New Walking Tour at Mill City Museum Highlights Historic Disasters on the Minneapolis Riverfront

Visitors to Mill City Museum have a new choice for walking tours this summer. Discover the dramatic story of the Minneapolis riverfront on the new Disasters of the Riverfront Tour which is offered twice during the summer on July 26 and August 23 daily at 1:00pm.

Tour guests will discover the dramatic story of disasters on the Minneapolis riverfront. The area around St. Anthony Falls has been transformed many times during the rise and fall of the greatest milling district the world has ever seen. These changes led to some of the biggest and most tragic disasters in Minnesota history. On this tour, a Mill City Museum guide will tell the stories of fires, floods, explosions, collapses and other calamities; explore the consequences for the people involved; and highlight what these tales reveal about Minneapolis history. Among the stories highlighted will be the Eastman Tunnel Collapse in 1869, the Great Conflagration of 1893, bridge collapses in 1859 and 2007, numerous fires and massive landscape changes. 

The tour includes 1.5 miles of moderately paced walking on uneven surfaces. Please call ahead to make arrangements for guests with limited mobility. The tour will begin and end at Mill City Museum, where participants can visit the museum’s gallery, included in the price of the tour. Cost of this tour is $14 for adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MNHS members. This price includes museum admission. Reservations are recommended, call 612-341-7555 or register online. Tours are held rain or shine.

Help Feed A Homeless Child - Vote For People Serving People for the "All-Star Fans Choose" Grant

People Serving People has been chosen as a finalist for the All-Star Fans Choose grant, supported by Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Twins, the Twins Community Fund, and the Pohlad Family Foundation. The winning non-profit will be announced during MLB All-Star Week in July, and receive a $500,000 grant to be used on a capital project.

94 non-profit groups from Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and western Wisconsin applied to be considered for this first-of-its-kind grant. A panel of judges, consisting of representatives from MLB and the Twins determined the final seven non-profit projects based on the following criteria: impact on community, scope, timeline, environmental improvement, sustainable design, and quality of application.

People Serving People's proposal is to use the grant to renovate and upgrade thier kitchen, which they use to serve over 250,000 meals a year to children and their parents experiencing homeless.

Here's how you can vote to award the $500,000 grant to People Serving People:

1. From June 10 through July 10 go to www.AllStarGame.com/FansChoose
   every day.
2. Vote once per day per email address for People Serving People.
3. Tell your friends, family and neighbors to join in and vote to feed homeless children in our community.

Contact Daniel Gumnit, CEO & Executive Director of People Serving People if you would like to learn more about the services they provide. 612-332-4500.

Picture a Park Photo Contest 2014

Photos from any time of year may be submitted up until midnight Monday, September 1, 2014 at http://www.natcam.com/. Photographs will be judged on impact, image quality, composition and storytelling.
 
The Picture a Park Photo Contest is designed to highlight the year-round beauty, events and fun throughout Minneapolis' parks. Winners can receive a National Camera gift card, photo enlargement, parking permit, park pass or 2015 calendar featuring winning photos.

Categories include:
· Beauty in the Parks. Capture the everyday beauty within the Minneapolis Park System, including wildlife, historic sites and breathtaking views.

· Fun in the Parks. Document a fun park activity, such as a concert, movie, bike ride or picnic.

· Sports in the Parks. Photograph a team or a group of friends playing sports in Minneapolis Parks.

· Photos by Youth. Photographers ages 17 and younger can submit photos of their favorite Minneapolis Parks in any of the three subject areas: beauty, fun or sports.

Click here to view the 2013 winners.

The contest is sponsored by:

 

Mattie's on Main is now open for business!

