The Journal Nov. 29–Dec. 12 by The Journal

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THE NEWS SOURCE FOR DOWNTOWN & NORTHEAST MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENTS NOVEMBER 29–DECEMBER 12, 2018

HOLIDAY GUIDE 2018

MET COUNCIL AWARDS SWLRT CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT WITH THE GOAHEAD FROM THE FTA, WORK ON THE 14.5-MILE LINE COULD BEGIN THIS WINTER

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DIRTY MARTINI SPEAKEASY

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HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

Photo by Dylan Thomas

By Dylan Thomas / dthomas@journalmpls.com For Metropolitan Council Chair Alene Tchourumoﬀ and Hennepin County Board Member Peter McLaughlin, the occasion called for a celebratory selﬁe. After two decades of planning, a decision issued Nov. 14 by the Federal Transit Administration allows for construction to begin on the $2 billion Southwest Light Rail Transit project, a 14.5-mile extension of the Metro Green Line that will add tracks between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. The FTA issued a so-called letter of no preju-

dice, the oﬃcial go-ahead for Met Council to commence construction activities on the state’s largest-ever public works project using local funds. The FTA has not yet awarded Met Council the $929 million federal grant expected to make up nearly half the project’s budget. It hasn’t even invited the agency to apply for the grant, but that’s one of several next steps, and the letter of no prejudice all but assures the grant will be awarded next year.

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Finalists interviewed for parks superintendent job Park Board aims to make their choice by the end of the year

By Andrew Hazzard / ahazzard@journalmpls.com The nationwide search to find the next leader of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is approaching the finish line, bringing an end to a process the organization says sought more voices and perspectives than any other in the system’s 135-year history. Two finalists answered questions about climate change, inclusion, innovation, job training, recreational sports and their longterm vision for the park system and its $120 million annual budget in a Nov. 13 public interview at Park Board headquarters. The finalists, Alfred Kent Bangoura, recreation superintendent for Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Subhajeet “Seve” Ghose, director of Louisville Parks and Recreation in Kentucky, both said they were admirers of Minneapolis’ parks.

A third ﬁnalist, Joseph Nicholas Williams, director of Parks, Recreation and Youth Development for the City of Oakland, withdrew his name from consideration before the interview. Ghose, who went to college at Iowa State, said he recalled the parks from visits to the city as a young man and admired them. He said ending his parks and recreation career in Minneapolis would be a feather in his cap. For Bangoura the connection is deeper. He grew up in the Twin Cities and spent 19 years working for MPRB, rising to the oﬃce of recreation centers and programs director. Bangoura also spent time working for Target in Minneapolis as a grants administrator. “I know the city really well. I love the city,” he said. “My heart has always been here.”

Finding the finalists The search to find the replacement for Jayne Miller, who resigned in February for a role in Pittsburgh, was one of community engagement, blind reviews and layers of filtration. In May, MPRB hired a consulting firm, KP Companies, to help lead the search and recruit qualified candidates to apply. Over the summer, 22 listening sessions were held across the city to get input from residents on what they wanted to see in the new superintendent. From there, a seven-member community selection committee narrowed the field by doing a blind review of dozens of applicants passed on by KP Companies. In the blind review, names were hidden and experience was emphasized. A group of seven finalists chosen by the community committee was then sent back to an internal team comprised SEE SUPERINTENDENT / PAGE 7

MPRB superintendent finalist Seve Ghose talks with community members after his interview on Nov. 13. Photo by Andrew Hazzard.

2 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

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Libby Demonseau mixes a martini. Photo by Brian Lambert

The St. Anthony Main area in the MarcyHolmes neighborhood across river from downtown is now a long, long way removed from its blue-collar origins. When even Nye’s has been rebuilt with an emphasis on beverages more upscale than Grain Belt and Old Fashions, it comes as no surprise that someone would see the logic in a very cozy, Manhattan-style martini bar. That someone is Ivy Ivers, and her logic has been to transform her Stem wine bar. The Dirty Martini speakeasy, 24 University Ave. NE, is the kind of place you might find tucked into a side street in TriBeCa or Chelsea, one of those hangouts you almost walk past before stopping to peek in the door and see what the vibe is really like. With Dirty Martini, located directly across from Surdyk’s, the vibe is comfortably mellow. A live DJ spins vinyl at a decibel level that allows the kind of conversations adults are prone to have over (very) good martinis. The walls are a collection of mirrors set over walls of black, silver and gold paint textured wallpaper. (Ivers, who does her own decorating, said, “It’s all inspired by the era of ‘Mad Men’ and ‘The Great Gatsby.’”) Patrons — probably no more than 70 at any given moment — may chose from a series of classic yellow leather banquettes, a couple in coves, or the bar, where Ivers’ truly smallish staff doubles as both servers and bartenders. Aaron Dworsky and Libby Dumonseau were on hand one recent evening and refused to let us pay for two Le Passione martinis. (Prairie Vodka, passionfruit, Tattersall Crème de Fleur, lime juice.) Without pretending to be a connoisseur of fine martinis, suffice it to say the beverages delivered both fresh flavor and a happy, contented glow. Dumonseau explained that Ivers reassessed the neighborhood, where an upscale clientele has been in-flowing for years — and lately in dramatic numbers with the recent completion of the 20-story 280-unit NordHaus complex, where rents top out at close to $10,000 a month. At least two other large-scale residences will come on line in the next couple years, both within a couple blocks of Dirty Martini. Point being, a $10 martini (or other wellmixed cocktail) is hardly out of each for the economic class moving into the old ‘hood.

In an e-mail exchange, Ivers said, “I had Stem for a little over two years, and it was a beautiful space with really unique wines, but (Northeast) has grown and evolved a lot since I first started to build wine bar three years ago, and in my experience you have to always be trying the next new thing to stay competitive and on peoples’ radars in growing neighborhoods. “With the area bringing in a young professional crowd inhabiting the highrise residential buildings, I decided a chic speakeasy was something to try.” She says she sees Dirty Martini fitting in at either end of a night out: early — for drinks after work — or for a nightcap. “We become part of a nice symbiotic relationship with restaurants in the area,” she adds. “I think there are a lot of people who want a new place that isn’t a club and isn’t a restaurant.” Her place, she said, is “a unique experience all on its own.” Very much a part of the unique experience is the comparative lack of bustle and clatter of staff. Dumonseau says the typical night has four people, all, as mentioned, with both bartending and table service skills and duties. (The food menu, such as it is, is strictly bar snacks.) Dworsky, though, is the one with the deepest mixology skill set. “The whole idea is to keep it classic,” Dworsky said. “The drinks generally come with four or five ingredients. But also we’re taking the attitude that we have to stay competitive with prices. “There are plenty of places you can go for a $16 martini, if that’s what you want to do. But right now, staying competitive with the places around us, we’re comfortable with the $9–$10 range. It’s up from a lot of places where you can get a Tito’s (vodka) for $6 to $7, but there’s more to this (place) in terms of both the quality of the drinks and the atmosphere.” As we chatted and the martini did its magic, Dworsky was casually interacting with a group of 10 quintessential “young professionals,” all 30-ish and attired in upscale-casual shirts, blouses and sweaters. Lined up at the bar 12 feet from one end to the other, they could all hear each other’s quips and jokes. The DJ’s music menu provided a nearly ideal level of ambient liveliness without becoming another character in the adult conversation.

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4 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

News

DOWNTOWN WEST

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Studio/E Nate Garvis in the Studio/E Clubhouse. Photos by Brian Lambert

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We have no science on this, but the betting is that pretty much everyone who is anyone (or wants to be someone) in Twin Cities business and government has met Nate Garvis, and that for sure all of them have heard of him. A familiar figure and voice on the landscape for his 18 years as Target’s vice president of government affairs and senior civic officer, and as the protean creator of a series of programs focused on effective civic engagement, the engaging, voluble Garvis is, put most simply, “one of those guys.” Namely, a man with something to say, the energy to keep saying it until it sells and the personal appeal that not only convinces you but gets you to convince your friends that he’s on to something. If you’re not (or not yet) a member of Minnesota’s macher crowd and haven’t kept up with Garvis’ now thoroughly established Studio/E, located across from Buca at 1128 Harmon Place, here are the basics. A glib but fair description is that Studio/E is a membership networking organization of doers looking for ways to get even more done. You are also free to think of it as a 21st century remix of the Minneapolis Club model, only with less heavy woodwork and no assigned tables. It’s a place where everyone is a first name, not a title, and where highly disciplined corporate officers who suspect there might be currents of creativity beyond what is preached in their boardrooms can interact with entrepreneurs, artists and politicians with informality. Relaxed in Studio/E’s Clubhouse, a large, airy room with a bar (“I have a great collection of good Scotch,” Garvis said, mentioning something called Campfire as a worthy, peaty competitor for the likes of Oban), Garvis slid effortlessly into a presentation he’s probably given several thousand times but still sounds fresh. Now seven years old, Studio/E is, he said, the result of a realization he and pal and co-founder Tom Wiese had while out walking in the mountains years ago. The realization was the remarkable number of people they knew like themselves: successful corporate officers, people commanding large staffs, responsibilities and compensation, who nonetheless felt there was something more out there. Better ways of getting important things done, mainly for their community. Things they were never going to get to via their regimented company system. Moreover, Garvis and Wiese saw a need for what amounts to a mutual mentoring system, where established officers of name your industry could meet in a collegial, offrecord environment with new generations of bright, motivated people, many without any aspirations to a corner office and a company stock plan. For a fee that has now ticked up to $6,750 a year (“We offer structured payments,”

