Covering life, work, and play in the Historic Mill District and Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront neighborhoods. Have an opinion, local news or events to share? Contact us.
Work will start this week on installing the new roof on the Metrodome. The cost, covered by insurance is estimate to be $27.7 million. Affiliated FM, the insurer, deposited the first $10 million on Thursday.
Watch for an ongoing series of pictures of the work in progress here on Mill City Times.
I've been enjoying the grapefruit from Mill City Market Grocery and Deliat least 5 days a week for about a month now. Even though they count as part of the 'daily five', they seem more like a naughty dessert because they're so incredibly sweet. Yum!
;)
We're only 7 short weeks away from the May 7 Opening Day at the 2011 Mill City Farmers Market!
Every Saturday until opening day, we'll be posting pictures and videos from the 2010 MCFM to help get you in the mood...
See you there! :)
Dave and I became members of Mill City Commons earlier this year. We joined for a number of reasons, including the ability to attend interesting member-only events, meet fascinating people, and to have more of a hands on role in helping with their various fundraising activities.
The latest members-only event we attended was a tour of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center(HERC), located at 417 North 5th Street (next to Target Field). Mark Zaban, a Hennepin County Engineer, provided our group with the history of HERC, an overview of how garbage is converted to energy, numerous facts and figures, and a walking tour through the actual facility.
You may recall one of the concerns for Target Field's location was that Twins fans would be assaulted with foul air from HERC. That turned out to be a non-issue. In fact, standing just outside the building there was no indication that it was a waste conversion facility. That's because there are a number of pollution control mechanisms in place.
Imagine 15 football fields, each piled 15 feet high with garbage. According to Mark, that's how much landfill space is saved each year by processing garbage at HERC. Unfortunately, it's cheaper to throw garbage in a landfill than it is to run a facility like HERC.
Below are a few pictures from our tour. View the full set of pictures here.
The below graph tells a disturbing story. The production of plastics (Generation) has sky-rocketed since 1960, yet the amount being recycled (Recovery) is still just a blip on the radar.
HERC operates 24/7. Below, Michael mans a bank of monitors and keeps in contact with workers in other areas of the facility.
To learn more about Mill City Commons, please visit the website, or contact Linnea at 612-455-3329 or linneatweed@millcitycommons.org.
Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis and across the Stone Arch Bridge in Old St. Anthony.
Friday, March 18
2011 Minnesota Book Awards at The Loft
Four Humors Theater - The Age of Wordsworthat the Southern Theater (3 nights)
Wine Tasting at Sorella Wine & Spirits
Saturday, March 19
Team Ortho Foundation's Get Lucky! 7-K Race
Free First Aid & CPR Trainings at American Red Cross
Publication Reading: Kathryn Kysar - Pretend the World at the Loft
Tunnel of Fudge Cake: The Bake-Off and the Bundt Pan at Mill City Museum
Spring Break Feature Film Revival at Central Library
Mill City Farmers Market at Local D'lish
Wine Tasting at Sorella Wine & Spirits
Sunday, March 20
Booking With The Cooks at Open Book
Trumpet Master Class Presented by MacPhail faculty members Allison Hall and Brad Shermock
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
Saturday & Sunday
Brunch at the Aster Cafe
St. Anthony Main
125 SE Main Street
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-379-3138
Until 2pm.
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.
Time: 7:30pm
Location: St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main Street SE
With sell-out crowds at last year's festival, Minnesotans' love affair with Cuban cinema is clear. And it is also clear that there is a hunger for information about this intriguing island to our south, so rich in music and the arts. Yet, despite all that we have to share with one another, our government still denies us access. So, although most of us can't get there in person, we can get a taste of Cuban life through the movies.
The film festival will again be presented at St. Anthony Main Theatre and will consist of six features.
The line-up is as follows:
March 17 - Los Dioses Rotos (Fallen Gods),
March 24 - Páginas del diario de Mauricio (Pages from Maurice's Diary),
March 31 - Eso que Anda (Van Van Fever).
