December 10, 2011, Saturday - French Christmas Boutique at Our Lady of Lourdes

Time: Noon - 8:00pm

Location:  Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1 Lourdes Place

Come to Our Lady of Lourdes’ French Christmas Boutique and enjoy their French Tourtiéres (meat pies) while you shop their French Boutique (items from Paris, fleur-de-lis jewelry and more), Christmas Village, Catholic Louvre (medals, books, statues) and French Bakery. Try for their high quality raffle at Gordy's Raffle Boutique and auction items (three Llrado figures included and quality saint statues and items straight from Paris). To restore your energy, indulge in their warm, home-made Caramel Rolls. Then hit their Dollar Store for great deals and find a perfect gift with a local flavor in their General / Made in MN Boutique.

When you're ready to go home, buy a whole French Tourtiéres to bring home! Silent Auction closes at 1:00pm on Sunday, with the announcement of the winners at approximately 1:30pm. The Gordy's Raffle drawing will be at 1:15pm on Sunday.

December 9, 2011, Friday - Live Music at Crooked Pint Ale House

Time: 10:00pm  $5 Cover

Location: Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Avenue South

Tonight:  Billy Johnson's Roadshow

December 9, 2011, Friday - Live Music at Aster Cafe

Time: 9:00pm  Cover: $10

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 Main Stree SE

Tonight: Michael Monroe

December 9, 2011, Friday - An 'Eventually' Christmas: Holidays at the Mill at Mill City Museum

Times: 6:00pm, 7:00pm and 8:00pm

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street South

An 'Eventually' Christmas: Holidays at the Mill

Dates: December 2, 9, 10, 11

This unique theatrical event performed in the museum's Flour Tower elevator ride, features "The Ghost of Mill City Past" guiding an intimate look at the 1920 Washburn Crosby holiday party. The script is based on real stories taken from the pages of the company's employee newspaper. Scenes unfold on different floors of the mill and visitors will meet different characters along the way. Witness the rocky romance of Celia and Otto; meet marketing mastermind Benjamin S. Bull; experience the awesome sweeping power of Bill Smith; and learn the secret origin of the Washburn Crosby marketing slogan, "Eventually-Why Not Now?" This piece is written by playwright Joseph Scrimshaw, directed by Laura Salveson, and stars a cast of professional Twin Cities' actors. Not recommended for children under the age of 8.

Fee: $14 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 for children ages 6-17 and MHS members; $2 off adult admission with Fringe Festival button.

Reservations: required, call 612-341-7555

December 9, 2011, Friday - Mentor Series: Lan Samantha Chang at The Loft

Time:  7:00pm

Location: The Loft at Open Book (Performance Hall), 1011 Washington Avenue South

The Loft Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose presents fiction mentor Lan Samantha Chang reading from her work along with program participants Martin Cozza (fiction) and Alice O. Duggan (poetry).

Lan Samantha Chang is the author of the award-winning books Hunger, Inheritance, and All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost. A 2008 Guggenheim Fellow, she lives with her husband and daughter in Iowa City, Iowa, where she is the director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Martin Cozza (fiction) has had fiction published in The Missouri Review, Colorado Review, Columbia, Massachusetts Review, Carolina Quarterly and elsewhere. His work has been included in the Best American Fantasy anthology. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has held a Yaddo residency and three Minnesota State Arts Board fellowships. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and three children.

Alice O. Duggan (poetry) has published poetry in Water~Stone Review, Blue Earth Review, Sleet Magazine, Puckerbrush Review, Plainsongs, and Moon Journal. She has studied poetry with Tom Ruud, Jude Nutter, and Jim Moore. She wants the sound of plain speech in her poems, combined with humor and music.

December 9, 2011, Friday - Foodie Gifts Class at Local D'Lish

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Local D'Lish, 208 N 1st Street

They say the best gift is one from the heart. Learn how to make some wonderful gifts that highlight the best of our local farmers and food artisans.

Reservations

December 9, 2011, Friday - Ian and Margery of myTalk 107.1 at Wilde Roast Cafe

Time: 7:00am - 10:00am

Location:  Wilde Roast Cafe

Ian and Margery of myTalk107.1 will be at onsite doing their show live and collecting donations for Toys For Tots.

