Dayton's Bluff District Forum     Articles           March 2005
 
Mounds Theatre brings Jungle Book to stage!

by Gabriel Garbow
   This summer, the jungle comes to Dayton’s Bluff.  The Mounds Theatre, already a neighborhood landmark, keeps making history.
  Adding to its list of distictions, the theatre now is “the first in the nation to be granted the official rights to produce the stage adaptation of Disney’s classic animated film The Jungle Book” boasts Artistic Director Jeffereson Fietek.  This production includes all the classic songs like “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You.”
  And with an all-youth cast courtesy of the Performing Arts Youth Conservatory, the staging promises to draw actors, and audiences from all over the Twin Cities.  With evening performances already scheduled for August (18-20, 25-27) and matinees (Aug 21 and 28), area residents are advised to order tickets early!
  But you don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy a taste of something different.  The Mounds Theatre has plenty in the works.  Hot on the heels of a successful run of the inspirational musical, “Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” the venerable theatre hosts Lunafest.  Lunafest, a national festival of films by, for and about women, will be hitting the Mounds Theatre for one day only; Saturday, March 5th.  The films, starting at 2:00pm cover a wide array of topics in films ranging from an animated documentary to a comedy about a booty-obsessed barber.
   Lunafest also supports the communities we live in by donating a portion of the proceeds from the festival to The Breast Cancer Fund (TBCF) as well as the Portage for Youth, a Dayton’s Bluff empowerment group for at-risk girls.
  The event will be hosted by FM107 radio personality Kevyn Burger.  In addition to the films, there will be performances by award winning singer-songwriter, Vicky Emerson and breathtaking dance from Wicked Sister Dance Theatre (choreographed by David DeBlieck) and the world-premier of a new modern dance piece by Sarah LaRose and Kristin Grohs. 
  A silent auction will be conducted during LUNAFEST.  Bids may be placed throughout the afternoon on many valuable items, including gift certificates and other items donated by Twin City businesses.   Proceeds of the auction will also benefit TBCF and the Portage for Youth.
More Upcoming Events
  Throughout the upcoming months, the Mounds Theatre, at 1029 Hudson Road, continues to roll out an interesting mixture of events.
  Saturday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m. – Kinetic Kitchen features professional adult dance performers from throughout the Twin Cities.  Participating dance companies and choreographers will include John Munger’s Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble, a Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Company with Bob Deflores (local film historian), and April Sellers. Tickets are $10.
  Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 p.m. – Barra returns for another Irish ceili.  Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the door.
  Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. – Variety in the Cities presents magicians, jugglers, mimes, clowns, mentalists, and many other unique acts on the second Saturday of every month.  Each show will have three exceptional performers, 1 to 1½ hours of great entertainment and family discounts on tickets.  Visit http://wildetheater.com/ for more information.
  March 16 – 27, Wednesday to Sunday - FoolFest 2005 is the second annual Minnesota Mime and Physical Theatre Festival. Visit www.FoolFest2005.com for complete information.
  April 1 – 17, Friday to Sunday – The Mounds Theatre production of “Ruthless! The Musical.” Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. 
  Call the Mounds Theatre at 651-772-2253 or visit www.moundstheatre.org for reservations or more information about any of these events.

Meet with Mayor Kelly


Neighbors and Mayor Kelly at one of the Mayor's Street Beat Block by Block meetings. The meetings give neighbors an opportunity to let the mayor know about their concerns today and their hopes for Saint Paul's future.  Photo by Karin DuPaul

HealthEast announces plans for Latino clinic
 

Just across the  East 7th street  from the District Forum office, the CLUES Building is finally crowned with a sign.      Photo by Toni Thomas.
  HealthEast Care System will open a bilingual and bicultural clinic on St. Paul’s East Side this spring. The clinic will be housed in the Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio (CLUES) building, at 797 East 7th Street, and will offer health services such as family practice medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, as well as general adult medicine and prevention education. This will be St. Paul’s first private Latino clinic.
  HealthEast is currently recruiting providers, partnering with CLUES to identify and address the cultural needs, and completing the plan for the clinic design. The clinic will have two family practice physicians who do obstetrics and adult medicine and one nurse midwife, along with support staff for the provision of lab and x-ray services onsite. The clinic will be affiliated with St. Joseph’s Hospital for inpatient and outpatient hospital services. It will be one of eleven HealthEast clinics.
   “We believe this initiative supports the mission of HealthEast and St. Joseph’s and underscores our commitment to serve a diverse population and a variety of cultures,” says Geoff Sylvester, Vice President of Clinics Administration for HealthEast. “We are looking forward to partnering with CLUES to provide this much-needed community resource.”
   CLUES is a leading provider of social services for the Latino community in Minnesota through its five core service areas of mental health, chemical health, employment, education, and elder wellness. CLUES is ranked among the top 25 Hispanic non-profit agencies in America by Hispanic Business Magazine.
HealthEast Care System
   HealthEast Care System is a community-focused, non-profit health care system that provides a full spectrum of family health services. Hospitals include St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. John’s Hospital, Woodwinds Health Campus and Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital.

