New City of Minneapolis Program Provides Increased Wheelchair Accessible Taxicab Service to the Public

 

Via a February 25 Press Release from The City of Minneapolis:

New City of Minneapolis Program Provides Increased Wheelchair Accessible Taxicab Service to the Public

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 (Minneapolis, MN) – The City of Minneapolis has developed a new program to provide wheelchair accessible taxicab service to the public.  Effective February 1st, 2015 five local taxicab companies have agreed to provide wheelchair accessible taxicab service 24 hours a day. 

The participating companies receive incentives in the form of reduced license fees for providing the services. The incentive fund is created by charging an annual license surcharge to all other taxicab companies and Transportation Network Companies such as UberX and Lyft who do not provide the services. 

“This new program is a great step in the right direction to increasing accessibility for our residents,” said Mayor Betsy Hodges. “It’s important that all residents know they can rely on services when they need them, and I thank these participating taxicab companies for recognizing the importance of serving the entire community. This program aligns with other investments the City is making to increase accessibility in a range of transportation options, including pedestrian improvements, winter-time snow-clearing, and advocacy for level boarding at LRT and future streetcar stops.”

All of the participating taxicab vehicles are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant and charge the same fare as all other licensed taxicabs. Currently, 23 wheelchair accessible taxicabs are participating in the program, and all accept credit cards. The drivers have received training from their respective companies on the proper use of these specialty vehicles. 

The taxicab companies participating in the program are Airport Taxi (7 wheelchair accessible vehicles), Yellow Taxi (7 wheelchair accessible vehicles), Green and White Taxi (6 wheelchair accessible vehicles), Minneapple Taxi (2 wheelchair accessible vehicles), and La Mexicana Taxicab (1 wheelchair accessible vehicle). 

The Wheelchair Accessible Taxicab program was developed by the City of Minneapolis Division of Licenses and Consumer Services, the taxicab advisory committees of taxicab service companies, owners, and drivers, plus advice from the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities.  For more information visit the City of Minneapolis Business Licensing website.

Pop-up Mill City Farmers Market Comes to Capella Tower

Thursday, March 5 - 11:00a-2:00p in the Capella Tower Atrium

On Thursday, March 5, the Mill City Farmers Market moves to downtown Minneapolis’ Capella Tower(225 S. 6th Street) for a one-of-a-kind pop-up market with over 20 of its fabulous vendors in a vibrant lunchtime marketplace full of quality, locally produced, homegrown products. From 11:00am-2:00pm, visitors can choose from an assortment of artisanal products and take-home groceries, including farmstead cheese, dry-cured meats, pickled veggies, a selection of vegan “meats” and cheeses, kitchen utensils, and more!

Click here for more info.
 

Participating Vendors:

Ames Farm – Single-source honey, beeswax candles
Aprilierre – Jewelry
Barkley’s Bistro – All natural, gluten-free puppy treats
Birchberry Native Arts and Food -  Wild rice, maple syrup, soup and pancake mixes, handmade crafts
Buffalo by Bike - 100% grass fed bison meat
Crookedwood – Handcrafted wooden cooking utensils
Down In The Valley Bakehouse – Gluten-free baked goods
Heath Glen Farm – Artisanal fruit preserves
Kiss My Cabbage – Lacto-fermented sauerkraut and kimchi
Jeanne Beatrice – Handwoven market bags and baskets
Martha’s Joy – Pickled vegetables
Red Table Meat Co. – Dry-cured pork products
Salty Tart – Fresh breads + pastries
Sassy Knitwear – Up-cycled clothing and accessories
Singing Hills Goat Dairy - Farmstead goat milk cheese
Star Prairie Trout Farm – Fresh + smoked farm-raised trout, salmon and walleye
St. Croix Chocolate Co. – Artisan chocolates
The Abbey Alpacas – Alpaca knits and fibers
The Herbivorous Butcher – All vegan “meats” and cheeses
Zula Juice – 100% organic cold-pressed juices and cleanses

Lose That "Case of the Mondays" at Magna During the Month of March

During the month of March, Magna is offering a free Cardio Barre class every Monday at Noon.

