Marguerite Opening May 20 | program: New Releases In this hilarious tragicomedy set in 1920s France, a wealthy baroness, respected patron of music and the opera, and passionate singer decides to take her performance from salon to stage, unaware of the unfortunate truth that she is the worst singer in the history of opera. ...read more

What We Become Opening May 20 | 35th MSPIFF Official Selection | program: Dark Out The Johansson family are looking forward to a quiet summer in their idyllic suburban Danish town, but in the blink of an eye, things go from blissful to berserk when a horrifying plague tears through the community. ...read more

Catching the Sun May 26 at 7:00pm | program: Community Screen Catching the Sun asks the hard questions of how a clean energy economy may actually be built, through the stories of unemployed workers seeking to retool at a solar jobs training program in Richmond, California. ...read more

Blue Velvet: 30th Anniversary Opening May 27 | program: New Releases At once beautiful, horrifying, erotic and surreal, this 1986 controversial masterpiece created by famed auteur David Lynch and featuring Dennis Hopper in his unforgettable role as Frank Booth returns to theaters in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

Westbound I-94 ramp to Fifth Street closing May 18 through June 1

Via a May 11 e-newsletter from MnDOT:

I-94/Seventh Street Ramp: 2015-2016 Construction  -  Closure Details

You will be unable to access Fifth St. from westbound I-94 in Minneapolis beginning Wed, May 18 at 1 a.m., weather permitting. The ramp will remain closed through Mon, June 1.

If you are intending to access Fifth St. from westbound I-94, please follow the posted detour: northbound Cedar Ave, to westbound Washington Ave, to Fourth Ave. 
The closure is needed while crews continue to reconstruct a new westbound I-94 bridge/ramp to Seventh St. in downtown Minneapolis.

The work is part of a larger project that includes realigning the existing westbound I-94 exit to Fifth St. by constructing a new section of ramp that will redirect traffic exiting westbound I-94 to Seventh St. instead of Fifth St. 

Additional work includes installing a traffic signal system and making accessibility improvements for pedestrians at the intersection of Seventh St. and 13th Ave.

This project is a collaborative effort of the city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Transportation that will:
•Improve mobility and access to downtown Minneapolis from westbound I-94.
•Reduce congestion on downtown area streets.
•Improve pedestrian safety at Seventh St./13th Ave. intersection

For more information, visit: mndot.gov/metro/projects/i94minneapolis/.

For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota visit http://www.511mn.org/ or dial 5-1-1.

Road Closures for May 12 Medtronic TC 1 Mile

On Thursday, May 12, West River Parkway from Portland to 13th Avenue, along with 2nd Street S and 11th Avenue S, will be closed to traffic from approximately 6:00pm-8:30pm for the Medtronic 1 Mile.  More Info

Public Invited to Watch a Trash Sort at HERC, May 12

Via a May 9 e-newsletter from Hennepin County:

Hennepin County seeks a treasure of information in the trash

As part of a new waste study, Hennepin County is digging into residents’ garbage to learn more about what they are throwing away and what opportunities we are missing to recycle more. The study involves sorting trash into new categories that will provide better, more specific information about what could be recycled now but is not, and what opportunities need to be developed to increase recycling in the future. The effort is part of getting to our goal of recycling 75 percent of waste by 2030.

What
Watch a waste sort in action, find out what we’ve already learned, and see examples of the types of materials – recyclable and not recyclable – that are currently in the trash.

When
Thursday, May 12 at 11:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m. – Arrive, get safety equipment and view samples of materials pulled from the trash
11:45 a.m. – Media tour of waste sort
Noon – County officials and recycling experts available for interviews

Who
County officials and experts in waste reduction and recycling will be available for interviews.

Where
Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), 435 North 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401.

Enter the HERC Administration Building and the Visitor’s Center through the Target Field Station parking ramp.

Transit and parking information
Take the METRO Blue or Green lines to Target Field Station, or park at the Target Field Station pay ramp (enter at Fifth Ave. and Fifth St, by Caribou Coffee). Members of the media who need parking for a live-feed signal should contact Maria Baca at 612-348-7865.

Attire and safety information
For safety reasons, visitors must wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, a hard hat, and a safety vest on the HERC's tipping floor, where the waste sort is taking place. Hats and vests will be provided.