he said, smiling), Studio/E members have access to four “cohorts” a year, mass gatherings where ideas, desires and issues are exchanged, vetted, imagined and, ideally, pushed forward with cooperation they could never have found anywhere else. (There are lesser levels of membership.) Garvis frequently mentioned the country’s toxic political climate, rife with dismaying irrationality, and the effect that has on productivity of every kind, and primarily, in his focus, ways to make positive impacts on issues truly vital to a healthy community. The Studio/E pitch is that first you have to get smart people to act smart and talk to each other no matter what attitudes they carry into the Clubhouse or the salons Studio/E holds at different locations around the Twin Cities. (Garvis mentioned the James J. Hill library as one venue.) “We don’t have a lot of rules,” he said with a laugh, “but one of them is ‘no jerks.’” It’s not clear what he would do to some local titan of industry who went full jerk at a cohort, but since he insists it has never happened, he can figure that one out later. Studio/E’s staff of a dozen or so is guided by Stiles Anderson, the company’s president. The 30-ish Anderson joked that one of his primary responsibilities is providing “adult supervision” for Garvis, who clearly has an impish sense of humor. Garvis smiled when asked about the office soundtrack, which despite the presence of a crew of millenials pecking away at terminals, is heavy on the Stones, The Doors, the Band and Bob Dylan. “Yeah, I have some input. But a lot times I feed in covers and mash-ups,” he said. “Covers, you see, are a lot like what we’re trying to do here: Reimagine the classics, understand and appreciate what works well and give it a fresh spin.”

Studio/E President Stiles Anderson with Nate Garvis.

journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 5

News

DOWNTOWN WEST

Eastside

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Eastside’s dining room. Photos by Brian Lambert

As pop stars and tech companies will tell you, reinvention is key to long-term survival. Your first idea may not be the idea that paves the road ahead. Eastside, an upscale-casual bistro at 305 S. Washington Ave., across from the Milwaukee Depot, opened three years ago, and thanks in part to the presence of Ryan Burnett, of the well-known Burnett family, earned quite a bit of buzz. Everything about the space and service was tailored to meet the expectations of a downtown business clientele, along with the steadily growing population of residents filling developments on the north edge of downtown’s central core. But traffic waned. The heat of the restaurant and bar scene was to the west in the North Loop or the east in the Mill District. A change was needed and it came in the form of Jamie Malone, the woman who had turned the Grand Cafe in south Minneapolis into a winner. Malone was only a part of the first Eastside iteration, but for the reinvention she would be the signal caller. Partnered with Dennis Monroe from the Grand, she began an incremental makeover of the decor and menu, with “family-style” food and a long selection of exotic cocktails, all melded in a vibe the publicity sheet calls “’90s glamour.” If you’re not exactly sure what that means, the effect comes with moody lighting and elegant trappings. Malone’s sister, Bridget, was running the shop the early evening we stopped in. Her chef, Ryan Cook, and mixologist Ambrose Burke took a few minutes to join her in Eastside’s private, glass-walled dining room. Cook, a veteran of a dozen kitchens around the city, most recently a seven-year stint at Sea Change, explained the menu evolution as a move toward “larger format dishes”: shareable items like whole roasted duck and rib-eyes that entire groups can taste instead of just small-plate or amuse bouche choices. If you’ve had the roasted chicken at Grand Cafe, that cooking technique is being applied to the duck at Eastside. (It comes with Chinese mustard and pancakes.) Likewise, there’s a whole roasted bass plumped up with pork cheek, brown butter, caper berries and sunchokes. “The plan is to continue to grow in that direction,” he said. Burke is in charge of the Spinzall, the centrifuge-like gizmo that blends all cocktail ingredients to the same reliable level of perfection (he says). One of Eastside’s signature servings is a batch cocktail, processed through the Spinzall and delivered to your table in a silver service swan, for sharing. To emphasize, the Spinzall is all about ideal blending and consistency. It’s disappointing, says Burke, when a customer, delighted by a drink on his or her first visit,

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finds the taste or texture “off ” the next time they stop in. Asked if James Bond would approve of this style of martini mixing, Malone laughed and said, “I’m pretty sue he’d approve when he tasted it.” Burke added, “What we want to do is offer drinks that are unique but not overdone. We’ve all been to places that offer cocktails that sound interesting but are just, you know, weird to the taste. Our idea is creating drinks that are both balanced and accessible. “We’re still doing a lot of R&D. But riffs on the classics are the staples. That’s where consistency is so important.” He then launched into a description of a pomegranate mezcal. Malone said that to date only modest changes have been made to the décor. The space on the glass-walled ground floor of the Latitude building can seat up to 120 in the main room with perhaps another 20–30 in the private dining area, which she said had proven quite popular for business gatherings. (Cook says the team is working on special promotions for Latitude residents.) Tile nerds will admire the artful work on the flooring. Maximum capacity is in the 220 range. Malone’s staff is currently around 40. As for what didn’t work the first time, Malone and Cook pointed out that the original debut coincided with the “massive construction” on Washington Avenue, which created a pretty daunting no-go zone for anyone driving into the area. (There is entirely reasonable valet parking at the Latitude). It goes without saying that this incarnation of Eastside — which opens daily at 5 p.m.; no lunch service — will require developing both the patronage of downtown business clientele as well as that of the immediate area’s growing residential base. Both groups have no shortage of options — up and down the price scale — but Team Eastside, aware of the competition, is making a committed effort to turn this reinvention into the one that sticks.

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6 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

Government

Volume 49, Issue 24 Publisher Janis Hall jhall@journalmpls.com Co-Publisher & Sales Manager Terry Gahan tgahan@journalmpls.com General Manager Zoe Gahan zgahan@journalmpls.com Editor Dylan Thomas 612-436-4391 dthomas@journalmpls.com @DThomasJournals Staff Writers Nate Gotlieb ngotlieb@journalmpls.com @NateGotlieb Andrew Hazzard ahazzard@journalmpls.com @athazzard Contributing Writers Michelle Bruch Sheila Regan Jenny Heck Brian Lambert Client Services Delaney Patterson 612-436-5070 dpatterson@journalmpls.com Creative Director Valerie Moe 612-436-5075 vmoe@journalmpls.com Senior Graphic Designer Micah Edel medel@journalmpls.com Graphic Designer Brenda Taylor btaylor@journalmpls.com Contributing Designer Dani Cunningham Distribution Marlo Johnson 612-436-4388 distribution@journalmpls.com Advertising 612-436-4360 sales@journalmpls.com Printing APG

Next issue: December 13 Advertising deadline: December 5 25,000 copies of The Journal are distributed free of charge to homes and businesses in Downtown and Northeast Minneapolis.

PRINTED WITH SOY INK ON RECYCLED PAPER

CIVIC BEAT

By Dylan Thomas dthomas@journalmpls.com @dthomasjournals

More volunteer attorneys sought for housing court A new initiative aims to level the playing field in Hennepin Housing Court and give tenants on the edge of eviction a better shot at staying in their homes. Mayor Jacob Frey on Nov. 14 announced the launch of More Representation Minneapolis, an effort to bring more volunteer attorneys to housing court and increase the amount of their time dedicated to giving free legal representation and advice to tenants. Fewer than one in 10 Minneapolis tenants facing eviction are represented by an attorney in housing court, while roughly half of landlords have attorneys argue their case. “We have made and are making protecting tenants rights a cornerstone of an affordable housing agenda here at the city,” Frey said. “More representation in Minneapolis is a big step toward making good on that promise.” The initiative would enhance a collaboration between the Volunteer Lawyers Network and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, who have staffed a housing court project in Hennepin County since 2000. They aim to recruit 25 new volunteers and increase their work hours by 20 percent. Frey’s 2019 city budget proposal also includes $150,000 for a pilot project to fund legal services for low-income renters facing imminent displacement from their housing. He said such a project at full strength would require $1.5 million annually to fund 10–11 attorneys and a five- to six-member support staff. Frey made the case that preventing evictions is not just “the right thing to do,” it’s also sound fiscal policy.

“Studies show that other legal resources and services are strained by the instability that comes with eviction,” he said, adding that a New York City study estimated each dollar spent on legal services to prevent eviction generated $5–$6 in savings, and that research in Massachusetts “found a very similar statistic.” There are roughly 3,000 eviction filings made each year in Hennepin Housing Court, and they “disproportionately impact people living in lowincome and minority neighborhoods,” Frey said, citing research by the city’s Innovation Team, City Hall’s in-house consulting service tasked with developing strategies to confront Minneapolis’ racial disparities. Minneapolis is facing an “eviction crisis” that is separate but related to the ongoing affordable housing crisis, said Luke Grundman, managing attorney in the Minneapolis office of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. That crisis disproportionately affects women of color with children, Grundman said, noting that 80 percent of the clients who get free legal aid in housing court are people of color and 85 percent are families with children. An eviction can mean the difference between living independently and being in a shelter or on the street, he said. “People have nowhere to go,” Grundman said. “We have a vacancy rate right now of less than 2 percent in this city. If you have an eviction on your record, it’s a lot hard than that to find housing. It is almost impossible.” The odds do not favor tenants who arrive at housing court without representation. Grundman said a referee hears about 40 cases

Metro Green Line hits ridership record October was the busiest month ever for the Metro Green Line since its opening in 2014, Metro Transit reported. The Green Line actually set back-to-back monthly ridership records this fall, even as Metro Transit saw total ridership dip this year compared to 2017. The more than 1.4 million rides on the Green Line in October bested the previous record, set in September, by 127,000 rides. The 11-mile light rail line runs between Union Depot in downtown St. Paul and Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. The line set monthly ridership records in every month of 2018 except for February, and with 11.6 million riders through the end of October is on pace to set an annual record. The news from Metro Transit came the same week a Federal Transit Administration decision cleared the way for construction to begin on the Southwest Light Rail Transit project, a 14.5mile extension of the Metro Green Line (see the story on page 1). When completed, the project will add tracks between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. Revenue service on the Green Line extension is currently scheduled to begin in 2023.

