Keep citizen journalism alive in Phillips
Ingebretsen’s Celebrates Nine Decades for Nine Weeks
![Charles Ingebretsen came from Norway in the early 1900’s and went to Fargo, North Dakota where he learned butchering. Moved to Mpls. where the Scandinavian-American community was flourishing in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. His first business was at 1808 Riverside [still The Bailey Building now with Mapps Coffee and Teas, KFAI Radio “without boundaries,” and other businesses], a location close to both the Southern Theater, which had entertainment for Swedish immigrants and the railroad switchyards, which employed many Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes. He soon expanded the business, to several other meat markets serving the Norwegian community, including the Model Meat Market on East Lake St., strategically located on a streetcar line [note importance of transit also mention this month in “Tales…” Pg.4].](http://alleynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1.1cv369IngePhoto2Store.jpg "1.1cv36#9IngePhoto#2Store")
By Carsten Smith
Every birthday is worth celebrating, but some birthdays are worth an extra special effort. For Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gifts, that birthday is the ninetieth, which will be celebrated this October. “My grandfather opened the store here because it was a Scandinavian neighborhood at the time. The neighborhood has changed, but we still feel supportive of it and supported by it. We are glad to be here,” says Julie Ingebretsen, gift store manager and the granddaughter of the store founder, Charles Ingebretsen.
“We have a calendar full of special events, many of which revolve around food, naturally, and the neighborhood is invited!” says Julie. For nine Saturdays, one for each decade, Ingebretsen’s will have “Taste of the Times,” a celebration of food fads and fashions over time. Starting October 1, from 11 to 1, customer will receive free samples of food representative of that decade. The first Saturday will be lefse, representing the 1920s and the strong Scandinavian presence on East Lake Street at that time. Spam; Victory Cake (a recipe that evolved out of the need to comply with WWII food rationing) and Bundt cakes; Jell-O; hotdish; quiche and fondue; bacon; and New Nordic cuisine, will follow. If you don’t remember bacon being a food fad, don’t worry. “We are doing a bacon-themed weekend because I like bacon,” laughs Julie.
The grand finale of Taste of the Times is November 26, when there will be a selection of birthday cakes. Kransekake, the traditional almond-based cake that appears at all important Norwegian celebrations will have center stage. In honor of Minneapolis history, there will be lots of bundt cakes, and a selection of other favorites. Paul Robinson, company manager of Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater, accompanied by various puppeteers, will present the history of Ingebretsen’s, a show that was developed during the HOBT’s Lake Street Excavations project.
Thrones
by Louis Alemayahu
Peace, Welcome,
Enter all you Kings and Queens of various hues,
Find your thrones,
rest your bones,
look to the four directions.
This place-of-presiding was made for you:
breathe and be.
Touchstone Plaza at Peavey Park “Bridges” Generations
By Robert Albee
Imagine a public art project that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and is promptly neglected—no, make that abandoned—by the very community that commissioned the work in the first place!. That’s the legacy of Touchstone Plaza, located on the southwest corner of Chicago Avenue and East Franklin Avenue in Peavey Park. I never knew there was a plaque with a fabulous poem and community challenge called “Thrones” by Louis Alemayahu. Over the years, I’ve heard friends declare the mosaics to be hideous and a blight to the neighborhood. Some even wanting it moved or bulldozed into oblivion—all 88,000 pounds of concrete that makes up the mosaic-tiled “Thrones.”
A group of Ventura Village volunteers led by residents Jim Cook, Dee Henry Williams and me showed up recently with a public address system and a hand-held microphone and offered it to anybody who’d speak or sing. No advertising or public notice, just the three of us and some sound equipment on a 97 degree day. In the next two hours, this abandoned corner that earned Peavey Park the distinction of being the most crime-ridden park in Minnesota came alive to the cadence of voices—mostly African American who talked their sorrows and joys, their salvations and challenges for anybody to listen.
Bridging Festival will “Bridge” Phillips from Little Earth to 35W
10:00 AM to 7:00 PM • August 13
By Dallas Johnson
First Annual Bridging Festival & Mural Installation Celebration is Moving Through Phillips August 13th
The Bridging Minneapolis Project is partnering with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre to present The Bridging Festival, a hands-on, interactive event progressing throughout Phillips, East to West along 24th St, from Hiawatha to 35W. Our festival will move from site to site (like a progressive dinner) and we’ll co-create while we learn about projects taking place throughout our neighborhood.
August Phillips What Where
Greg Machtemes and e-mailer-belolnes says, correctly, the July PWW photo is the pedestrian bridge at 24th St and 35W. The winner of the drawing is Greg. Congratulations, Greg. He wins the $10.00 Gift Certificate to Welna Hdwe on Bloomington Avenue.
Guess What and Where this is and win a chance at the $10 Gift Certificate. HINT: A covered “Bridge” was demolished going to this site
Community Garden Day
By Brad Pass
The East Phillips Community 17th Ave. Gardeners invite you to join us on Community Garden Day, Saturday August 6th for free tours of this neighborhood garden and a talk about how three burned out houses, the resolve of a neighborhood and a portion of EPIC’s NRP dollars resulted in a beautiful garden available to East Phillips’ residents.
