Minneapolis Riverfront News
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.
Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 8:32AMMinneapolis Turning Out the Lights for "Earth Hour" on March 31
From the City of Minneapolis website:
The Minneapolis City Council approved a resolution Thursday, March 8, to join the “Earth Hour” program again this year to raise awareness of global climate change.
From 8:30pm to 9:30pm Saturday, March 31, the City will turn off all uses of electricity in municipal buildings that are not required for life, safety or operations. The decorative lighting on the underside of the Stone Arch Bridge will be turned off for the night, and City Hall’s clock tower neon lights will be turned off as well.
Electricity use in Minneapolis accounts for 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global climate change. Participating individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and demonstrate their commitment to finding solutions.
Earth Hour has grown from a one-city initiative in 2007 to a 5,251 city strong global movement, last year reaching 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across all seven continents.
Tonight - MPRB Discussion on Allowing Food Trucks to Operate at Mill Ruins Park & Father Hennepin Park
Time: 5:00pm
Location: Minneapolis Park and Rec Board, 2117 West River Road
The regular meetings are rebroadcast on Channel 79 on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 5 p.m.
Webcasts of MPRB regular board meetings are posted on the MPRB website two to five business days after each meeting and are available for viewing, along with Webcasts for the recent two months, at http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=900.
Vote for you Mill District favorites - 2012 City Pages Best of the Twin Cities Readers Poll
City Pages requests your participation in their 2012 Best of the Twin Cities Readers' poll.
Click here to Vote for your favorite restaurants, shopping, recreation, etc.
I noticed a few of our local businesses have posted the Vote for Us! links on their Facebook page, including Sorella Wine & Spirits and 501F1T.
This Afternoon - Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission Agenda March 20, 2012
Several items on the agenda related to the Pillsbury "A" Mill redevelopment.
March 17 Mill City Farmers Market at the Arboretum a Huge Success
It sure was fun seeing our Mill City Farmers Market vendors at the Arboretum on March 17. We heard reports that some vendors sold out of product - not surprising considering the crowds.
In addition to my usual favorites, I came away with two new treats - Chili Chutney from Gorkha Palace and Caraway & Juniper Sauerkraut from Kiss My Cabbage.
Be sure to mark your calendar for the April 14 Farmers Market, which will take place inside Mill City Museum.
More pictures from the Arboretum:
The Week Ahead in Mill City / March 19-25
Above: The latest update to the Mill City Photo Pool...
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, March 19
Chefs for Change at People Serving People
Tuesday, March 20
The Film Society's Neighborhood Night at the Movies at St. Anthony Main Theatre
Meet the New MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Fellows at MCBA
Author Talk: Lori Sturdevant and George S. Pillsbury at Central Library
Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission Public Meeting
Wednesday, March 21
Argentina Wine Dinner at Spill the Wine
Minneapolis Park and Rec Board Meeting
Thursday, March 22
Kingdom Undone Opens at Southern Theater
The Parker Quartet – Illuminations: Mozart, Dutilleux and Schumann at MacPhail
Upper Riverfront program at the Nolte Center
March 22, 2012, Thursday - East Downtown Council Luncheon
Friday, March 23
NT Live Filmed Presentation of The Comedy of Errors at the Guthrie
Artist Talk at The Soap Factory
Saturday, March 24
Guthrie's How'd They do That Workshop: Hay Fever
Let's Eat! Writing and Bookmaking about Food Family Workshop at MCBA
Teen Job Fair at Central Library
First Pages for Kids: Writing Short Stories at Central Library
Winners of 2011 McKnight Artist Fellows Reading at The Loft
Sunday, March 25
Tunnel of Fudge Cake: The Bake-Off and the Bundt Pan at Mill City Museum
Tonight - Eat Well, Support the Minneapolis Parks Foundation at Tilia
Monday, March 19, 5:00-9PM at Tilia
March 16 Patio Dining in the Mill District
A little slice of heaven in the Mill District - drinks and nibbles on the patio...on March 16!
We started with drinks and the Maine Lobster Deviled Egg appetizer at Sanctuary, followed by Avocado Tempura, Macaroni Potato Salad and Crab Croquettes at Zen Box. YUM!
Beautiful evening downtown skyline view from the Zen Box patio:
Taste Twin Cities Food Tours Announces New Heart of Minneapolis Tour
;)
Taste Twin Cities Food Tours" is pleased to announce 2012 tour dates for their new Heart of Minneapolis Tour.
Weave your way through the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis on a food adventure! Enjoy VIP service at some of the newest and hottest award winning restaurants and learn the art of local beer making. Visit quaint eateries that have pride in local ownership, including a favorite since 1932. You'll leave the tour with a tasty experience of the best food finds Minneapolis has to offer while learning the history of downtown and soaking in the local culture.