All films are subtitled, and each will be followed at a nearby bistro with a discussion.
Admission: $7.00.
For more information: www.minnesotacubacommittee.org or 763-228-2899.
;)
Mark your calendar for 9:30am-Noon on Saturday, April 16, to join the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board for the annual Minneapolis Earth Day Clean Up.
It’s easy to get involved - no pre-registration is required. Volunteers can choose from a lengthy list of Clean Up sites. In our neighborhood, it's Father Hennepin Bluffs Park, 100 6th Avenue SE (the East Bank side of the Stone Arch Bridge).
About Earth Day Clean Up
A collaborative effort between the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) and City of Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling, the Minneapolis Earth Day Watershed Clean Up was initiated in 1995 to draw attention to the water quality improvement needs of Minneapolis’ lakes and the effects that individual actions have on urban water quality.
The goal of Earth Day is to provide a volunteer experience and environmental education to Minneapolis residents and park users. This annual event involves cleaning major watersheds and water bodies in the City of Minneapolis including: the Chain of Lakes, Lake Nokomis, Lake Hiawatha, Powderhorn Lake, Diamond Lake, Shingle Creek, Minnehaha Creek, Bassett’s Creek and the Mississippi River.
Environmental Education is a key part of the Clean Up. Onsite programs offer volunteers the opportunity to learn about various issues affecting our environment and community today. The programs are designed for individuals of all ages.
Past programs included:
River/Stream water testing presentations
Stream erosion/pollution presentations
Recycled art programs for youth
Birdhouse building
Wildlife effects of pollution
Water-cycle education games
Hennepin County Library will hold its 5th annual Teen Job Fair on Saturday, April 2, Noon-3:00pm at the Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall. Admission is free.
Hennepin County teens can meet employers from more than 30 businesses, find out about jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities, and attend workshops on job hunting, job applications, and job interviewing.
The Teen Job Fair is geared to teens in Grade 8 and up, although most employment opportunities are for teens age 16 and up.
Last year, more than 1,000 youths attended the Teen Job Fair and more than 30 employers participated. So far this year, the Mall of America, Conservation Corps of Minnesota, Ben and Jerry’s, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and other businesses have signed up to participate.
For more information about the Teen Job Fair, go online or call 952-847-8049.
Here are several additional Teen Job Assistance Events (held in the Doty Board Room at the Central Library):
- Thursday, April 7, 4:00pm–5:00pm - Interview Skills
- Thursday, May 5, 4:00pm–5:00pm - Resume Tips
Register online or call 952.847.8000.
Grade 8 and up.
Mill City Museum invites you to enter your photographs of the Minneapolis Riverfront that reveal the relationship of people to the environment in the past and present.
Judges will be looking for striking images of the Mississippi River and the Minneapolis Riverfront that show the relationship between people and the environment past and present, what that relationship has meant to different people in different times, and the positive and negative consequences of our use of the land and waters. Ideal photographs will convey a sense of place of the Minneapolis Riverfront and will address the way people use the riverfront and its resources. Photographs can focus on the environmental success stories or on the work yet to be done.
Winning photographs will be framed and displayed in the museum’s lobby in July and August 2011. Honorable mention photographs will be displayed nearby in a high definition slide presentation.
This photo contest is part of "Greening the Riverfront" a year-long series of programs highlighting how the Minneapolis riverfront has transformed from an industrial center to a center for new ways of thinking about our relationship with nature. The series includes the exhibit “Seeing the Big River: The eco-art work of Peter L. Johnson," on display in the museum’s Mill Commons through May 16, 2011. Johnson’s photographs, found-object sculpture, and video invite us to see the Mississippi River in new ways, and help viewers discover beauty amidst environmental damage. He will be one of the contest jurors.
Click here for eligibility, entry information, etc.