In addition to a fun and energized 50-minute Cardio Barre with expert instructor Christine Reiser, each class will feature awesome giveaways, including a t-shirt and shaker bottle, foam roller, and even a 60-minute massage!

You'll also receive a flyer to enter a raffle for a $25 shop card at Athleta in Edina at 50th and France.

Click here to register.

Mayor Hodges Invites You to Join the 'Cradles to K Cabinet'

 

Via a February 24, 2015, e-newsletter from Mayor Betsy Hodges:

Dear Friend,

My Cradle to K Cabinet has been hard at work since last year on a plan to eliminate disparities for our youngest residents. Last month, I released the Cradle to K Cabinet’s draft report, which outlines policy, legislative and collaboration recommendations.

Read the draft recommendations here.

These draft recommendations are grounded in research and the prevailing best practices in the field and in our community. Recommendations range from increasing housing options for the lowest-income families, expanding home visiting, increasing early childhood screening at age three, and more.

Now I’m asking for participation from all of you.

Join the Cradle to K Cabinet at a community meeting to learn more about the draft plan, to talk with others in the community and to share your feedback on the recommendations and strategies.

Food will be served and Child Care is available at both meetings. We want to make sure we have enough food and chairs, so please let us know you are attending.

Tuesday, March 3
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Children’s Hospital – Education Center, 2nd Floor
2525 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Co-hosted by Children’s Hospital, Way to Grow and YWCA of Minneapolis
Register at: http://march3forum.eventbrite.com/

Thursday, March 5
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center – Gertrude Brown Room
915 Emerson Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN
Co-hosted by Children’s Defense Fund, Think Small, Start Early Funders
Register at: http://march5forum.eventbrite.com/

If you can’t make it to one of the meetings, we still want to hear from you. Share your feedback with us online at the link below.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/cradle/WCMS1P-136627

Many of these recommendations won’t be possible without support from the community, so we are inviting all of you to be part of this process as we work to create equity with our kids.

Sincerely,

Mayor Betsy Hodges
City of Minneapolis

P.S. To learn more about how I’m working to address the issues affecting our city, sign up for my e-mail update or check out my website or my blog.

Park Board Votes to Take Action Against Graco

The MPRB passed a Resolution Authorizing the Acquisition of Real Property by Purchase or Condemnation from Graco Minnesota, Inc. for East Bank Trail Purposes.   See our recent opinion piece for more info on this issue.

Highlights from the February 18, 2015 MPRB meeting -

Commissioner Scott Vreeland reading mission statement from Graco website:

Commissioner Vreeland statement on resolution:

MPRB President Liz Wielinski's statement:

Commissioner Erwin statement on resolution:

Commissioner Tabb statement on resolution:

Full video of the resolution discussion and vote -

MPRB Approves Public "Woonerf" Connecting to the Downtown Riverfront

The Park Board passed a Resolution Approving a Parkland Development and Easement Agreement with Eagle Iron Partners, LLC and the City of Minneapolis for Application of the “Private Land Maintained for Public Use” Park Dedication Option to the Mill City Quarter Development Project in Downtown Minneapolis.  This public space and trail connecting to the riverfront is part of the Mill City Quarter project on 2nd St. S. between 5th and 3rd Ave S.  Kudos to developer Steve Minn for going above and beyond in negotiating this new public amenity.

Woonerf Site Plan Approved by MPRB:

Public Meeting - Wednesday March 4 / Park Board to Consider Approval of Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan

A public hearing will be held prior to Board discussion.

On Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at 6:30pm, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) will hold a public hearing regarding the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan. The hearing will be held in the Board Room at MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road, Minneapolis. Individuals wishing to speak at the hearing may call 612-230-6400 to sign up in advance, or may sign up outside the board room until 6:25 pm the day of the hearing. After the hearing, the MPRB Commissioners will consider approval of the plan.

Changing the name of the park from its current name, Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, is also being considered as a part of the Master Plan.  Through the design and community engagement process, it became evident that a name change was needed. The proposed name of St. Anthony Falls Regional Park is considered a more descriptive and identifiable name which captures the essence of the birthplace of Minneapolis.

