DBDF March 2008 Articles

Warm Weather Will Return to the Bluff

Photo by Ed Lambert

If the Forum has returned for another year of neighborhood news coverage then warmer weather can’t be far behind. This photo is from a National Night Out event held last August. Remember how hot it was that night? Don’t worry. We’ll be complaining about the heat and humidity soon enough. Until then check inside this issue for things to do in and around the neighborhood.

Former Forum Editor Glen Leroy Blomgren, Sr. Dies

Glen Blomgren posing
with a peace pole.

By Karin DuPaul
    Glen Leroy Blomgren, Sr. age 64 died from complications of cancer on February 1, 2008 at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis.
   Glen graduated from Humboldt high school in 1961. He served in the U.S. Army as an MP for two years where he edited an army newsletter. In 1973 he married Colleen and they honeymooned in Europe. Glen graduated from the University of Minnesota where he studied English literature, philosophy, history and the classics. The family moved to Dayton’s Bluff in 1979.
   Glen was the editor of the Dayton’s Bluff District Forum for 10 years. He spent countless hours sifting through articles, photos, and press releases; then cutting, pasting and placing articles and photos into the paper. He started the yearly April Fools pages, which he called the Dayton’s Bluff Enquirer with humorous articles like “Man Marries Grocery Bag” and “Record (sized) Catfish Pulled From Area Bird Bath”. He also created a number of cartoons that appeared in the paper. He took photos and wrote articles for the Forum as well.
   Another former Editor of the Forum Angela DuPaul said, “For a time we had a kind of breakfast club of Forum contributors that met every Sunday morning at the café that used to be at East 7th and Margaret. Typically attending were mom, me, Glen, and Steve Trimble. Glen and Steve both had wacky senses of humor. We’d talk about article ideas, the state of the neighborhood, politics.” Angela went on to say, “Glen owned a side-by-side duplex, one side used for daycare. That was where he set up the paper’s layout, amid all the toys and child paraphernalia. One time mom and I went over there to see how the paper was coming along. When we arrived Glen offered to show us how to make a necklace out of Fruit Loops (that having been a recent activity with the kiddies).”
   Glen and his family participated in the Dayton’s Bluff Halloween Driving Tour in 1994. Their front yard was transformed into a ghoulish hospital room with Dr. Glen performing the scary surgeries. Some of their friends and Day Care family members played key roles in the unusual hospital room.
   Glen worked as a teacher, Community Resource Specialist and a daycare provider. He was a coach for teams at Dayton’s Bluff and the Harding Area Girls Fast Pitch Softball.
   Glen was a player, manager, and was the monarch of Karl’s Klucks softball team for 35 years. He once pitched 107 consecutive innings without giving up a walk.
   He is survived by his wife, Colleen; son, Glen “Bug” and daughter, Becky “Pee Wee”; and many other relatives; Karl’s Klucks members; and many other friends.
   The celebration of his life was held in the lodge at Thompson Park with over two hundred friends and relatives attending. Many stories about his life were shared.
   Our deepest sympathies go out to his family. Glen will be missed by the Dayton’s Bluff community.

Dayton's Bluff Community Meeting

    The next Community Meeting is Thursday, March 6 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, 798 East 7th Street at the corner of 7th and Margaret.
   The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council holds its Community Meeting on the 1st Thursday of each month. The purpose is to work with block clubs and neighborhood residents on problem properties, criminal and nuisance behavior, code enforcement issues and any other neighborhood issues, concerns, or new ideas for improvement in Dayton’s Bluff.
   If you would like, you can email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 772-2075 with addresses of problems before the meeting. If I have the addresses of problems ahead of time I can get them to the police and DSI (code enforcement). Then they can bring information about the problems to the meeting.    Remember, it’s always on the 1st Thursday of the month. All Dayton’s Bluff residents are welcome to attend. If you need more information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075.
    The April Community Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 3.

Meet With the Police

   On Friday, March 21 the Eastern District Police will host their monthly meeting for community members. The meeting is intended as a time to listen to and address people’s concerns about crime and other issues on the East Side.
   The community meetings are held at the Eastern District police office at 722 Payne on the corner of Payne and Minnehaha Avenues on the third Friday of each month at 9:30 a.m.