Planning for future questionaire

by Gene Piccolo
  In this age of rapidly changing realities, instant communications, competing complex issues, short attention spans, and what seems to be so little time to absorb it all – we often do not take time to reflect on this place we call home – Dayton’s Bluff.
  Reflecting on how it has changed, how it is changing and how we want it to change in the future is exactly what the Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Community Council is in the midst of doing this year.
  This reflection is not some idle or navel gazing exercise. It has a real purpose and will have a real result. The purpose is to collect data, ideas, thoughts, opinions and visions for the new Dayton’s Bluff Plan that will become a part of the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Saint Paul.
  The Comprehensive Plan directs and informs future development, infrastructure priorities, funding allocations and policy decisions. It is the Blueprint for the future of the City and the neighborhoods.
  Since the middle of 2004, a Steering Committee appointed by the District Council has been exploring three basic questions.
  What has changed on Dayton’s Bluff since 1986? (1986 was the year the current plan was adopted)
  What are the current trends and issues facing Dayton’s Bluff?
  What changes do we want that will enhance livability on Dayton’s Bluff in the future?
   To answer the first two of these questions the Steering Committee has been gathering data and information such as: population, home values, vacancy rates, crime statistics, and economic activity on the bluff.
   One thing we know from the data is that Dayton’s Bluff has (and is continuing) to undergo enormous change. Another thing that we know is that a number of significant things from the 1986 plan have come about. We also know on the other hand that there were a number of events that no one foresaw in 1986 that have had a profound effect on the issues that currently face Dayton’s Bluff.
   With a lot of the data in hand, attention now moves to the third question: What changes do we want that will enhance livability on Dayton’s Bluff in the future?
   This question can only be answered by all of us who call Dayton’s Bluff home.
   To solicit your answers to that question the Steering Committee has established two formats for you to share your hopes and concerns, your ideas and thoughts, and your dreams and vision for Dayton’s Bluff.
Format 1 – A Questionnaire
   Enclosed with this issue of the Dayton’s Bluff Forum is a questionnaire that asks your thoughts and opinions on a variety of issues related to life on Dayton’s Bluff and your three priorities for the future on several issue areas.
   This questionnaire will also be distributed to folks through block clubs and some people will also receive it in the mail – all in an effort to encourage people to take time to fill it out and return it to the District Council Office. The questionnaire is also available in Spanish and Hmong at the District Council Office, 798 E. 7th St.
Format 2 – Neighborhood Meetings
    A series of neighborhood meeting will be held this spring to give folks an opportunity to identify the things people would like to see occur over the next ten years in Dayton’s Bluff”.
   Watch for more information on these sessions.
   In addition to these neighborhood meetings, sessions are planned with the major institutions, businesses, faith organizations and schools in Dayton’s Bluff. The Steering Committee also plans to survey youth that live and attend school on Dayton’s Bluff.
   The future direction for Dayton’s Bluff is in your hands- if you don’t or won’t do the work – then others from outside our neighborhood will direct the future of your neighborhood.
   Lend a neighborly hand in the task of directing our neighborhood’s future. Fill out and return the questionnaire and then join with your neighbors to chart a course for the future of this place we call home – Dayton’s Bluff.

Upcoming Events

Starting Your Own Business?
  There is still time to register. We still have a few openings in our class that starts in March.
  Have you ever wanted to start your own business?  Or, have you started one and are realizing that you need more education to make it successful?  If so, sign up for the Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Entrepreneur Training and Support Program.  This program helps start-up and young businesses on the East Side.  All East Side entrepreneurs are welcome.
  Class training lasts approximately 16 weeks and includes topics such as operations management, marketing, financial management, one to one assistance with creating a successful business, and preparing a business plan. 
   The course is sponsored by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and the Neighborhood Development Center.  There is a small registration fee based on a sliding fee scale.  The next session will start in March and class size is limited.  Please call Karin at 772-2075 for an application.

Childcare/Preschool Open House
  Joy Preschool and Childcare is a children’s ministry of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church LCMS – Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  It includes preschool, child care and school-age care for children ages 33 months to 5 years and grades K-4
  The open house will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.  Come and worship with us at our 9 a.m. Divine Service or the 11:15 a.m. Hmong Divine Service.  Sunday School is at 10:10 a.m.
  Bethlehem Lutheran is located at 655 Forest St., St. Paul, MN  55106.  For more information call (651) 771-6982.

Take a Hike
  Dayton’s Bluff Take a Hike meets on the first Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m. in Indian Mounds Park at Earl Street and Mounds Blvd. Join us on March 5th for the next hike.
  We hike from Mounds Park through Swede Hollow Park and then walk the length of the Bruce Vento Recreational Trail to its end, near Phalen Park.
  The hike is about 6 miles with some moderately rough terrain.  Transportation will be available near Johnson Parkway and Maryland to return to Mounds Park or you may hike back if you wish.
   The paved trail runs from East 7th Street and Payne Avenue through Swede Hollow to Phalen Park.  For more info, call 776-0550.

Gardening Workshop
  Take thyme for herb & container gardening: Greening Dayton’s Bluff is offering a free Herb and Container Gardening Workshop on Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 6:30 pm in the Community Council offices, 798 East 7th Street. The instructor is Mary McFadden Lesar, a former Master Gardener who lives in Dayton’s Bluff.  She will let you know all about it.
  Learn how to care for herbs and use them to enhance your cooking.  Learn to mix and match herbs, flowers and other plants to make interesting container gardens.  To register for the workshop call Karin at 651-772-2075.

Jumpin’ Jehoshaphats Concert
  The Jumpin’ Jehoshaphats will present a gospel and jazz concert on Sunday, March 13, at 7 p.m. at Mounds Park United Methodist Church, 1049 Euclid Street (at Earl).  There is no admission fee, but a freewill offering will be received for mission projects.  All are welcome.  For more information, please call 651-774-8736.

Grocery Give-Away
  A Grocery Give-Away will take place on Saturday, March 19 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Mounds Park United Methodist Church, Euclid and Earl.  Free produce, dry goods and bread items will be given to anyone who can use them.  No registration or sign-up is necessary.  Sponsored by United Methodist churches on St. Paul’s East Side.  The Grocery Give-Away takes place on the third Saturday of every month.

Swede Hollow Café Book Chats
  Friday April 15, 2005, 7 pm, Sheila O’Connor will read from her novel, Where No Gods Came
  This winner of the 2003 Michigan Literary Fiction Award for original novel is a candid portrait of the unlikely faces of good and evil, and how an innocent must learn to recognize them to endure.
   Friday May 20, 2005, 7 pm, Brian Malloy will read from his novel The Year of Ice, an artfully written portrait of a young man coming to terms with the world.  The story is darkly brilliant, treacherously funny, and absolutely convincing.  Malloy’s poignant, quietly effective debut.evinces plenty of talent.in addition to a razor-sharp comic touch.
  For more information call Dayton’s Bluff Community Council at 651-772-2075. Sponsored by District Four Dayton’s’ Bluff Community Council  and Swede Hollow Café. Thanks to District Four Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, Arts and Culture Committee for arranging this opportunity.

Discount Compost Bins
  Ramsey County is again offering backyard compost bins at a reduced price of only $30 (an $80 retail value).  The offer also includes a 2-gallon closeable bucket for temporary collection of kitchen waste, and composting instructions.
   There are two ways to reserve a bin and participate:  1) Online orders are taken at www.GreenGuardian.com or, 2) telephone your order in by calling 651-292-3933.  Payments will not be accepted at the time of ordering.
   Bin pick up is at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds; Como Avenue parking lot, Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 from 10 am to 6 pm.

Greening Dayton’s Bluff
   Greening Dayton’s Bluff is looking for new members. All you have to do to register is call us. This program works with Up-Front Gardeners (a program that highlights gardeners who have gardens in the front yard and/or boulevard) and also gets involved with greening at local parks, community gardens, Buckthorn removal, greening and gardening workshops, and other related projects. 
   Participants will receive discounts on plants and gardening materials from local greenhouses and nurseries.  There will be gardening workshops, a Dayton’s Bluff Garden Contest, and other events. Two workshops are scheduled for this year.  The first will be on March 10 and be about herb and container gardening.
   Some of the other benefits are that you will other meet other neighbors and community residents that are working to make Dayton’s Bluff a better place to live. Call Karin at 651-772-2075 to register.