The Regional Park currently includes approximately 350 acres of land and water around St. Anthony Falls, near Downtown Minneapolis. The Master Plan is a written and graphic document intended to relate current park data and analysis, communicate a plan for the park’s future, and guide strategic implementation of the plan over the years to come. It is a reflection of the recommendations of an appointed Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which met 12 times between September 2013 and October of 2014. In addition to the CAC meetings, the master planning process included three open houses, five two-day public charrettes, an online survey, coordination with neighborhood organizations, and a 45-day public comment period.

The previously issued Draft Master Plan has been revised based on public, MPRB staff, and partner agency comments. The final plan to be considered for approval will be made available to the public when the Board Meeting agenda and meeting materials are made public, around the Friday before the March 4 meeting. At that time the public may access the document and all supporting materials via the Park Board’s meeting website at http://minneapolisparksmn.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx. For general information about the planning process to date, visit the project webpage, or go to www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects then select “Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan”).

The Park Board will be launching its new website on the afternoon of Thursday, February 26.  At this time the above link to the project webpage will not work.  Please use the search function in the upper right corner of the new website, and search for “Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park.”  The park board's website name will continue to be www.minneapolisparks.org and the link to www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects  will also continue to function with the new website. 

CONTACT:

Tyler Pederson
tpederson@minneapolisparks.org
612-499-9084

Update on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 8:40AM by David Tinjum

The MPRB approved the plan last night.

An overview of the plan:

Tonight - Provide Input on "Downtown East Commons" Park at Mill City Museum

Date: Tuesday, February 24

Time: 6:00-7:30pm

Place: Mill City Museum

On Tuesday, February 24, the City of Minneapolis will host a public meeting to discuss the design of the Downtown East Commons.

The Downtown East Commons also referred to as the “Commons” is the public open space to be located in the two-block, 4.2 acre area bounded by Park Avenue, 4th and 5th Streets, and a proposed building on 5th Avenue South across from the new multi-purpose stadium.  The meeting will be held from 6:00-7:30pm at the Mill City Museum located at 704 South 2^nd Street, Minneapolis. 

“The Commons represents an enormous opportunity to create a place that will be both destination and retreat – a stage for the life of Minneapolitans and a beacon for visitors,” said Mary Margaret Jones Senior Principal of Hargreaves Associates. “In the midst of a rapidly changing part of the city, the Commons can help catalyze 24 hour urban life and vitality and host both daily life and special events.  We look forward to hearing from the public and bringing form to their aspirations.”

The public meeting is an opportunity for those who live, work and play in Minneapolis to learn more about the project including meeting the landscape architect design team led by Hargreaves Associates.  Additionally, this will be the first time the public is able to provide input for how they envision the Commons.

The Hargreaves Team will use feedback gained from the meeting as well as other community engagement activities to prepare initial park design concepts. Interested parties not able to attend the February 24 meeting are encouraged to take an online survey to share their feedback and vision for the park.

“We aim for a community led design process, culminating in a community loved public space,” said Council Member Jacob Frey. “To say that the future of these blocks depends on your input is an understatement. We need you!”

Information from the February 24 meeting will be posted to the new Downtown East Commons website. Additional project information will be posted as it becomes available. The next Downtown East Commons Public Meeting is currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2015 where the Hargreaves Team will present initial design concepts. 

New Luxury Condo Development, The Portland Tower, now Taking Reservations

The Portland Tower is now taking reservations.  Located at the corner of Portland and 8th, it will feature:

• Floor-plans maximizing glass and efficiency of space.
• Top-level standard features and upscale amenities.
• Tailored finishes to meet individual needs.
• Proximity to vibrant nightlife, extraordinary dining and Downtown East with all the new developments in the area, including the Vikings Stadium.
• Price range from $300k - $900k.

Contact Luke Kleckner at 612-310-8616 or lukekleckner@gmail.com for info. 

