‘Events’ Archives
September Random alley News
By Lindsey Fenner and Laura Hulscher All the Ward 6 and Ward 9 City Council Candidates on the Ballot in November: Candidates for City of Minneapolis elections had an August 10 deadline to file to be on the November ballot. Candidates for Ward 6 City Council (which includes Ventura Village and Phillips West in the Phillips neighborhood: Jamal Osman (incumbent) and A. Bihi. Candidates for Ward 9 City Council (which includes East Phillips and Midtown Phillips in the Phillips Neighborhood): Mickey Moore, Yussuf Haji, Brenda Short, Ross Tenneson, Carmen Means, Jason Chavez, Alfred "AJ" Flowers Jr., and Jon Randall Denison. Look for a City Council candidate questionnaire in upcoming editions of the alley! Long Vacant 628 East Franklin to Be Developed into Affordable Housing: City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT) and Hope Community have entered into an agreement with the City of Minneapolis to turn the historic vacant building at 628 East Franklin Avenue into perpetually affordable housing. The building has been vacant for over 20 years, as various redevelopment plans have fallen through. The plan submitted by CLCLT in partnership with Hope Community will renovate the gutted building into seven condo units: six 3-bed, 2-bath units and one 1-bed, 1-bath unit, affordable to households at or below 60% Area Median Income. Hope Community operates over 200 affordable housing units in the Phillips neighborhood, including the nearby South Quarter affordable housing community at Franklin and Portland. Drop In Behavioral Health Center Now Open at 1800 Chicago: Hennepin County’s new Behavioral Health Clinic is open to anyone 18 and older needing help with mental health or substance use. Services include urgent care and physical screening; Housing, cash and food support; and Mental health and substance use services such as Mental health screening and diagnostic assessmentsComprehensive screening for addiction disordersCase management and care [...]
Have You Heard the One About…
By Patrick Cabello Hansel A lawyer, a pastor and a saxophone player walked into…a cemetery? What’s the punchline? You’ll have to come to “QUITTING TIME at a Place of Endless Time,†on Saturday, September 18th at 4 pm at the historic Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery at East Lake Street and Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis. Patrick Cabello Hansel’s 2nd book of poetry, “Quitting Time,†is an extended elegy to his father, Walter Hansel. It engages his history from his birth into a German-speaking home in rural North Dakota, through the Great Depression, World War II, and becoming a barber and raising a family in Austin, MN. Patrick retired in 2020 after serving with his wife Luisa for 15 years at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Phillips. He is the author of the poetry collection “The Devouring Land,†and his work has been published in over 70 journals. Twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize, he has received awards from the Loft Literary Center and the Minnesota State Arts Board. At the event, Patrick will read with prize-winning poets Tim Nolan and Richard Terrill. There will be live music with Larry McDonough on keyboards and Richard Terrill on sax. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the program, and there will be an optional tour of the historic cemetery. Tim Nolan is a lawyer and the author of The Field (New Rivers Press, 2016), And Then (New Rivers Press, 2012) and The Sound of It (New Rivers Press, 2008). Richard Terrill is a sax player and the author of poetry collections What Falls Away is Always, Almost Dark and Leaning Into Rachmaninoff. You can enter the cemetery on the Cedar Avenue side. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket. We will try to keep you updated on COVID restrictions, but be prepared with a mask just in case. And if you’re not vaccinated, please do so!
Edible Boulevards
By MICHELLE SHAW Join us for our Edible Boulevards cooking classes! Our class will help you utilize the harvest from your own garden to create simple, delicious summer and autumn recipes. We were delighted to have Appetite for Change teach our first two classes, and we’re excited to welcome Kelly Shay, founder of Harmonious World, to lead our September and October classes. You’ll learn about the nutritional value of the produce in each recipe, and when the class is over, you will have made that evening’s meal for yourself and your family. Invite your partner, a friend, or your kids to the Zoom class, and cook the meal together! Here’s what we have in store for you: Thursday, September 30 with Kelly Shay: Vegetable Basil Stir-fry w/ Quinoa and a Side Salad -- 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.Thursday, October 28 with Kelly Shay: Cozy Autumn Lentil Stew -- 5:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscOCprz8vGtdw0iHhiRISE1BfEDky87Sv Edible Boulevards is an initiative focused on making fresh produce accessible in every Minneapolis neighborhood, starting with Green Zone neighborhoods, which have suffered environmental injustice and food apartheid policies for decades. Our garden sites get tested for lead, because children in Green Zone neighborhoods typically experience higher blood lead levels. We teach participants self-sustainability in gardening, so that they can share their skills with neighbors, friends and family, and grow their own food together. We are partnered with the East Phillips Improvement Coalition (EPIC) and have funding to build several gardens for residents of East Phillips. Please contact minneapolisedibleboulevards@gmail.com if you’d like an application. If you’re interested, and don’t live in East Phillips, we still welcome you to attend our free cooking classes. The first five people from South Minneapolis who pre-register will get a $10 Seward [...]