Time: 7:00pm
Location: MacPhail Center for Music, 501 South 2nd Street
Grammy Award winning Parker String Quartet to perform at MacPhail Center for Music
The 2011 Grammy Award winners for Best Chamber Music Performance, The Parker String Quartet, will perform March 14, 7 p.m. at MacPhail Center for Music in a free concert.
The Quartet is one of the 2010-2011 McKnight Fellowship winners.
For more information call 612.321.0100
Although we've walked by Level Salon countless times since moving to the neighborhood, it wasn't until a recent visit that I discovered what a cool place it is. Located at 903 Washington Avenue South, owner Gary Anderson and his staff recently celebrated the salon's 5 year anniversary.
Gary (pictured above) co-owned Take Five on First for 17 years prior to opening Level Salon. He loves the energy of the Mill District neighborhood, and was careful to incorporate the original beams of the 100+ year old building into the salon's sleek design.
Below, sample pieces from Level Salon's first art show grace the wall. Gary featured the work of Bulgarian artist Silvia Yordanova for this first event, and it was a smashing success. The next art show is planned for later this year.
The old beams work well to frame a product display:
The space Gary started with was a blank canvas. He worked with an architect to ensure the limited square footage was utilized efficiently, functional and visually pleasing.
But let's be honest. A salon can have a great location and snazzy appearance - neither of which matter if it's missing the most important element - terrific people. Level Salon excels there, as well. There are 9 stylists, serving both men and women clientele. Services include haircuts, color and highlights, manicures and pedicures, and eyebrow/lip waxes.
They also offer special occaison styling. Being located across the street from the Aloft makes it convenient for wedding parties. Check out some wedding photos on Level Salon's Facebook page.
As Mishon (below) explained to me during what could qualify as the worlds best pedicure, the team has worked together with Gary for many years, and are like family.
It's been a long time since my last pedicure - mainly because memories of a sadistic technician who cut my toe still haunt me. Mishon, on the other hand, was very gentle, yet very thorough. If you're in need of a pedicure, or looking for a gift certificate idea, you can't go wrong with Mishon.
I'll be heading back to Level Salon in the near future for a hair cut with Jeffrey.
People Serving People, located at 614 South 3rd Street, provides emergency housing and community services that assist families experiencing homelessness in becoming self-sufficient and reconnected with the community.
They currently have the following volunteer needs:
Meal Server
Serve breakfast, lunch or dinner to PSP guests and assist with clean-up as necessary.
Breakfast: 7:30am - 9:00am
Lunch: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Dinner: 4:15pm - 5:45pm
Must be at least 12 (children 12 - 15 must be accompanied by an adult). Great for groups: 2-3 volunteers for breakfast, 4-6 volunteers for lunch and dinner.
Building Beautification
Assist our housekeeping department with duties including general upkeep of the building and donation sorting.
Monday-Friday: 8am - 4pm (2 hour shift)
Weekends: 8am - 2pm (2 hour shift)
Requirements: Must be at least 12 years old (children 12 - 15 must be accompanied by adult).
Children's Activity Assistant
Help our staff facilitate games, crafts and group activities with children ages 3 - 17.
Fridays: 5:15pm – 7:30pm
Sundays: 12:45pm – 3:15pm
Requirements: Must be at least 18.
Click here to fill out an online volunteer application.
The Minnesota Vikings chances for a new stadium are improving, it seems, based on a proposal from the Minnesota Timberwolves. MPR broke the story of a "Global Stadium Solution" prepared by the basketball team. But what does it mean for the Mill District neighborhood?
I'm speculating here, but the proposals call to keep the Metrodome operating as a community sports center probably means the new Vikings Stadium would be built on the other side of Downtown Minneapolis:
1. The Star Tribune site being considered is adjacent to the Metrodome - would 2 stadiums side-by-side make sense? No.
2. The other downtown location is near Target Field and Target Center (home of the Timberwolves.
3. Core business district movers and shakers are working to locate the new stadium near Target Field.
Trying to read between the lines, including the dome does not make sense except to preclude our neighborhood as the new site. Minneapolis City Council Predident Barb Johnson seems to agree the the dome aspect of the proposal is a bad idea in a Star Tribune article in today's paper:
Barb Johnson, the Minneapolis City Council president, said Friday that while she favors a global solution to the Twin Cities' professional stadium issues, the plan's aim to build a new Vikings stadium and keep the Metrodome was a "red flag." The Vikings have played at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis for 29 years.