About the waste study
The study will examine trash from a cross-section of Minneapolis. After sorting the trash into material categories, the county's study will characterize the materials based on what already is recyclable in residential recycling programs and what materials currently go in the trash. Additionally, comparing the waste sort data to socioeconomic information from the different neighborhoods will help uncover trends in recycling behaviors that will inform future education and outreach efforts.

A secondary sort will examine the waste by “retail” categories, or where consumers buy products in a store and where waste is generated in their homes. This will answer questions such as: Are the packaging or durable goods we are buying recyclable or not? How could we create more opportunities to recycle, reduce, reuse or repair these materials? From what areas of a store and our homes are we generating a lot of trash or missing recycling opportunities?

About recycling in Hennepin County
In 2015, 46 percent of waste generated in Hennepin County was diverted to recycling or organics recycling. The recycling rate in the county has increased steadily but slowly over the past few years. Recycling alone has increased by 5 percent since 2010.

However, significant changes in behavior and waste management methods will be needed to achieve the county’s goal of recycling 75 percent of waste by 2030. This waste study will provide a better understanding of what is still in the trash and what changes will be needed to increase recycling enough to meet our goals.

Learn more about the county’s efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling in the 2015 Hennepin County Recycling Progress Report.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Closed for Reconstruction Project

Via a May 9 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board e-newsletter:

Sculpture Garden will undergo complete reconstruction

A rendering illustrates planned improvements to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is now closed for a reconstruction project that will rebuild its failing infrastructure, breathing new life into the beloved Minnesota cultural institution.

The project includes the complete reconstruction of deteriorated and inadequate infrastructure such as irrigation, drainage and stormwater systems and other physical assets. The upgrades will also increase accessibility with new walkways and a larger bathroom facility and improve energy efficiency by converting Cowles Conservatory into an open air pavilion. Work is expected to take about a year, with a grand reopening planned summer 2017.

The Sculpture Garden will remain closed until the project is completed. For more information visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Reconstruction project page.

In the News - News from Downtown & the Riverfront Neighborhoods

TOP STORIES LAST WEEK

Downtown Minneapolis group to temporarily manage East Commons park after summer opening
When the patch of Minneapolis known as the East Commons park opens sometime this summer, it likely will be managed by an entity personified by the greenish-yellow clad “ambassadors” who populate downtown.

Minneapolis sorts out details ahead of downtown stadium park opening
Downtown park near stadium is set to open, but lack of Portland crosswalk raises questions.

Minneapolis trails converge at railroad river bridge, but will they ever be able to cross?
As new and proposed recreational trails proliferate along the upper Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis, pressure is building for a foot and bike crossing of the river at a lightly used rail bridge near 26th Avenue N.

Downtown East, or East Downtown, is now going to be called East Town
The district is composed of two official city neighborhoods, Elliot Park and Downtown East, and one unofficial area, called the Mill District.

Preservation Commission says no to proposed 40-story condo tower in Minneapolis
The Alatus plans call for 207 for-sale condominiums, 6,700 square feet of ground-floor retail and 333 parking spaces.

‘Iron Clad’ hotel, apt project proposed for Downtown East
Minneapolis-based Graves Hospitality has submitted new plans for its hotel and apartment project, now dubbed “Iron Clad,” in Downtown East near U.S. Bank Stadium.

Hennepin Avenue Reconstruct I: Major Improvements
For all its vitality, Hennepin itself isn’t a nice street. It’s a road designed around cars, from its highway style lights to its wide lanes, and there’s nothing like walking home during a low-traffic time after a show or happy hour downtown to make that all painfully clear in a kind of bleak un-glory.

Paul Berglund named Best Chef Midwest by James Beard Foundation
After a five-year drought in the winners’ circle, Minnesota has another James Beard Award-winning chef.

Rewind Vintage to relocate Northeast store
The vintage clothing store, a staple of Johnston Street for the past decade, will be moving in early June about a block away just across the street.

MPLS/STP Clothing Co. will move to new Woodchuck building
MPLS/STP Clothing Co. said it will officially move Wednesday, May 11 to the building at 610 SE 9th St. in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood.