East Phillips Urban Farm Faces Crucial City Council Vote in August
By LINDSEY FENNER The future of the East Phillips Urban Farm will reach a crucial turning point in August when the Minneapolis City Council will hear a staff report on the future of the City’s Public Works expansion at the Roof Depot site at Longfellow and 28th Street, and vote on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW). An EAW is a short document that reports on the facts of a project and determines the need for a further review called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). At the end of April, the City Council approved a staff directive that paused the City’s Public Works expansion at the Roof Depot site, with a required report at the City Council Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, August 5. The report will include information on the financial and operational impact of ending the Public Works expansion project and recommendations for selling the property to community groups.The Public Works expansion, if it went forward, would increase car and truck emissions in a neighborhood already overburdened with pollution and accompanying health conditions like asthma. Neighbors, community members, and allies have been fighting for another vision of the Roof Depot site, the East Phillips Urban Farm. The community project would include urban agriculture, affordable housing, job training, and a small business incubator. The community group organized around this vision, the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, has an active lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis to stop the Public Works expansion, is working on securing funding and a buyer for the property, and has been holding workshops with business owners, community groups, and tenants interested in renting space within the 230,000 sq.ft. Roof Depot. The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) hosted a workshop with local businesses and community organizations such as Migizi, Gandhi Mahal, Little Earth, and more to envision a business model for the future East Phillips Indoor [...]
Loss of Two Landmark Theatres a Tragedy
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II In 2003, Loews Cineplex gave way to Landmark Theatres as the new owners of the Edina Cinema at 50th and France in Edina. Altogether the Edina Cinema had been in operation for 87 years, but then came COVID-19 to force the prize of Edina closed for "good". What a loss for us cinephiles and all other regular moviegoers who just wanted to see perhaps an art-house film or even a dashing big budget movie. I think of the countless screenings I saw there or decided to take a 6B or 6C bus to view a film of my liking (always with a pen and notebook in the dark to write my reviews). The Edina (four screens and 1300 seats) had been remodeled some time ago - beautiful, yet not gaudy. There may be hope, all may not be lost for Edina. Suzanne Haugland, the building owner, told FOX 9 she's optimistic about finding a new private partner to restart showing movies there again. Another Landmark theatre, Uptown Theatre, in Uptown Minneapolis was evicted from their space in May by the building's landlord Lagoon Partners, LLC. According to the complaint, Landmark Theatres allegedly owes $340,000 in back rent and fees. If this is true, what caused Landmark Theatres to be so remiss? Uptown (then called Lagoon Theatre) opened on June 3, 1916, one of the oldest theaters in the Twin Cities, surviving the Great Depression of the 1930s, World War ll, the Vietnam War, and the 1970s and 1980s. The name changed to Uptown Theatre on April 11,1929 at the same time sound came to motion pictures. A fire broke out on April 25,1939, but the theatre was soon rebuilt. When the Uptown closed in 1975, Landmark Theatres chain took it over. Upgrades of the Uptown Theatre began on January 31, 2012, leading to renovations from a 900-seat theater to about a 358-seat theater. To my delight it always had one screen. I saw [...]
Kid’s Summer Stuff!