Rain or Shine. No tickets necessary. Tours and Talk are free and open to the public. Just come dressed for the weather and enjoy. We will provide shade from the sun or shelter from the rain and a beverage appropriate for the day.
Searching – A Serial Novelle Chapter 29: Hammer And Chalice And Jail
By Patrick Cabello Hansel
As the evening rolled on, and Luz became warmer, the little man in the corner—if indeed he was a man—played a mournful, soulful tune on his violin. Luz realized she was humming along, and was about to ask where the song came from, but the old woman spoke first, almost as if she heard Luz’ question in her mind.
“Yes, that’s an old Swedish folk tune,” the woman said.
“But we sing that at my uncle’s church,” Luz said. “It’s called “Soplo …” She began to sing, “Soplo de Dios Viviente…”
“About the breath, the wind of God, am I right?” the woman asked.
“Yes!” Luz replied. “But how did you know that?”
“Oh, that song is sung in many lands,” she said. “It started in Sweden. Or should I say, it came from Sweden. Where it started, nobody knows.”
“The breath, the wind of God…” Luz hummed. Just then a burst of wind—the last breath of the storm that had already passed—blew the storm door open and rattled it.
“White Bronze” Monument claimed to “Bridge” centuries
One look at Mary Cook’s 128 year old marker here shows that many of the manufacturer’s claims–doesn’t crumble, repels moss, remains legible–turned out to be true. The zinc has oxidized and has turned the marker a beautiful shade of pale blue. “White Brass” or zinc’s distinctive blue color and the sharp detail made possible by casting rather than carving, make the markers beautiful.
by Sue Hunter Weir-83rd in a Series
When Sylvester Cook needed to buy a headstone for his wife, Mary, he wanted one that was beautiful and that would last. He took the somewhat unusual step of ordering a marker for her from the Monumental Brass Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Despite the company’s name, the marker he bought isn’t made of brass; it is made of zinc, a much less expensive metal that Monumental Brass, for marketing purposes, advertised as “White Bronze.”
Between 1874 and 1914, Monumental Brass was the only company in the United States that manufactured cast zinc markers. They offered their customers hundreds of styles to choose from, and customized the markers with zinc plates that attached to one of their standard marker styles. Customers ordered the markers from local sales representatives or from catalogs at prices ranging from $2.00 for a small marker to $5,000 for a large monument.
Monumental Brass Company seems to have learned a thing or two from P. T. Barnum, Bridgeport’s best-known entrepreneur by observing his marketing techniques. An ad for “White Bronze” markers boldly claimed:
“Marble is entirely out of date. Granite soon gets moss-grown, discolored, requires constant expense and care, and eventually crumbles back to Mother Earth. Besides, it is very expensive. White Bronze is strictly everlasting. It cannot crumble with the action of frost. Moss growth is an impossibility.”
CCC: “Snack Attack” a Cuisine Commentary by Courtney “Bridging” Sparse Budget and Appetite by “drizzle” and “slather” of inexpensive foods
By Courteny Algeo
Normally I write a monthly column for The Alley about great places to eat in the Phillips Neighborhood. While many of the restaurants are affordable, there are times that going out to eat just isn’t in the budget, as is the case for me this month. So, instead of going out to get a delicious prepared snack, I thought I might write a little bit about some ways to treat yourself during the leaner times in life.
When my grandfather was still just a father, he and my grandmother (still just a mother) would skimp on their meals all week just so that every Friday they could have steak for dinner. Eating good foods is something that we all deserve, and should do every now and then to let ourselves know how proud we are of how hard we work. While I’m not promoting eating a cake every day or something because you “deserve it,” treating yourself to a delicious snack can be one of the best ways to make a hard day worthwhile. But, how do you do this when there isn’t a lot of money to go around frivolously buying succulent snacks and tasty treats all willy-nilly?
Old Arizona: “Bridging” Community, Café, and Classroom
by Brittany Gilbertson, Lake Street Council Intern
“When we bought our building in the 1980’s, this was the fourth leading corner for drug traffic and prostitution,” says Elizabeth Trumble, co-founder of 29th and Nicollet’s Old Arizona, and Executive Director of the Arizona Bridge Project. “Each year, we saw the prostitutes getting younger and younger and our concerns for the girls in this neighborhood and others like it grew stronger.”
For the past 16 years, Old Arizona has been doing something about it. They have served over 1,800 inner city girls by providing free, after-school and summer arts programming, with an ever-evolving selection of classes and employment opportunities in a positive, supportive setting.
“Our concern for girls also arose from the lack of understanding in the juvenile system, a system that can be of concern in general but especially troublesome for girls. Girls have social needs not met by the justice system and their strong desire to belong to a group leads some girls to gangs and other unhealthy decisions,” says Trumble.
Throughout the years, youth programs at Old Arizona have offered a safe place for girls to belong and have provided a social setting where they are encouraged to follow their dreams and their voices are heard. “Some of the girls we worked with are now in their thirties. Many have come back and thanked us for believing in them, and said “Growing up, people laughed at my dreams. You didn’t. You supported them,’” Trumble says.
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