2005 Home Tour


Leithauser Condominium Lofts at 800 East 3rd Street is being transformed into condominiums and will be featured on the 2005 Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour May 7 and May 8.

   The 2005 Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour will be held on Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, May 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The tour is run in conjunction with the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Home Tour sponsored by the Minneapolis Neighborhood Redevelopment Program. The Dayton’s Bluff tour will include beautiful homes and buildings.
   The Home Tour is an excellent opportunity to relive the history of Dayton’s Bluff while learning about the community that exists here today and getting a glimpse of what it will be like in the future. We are looking for people to help with the home tour. If you are interested in helping with the tour call Karin at 651-772-2075.

Hospital Linen building comes down


The old Hospital Linen building comes down to make way for new condos on East 7th St. at Maple.  Hospital Linen moved their operations to buildings in the Hamm’s Brewery complex.

Irish "Ceili" returns



by David Murphy
   St. Patrick’s Day comes early to Dayton’s Bluff.  Back by popular demand, St. Paul’s favorite Irish band Barra returns to the Mounds Theatre this March, once again presenting a traditional Irish ceili.
    It all happens on Sunday, March 6th at 2 o’clock in afternoon at the Mounds Theatre, 1029 Hudson Road. Tickets are $7.00 in advance, $8.00 at the door. Children under 12, accompanied by adults, are free.  This concert is being held as a fundraiser for the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council. For information or tickets, call Karin at (651) 772-2075. 
    If you attended the shows in 2004 you already know how much fun an Irish ceili can be.  Don’t know what a ceili is?  Think of it as an Irish square dance.  If you missed the last two shows, now is your chance to experience Irish music and dance at its energetic best. Instruction is provided for those who want to join in but don’t know how.  If you don’t want to dance, just sit back and enjoy the music.
    Barra (Gaelic for summit or top of) has a focus on performing traditional Irish dance music as well as ballads, songs and listening tunes with the design of carrying on the ceilidh band tradition.
   The band features Karie Oberg (vocals), John McCormick (accordion and bagpipes), Deborah Martin (fiddle), Paul Garding (guitar and vocals) and Dave Cammack (bodhran, tinwhistle, accordion and step dancing).
    This ceili is being held in conjunction with the St. Paul Celtic Connection - the Celtic Event of 2005!!   As part of this event, the Mounds Theatre will also host workshops earlier in the day with John Doyle on guitar and Liz Carroll on the fiddle.  Workshops are open to people with some experience on their instrument.  For the fiddle they should already know tunes. Workshops start at 11:00 a.m. and cost $40. 
   More info available at http://www.minnesotafolkfestival.org/spcc.html.

