Heading to the State Fair? Try the New Cell Phone History Tour from the Minnesota Historical Society!

Minnesota State Fair history is now at your fingertips with a new cell phone tour developed by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation and the Minnesota Historical Society.

Fairgoers can use their own phones to dial up the voice of Tim Russell from “A Prairie Home Companion” and listen while he guides them to 12 historically significant spots at the fair.

Find out how State Fair mascot Fairchild got his name, which famous folks appeared at the Grandstand and what Marjorie Johnson’s secret is to winning so many blue ribbons for baking! 

Also hear fun facts, fair sounds and personal memories.

“The cell phone tour takes fairgoers to places they may have passed many times, but this time they’ll learn fascinating stories related to those places,” said Wendy Jones, Head of Minnesota History Center Museum and Education Programs.

Smart phone users can scan a QR code on the sign at each stop to connect to the tour.

Brochures for the cell phone tour are free and can be found at fair information booths, the J.V. Bailey House and at the Minnesota Historical Society Booth #79 in the lower level of the Grandstand.  Fairgoers who finish the walking tour get a free prize (while supplies last).

If you can't make it to the Fair, you can still enjoy the cell phone tour.  Call 1-877-411-4123 and follow the prompts.

New Meters Slowly Making Their Way into the Neighborhood

If 2nd Street South towards 3rd Avenue is part of your walking, jogging, biking or driving route, you've probably noticed new parking pay stations were recently installed between 5th Avenue and 3rd Avenue. 

Raya Zimmerman's "Smarter Parking" article in the August 15-28 Journal sheds light on why they're being installed, how they work, how to use them and how to avoid mistakes that will most likely result in a ticket.

It's actually a pretty straight forward system to use, but until parkers get comfortable with it you can count on seeing people frozen in front of the pay station with squinting eyes and furrowed brows.

The Week Ahead in Mill City / August 22-28

Bright and early each Monday morning we provide an easy to reference list of events and activities for the week ahead in the Mill City neighborhood.  Submit your events here...

Monday, August 22

Music in The Park - Nicollet Island Park

Tuesday, August 23

Let's Go to the Junkyard! Workshop at MCBA

Music in The Park - Father Hennepin Bluffs

Wednesday, August 24

Breakfast with a Preservationist at Mill City Museum

Thursday, August 25

Twin Cities River Rats Show

5 Course Wine Dinner at Spill the Wine

Chad Hoopes Recital at MacPhail

Baby Storytime at Central Library

Rhythmically Speaking at Southern Theater (3 nights)

Friday, August 26

Real Ghost Tour (2 Nights) at St. Anthony Main

MacPhail's Hip Hop Camp Final Performance

Saturday, August 27

Mill City Farmers Market

Taste Twin Cities Minneapolis Riverwalk Tour (Starts at Gold Medal Park)

Historic Main Street Tour at Mill City Museum

Vikings and Dallas Cowboys at the Dome

Guo Gai, Meng Tang, Slinko Opening Reception at Soap Factory

Mississippi River Gorge Half-Day Canoe Trip

Sunday, August 28

CorePower Yoga in the Park

Minneapolis Duathlon 2011

Engineering the Falls at Mill City Museum

Sanctuary's 4th Anniversary Party

Milkweed Editions to Participate in Literary Punch Card Program

Laurie Hertzel's "Punching up a New Literary Collaboration" article in the August 21 Star Trib (click here for the August 20 online edition) mentions Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South.  According to the article, Milkweed and two other local presses, along with select Twin Cities book sellers, have created the Literary Punch Card as a means to increase book signing traffic, book sales, etc.

The launch party for the Literary Punch Card is scheduled for September 14, 5:00pm-7:00pm, at Club Jager, 923 Washington Avenue North. 

Minnesota Center for Book Arts Postcard Contest

Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos Postcard Contest.

Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) is sponsoring a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) postcard competition, with all entries to be displayed in the Open Book Lobby Gallery from September 16 to November 6, 2011. A $250 "best of show" prize will be awarded.

Entering is super easy:   Create your entry - a 4"x6" postcard - using any media: collage, paint, drawing, printing, sewing, photography, digital imagery or any other artistic method.  Then mail it to MCBA by September 12, 2011.

More details are available on the Artist Opportunities page.

Week 16 at Mill City Farmers Market

The St. Paul and Eagan Markets are still the Minnesota leaders in the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest.   Cast your vote for the Mill City Farmers Market by Clicking here.  Only 10 days left to vote!