From Mattie's: Now that the construction dust has settled, we hope you'll come on out to visit Mattie's on Main, right next to the Wilde Roast Cafe. We're open every day: Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm Friday and Saturday 11am-1 am Saturday & Sunday brunch coming soon Enjoy our four-season patio facing Main Street in the Riverplace mall, and inside there’s a small stage for live music and other performances - visit our calendar of events for details. Get a preview of our menus; we have a full bar and specialty items including: 16 local beers on tap and a wide selection of bottle beers Craft Martinis (be careful if you Flirtini with a Black Widow) Signature Cocktails (meet our Jamaican Sailor, it’s Mint-to-Be) Gentleman Choice (created with a smooth Gentleman Jack foundation) Adult Milkshakes (try the Young Grasshopper or our Ginger Snap for a sweet surprise) Wines including sparkling, white, rosé, reds and ports Bourbons, Scotch & Irish Whiskey for the discerning palate Appetizers, Salads, Pizzas, Burgers, Sandwiches and other Entrees A few facts about Mattie's On Main Wilde Roast Cafe co-owners Dean Schlaak and Tom DeGree teamed up with their longtime friend Brian Gilligan to renovate the former Kikugawa sushi restaurant. The restaurant's official name is Mattie St. Clair's House of Spirits on Main Street, named after a well-known brothel owner that operated in the area in the late 1800s. Be sure to follow us on Facebook for news and special offers. And look for the Mattie's Stage at the Stone Arch Bridge Festival.

Week 5 at the 2014 Mill City Farmers Market

The first Market of June was a wet one - but thankfully the Mill City Museum opened its doors early so vendors could move inside.  Rain or shine, the farmers and other vendors have an abundance of produce and products available.  So remember - just because the weather isn't perfect on a Saturday morning, please don't let that stop you from visiting the Market.  I made quite a haul today and can't wait to start slicing, dicing, cooking and baking!  :)

Dry inside the Mill City Museum:

Ceramic sporks!

Food Truck Mondays Return to the Mill District

Mark your calendars Mondays from 11:00am-1:00pm for Food Truck Mondays in the Mill District!  The Chef Shack Food Truck will be parked at 709 2nd Street South, across from the Mill City Museum. A sure cure for "a case of the Mondays".  :) 

Northern Spark 2014 - Update #11

Dosha Kitchen Feeds Your Spirit at Northern Spark

A collaboration between Minneapolis artists Jess Hirsch and Ginny Sims, Dosha Kitchen is a mobile camper that helps the public discover Ayurvedic Dosha throughout the night of Northern Spark.

“When we heard that the theme for Northern Spark was Projecting the City we decided to think about internal projections and projections of self. Ayurveda is a method of dividing up the internal self into three dispositions, or Doshas. Everyone is a blend of them,” explains Hirsch.

Doshas stem from Ayurvedic medicine, the oldest healing system in the world, originating in India five thousand years ago. Doshas are the triad of characteristics that dominate an individual: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Dosha Kitchen will reveal the viewer’s disposition through food, drink, and objecthood at their Northern Spark site on West River Parkway. To read more about this project, check out the interview with Hirsch and Sims on the Northern Spark blog.

Aerial Dance and Projection Draw Us beyond the LOOP

What can five collaborators from widely-varied disciplines and a shared poetic vision accomplish? Bill Cottman, Kenna Cottman, Lewis Hill, Kevin Obsatz, and Junauda Petrus invite us to consider this question and more from many angles with beyond the LOOP, a Northern Spark project that combines aerial acrobatics, media manipulation, dance, and social media to explore our dreams of wanting more for our cities.

Located under the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, beyond the LOOP repeats hourly in new combinations of performance improvisation and audio and video projection. During the performance, audience members are encouraged to take photographs and videos while moving around, seeking various vantage points.

June 14 Green Line Festivities Announced

METRO Green Line Opens June 14!

Nine stations along the METRO Green Line will host opening ceremonies and celebration events throughout the day. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place outside the St. Paul Union Depot, immediately in front of the Union Depot Station platform. You're invited to attend the METRO Green Line grand opening on Saturday, June 14th!

All Metro Transit services will be free of charge June 14th and June 15th.

Saturday, June 14th – Union Depot Schedule of Events 

9:00AM
Ribbon cutting ceremony at the Union Depot north lawn, immediately in front of Union Depot Station LRT platform.