Minnesota Center for Book Arts Announces New Shop and Gallery Hours

Via a Feb 19 Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) e-newsletter:

New Shop and Gallery Hours We've got big news: MCBA will be opening earlier and staying open later! We're expanding our hours to offer greater access to our gallery and shop, and more convenience to those participating in our evening and weekend classes. As of March 1, our business hours will be: - Monday through Saturday: 9:30am to 6:30pm - Tuesdays open late: 9:30am to 9pm - Sundays: noon to 5pm With expanded hours come some new faces -- stop in and meet new Shop staffers Lacey and Camille, and welcome back Jill! Lastly, you will definitely want to Save The Date for a HUGE Shop "sidewalk sale" on March 6-8, with enormous discounts on all types of inventory. More details in the next e-News!

Hennepin County to Host Open Data Event Feb 21 and 22

Via a February 18 Hennepin County e-newsletter:

Hennepin County to host open data event

Hennepin County is hosting Geo:Code, its first code-a-thon. This event will bring together teams of geographers, technology developers and coders, and Hennepin County community members to create technology solutions that improve county services, give residents greater access to government data and make a difference in our communities.

The event will highlight Hennepin County government-produced data available to the public free of charge and without need for a license. The county has made more than 40 public datasets of geographic information systems (GIS) data available that can be used to create civic apps and software programs, with more to be released soon.

WHEN

• Saturday February 21 and Sunday February 22
• From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days

WHERE

• Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central, 2nd floor
• 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401

YogaFit Studios Northeast to hold Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Friday, Feb 20

Via a recent Press Release from YogaFit Studios:

YOGAFIT OPENS SECOND MINNEAPOLIS 24x7 YOGA STUDIO LOCATION
Local franchisee opens second of eight studios in Northeast River District neighborhood

MINNEAPOLIS – YogaFit Studios, a first-of-its-kind 24x7 yoga concept, is set to open at 520 First Ave. NE on Thursday, February 12, 2015, providing residents of the Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood and neighboring communities with a convenient, affordable alternative to bring strength and flexibility to their bodies.  The studio is located in the new Red 20 apartment complex cross the street from Denny Kemp Salon and Red Stag Supper Club.  This follows the opening of the first Minneapolis studio location in Linden Hills in December.
 
What sets YogaFit Studios apart from other yoga studios is unlimited access to the industry’s best classes and variety of both instructor-led live classes and virtual on-demand classes. 

YogaFit Studios is a franchise developed by Lift Brands, which owns SNAP Fitness, Steele Fitness and other wellness companies.  This is the second of eight locations for owner Ashok Dhariwal, who previously spent 10 years working in a variety of leadership roles at the headquarters of a Minneapolis-based Fortune 50 retailer. After years of executive-level account management and business development, he decided to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities that allowed him to focus on doing what’s best for the customer, always.
 
“What drew me to YogaFit Studios was the concept,” said Dhariwal. “YogaFit is a well-known brand in the yoga industry, historically known as the largest yoga training organization in the world having trained over 250,000 instructors world-wide in the past 20 years.  The YogaFit style of yoga was designed to blend balance, strength, flexibility and power in a fitness format. YogaFit Studios brings the YogaFit method to a convenient neighborhood location and at an affordable price.”

“Our goal is to enable busy people to enjoy the amazing health benefits of yoga in the midst of their hectic schedules. Our Minneapolis studios offer approximately 40 instructor-led classes per week and another 30 virtual classes using on-demand technology projected on a 65” screen TV.”

“In addition the benefits of our convenience and schedule, affordability is another distinguisher.  We offer membership options as low as $69 per month.  We also offer a no-strings attached free week of unlimited yoga to try us out.”

Dhariwal, a former resident of the Northeast neighborhood while earning his MBA at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, also cites the community aspect of YogaFit Studios as a key differentiator.

“Yoga is a personal activity, but the environment we will be creating at this studio will foster relationships between members,” Dhariwal says. “We’re excited to bring YogaFit to the Northeast neighborhood and give people a positive outlet for healthy lifestyles.  YogaFit is about strength, flexibility, and stress management for people who love movement. It's about fitness over fashion and finding your inner balance, beauty, and confidence.”
 
Regardless of previous yoga experience, YogaFit Studios has a class for everyone. Classes range from Restorative Yoga to YogaFit Sweat. Some of the advanced classes feature hand weights and a ballet barre for an added challenge.

In addition, YogaFit Studios has a philanthropic focus; each location donates a portion of class dues to charity.

“Not only are you helping yourself by doing yoga; you’re helping others around the world and in your community who are in need. That’s the beauty of YogaFit Studios,” added Dhariwal.

To celebrate its opening, the studio is offering a special promotion.  For new members who join at the $69/month or $79/month monthly membership options, members receive the months of February and March for free. For more information about YogaFit Studios, contact the studio directly at 612-444-2151 or northeastmpls@yogafitstudios.com.

About YogaFit Studios

YogaFit Studios, part of the Lift Brands family of elevated wellness companies, is the industry’s fastest-growing yoga concept. YogaFit originated as a training certification program over 15 years ago. Its partnership with Lift Brands in 2014 led to the creation of the first-of-its-kind 24/7 yoga franchise.  Members get unlimited access to live and virtual classes – the most offered over any national competitor. For more information, visit http://www.yogafitstudios.com/.

CONTACT:
Ashok Dhariwal ashok@mspyoga.com
www.yogafitstudios.com/clubs/northeast
https://www.facebook.com/YogaFitNortheast

Next Tuesday - Help make the Commons the next great public space for Minneapolis!

Attend the Downtown East Commons Public Meeting

On Tuesday, February 24, the City of Minneapolis will be hosting a public meeting in collaboration with Hargreaves Associates to discuss the design of the Downtown East Commons. A nationally and internationally recognized landscape architecture firm known for designing projects leading to economic growth and neighborhood change, Hargreaves Associates was selected to lead the Downtown East Commons design team project by the Minneapolis City Council on January 16, 2015. The Hargreaves Team was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals process that resulted in 14 proposals.

Meeting Agenda:

• Introduction to the design team led by Hargreaves Associates
• Project background presentation
• Public discussion and feedback
• Fill out short survey

The Hargreaves Team will use feedback gained from the meeting as well as an online survey and other community engagement activities to prepare initial park design concepts. These concepts will be presented at a second Downtown East Commons Public Meeting currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2015. 

Event Details:           

Tuesday, February 24, 2015
6:00 to 7:30pm
Mill City Museum, 704 South 2nd Street, 
Minneapolis

Can't Attend?

Please visit the Downtown East Commons webpage to learn more about the project and fill out the online survey.

Contact:

Media Inquiries, Rose Lindsay, City of Minneapolis, CPED Communications, 612.673.5015

Project Inquiries, Brian Schaffer, City of Minneapolis, City Planner, 612.673.2670

Midwest Pantry to Host Spring Local Food & Gift Show at Grain Belt Bottling House

Do you enjoy shopping at stores that carry locally produced items?  If so, forward this info to your favorite shop owners.

Former Mill City Farmers Market vendors Chad Gillard (Aunt Else's Aebleskiver) and Zoie Glass (Lucille's Kitchen Garden) are the co-founders of Midwest Pantry, a collective of local food companies.  They're hosting Spring Local Food & Gift Show, taking place March 16 at the Grain Belt Bottling House.

Locally-sourced products continue to be a fast growing sector in both gift and grocery, yet finding store-ready products available in wholesale quantities can be time consuming for shop owners. The Midwest Pantry Local Food & Gift Show is a private event, designed to connect wholesale buyers with qualified, professional, local producers. The Midwest Pantry Local Food & Gift Show features hard to find, locally-sourced wholesale products.

Downtown High School Clears Final Hurdle, Set to Open this Fall

Free public charter high school will open in downtown Minneapolis in Fall 2015

Mill City High has entered into an agreement with First Covenant Church, 810 South 7th Street, to lease space in the church’s education wing.

The First Covenant Church facility is 70,000 square feet and situated on a city bus line and just one block from a light rail hub. Mill City will be located in a space separate from but connected to the church sanctuary. The education building that will house the school includes a commercial kitchen, gymnasium, and proscenium stage.