3rd Avenue Reconstruction Tentatively Proposed to Begin the Week of May 24

Via a notification from the City of Minneapolis:

The City of Minneapolis Council is preparing to proceed with the redesign project on 3rd Avenue S between 1st Street S and 16th Street E. The project limits are shown on the attached map.  The scope of the project includes the installation of a protected bicycle lane, modifications to the existing street to a primarily four lane configuration, and new landscaping opportunities along 3rd Avenue S.  The approved configuration is located on the project website link below. The construction is tentatively proposed to begin the week of May 24th with the commitment of maintaining access to the adjacent properties.  To determine the staging and flow of the work we are coordinating with the numerous development and street construction projects in the downtown area.  We will continue to share information as it is developed.  For additional information on projects, please visit the City of Minneapolis Public Works Traffic Alerts page: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/traffic/index.htm  

You will see the following work tasks begin this year:
•  Removal of center medians and replacement with asphalt pavement;
•  Construct water connections for green space;
•  Adjustments to utility man hole covers;
•  Mill and Overlay on selected blocks to correct the grade from the median removal;
•  Seal Coat of roadway;
•  Temporary and permanent traffic markings; and
•  Signal system improvements.

The roadway reconfiguration will be started in 2016 and opened to traffic over the winter.  Other project work is expected to resume and be completed in 2017.  Activities planned for 2017 include remaining segments of seal coating, permanent traffic markings, irrigation systems and plantings.

We will continue to provide you information as the project proceeds and should there be time sensitive questions or issues that arise, please contact us:

Construction Manager: Elisha Langat at 612.673.5974
Design Manager:  Chris Engelmann at 612.673.3274

Additional information can be found on the project website: www.minneapolismn.gov/cip/future/WCMS1P-150686

It’s May – Mill City Farmers Market Time! A photo essay tour

Story and Photos by Susan Schaefer

It's May! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when everyone goes
Blissfully astray.    (From Camelot by Lerner/Lowe)

If your castle happens to be in proximity to Minneapolis’ Central Riverfront, say a stone’s throw from the Mill City Museum, your a’straying on the first weekend of May just may be to, tra lah, Mill City Farmers Market where most of your pleasures, Milords and Ladies, can be blissfully, tastefully, deliciously met.

On this opening morning you may even run into modern Vikings playing “Kubb” in Gold Medal Park. Yup, Kubb - a Swedish lawn game possibly dating back to days of Viking conquest played between two teams attempting to knock over the opposition’s kubbs and finally the king to win the game. Sort of full body chess. All of this is true. I asked Minnesota Kubb director, Eric Goplin, who was, well, almost as lusty about the game as Lerner and Lowe were about It’s May!

 Minnesota Kubb Director Eric Goplin

 Kubbers kubbing

From the jousting kubbers of the 800s heading north you would enter the realm of the 1800s, strolling past the Guthrie Theater’s front door where the harbinger of spring himself, the charming, top-hatted ambassador of not just the theater but of the entire neighborhood, Mr. Herb Stead, welcomes you. Mr. Stead is as treasured an icon as any of Mill City’s other estimable landmarks.

With a tip of his white-gloved hand to his high hat, his smile as wide as the river, “Ambassador” Mr. Stead beckons you on to the market!

Once in Mill City Farmers Market land, I’ve learned to reconnoiter from inside out, zigging first beneath the protective metal shed adjacent to Mill City Museum heading directly to Lynne Reeck and Kate Wall’s Singing Hills Goat Dairy stand, choosing one of their ever changing tangy goat cheese offerings fresh from the farm to the table. Today? Hard goat cheese.

Big smile from Singing Hills

Typically, I then zag over to Martha’s Joy, producer of home style pickle products, to have a short talk with David, husband of the late Martha Jean Harkness Jackson, who carries on his wife’s legacy of bringing zesty locally grown, home canned veggies to many fans. Today’s selection – spicy beets, after all, there is a bit of a nip in the air.

Martha’s Joy, David

Another zig across the walkway brings me the wizard of aroma, Denise Olsen, whose Olsen Naturals soaps, lip balms and essential oils raise my spirits all year long. I find her thoughtful blend of patchouli and sandalwood body spray a warming dose during Minnesota’s long winters. And if you’re going up to the cabin, don’t forget her insect repellent, good for your health, bad for those biting, stinging critters!

Stocking up on Olsen Naturals

Surfacing from the cool dark overhang, I find Salty Tart one of my market mainstays. Perpetually long lines tell the tale of high quality sumptuousness. Carrying on with May’s lustiness theme, I chose their jalapeño cheddar loaf and a flaky asparagus tart. By now my bulging trusty canvas bag smells like a sorcerer's workspace!