10:00AM
Service on METRO Green Line begins!  Note: Trains will be stationed at all nine celebration events on the morning of June 14th. Trains will begin service simultaneously at 10am.

Entertainment on MPR's The Current Stage:

11:00AM Southwire

12:30PM Koo Koo Kanga Roo

2:00PM Southside Desire

3:30PM The 4onthefloor

5:00PM Doomtree

For more information on bands, performances, vendors and food planned at all nine celebration stations, please visit www.metrotransit.org/greenline or http://www.metrotransit.org/opening-day

Station-specific information can be found at the following links:

• Union Depot Station: Discover Lowertown
• Central Station: The Sky's the Limit
• Western Station: Explore Little Mekong
• Victoria Station: Celebrate Good Times at Victoria
• Hamline Station: The Great 'Midway' Get-Together
• Raymond Station: Creative Enterprise Zone
• Stadium Village Station: Stadium Village Celebration with the Minnesota Vikings
• West Bank Station: West Bank Station Celebration
• Target Field  Station: Catch a Taste of the Warehouse District!

On social media? Use hashtag #metrogreenline

Regular service schedules for the METRO Green Line are available here.

Very large crowds are expected on opening day and trains are unlikely to run on a normal service schedule. Frequent supplemental opening day bus service will operate parallel to the Green Line between LRT stations to provide additional travel options between events.

The METRO Green line was constructed with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the State of Minnesota, the Counties Transit Improvement Board, Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, the City of St. Paul and the Metropolitan Council.

METRO Green Line opening day celebrations are funded by a partnership between the Metropolitan Council and the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, with generous help from the following sponsors:

AFSCME Council 5
AECOM
Augsburg
Braun Intertec
CenterPoint Energy
Central Corridor Funders Collaborative
East Metro Strong
Ford Foundation
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
Hamline University
Health Partners | Regions Hospital
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Kimley-Horn & Associates
LTK Engineering Services
Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS
Minneapolis Building and Trades Council
Minneapolis Foundation
Minnesota Twins Baseball Club
Minnesota Vikings
MnDOT
PCL Construction
Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Rail Systems Division
Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS
Saint Paul Building and Construction Trades Council
Saint Paul Foundation
University of St. Thomas
Xcel Energy

Lunch Hour Entertainment and Events at the Government Center

Via a June 3 e-newsletter from Hennepin County:

Hennepin County Summer on the Plaza is back! Grab your lunch, soak up some sunshine and enjoy musicians, dancers, educators and more at the Hennepin County Government Center, North Plaza, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis.

This week’s events include:

• June 4: Summer Health and Safety Fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come and learn about the many health and safety opportunities the county has to offer.
• June 5: The Auto Body Experience brings a seven piece, horn-driven rock band that plays quirky original music.
• June 6: The Armenian Dance Ensemble (on the skyway level) will perform traditional Armenian folk dances in ethnic costumes, depicting current and historic styles of music and dance.
• June 6: Tower Bell Foundation – bell concert

In the event of bad weather, performances move inside to the skyway level of the Hennepin County Government Center. For more information about Hennepin County Summer on the Plaza, or to see a full performance schedule, visit www.hennepin.us/summerontheplaza.

Also on the plaza, the Tower Bell Foundation (TBF) at Minneapolis City Hall plays the historic tower bells eachFriday. The foundation is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization. The bells, the oldest of which was installed in 1896, have a total weight of nearly 30,000 pounds and can be heard over a large area of downtown Minneapolis.

Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.

June RLife Events at The Depot

A good reason to check out their beautiful patio tucked away from traffic.  :)

  

Week 4 at the 2014 Mill City Farmers Market

MN Native Foods/Foraging was the theme of the May 31 Market, highlighted with a performance by the student ambassadors from American Indian Magnet School.  Look for a separate post later this week on our Farmers Market blog for additional pictures and information.

Welcome back, Sonny's!

Music by Hamdog!

Some shoppers started their day with a complimentary 8:00am yoga class on the Guthrie terrace with trained yoga instructor Kylie Salzman of Lakeside Yoga Minneapolis.

The French breakfast radish version of Medusa...