Salty Tart Bakery debuted at the Market this week, as did Sweetland Orchard. YUM!

This Weekend in Mill City / August 19-21

Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis and across the Stone Arch Bridge in Old St. Anthony.

Friday, August 19

August 19, 2011, Friday - Real Ghost Tour (2 Nights) at St. Anthony Main

August 19, 2011, Friday - MacPhail's Rock Week Summer Camp Final Performances

Live Music at Aster Cafe

Saturday, August 20

Mill City Farmers Market

Taste Twin Cities Minneapolis Riverwalk Tour (Starts at Gold Medal Park)

Bird Watching at Nicollet Island and Boom Island

Riverfront Quest Family Tour at Mill City Museum

Metrodome Open House: First 3,000 People Get Piece of Old Roof

Central Library Summer Atrium Sale

Live Music at Aster Cafe

Sunday, August 21

CorePower Yoga in the Park

13.1® Minneapolis Half Marathon

The Homegrown Experience at Nicollet Island Pavilion

Railroad History Tour at Mill City Museum

An Architect’s View of Mill City Museum

Complimentary Tai Chi Workshop at Open Book

Live Music at Aster Cafe

Weekend Brunch

Saturday & Sunday

Brunch at Spoonriver
750 South 2nd St (at Chicago Ave S)
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612-436-2236

Reservations recommended

10:00am - 2:00pm

See the menu...

Saturday & Sunday

Brunch at the Aster Cafe
St. Anthony Main
125 SE Main Street
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-379-3138

Until 2pm.

See the menu...

Sunday

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

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

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

featuring absolut bloody bar for $5.

also offering fair trade coffee and full bar.

Minneapolis Riverfront Neighborhoods Featured in Travel & Leisure Mag

Am I really the last person to "discover" Minneapolis? Until recently, I probably knew more about the religious capital of Kandy, in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, than I knew about Minneapolis. Turns out that this bike-friendly metropolis has a lot to offer visitors beyond Grain Belt Beer, long winters, and Mary Tyler Moore reruns. Here are just a few of the activities I tried during my recent visit.

All of the featured activities highlighted were from riverfront neighborhoods near downtown.

Read the full article...

Tonight - Mill City Live Featuring Curtiss A and the Jerks of Fate

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street South

Performers:  Curtiss A and the Jerks of Fate

Fee: $5 per person; includes admission to Mill City Museum. Free for MHS members.

The Twin Cities’ most explosive outdoor concert series is back for an eighth season with a slate of bands curated by music writer Jim Walsh. Featuring legendary performers from the heyday of the Minneapolis sound, these concerts will riff on American music in a gorgeous riverfront setting every Thursday from July 7 through Aug. 18. Admission includes the concert and entrance to the museum from 4 to 9 p.m. Food and drink by D’Amico Catering available for purchase.

Mill City Farmers Market August 20, 2011

Eat Local All Year Long

One great way to keep eating local food all year long is to preserve it! Ferment it, freeze it, dry it, can it... and now's the time to do it!  Check out the canning class and the cooking demo this Saturday and learn how (details below)!

Produce Planner

We've got sweet corn, mustard greens, long beans, squash blossoms, okra, WI-grown artichokes, beets, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, greens, and so much more!

Meet Your Vegetables / 9 am - 1 pm 
(while supplies last)

Get after school snack ideas for young locavores from the experts - UMN Public Health Nutrition grad students!

Discover You Can!

Show off your to local food flare in the State Fair Style Canning Contest, coming up August 27th! Find out how to enter here.

Mill City Cooks, 10am - Local Lunch for Kids

Chef (and Mom) Heather Hartman knows all about this task! She'll demo two simple meals for young locavores with ingredients from our sponsor,  Nash Brothers Trading Company:  Black Bean Soup and - a classic - Hummus. 

Art Market, All Day

Featuring The Ink Orchard, Matthew Krousey, Chris Chookiastirichai, and Woodsport.

Live Music, 11 am - 1 pm

The maverick chamber music of the Orange Mighty Trio.

Minneapolis Parks and Rec Board Photo Contest Entry Deadline is September 5

There's still time to submit your photos in the Picture a Park Photo Contest!

The contest, sponsored by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board(MPRB), People for Parks(PFP) and National Camera, is designed to highlight the life and times in Minneapolis parks year round.