File photo Metro Transit reports Metro Blue Line ridership was also up this fall, possibly due at least in part to construction on Interstate 35W. The Blue Line runs between downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America. Both light rail lines set ridership records in 2017. Overall, ridership across the regional transit system was down 2 percent for the year as of September compared to 2017, according to a report delivered Nov. 26 to the Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee. Through the ﬁrst nine months of the year, local bus ridership was down 4 percent and express bus ridership was down 8 percent compared to 2017. The report cited an October 2017 fare hike as one factor in the decreased ridership.

a day, and tenants typically have just a few minutes to make their case. “Lawyers can really help,” he said. “The cases that we take, 96 percent of them are either settled or resolved in the tenant’s favor. Most tenants who are represented do not have an eviction on their record when they leave court.” Gina Robinson said she believes full representation from an attorney would’ve helped her when she faced eviction proceedings. A mother and Minneapolis resident of more than three decades, Robinson was among the speakers at the event marking the launch of More Representation Minneapolis. Robinson, who is not an attorney but now donates time to the Volunteer Lawyers Network, said she ended up representing herself in eviction proceedings and lost to her landlord, who arrived with an attorney. She described the episode as “terrifying” and “exhausting ﬁnancially, physically (and) emotionally.” Robinson said providing legal representation to tenants facing eviction not only leads to better outcomes for those tenants, “it also lessens feelings of hopelessness and despair and decreases the burden of those who already carry heavy burdens.” Volunteer Lawyers Network Executive Director Tom Walsh described the initiative as a “powerful tool for increasing equity” in Minneapolis. “Nearly 80 percent of our clients are people of color, and we disproportionately deal with problem actors who operate in neighborhoods deeply aﬀected by poverty,” Walsh said. “This is exploitation of the worst kind.”

CLARIFICATION: While Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar said in her acceptance speech she’s the first refugee elected to Congress (“With win, Omar marks several ‘firsts,’” Nov. 15–28), historians point to others before her. They include Tom Lantos of California, who came to the U.S. as a Holocaust survivor. Anh Cao is a refugee from the Vietnam War, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen fled Cuba. Samuel Gejdenson was born in an American displaced persons camp in postwar Germany. In addition, 19th and 20th century members emigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine.

CORRECTION: A guide to holiday events (“Haul out the holly,” Nov. 15–28) included an incorrect date for The Artful Present: Holiday Art & Gifting Event. The event took place Nov. 16–17.

journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 7 FROM SUPERINTENDENT / PAGE 1 of Board President Brad Bourn, Vice President AK Hassan and Commissioner Latrisha Vetaw. The three commissioners then whittled it down to four people they wanted interview, Bourn said, with the commissioners all independently settling on the same four — if not necessarily in the same order. While disappointed that all four couldn’t be brought in for interviews and that one dropped out after being announced as a ﬁnalist, Bourn said he thought the system produced two highly qualiﬁed candidates. “I thought the candidates were spectacular,” Bourn said. Hassan said the main goal was to learn about the leadership style and experience of

each candidate. He said the board wanted to maintain the high status of the parks system while looking for ways to improve. While the process took a lot of eﬀort, Hassan said, it was very transparent and got a lot of people involved in the search. “The best thing about this process was the community engagement,” he said. As a commissioner who helped select Miller eight years ago, Bourn said the key to a successful search is to clearly outline the selection process. This time, with the community selection committee and listening sessions, he said the board got more input from more community members. “The biggest thing is more people today are watching the Park Board and how it impacts their lives,” Bourn said.

MPRB superintendent finalist Alfred Bangoura speaks with Commissioner Kale Severson at a meet-and-greet session following his interview on Nov. 13. Photo by Andrew Hazzard

Innovation and inclusiveness At the interview, each commissioner asked one question of each candidate, seeking answers on how the candidates would implement changes, increase racial and socio-economic equity, fight climate change and promote youth sports. Ghose acknowledged that he has bounced around the country — from Iowa to Portland, Ore. to Kentucky — to climb the ladder in parks and recreation for the past 37 years. He said that experience gives him a lot of connections nationwide and the know-how to do all the jobs in the park system. “What I bring is that variety of experience,” Ghose said. Ghose said he wanted to create a park system that touches the lives of everyone in the city and to have a staff that is happy, innovative and reflective of the community. He said the park system should work to fill gaps in the community by offering opportunities such as swimming lessons and affordable sports academies for kids. Ghose said park systems needed to do a better job telling the story of parks and recreation and helping people understand the resources the parks offer. He referenced organizing a soccer tournament catering toward refugee communities that drew eight teams in its first year and 32 teams the second year. “The participants bring their families, so now they’re signing up for programs they didn’t know existed,” Ghose said. He emphasized partnerships with private companies to find sustainable funding for recreational programs and seeking creative solutions, such as a plastic bag collection bin to save money on expensive waste bags at dog parks. Ghose said parks “should be leading” on the issue of climate change. He suggested switching to propane from gas lawn mowers; increasing naturalization acres to help pollinators and absorb carbon; and painting park

roads gray, a move that has been used in cities such as Los Angeles to reduce heat from pavement. Bangoura said he believed the MPRB should be using its recreation centers as touch points in the community to offer services such as job training, vocational programs and mentorships. In addressing racial inequity, he said there is a need to recognize that race permeates everything and to acknowledge the reality of historical racism when discussing access and opportunity throughout the park system. “We have to talk about it and be comfortable with being uncomfortable, because you can’t move it unless you have an honest discussion about it,” he said. Beyond youth sports, Bangoura said parks should be offering kids music, interactive learning opportunities and activities that connect them to nature. In Charlotte, he helped promote “Learn to Ride” programs, where park staff gives free bike lessons to community members. He said the parks system should embrace neighborhood-sponsored athletics, encouraging local businesses to sponsor youth teams based at neighborhood parks. To combat climate change, Bagnoura said MPRB should explore implenting solar technology and renovating buildings to be more energy efficient. He called for reducing vehicle travel for park staff. He said parks should offer a wider range of services from recreation centers so people can access more of what they need in one walkable trip, cutting car emissions. He also suggested electrifying the MPRB car fleet. Bangoura said he knows the park system has great staff members and he wouldn’t micromanage employees. “We need to trust them, and let them lead,” he said. Bourn said the MPRB aims to have a hire made by the end of the year.

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8 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 FROM SWLRT CONSTRUCTION / PAGE 1 The FTA’s letter arrived around 4 p.m. on the 14th, and 45 minutes later, in the wake of a hastily arranged press conference at Met Council headquarters in St. Paul, Tchourumoff and McLaughlin stood side-by-side grinning into the camera. A 27-year member of the county board and chair of the county rail authority, McLaughlin was the project’s “biggest champion,” Commissioner Mike Opat said. McLaughlin recalled dashing off to an emergency Sunday evening meeting at the governor’s mansion on one of the project’s darker days. Tchourumoff, who has led Met Council since last summer, shepherded SWLRT through two rounds of bidding on the civil construction contract as the project fought lawsuits in federal court and challenges at the Surface Transportation Board.

Contract awarded The Met Council on Nov. 15 voted to award that contract to a team comprised of Lunda Construction Co. and C.S. McCrossan. LundaMcCrossan was the low bid this spring when it submitted a ﬁgure of $799.5 million to Met Council, and it stood by for three-and-a-half

months as the agency — waiting on the FTA’s letter — twice delayed its decision. The other team competing for the contract pulled out of the running in October. The Met Council vote took place just hours before the Lunda-McCrossan bid would have expired at 11:59 p.m. on the 15th. Three representatives of the team were present for the vote in the agency’s St. Paul boardroom, but they declined to comment until they’d put pen to paper on the contract. Asked why the FTA waited until seemingly the last minute to issue the letter of no prejudice, Tchourumoﬀ said the feds “were just working their process.” “These things are complicated,” McLaughlin added. “This is $2 billion in construction, and they’re trying to make sure all the pieces are right. “In the end, we’re hoping for $930 million from them … so they do their due diligence.” Several hours before the Met Council’s Nov. 15 meeting, the Hennepin County Board gathered to take several votes to advance the project. That included approving up to $435 million in county and railroad authority funds for early construction activities. Some of those costs could be reimbursed by the federal government if the FTA awards the project full funding.

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Tchourumoff. Photos by Dylan Thomas

County ups commitment After the federal government, Hennepin County is the project’s largest source of funding. Met Council turned to the county for an additional $204 million in May, and the county is now committed to more than $780 million for SWLRT. The county’s share is largely paid for by a transit-dedicated 0.5 percent sales tax and a $20 motor vehicle excise tax. At its Nov. 15 meeting, the board agreed to put up an additional $200 million — 10 percent of the total SWLRT project budget — to cover cost overruns or funding shortfalls. “This money wouldn’t actually be provided unless or until it is needed,” said Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Ben Schweigert, who explained that the FTA now requires the additional local commitment from all projects in the FTA’s New Starts program, the source of SWLRT’s anticipated federal grant. Schweigert said the additional funds wouldn’t be tapped until all project dollars, including the contingency fund, were spent, adding that “no New Starts project in Minnesota has ever exhausted the contingency funds that are in its base budget.” The lone vote against advancing SWLRT was Commissioner Jeﬀ Johnson, who this year ran for governor as a Republican, losing to Congressman Tim Walz, a DFLer. Johnson has called the project a “waste” of taxpayer dollars, arguing it will not reduce congestion on area highways. But even Johnson joined his colleagues in congratulating McLaughlin and County Board Chair Jan Callison, who also played a critical role in ushering SWLRT to this point. In their comments, the board members mixed gratitude with relief. “My gosh, are we really here? Pinch me,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene.

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of the year, but heavy construction won’t begin until early 2019. The line is expected to begin passenger service in 2023. The project is still the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by Lakes and Parks Alliance of Minneapolis, a citizens group that alleges Met Council broke the law when it secured local commitments to one of several possible routes even while other options were still under review. A Minnesota U.S. District Court judge sided with the Met Council, but Lakes and Parks Alliance has appealed the ruling. Met Council settled a second federal lawsuit with Twin Cities & Western Railroad in July. Central Corridor overcame several lawsuits to open in 2014. That existing segment of the Metro Green Line runs between the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Both the Metro Green and Metro Blue lines set ridership records in 2017 and have exceeded ridership projections since opening. “I’ve got every reason to believe we’re going to do the same on Southwest,” McLaughlin said. For both he and Tchourumoff, this SWLRT project milestone coincides with a career turning point. McLaughlin this month lost a re-election bid to fellow DFLer Angela Conley, and Tchourumoff starts a new job with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in December. Gov.-elect Walz, who endorsed McLaughlin’s re-election campaign, will appoint a new Met Council chair after taking office and could look closely at a former county commissioner with light rail expertise. Asked about that possibility after he and Tchourumoff snapped their selfie in the Met Council boardroom, McLaughlin replied, “I have no idea.” Tchourumoff gestured at the rows of plaques hanging at the back of the room, each honoring a Met Council chair. “We’ve got a spot for you on the wall,” she said.

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10 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

News

GREEN DIGEST

By Nate Gotlieb ngotlieb@journalmpls.com @NateGotlieb

Fig + Farro hosts climate change salon and supper club Michelle Courtright said she wants to build community around the issue of climate change. She is doing so in part through a supperclub series at her new vegetarian restaurant, Fig + Farro. Courtright is hosting monthly events featuring guest speakers and plant-based, prix-ﬁxe dinners at her Uptown restaurant, which opened this past January. She’s held two events so far and is planning to hold a third from 6 p.m.–8:15 p.m. Dec. 3 featuring Eric Dayton, co-foudner and CEO of the North Loop-based clothing company Askov Finlayson. “I feel like this is the best way to get people together and create a community around climate change,” Courtright said of the series, called the Climate Series Salon + Supper Club. “It’s a way for people to get engaged in an issue that’s an existential issue.” Courtright opened Fig + Farro after spending years in marketing and the creative world. She said she had always wanted to open a vegetarian restaurant, noting research showing the large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the livestock industry. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, emissions from livestock represent an estimated 14.5 percent of all humaninduced greenhouse gas emissions. Beef and cattle-milk production account for more than 60 percent of those emissions, according to the report.

Michelle Courtright, owner of the vegetarian restaurant Fig + Farro, speaks to attendees of a dinner and climate salon event at the restaurant on Nov. 12. Photo by Nate Gotlieb

Ben Lilliston, of the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy, said at the Nov. 12 supper club that the industrial meat system is “far and away” the biggest contributor of greenhouse gases within the food system. Lilliston said his organization draws a distinction between industrial and sustainable livestock production, adding that research shows sustainable production can beneﬁt the environment if done right. He also said that buying locally and buying whole food can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The good news is that the systems that are good for emissions are also generally systems that allow farmers to be more adaptive to changes in climate,” he said. Courtright noted how people often think about “driving Priuses and turning oﬀ the lights at home” when they think of climate change. But she said the fastest and easier way for a person to make an impact in climate change is to cut meat from his or her diet. “If Americans ate one meal less of meat per week, it would be the equivalent of taking

500,000 cars off the roads each year,” she said. About two dozen people attended the Climate Series Salon + Supper Club event on Nov. 12, including Matthew and Kelsey Bowers of Hopkins. Kelsey Bowers said Fig + Farro sent them an email about the event, adding that they were hoping to meet like-minded people by attending. She said she and Matthew are huge advocates of using veganism as a way to reduce climate change. A few seats down sat Eden Prairie High School senior Maren Frost, who said it’s cool to find a vegetarian restaurant. Nearby, Lauren Perez, marketing lead for Puris, a plant-based protein company, said she learned that it’s possible to build a sustainable food future to scale. Madilyn Lavan, a senior at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley, said she came to the event because of a teacher who told her about it in class. She said she feels lost when it comes to climate change, adding that she finds it cool that the restaurant has food and climate change go hand in hand. Philip Grazulis, lead server at Fig + Farro, was on hand as the attendees ate dinner. Grazulis said he sought out the restaurant after switching to a plant-based diet himself, adding that he likes that he’s working for a cause. “Every single person who comes in here has a different story,” he said. Fig + Farro’s next Climate Series Salon and Supper Club is $20 ($15 for students) and is open to the public. Learn more at bit.ly /2PvxZ6d or call 208-0609 to reserve a spot.

journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 11

News

MPS leaders optimistic about legislative priorities School Board approved district’s 2019 legislative agenda Nov. 13

By Nate Gotlieb / ngotlieb@journalmpls.com Minneapolis Public Schools’ lobbyist voiced confidence earlier this month about the district’s chances of making headway on its legislative agenda this spring. Josh Downham, the district’s director of government relations, told the School Board Nov. 13 that he thinks the state’s new political leaders could be more receptive to the district’s priorities. His comments came a week after Minnesotans elected DFLer Tim Walz, a former high school geography teacher, as governor and flipped the state House of Representatives from GOP to DFL control. Republicans retained control of the state Senate by a one-vote margin. “I think you’re going to see a different set of priorities — less focus on tax cuts and more focus on investments in K–12,” Downham said. “I think we will see a much more robust discussion.” Downham and MPS leaders have four priorities for the upcoming legislative session, including advocating for increased statewide funding for special education. The district’s special education costs outpace its special education revenue by about $56 million annually, which forces MPS to use general funds to cover those services. “We really want to be aggressive in looking at the underfunding of special education,” Josh Downham told the School Board Nov. 13.

Statewide, special education costs outpaced special education revenues by over $670 million in fiscal year 2017, according to a legislative report. The report predicted that the gap would increase to over $707 million in fiscal year 2018. MPS wants the state to eliminate that gap within four years by providing $225 million in additional funding for special education in the next biennium and $525 million in the following biennium. Still, Downham said that wouldn’t address the issue of federal underfunding of special education. “It’s a very ambitious goal but I think something that we need to continue to advocate for,” Downham said. Downham also noted the issue of tuition billing, which occurs when charter schools and other school districts bill MPS for providing special education services to Minneapolis residents. The district spends about $22 million annually on providing services for those students, Downham said, but has no control over the cost or quality of those services. MPS would like the Legislature to address that issue this spring. The district is also advocating for the Legislature to increase the per-pupil funding formula 3 percent a year for the next two years and to subsequently index it to inflation. It’s a priority for which Walz has voiced support.

Downham said Minnesota schools lost $615 in per-pupil funding to inflation between 2003 and 2018, noting MPS would have $22 million in additional revenue if the formula had kept up with inflation. Other legislative priorities for MPS include increased funding for Englishlearner services and career and technical education, expanded school-based prekindergarten programs and additional school-based mental health grants. The district also wants the Legislature to allow school boards to renew existing operating and capital projects levies that voters have approved without requiring additional referenda elections. Scott Croonquist, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, said there will be different priorities in the House and Senate, adding that divided government generally means incremental progress. But he said his association is hopeful the Legislature will address special education this session, noting the significant attention it has received. “Legislators are becoming more and more aware that the shortfall, or crosssubsidy as we call it in special education, is really having a major impact on school district budgets,” he said. Croonquist said his association will be pushing for the indexing of the per-pupil

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I think you’re going to see a different set of priorities — less focus on tax cuts and more focus on investments in K–12. I think we will see a much more robust discussion. — Josh Downham, Minneapolis Public Schools’ director of government relations

formula as a top priority this session. He also noted the shortfall of state funding for English-learner services, a shortfall that exceeded $95 million in 2016. Englishlearner expenses in MPS outpaced revenue by over $13 million that year, according to the association. The Minnesota Department of Management and Budget will release a budget forecast at the end of November that Walz will use to develop his budget priorities, Downham said. At the end of February, the department will release a second forecast that will determine how much funding is available for the next biennium.

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The Vicinity The Vicinity, a 118-unit Sherman Associates project is now 30 percent complete and is on schedule to open as planned in the fall of 2019, according to Valerie Doleman, the company’s vice president of marketing communications. The project comes with not one but two new eateries, a coffee shop and a bakery from well-known Twin Cities restaurateur Kim Bartmann. This will be the first time Bartmann has opened restaurants in an entirely new building. The building will also connect to a police substation and a bank. It will offer 33,000 square feet of retail space. Eighty percent of the units will be market rate and 20 percent affordable. Also still in the mix is the outright sale of four two-bedroom (plus loft) townhomes.

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Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson’s plan to build a 357-unit, 16-story apartment tower in the Elliott Park neighborhood drew comments at the Nov. 13 City Planning Commission meeting for its looks and its potential to interfere with a bus rapid transit route. Apartments would offer “Juliet” balconies that are flush with the face of the building and do not function as exterior spaces, said project designer Burt Coffin of Minneapolisbased ESG Architects. “It’s a nice way to keep the building looking sleek,” he said. Commissioner Alissa Luepke-Pier said she did not like balcony style or the overall look of the building. “It could be a Ramada,” she said. “I don’t know what it is.” Planning Commission members also asked that an entry-only curb cut on 8th Street South, which intersects a bus rapid transit lane, be eliminated from the design. Coffin said the entry to the project is a requirement from property owner Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo operates a bank branch on

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the property and will move into a new branch building to be constructed at the west end of the apartment tower. The entry will allow customers to drive up to an ATM, Coffin said.

3RD & PARK SHERMAN ASSOCIATES

Hilton Canopy Hotel Valerie Doleman of Sherman Associates also reports the near-completion of the company’s Hilton Canopy Hotel in the Mill District. As of mid-November, she says, construction is “90 percent complete.” The 183-key hotel — formerly the imposing Thresher Square Building — was originally projected to be open in time for the 2018 Super Bowl. Thresher Square is composed of two separate buildings. One was built in 1900 and is six stories tall; the other, seven stories, went up in 1904. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Canopy concept is intended to give the Hilton properties a more local feel, according to the company.

5TH & 6TH UNITED PROPERTIES

Target Field Station United Properties says it has poured the eighth and final floor of its Target Field Station project, which includes a 155-room Element by Westin extended-stay hotel; a four-story, 2,000-seat performance hall (the latest in promoter Live Nation’s chain of Fillmorebranded music venues); and a restaurant to be known as “BG’s,” after Fillmore impresario Bill Graham. Sheila Thelemann, United’s vice president of marketing and communications, says the building is fully leased and is proceeding toward a fall 2019 opening without changes. The project was originally estimated at $45 million.

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journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 13

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Archive Apts One of the last remaining surface parking lots in the North Loop has been purchased (finally). Developer Curt Gunsbury paid $9.25 million for the more than 35,000-squarefoot property and plans to put up two matching six-story apartment buildings with a combined 196 market-rate units. A series of proposals preceded Gunsbury’s bid. The site is directly across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank Building at the northern end of First Avenue. The sellers were three Colorado-based businesses all related to the Solaris Redevelopment Corp., which at the time they were purchased in 2017 (for $6 million) were operated by Minneapolis developer Howard Bergerud.

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15th Avenue cluster development* A planned project from Minneapolisbased North Bay and DJR architects is a two-building, 12-unit apartment complex on 15th Avenue Southeast. Architect Dean Dovolis says the current plan is for the two three-story buildings to be built facing inward to a central courtyard. He says the project has been “divided to maintain the scale of the neighborhood.” Two somewhat run-down houses currently occupy the lot. All of the units will be four-bedroom designs. In the best-case scenario, construction will begin in February with occupancy by the fall of 2019.

27TH & PARK NORTH BAY/DJR ARCHITECTS

2733 Park Avenue* This project involves sub-dividing one existing lot into two to accommodate a two-story, 10-unit townhouse plan. The finished project will be located on the Columbus Avenue edge of the site but will retain the Park Avenue address. The finished structure will actually have three levels, with one below grade, and will include surface parking for 29 vehicles. Units will be three and four bedrooms ranging 1,800–2,100 square feet and will come with 50-square-foot patio areas.

240 PARK AVE. WILF COMPANIES

240 Park Avenue Vacant lots in the Mill District will be even harder to find after the Wilf family, owners of the Vikings, commence work on a 17-story, 205-unit apartment complex. The City Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to the project at its Nov. 13 meeting (along with a handful of

Among the larger projects in the North Loop is the redevelopment of The Nordic by United Properties, a Pohlad family company. After more than a year of construction the mixed-use project is expected to open pretty much on schedule in January 2019. Along with 57 apartments and both underground and seven levels of elevated parking (400 total spaces), the project includes 385,000 square feet of office space. United Properties has had digital marketing and analytics group Ovative involved for months as a primary tenant. Says the company’s promotional material, “The Nordic-inspired, modern warehouse-style building is designed to be the living room and backyard of the North Loop. The Nordic will feature an active public plaza fronting Washington Avenue, intended for outdoor seating, lawn games, winter ice curling and space for food truck service.”

LAKE & CHICAGO NORTH BAY/ DJR ARCHITECTS

Lake & Chicago mixed-use project* The North Bay Company and DJR Architects have a handful of projects moving into the construction phase, including a five-story, 48 studio-unit apartment building with 4,010 square feet of commercial space on the northwest corner of Lake & Chicago near the Midtown Global Market. The plan will allow for 12 outdoor parking spaces for the eventual commercial tenant. The project also will eliminate one of the two existing curb cuts and provide a one-way pass-through of the site. Apartments will range 450–500 square feet.

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For a comprehensive overview of downtown development, go to journalmpls.com/resources/ Loring Park development-tracker

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11 The Redwell Apartments Downtown East

West 12andDayton’s Project

13 Central Police Office North Loop

14 Eleven

The “right” market is today’s market.

15Marcy-Holmes Gateway 16 River Loop Apartments Park 17ElliotThrivent Corporate lot apts

18 Ryan residential tower 19 Thirty 20 The Expo (phase II) * Not shown on map

226 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis DowntownNeighbor.com • 612.347.8000

14 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

Holiday Guide 2018

GIFTS

By Dylan Thomas, Nate Gotlieb, Andrew Hazzard and Michelle Bruch

t’s a holiday tradition here at the Journal to send our reporting team out to scour the city for gifts. Well, we’re back with 16 new (and mostly local) ideas for holiday giving, from books and games for the kids on your list to gifts that keep on giving long past the holiday season. We’ve

found some inexpensive stocking stuffers and a few splurge-worthy items to be wrapped up with a bow. We’re hoping this gift guide provides some inspiration as you seek out gifts for your loved ones.

WITH A BOW ‘Purple Reign’ Timberwolves jersey This gift idea does double duty, good for any local sports or music fan on your list — not that those interests are mutually exclusive. Take Prince, for example. Our dearly departed musical legend was famously — thanks in no small part to a classic “Chapelle’s Show” sketch — a betterthan-decent pick-up basketball player. (He also played basketball, among other sports, as a middle and high schooler during his Minneapolis youth.) In November, the Minnesota Timberwolves suited up for the ﬁrst time in their

2018–2019 season City Edition jerseys, featuring a font and color scheme that evoke Prince’s classic “Purple Rain” album, released in 1984. They not only honored a hometown hero, but did it in a building (Target Center) located kitty-corner from First Avenue, the club where Prince built a following and ﬁlmed scenes from the movie version of “Purple Rain.”

Price: City Edition gear starts at $18. Jerseys are $110–$225. Where you can find it: Timberwolves Team Store, 600 N. 1st Ave. (skyway level of the Target Center)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

FROM SANTA

DOWNTOWN

‘Good Rosie!’ by Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss

STOCKING STUFFER

Minneapolis author Kate DiCamillo’s latest children’s book tells the story of Rosie the dog and her owner, George, who veer from a life of quiet routine to make a trip to the dog park. There, Rosie confronts the challenges of making new friends. Any kid who has ever felt lonely on the playground can sympathize with terriersized Rosie, who doesn’t immediately take to big, slobbery Maurice or yippy, hyperactive Fiﬁ. But she overcomes her trepidation after a few slapstick encounters with the pair, illustrated comic-book style by DiCamillo’s collaborator, Harry Bliss, whom adults may recognize from his New Yorker covers and cartoons. Downtown bookstore Milkweed Books hosted a September book release celebration and signing. As of a few days before Thanksgiving, autographed copies were still available for DiCamillo super-fans.

Handcrafted feather earrings

A recent visit to Inspire on the skyway level of City Center, one of the boutique’s two downtown locations, inspired plenty of holiday gift ideas. But several pairs of feather earrings stood out as perfect stocking stuffers — and a steal at just $10 a pair. The come with an interesting story, too: Handcrafted in Peru from ethically sourced feathers, they were made by indigenous women living in the Amazon rainforest. The Inspire boutiques are owned and operated by Minneapolis-based Smile Network. Founded in 2003, the non-profit humanitarian organization sends volunteer medical teams around the world to perform cleft lip and cleft palate operations for children living in developing countries. Purchases at the shops not only benefit the Smile Network, they help to empower female artisans around the world.