Salty Tart grabs one’s heart

It’s always a tough choice about which riverside snack to choose to make market day a culinary interactive affair. Today I go blissfully astray – taking Rashmi and Sarala’s Gorkha Palace’s veggie momos and Brenda and Tim’s Spoonriver crepes! Like I said, it’s been a long Minnesota winter.

Serving up love and momos from Gorkha Palace

Tough choice at Spoonriver: sweet or savory?

One of the greatest advantages of shopping at Mill City Farmers Market is that your balcony for fine alfresco dining is a scenic overview of the Stone Arch Bridge, the falls, and St. Anthony Main just across the Mississippi. I don’t know of many other Farmer’s Markets that can beat this amenity.

Alfresco dining along the Mississippi

Just as you dab your mouth daintily and prepare to return home, you realize you’re never really finished on first Market Day. As a writer, the literary ladies of Millweed Editions gently remind you to feed your mind, too! Great gorging – no calories!

Feed your head, says Milkweed!

And oh heck, since Red Table’s tent is almost blowing away in a sudden gust of wind from the river, it’s only fitting to help by providing a bit more human ballast, and gosh, while you’re helping out why not bring a spicy salami home for that Mother’s Day brunch?

          Holding the big top at Red Table Meat Co!

There’s always time to begin veganism next week, right? And then we can explore so much more!

So remember:

It’s here, it’s here,
That shocking time of year
Those dreary vows that everyone takes,
Everyone breaks.
Everyone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!

When Mill City Farmers Market blooms with so many vendors it will be hard not to break one teeny vow or two! Hope to see you at the market!

Susan Schaefer can be reached at susan@millcitymedia.org.

Best Kept Secret: How the Red Stag Supperclub Makes the World’s Largest Potato Chips

Story and photos by Julie Craven

The Red Stag Supperclub is one of those places that every time we drove by, Doug would say “we should check that place out.”  So I asked around to see who's tried it and what type of restaurant it is. The answer? What I learned was, if you’ve heard one person’s take on the Red Stag Supperclub, you’ve heard, well, one person’s take.

Jen and Jen at Denny Kemp raved about the Truffle Popcorn and the Homemade Potato Chips at happy hour. For others, it's the “Oh My Cod!” Friday night fish fry and still others are fans of the corned beef hash on the weekend brunch menu. Ask Steve Ylvisaker and he’ll tell you it's the $2 tallboys when you wear your bike helmet on your ride to the Red Stag.

Maggie and I were celebrating the last of her final exams and we split the Walleye Cake special and ordered the Lobster Egg Salad sandwich and the Lobster Mac and Cheese. Our server Caitlin said we called it, as that sandwich and the mac & cheese are big lunch favorites. She added that a lot of Grilled Chicken Cobb salads and burgers are ordered with the business crowd who come for lunch.

Tuesday night’s headline is Cheap Date Night. Here’s a deal - a bottle of wine or a few beers, two entrees and dessert for $36 per couple. The brunch menu draws as many as 350 people on Sunday and reservations are definitely recommended. Organic ingredients are highlighted and local producers are called out on the menu.

If you plan to take in some of the NEMAA First Thursdays in the Arts District events, there’s a happy hour that goes from 3:00 pm till close. An opportunity before or after your visit to Casket Arts or the Northrup King Building studios to see the work of their amazing painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, ceramics, textile and fiber artists, jewelers and furniture artists.

As far as the incredible potato chips go - they're homemade in what Caitlin described as a process that first spins and then deep fries mashed potatoes. They're then finished with a malt vinegar seasoning. When she said they came from the world's biggest potatoes, I did notice she winked!

Location: 509 1st Avenue NE, Minneapolis

Website: redstagsupperclub.com

Julie Craven can be reached at julie@millcitymedia.org

West River Parkway Slope Repair Project Update

Via a May 6 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board e-newsletter:

Repairs on track to wrap up in July; parkway, trails remain closed until Franklin Avenue Bridge reopens this fall

The West River Parkway Slope Repair project is expected to be complete at the end of July 2016. However, West River Parkway and the adjacent trails will remain closed from 4th Street South to 25th Street South until Hennepin County reopens the Franklin Avenue Bridge, which closes to all traffic May 8 and is scheduled to reopen this fall.

We understand the extended closure of West River Parkway has frustrated and inconvenienced many Minneapolis residents and park users and we appreciate the public's patience while work is performed on this extraordinarily challenging project. 

See Project page for updates on the remaining work schedule and project history.