Entries can depict people, activities, nature and places in the Minneapolis parks system from any time of the year.  The contest is open to amateurs of all ages, Minneapolis residents and non-residents. Photos must be unpublished and taken in Minneapolis parks. Photographs from all seasons are encouraged. Photographers can submit up to four entries.

There is no entry fee. The deadline for submissions is September 5, 2011.   Rules and entry forms are available online at MPRB.  Information is also available at National Camera Exchange's website.

Photographer Categories:
- Youth (ages 17 and under)
- Adult (ages 18 and up)

Subject Categories:
- Beauty in the Parks
- Events in the Parks
- Fun in the Parks

All images will be judged on the basis of impact, image quality, composition and story telling. First, second and third place will be determined in each age and subject category.   Photos entered in the contest will also be open for vote by the public for a Peoples Choice Award.

First place winners in the three subject categories in both age divisions will receive a 2012 calendar including their winning photograph. Second and third place winners will receive certificates of merit and recognition. Photos will be posted on the MPRB and PFP Web sites, and on display at select parks.

In addition, of the six first place winners, Gold, Silver and Bronze recognition will be determined, with the winners receiving a National Camera gift card and up to a 16x20 enlargement of their winning entry.
Peoples Choice Award winners will receive a 5 x 11-inch individually engraved paver at the Lake Harriet Bandshell.

State Fair Style Canning Contest at the Mill City Farmers Market

In the spirit of the MN State Fair, Mill City Farmers Market will host its own Canning Conteston Saturday, August 27.

Enter your home processed goods to a panel of judges in one (or all three!) of the categories listed below.  Your works of art will be evaluated based on the official MN State Fair criteria.

Rule #1: All produce ingredients must be LOCALLY GROWN!

Category: Sweet
Including jams, jellies, syrups, whole fruit preserves, butters...

Category: Tangy
Includes pickles, relishes, chutneys, salsa…

Category: Market Fresh
Show off your market dedication – how many Mill City Farmers Market vendors can you represent in one jar of home canned goods?!

Scorecard for all categories:

- Overall appearance
- Size and shape
- Color
- Texture
- Most creative recipe
- Best use of ingredients from the Market!

How to submit your goods:
Bring your Sweet, Tangy and/or Market Fresh goodies to the Market on August 27.  Volunteers will be collecting submissions in the Market Cafe from 8:00am – 9:00am.  A panel of judges will evaluate each submission and choose a winner from each category.  The winners will be announced after the Mill City Cooks cooking demo (around 11:00am), after which time contestants can pick up their submissions.

Please include the following with your submission:

- Name
- Phone number
- Submission name (i.e. Strawberry Rhubarb Jam)
- List of ingredients
- List of sources (i.e. name of farm/market vendor where strawberries and rhubarb were purchased)

Our Judges
Barbara Schaller is a canning connoisseur, steadily winning blue ribbons at the Minnesota State Fair since 1981. Visit her blog “I Can Can, Can You?” to take home some jammin’ cannin’ tips.

Liz McMann is a Master Food Preserver and natural foods educator at the Mississippi Market. She is an avid urban gardener, documenting her gardening, cooking and preserving project on her blog “Food Snobbery is my Hobbery“.

Job Posting at Mill City Museum

Position: Interpreter 1

The Minnesota Historical Society seeks applicants for an Interpreter I to engage, educate, and entertain visitors to the Mill City Museum and present lessons to school groups using a variety of interpretive and performance techniques to communicate historical information. This is a part-time, regular position (780 annual hours) located at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, MN.  More details here...

Tickets Now on Sale for Soap Factory's 2011 Haunted Basement

The Soap Factory's5th annual Haunted Basement is on the horizon.  Ticket are now available thru their website and Facebook.

Hundreds of volunteers keep the Haunted Basement screaming.  Click here if you'd like to assist with building, props, painting, cleaning, costumes, makeup, taking tickets or acting. 

Party at the Sanctuary's 4th Anniversary Bash!

We are throwing a party for ourselves and inviting our neighbors, friends and family to join us! No kidding. We have been open 4 years!

SUNDAY, August 28
4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

Come party with us.

Chef is throwing some snacks on the grill we'll put out to share (until they run out). We'll have cold beer, wine and some special cocktails to enjoy at Happy Hour prices (to keep everyone drinking responsibly).

For music, we're going to shove aside the tables and put DJ Shannon Blowtorch in the middle of the action (so Michael can join the fun on the floor)!