Price: $16.99 Where you can find it: Milkweed Books, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Suite 107

KEEP ON GIVING Brave New Workshop season pass This time of year, the Brave New Workshop is packing ’em into its annual holiday show, a must-see for the theater’s many fans that typically mixes new sketches with older material drawn from 60 years of performances. Featuring a cast stocked with ubertalented performers like Lauren Anderson — who ranks high on the list of funniest people in the Twin Cities — the Brave New Workshop provides plenty of reasons to return all year round. And if you or someone you know would like to make live, local sketch comedy a regular part of their life, then the theater’s season pass would make an excellent gift.

Passes come in several ﬂavors, each with perks like early access to tickets and $1 oﬀ drinks at the theater’s bar. Those who opt for “The Honorary Bowtie” — a reference to the theater’s founder, improv legend Dudley Riggs — get free admission to late-night improv performances and opportunities to mingle with the cast. (Keep in mind that BNW’s humor is aimed at adults and kids under 13 aren’t admitted to shows.)

Price: $85 for one, $155 for two or $295 for four. “The Honorary Bowtie” pass is $340 and includes additional benefits. Where you can find it: bravenewworkshop.com

Price: $10 Where you can find it: Inspire, 108 W. 14th St. or 33 S. 6th St. (City Center, skyway level)

Photography: The Timeless Gift

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journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 15

UPTOWN STOCKING STUFFER Sage or cedar bundle

What better gift to give around the New Year than restorative balance? For an aﬀordable renewal to the souls of people in your life, look no further than a sage bundle from Eye of Horus Metaphysical Supplies and Gifts on Lake Street. White Sage, also known as buﬀalo sage or sacred sage, is used in a ritual known as smudging to wipe away negative energies from rooms, people or objects. For those less spiritually inclined, it’s also a pleasant way to change up the smell of your living space. The hand-wrapped sage bundles at Metaphysical Supplies and Gifts vary in size, and plant base. For a more Christmas-esque theme, try a cedar bundle that will make any stocking (or room when burned) smell of pine trees.

Price: White Sage bundle, $4.95; Cedar bundle, $6.95. Where you can find it: Eye of Horus Metaphysical Supplies and Gifts, 910 W. Lake St.

FROM SANTA Codenames Time oﬀ with the family around the holidays is great, but you’re not really spending time together if you’re all in one room staring at tablets. Enter board games.

This year, among the big sellers are the Codenames series, according to Michael Russo at Universe Games in LynLake. Codenames is a card and board game where two teams compete, with each having a “spymaster” who gives one-word clues to the “agents” on their team that can point to multiple words on the board. Players try to guess their team’s words and avoid the words of the other team. Russo said Codenames is a good family game, suitable for kids 7 and older. There are various themes to Codenames, so you can choose Harry Potter, Disney or Marvel editions, among others. If you’re looking for the classics, Russo said Catan remains king of the holiday gift season. Universe Games stocks up and sells out nearly every year.

Price: Codenames ranges from $19.99 to $24.99 depending on the version. Where to find it: Universe Games, 711 W. Lake St.

KEEP ON GIVING SK Coffee subscription In every family or friend group, there’s one person not content with the Maxwell House drip coffee. But have no fear: Minneapolis roaster SK Coffee is here to help with three holiday coffee subscription gift packages, depending on how extravagant you want to be. SK Coffee roasts their beans out of the Salty Tart bakery on Harriet Avenue just north of Lake Street in LynLake and offers subscription packages that send varieties of coffee from Central America antd Africa to customers. For the holidays, they’re offering three gift packages at different price points. For $90, get a three 4 oz. bags of coffee, plus a three-month subscription. Each

month, your caffeine fiend friend will receive an additional three 4 oz. bags of new coffee varieties to enjoy. For $110, get three 4 oz. bags of coffee, plus an SK mug and pour-over coffee dripper. For $130, get three 4 oz. bags, the mug, pour-over coffee dripper and a threemonth subscription. SK coffee partner Nate Broadbridge said supplies are limited for the holiday packages, so be sure to order fast. Subscriptions are only available online, though SK Coffee does sell their beans at Salty Tart and area farmers markets. This winter you can find their beans at the Linden Hills Holiday Market.

Price: $90–$130, shipping included Where to find it: skcoffee.org

WITH A BOW Baobab candles For the person in your life with a keen eye for home decor, Julia Moss Designs in Lowry Hill is the spot for gifts that will stand out. Moss specializes in revitalizing vintage silver with color but sells a variety of pieces that can add to any living space. For the candle lovers, the Holy Grail is the Baobab collection. Massive scented candles poured into handblown glass from Belgium, Baobab candles will stick out and last for months. Each glass case is unique, and there are a variety of scents available. The candles range in size and price, with the largest capable of burning for 800 hours. “They’re deﬁnitely a lifestyle candle and a statement piece,” Moss said.

Price: $105–$590, depending on size. Where to find it: Julia Moss Designs, 2508 Hennepin Ave.

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16 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

WITH A BOW

SOUTHWEST

Keshi pearl necklace

STOCKING STUFFER Religious figurines Near the register of Hunt & Gather sits a shelf full of religious figurines and ornaments available for under $10. Hunt & Gather also has a variety of low-cost leather coin bags available for those who want to package a stocking stuffer in a unique way. The 15-year-old antique store sells a variety of vintage clothing, records, furniture and taxidermic animals, with offerings ever-changing. “Quirky, oneof-a-kind, genuine gifts,” was how Hunt & Gather owner Kristi Stratton described the store. “There’s great gifts for everybody,” she added. Online, Hunt & Gather describes itself as a “vintage amusement store.” It maintains a robust Instagram presence where it features upcoming deals and products (online at instagram.com/p/BqVCe5zF4_7).

Price: $3 (for the figurines) Where you can find it: Hunt & Gather, 4944 Xerxes Ave. S.

Keshi is the Japanese word for poppy, according to Jenifer Bellefleur, co-owner of New Gild Jewelers in Linden Hills. She called this strand of blush-colored pearls with metallic overtones a “rare treat,” noting that it’s strung on natural silk with a puzzle clasp in sterling silver. New Gild Jewelers provides full-service custom jewelry design and restoration, in addition to a ready-to-wear engagement collection and a gallery of artist-made gifts. “It’s different here, and you’ll feel it the moment you walk in our door,” Bellefleur said in an email. She and co-owner Kelsey John Lee-Karol opened the shop in spring 2017.

Price: $485 (for the pearls) Where you can find it: New Gild Jewelers, 4250 Upton Ave. S.

FROM SANTA Books from Wild Rumpus The Linden Hills-based children’s bookstore has several dozen recommended titles sitting in its front window display, from books for elementary students to ones for teens. Current recommended titles include the book “Saving Winslow” by Newberry Medal winner Sharon Creech and “Voyage of the Dogs” by Greg van Eekhout. Wild Rumpus also has several tables of gift boxes and a table full of holiday-themed books. The store has a buyer’s guide available in store and online at wildrumpusbooks.com, and it oﬀers complementary gift-wrapping and shipping. In addition, patrons can buy a tote bag and receive 20 percent oﬀ all purchases on any subsequent visits.

Price: Books range in cost. Where you can find it: Wild Rumpus, 2720 W. 43rd St.

ON SALE: Family Business since 1907

BOOT SALE Ladies & Mens • Western & English

10–20% off

Tony Lama & Ariat Boots Mon–Fri 9:30am – 6pm • Thurs till 8pm • Sat till 5pm

www.SSaddle.com

413 West Lake St., Mpls., MN 612-825-2459 Park FREE in our lot on alley side of the store

Levi’s Jeans starting at $37.50

20% off • Outback Dusters • All Flannel Shirts 10% off • Stetson • Resistol Fur Felt Now open Sundays for Christmas!

12 – 5 pm

KEEP ON GIVING Holiday crafting at Heartfelt Inside Linden Hills’ seven-year-old craft store, parents and kids alike can create and decorate everything from fairy tree

houses to Hanukkah menorahs, unicorns and beaded bracelets. Those interested in crafting don’t need to sign up ahead of time; they can stop in anytime the store is open and make their own gifts or crafts. Heartfelt provides the supplies, from beads to pipe cleaners and paints, and kids and adults alike get to use their imagination to make creations as they see ﬁt. The store is hosting its annual Reindeer Day 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, and is hosting a preschool solstice festival 10:30 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 (advance registration required). The store oﬀers extended hours in December.

Price: Crafts range in price from $2–$88, though most are around $10–$25 Where you can find it: Heartfelt, 4306 Upton Ave. S.

ENCORE!

18 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

NORTHEAST From Santa Bear pom hat

Transmogriﬁcation Laboratory, a builder who has worked out of an attic he dubbed the “world’s most dangerous guest room.” His lamps are pieced together from bicycle parts or washing boards or scorpion cigar boxes.

Price: $50–$125 Where to find it: Repurpose Republic, 2833-2835 Central Ave. NE

Keep on giving Glassblowing class

Knit by hand in Minneapolis, the bear pom hat is made by MashaPoncho’s Sarah Williams. It’s available at I Like You in Northeast, a shop that features goods from more than 200 local or independent artists, a kids’ play area and lots of choices for little ones. There are shirts that sport the words “Gray Duck,” “Loonicorn” or “No Pants.” There are board books like “Get Dressed, Sasquatch!” and “Monster ABC,” where “B” is for Banshee and “H” is for Hobgoblin. And there are handmade dolls by Little Ren, each uniquely crafted from forgotten fabric remnants and intended to celebrate individuality and creativity.