"There'd be two football stadiums, and I just don't think that's very practical," said Johnson, who said she had only recently seen the plan.
Be sure to mark your calendar for May 7 - we're only 8 short weeks away from Opening Day at the 2011 Mill City Farmers Market!
Every Saturday until opening day, we'll be posting pictures and videos from the 2010 MCFM to help get you in the mood...
See you at the Market!
Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District of Minneapolis and across the Stone Bridge in Old St. Anthony.
Friday, March 11
3-day Creative Nonfiction Conference at Open Book
Children’s Defense Fund Beat the Odds Award Dinner at The Depot
Doveman and Nadia Sirota at Southern Theater (2 nights)
Saturday, March 12
Tim Carroll Opening Reception at The Soap Factory
Guthrie Theater: Once Upon a Time Storytelling at Central Library
MacPhail Spotlight Series: Una Noche en España
Washburn A Mill Tour at Mill City Museum
Ribbon Cutting for Soap Factory's New Entrance Walkway
Midwest Photo Safari "Minneapolis Nights" in the Mill District, Winter 2011 Special Session
Sunday, March 13
David Hyde Pierce at The Guthrie
MacPhail Community Partnership Recitals and Open House
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
Saturday & Sunday
Brunch at the Aster Cafe
St. Anthony Main
125 SE Main Street
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-379-3138
Until 2pm.
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.
Time: 6:30pm – 8:pm
Location: Mill City Museum, 704 Second Street South
Where a fifty-foot wide canal for Mississippi waters once supplied the world’s largest direct-drive hydro-powered industrial complex, a visitor will now see the boarded-up Fuji-Ya restaurant, mill ruins, a shady grove and a railroad bed, and can look beyond to the St. Anthony Falls, the Stone Arch Bridge and the Third Avenue Bridge. Just two blocks from Washington Avenue, the downtown street grid meets the river here, creating two levels and scenic views of the falls.
The Central Riverfront Forum will focus on this site. Tom Meyer of Meyer, Scherer and Rockcastle will share insights he prepared with a public-private team facilitated by the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership and the Minneapolis Park Foundation.
Other topics include an update on restoring the falls in the East Channel of the Mississippi and an invitation to apply for Downtown area representation on theAbove the Falls Citizen Advisory Committee.
The Central Riverfront Forum provides a quarterly update on Central Riverfront issues. Additional 2011 dates will be: June 9, September 8, December 8 at Mill City Museum.
This event is free. For more information, please contact Cordelia Pierson at 612-465-8780 x212 or cordelia.pierson@gmail.com
I recently met with Dr. Chris Bierbrauer of Bierbrauer Chiropractic, located at 221 10th Avenue South in the Bridgewater Lofts building. The soothing spa aroma puts you into relaxation mode as soon as you enter the office. His website states it's "a new kind of Chiropractic care", and I quickly learned exactly what that meant.
;)
After earning his degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1995, Dr. Bierbrauer practiced in Green Bay, Chicago and Platteville. All the while, he knew there was a better way to treat patients, and about 10 years ago he started looking at soft tissue work. Since establishing his own practice here in the Mill District in November 2008, he now concentrates on two soft tissue methods - the Active Release Technique and the Graston Technique. This is what sets Bierbrauer Chiropractic apart from other practices.
Below, Dr. Bierbrauer demonstrates how he uses specific tools to manipulate nerves at the muscle level. This allows him to zero in on issues ranging from carpal tunnel syndrome to tennis elbow. He cited an example of a patient suffering from "calf contracture" - her calf muscles were so tight they felt like bone, and she was unable to stand flat-footed. Soft tissue treatments were the effective treatment for her.