Dress to have fun! (Casual is just fine!)

Michael Kutscheid, Patrick Atanalian, Roger Kubicki & Naomi Williamson

Sanctuary - the restaurant
903 Washington Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55415
www.sanctuaryminneapolis.com
612-339-5058

Triple Espresso Coming to the Southern Theater this Fall

Triple Espresso is scheduled to play at the Southern Theater November 16, 2011 - January 8, 2012.

Triple Espressotells the story of three guys whose bid for showbiz fame and fortune ended in 4-minutes of magnificent failure on national television. Hugh Butternut, Buzz Maxwell, and Bobby Bean tell their rags-to-rags story earnestly, with hysterical results. Butternut is a musician, a vulnerable soul with a lounge lizard smile; Maxwell is an uncertain magician with an attitude; and Bean is an irrepressible, all-over-the-map entertainer with big dreams. This comedy appeals to young and old.                                            Box Office: 612-874-1100

The Week Ahead in Mill City / August 15-21

Bright and early each Monday morning we provide an easy to reference list of events and activities for the week ahead in the Mill City neighborhood.  Submit your events here...

Monday, August 15

Music in The Park - Nicollet Island Park

Tuesday, August 16

Let's Go to the Museum! Workshop at MCBA

Book Arts Roundtable: Collaboration Chat at MCBA

Music in The Park - Father Hennepin Bluffs

Wednesday, August 17

MPRB Meeting

Thursday, August 18

Twin Cities River Rats Show

Range of Motion Wellness Workout at Mill Ruins Park

Mill City Live: Outdoor Music Series at Mill City Museum

Breaking Boundaries Dance Co at the Southern Theater (3 nights)

Friday, August 19

August 19, 2011, Friday - Real Ghost Tour (2 Nights) at St. Anthony Main

August 19, 2011, Friday - MacPhail's Rock Week Summer Camp Final Performances

Saturday, August 20

Mill City Farmers Market

Taste Twin Cities Minneapolis Riverwalk Tour (Starts at Gold Medal Park)

Bird Watching at Nicollet Island and Boom Island

Riverfront Quest Family Tour at Mill City Museum

Metrodome Open House: First 3,000 People Get Piece of Old Roof

Sunday, August 21

CorePower Yoga in the Park

13.1® Minneapolis Half Marathon

The Homegrown Experience at Nicollet Island Pavilion

Railroad History Tour at Mill City Museum

An Architect’s View of Mill City Museum

Complimentary Tai Chi Workshop at Open Book

Week 15 at the Mill City Farmers Market

At long last, what I've been dreaming of all summer - Sonny's sweet corn ice cream!  It's heaven in a cup.

The St. Paul and Eagan Markets are still the Minnesota leaders in the America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest.   Cast your vote for the Mill City Farmers Market by Clicking here.  

Mill City Farmers Market August 13, 2011

Eat Local All Year Long

One great way to keep eating local food all year long is to preserve it! Ferment it, freeze it, dry it, can it... and now's the time to do it!  Check out the canning class and the cooking demo this Saturday and learn how (details below)!

Produce Planner

Sweet corn is in! Along with currants, raspberries, blueberries, garlic, carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, tomatoes, green beans, peas, radishes, herbs, salad mix, edible flowers, zucchini, summer squash, collards, kale, Swiss chard, and so much more!!!

Live Music, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

National Recording Artist, Michael Monroe sponsored by Juut Salonspa.

Discover You Can! 9:00 AM

Learn to preserve Dilly Beans with Kim Christensen. $10 per household, pre-registration required. Visit the Discover You Can blog for details and email Dustin to sign-up!

Mill City Cooks, 10am

Chef Nick Schneider is many things, including a masterful ferment-er! This week he'll prepare Agrodulce Pickled Fennel bulb - perfect for holiday anitpasto.  Nick welcomes guest chef Beth Fisher of new farm to table hot spot, Wise Acre Eatery. 

Live Music, 11 am - 1 pm

Vocalist Karen Quiroz presents popular music from Brazil and Latin America.

Art Market, All Day

Featuring Plantworn, ceramics by Tom Jaszczak and Heather Wang, Aprilierre and Old World Cabinet.

Mini Farm, All Day

Can't get enough cute in your life? Get in a cuddle with the animals from Gale Woods Farm and Three Rivers Park District. 

Stunt Dog Video - TGIF Diversion

Nothing to do with our neighborhood, but...