Novice glassblowers can make their own pint glasses, paperweights or ornaments inside a cavernous space home to the nonproﬁt Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts. A one-onone introductory class covers basic glass techniques in a studio and gallery that’s open to the public seven days a week. It’s all housed in a former General Mills research laboratory, which now provides studio space for artists and small businesses like Deane’s Kombucha; Asa Hoyt, a lead welder of “the Bean” in Chicago; and stained glass artists Morgan Grayce Willow and Blake Lynden. Glass artists can rent kiln time and sell their pieces at a gallery onsite, where shoppers will ﬁnd cups, vases and other artwork for sale.

Price: $20 Where you can find it: I Like You, 501 1st Ave. NE

STOCKING STUFFER Minnesota spice cookies The bakers who mill their own ﬂour and stamp each loaf with a personal signature are making holiday cookies. Baker’s Field Flour & Bread is oﬀering the Minnesota Spice cookie this season, inspired by a classic German cookie with cocoa, hazelnuts and a touch of heat from cayenne. The Minnesota-shaped cookies will share the shelves with foods like Red Table Meat Co.’s salami at the “Last Call” market on Dec. 22.

The market will also feature pancake mix made from local grains, Linzer cookies, Dutch speculaas cookies and stollen, a bread made with whiskey, butter, hazelnut, candy lime and orange. The bakery grinds flour daily for better flavor, and the flour is stone ground for a full, sweet and nutty taste.

Price: Under $10 Where you can find it: The Draft Horse at the Food Building, 1401 Marshall St. NE

Price: Introductory “discovery” classes are $85–$140 Where you can find it: 2010 Art Blok building at 2010 E. Hennepin Ave.

With a bow Repurposed lamps by Mat Resist Vintage lamps abound at Repurpose Republic, a hub for industrial and midcentury modern furnishings overseen by Champ, the shop cat. Staff work to restore and repurpose antique buffet tables and cabinets while desk and ceiling space is covered in light fixtures, with more in storage. Some of the lamps come courtesy of Mat Resist from the Resist

antique & vintage lighting • original hardware • vintage plumbing stained, leaded & prairie glass windows • doors • entryways wood mantles • stone mantles • terra-cotta • carved stone hand-wrought iron work • antique garden elements antique religious elements • ecclesiastical artifacts

AN EVER-CHANGING INVENTORY OF JUST PLAIN COOL AND FUNKY DECORATIVE STUFF!

Architectural Antiques HOME 090717 H2.indd 1

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11/26/18 3:00 PM

journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 19

LOCAL

FLAVOR

FOODIE MAGNET By Carla Waldemar

MODERNA KOUZINA 3910 W. 50th St. (952) 657-5974 modernakouzina.com

can’t provide an exact translation of Moderna Kouzina, but you get the idea. It’s the slick and quietly stylish (50 shades of gray plus a little fieldstone) tenant occupying a former mozzarella-forward restaurant at 50th & France. The globetrotting chef-owner, who followed her husband to town (thank you, 3M), employs a stylish, sophisticated spin to a menu full of foodie favorites — a small but crisply curated list, leading off with “amusements” ($8–$14). These Instagram-ready starters deliver on their promise, beginning with a medley of shaved asparagus and Pecorino infused with a light walnut vinaigrette in service to the star of the show, a sunny-yolked egg clasped by a crispy crust to bold-up the plate’s texture. Tender, ivory bits of octopus partnering with wisps of micro-greens upon a yogurt base also proved delicious. Best yet: the “briques,” presenting stacked cubes of pork belly (quintessentially fatty and fab) alternating with watermelon, set upon a slick of apple cider. How’s that for an out-there combo that works? Or choose beef tartare, a charcuterie plate, a reinvented Greek salad or the kitchen’s spin on pommes frites, incorporating Parm and smoked salt. Main courses (called “entrée piato” in a sort of restaurant Esperanto) range from $16 for a burger to $27 for scallops with ravioli. Our choices led off with salmon — a hearty, ruddy chunk —served with zucchini in spaghetti strands that proved a bit boring and under-seasoned, despite touches of dill and a cherry reduction abetting the fish. An accompanying wonton seems out of place. Lamb tenderloin, presented in geometric towers of mildly-flavored meat, came garnished with the translucent white bulbs of spring onions aside a flurry of underseasoned wild mushrooms and a touch of fig and brandy. All are well prepared but make for a plate that’s more an assembly of random ingredients than a “gotta come back for that” inspiration. But I’ll definitely return for the beef short ribs, slowly braised till there’s little call for a knife. But wait: You’ll want one for the accompanying sweetbreads because they’re cooked beyond their alluringly nubile state. An elegant and hearty red-wine sauce compliments the dish and its yummy mashed potatoes, while a huge stack of haricots verts calls for seasoning. Servings are generous, so that when it came to desserts, called “Extra” ($9), we caved. Wishing you more stamina than I, try the combo of goat’s milk gelato with pear crumble, mulled fruit with mascarpone, fudge brownie or “seasonal curiosity.” Service is hometown friendly and shows training. Wine by the glass — mostly double-digit — and bottle, nine local draft beers and cocktails ($13) help the evening slip pleasantly by. Well, almost. The pounding beat of the Muzak is in discord with the upscale setting and demographic for which the restaurant seems to aim. (But don’t despair. Conversation is still easily possible.)

20 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

Voices

Mill City Cooks / By Jenny Heck

YOUR ULTIMATE FARMERS MARKET GIFT GUIDE

isit the Mill City Farmers Market’s Winter Market for your holiday grocery and gift shopping this year. Shopping local is not only a way to find high quality food and unique presents for your loved ones, but it is also a way to support the 75-plus farmers, food makers and artists at Mill City who are making our community so special. The Winter Market runs 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Dec. 1, 8 and 15 inside the Mill City Museum, 704 S. 2nd St. The market will be offering recipe sampling and complimentary gift-wrapping at its Dec. 8 and 15 Winter Markets. Read on to find the perfect local gift for everybody on your nice list.

Loose-leaf herbal teas from Well-Rooted Teas. Submitted image. • Give a bouquet of “ﬂours” and combine the wide variety of heritage ﬂours, wild rice and pancake mix from Sunrise Flour Mill • Beautiful cherry and maple wood utensils from Crookedwood and Strisby

For the host Uﬀ-dah! Your family and friends put a lot of energy into your comfort and entertainment, so why not give them a gift that will make hosting a little merrier? • Pickled Brussels sprouts, spicy cucumbers, garlic and beets from Martha’s Joy, perfect for a classic relish tray or elegant crudité platter

cows-milk cheeses from the market’s four farmstead cheese makers

• Whimsical hand-printed tea towels from Crankosaurus Press

• Dried herbs and chilies from Urban Roots and Women’s Environmental Institute to share the ﬂavors of summer

• Give the baker a night oﬀ and buy them a gift box from Very Prairie

• Mill City Farmers Market token gift certiﬁcates to buy fresh produce and other ingredients all season long

For the baker

• A pound of coﬀee beans directly sourced from Café Palmira, a buzz any host will love

Here in the Mill City, we know that it’s a busy time of year for the bakers out there.

• Luscious Minnesota-grown alpaca yarn and knit goods from The Abbey Alpacas

Share some Minnesota love with a basket full of products that represent our beloved North Coast region.

Your crafty friends and relatives will appreciate the time and craftsmanship that goes into each one of these beautiful products from our featured artists. • Hand-crafted bracelets, necklaces and rings from ﬁve local jewelry makers

Wooden utensils. Submitted image

• A seasonal wreath or bouquet of ﬂowers from Gold Finch Flower Farm, a lovely way to say “thank you”

• Upcycled mittens, tote bags and more made from vintage fabrics from Sally Fritz Clothing

For the out-of-towner

For the crafter

• Pamper your hosts with handmade sweet basil or citrus cinnamon soaps from Olsen Naturals.

• Knit hats, mittens, purses and even iPad covers from Barn Swallow Garden

• Loose-leaf herbal teas from WellRooted Teas, made with native and foraged botanicals (plus, 10 percent of proﬁts going to organizations working to promote and protect our environment) • Delicious maple and fruit syrups from Horner’s Corner • Honey, honeycomb, wax candles and other local bee products from Ames Farm • Unique seasonal jams like brandy apple and chai spiced pear from Serious Jam • A Mill City Farmers Market hoodie, tote bag or hat to show oﬀ your favorite market

For the cook Let the foodies in your life indulge with the best local ingredients this holiday season:

Remember that many of Mill City Farmers Market’s vendors are part-time during the Winter Market. Visit millcityfarmersmarket. org for vendor proﬁles and schedules, an interactive vendor map, weekly produce planner and seasonal recipes.