;)
;)
Patients range from newborns to seniors, although a large percentage are athletes - runners, iron men, triathletes, skiers and weight lifters. In fact, Dr. Bierbrauer's first patient was a pitcher from an AL Central Team in town for a game against the Twins. Although his office wasn't officially open yet, he was sought out because of his ability to perform the tissue treatment needed for this professional athlete.
A colicky baby may be in need of a single adjustment to provide relief. The birthing process can be tramatic - all the manipulating can cause immobility in the neck from the cranial nerve that comes off the brain stem.
Dr. Bierbrauer explained the efficiency of soft tissue treatments. He does not subscribe to the old ways of scheduling X visits per week for X number of weeks. Rather, he spends more time with a patient during a visit, and only schedules a follow up if it's needed. (So this old joke does not apply here: "How many chiropractors does it take to screw in a light bulb? Only 1, but it takes 36 visits.")
Dr. Bierbrauer lives in North East with his wife, Missy Wilson, a Graphic Designer for Duffy & Partners (another Mill District business).
Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm
Location: Sorella Wine & Spirits, 1010 Washington Avenue South
Reservations Required - 612-339-4040
Chris Griese - Sake Specialist - World Class Wines
Chris has just returned from another week of Sake studies in Japan where he completed Professional Sake Training Level II, with John Gauntner, noted sake author and expert at the National Sake Institute in Tokyo.
Chris is one of only 80 people worldwide to complete the class. We will be tasting some very special Sakes as Chris shares his travel tales and expertise.
Today we issued a press release naming Mill City Commons the next Mill District Community Cornerstone award winner. Mill City Commons works tirelessly behind the scenes to connect our community and enrich the lives of members and the whole neighborhood.
According to Kim Eslinger, Editor of the Mill City Times, "More than any other organization, Mill City Commons works to connect the people, businesses and non-profit groups in the Mill District neighborhood".
"We were delighted when Dave Tinjum and Kim Eslinger from Mill City Times joined us for an exclusive sing-along with JD Steele at MacPhail Center for Music last fall. We learned that in addition to being fans of MacPhail, they share Mill City Commons commitment to providing unique connections, resources and support for life for our vibrant neighborhood" said Linnea Tweed, Executive Director, Mill City Commons.
Time: 6:00pm
Location: Central Public Library - Room N-202
DMNA board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. Anyone who lives, works or owns a business or property within the Downtown East and Downtown West neighborhoods is eligible for general membership in the DMNA.
The agenda for tonight's meeting is:
6:00pm Call to order and introductions
6:05pm Consideration of agenda
6:10pm Presentation regarding the Northern Spark summer festival scheduled for June 4, 2011, by Steve Dietz and Andrea Steudel
6:20pm Land Use Update
- Kaplan University (40 S. 7th Street) – Conditional Use Permit application for new signage; Presentation by Mary Ferraro
6:25pm NRP Implementation Report
- Update on City Council action with regards to the NRP Phase II Plan
o Considered by Community Development Committee – February 15 – Approved
o Considered by Ways and Means Committee – February 22 – Approved
o Considered by City Council – February 25 – Approved
6:30 pm Neighborhood and Community Engagement Report (NCEC)
- Update on NCEC action on February 22, with regards to the DMNA 2011 Community
Participation Program application and budget
- Consideration of endorsing neighborhood proposal with regards to the NCEC election
process
6:35pm Consideration of minutes from the February 8, 2011 Board Meeting
6:40pm Consideration of March 2011 Financial Report
6:43pm Staff report presented by Christie Rock
6:45pm Downtown 2025 Update and discussion facilitated by Bob Parr, Downtown 2025 Plan Coordinator
8:00 pm Adjournment
Next DMNA Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 6:00pm at the Central Library in Room N-202.
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