The Rev. Dan Collison, senior pastor of First Covenant and executive director of the East Downtown Council, said, “It is not a secret that leaders from the downtown Minneapolis residential, business, and civic communities have been asking for new high-quality schools for years now. Thus, when Mill City approached us for a long-term lease it was with great enthusiasm that we began partnership conversations.

“Our city block in the heart of East Downtown is surging with more than $2 billion of redevelopment, including a new city park and collegiate level soccer field in Elliot Park. In my mind, this is an ideal time and place for Mill City to launch a program of global classical studies. It’s a perfect fit for all who live in or near downtown.” 

“We anticipate welcoming as many as 130 ninth and tenth graders for the 2015-16 academic year,” said John Miller, the school’s start-up director. “All roads lead to downtown, but it’s pretty much an education desert. We want to change that by offering students and families a high-quality, academically rigorous educational option. 

Mill City High website:

http://www.millcityhigh.org/

Gold Medal Park to Host Walker Sculptures

WALKER ART CENTER ANNOUNCES PLAN TO RELOCATE SCULPTURES DURING MINNEAPOLIS SCULPTURE GARDEN RECONSTRUCTION

NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH WEISMAN ART MUSEUM, MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS, AND GOLD MEDAL PARK ALLOW FIVE SCULPTURES TO REMAIN ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC 

The Walker Art Center announced a number of sculptures from the institution’s collection on view in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden will temporarily relocate to the Weisman Art Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Gold Medal Park this summer and remain on view during the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Reconstruction Project.

Nearly all Garden artworks will be placed in storage during construction, but thanks to innovative partnerships with the Gold Medal Park Conservancy Fund, the MIA, and the Weisman, several of the most beloved sculptures will relocate through short- or long-term loans, and remain accessible to the public. The loans
are renewable each year and the partnering organizations have agreed to the arrangement for up to 5 years, after which time the loans will be reevaluated.

Brower Hatcher’s Prophecy of the Ancients(1988), Mark di Suvero’s Molecule (1977-83), and Tony Cragg’s Ordovician Pore (1989) will be loaned short-term to Gold Medal Park, which sits adjacent to and reunites with the Guthrie Theater, the Garden’s former neighbor.

COMING TO GOLD MEDAL PARK

Prophecy of the Ancients by Brower Hatcher

Brower Hatcher was trained in engineering and industrial design before he turned to sculpture in the early 1970s. In his stone and steel-mesh sculpture for the Garden, he melds the logic of an engineer with a visionary’s impulse to transcend time and space. A futuristic dome, composed of thousands of flexible wire polyhedrons, rests atop six mock-Egyptian columns in a blend of ancient and modern architectural styles. Embedded within the structure and seeming to hover in space are an assortment of common objects and abstract forms: a table, a ladder, a chair, a turtle (whose patterned shell recalls the gridded structure of the dome), random letters, numbers, discs, and dashes. Hatcher offers up these private symbols for universal interpretation, as viewers are inspired to construct their own meanings from the galaxy of images suspended above them.

Molecule by Mark di Suveros

The monumental scale and sweeping gestures of this red-painted sculpture are characteristic of the enormous outdoor structures Mark di Suvero has been making since the 1970s, using cranes to manipulate the massive industrial materials with which he works. Here, a pair of enormous steel beams meet at their ends, creating a triangular form that tips at an alarmingly improbable angle. At the point of the beams’ juncture are sections of two flat, centerless discs. A longer beam forms the final leg of the tripod, but travels on some 38 feet into the air, piercing a third disc interwoven with the other two at the point of intersection. The cumulative effect recalls all the visual and emotive force we attach to the atomic world: dynamic, red-hot, powerful, and strangely elegant. Molecule, like all of di Suvero’s large-scale sculptures, invites the viewer to inspect its lines and spaces from every angle.