• Mushroom butters and dried wild mushrooms from Cherry Tree House Mushrooms • Vibrantly colorful heirloom dried beans from Bean Market • Mouthwatering salami from Red Table Meat Co. paired with goat, sheep

HOLIDAY WORSHIP CHRISTMAS EVE December 24 Mass at 3 PM, 5:30 PM, 8:00 PM Vigil of Lights at 11:30 PM followed by Midnight Mass

CHRISTMAS DAY December 25 Mass at 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, Noon, 4:30 PM Saturday, Dec 1, 7:30pm

A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols

Sunday, Dec. 2, 5pm

Saturday, Dec. 22, 7:30pm

A Service for Advent w/Carols

Thursday, Dec. 6, 8pm

U of M Choirs Christmas Concert

Sunday, Dec. 16, 3pm

T h e Ba s i lic a of

sai n T Mary

Olivier Messiaens’ La nativite du Seigneur, Raymond Johnston, organist

Hennepin at North Sixteenth, Mpls 612.333.1381 – www.MARY.org

Friday, Dec. 21, 7:30pm

Music for Advent

Lumina: Beauty in Darkness

Sunday, Dec. 23, 5pm

A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols

Monday, Dec. 24, 4pm

Christmas Eve Worship w/Pageant

Monday, Dec. 24, 11pm Christmas Eve Worship

www.ourcathedral.org

519 Oak Grove Street on Loring Park

FROM ALL OF US AT THE JOURNAL

journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018 21

Voices

Moments in Minneapolis By Cedar Imboden Phillips

NOT JUST ANY (FAKE) CHRISTMAS TREE

hat’s not just any Christmas tree standing in the First National Bank Plaza in downtown Minneapolis; in 1960, it was the largest artificial Christmas tree in the upper Midwest. But like so many similar claims, the assertion was not without controversy. Boosters from nearby Crystal protested that the Crystal Shopping Center’s artificial tree was much taller and with more lights. Follow-up reports in the Minneapolis Star clarified that the tree shown here was “the biggest artificial tree which can be dismantled and re-used.” There was no information on where one finds room to store the region’s largest reusable artificial tree during the remaining months of the year. The steel tree towered 45 feet above the plaza and was covered with 1,000 white lights (Crystal’s tree featured red).

Cedar Imboden Phillips serves as executive director for the Hennepin History Museum. Learn more about the museum and its offerings at hennepinhistory.org or 870-1329. Image from the Hennepin History Museum’s collection.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Goat quote 4 Monorail users 9 Driving range instructors 13 Central cooling systs. 14 Kick 15 She converted to Judaism after marrying her comedy partner 16 Study of a portentous woodchuck? 18 Opposition group 19 Submits returns online 20 Prevents legally 22 Hoppy brew, for short 23 Study of tears? 24 Humanities maj. 26 Dash gauge 29 Slovenia neighbor, to the IOC

58 Cornell’s home

7 New car stat

61 Others, in Cuba

8 More timid

62 Study of hiking choices?

9 Study of literary tools?

65 Tells all

10 7:11, e.g.

37 Small store

66 “At the Movies” co-host

11 Circular gasket

39 Fuzzy fruit

67 Shepherd’s pie piece

41 Exercise in a studio

68 Craftsy website

15 The Masters, e.g.

42 Android operating system named for a cookie

69 Brother in Roman lore

30 Player of The Bride in “Kill Bill” films, familiarly 31 Made a blunder 33 Take suddenly

43 Trusty mount 45 Shaving cream type 46 “American Experience” network

70 Give a darn

DOWN 1 It may have an “X”

12 Impertinent

38 Study of lids and caps? 40 Matching group 44 Throw back some Absolut, say 47 Sanctify 48 Chi __

17 Carmex target

51 “All __ in favor ... ”

21 MoMA location

52 Bandleader’s cue

23 Puppy plaything

53 Works for

24 Heavyweight fight?

54 Rubbernecker

25 “Rubáiyát” poet 27 First rescue boat

56 Evil film computer

Odds of a child becoming a top fashion designer: 1 in 7,000 Odds of a child being diagnosed with autism: 1 in 110

58 Thing

49 Bart’s bus driver

2 Physical discomfort

28 Football Hall of Famer Carter

50 Draw upon

3 “Whatever!”

32 Count calories

60 Screenwriter James

51 Study of common articles?

4 “Missed your chance!”

34 Officers who follow their own code

63 Wartime prez

Some signs to look for: No big smiles or other joyful expressions by 6 months.

55 That woman

5 Romeo or Juliet

35 Many months

64 Veer off course

To learn more of the signs of autism, visit autismspeaks.org

57 Echo Dot-waking words

6 “A Sorta Fairytale” singer Tori

36 Christian of “The Big Short”

Crossword Puzzle DTJ 112918 4.indd 1

59 Dead-end sign word

Crossword answers on page 23

11/26/18 10:18 AM

No babbling by 12 months.

No words by 16 months.

© 2010 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It’s time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved. The person depicted is a model and is used for illustrative purposes only.

Ad Council - Autism SWJ 2011 NR4 Filler 4.indd 1

4/22/11 4:00 PM

22 journalmpls.com / November 29–December 12, 2018

GET

OUT

GUIDE

By Sheila Regan

Ice Palace and The Starfolk at The Warming House Cozy up at The Warming House, the East Harriet music venue that has fast become a hotspot for intimate listening. It’s the perfect spot for Ice Palace and The Starfolk, two bands that offer a melancholy vibe that thrives in a smaller space. It’s the kind of music that you’ll want to sink into a bit and allow yourself to soak in the sounds. When: 8 p.m. Sat. Dec. 1 Where: The Warming House, 4001 Bryant Ave. S. Cost: $10 Info: thewarminghouse.net

‘A Year with Frog and Toad’ Youth Performance Company brings Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters to life in “A Year with Frog and Toad.” Robert and Willie Reale’s adaptation of the story first premiered at the Children’s Theatre Company 16 years ago before heading to Broadway for a Tony-nominated run. Now, young actors from Youth Performance Company take on the amphibian odd couple through four seasons in a new imagining of the heartwarming musical. When: Nov. 30–Dec. 17 Where: Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, 1900 Nicollet Ave. Cost: Tickets are $12 for children and seniors, $15 for adults Info: youthperformanceco.org

Amy Rice: ‘Root Down’

‘My Kahaani’ What do you do when you have a winning formula? Change it up, of course. Bollywood Dance Scene Twin Cities found wild success at the Minnesota Fringe Festival with their large-cast extravaganzas of Bollywood song, dance and storytelling for several years before trying something completely new this last year. “My Kahaani,” kept a Bollywood flavor but with a completely different format, and the troupe got positive response. Now they are taking their success outside of the Fringe, with a run of “My Kahaani” at the Bryant-Lake Bowl.

It may be cold and wintery outside, but Amy Rice brings a little spring into your life with “Root Down” at Groveland Gallery. The exhibition brings out the local artist’s love of nature, with a full spectrum of colors that come to life in her paintings of wildflowers and fauna, birds, bugs and fields. Rice’s solo show will be on view in conjunction with a group exhibition called “Sense of Place,” featuring eleven Groveland artists taking inspiration from nature. When: Through Jan. 19. Reception is noon–5 p.m. Sat. Dec. 1. Where: Groveland Gallery, 25 Groveland Terrace Cost: Free Info: grovelandgallery.com

‘Prints on Ice’ Members of Highpoint Center for Printmaking cooperative share their work in the annual “Prints on Ice” exhibition, a curated show that includes 70 pieces from 32 printmakers. Boasting all different kinds of printmaking — from traditional to cutting edge — the exhibit highlights the many different kinds of work artists are able to create using Highpoint’s facilities. The prints on view (and those shrinkwrapped in bins) will also be on sale, if you’re looking for affordable gifts for the season. When: Through Feb. 9. Reception is 6:30 p.m.–9 p.m. Fri. Nov. 30. Where: Highpoint Center for Printmaking, 912 W. Lake St. Cost: Free Info: highpointprintmaking.org

When: 7 p.m. Dec. 7 Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St. Cost: $12; $10 for students Info: bryantlakebowl.com

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Holiday Shows This time of year, it’s hard to avoid holiday-themed anything, so you might as well just embrace it. Allow your Grinch-y heart to open up to the spirit of the season at these holiday shows, which offer a range of naughty and niceness depending on your tastes.

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’

Reed Sigmund reprises his high-energy comic portrayal of Dr. Seuss’ miserly Grinch in this Children’s Theatre Company production directed by Peter C. Brosius. When: Through Jan. 6 Where: Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Ave. S. Cost: $15–$91 Info: childrenstheatre.org

‘The Wickhams’

Playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon find new delights in the world created by Jane Austin in their latest sequel to “Pride and Prejudice.” “The Wickams” follows last year’s “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” and once again checks in on the Pemberley world during the holidays, this time highlighting servants of the household. When: Through Nov. 30 Where: Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S. Cost: $45–$55 Info: jungletheater.com

The New Standards Holiday Show

There’s a reason The New Standards Holiday Show has been going strong for over 10 years. Chan Poling (The Suburbs), John Munson (Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic) and Steve Roehm put on a fantastic show filled with a treasure trove of guest musicians that rotate throughout the evening. When: 8 p.m. Fri., Dec. 7; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sat., Dec. 8 Where: State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave. Cost: $25–$110 Info: hennepintheatretrust.org

Kaleidoscope: A Sparkling Holiday Spectacle!

It’s a drag, burlesque and circus-filled holiday show for adults, with live music and plenty of sex-positive, inclusive fun. When: Dec. 7–23 Where: Lush, 990 Central Ave. NE Cost: $20 Info: lushmpls.com

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