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After five years of contentious de bate and legal action, downtown residents may finally get the full-block park they’ve been calling for. According to a recent presentation from the Capi tolRiver Council’s Pedro Park Work Group, the public safety annex (PSA) adjacent to Pedro Park is currently un dergoing an environmental review to determine whether demolishing the building would negatively affect the historical value of the area.
PEACE is an acronym for Prevention, Environmen tal design, Accountability, Community engagement and helptheDirectorruary,hoodTheEnforcement.OfficeofNeighborSafety,formedinFebwillleadtheproject.BrookeBlakeysaidprojectisdesignedtoanyonewhohasexperi
Volume 28 | Number 9 Your Community News & Information Source September 2022 Downtown St. Paul ‘Let’s Grow’ / Page 3Grand Round / Page 3
Jake Spitzack Staff Writer
Grand Round bike networkcompletionreaches
Jake Spitzack Staff Writer
Short term leases, public art dis plays and an expanded Street Team are part of the St. Paul Down town Alliance’s new Let’s Grow campaign, which seeks to bring life to empty storefronts and promote a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to downtown visitors. The initia tive is funded through $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, $1 million from the downtown busi ness community and a $1 million matching grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. To revitalize empty retail spaces, the Alliance has convinced some landlords to provide a free 6-month lease to a handful of businesses. Two recipients have already taken advan tage of the program. Ramadhan De signs, a custom fashion design com pany, is in the Treasure Island Center, and the economic development firm 2043 SBC is in Wells Fargo Place. Art installations are popping up across downtown, including the newly installed “Future of Futures” at Osborn370, created by Amanda Lovelee and Emily Stover, and Girl Friday’s 25-foot installation in the Se curian Financial 401 Building. Art will also be installed on 7th Place Mall and at Wells Fargo Place. The funding also allows the Alliance to expand its Street Team to more than 20 full-time workers. These people provide wayfinding assistance to visi tors, help keep streets clean, and serve Jake Spitzack Staff Writer
“We’re hoping that we’ll be able to de molish the PSA this year still and begin the process of creating park space where the building was, which will initially look like a grassy area that’s brought up to grade with the street level,” said Noecker. “Over time, through both city and private fundraising, we’d be aiming to raise the funds to enhance the park and make it more like a downtown park with additional amenities. We’ve identi fied Community Development Block Grant dollars to fund demolition of the PSA and they have to be spent by next March, so that provides a good sense of
Fate
enced an incident involving gun violence, including the illegal possession of a gun, having been shot at, or hav ing a family member who has been involved in gun violence.“Sometimes we wait un til there’s something to re act to before we respond,” said Blakey, a former Metro Transit police officer. “A lot of what Project PEACE is about is looking at some of those pre-indicators. For example, there might be a group of kids involved in car theft, and their associ ates may be people who have been found with guns. It’s about figuring out how to start engaging those kids before they get to that time of shooting someone or being shot themselves. It’s about meeting them where St. Paul creates new program to address gun violence
Envisioned 150 years ago by one of St. Paul’s first landscape architects, Horace Cleveland, the 27-mile Grand Round Trail is nearly complete. The trail is a net work that encirlces the city and connects more than a dozen parks and regional spaces, including Lake Como, Lake Phalen and the Missis sippi River. Work is underway on the final 5-block segment from Edg erton Street to Arcade Street and is expected to be finished this fall or next“Itspring.opens up options and adds a huge amenity to St. Paul,” said Dave Ronzani, Grand Round planning project manager. “It’s been a long time coming, and we really hope that people utilize it if they don’t have cars as a primary form of transportation.” Construction is also underway on five more bike stations along the Grand Round, bringing the total to seven. New stations will be located at 1356 Lexington Pkwy. N., Wheelock Parkway and East Como Boulevard, 1264 Burns Ave., 1244 Johnson Pkwy., and Pelham Boulevard and Mississippi River Boulevard. Each will feature an informational kiosk, seating, solar lighting, bike racks, fixit stations, waste receptacle and way finding signage. Work is expected to be complete this fall or next spring. Existing stations are located at the intersection of Como and Hamline Pedro Park
of Pedro Park decided soon St.SamplePaulPage4
Ward 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Noecker said that if the study finds that the building lacks cultural value, the state historic preservation office is expected to ap prove its demolition. The study is ex pected to be completed in September.
‘Let’s Grow’ campaign receives $3M to boost downtown vitality Tim Spitzack Editor
The City of St. Paul re cently launched a new project designed to deter gun violence in the city. Project PEACE stems from a 2021 Citizen’s League report that garnered com munity feedback and called for finding ways to decrease youth gun violence and do mestic violence, and find alternative responses to how the police department handles low priority calls.
PEACE
Page 2 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2022 Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack Copy Editor: Leslie Martin Staff Writers: Jake Spitzack John E. Ahlstrom Contributor: Roger Fuller Delivery: Independent Delivery Service The Downtown St. Paul Voice is published monthly and delivered to every apartment, condominium and skyway drop in St. Paul’s historic urban village, as well as other locations throughout downtown St. Paul. ST. PAUL PUBLISHING COMPANY 1643 So. Robert St., West St. Paul, MN 55118 651-457-1177 | info@stpaulpublishing.com | www.stpaulpublishing.com Downtown St. Paul Voice assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed by contributors and for the validity of claims or items reported. Copyright Downtown St. Paul Voice 2022. All rights reserved in compliance of Federal Copyright Act of 1978. For questions regarding news or advertising, call 651-457-1177 Your community news and information sourceC ommunity they’re at, giving them sup port, and giving them an opportunity to get out of that situation…. It’s a very holistic approach to safety but there’s still an enforce ment piece at the end.”
program
“I heard loud and clear from many community members that this [fullblock park] is what they were expecting when they moved to the neighborhood and it’s a commitment that they feel the city has made,” said Noecker. “If the build ing can’t be demolished for environmental reasons, we would need to sharpen our pencils and figure out what to do because really the only part of the block we own is the PSA and anything else would require buying other property that isn’t currently contemplated to be sold.” Pedro Park is a .45-acre park located near the in tersection of 10th Street East and Robert Street North. The land was do nated by the Pedro Family for park use in 2009. The Pedro luggage building was demolished in 2011. Controversy began in 2017 when the city vacated the adjacent PSA building and planned to sell it to a devel oper rather than expand the park, as was implied in the city’s Fitzgerald Park Pre cinct Plan that was adopted in 2006. A member of the Pedro family and the citi zen’s group Help Save Pedro Park sued the city, but it was found that the PSA wasn’t explicitly planned to be used for that purpose. In 2019, the city sold the building to a developer. That developer pulled out in 2021 with out having done any work to the site. The Pedro Park Work Group was formed to examine the history of the project and potential future of the site. For more infor mation on the Pedro Park Work Group’s final report, visit pedroworkgroup.capitolrivercouncil.org/
the city’s Community FirstPublic Safety City Council Fund. Created in 2019, the fund provides grants to com munity organizations that work to reduce and prevent domestic and gun violence. This year, grants have been given to Guns Down Love Up, Hmong 18 Council, Inc., 30,000 Feet, Karen Organization of Minnesota and Ujamaa Place. In related news, members of The Violence Project, a nonprofit organization, will give a presentation on gun violence at 1 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3 at the Thompson Park Activity Center, 1200 Stassen Ln., West St. Paul. Speakers Dr. Jillian Peterson and Dr. James Densley will present findings on their re search on mass shooters and discuss ways to prevent fu ture occurrences of violence. Data from the organization’s website reports that 80% of mass shooters were in a no ticeable crisis prior to their shooting and that the three most common motivations for mass shooters since 2000 have been domestic relation ships, hate and psychosis. To register, call 651-403-8300.
Pedro Park from page 1 Become a Join.ReadingandMath.orgTutor! SUBTEXT BOOKS Downtown St. Paul's Independent Bookstore 6 West Fifth Street, St. Paul | 651-493-2791 | subtextbooks.com SATISFY YOUR CURIOSITY SHOP IN STORE OR CALL FOR CURBSIDE PICK-UP Open Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun. noon- 5 p.m. Find your favorite titles at www.subtextbooks.com Find out what's in stock, and order for pick-up or delivery. GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE! OPEN during street construction
The funds will be used to provide grants to other com munity organizations such as Moms Demand Action and Violence Free MN. The first grants are expected to be awarded in early 2023. A new 15-member group is being formed to work with the Blakey to review grant funding proposals, develop an annual strate gic plan that identifies and prioritizes public safety ini tiatives, and advise staff on community engagement. The new Neighborhood Safety Community Council will meet at least four times a year. Application deadline is 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16. To apply, visit vices)nitytowardofandkeyLabHarvardmentstipendsafety. Membersdepartments/neighborhood-www.stpaul.gov/receiveaof$50permeeting.BlakeysaidherdepartwillworkwiththeGovernmentPolicyandCityUnitedtotrackperformanceindicatorsoverallcrimetrends.Additionally,$2millionARPfundingisgoingCOPS(CommuOrientedPolicingSerandwillenabletheSt. Paul Police Department to hire up to 30 more officers, bringing it to full strength. The department is autho rized to have 619 officers. These funds are part of the overall $10 million in ARP funding that the city recently received to support neigh borhood safety and expand programming and staffing at recreation centers and librar ies. To date, St. Paul has re ceived a total of $166.6 mil lion in ARP funding and has invested $37.6 million into neighborhood safety. Also supporting neigh borhood safety efforts is
Project from page 1 urgency.”Thework group also recommended forming a philanthropic group soon – dubbed “Friends of Pedro Park” – to gather commu nity input, make suggestions for the park’s design and act as a primary fundraising arm for park improvements. Pre vious design proposals cre ated by the city of St. Paul Parks and Recreation de partment called for a water feature, artistic focal point, concrete sidewalks and pa tios, play equipment, shade structure, seating and more. Additionally, a new piece of community art would like ly be added to replace the mural on the PSA building.
The is funded through $4 million secured through the American Res cue Plan (ARP), a 2022 fed eral program to strengthen and expand the workforce.
Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2022 - Page 3 avenues, and on Wheelock Parkway east of the Gateway Trail.“The majority of the grand round is off-street bike paths,” said Ronzani.
The initiative builds on the Alliance’s Welcome Back St. Paul campaign, which last year promoted more than 300 events and added 12 Street Team ambassadors. Heading the new campaign is Lee Krueger, former president and CEO of the St. Paul Port Authority and current president of Krueger Real Estate Advisors, and D’Angelos Svenkeson of NEOO Partners. For more information on future pub lic events and performances, visit growstpl.com. from page 1 Street· 170·Saint Paul, MN 55101 · 651-224-5153
550 Vandalia
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‘Let’s Grow’
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“There is a section along Pelham and Raymond that is currently on the street but we’re looking for future funding for those two sec tions to get them off street.” The first segment of the Grand Round was created in the 1920s along Mississippi Boulevard. Additional seg ments were added between the 1980s and the early 2000s. Once completed, the city will formally desig nate the system as the Grand Round North Regional Trail. More than a half mil lion people are expected to use the trail system annu ally. The system includes the Sam Morgan Trail along the Mississippi River and the Bruce Vento Trail. For more information on the Grand Round, visit stpaul.gov and search “Grand Round.”
Last year, the city con ducted a survey to elicit biking habits and received nearly 1,700 responses. The majority said they want more bike lanes separated from traffic. The city is now up dating its 2015 Bicycle Plan to address those desires, ex pand the bike path network and find new ways to pro mote bike riding. It expects to conduct a second round of community engagement this fall and adopt the up dated plan in the spring of 2023. For more information on updates to the plan, visit stpaul.gov and search “St. Paul bicycle plan.”
Round from page 1 Your community news and information sourceC ommunity
Grand as an extra set of eyes for the Safety Communications Center, St. Paul Police, and other public safety partners.
FitzgeraldTheatre 10 Exchange St. E. St. 612-338-8388Paul first-avenue.com “Talking Volumes” fea turing Karen Armstrong is presented at 7 p.m., Wednes day, Sept. 14. Tickets start at $32.50. Ninja Sex Party per forms with special guest Su per Guitar Bros at 8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15. Tickets start at $42. “Juicy Scoop Live” with Heather McDonald is pre sented at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 16. Tickets start at $29. History Center 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. 651-259-3000Paulmnhs.org
MNMuseumChildren’s 10 7th St. W. St. 651-225-6000Paulmcm.org
Page 4 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2022 Your community news and information sourceS ample St. Paul
“Shipwreck Adventures” features a sunken pilot house and 20-foot-long decaying ship hull based on a real sunken ship, a diver train ing area and interpretation of the natural landscape of Lake Superior’s north shore. Other exhibits include The Scramble, The Studio, Creativity Jam, Sprouts, Backyard, Our World, Forc es at Play, Super Awesome Adventures, Imaginopolis and the Tip Top Terrace. The museum is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues.-Sun. Tickets are $14.95. Admis sion is free the first Sunday of each month; reservations are required. The next free date is Sept. 4.
“Off the Deep End,” a digital mural printed on vinyl, is on display in the Jackson Street skyway bridge between 4th and 5th Streets through March 15, 2023. The artwork was created by 19 students from the St. Paul Conservatory for Perform ing Artists and explores the theme of metaphorical rising sea level. “In Our Minds,” is on display in the museum’s win dow space through October 16. Presented in partnership with Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, this exhibit celebrates artmaking as a form of research, improvisation and play. Nachito Herrera and the Havana Jazz All Stars perform 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts. A COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER FOR EVERYONE 651.758.9500 1026 W. 7TH STREET, ST. PAUL
MN Museum of American Art 350 Robert St. N. St. 651-797-2571Paulmmaa.org
W W W U N I T E D F A M I L Y M E D I C I N E O R G CALL ME FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT XOUA THAO MD Downtown Saturdays 7 am-1 pm, Sundays 8 am-1 pm 290 5th St. E. West St. Paul - Signal Hills Fridays 8 am-noon 1225 S. Robert St. South St. Paul Wednesdays 2-6 pm Southview & 12 Ave. In September, the market is brimming with the most produce of the year! Join us for the Daniel Cleary St. Paul Farmers' Market Culinary Competition, live music and great deals on the freshest food in town. Saturday, September 25 Downtown Market | stpaulfarmersmarket.comFEST There's no time like
“Our Home: Native Minnesota” is an exhibit featuring historic and con temporary photographs, maps and artifacts. Visi tors learn how Minnesota’s Native communities have retained cultural practices, teachings and values. Other exhibits include “Then Now Wow,” “Minne sota’s Greatest Generation,” “Grainland” and “Weather Permitting.” The Center is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thurs day-Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and college students and $8 for children ages five to 17. L andmark Center 7 5 5th St. W. S t. Paul 6 landmarkcenter.org51-292-3225 “Summer Nights in Rice” presents two free con certs 4-7 p.m. in Rice Park. Pete Whitman & Missis sippi perform September 8 and International Reggae All Stars perform September 22. The Schubert Club is launching its 140th season. It will have an interactive musical instrument made up of illuminated build ing blocks at the Landmark Center cortile 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24. Visitors can explore, play and create music with the sound sculpture. Addition ally, a concert featuring cel list Michelle Kinney, spoken word artist Alexei Casselle and startSunday,edDanceSTRONGmovementCompanyispresentat5p.m.and7:30p.m,Sept.25.Ticketsat$33.
“The Humans” is pre sented Sept. 14-Oct. 9. Both funny and chilling, the play follows the three-generation Blake family as they assemble for Thanksgiving and navi gate the challenges of every day life. Tickets start at $27. RiverCentre 175 W. Kellogg Blvd. p.m., Friday, Sept. 30. Visi tors can explore running and fitness gear and learn nutri tion tips. Free. Science Museum of Minnesota 120 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. 651-221-9444Paulsmm.org
Phoenix performs with special guest Porches at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 6. Tick ets start at $49.50. ParkTheatreSquare 20 W. 7th Place St. parksquaretheatre.org651-291-7005Paul
Panic! At the Disco with special guests Beach Bunny and Jake Wesley Rogers, 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14. Tickets start at $56.50. My Chemical Romance with special guests Thursday and The Homeless Gospel Choir, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15. Tickets start at $176.50. The Killers with special guest Johnny Marr, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20. Tickets start at $35.50.
highlights interesting and compelling photos documenting 150 years Take
train
Nachito Herrera and the Havana Jazz All Stars perform 7:30 p.m., Satur day, Sept. 24. Tickets start at $37. Palace Theatre 17 7th Place West St. first-avenue.com612-338-8388Paul
Wednesday,
Culinary
If you love Saint Paul, trains, or history, you won’t want to miss your chance to see the Land to Legacy: Union Depot Through Time photo exhibit. This fun and free exhibit a trip through history. Business Wednesday,
“Summer of Space” features exhibits, movies and experiences showing the beauty and extremes of space, as well as the science that brings people there. “Journey to Space” is the featured temporary exhibit on display through Sep tember 5. Learn about the extraordinary conditions of space travel and the chal lenges and rewards of life on the International Space Station. See relics from past decades of space exploration, including Neil Armstrong’s gloves from Apollo 11. “Cardboard City” is a temporary, interactive exhib it offered through November 13. Visitors may build with cardboard. “Science Superheroes” is a temporary exhibit on dis play until September. Learn about the science museum’s scientists, see projects they’re ber 8. See the beauty of earth and the evidence of climate change through the eyes of astronauts aboard the Inter national Space Station. “Into America’s Wild” is presented through October 14. Ex plore fantastical wild places and the human connection we all share with the natural world. Theater tickets are $9.95, with discounts for children and seniors. Sensory Friendly Sunday is hosted the first Sunday of the month. Visitors can ex perience a lights-up, sounddown Omnitheater show at 10 a.m. The program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota. Tickets range from $9.95-$34.90, with discounts available for those with limited incomes. Ad mission is free for Personal Care Attendants when they’re visiting with a client. Museum tickets are $19.95, with discounts for children and seniors. Xcel Center 199 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. 651-726-8240Paul x celenergycenter.com Michael Buble, 8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7. Tickets
Your community news and information sourceS ample St. Paul O rdway Center 3 45 Washington St. S t. Paul 6 51-224-4222ordway.org
Laugh Camp Comedy Club, 490 N. Robert St., will present Matt Braunder Sept. 7-8, Gabriel Rutledge Sept. 14-15, Irene Tu Sept. 21-22 and Danial Eachus Sept. 27-28. Subtext Books , 6 W. 5th St., will present Kath ryn Savage and Diane Wil son at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 1. They will discuss “Ground Glass.” William Kent Krueger will discuss “Fox Creek” on Sept. 7, and Gretchen Anthony will read from “The Book Haters Book Club” on Sept. 15. Six members of the St. Paul Police Department have applied to succeed Po lice Chief Todd Axtell, who chose not to serve a second six-year term. The applicants are Senior Commander Josh ua Lego, Senior Command er Kurt Hallstom, Deputy Chief Julie Maidment, As sistant Chief Stacy Murphy, Commander Pamela Barra gan and Commander Axel Henry. A 38-member police chief examining committee will review applications, conduct interviews, and for ward the top five candidates to Mayor Melvin Carter, who will make the final de cision. A day shelter providing a variety of services will be built at 421 E. Seventh St., the site of the former Red’s Savoy Pizza, which will be demolished. The St. Paul City Council authorized $1.4 million loan to Lis tening House to build the shelter. Listening House calls itself the “living room of the streets,” and provides daytime shelter for people experiencing poverty, home lessness and loneliness. Last year, it provided support to nearly 2,000 people. The shelter offers a daytime place to rest, snacks, phones, mail, wifi, lockers, showers, fresh clothes, washers and dryers, basic first aid, assistance with IDs and birth certificates, and connections to a variety of health and social services. Listening House opened in 1983 near the former Dor othy Day Center and later relocated to First Lutheran Church at Maria Avenue. St. Paul City Council has selected Russel Balenger to fill the Ward 1 seat va cated when former Council Member Dai Thao moved to Sarasota, Fla., to become executive director of a social justice nonprofit. The unex pired term ends in Decem ber 2023. Thao was elected in 2013 to fill a two-year unexpired term and was reelected in 2015 and 2019 for full four-year terms. Be langer, who was born and raised in St. Paul’s Rondo community, is the founder and director of Circle of Peace Movement, a St. Paulbased nonprofit promoting community engagement to address violence.
East Side Freedom Li brary has selected Saeng many Ratsabout as its new executive director, succeed ing co-founders and co-exec utive directors Peter Rachleff and Beth Cleary in a longplanned handing over of the reins. Ratsabout has been af filiated with the University of Minnesota Institute for Advanced Study and the Im migration History Research Center at the University. He came to Minnesota as a Hmong refugee at age three. Spring Break, a 1980sthemed restaurant, is sched uled to open next spring in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel near the Xcel Center. It will be located next to The Apostle Supper Club, scheduled to open this fall. Both restaurants are owned by Brian and Sarah Ingram. Spring Break will feature shrimp tacos, ceviche and many vegan selections. It will have 140 seats inside and 100 on the patio. St. Paul Port Authority has named Todd Hurley president, succeeding Lee Krueger. Hurley has been the chief financial officer and chief operating officer of the Port Authority since 2019, and interim president since Krueger’s retirement in March. He previously served the City of St. Paul for more than 30 years, including as director of the Office of Fi nancialConstructionServices. on the southern corridor of the Capital City Bikeway is scheduled to begin next year. The section, which will run along Kellogg Boulevard from Jackson to St. Peter streets, will have sidewalks and bikeways on the north side of Kellogg. The bikeway encompasses Kellogg Bou levard and Jackson, Waba sha, St. Peter, 9th and 10th streets.
The Ball Corporation’s aluminum beverage can factory on the West Side will close by next spring, the company announced. The plant, located near Eva Street and Plato Boulevard, employs about 110 people. The company cited an in crease in manufacturing costs and decrease in cus tomer demand as the reason. Union Gospel Mission is observing its 120th an niversary this year. The mis sion was founded in 1902 on Jackson Street to serve dockworkers, laborers and lumberjacks. It later relo cated to 435 E. University Ave. Services at the Mission include housing, residential addiction recovery, a men’s closet, and financial literacy and life skills classes. The 3,000 employees of Securian Financial in St. Paul who’ve been working remotely for nearly two years because of the pandemic will return part-time to inperson hours on a hybrid schedule. The company is located at 400 and 401 N. Robert St. The return of employees, even part-time should be welcome news to downtown businesses.
Dab bler Depot has a large selec tion of wine, beer and spir its, as well as a coffee shop featuring Rusty Dog beans from Madison, Wis. Kene van plans to have a perma nent food truck on site.
A new primary care clin ic offering medical, dental and vision services, and gen der care, has opened in the former St. Joseph’s Hospital building. The clinic, run by Minnesota Community Care, is part of the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub, which is also planning a pharmacy and Ebenezer Senior Living en hanced senior day care ser vices for the site.
Dabbler Depot liquor store has opened at 1545 W. 7th St. It is owned by Matt Kenevan, who previ ously published The Growler Magazine and sponsored Beer Dabbler events.
Page 6 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2022 { THE FULLER FILES } by Roger Fuller Your community news and information sourceN ews Briefs
A new driver’s license academy for ages 18 to 24 is now offered through Ramsey County’s Workforce Solutions department. The academy is geared toward helping job seekers who don’t have a license qualify for the many trade indus try jobs that require one. The academy is funded by $500,000 in county and city dollars and additional funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Carrie Classon
$3MSt.CollegeBoundPaulreceivesgrant
CollegeBound St. Paul, the City of St. Paul’s college savings account program that provides a $50 college savings account to every child born in St. Paul on or after Janu ary 1, 2020, has received a $3 million grant from the Bush Foundation. Since its incep tion in January 2020, the program has provided nearly 7,500 savings accounts. All St. Paul families are eligible to apply. For more information or to apply, com/enrollment/. collegeboundstp. St. Paul helpingcommittedCollegetovets
N ews Briefs
History Theatre ramps up for new season The History Theatre, 30 E. 10th, St. Paul, is present ing six shows throughout its upcoming season, which begins October 1. The shows are: “Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story,” October 1-30; “A Servants’ Christmas,” No vember 19-December 18; “Raw Stages: New Works Festival,” January 18-22, 2023; “The Root Beer Lady,” January 29-February 19, 2023; “Diesel Heart,” March 11-April 2; “The Defeat of Jesse James,” April 29-May 28. For more information, visit historytheatre.com or call 651-292-4323.
Good Enough I’ve decided that I’m good enough.Irecently had a big birth day and it got me to think ing – as big birthdays will – about what would change and what would stay the same in the decade to come. I found my list of self-im provement chores much shorter than in previous years.Iused to exhaust myself with these lists. I would write them down and then worry I’d forget them – and how could I become a better person if I didn’t have my goals in mind every moment? Every day, I’d review my lofty goals of being more productive and more mindful and eating better and exercising more and accomplishing all the things I dreamed of. But this year I made lists of all the ways I liked my life and, surprisingly, all the ways I liked myself. Just as I am. In fact, I woke the morning of the big birthday and felt that I was good enough. Of course, I’m not per fect. There isn’t a day I don’t waste valuable time, or miss an opportunity to be kind, or generally fall short of be ing the person I could be. But perfection is a terrible goal to set for oneself. I was never meant to be perfect and really, now that I think about it, perfect sounds a bit dull. Instead, I’m going to be grateful that I am good enough.“Good enough” encom passes everything. It covers the moments of overwhelming bliss that blindside me: walking down the street and seeing a shop filled with yellow flowers, or a small girl dancing in a dirty green onesie, or a giant furry dog pounding its feet on the ground, or the sun reflecting perfectly on a shiny piece of stone on the sidewalk. It’s all the moments I catch –just in time – that cause my heart to swell and make me wonder how so much beauty could be around me so much of the time, and I am lucky enough to see it.
For more information and to nominate a business or apply, please visit www. stpaul.gov/bizawards.
Do you have a 50- to 70-foot-tall evergreen tree that must be removed from your property? If so, nomi nate it to become the next holiday tree at Union De pot. The winning tree will be removed and the stump ground down free of charge. The tree must be located within Ramsey County and in good condition on all sides. It will serve as the cen terpiece for holiday events at Union Depot. To nominate your tree, email your address and a photo of the tree to info@uniondepot.org, or call 651-202-2700. Sub mission deadline is Friday, Sept. 23.
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Union Depot seeks holiday tree
City nominationsseeks for business awards
The State of Minnesota has designated St. Paul College as a Yellow Ribbon organiza tion for its commitment to supporting veterans, service members and military fami lies. Before receiving the desig nation, an organization needs to develop a plan for support ing current and former U.S. military service members and their families. Some specific steps that the college has al ready taken include recogniz ing veterans and their fami lies at the spring graduation ceremony, expanding hours at the campus veteran center, and hosting a Connect Veter ans Military Outreach event this November.
P ostscript
season announcesCo.LaboratoryBalletnew West Side-based Ballet Co.Laboratory is celebrating its fifth anniversary with five productions. The season be gins October 8 with “Dirty Dancing” at the West Side performance space. This an nual benefit performance includes sips-n-bites, a si lent auction, games, and opportunities to connect with dancers and artistic staff. “The Snow Queen” is presented Dec. 2-4 at The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts. “The Wild Rumpus,” an original interpretation of the color ful children’s tale, “Where The Wild Things Are,” is held March 11-12, 2023, at Park Square Theatre. The world premiere of “Kitchen Dances” is presented March 21-April 2, 2023, at the Lu minary Arts Center. “Car men in the 1920s” will take the stage May 19-21, 2023, at E.M. Pearson Theatre. Tickets start at $25. To or der, visit balletcolaboratory. org or call 651-313-5967.
Your community news and information source
“Good enough” also cov ers the times when I feel alone and ignored. When friends don’t write back and no one seems to notice my writing and I wonder if I might be delusional, typing away every day with no one reading my novel. It cov ers when I am tired and a little sore and I don’t feel like taking my walk or doing my pushups or finishing the cleaning or the paperwork that seems overwhelming at that moment. “Good enough” covers it all. And while I have always enjoyed articles about selfreinvention, I discover (with surprise) on this big birth day that I’m not really inter ested in reinventing myself because I like the self I’ve invented pretty well. Sure, she’s got a few issues. But I’m used to her issues and none of them will get her arrested. She’s good enough for me. I realize (with a little dis appointment) that this phi losophy will probably not allow me to write a self-help blockbuster. “You’re Good Enough: Get Over It” prob ably wouldn’t make its way up the New York Times bestseller list. And that’s OK, too. I used to think I had a lot more advice for other people than I have to day. Today, I think it’s good enough to manage my life as best I can and let others do the same. They are good enough as well. It will be interesting to approach a new decade with fewer lofty goals and more kindness toward my self. I wanted to finish this column with words worthy of the occasion. I’ve decided this is good enough. Till next time.
Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2022 - Page 7
The St. Paul City Council is accepting nominations for its annual Business Awards program until 4:30 p.m., September 28. The program began in 2015 and has rec ognized 28 businesses to date. Award categories are: Alice O’Brien Award –Honors a women-owned business that is committed to equity and empowerment Good Neighbor Award – Honors a business that shows a dedication to im proving the community New Kid on the Block Award – Honors a business that opened in St. Paul with in the last five years People’s Choice Awards – Honors a business that is recognized for its excellence by St. Paul TraditionsresidentsAward – Hon ors a business that has been active in St. Paul for at least 20 years
The Mendota Dakota, proud of their Native Ameri can heritage, have been working for nearly three decades to be federally rec ognized as their own tribe. Lennartson said this would open the door to major funding sources, allowing her group to purchase land or buy a building to house a learning center for instruc tion on the Dakota language and traditions, a community center for social gatherings, and a health care facility. The group earned nonprofit sta tus in 1996 and has recently been in negotiations that could provide the building block for that center. Lenn artson could not divulge details but teared up when talking about the amount of blood, sweat and tears it’s taken to get to this point. Since its formation, the group has been housed in rented space in Mendota, and they long for a place of their own. They held their first-ever fundraiser for the center in June, which brought in around $6,500. Today, the tribal commu nity hosts free Dakota lan guage classes and traditional craft classes, and several an nual events, including the powwow, a Winter Solstice ceremony at Camp Cold water, a remembrance cer emony to honor the Dakota interred in the Fort Snelling concentration camp follow ing the Dakota War of 1862, and a traditional sugar bush camp maple syrup event. They also work with the City of Mendota and the Men dota VFW on the Mendota Days community celebra tion. This fall they will have a class on building a birch bark canoe, and one on mak ing a Thetipi.powwow is their sig nature event and attracts about 5,000 people. It takes a great deal of planning and work. Lennartson and other volunteers begin working in March to sort out logistics, book vendors and fundraise the needed $28,000 to pull it off. The group annually re ceives a $10,000 grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and makes up the rest through other grants and donations. This year, they are facing a big chal lenge as they learned that a $15,000 grant they were hoping to get fell through. The powwow, Lennartson said, always needs more vol unteers and Lennartsondonations.isnostranger to challenges or hard work. She quit high school after her freshman year and spent the next 40 years clean ing homes and businesses. In her younger days, you’d find her on protest sites bat tling The Establishment and fighting for Native American rights. Three years ago, she discovered she had chronic lymphocytic leukemia and underwent six months of chemotherapy, which knocked it into remission. Just recently, she learned the cancer has returned. She is being treated with oral chemotherapy, which makes her quite ill for 3-4 hours after consuming each pill. Yet, none of it stops her from making sure this year’s powwow goes off without a hitch, and that the Mendota Dakota one day have a place to call their own. “I’m a fighter. I’ll never give up,” said Lennartson, who turns 76 just weeks be fore the powwow. “I invite everyone to come out to the powwow, meet their local native community, and have a good time.” This year’s powwow will feature an honorary dance to recognize Lennartson and her many years of ser vice. While she’s threatened to retire as chair of the powwow committee many times before, her health is finally forcing her hand. Her suc cessor has not yet been named. One thing is certain, she’ll continue to share her wisdom and give advice and assistance when needed to ensure that Mendota Dakota traditions are preserved for future generations. For more information on Mdewakanton’s Traditional Wacipi, or the Mendota Da kota Tribal Community, call 651-452-4141 or visit www. MendotaDakota.com. Pow wow buttons are available for a suggested $10 dona tion, which helps offset costs of the event.
Learning center
25th annual Mdewakanton powwow commemorates a people striving to preserve their culture
Photo courtesy of customgenius.com
Page 8 - Downtown St. Paul Voice - September 2022 Your community news and information sourceA rts & Culture Tim Spitzack Editor About the time maples and birches reveal their first hint of autumnal glory, the rhythmic nel.traderswomenorwakanmani–chiefsdescendantsdotatracemembers,informotingserving,promotesDakotajustkotatoopenandwellstuffeders,walleyefrywilldresses.regaliaerstheDancingsingrhythmcelebrationdrumculturemunitiesAmericanaryAmerica.dayfootbeforetoginstheismorialSt.tembertakesWacipiMdewakanton’seachways.thathummingvoicesbreezeAlsothedrumbeatthump-thump-thumpTHUMP-ofadriftsthroughoutMississippiRivervalley.carriedalongontheareachorusofproudchantingsongsorgutturaltunescommemorateancientThemusicemanatesSeptemberfromtheTraditional(powwow),whichplacethisyearSep9-11atChurchofPeter,1405SibleyMeHwy,Mendota.Thisthe25thanniversaryofpowwow,yetitsoristretchbackcenturies,atimebeforestatehood,EuropeansfirstsetonlandweknowtoastheUnitedStatesofPowwowsarethecustomwaythatmanyNorthindigenous comcelebratetheirandheritage.Theistheheartbeatoftheandprovidestheforvocalistswhosongsofremembrance.isalsoakeypartofcelebration,withdancwearingcolorful,beadedandfeatheredheadTheMendotapowwowfeaturetraditionalfoods:breadwithmaplebutter,fingers,buffaloburgIndiantacos(frybreadwithtacofillings),asashamburgers,hotdogsmore.ThepowwowisfreeandtoanyonewantinglearnmoreaboutDacustoms.TheeventisonewaytheMendotaTribalCommunityitsmissionof“PreprotectingandprotheDakotaculturefuturegenerations.”Thegroupwasformed1994andtodayhas125mostofwhomtheirancestrytoMeninthe1700s.TheyareoftwoDakotaknownbyLittleCrowTaoyatedutaandCetan–andmarriagesaffairsbetweenDakotaandFrenchfurormilitarypersonDuetothismixedan cestry, the Mendota Dakota were not readily accepted by either the Dakota or White communities.Intheearly 1990s, Men dota Dakota families wish ing to reclaim their Native American identity applied to be accepted into the Sha kopee Mdewakanton Sioux community but were told they didn’t qualify for mem bership under the tribe’s by laws. Many tribes require members to be at least 25% native to their tribe.
“Half of our community were not raised as natives be cause how badly we [Dako ta] were treated,” said Sharon Lennartson, chairperson of the 5-member Tribal Coun cil. The Mendota Dakota accepts anyone from the above-mentioned lineage.
Dancers in colorful regalia at a past Mdewakanton Traditional Wacipi. Sharon Lennartson
Fouraffectedthatregiontionmarkssissippisignificance.thehistheWhenknownaboutlandgetwhoplegavetheless,inweretorymasscontributedthekotareveredDakotahimselffirstandbecomefurofagedoneHistoricfoursurer.Dakotaer,Paul.nearinville,DuPuisFrenchgreat-grandaughtergreat-ofCanadianHypoliteandAngeliqueRenaDakotawomanbornKaposiaVillage,locatedpresent-daySouthSt.DupuiswasafurtradjusticeofthepeaceandCounty’sfirsttreaHishomeisoneofbuildingsintheSibleySiteinMendota.Attime,DupuisalsomanthefurtradingstoreHenryHastingsSibley,atraderwhowentontoamilitarygeneraleventuallyMinnesota’sgovernor.Sibley,whohadachildwithawoman,isnotwell-bytheMendotaDaforhisactionsduringU.S.-DakotaWar,whichtothelargestexecutioninU.S.hiswhen38DakotamenhangednearMankatoDecember1862.NoneitwasSibleywholandtotheDakotapeolivingnearMendota,andtriedunsuccessfullytothegovernmenttograntormoneyforlandtotwodozenDakota,asthe“20Friendlies.”Sibleydiedin1891,Dakotawereforcedoffproperty.ManystayedinareabecauseofitsspecialTheconfluenceoftheMisandMinnesotariversthecradleofcivilizafortheDakota,andthehasthreesacredsiteshaveallbeenadverselybydevelopment.SacredGrandfather Oaks were cut down during the 1999 rerouting of State Highway 55 in South Min neapolis. Coldwater Sacred Spring (Mnihdoka Wakan) near present day Minnehaha Regional Park was damaged during the building of a U.S. military camp. Pilot Knob (Oheyawahe) in Mendota Heights, a sacred burial place and the site where the treaty of 1841 (unrati fied) and the 1851 Treaty of Mendota were signed, was heavily damaged by com mercial development. The tribal community has been working with the Pilot Knob Preservation Association, the Preserve Camp Coldwater Coalition and other groups to protect these sites from future development.
Lennartson is the
