Downtown St. Paul

Big changes at Park Square Building

Night Club launches new exhibit

Jake Spitzack Staff Writer

Emma Beatrez and Lee Noble are getting people on their feet, but not with pounding subwoofers and flashing lights as one might imagine, given the name of their new business. The owners opened Night Club art gallery in mid-March at 340 Wabasha St. N., and this month will host their second exhibit. The name of the gallery is the same as an informal art club that the owners started while they were students at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. It was held in the evening and provided an opportunity for them and other students to discuss and critique art.

Beatrez said the reception for their opening exhibit attracted a few hundred people and that traffic has been steady ever since.

“I really didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “It went way better than I could have imagined.”

The gallery’s next exhibit will feature 12 artists showing mainly sculptural work. An opening reception will take place 5-8 p.m., Saturday, May 6, with light refreshments. It will be on display through the first week of June. This exhibit is a stark contrast to the first one, which featured 12 paintings from just one artist.

The owners aren’t curating any exhibits based on a specific theme

Night Club / Page 3

Storm Chaser

One woman’s fascination with the raw power of nature

Home runs and hula hoops reignite CHS Field

Jake

Spitzack

Staff Writer

Tim Spitzack Editor

When the calendar flips from April to May, Valarie Namen starts to get a bit antsy. It’s not from spring fever. No, it’s quite the opposite. She wants bad weather and is normally planning a trip to find it. For the past 13 years, the retired St. Paul police officer has traveled across the country searching for that ominous natural phenomenon that most people pray they’ll never experience: a tornado.

Namen has seen dozens of tornados in her lifetime and hopes to see many more. She is among the rare breed who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to achieve a goal. As proof, she is a member of the Zero Meter Club, which is a storm chaser’s way of saying they have been far, far closer to a tornado than one should be.

The reason people chase storms varies. Some do it for scientific investigation. Some to capture media coverage. Some for the adrenaline rush. Others, like Namen, do it to satisfy their deep curiosity of storms and to witness the magnificent power of nature, and to capture those images on film.

Namen’s fascination with storm chasing was piqued by the 1996 blockbuster, “Twister.” She found herself doing more and more research on storm chasers and the powerful effects of tornados and soon discovered there were – and still are – many tour operators that cater to people like her. One day she made the call.

Storm Chaser / Page 2

Action has returned to CHS Field, and this year’s St. Paul Saints team boasts another strong roster of players, several of whom are top prospects for the Minnesota Twins in future seasons. Fans will be glad to hear that all home games will feature zany promotions under the team’s new owners.

In late March, after 30 years of ownership, the Goldklang Group sold the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), which owns 16 other minor league teams. Under the new ownership, the team will maintain its character and connection to the community through fan engagement and local partnerships.

“The Saints are an iconic franchise, unquestionably one of the jewels of Minor League baseball,” said Peter Freund, CEO of DBH, in a press release. “DBH’s primary objective is to continue building on what my friends and partners of over a decade, Marv, Mike, Bill and Jeff, have already created.”

The Goldklang Group includes Mike Veeck, Bill Murray, Marv Goldklang, Jeff Goldklang, Michael Goldklang and Tom Whaley. Freund met the group in 2012 and today is a co-owner with them for the South Carolina-based Charleston RiverDogs, the class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In 2021, the Saints became one

Saints baseball / Page 3