Ordovician Pore by Tony Cragg

Trained as a scientist, Tony Cragg creates art that investigates the natural world. Yet if his sculptures comment on such topics as molecular structure, the human vascular system, or the Newtonian light spectrum, it is his use of man-made forms (either found or constructed) that transforms them into complex meditations on contemporary life. Here Cragg has constructed steel elements on a granite base—two smooth-surfaced concave cylindrical forms and two elemental biomorphic shapes—that comment on the Ordovician geological era of 500 million years ago, when oxygen was introduced into the atmosphere. While the oxygen gave rise to terrestrial life, it simultaneously killed off the species of algae that had produced it. The close resemblance of the cylinders to the cooling towers of nuclear power plants perhaps suggests an analogous life-death conundrum for our own technological age.

Scenes from the February 14 Mill City Farmers Market

Celebrating Valentine's Day at the Mill City Farmers Market.  :)

These hyacinths filled the air with a heavenly scent!

Cherry Flowers of Page & Flowers had a fun array of infused vinegars.  I love the combination of flavors she used.

New from Sunrise Creative Gourmet - fresh pizza!

I brought home a few packages of dried herbs from Urban Roots.

Thank you to MCFM Sponsor, The Wedge Community Co-op.  I wonder which lucky shopper won the $200 gift card...  :)

Amanda Paa signed copies of her book, Smitten with Squash.

Congratulations to Steven and Jodi of Shepherd's Way Farms on their successful Kickstarter campaign to finance a new barn!

Looking forward to a long soak in the tub with these magnesium bath flakes from Olsen Naturals.

Myfoodstand.com is a website dedicated to improving food transparency.  They're also on Facebook.

Friends of the Mississippi River Announces Annual Science Museum Event

Friends of the Mississippi River recently announced their annual Science Museum event will take place Thursday, March 26, 7-8:30pm at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul.

The High Price of Cheap Groundwater: Are We Flushing Our Future Downstream?

Capacity is limited and advance registration required. This event is free, and advance museum access and parking are included.
 
As reported in the FMR newsletter and multiple media outlets, groundwater levels are declining in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. FMR is proud to offer a special, localized presentation on this vital topic featuring Ali Elhassan of the Metropolitan Council and Dr. James Almendinger, Senior Scientist at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station of the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Learn more and secure your ticket.

Why We Support MacPhail Center for Music

Not that we needed a reminder, but this excerpt from a recent MacPhail Center for Music e-newsletter really speaks to our decision to be an ongoing contributor. Music is so important to a child's development!  :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thanks to you, it has been another exceptional year for MacPhail students: 

• Enrollment expanded by 4,000 students over the past two years, an increase of over 44%.
• Music instruction was provided either free or at a greatly reduced cost to 7,000 students annually.
• Online school partnerships served 17 school districts in Greater Minnesota, teaching over 1,500 students regularly.

Tomorrow! Pick up Valentine's Treats at the Mill City Farmers Market inside the Mill City Museum

The Mill City Farmers Market returns to the Mill City Museum tomorrow, Feb 14, 10:00am - 1:00pm.

Find your favorite vendors on our vendor map!

Produce Planner: Beets, beans (dried), carrots, garlic, onions, pac choi, potatoes, radishes (black Spanish and watermelon varieties), salad greens, shallots, squash, and more!

Other farm-fresh goods: grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, pastured pork, aquaculture trout, free-range eggs, sheep, goat and cow’s milk cheese, single-source honey, wild-harvested wild rice, MN maple syrup.

NEW! Fresh roasted hazelnuts.

Live Music, 11 am – 1 pm: Daddy Squeeze sets a festive tone at the Market today with his eclectic blend of Celtic, Tex-Mex, Creole, Blues, Jazz, Scandinavian, Polka and pop music.

Book Signing, all day:  Amanda Paa, author of Smitten with Squash, will be at the market today! She’ll be signing her cookbook, talking about the recipes & answering your questions about all things squash.

Art Market: Featuring Aprilierre, Crankosaurus Press, Crookedwood, Fresh Mud Pottery, Larissa Loden, Old World Cabinet, Sally Fritz Clothing, and Sassy Knitwear.

Sponsor Booth: The Wedge Community Co-op.

Community Booth, all day:
My Food Stand is a small start-up company working to make the Minneapolis food system more transparent. Stop by their booth and learn more about what they're all about.