A Short History of Dayton's Bluff - Chapter 6: The Beginnings of a Community

by Steve Trimble
   From the 1870’s through the early 1880’s, Dayton’s Bluff began to form itself into a community. Land further away from the river crest began to see a mixture of homes, businesses and workplaces. The foundation was being laid for full neighborhood development in the ensuing era.
  Many of the changes were spurred by changes and improvements in the transportation system. The building of railroads into Minnesota from Chicago and Iowa brought economic development to the state. St. Paul and its local communities also began a spatial transformation.
   Tracks were laid in the 1870’s from downtown to the northeast, along the bed of Phalen Creek. Factories began to be built along the route. One of the most important workplaces was the Harvester Works that moved into the area around today’s East Seventh and today’s Johnson Parkway in 1875. They made farm machinery that now could be shipped out by rail.
    Another effort that improved transportation was the building of a bridge from downtown across a deep ravine and wetlands to the East Side, making the community less isolated than before. “A wooden bridge 640 feet long is going to be built over the Lake Superior and Mississippi railroad track and Phalon’s Creek with masonry piers,” a paper reported.  “A shorter bridge of 70 feet will go over the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.”  
    There was a small boom of new housing, both upscale and moderate in the early 1870’s with a resulting rise in the value of land. The St. Paul Daily Press noted “as an instance of the extraordinary rise is real estate during the last few years, it may be mentioned that a lot on Dayton’s Bluff, which was purchased seven years ago for $750, was sold a day or two ago for $10,500.”
   Another lot that had been purchased two years earlier for $2,100 had sold for the same price. “How is that for high?” the paper commented.
   Typical of “walking cities” throughout the country, the housing in Dayton’s Bluff was mixed. There were spacious homes, especially overlooking the River and on the top of hills. But there were also homes designed for middle and working class families.
    The 1870 and 1871 newspapers listed some of the new construction. One of the most elegant was that of German immigrant John Keller. The house, once located on the street that bears its name was called “Eichenwald,” after his boyhood home in the old country. The two story frame dwelling  cost $7.500 dollars, a high cost at the time.
    Other homes, several owned by Irish families, were moderate or low priced. Daniel Egan put up a $2,200, “two story frame dwelling” on Fourth street. James O Farrell built a two story frame structure on 5th for $1,800. Over in today’s Mounds Park area in 1871 “Mr. Rolfer, Dayton’s Bluff,” constructed a two story frame dwelling for $2,500.
    Working families often had trouble getting mortgages from banks. Starting in the 1870’s, they often turned to of self-help groups, such as workingmen’s cooperative building societies. These organizations, very popular among the Germans, loaned out money to assist artisans own their own home.
   As families settled in Dayton’s Bluff, small businesses and other institutions began to develop. Children needed education, so in 1871 McLean’s School was built on Conway between Maria and Bates. In 1873, Miss Ellen Cathcart, an Ohio native, was a teacher and the principal. According to the 1873 city directory, she boarded nearby on Hoffman—today’s Mounds Boulevard.
   By 1880, the school board says that McLean School’s small building was inadequate and recommended “that something should be done to find school facilities for pupils out on Dayton’s Bluff and also out near the Plow works.” In a few years Van Buren Elementary would be built. The old school, with an addition, still stands at 695 Conway and was the boyhood home of Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger.
  A  Pioneer Press article at the end of 1882 said that new lumber yards and wood milling establishments had been placed along the railroad tracks in Dayton’s bluff. “The earthen ware and terra cotta works opened in the last few months; the cordage factory and linseed oil mill about to be established and… the prospective enlargement of the present factories… will cause more houses to be built in this section of the city during the coming year than were erected in that just closed.”
   In the 1880’s, The Industries of St Paul, featured several Dayton’s Bluff businesses. One of them, The Minnesota Terra Cotta Lumber Co. was located at “Post’s Siding,” a name given to a small railroad depot near today’s 7th and Earl.  It produced a unique material that was lighter than brick but just as sturdy The terra cotta was made of clay and sawdust, was lighter than brick, could be nailed and bored like wood, but was much more fireproof. Company president Edmund Rice said the factory could process twenty-five tons of material every day.
  Among the most prominent business men in the book was Dayton’s Bluff resident Theodore Hamm, owner of the Exclesior Brewery which he bought in 1865. The enterprise, later called Hamm’s, was the largest in the city and second in the state with its capacity of 60,000 barrels a year. Seventy-five employees kept fifteen to twenty wagons going each day.
   The Queen Roller Mill, which used Phalen Creek for its  water power, was also owned by Hamm. Originally started in the 1860’s, it had eleven sets of double rollers and made different special flours including “Queens Fancy” and “Red Anchor.”  The mill was able to handle 250,000 bushels of wheat and other grain a year.
    Hamm often invited the farmers who brought their grain to the mill to stay and have a beer. This soon turned into having a meal and the decision was eventually made to have a beer garden. When the road to the brewery was widened, people started driving out on Sundays and the bier garten became a reality.
   In those days, the Hamm’s Brewery was a bit distant from town, especially in the winter. They built a dormitory for single men and his wife Louise cooked them meals. Louise hired extra help with the ever increasing housework and cooking. Finally, the company started selling nearby land to workers so they could live near their job, helping increase the community’s population.
    One of the first things new residents did was to start churches. One of the earliest was “The Little Swiss Church,” formed in the late 1870’s by German and Swiss immigrants. Its official name was “Die Deutsche Evangelishe Reformierten Friedens Gemeninde”
   In 1883 a church was built at Forest and Reaney. Now in a newer structure, it is called Peace United Church of Christ.  Theodore Hamm, James J. Hill and a Mr. Janders gave money to help build a parsonage with the condition that the women of the church bake bread every week and give it to the poor.
   Some of the folks living in the area at this time did not appear to have been regular church goers. On New Year’s Day in 1884 the Pioneer Press had the headline “Murder on the bluff. According to them, Peter Kask, known as “State Prison” Kask was killed “in the shanty he calls home, numbered 917 Hudson Avenue on Dayton’s Bluff.”
   The fifty-eight year old Norwegian wood sawyer was murdered by a man named Johnson who lived with him in “a 16x10 shanty divided into two rooms with a shed behind.” The victim’s daughter Augusta reported the crime. “She is a domestic,” said the paper and added that she often “stops at Peter Belisle’s saloon near the brickyard.”
   The early 1880’s seem to have been a real take-off point for the full development of Dayton’s Bluff. Large numbers of houses were being built and the land filled in as part of a new city-wide real estate boom. The Pioneer Press explained:  “In Lyman Dayton’s addition and on land near the Harvester works, “several hundred dwellings has been erected, many of them being very handsome residences, but the major part being of the medium class, for the use of mechanics and employees of the various the numerous factories that have sprung up and are springing up in the valley of Phalen’s Creek, along the line of the St. Paul & Duluth and the St. Paul & Omaha railroads.
        During last year, Maria and Bates and other avenues had been graded and “so there is little doubt that Dayton’s Bluff, now so near the city… and which is so finely adapted for fine suburban homes by a succession of terraces,” the paper concluded, “will be speedily covered with dwellings for merchants and railroad men to whose places of business it is so near and so accessible.”

As I remember... Little glimpses of life

by Marie Willius Classen
  There were elm trees planted along the street. They grew well. A picket fence outlined the property. Inside of the fence lilac bushes flourished, from the house down the line of the garden, softening the background. Tree roses and perennials bloomed in front of them and rocks edged the garden... The gravel walk.... led around the beautiful large center lawn, upon which grand oak trees grew, large branches shading our play-ground...
   Those memorable, impressive evenings, gathered around the round walnut table... in the living room. It was warmed by the large coal stove... Overhanging was the china lamp which could be lowered and raised to adjust the height. The evenings were enriched   by   games,   stories  read  aloud  by  mother,  and looking at picture books, while some fingers were busy darning and sewing...
    How well I remember... our beautiful large, black Newfoundland dog called “Ponto.” He was our companion. Harness had been made to fit him... He... pulled our sleigh up the long hill on Fifth Street where we lived, after we had been sliding down... The dog was very intelligent. Mother could give him an empty basket with a meat order to take to the meat market, from whence he would return faithfully, always having a rewarding bone...
   In the winter  we used a comfortable sleigh for driving. The horses had high ornamental sleigh bells fastened to their harness, and sometimes bells fastened on leather straps around the horse’s bodies.... We were always well bundled up in very heavy robes in cold weather, for our sleighs were open without tops...
    We had friends and neighbors of German heritage who had daughters.... It was during their grade school years they were invited to our house on Saturday afternoons. We sewed and crocheted together, making gifts while mother read to us. Mrs. Emil Munch, so fond of young people and children (she had none of her own) was interested in our group. She called us the ‘Wreath of Rose Buds…”

   Marie Willius Claussen lived with her parents in the 1870s and early 1880s near today’s southeast corner of Mounds Blvd. and East 7th.

The last of an era



  The Hamm twins, Marie and Theodora, granddaughters of Hamm’s Brewing Co. founder Theodore Hamm, died in 2004. Their father, William Hamm, ran the Hamm’s Brewery Company for most of his adult life.  They were identical twins born in 1903. They grew up in Dayton’s Bluff living with their parents William and Marie Hamm, their brother William Jr. (died in the 1970s) and sister Margaret (died in the 1990s) at 671 Cable Avenue (now Greenbrier).  Today the Hamm Woodland Gardens is being developed by the Friends of Swede Hollow on the site of their home in the upper part of Swede Hollow Park.
   As children Marie and Theodora were always very close and always together when they played with their neighborhood friends. The twins were treated very special, as identical twins were rare at that time. The Hamm children attended Van Buren School and had lots of Dayton’s Bluff friends. They grew up, went to college, later got married and raised their families. Years later they both had similar homes on the same street in Wayzata.
   In the 1950s the Hamm family started the Hamm Foundation, established the Hamm Memorial Psychiatric Clinic, and the Radio Talking Book at the Minnesota Communication Center for the Blind.
  They also supported the mental health program at Saint John’s University.
  Over the years Theodora was very involved with Saint Paul’s Children’s Hospital. She served as President for 17 years and the hospital threw a party for her 100th birthday. She also served as chairwoman of the board of Planned Parenthood Minnesota. She died in March of 2004.
   Marie was involved in many things including Planned Parenthood, the Abbott-Northwestern Hospital board, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Minnesota Orchestra. Marie died in December of 2004.

What a difference 20 years makes
Dayton's Bluff 1986-2005

by Gene Piccolo
   To remember how things were on a certain date or even a particular year is often very hard to do. Time has a way of melding things together so that it sometimes seems that the way things are today are the way they have been for a long time, or at least as long as we can remember.
   Even though remembering can be hard to do, the first task in planning for the future is to look back at how things were and how things have evolved over time. So when the Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Plan Steering Committee began its work last year the first question was:
   What was life like on Dayton’s Bluff in 1986?
   So what’s the answer? Let’s just say 1986 and the 1980s in general were not the best of times on Dayton’s Bluff.  According to 1986 Dayton’s Bluff Report and Plan:
   The population on Dayton’s Bluff had declined by over 20% from 1970-1985.
   The population of the Bluff was less educated than the overall population of the city.
   The median family income on the Bluff was 15% the city median income.
   The manufacturing and health care jobs on the Bluff were on the decline. Whirpool had just recently closed, to be followed by the closing of Mounds Park Hospital, the moving of St. John’s Hospital, the closing of Hamm’s Brewery, U.S. Gypsum and the 3M manufacturing plants.
   The Bluff streetscapes were suffering from the devastation of the first wave of the Dutch elm disease epidemic.
   The housing stock was deteriorating and the number of 2, 3 and 4 unit buildings had risen to 28% of all housing on the Bluff compared to 16% in the rest of the City. Almost all of these units were in buildings that were originally single-family houses.  
   The Bluff was a loud and smelly place, with noise from helicopter training flights overhead and odors from factories and from the Pigs Eye Waste Water Treatment Plant. 
   The property crime rate was 20% higher on the Bluff than the rest of the City and 40% higher for crimes against people.
   The majority of streets east of Earl St., in Mounds Park and south of Fifth Street on the lower bluff were unpaved and poorly lit.
   The commercial strips - E. 7th, 3rd & Maria and Earl & Hudson were suffering – businesses were closing and streetscapes were considered lacking in appearance and vitality.
   So – what has changed since 1986?
   The quick answer is: a whole lot – and for the better. It would be safe to say that Dayton’s Bluff is in a period of renewal and revitalization.
   According to the 2000 Census, the population of the Bluff grew by 4,000 between 1990-2000.
   The Bluff has become the second most diverse community within the city and is more diverse than the city as a whole.
   Dayton’s Bluff has become the home of Metropolitan State University.
   The Bluff is now home to a public library branch for the first time in its150-year history.
   Swede Hollow Park has become a true urban amenity – with paved trails, native plantings, restored helical tunnel and the day lighting of a portion of Phalen Creek
   New bridges over the tracks on Arcade and Earl Streets have replaced bridges that were crumbling and even condemned as unsafe.
   The Dayton’s Bluff Historic District became a reality in 1992 and has led to the restoration of countless homes on the lower bluff and the now famous Stutzman Building.
   The Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary is in the midst of becoming a reality – turning the old rail yards into recreational and open space below the Bluff.
   Mounds Park has been upgraded and restored – with iron fences around the historic Native American Burial Mounds, new picnic, restroom and playground facilities, native plantings and a restored pavilion.
   The housing stock is being converted back to single-family homes and aggressive code enforcement initiatives have been undertaken.
   The streets east of Earl, south of Fifth and a large portion of Mounds Park have been paved and lit.
   The gateways on E. 7th, Sixth and Third Streets have been enhanced by new buildings, streetscape improvements and traffic calming measures...
   New housing units have been built on vacant lots – including the Fifth Street Commons development and the Johnson Brother Liquor Store site.
   3M has torn down obsolete manufacturing building and tank farms
Mounds Park Hospital became Marian Center and has been expanded to provide a full range of senior care housing options
   Trees have been replanted across the Bluff to replace those lost to Dutch elm disease.
   New recreational and social services have become available for families at the new Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center and through the Achievement Plus Programs in the schools.
   The Mounds Theatre has been renovated as a performance space for local theater and cultural programs.
   The Bluff has become home to a number of ethnic businesses and will be the home for the New Mexican Consulate Office being established in Minnesota.
   The crime rate has dropped significantly.  The Bluff no longer has a higher crime rate than the rest of the city.
   Student achievement at Dayton’s Bluff School has turned around for the first time in a decade.
   The list goes on how things have changed on the Bluff since 1986. But there is a lot that yet needs to be done. The Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Planning Process now underway provides the opportunity to chart the course for the years to come.
   Remember the story that people write about the Bluff in the future will be based on the work done today. Be part of the writing of the story of this place we call home – by responding to the enclosed questionnaire and by participating in one of the upcoming neighborhood meetings.
   You can make a difference.

Eastside Pizza Grill is open for business


by Greg Cosimini
   Pizza has returned to Hudson Road and we have Pat Hammes to thank for it.  On December 1, 2004, Pat opened his Eastside Pizza Grill at 1047 Hudson Road in the old Monda’s location.  He is renting the space from Tom Kokaisel who owns the building and also runs Paul’s Lounge next door.
   The Eastside Pizza Grill is mainly a take out and delivery business for the moment.  Seating is limited to one table in the lobby but customers of both Paul’s Lounge and Mounds Park Lounge can order food and eat it in those establishments.  Pat hopes to eventually open the basement banquet room, which seats about 90, for casual seating during lunch and dinner whenever it isn’t being used for banquets or other private parties.   
   Pat Hammes grew up in Oakdale but spent 14 years in Scottsdale, AZ where he worked as a banquet chef and food and beverage manager at some of the upscale hotels and resorts in the area.  He moved back to the Twin Cities in 1997 where he worked at Alliant Food Service, selling supplies to restaurants and learning the other side of the restaurant business. 
   During this period he met and got to know Romolo Monda, owner of Romolo’s on Arcade St. and former owner of Monda’s on Hudson Road, and his son Jay.   They encouraged Pat to finally follow his dream of having his own restaurant.  And he did just that with the Eastside Pizza Grill.
   Pat prides himself on having one of the cleanest kitchens in the city and using only the finest and freshest ingredients in his recipes.  He is a firm believer in supporting other local businesses and buys his meat at Big Steer Meats and produce from Jerry’s Produce.  He will not compromise on quality and does not use food additives such as MSG.
   As the name implies, the Eastside Pizza Grill serves more than just pizza.  It also has a line of sandwiches, such as Hot Dagos, Philly Steak, French Dip and Pat’s very own The Eastsider – a combination of homemade sausage, meatballs and dago served open face on Italian bread.  You can also get fresh chili or the soup du jour to go with your sandwich.
   Should you want a more conventional Italian meal, there is spaghetti, mostaccioli, ravioli and lasagna on the menu.  For those leaning towards leafy lunches, a variety of fresh salads are offered.  As our culture gets more diverse, so do our Italian restaurants.  Also available are nachos, ponchos, Italian and Southwest quesadillas and Buffalo wings.
   Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the Eastside Pizza Grill has all of the typical menu items such as eggs, pancakes and omelets, as well as the not so typical such as breakfast pizzas and burros.
   With Lent now upon us, the Eastside Pizza Grill is offering baked cod and vegetarian pizza specials on Fridays until Easter.
   The Eastside Pizza Grill hours are: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m; Sunday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Delivery hours are weekdays, 11- 2 and 5 - 9; Saturday, 5 - 9; and Sunday, 4 - 8.  The delivery area includes all of Dayton’s Bluff and outward to White Bear Ave. and the Battle Creek area.
   Call 651-771-EAST (3278) for take out or delivery orders.

First Impressions

by Laurie Diethelm
   My husband and I had been searching for a home for five months when I first entered the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. We had started our search in south Minneapolis in the hopes of minimizing our daily drives to work and back. After several weeks of walking through houses and shouting at each other to be heard over the airport noise, we decided to cross the river and see what Saint Paul had to offer.
   We weren’t disappointed. My husband and I both fell in love with the feeling of history that pervaded Saint Paul. The city had a large number of proud old homes and brick buildings that hinted at treasures of stained woodwork, hardwood floors, and built-in buffets and bookcases. We also saw stone structures that seemed much older than any home we’d driven past in Minneapolis. We started looking in the West 7th and Riverview/Cherokee neighborhoods, still clinging to our original idea of trying to minimize the now lengthening commute.
   On a rainy day in late April, I decided to take the Mounds Boulevard exit off of Interstate 94. I turned south at Not Exactly the Ritz and meandered through the streets, noticing many big homes that had once been glorious and were now waiting for someone to return them to that state. There was also a mix of houses that dedicated people had already maintained or salvaged. I liked the nonsense of the layout of many of the streets and the openness of Mounds Park. I also liked the hilly terrain, the sound presence of the bluff, and the proximity of the neighborhood to the Mississippi River and downtown Saint Paul.
   Our previously waning enthusiasm for the house search was renewed. Within one month, my husband and I were signing the purchase agreement for our home—complete with hardwood floors, high ceilings, and the original woodwork. In late June of 2004, we unlocked the door to our house and became residents of Dayton’s Bluff.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Dayton’s Bluff Forum,

     I thought I had seen everything in the way of creeping commercialization until mid-January. I saw that at least three different St. Paul thrift stores—one of them in Sun Ray Center—were having “Martin Luther King Birthday Sales.” The ads included photos of the late civil rights leader.
   I suppose, given what has happened to Christmas and Easter, I should not have been surprised. But I was. Wasn’t the holiday created to reflect on what King had done and to have gatherings and events to honor his memory. What is happening here?
   Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to close the stores so their employees could have participated in the day’s events? Or maybe, instead of giving price reductions, they could have donated a percentage of the sales to the Martin Luther King Center or a civil rights organization.
   Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s my reaction. What do other readers think?                                               -- G. B. LeRoy

Voice your concern

by Nachee Lee, Executive Director, Dayton’s Bluff Community Council
   I need you to voice your concerns and needs for the City of St. Paul’s 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan.  The City is in the process of gathering and collecting inputs from the community for submission to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  The Consolidated Plan is an application to HUD for Community Development Block Grants, the HOME Investment Partnership Program, and Emergency Shelter Grant funding. 
   The Plan will also serve as the City’s planning document for the use of these funds over the next five years.  The proposed funding is estimated to be about 18 million dollars, which is already included in the City’s 2005 budget.  The Plan includes an estimate of housing needs, homeless needs, and non-housing community development in the city.
   I would like to bring to your attention that the Mayor’s 5000 home development plan concerns mostly new developments and town homes for singles and small size families.  I truly believe that what Dayton’s Bluff needs are affordable single-family homes for low-income people and handicap accessible homes for people with disabilities and the elderly. 
   Also needed are funds to help low-income families rehab and maintain some of the most beautiful historical homes in Dayton’s Bluff. Many of these homes are still in very good shape and have solid foundations.  They just need cosmetic fix ups and improvements.  Folks I spoke to said that what makes Dayton’s Bluff unique and a good neighbor to downtown are its historical homes and the bluff.  Many said it is in their best interest to receive funds to help maintain and keep their older homes rather than seeing money go to building new developments that use cheap quality, vinyl siding with bonded wood chip sheathing underneath. Many times new developments do not fit in well with the existing historical homes, but instead, throw off the imagery of the neighborhood. 
   Please focus your issues, concerns and needs around crime prevention, the homeless, affordable housing for the elderly, people with disabilities, and low incomes families. 
   As a vital citizen of the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood, addressing your issues, concerns and needs for this plan is very crucial.  This is a great opportunity for you to make a difference for yourself and your neighborhood. 
   Please send or email your information to me by March 15, 2005 and I will compile it for submission to the city. Mailing address: Nachee Lee, Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, 798 East 7th Street, St. Paul, MN  55106.  Email address: nachee@daytonsbluff.org.

Budget priorities

by Sheldon Johnson
   There’s a sense of déjà vu in returning to St. Paul this winter. We enter the 2005 Legislative Session with the state facing a $1.4 billion deficit, our fourth significant budget deficit in as many years.  Clearly, the budget resolution reached in previous sessions did not solve our problems. 
   My first priority in this new session has to be solving the state’s ongoing budget imbalance once and for all. We must honestly address the ongoing imbalance between state revenues and state spending, instead of simply shifting our problems into the future or onto local governments.
   This fall, the voters spoke loudly and made it clear that they are concerned about the financial condition of local schools. One of our first bipartisan efforts should be to find ways to adequately fund K-12 education to prevent local school districts from further increases in class sizes and cuts to staffing and programs.  I am offering an innovative proposal to ensure strong investment in early childhood education that assures quality learning in those critical formative years.
   The Governor pointed to health care as the main cause of the state budget deficit and we’ll spend quite a bit of time at the Capitol this year looking for new ways to reduce health care costs.  I am committed to finding solutions to our health care challenges. But I do not believe that merely shifting the cost from the public to the private sector or from insured to uncompensated care does any good.
   Traffic congestion continues to be a major issue for all of the metro area. However, there appears to be a growing willingness on all sides to address what has been a chronic lack of funding for roads, highways and transit. Part of that has to do with the business community’s recognition of the growing cost that congestion is having on the Twin Cities economy. It’s estimated the average Minnesota commuter loses $1,000 a year in wasted time and fuel. If Minnesota is going to retain its economic competitiveness, we need to start taking steps to address this challenge.  I continue to support a gas tax increase to help solve the problem.
   One of the great things about Minnesota is the willingness of our citizens to work together to meet challenges head on. I think this November’s elections demonstrated that. All of us in the Legislature now carry a mandate to work together for the good of all Minnesotans. By working together, we will continue to make Minnesota a great place to live, work and raise a family.
   Restoring Key Program for Seniors.  Two of the first pieces of legislation I authored this year would restore vital state funding to programs that help Minnesota seniors remain in their homes. The bills restore state funding to the Living-At-Home /Block Nurse health care programs and the popular Meals-On-Wheels senior nutrition program. All three programs were cut significantly under the Governor’s budget in 2002.
   The first bill increases the number of Living-At-Home/Block Nurse programs from 33 to 38 and increases the annual state grant that each program receives by $5,000. The second restores the 15 percent cut from senior nutrition funding. The $411,000 increase will allow an additional 135,000 meals be served around the state.
   Feel free to contact me about issues and concerns in our district. You’re also welcome to stop by my office for a visit any time you’re down at the Capitol.
Sheldon Johnson (DFL) 67B
243 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-4201
E-mail: rep.sheldon.johnson@house.mn

The truth, the MAC, and Holman Field

by Jane Prince
  As a 20-year resident of St. Paul’s Mounds Park neighborhood, I have been a big fan of the little Holman Field airport across the river from my home, bringing my son to air shows when he was young and enjoying breakfasts at the old Flanagan’s restaurant where we could watch planes take off and land.
  After years of following the issue, it is clear to me that there is no cost-benefit basis for the $30 million floodwall — unless MAC is going to increase air traffic at the downtown airport. MAC staff have been willing to admit at various times that once the dike is built, cargo traffic will be moved to Holman Field from MSP International, to free up tarmac there for commercial airliners.
  In the mid-90s, a small start-up commercial airliner ran two trips a day to Midway Airport in Chicago. Now MAC tells us that Holman will not be used for commercial passenger flights because they don’t have the security set-up for passengers and they don’t have a fire station on site. Both of these expenditures are tiny compared to that of the floodwall.
  Mayor Kelly’s zeal to help current users at the airport is not the problem, but his unwillingness to ask the tough question about airport expansion is. Indeed, how can St. Paul consider the construction of a floodwall that will lead to increased air traffic without public discussion?
  The environmental impact statement done on the floodwall includes impacts on the river environment, wildlife habitat, flooding upriver in our own city, and downriver in Newport and Hastings. The project is opposed by railroads with tracks adjacent to the river. The St. Paul Riverfront Corporation, of which the mayor is a member, testified during the EAW process that the city should support the construction of the floodwall only if the MAC agrees to assist in the increased cost of flood clean up at Harriet Island.
  And while cities like Bloomington, Rosemount and Eagan have weighed in on expansion or relocation of the current international airport in their area, why is St. Paul not entitled to a public process to determine if there is support for an expanded use of Holman Field?
  St. Paul’s residents now pay 64 percent of St. Paul’s property tax base. Why should we be supporting the expansion of an airport that is going to reduce the quality of life and property values of our residential neighborhoods?
   While Mayor Kelly, the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and the Pioneer Press want to expand airports and freeways where we live, maybe it’s time to remind them who is paying two-thirds of the tax bill in St. Paul.

Help stop graffiti

  Dayton’s Bluff has suffered from an increase in graffiti over the last several months. The community must help if it is to be stopped.  
  Graffiti vandalism is an ongoing problem in Saint Paul. Youths aged from twelve to their mid-twenties are responsible for approximately $300,000 to $500,000 in property damage each year. The Saint Paul Police Department has taken this crime very seriously and has been very aggressive in identifying and arresting graffiti vandals for their crimes.
  In response to concerns from business owners, block clubs and district councils, the SPPD has formed the Metropolitan Task Force On Graffiti Vandalism to crack down even harder on these crimes. The task force began meeting on June 17, 1997 in an effort to share information among metro-area police departments about graffiti vandals and to plan strategies to apprehend these criminals.
  The task force has learned that most parents have no idea when their children are involved in these crimes nor are they aware of the indicators of graffiti vandal activity.
  Here are some tips for parents:
  * Check backpacks for markers and/or spray paint, as well as sketch books, pieces of paper with graffiti “tags” on them, aerosol can caps and/or nozzles, white shoe polish and photographs of graffiti pieces/murals.
  * Check school papers for graffiti “tags” and/or sketches of murals
  * Know who your children are hanging out with and make sure they are home at curfew time. Curfew times are: 10 p.m. for ages 15 or younger; midnight for ages 16-17.
  You may want to talk to your children about graffiti and the cost of this “innocent crime.” Once young people are aware of all the information, the situation can become a lot clearer and decisions can be made from a position of knowledge and not ignorance.  If you have any questions about graffiti and the typical graffiti vandals, email Meredith Vogland in the FORCE unit at meredith.vogland@ci.stpaul.mn.us or call (651) 266-5625.
  Report graffiti as soon as you see it on a neighbor’s property, city property or on your own. property to Citizen Service at 651-266-8989 or email citizen.service@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
  If you are the victim of graffiti on your property call the police at 291-1111 to make a police report. Police reports are important tools for the police to track and identify the culprits. Graffiti is not an art: it’s a crime.
   If you see someone making graffiti in Saint Paul and they are still there, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Sprinkling Pink

Beauty is Forever,
If it lies beneath the skin.
Time can’t reach to sever,
That which blossoms from within.
 
Cheeks may crack, revealing
All the decades drifted by.
But there’s no concealing,
What still sparkles in the eye.

by Sharyl Kaase
   Several Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants joined forces with individuals and local businesses to adopt the seniors at the HealthEast Care Center on Dellwood Place for Valentine’s Day. Monetary donations were given towards special skin care products, colored lipsticks, and nail polishes provided by the Mary Kay consultants, as well as pie gift certificates and bottles of water. Children from a local daycare center made special valentine cards for each of the seniors. The gift bags, along with the valentine cards were delivered to every resident at Dellwood Care Center on Valentine’s Day. A special thank you to all of the Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants involved with this project, and to all of the generous individuals and businesses who personally made donations to the gift bags: Maplewood Dental Associates, Dr. Grabowski, Dave Frechette, Mary Pat Cummings and family, Bakers Square, Rob Meysembourg, Key Medical Supply Inc., Maracon Health Care Center, Rider Bennett Funeral Home, Maple Oaks Funeral Home, Mueller Parkway Chapel, Phalen Park Funeral Home, Western Bank Peoples Bank, Jonathan Kigner, Jim Mullin-Senior Financial Advisor, Lighthouse of Red Wing, Bon Giorno Italian Restaurant, Byerly’s.

Beauty is forever,
Given what should be its role.
Age is not so clever,
As to wrinkle up the soul.


Students give Marian Center of Saint Paul a helping hand

From left: Danielle Peterson, Koua Xiong and Sandy Yang escort residents to St. Mary’s chapel for Mass five days a week as part of their semester-long career exploration at HealthEast Care Center – Marian of Saint Paul.

by Robert Johnstone
   Three St. Paul public high school students are giving residents at HealthEast Care Center – Marian of Saint Paul their time, talent and hard work. They are participating in career exploration opportunities provided by the St. Paul Public Schools and Marian of Saint Paul.
    For one semester, in partnership with local profit and non-profit businesses, students earn credits toward high school graduation while exploring the world of work in their interest areas. Danielle Peterson, Koua Xiong and Sandy Yang escort residents to and from the chapel, help with puzzles, read the daily newspaper to the residents and provide general companionship. Students also assist in cleaning the grounds and washing the dining tables.
   “This opportunity provided by Marian of Saint Paul is an excellent example of a school and community partnership,” says Helena McAndrew, STEPS (Specialized Transition Employment Planning Service) Program Job Coach.
   “The residents look forward to these kids being here,” says Robert Johnstone from Recreational Therapy. He says that while the partnership just began this past fall, he hopes to keep the program going permanently.

Dayton's Bluff Community Recreation Center
March - April 2005 Events

Dayton’s Bluff Community Recreation Center
800 Conway St.
(651) 793-3885
Director: Jody Griffin
jody.griffin@ci.stpaul.mn.us

   JUDO FOR TOTS  (Ages 4-6 yrs.)  Through fun games and exercises as they stretch, leap, and roll the kids learn the basics of Judo.  Sat., March 5; 10 am-12 pm; $15/month; 4 sessions/month; On-going
   JUDO (Ages 7-adult) Judo builds and develops balance, quick reactions, speed, stamina, power, flexibility, endurance, timing, accuracy of movements and techniques.  Sat., March 5; 12-2 pm; $15/month; 4 sessions/month; On-going
   PARENT & TOT PLAY TIME  (Ages 5 & under) This unstructured time is for parents & daycare providers & their kids to play in our gymnasium.  Mon., Wed. & Fri.’s; 10 am - 12 noon; Free; On-going
   BOYS ONLY!    (Family)  Grandpas, dads, and sons, this is your day!  We will build a great project and enjoy some tasty treats.  Sun., Apr. 24; 1-2 pm; Fee: $5/family
   GIRLS ONLY!    (Family)  Grandmas, mothers, and daughters of all ages, dress in your finest for flower crafts, beaded jewelry, tea and treats.  Sun., Apr. 10; 1-2 pm; Fee: $5/family
   POPCORN & MOVIE NIGHT  (All ages)  Movies shown will be G or PG.  Wed.’s; 6-8 pm; Fee: .50c per week; On-going
   AREA 5 VEHICLE FAIR  (All ages)  Calling all fans of big and little trucks, cars and other special equipment to join us for a fun exciting morning.  Sat., Apr. 30; 10 am-1 pm; Free
   FITNESS - QI GONG   This martial art, similar to Tai Chi focuses more on improvement of the individual’s health.  Mon., Mar. 7; 6:15-8:15 pm; Fee: $20; 8 sessions
   TEEN CLUB  (Ages 9-14)  Positive social, cultural, and community service activities, field trips, homework help & more.  Tues. & Thurs.; 5-7 pm; Free; On-going
   DAYTON’S BLUFF SENIOR GROUP   Play cards, socialize with friends & more at Dayton’s Bluff.  New players are always welcome. Fee for 500: $12/year + weekly fee for kitty.  Coffee & snacks served for $1 each week.
   STEP BY STEP  Walking inside our gymnasium  Mon./Wed./Fri.’s; 10 am - 12 pm; Free; Thru April
   KICKBOXING FOR FITNESS  (Ages 16 & up) From beginners to advanced, providing a fantastic cardiovascular workout.  All gloves and pads provided by the instruction group of MN Kali.  Wed., Apr. 6; 6:30-7:30 pm; Fee: $40; 6 sessions
   SELF DEFENSE / CHEER AMERICA      (Ages 5 & up)  Call 651.793-3885 for more information.
   GARAGE SALE  Reserve a table for only $7 by April 22.  Sat., May 7; 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
   DABBLING IN SONGWRITING  (Ages 14 & up)  No previous experience is necessary.  Mon., Apr. 18; 6-8:30 pm; Fee: $25; 1 session
   SPRING KIDS DANCE  Bring your school ID or your parent(s) to verify your age.  Thurs., Mar 25; Grades 4th-6th: 5:30-7:30 pm; Fee: $3.  Save $1 if you bring a canned good.   Grades 7th-9th: 7:45-9:45 pm; Fee: $3
   SPRING CELEBRATIONS  Wednesday March 23  Little ones can hop on down to the center for games and egg hunts.  No registration is needed.  Call your local rec. center for more details.
   SUMMER SPORTS REGISTRATION  Baseball, Softball, Nearball, T-ball, Mickey Mouse ball registration will be April 4-8.
   PARK CLEAN UP DAY  Help clean up one of our parks, rec. centers and pathways.  Sat., April 16; 9 am - 12 pm
   SEEKING INSTRUCTORS  Teach, give a presentation, share a hobby.  Call Jody if interested.  Your time may be paid or volunteer.
   FIELD TRIPS:  They’re coming up soon, so call for more info.
SWIM, GYM & A MOVIE
ROLLERSKATING AT WOODDALE
MILL CITY MUSEUM
TIMBERWOLVES GAME VS. DENVER NUGGETS
HARLEM GLOBE TROTTERS GAME
SHOREVIEW WATERSLIDE