December 8, 2011, Thursday - Hitting the High Notes Dinner at MacPhail (RSVP by November 28)

Time:  6:00pm Reception, 7:00pm Dinner and Program

Location: MacPhail Center for Music, 501 2nd Street South

An intimate evening of music, awards and recognition celebrating the high notes of the past year at MacPhail.

$75/person, cash bar.

Space is limited - RSVP by November 28 to Amanda Schroder at 612-767-5343 or schroder.amanda@macphail.org.

December 8, 2011, Thursday - Spotlight on Milkweed Editions at Central Library

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Pohlad Hall at Central Library, 300 Nicollet

An Evening of Travel, Politics, and Prose with Christopher Merrill

Award-winning poet, journalist, translator and essayist Christopher Merrill will discuss his new book, The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War. Merrill, who directs the international Writing Program at the University of Iowa, was recently nominated by the White House for membership on the National Council on the Humanities. He will discuss his extensive travels, and explore what it means to write about the politicized world in the wake of September 11th from a historical as well as a literary perspective, and where we are going as a country and a people from here. Merrill will be introduced and joined on stage by Daniel Slager, Publisher and CEO of Milkweed Editions.

December 8, 2011, Thursday - Holy Cow! Press Reading: Anthony Bukoski, Ann Iverson, & Catherine Holm at The Loft

Time:  7:00pm

Location: The Loft at Open Book (Performance Hall), 1011 Washington Avenue South
 
Spend an evening with Holy Cow! Press authors Anthony Bukoski, Ann Iverson, and Catherine Holm.

Time Between Trains - Short Stories by Anthony Bukoski

In his fourth collection, Anthony Bukoski brings to life once again the working-class town of Superior, Wisconsin, telling linked tales of its Polish inhabitants in 13 poignant, well-crafted stories.

Anthony Bukoski has published five story collections, including Twelve Below Zero: New and Expanded Edition (Holy Cow! Press, 2008). National Public Radio’s Selected Shorts program have aired readings of Bukoski’s work. A Christopher Isherwood Foundation fellowship winner, the author resides with his wife Elaine in the country outside of Superior, Wisconsin.

Art Lesson
Poems by Ann Iverson

Art Lessons explores the connections between visual art and the written word. By incorporating the words and details from Vincent Van Gogh's life, and by referring to his infamous Sunflower paintings, Ann Iverson's poetry reveals her keen insights into the mysterious interplay between art and poetry, happiness and sadness, God and nature.

Ann Iverson is the author of Definite Space (Holy Cow! Press, 2007). Her poems have appeared on The Writer’s Almanac. She is a Dean of Learning at Dunwoody College in Minneapolis and lives in East Bethel, MN with her husband.

My Heart is a Mountain
Tales of Magic and the Land by Catherine Holm

My Heart Is a Mountain is a collection of eleven fiction stories and one memoir piece. From northern Minnesota to Alaska, from the Dustbowl to Appalachia, from swamps to mountains to the afterlife, these tales blend the magic and the mundane as characters discover themselves, their limitations, and their greatness.

Catherine Holm is an award-winning writer who lives with her husband Chris in rural Cook, Minnesota, on ten acres of boreal forest. Her short stories have been published in several anthologies and chapbooks. She writes about human yearning and how it is shaped by land and place.

December 8, 2011, Thursday - Taste Twin Cities Downtown Minneapolis Skyway Tour

Time: 2:30pm

Location: 800 LaSalle Plaza (On Hennepin Avenue between 8th & 9th)

Taste Twin Cities Food Tours

While it's chilly outside, join us as we weave our way through the cozy corners of downtown Minneapolis skyways on a food adventure.  We will stroll through the "Broadway" Theatre District and enjoy VIP service as we visit some the newest and hottest award winning restaurant downtown has to offer.  The tour includes seeing the Minneapolis skyscraper that was modeled after the Washington Monument and visiting the famous Statue of Mary Richards tossing her hat.  Along the way we will also visit quaint eateries that have pride in local ownership; including a favorite since 1932.  You will participate in tea sampling, and learn the secrets behind the great food you are enjoying.  You'll leave the tour with a tasty experience of some of the best food finds Minneapolis has to offer all while learning history of downtown and soaking in the local culture.

Register.

December 8, 2011, Thursday - Central River Forum

NOTE:  THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED  to encourage attendance at the December 15 community meeting about the plans for the Fuji Ya site.

Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Location:  Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street South

The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership convenes a quarterly forum in the Central Riverfront concerning issues shaping this area.

Powerful Nature – World-class History – Vibrant Communities: Our Central and Upper River parks contribute to our urban vitality. In 2012, with new park staff, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will lead park master planning in both our Central and our Upper riverfronts. The last Central Riverfront plan was over thirty years ago – before the National Historic District, and the transformation of the Central Riverfront from industrial to residential uses.

Come hear about hot issues on our riverfront, and meet the new staff: Bruce Chamberlain and Andrew Caddock.

December 7, 2011, Wednesday - Winter Root Vegetables Class at Local D'Lish

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Local D'Lish, 208 N 1st Street

Just what we need…roasted, toasted, warm and delicious root vegetables. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Roots are a wonderful addition to your winter menu.

Reservations

December 7, 2011, Wednesday - Breakfast with a Preservationist at the Mill City Museum

Time: 8:00am to 9:00am

Location: Mill City Museum, 710 South Second Street

Preserve Minneapolis: Brrr, It's Cold Outside! What's Your Favorite Interior Space?

What Minneapolis space draws you in? As part of our year end tradition, we're asking you to send us your favorite places but with a twist. This year we're asking for your favorite interiors. We will share images with the group and give you the opportunity to tell us why it is important to you. Email the image and your reason (if you cannot attend) to Elizabeth Gales at egales@preserveminneapolis.org and put "December BWAP" in the subject line. Deadline for image submission is Monday, November 28, 2011.

This event is free! Breakfast treats and coffee will be provided (donations are welcome!). Metered parking is available on the street and in a parking garage across from the museum.

December 5, 2011, Monday - Great River Outing: Tour of Graco

Time: 5:30pm – 6:45pm

Location:  Graco, 88 11th Avenue NE

The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership invites you on a tour of Graco's site on the Mississippi River and learn what it means to be an engaged neighbor on the Mississippi River.  We will learn about this world leader in manufacturing fluid-handling equipment and systems.  Graco equipment creates Hershey kisses, applies paint to homes, and squeezes tomato paste on pizzas.  In partnership with Graco, Inc.

Registration required.  Please register online.

December 4, 2011, Sunday - Talk & Taste: Urban Gardens at Central Library

Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Central Library, Children's Library, 300 Nicollet Mall

A talk on urban gardens and soil contaminants at 3:00pm. will be followed at 3:45pm. by a food tasting featuring restaurants that source local ingredients. Then at 4:15pm, learn about the Student Organic Farm at the University of Minnesota.

Presented in collaboration with the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Gastro Non Grata.

December 4, 2011, Sunday - Members Double Discount Holiday Shopping Weekend at Mill City Museum

Times: 10:00am to 5:00pm Thursday-Saturday; Noon to 5:00pm Sunday

Dates: December 1, 2, 3 and 4

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street South

Minnesota Historical Society members will receive a double discount (20 percent) on Minnesota-inspired, quality gifts in time for the holidays at a pre-holiday sale at Members Double Discount Weekend at the Mill City Museum. Purchases help support the Society’s programs.

December 4, 2011, Sunday - Vikings and Denver Broncos at the Dome

NOTE TIME CHANGE! 

Was originally scheduled for 3:05pm, but according to both their website and Facebook, it is now Noon.

December 4, 2011, Sunday - Quick Weeknight Meals Class at Local D'Lish

Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: Local D'Lish, 208 N 1st Street

It seems like you just don’t have time to eat something healthy and local…but we can show you how to make a nutritious and locally lovely delicious meal in a flash.

Reservations

December 4, 2011, Sunday - 1850s Holiday Party at Ard Godfrey House

Time: 12:30pm – 3:30pm

Location:  Ard Godfrey House, Chute Square at corner of University and Central (across from Lund's)

Enjoy light refreshments, musical entertainment and guided tours of the oldest remaining frame residence in Minneapolis. The home will be decorated in the modest style of the era, and the Woman’s Club guides will be dressed in period costume. See how the Godfrey family celebrated the holidays in the new community at St. Anthony Falls.

Children are welcome and will receive free Godfrey House buttons. Admission is free (but donations are suggested and welcome). No reservations required.

Sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. For information: (612) 813-5300 or online.