Be Your Own Boss
The Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Microentrepreneur Class is starting on Thursday, March 26, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council at 798 East 7th Street. This program helps start-up and young businesses on the East Side. All East Side entrepreneurs are welcome.
   Classroom training lasts 8 weeks and includes topics such as operations management, marketing, financial management, creating a successful business, and preparing a business plan. There’s also 8 hours of one-on-one time with the instructor to work on your business concept. Those who successfully complete the course, and locate their businesses in target neighborhoods, are eligible for ongoing business support services.
   Examples of businesses started by people who have taken this course include graphics, landscaping, photography, food service, restoration of wood furniture and works of art, custom floral design for weddings and events, and exterior and interior painting. The course is sponsored by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and the Neighborhood Development Center. There is a registration fee, based on a sliding fee scale. Class size is limited, so do not wait to apply. For an application, call Karin at 651-772-2075 or email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org.

Neighborhood Honor Roll Additions

Photo by Karin DuPaul

L to R: Jean Comstock, Jacob Dorer, and Juanita Westman were added to the Neighbor-
hood Honor Roll for years of volunteer service to the Dayton’s Bluff community.

By Karin DuPaul
   Saint Paul Neighborhood Honor Roll Volunteer Awards Night is a yearly event that celebrates all of the wonderful things people have done to make Saint Paul a better place to live. Each year I leave the event with a wonderful feeling of joy knowing that so many wonderful people live and contribute to raise the quality of life in Saint Paul
   Since 1984 each year the 17 planning District Councils, Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Community Council being one of them, can add three people who have made outstanding efforts in the neighborhood to the Saint Paul Neighborhood Honor Roll. The Honor Roll is now on a number of plaques mounted on a wall on the third floor of Saint Paul’s City Hall. Dayton’s Bluff has 45 people listed on the Honor Roll. The people added this year are:
   Jean Comstock – Dayton’s Bluff Community Council board member since 2003, presently Jean is board secretary and co-chair of the Arts and Culture Committee. Jean has been very active in the District Plan Committee and she has spent countless hours writing and editing our new district plan. Jean is always there to help with events and projects including the Neighborhood Clean Up, Neighborhood Sales, Dayton’s Bluff Vacant Building Task Force, and the Invest Saint Paul survey work. She is a founding member of the Historic Dayton’s Bluff Association.
   Jacob Dorer – Dayton’s Bluff Community Council board member since 2002, he has served as President and Vice President. He has served on a number of CIB Task Forces, the Downtown Saint Paul Airport Advisory Board, and chaired the Dayton’s Bluff Vacant Building committee. He is the chair of the District Plan committee and has spent countless hours developing the new Dayton’s Bluff District Plan. He works on whatever project comes up, such as park and Neighborhood Clean Ups. Jacob spearheaded the Mounds Park Neighborhood Residential Buckthorn Removal Project and maintains the Mounds Park Neighborhood email group.
   Juanita Westman –Parkway Little League volunteer who helps with everything including daily food prep and distribution, singing the National Anthem, money management and kitchen detail cleanup, not to mention how she helps keeps all of those young ones in line! She’s a faithful roll-model for children and adults. She also goes to extraordinary lengths to provide tireless hours to her church, Mounds Park United Methodist, where she leads and/or serves on several committees and also is volunteer coordination of the Glorious Grocery Give-Away, Community Family Movie Night and Cub Scout Pack Leader dinner coordinator. Her colleagues at Parkway submitted her name as a candidate for the Neighborhood Honor Roll because of her integrity, passion and thoughtfulness to serve her community, her country and our children with such commitment.
If you have any suggestions for next year of people who have been outstanding volunteers in Dayton’s Bluff, email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075.