Sites you will enjoy: Broadway Theatre District, Mary Tyler Moore Statue, the tallest building in Minneapolis, a building modeled after the Washington Monument, the largest structure ever moved on rubber-wheeled dollies and much more...
Scheduled tours available Friday and Saturday, or book a private tour.
To learn more, visit their website and Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.
Reminder: Road Closures for the Get Lucky 7K Tomorrow Morning
The Team Ortho Foundation's Get Lucky! 7K Race is 9:00am tomorrow morning, with a starting point of South 2nd Street near Portland Avenue South. The course travels along downtown Minneapolis and the Mississippi River.
NOTE: A section of West River Parkway, along with the Stone Arch Bridge and Main Street, will be closed from 8:00am - 11:00am to accomodate the racers.
Coming Soon to the Mill District - Blast Blow Dry Bar
Blast Blow Dry Bar will soon be occupying the space at 940 Washington Avenue South. That's the corner space next to Mens Dept. on the retail level of Aloft. This isn't a full service salon - no cuts, colors, manicures, etc. It's where you go when you need a wash, blow dry and style for a special occasion. Allison Kaplan first blogged about it on Mpls St. Paul in February.
Follow their progress on Facebook, Website and Twitter.
This Weekend in Mill City / March 16-18
Above: A recent photo from the Mill City Photo Pool
Events this weekend in and around the Historic Mill District and Minneapolis Riverfront Neighborhoods. Have an event to share? Contact us...
Friday, March 16
Sing Your Song Opens at St. Anthony Main Theatre
20th Annual Beat The Odds Celebration at The Depot
Saturday, March 17
25 Cent Book Sale at Central Library Book Store
Washburn A Mill Tour at Mill City Museum
Farmers Market at Local D'lish
Mill City Farmers Market at the Arboretum
Taste Twin Cities Downtown Minneapolis Skyway Tour
Team Ortho Foundation's Get Lucky! 7K Race
Childish Films at Central Library
Sunday, March 18
Ice Cream Cones & Gold Medal Park? You Betcha! DMNA Endorses Izzy's Design
Last night the DMNA endorsed the site plan for the Izzy's Ice Cream project across from Gold Medal Park in the Mill District of Minneapolis.
The building has a new design, and in a major change, will include an ice cream parlor where they'll scoop cones and make homemade waffles cones right onsite. Another significant announcement shared at the meeting was the addition of outdoor seating, including benches and 4 tables.
The project has weathered intense neighborhood opposition, including from Mill City Times, at previous meetings, but encountered almost none at last night's meeting. The changes announced by Izzy's owner Jeff Sommers last night change the nature of this project significantly. We think it will be an amenity for the neighborhood, the park, and the visitors from all over the region who use the park daily.
Kudos to Sommers and CPED Project Manager Miles Mercer for listening to the concerns of the community and coming up with a much improved project.
New Documentary Illuminates Harry Belafonte’s Role in the Awakening of the American Civil Rights Movement and Conscience
The Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul Presents:
Sing Your Song is an up-close look at a great American, Harry Belafonte. A champion for worldwide civil and human rights, Belafonte is one of the truly heroic cultural and political figures of the past 60 years. The film charts Belafonte’s life - from his birth in New York and youth in Jamaica, and return to Harlem in his early teens where he discovers the American Negro Theater and the magic of performing. From there the film follows Belafonte’s rise from the jazz and folk clubs of Greenwich Village and Harlem to his emergence as a star, and as an activist.
Sing your Song presents a look at the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of an insider, someone who, despite his high profile, wasn’t afraid to spend time in the trenches. From Harlem to Mississippi to Africa to South Central Los Angeles, Sing Your Song takes us on a journey through Belafonte’s life, work and, most of all, his conscience, as it inspires us all to action! – S2BN Films.
Playing at St. Anthony Main Theater Screen 3
Showing Fri, Mar 16 through Thurs, Mar 22 – Times:
Thu 3/22 at 4:00, 9:30
Izzy's Project to Include Scooping Ice Cream Cones? Mill City Times Exclusive
Below is a graphic cut from the Izzy's site plan to be presented tonight at the DMNA meeting (see post below).
If the plan is indeed to sell ice cream cones, like a real ice cream parlor, this facility could be a real amenity for the Mill District neighborhood. Will they be open retail hours? That would be icing on the cake. Attend the DMNA meeting tonight to find out!
Thanks to MNdible on Minnescraper Forums for catching this change.
The area outlined in red shows a scooping station and a waffle making station!
Tonight - Izzy's Site Plan Presentation at Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association Meeting
On the Agenda - Presentation of the Izzy's Ice Cream site plan and other planning applications by owner Jeff Sommers, architect David Salmela and CPED Project Coordinator Miles Mercer.
Izzy's Site Plan
Breaking - Izzy's Site Plan & Photos for New Facility Across from Gold Medal Park - Mill City Times Exclusive
We just received this from the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association:
