South St. Paul Voice April 2021 by St. Paul Publishing Co.

South St. Paul

Honoring Carol Lee Johnson Page 2

Volume 18 | Number 4

Your Community News & Information Source

April 2021

Armour gates discussion leads to more questions

Butler Ave. trail study approved

Ping Pong anyone?

Tim Spitzack Editor

Local nonprofit offers league play and world-class coaching Tim Spitzack Editor

hen I was a kid in the ’70s, it seemed everyone had a Ping Pong table in their basement or garage. I spent hours at ours, challenging my siblings and friends to game after game after game. I became quite good—at least in my mind— and was proficient at putting a wicked spin on the ball and landing it at the bitter edge of the table. I got my introduction to electronic games by playing Pong, one of the earliest video games ever made. It was created by Atari and released in 1972. By Christmas of 1975, the company developed a home console version and soon nearly every family had one of those as well. The game was so popular and made such an impact on American culture that it is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. I enjoyed Pong but quickly realized the real game is far better because it Ping Pong / Page 6

Tim Spitzack Editor

he South St. Paul City Council is wrestling with a controversy that pits economic development against historic preservation. At issue are the Armour Gates, one of the last vestiges of the meatpacking industry in South St. Paul that once employed thousands and worked in tandem with the stockyards. The two masonry and stone gates are on a 4-acre lot near Armour and Hardman avenues. The lot is owned by the City’s Economic Development Authority and is the last city-owned lot in the BridgePoint Industrial Park, once the site of the stockyards and packing plants. West St. Paul-based Langer Commercial Real Estate Services, which has been involved

in other projects in BridgePoint for nearly 30 years, seeks to build a 45,000-square-foot office/industrial building on the site but the gates are in the way. The parcel is triangular in shape and the gates are located in the middle of the northern side, the area most suitable for development. At the Feb. 16 city council meeting, Economic and Community Development Director Ryan Garcia presented four options for dealing with the gates and asked the council for direction on how staff should proceed. His presentation sparked much discussion among councilmembers and led to more questions needing to be answered. The options include: Leave the gates where they are and reconfigure development around them. This likely Armour gates / Page 12

The cities of South St. Paul and West St. Paul are partnering with Dakota County to create a feasibility study and preliminary engineering of a multi-use trail along Butler Avenue (County Road 4), which connects the two cities. The goal is to improve safety and connectivity between the cities by offering a route for multi-modal use. The study will provide an analysis of traffic and environmental impact, and other transportation-related concerns in the corridor. In December, the cities received a $30,000 Statewide Health Improvement Partnership grant and up to $100,000 from the Dakota County Transportation Department for the study and preliminary design of trail connections along Butler Avenue between Robert and Concord streets. The County is responsible for 85% of the cost and the cities are responsible for the rest, approximately $8,800 for each city. The City of West St. Paul will serve as the lead agency and is responsible for securing a contract with a consulting firm and a consulting engineer, and coordinating the preliminary engineering work, which will be completed by Dec. 1. A request for proposals has been sent out and the City is expected to award the contract by April 1.

A trio of Packer sports teams poised to make noise in the post-season John E. Ahlstrom Staff Writer

n Friday, Mar. 13, 2020—a Friday the Thirteenth for the ages— eight girls basketball teams preparing to play for a state championship the following day were alerted by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) that all four championship games would be can-

celled due to COVID-19 concerns. Twelve months have passed in the interim, and while all is not back to normal, the MSHSL has granted winter sports teams an opportunity to compete to play in a state tournament. Here we highlight a trio of teams representing Packer Nation—girls hockey, wrestling and boys basketball—that are looking to making some noise in the

post-season. Wrestling - Competing against teams from the Metro East Conference, the Suburban East Conference and a smattering of other schools in the region, Don Nihart’s wrestling team finished the regular season with a 19-5 dual meet record. Senior Quinn Christoffersen, at 195 pounds, finished the regular season with a 21-1 record and junior Will Ni-

hart, 152 pounds, built a 23-1 record. The Packers opened the Section 4AA team competition on Mar. 11 with a roster that included six wrestlers who have advanced to the state tournament in previous seasons: Christoffersen (four times), Maxx Beeler (twice), Jarod Stroud (twice), Nihart (twice), Roman Cortez (twice) and Nate Berchtold (once). South St.

Paul, seeded #1 in the competition, received a bye into the semi-finals and handily defeated Mahtomedi, 71-12. That victory propelled the Packers, along with #2 seed St. Paul Humboldt, into the state preliminary competition that also featured the top two teams from Section 1AA on Mar. 13 at Cretin Derham Hall. The Packers handled the Hawks with relative ease, 66-18, to win

their fourth consecutive Section 4A championship and then were shutout by the Simley freight train, 75-0, in the State Semifinal Qualifier. “I’m not particularly fond of the changes that were ordered for the post-season, but I am also aware that these are unusual times,” said Nihart. “We were fortunate to have a season. We

Post-season / Page 4

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Honoring 90 South St. Paul Women Leaders

Carol Lee Johnson, city librarian and community volunteer This month’s honoree is Carol Lee Johnson. She joins the roster of 90 South St. Paul women whose lives are being shared with the community in tribute to the first 90 women to vote in the U.S. following ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Aug. 27, 1920. The Voice will feature one woman a month through July. The others are posted on Facebook at Honoring 90 South St. Paul Women Leaders. Lois Glewwe Contributor

arol Lee Johnson was born to Marie Nemitz Lee and Edward Lee on Dec. 22, 1929. When she was just four years old, Carol and her brother Mike lost their father to peritonitis following surgery, and Carol grew up helping her mother run the family

Carol Lee Johnson grocery store, Lee’s United Grocery at 1202 Marie Ave., South St. Paul, now the site of Ollom’s Appliance. A graduate of South St. Paul High School, Johnson went on to complete her undergraduate degree in sociology at Macalester College then pursued her graduate degree in library science at the University of Minnesota

Library School. Johnson began working part-time at the South St. Paul Public Library when she was 13. The librarian, Grace Dorival, hired her to write the titles of new books in the accession log because she had such lovely handwriting. After earning her graduate degree, she was named children’s librarian, and in 1978 became co-director of the library with Alice Jones. Five years later, Johnson was appointed head librarian. Thousands of children developed a love of reading as preschoolers when they attended story hour and took part in the creative summer reading club programs. Johnson retired from the library in 1996 after more than 50 years of service. In addition to her dedicated professional life, Johnson has served as a deacon,

“I’m sorry, I must have misplaced your paperwork.” “Your credit report isn’t back.” “Your income hasn’t been verified yet.” Don’t be fooled by excuses. What appears to be a delay could be discrimination. According to the federal Fair Housing Act, it’s illegal to consider race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or family status in rental, sales, lending or homeowner’s insurance decisions. Under the Minnesota Human Rights Law, it’s also illegal to discriminate based on one’s creed, sexual or affectional orientation, marital status or receipt of public assistance. If you suspect unfair housing practices, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing or call the HUD Hotline 1-800-669-9777, 1-800-927-9275 (TTY), or MN Dept. of Human Rights at 651-296-5663. Sponsored by the Dakota County CDA and the US Dept of HUD

The South St. Paul Voice is published monthly and distributed to 8,500 homes and high traffic businesses in South St. Paul. Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack Copy Editor: Leslie Martin Staff Writer: John E. Ahlstrom

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Page 2 - South St. Paul Voice - April 2021

Sunday School teacher, choir member, release time teacher, member of the Mission/ Action Committee, and a member of women’s groups at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul. She was an active member of Habitat for Humanity and served on the YMCA Camp du Nord Northland Board and on the Minnesota Miniature Guild. One of her creations for the latter was a miniature of Lee’s United Grocery store. Johnson served on the South St. Paul Centennial Commission, 1986-1988, was a South St. Paul Lioness for many years, and was a longtime member of the Christmas in South St. Paul program. She was a charter member of South St. Paul Community Partnerships and active on Leadership South St. Paul. She participated in Community Unity

in Action, the All-America City Commission’s citizens’ group, and was an officer and member of the River Environmental Action Project (R.E.A.P). She has also been a member of the South St. Paul Study Club for several decades. Carol’s husband, Don, passed away in 1993. They raised four children together: Laurie Johnson, Janine Johnson Deters, Mark Johnson and Bruce Johnson. Mark passed away in 2016. He lived with Carol at the family home on 16th Avenue South and worked for many years for Dakota County. When Carol was inducted as a member of the Otto Bremer South St. Paul Hall of Excellence in 1991, she said her “lifelong project” was “making the community more aware of the library.”

The person who nominated her wrote: “Carol’s outstanding contribution to the City of South St. Paul deserves this recognition. Our warm, friendly library is her doing. She listens to everyone in every age group with respect and interest. She has so much patience…” Johnson offered this advice for the next generation. “I guess I’d tell young people to use the wisdom of those who have gone before them and be an example to those who follow,” she said. “Good connections between generations are most vital to all.” Decades of South St. Paul residents and families from throughout Dakota County have been influenced by Johnson’s love of literature and her passionate support of the South St. Paul Public Library.

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N ews Briefs Student notes University of NebraskaLincoln dean’s list: Patrick Schmidt and Callie Williams Hofstra University dean’s list: Amudalat Ajasa St. Lawrence University’s dean’s list: Cameron Buhl College of Saint Benedict dean’s list: Roxanne Veldman and Anna Watt Georgia Southern University dean’s list: Brooke Deering

Library events Spring Book Sale - The South St. Paul Library is hosting its annual spring book sale 10 a.m.-6 p.m., April 5-9. The sale will feature a wide range of materials in front of the library, weather permitting. Librarian-curated book bundles are available for $5 per and can be reserved online. For more details, visit ssplibrary. org the week before the sale. Book Club - 7 p.m., Thur., April 8 on Zoom. The title being discussed is “State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett. Register at tinyurl. com/SSPbookclub. Stories with Miss Amy - 10:30 a.m., Tuesdays in April. These 20-minute sessions are streamed on Facebook and feature stories, songs, rhymes and movement. Visit www.facebook. com/ssplibrary. Take & Make for Kids: Baby Chick Paper Plate Sewing - Youth ages 5-12 are invited to reserve a kit to create a baby chick by using a plastic needle to sew yarn on a paper plate. All supplies are included. Registration opens at 10 a.m., Monday, April 5 at www.ssplibrary.org for pickup April 12-16.

Fare for All Fare for All is offering a $30 brunch box at drive-up events in March and April at the Doug Woog Arena parking lot, 141 6th St. S., South St. Paul. The box in

Your community news and information source March includes frozen boneless ham, pork sausage patties, thick-cut bacon, turkey breakfast links, cinnamon rolls, hash browns, shredded cheddar cheese and bell pepper mix. The event is held 4-6 p.m., Tuesday Mar. 23. The event in April is held Tuesday, April 27. The items for that event have not yet been announced. Fare for All is a community-based program open to everyone. For more information, visit www.fareforall.org.

Garden Club sale and tour The South St. Paul Garden Club will host its annual plant sale and biannual community garden tour this year. The plant sale will be held May 14-15 at the Alleva garden, 2024 Third St. N., South St. Paul. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday. All plants are locally grown. Gardeners will be present to answer questions and provide advice. The community garden tour, normally a one-day event, will be held on three different Thursday evenings in June, featuring two or three gardens at each event. Tour dates are June 17, 24 and July 15. Gardens will be open 6-8 p.m. The event is free, but donations will be accepted at each garden. Individuals who would like to have their garden on the tour should contact Brenda Elias at 651-347-7367, brendagreenthumb@yahoo.com, or Carol Hall at 651-552-8348, hall.carol@outlook.com. Masks and social distancing will be required at both events. For more information, visit www.sspgardenclub.org.

Paper shred event Residents of South St. Paul may shred and recycle

confidential material for free at a paper shred event, held 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 10 at the West St. Paul Sports Complex, 1650 Oakdale Ave., West St. Paul. All materials will be placed into a locked security container, shredded and recycled.

Compost site opening soon The South St. Paul compost site, located at Hardman and Verderosa avenues, is scheduled to April 9, weather permitting. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday through Sunday. The site accepts yard waste, such as grass clippings and leaves. Disposal fees are 50 cents for a standard sized bag or $1 for a larger plastic bag. Pickup loads are charged based on size of truck or trailer.

Meeting dates The South St. Paul City Council meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month in the council chambers at City Hall, 125 3rd Ave. N. For agendas and city council member contact information, visit www. southstpaul.org or call 651554-3284. The Special School District 6 School Board meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month. For agendas and school board member contact information, visit www. sspps.org or call 651-4579400. The South St. Paul Lions Club meets at 7:15 p.m. the first and third Thursday of the month (September May). For more information, visit https://ssplions.org. The South St. Paul-Inver Grove Heights Rotary Club meets at 12:15 p.m. each Wednesday. For more information, visit https:// rotary5960.org/clubInfo/ south-st-paul-inver-groveheights.

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Quilt show at Lawshe Museum The Dakota County Star Quilt guild is hosting its annual show through April 2 at the Dakota County Historical Society, 130 3rd Ave. N., South St. Paul. “The Show Must Go On!” will include a quilt auction and quilt show boutique. For more information, visit www.dcsq.org. The show is open during museum hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Wed. and Fri.; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. Suggested museum donation is $5.

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Visit www.stpaulpublishing.com/schoolchoice to explore these schools and for tips on how to choose a school that best fits your student's and family's needs.

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Academia Cesar Chavez 1801 Lacrosse Ave., St. Paul 651-778-2940 www.cesarchavezschool.com St. Paul City School PreK-12 260 Edmund Ave., St. Paul 651-225-9177 www.stpaulcityschool.org

COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES St. Paul College 235 Marshall Ave., St. Paul 651-846-1600 https://saintpaul.edu

PAROCHIAL

St. Croix Lutheran Academy 1200 Oakdale Ave., West St. Paul 651-455-1521 www.stcroixlutheran.org

South St. Paul Voice - April 2021 - Page 3

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Post-season from page 1

will play by the rules and continue to do our best to represent our school and this community.” Next on the agenda for the grapplers was the Section 4AA individual competition that commenced as we were going to press on Mar. 18. Girls Hockey - As is the custom, Dave Palmquist’s Girls Hockey Team played

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a highly competitive regular season schedule. The slate included four teams rated in the top ten in Class A: #9 Breck, #5 Mound Westonka, #3 Gentry Academy, #2 Chisago Lakes and #5 in Class AA Hill-Murray. Playing without last season’s leading scorer, Ella Reynolds (torn ACL) and forward Abby Ogren (knee issues), the Packers finished the regular season with an 11-6-1 record and enter the postseason ranked #6 in Class A. Ironically, the Packers two leading scorers are defensemen. Senior captain Makenna Dearing, a six-year starter who is headed to Division I

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Bemidji State, has 11 goals and 11 assists. Junior captain Lilie Ramiriz is second in points while recording seven goals and 11 assists. “Mak and Lilie are obviously gifted and multifaceted hockey players,” said Palmquist. “They are both very adept at initiating the offense from our defensive zone.” The Packers are far from destitute in the offensive zone. The first line of Justice Rambaum, Ashley Jerikovsky and Sarah Wincentsen has combined to contribute 20 goals and 19 assists. Addison Andre, Lily Pachl, Alida Ahern and Bailey Vesper have also contributed offensively, combining for 12 goals and 26 assists. Sophomore Delaney Norman, who according to Palmquist is on a fast track to becoming a Division I goaltender, compiled a 9-61 record between the pipes. Her stats speak for themselves: a goals-against average of 1.46, a save percentage of .941 and five shutouts. She was particularly impressive in the final game of the regular season, a 1-0 loss to HillMurray in overtime.

Junior Alonzo Dodd leads the Packers in scoring (19.8 points/game), rebounding (10.2) and assists (8.4). The Packers were awarded the #1 seed in Section 4A, and Gentry Academy is the #2 seed. Both teams received byes into the semifinals, which were contested on Mar. 17. South St. Paul defeated Mahtomedi 4-0 and Gentry edged Simley 6-0. As we go to press the Packers are preparing to face Gentry in

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the Section 4A title game. A victory would propel South St. Paul to its 16th trip to the state tournament, a state record. Boys basketball - In 2020, in Matt McCollister’s first year as the head coach, the boys basketball team enjoyed a watershed season when the Packers compiled

18 wins for the first time in a half-century. Building upon that success, the 2021 encore season might prove to be the most significant in school history. The Packers opened the season with three one-sided victories. Next up was a visit to Tartan, a perennial basketball power that South

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S ports St. Paul had not beaten in three decades or more. All that agony was dispelled forever with a 70-69 overtime victory. From that point forward the Packers reeled off another 13 wins by an average margin of 21 points, and their record stood at 17-0 with one game left on the schedule. The Packers had played five games over a seven-day period (Mar. 3-9), and with the fast pace they employ, McCollister detected a very exhausted team. Having clinched the conference championship

and certain to get the #1 seed in Section 3AAA, McCollister chose to rest his top seven players and give some reserves an opportunity to play in a varsity game (won by Mahtomedi 76-34). All of that is now water under bridge. The team’s focus is to make a run at a state championship. Junior Alonzo Dodd led the team in scoring with a 19.8 average, in rebounds with a 10.4 average and in assists with an 8.4 average— nearly a triple double. “Alonzo is a very special

player and a very special person,” said McCollister. “He also led the team in leadership, charisma and coolness under pressure.” But this is far from a oneman show. Shawn WestZimpel Jr., Marquise Gleb, Devin Newcome, Tay and Tre Harmon and Jaylin Nieman-Burnett have all played crucial roles for the Packers, who opened Section 3AAA play on Mar. 17 with a 10071 victory over Bloomington Kennedy. Dare we say, “The best is yet to come.”

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Ping Pong

thing over two hours. Open play is offered 6:30-9:30 Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Hours may vary during the pandemic.

from page 1

requires movement, cat-like reflexes, and interaction with friends. The video version couldn’t hold a candle to it. I recall becoming disinterested with Pong after just a few minutes of play. Then, as any bored 10-year-old would do, I’d line up the “paddles” on the opposite sides of the screen so the “ball” would zing back and forth at a rapid-fire pace, and I’d walk off. Sadly, many of those wellused Ping Pong tables— which mostly came in varying shades of green—were converted to benches or bookshelves or were simply tucked away in storage areas where they continue to gather dust. Or do they? While researching nonprofits recently, I discovered one that piqued my interest: Table Tennis MN, which operates the Table Tennis Minnesota Training Center at 1185 Concord St. N., Suite 305, South St. Paul. It’s located in what some people refer to as the Partridge Family building because the mul-

ticolored panels on the north and south exterior walls of the art deco structure are reminiscent of the colorful design of the bus driven by the musical family of that 1970s sitcom. When I met Executive Director Mitch Seidenfeld there one recent afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the game is alive and well. People young and old are still enthused about the sport and visit the center for match play and to receive coaching to improve their skills. Kids still love the sport, too. In fact, the Association hosts a state tournament each year for middle and high school students. While not a Minnesota High School League sanctioned sport, it is the premier competition for students from school-sponsored teams and clubs across the state to showcase their skills and earn a medal. The first high school state tournament was held at Henry Sibley High School in 2005, back when that school had its own team. It is now held at

Ping Pong vs. table tennis

Following a friendly competition at the Table Tennis Training Center, Len Witz and Sam Imbo join Mitch Seidenfeld for a photo. the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield each February and offers two divisions for singles and doubles: Open (coed) and Girls. It was cancelled this year due to the pandemic, but they squeezed in the 2020 tourney just before the world began to shut down. Table Tennis MN organizes leagues around the metro

area and attracts hundreds of players annually. Games take place at the center in South St. Paul, the National Guard Armory in Bloomington and the Minnesota Jewish Community Center in Minneapolis. The Association recently resumed round-robin competition on Saturdays in South St. Paul. They’ve reconfigured the space and re-

duced the number of tables to allow for proper social distancing. A standard table is nine feet long, so players are always more than six feet from all competitors in the room. The center also offers open play for anyone who wants to challenge a friend to a game. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Cost is $5 an hour or $10 for any-

If you’re wondering about the difference between Ping Pong and table tennis, the answer is, not much. The table, paddles, balls and height of the net are identical, but there can be a slight variation of the rules when it comes to serving and points needed to win. Seidenfeld, who actually prefers the name Ping Pong, said the term table tennis is used when referring to the sport itself, and Ping Pong is commonly used for the recreational game. Table tennis has come a long way since it was created as a parlor game in the 1880s. Its popularity grew so much that it became an Olympic sport in 1988. It is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation, which was founded in 1926 and now has 226 member associations. Olympic competition features men’s and

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Page 6 - South St. Paul Voice - April 2021

B usiness women’s singles, and a team event. China is the dominant country, having won 58 medals. South Korea is a distant second, with 18. The U.S. has yet to earn a medal. At the Paralympic Games, held at the same venue immediately following the Olympic games, it’s a different story, and Seidenfeld is one of the United States’ most decorated athletes. “I played as a young kid,” he said. “My father was a pretty good player and he got us (Mitch and his siblings) involved in a league. I’ve played all my life. I just love playing.” That love led him to the biggest stage in the world. A five-time Minnesota state champion, Seidenfeld burst onto the international scene in 1990 by winning a gold medal in singles at the Para Table Tennis World Championships in Assen, The Netherlands. At 4-foot-2, Seidenfeld is a little person and competed primarily against people with leg disabilities, although none were in a wheelchair. In 1992, he competed in the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and took home the gold in singles and bronze in team. Four years later in Atlanta, Ga., he took silver in singles and bronze in team. He retired from competition in 2008 after losing the bronze medal match at the games in Beijing, China. It was then he turned his full attention to coaching and Table Tennis MN. However, he had already been successful in sharing his talents. In 2003, he was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Table Tennis Developmental Coach of the Year. He is also enshrined in the Minnesota Table Tennis Hall of Fame and the U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame. Seidenfeld, 58, remains involved in international competition as coach of the U.S. Paralympic team, which has three players who will compete in Tokyo this summer. His son, Ian, is on the team, and, according to his proud father, has a shot at earning a medal. Ian, also a little person, can now beat his dad, but, as Mitch lightheartedly said, “It’s not something we talk about.”

Becoming a nonprofit Seidenfeld formed Table Tennis MN in 1992 as a forprofit business and operated it for 15 years in partnership with other health and tennis clubs in the metro area. That posed a challenge be-

Your community news and information source cause ownership of those clubs seemed to change every few years and he had to convince the new owners of his organization’s value. He expanded the business into 14 leagues around the Twin Cities, attracting hundreds of players, yet he was a oneman show and it was difficult to take it beyond the point he had reached. Plus, it wasn’t financially lucrative. “It’s not a great for-profit business,” he said, “but I always wanted to see it succeed.” In those days, he earned most of his income through coaching, the leagues and equipment sales at his pro shop. In 2017, he merged with the MN Table Tennis Federation, which was formed in the 1990s. It was that group that started the Minnesota state championships—different from the high school state championship—and sponsored the Minnesota Table Tennis Hall of Fame. The biggest advantage of the partnership is the opportunity to attract more funders. “It gave us the ability to seek donations and raise funds, and it makes it easier for people who want to volunteer, knowing they are helping a nonprofit and not just a private business,” said Seidenfeld. Today, they have five USA Table Tennis-certified coaches who provide instruction for all skill levels. Costs range from $20-$25 for group lessons to $40-$60 for an hour of one-on-one coaching. Who seeks coaches? The clientele is varied. “Some people might just want to beat their brother or dad,” said Seidenfeld. “Some have been in a league and want to get to the next level. Some take it for fun and for physical activity, as a way to lose weight and get in better shape. On the next level, we have parents who want to see if their kid can get to the national level or become an Olympic hopeful. We’re known for being one of the best junior (ages 6-17) programs in the country.” He said high schools and colleges across the state have teams, and many of their successful players have received coaching through his club. “The U of M has a very good team,” he said of his alma mater, where he played competitively for four years—and also earned a degree in English. “About 30 high schools have a team or club. We estimate there are 1,000-2,000 in the state playing (competitively).”

Those schools are mostly in the metro area, although the sport is also popular in Rochester and Austin. Seidenfeld’s next goal is to get more local schools involved. He hopes this year to make a connection with TriDistrict Community Education, which serves the school districts in South St. Paul, West St. Paul/Mendota Heights and

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Inver Grove Heights, to offer classes, and to encourage schools in those communities to form clubs or teams. Seidenfeld grew up in Minneapolis and now lives

in Lakeville with his wife and two children. How then did he come to open his club in South St. Paul? “I knew the owner of the building,” he said. “I coached his son.”

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Grace Lutheran Church 149 8th Ave. S. 651-451-1035 grace-ssp.org

Sf. Stefan Romanian Orthodox Church 350 5th Ave. N. 651-451-3462 sfantulstefan.org •

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S ample St. Paul

Landmark Center Landmark Center is hosting a virtual travel experience in April. Urban Expedition: Laos begins at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 11 and will be available for 30 days. The free program introduces viewers to the culture and traditions of the people of Laos. View it at www. landmarkcenter.org/urbanexpedition/. Ballet Co.Laboratory will stream a free lunchhour performance at noon, Tuesday, April 13. View it at www.landmarkcenter.org/ ballet-tuesdays. The Schubert Club is presenting its popular Courtroom Concert series online this year featuring a mix of full video concerts of new programs as well as archival audio recordings of past concerts held in the historic Landmark Center’s Courtroom 317. The following performances are free and may be viewed at https:// schubert.org: Jeffrey Van’s “A Ring of Birds” April 1; PaviElle French April 8; Artaria String Quartet May 6.

History Center “Sinclair Lewis: 100 Years of Main Street” opens April 10. On the centennial of Lewis’s seminal novel “Main Street,” discover the legacy of this author from Minnesota, whose literary works and social critiques of American life ring true today. The exhibit presents Lewis’s life in Minnesota and how he shaped— and was shaped by—the state he loved.

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‘Extra Ordinary Women” - Learn the stories of Minnesota women who changed their communities, including Sarah Burger Stearns, who petitioned legislators to have the word “male” struck from the state constitution’s definition of eligible voters; Clara Ueland of the suffrage party; Ruth Tanbara, who had a lifelong commitment to combating anti-Japanese discrimination following WWII; Anna Arnold Hedgeman, who helped plan the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; and Katie McWatt, whose 1964 campaign for St. Paul City Council broke barriers for Black political candidates. Other exhibits include Our Home Native Minnesota, Minnesota’s Greatest Generation, Then Now Wow and Weather Permitting. The museum is located at 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and college students, and $6 for children ages 5-17. To order tickets or for more information, call 651-259-3015 or visit www.mnhs.org.

History Theatre Radio Hour The History Theatre

is streaming two shows through June at www. historytheatre.com. “All the Way with LBJ” is a 30-minute audio segment of the full-length play “Favorite Son: The Humphrey Perspectives,” based on the 1968 meeting between Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and President Lyndon B. Johnson just before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill. The recording includes a short interview with playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and a 20-minute post-show discussion with former Vice President Walter Mondale, historian Hy Berman and Hubert’s son “Skip” Humphrey. The play was first produced at the History Theatre in 1997. “Beyond the Rainbow” includes more than a dozen songs and scenes from the original production of History Theatre’s “Beyond the Rainbow,” starring Ivey Award winner Jody Briskey and Norah Long. The recording includes interviews with playwright William Randall Beard, Artistic Director Ron Peluso, Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft, legendary actor Mickey Rooney and John Kelsch, ex-

The Minnesota History Center is presenting “Extra Ordinary Women,” a new exhibit that tells the stories of several Minnesota women who changed their communities. ecutive director of the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn.

Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society will present radio shows via Zoom at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 19 and May 24. The April performance features two ghost stories inspired by the works of Montague Rhodes James. “He Who Follows Me” is a chilling tale of an innocent couple tormented by a relentless ghost. “Runestones are a Girl’s Best Friend” tells of a gorgeous al-

chemist who puts a spell on Jimmy…or is it a curse? The May show has two tales of crime and punishment. “A Shroud for Sarah” is about an unlikely criminal mastermind who plays friend and foe in an ambitious game of murder and political intrigue. “A Guy Like Me,” is of a man hoping to abandon his life of crime. Each evening includes live trivia-worthy introductions by the company and two prerecorded half-hour radio dramas, followed by a live chat Q & A with the cast. Tickets are $18 per household. To order, visit www.parksquaretheatre.org or email tickets@ parksquaretheatre.org.

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The Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 W. Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, has reopened on the weekends. This includes the Omnitheatre. Hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets must be ordered in advance. Order online at https://new.smm.org. New exhibits this spring are centered on race and identity. They include “Race: Are We So Different,” “The Bias Inside Us,” “Skin: Living Armor, Evolving Identity,” “Green Card STEM Voices,” and “Colorism.”

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C ommunity

Charlie Thompson President & CEO

My family enjoys taking long bike rides. We head south toward Pine Bluff in Inver Grove Heights and north through Kaposia Landing. We are excited about the bridge that connects the landing with St. Paul and beyond. We will even load up our bikes and take a weekend traveling along trails in greater Minnesota. It was on a long family ride this past fall that we realized our son needed a new bike. As we were riding along the river in South St. Paul, it

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became apparent that he had outgrown his dirt bike. As he rode you could see his knees coming up over his handlebars. Try as he might, that bike would not move fast enough for him to keep up with us and our larger, more efficient road bikes. So, in March we invested in a small adult road bike. Our hope is he will find biking more enjoyable and, maybe, be able to keep up with us when the snow melts and the paths are safe for riding again this spring. For my family, having different modes of transportation available is important. We drive, bike, run and walk. We take trains, planes and buses. We are blessed to have such options and we intentionally take advantage of them when able. For many of our neighbors, transportation is a challenge. When the pandemic hit, the Neighbors’ transportation program was paused. This program benefited people who needed help getting to a medical appointment. They contacted us and we connected them with a volunteer driver to take them to and from their essential appointment. All that changed when COVID hit. People stopped going to medical appointments, and social distancing made it impossible to safely drive someone. The program came to a halt. As we have learned, in moments of crisis ingenuity takes

over. Even though people were not requesting rides, we found a way to provide valuable access to essential items. Instead of driving people around we started driving food to people. It started small and has now grown to several deliveries a week to households throughout northern Dakota County. We did not stop there. We were able to deliver holiday gifts this past Christmas to families who were unable to pick them up. We are now bringing large quantities of food to three different satellite food shelves. Soon, we will have a refrigerated vehicle to transport even more food to our neighbors in need. Transportation is usually framed as a way to get people around town. During the pandemic, like so many other aspects of life, transportation has been re-framed to getting services and goods to people. While we look forward to returning to providing rides to essential appointments, we are glad we can provide access through deliveries. As for biking, I am looking forward to my son making use of his new bike. Who knows, by time you read this, he may have already taken it for a spin.

Happy Earth Day, South St. Paul! Each year Earth Day is celebrated around the world to support environmental protection efforts. This year it takes place Thursday, April 22. First held in 1970, it now includes events in more than 193 counties. Earth Day is a great opportunity for families to teach their children how to take care of the environment for future generations. Here are some events happening in our community. Read Across South St. Paul - South St. Paul’s own Barry the Bee will read a story about celebrating the earth. We are looking for a few more readers to read fun stories about the earth and share them with the community on the South St. Paul Events and Activities Facebook page. If you are interested, contact Deb Griffith at 651-554-3230 for more information. Neighborhood Cleanup kits are available at City Hall. The kits include supplies for picking up trash in your neighborhood. Pick an afternoon or weekend day and take a walk to clean up your neighborhood. This can be a fun activity for the entire family, and your neighbors will appreciate the clean streets.

Park and River Cleanup - The date has not been determined yet because we are waiting to see what Mother Nature will share with us this spring. As a community, we’ll tackle the banks on our side of the Mississippi River. Families, Scout troops, businesses, clubs and individuals are invited to join us. Bags and gloves will be provided. Watch the South St. Paul Events and Activities Facebook page or the City’s website for dates and times. Adopt a Drain Program - Have you heard about this program that keeps trash from entering local rivers and lakes? We are looking for people to adopt a drain in their neighborhood to keep if clear of leaves, trash and other debris that causes water pollution. The task force is adopting a few and we invite everyone else to join us. Blooming Parks and Streets in Bloom program - South St. Paul has a variety of flowerbeds that need to be planted, weeded and nurtured. Volunteering with this program is a great way to give back to the community. It can be on your own time or as part of an organized event. Throughout the summer we also need Weed-be-Goners to help beautify our larger public gardens. These are just a few ways to get involved in taking care of the Earth. For more information, contact Deb Griffith at 651-554-3230 or deb.griffith@southstpaul.org.

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Wednesday Lenten Services 4:30 & 6:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday Services 4:30 & 6:30 p.m. Good Friday Service 6:00 p.m. Easter Sunday 9:00 a.m. Page 10 - South St. Paul Voice - April 2021

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Postscript

Sea Shanties

I am not exactly a connoisseur of contemporary culture. I haven’t seen the latest Netflix series or anything else. I don’t follow Twitter or Snapchat or Instagram. But somehow, a TikTok phenomenon came to my attention that I found too delightful to ignore. Sea shanties are all the rage among Generation Z. “Sea shanties?” I thought. “That can’t be right.” But I checked it out and, yes, teens and young 20-somethings are singing sea shanties on TikTok, and listeners add their own harmonies and instrumentation. The arrangements get more and more interesting and complex as they are passed around the globe. I can’t help feeling that a lot of long-dead sailors would be very pleased. I’ve never been a fan of whaling songs and famously boycotted the singing of one in my elementary school music class. But these Tik-

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Tok shanties don’t seem to be as bloody as the ones sung in second grade. If a whale is mentioned at all, it frequently wins, dragging the sailors down with it into the deep, never to be seen again. Most of the songs are about loneliness and danger and the

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love the idea that these songs, which predate recording, are making a comeback. But I have to wonder why these historic maritime songs have captured the collective imagination of young people today. Maybe being in the midst of a pandemic that drags on, confined to close quarters, with the world seeming more than usually unknowable, these 20-somethings feel a bit like lost sailors, battling the ravages of a stormswept sea. Maybe there is a bit of nostalgia for a time when songs served as a rare means of connection, proliferating in the 1800s as they do on TikTok today, traded in ports and spread around the world.

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endless waiting for supplies to come. “Sugar and tea and rum,” it seems, are always in short supply. The fellow who kicked the latent love of sea shanties into high gear is an unassuming young postal worker from Scotland named Nathan Evans. He and his new bride are living in a relative’s spare bedroom and, when not delivering parcels, he has been putting music videos online. He was more surprised than anyone when one of them, a song originating from New Zealand in the 1850s, went viral. Within days, his song was heard by millions, and dozens of variations and embellishments had sprung up online, as more sea shanties were recorded every day. I

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Whatever the reason, the result is great fun. I occasionally post a new sea shanty on Facebook, which my aging peers completely ignore. (That’s OK. I figure you have to be a little hip to enjoy 200-year-old sailing songs.) I’m mesmerized by the earnest faces of these young singers from all over the world, most of them trapped in the bedrooms of their parents’ homes. I watch them belting out these tunes, singing about a time that predates their great-grandparents, filling these songs with a new life and meaning,

and making them their own. It somehow makes me optimistic. It makes me believe that beautiful things find a way to survive, that good stories will keep being told, and that the hardships we endure are never completely forgotten as long as there are stories and music. Mr. Evans was asked why he thought his song had struck such a chord at this particular time. “Maybe it’s giving everybody that sense of unity and friendship that we’ve all been missing for about a year now,” he said. I think he may have nailed it.