Fun Activities for Youth at Parks and Libraries in and around Phillips Neighborhood COMPILED By LINDSEY FENNER Minneapolis Parks (to register and find even more activities go to https:// apm.activecommunities.com/minneapolisparks/). Contact the park for sched- ule changes and availability. East Phillips Park, 2399 17th Avenue South. 612-370-4888 Jr. Naturalists: Drop-In Discovery, Tuesday 5-7PM, through August Join us for no-touch or easily sanitizable nature exploring — such as meeting live animals, dissecting an owl pellet, playing water quality mini-golf, planting seeds, and much more! No need to register, just stop on by for free family fun! Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Land Back Mask Making: July 26-30, 2PM-5PM Free, ages 10-14, register online. The Artist in Residence (AiR) program will focus on Land Back Face Mask Making: An activity designed to educate and to gain the knowledge to care for Grandmother Earth. Sculpture by Dakota artist Graci Horne, who will be leading the mask making activities Phillips Park, 2324 11th Avenue South. 612-370-4946 Film Festival: Mondays through August 30, 6PM-8PM Each week Phillips Community Center will bring films to youth. We will showcase the creativity of film makers and facilitate discussion on cinema- tography. Youth will be a part of this program process and collaborate to pick films and topics to discuss! This activity is an ActivePass Program and a pass is required to participate. Please go to your neighborhood recreation center during business hours to sign up for a free ActivePass. Youth Adventures: Monday through Friday 1PM-6PM Free, ages 10-16, Youth Adventures at Phillips is the place to be! You can come get homework help, use the computer lab with our super fast WiFi from Comcast’s LiftZone, play video/table games or join in on daily art/stem activi- ties! This activity is an ActivePass Program and a pass is required to participate. [...]
Library News
By CARZ NELSON All information listed here is accurate as of May 18, 2021. CHANGE IS COMING Library hours and services are expected to expand soon in response to the decrease of COVID in the community. In this rapidly changing environment, you can find the most recent and reliable information on the library website, www.hclib.org. JUNETEENTH The library is hosting many online activities to celebrate Juneteenth. Million Artist Movement is helping the community to connect with each other and to reflect on Juneteenth themes, stories and dreams. There are three activities to choose from: making quilt squares, dance, and storytelling. Kits will be available to pick up ahead of time at Hosmer Library for making quilt squares. Check out the Events page on the library website to see all the Juneteenth programs on offer. CHILL ON THE LAWN Franklin Library has free Wi-Fi outside the building from 7 AM to 10 PM. They also have chairs on the front lawn when the library is open. It’s a convenient spot to hang out and log on. DUE DATES RETURN HCLib suspended due dates for the past year because of COVID. This policy ended on April 26. Check your online account or paper receipts for due dates. Renewal policies remain the same; items can be renewed up to three times. Returns are accepted at all library locations. Book drops accept returns 24/7. NO MORE FINES Hennepin County Library has gone fine free. Patrons are no longer charged for overdue material, but they continue to be responsible for the replacement cost of unreturned or lost items. An item is considered unreturned 41 days after its due date. LIBRARY SOCIAL WORKER A social worker is available outside Franklin Library on Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 AM to 5 PM, and at East Lake Library Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 AM to 5 PM. Basic needs (clothing, food, meals, shelter)Chemical HealthDisability ServicesEducation & Employment ResourcesHennepin County [...]
Past, Present, Theater
On Stage involves local students in a closer look at Nina Simone’s work around racialized violence By JESSIE MERRIAM Don't tell meI tell youMe and my people just about due I’ve been there so I knowThey keep on saying “Go slow!†But that’s just the trouble ---Nina Simone “Mississippi Goddam†1963 On Stage's flyer for Nina Simone: Four Women virtual discussions “When we listen to Simone sing ‘Mississippi Goddam’--it could’ve been written yesterday. Somebody needs to write a ‘Minnesota Goddam’ right now,†Twin Cities actress Thomasina Petrus declared to the group, gathered on the morning of April 1 to explore the play Nina Simone: Four Women and Simone’s reverberating legacy. This gathering was arranged by On Stage: Creating a Community Dialogue Around Live Theater, a Twin Cities nonprofit that brings the scripts of local plays to college classes and community centers and facilitates discussions with the aid of theater creators and educators. On April 1, Professor Jo Lee’s “American Drama by Playwrights of Color†class at the University of Minnesota was joined by creators/ artist-activists Nora Montañes and Sun Mee Chomet, as well as Petrus, who performed in the 2016 Park Square Theatre staging of Nina Simone: Four Women in St. Paul. Lucas Erickson, On Stage’s founder, facilitates every discussion. Have you ever written a song? Have you been to a protest before? Is there a social issue in the world or something in your heart that activates you? Christina Ham, an acclaimed Minnesota playwright, wrote the 2016 play that digs deeper into the way racialized violence catalyzed Nina Simone’s evolution as an artist-activist. Pillsbury House Theatre planned to stage the play last year, but Covid postponement has pushed it to this fall or next spring. The play [...]