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WORSHIP SCHEDULE Church of St. Matthew, 510 Hall Ave., St. Paul The Church of Saint Matthew invites you to join us in this season of Lent and the joyous season of Easter. We welcome you to come celebrate with us the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you desire information about us, please visit www.st-matt.org or call 651.224.9793. Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturdays at 4:15 p.m. Sunday Masses streamed online at 10:15 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube www.facebook.com/churchofstmatthew or youtube.com/stmattswestside

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HOLY WEEK

Palm Sunday Services Saturday, March 28, 4:15 p.m. Sunday, March 29, 10:15 a.m. Streamed online Drive-by Palm pick up at 11:30 a.m. Easter Triduum Celebration Holy Thursday, April 1 Mass, 7:00 p.m. In person and streamed online Good Friday, April 2 Stations of the Cross, 12:00 p.m. In person Good Friday Liturgy, 3:00 p.m. In person and streamed online Holy Saturday, April 3 Easter Vigil, 7:00 p.m. In person only Easter Sunday, April 4 Mass of the Resurrection. 10:15 a.m. In person and streamed online South St. Paul Voice - April 2021 - Page 11

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Armour gates from page 1

would limit the building’s size. Dave Langer told the council that his firm is open to exploring that option, but that it is less attractive. “Today’s world of construction costs makes it difficult to build too small of a building, due to economy of scale,” he said. “That’s the biggest challenge for that particular site.” The second option is to integrate the gates into the design of any project built on that site. This raises the question of who will pay to restore and maintain the century-old gates, which are deteriorating. Mayor Jimmy Francis said it’s not fair to put that on the developer. Also, it is unlikely any developer would agree to it unless they received a financial incentive. The third option is to relocate the gates either on the same property, effectively getting them out of the way to support the larger building, or somewhere else in the city. This option was supported by councilmembers Sharon Dewey and Pam

Bakken. Councilmembers discussed possible relocation areas, including the Wakota Trailhead, Kaposia Park, and Ettinger Field at the high school. While the cost to relocate the gates is unknown at this time, it is estimated to be $250,000-$300,000. Bakken raised the possibility of saving just one gate and relocating it onsite, thus reducing the cost. Langer hinted that moving the gates would be cost-prohibitive. “Moving them does not make a lot of sense,” he said. “No one wants to spend the money to move them somewhere.” The fourth option is to demolish the gates, which had no support from the councilmembers present but was viewed as viable by the mayor to support redevelopment. (Council member Todd Podgorski was absent from the meeting.) The estimated cost to demolish them is $20,000-$25,000. Francis said he doesn’t believe it’s the City’s role to preserve historic structures. That responsibility, he said,

should fall on vested groups. However, he is supportive of relocating the gates. “This is the last developable piece of property in BridgePoint that we have control of,” said Francis. “The gates are an impediment to the site.” Councilmember Joe Kaliszewski pointed out that the area surrounding the gates is roughly 6,000-squarefeet, or the size of a city lot. He supports keeping them where they are and possibly building a small park around them to commemorate the site. Councilmembers Lori Hansen and Tom Seaberg also support keeping the gates on the property and changing the site plan to accommodate them. Hansen said a small park around the gates could be an amenity for those working in the industrial park by serving as a gathering space for food trucks and other recreational uses. In recent years, food trucks have served BridgePoint during the summer months. How to fund the park project would need to be worked out. What is certain is that using a chunk of the land for a park will reduce the property tax poten-

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tial for the city. It’s estimated that taxes on the proposed 45,000-square-foot building will be $132,000 a year, a third of which will go to the city. The rest goes to the school district and Dakota County. Of course, a smaller building and lot would produce less tax revenue. Garcia said Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL, District 52A) is seeking state funding to help with “removal and restoration” of the gates. In a later interview, Matt Carter, executive director of the Dakota County Historical Society, said his organization has not taken a position on the project but did say, “We hope that history can be preserved whenever possible for future generations.” He also said whoever ends up owning the gates may apply for grants to restore them. “The most obvious answer for restorative funding would be the Minnesota Historical Society and Legacy Funding,” he said. “That would likely take three to five years to complete, depending on the costs associated. If little work is needed, it could be done in less time. However, if a lot of work is needed, it could take longer.” The lone citizen to speak at the Feb. 16 meeting was Teresa Gallagher, who supports restoring and relocating the gates elsewhere in the city. Her family has deep ties to the site. Four generations of her husband’s family worked at the stockyards. “It isn’t simply nostalgia,”

Gate site

she said. “The stockyards were the biggest meat supplier in the world. The way I see it, the Stock Exchange Building (200 Concord St. N.) is the legacy of the bankers, while the modest gatehouses are the legacy of the laborers. To me, preserving these gates is a cost that is priceless. It’s indisputable to me that of course we should save them.” She volunteered to spearhead a crowd-funding campaign to supplement public funding options. The Council has a big

decision to make regarding the gates and how they affect development of the property. The city has owned the parcel for 25 years and has been unsuccessful in finding a developer for it. The last good prospect was 10 years ago but that developer walked away. Langer said his firm simply needs to know the city’s intentions for the gates so they can weigh their options. “It should be a discussion once and for all so we’re able to move forward on this one way or another,” he said.

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