By Nick Duncan
   These days it seems like you can’t pick up the newspaper without a heartbreaking story about another family’s home being foreclosed on. Drive down any street in the city and you’ll see a home or two, maybe more in some of the less affluent neighborhoods, with the lights off and the driveway unshoveled. In Dayton’s Bluff alone there are over 300 registered vacant homes. In this election year we’ve heard politicians from both ends of the political spectrum and all points in between pontificating on how they are going to be the one who tackles the sub prime mortgage crisis. We all hope one of these candidates is right, that one of them does have a magic bullet that can solve this problem once and for all, but in the meantime, hundreds of perfectly good homes sit vacant.
   The Dayton’s Bluff Vacant Building Committee (DBVBC) is not waiting for election results to attack the issue of vacant properties in our neighborhood. This spring the DBVBC is organizing a Dayton’s Bluff Vacant Home Tour to compliment the annual Mpls/St Paul City Living Home Tour. The goal is to showcase some of the vacant homes in our neighborhood and, hopefully, to find buyers for these properties.
   The DBVBC was formed last year just as the early fallout from the sub prime crisis began to emerge. Initially, the group’s goal was to provide neighborhood input on the city’s decisions when to (or when not to) demolish vacant properties in the Dayton’s Bluff area. The idea was to stop the city from tearing down vacant properties just because they were vacant. The DBVBC wanted to safeguard against the city destroying historically significant or rehabable structures. This was a very noble goal but many members felt it wasn’t enough to just fight against the city tearing down buildings. The DBVBC needed to provide alternatives.
   The DBVBC is hoping the Dayton’s Bluff Vacant Home Tour will be the alternative to vacant house demolition. There are a huge number of historical Victorian era homes in our neighborhood. Homes of all sizes, some in move-in shape, some in need of a lot of work. The DBVBC wants to showcase a wide range of these homes. They want people to see the options available in our neighborhood.
   Rehabbing old homes in the city provides so many positive benefits, not only to the property owners but also to the entire community. As a buyer, imagine how low the mortgage payments are on a $50,000 home? Imagine, the time you save getting to and from work with no suburban traffic gridlock? Imagine, living in a diverse community only a stone’s throw from the best restaurants and cultural attractions in the metro area? Imagine, the peace of mind you get from knowing that, while others may be recycling cans and bottles, you’re recycling a whole house. You’re not adding to suburban sprawl or destroying natural resources to build your home. Talk about reuse.
   Mark your calendars: The Vacant Home Tour will be the first weekend in May, Saturday May 3rd and Sunday May 4th, one week after the Minneapolis/Saint Paul and Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Tours
   Anyone who would like to help out with the tour or get involved with the Dayton’s Bluff Vacant Home Committee is welcome to join. We need your help. Please contact Karin DuPaul, the Dayton’s Bluff Community Organizer, at Karin@daytonsbluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075.

   “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” is the last play from Lorraine Hansberry, the writer of “A Raisin in the Sun.” This poignant and unforgettable story set against a stormy political campaign tells of a failed entrepreneur, his wife, and their colorful friends and family searching for meaningful lives during a turbulent era in America.
   This play contains profanity and adult situations. It may not be suitable for children.
Performances:
February 22 - March 16, 2008
Fridays - Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinees at 2:00pm
Pay What You Can Night - Monday, March 3, 2008 at 7:30pm
Audio Described Performance - Sunday, March 9, 2008
Tickets:
Tickets are $18 general
$16 students and seniors.
$10 for high school students.
Call for tickets 651-645-3503 or visit www.startinggate.org.
   All performances are at the Mounds Theatre, 1029 Hudson Road, Saint Paul, MN 55106

Welcome Bags are Available

   The Dayton’s Bluff welcome bags are designed for new Dayton’s Bluff residents and businesses. If you are new to Dayton’s Bluff, or have a new neighbor, stop by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council office and pick one up.
In 2006 ten Dayton’s Bluff residents and staff members attended the Neighborworks Community Leadership Institute “Peak Performance: Building Residents’ Skills to Add Community Value” conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Service sponsored the Dayton’s Bluff residents at the four-day conference.
   Workshops at the conference included: Reaching Out to the Emerging Populations, Resident Led Neighborhood Revitalization, Marketing Your Neighborhood, and Working in Diverse Communities.
   At the end of the conference each neighborhood group chose a project to do back at home. The Dayton’s Bluff attendees decided to work on updating the “Welcome to Dayton’s Bluff” packet for new residents.Nancy Larson, a graphic arts designer, redesigned a number of brochures. Artist Diane May designed the logo for the bags,
   The tote bags arrived from the printer and the group had a celebration pot luck and put the brochures and information into the bags. Charlie Golden is working on collecting information from Dayton’s Bluff businesses for the tote bags. Deanna Layer and Paul Broderson are working on collecting coupons from businesses to go in the bags.
   The welcome bags are available to new residents at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council office at 798 East 7th Street. For information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075.

When we think about the intellectual knowledge that we want children to have to be truly ready for the academic challenges of formal education beginning with kindergarten, we know that we want them to have a lot of general knowledge, to have established many concepts about numbers and counting, and to have a solid base of reading and writing readiness.
   In Minnesota and the rest of the United States, however, we have a number of false notions about where and how this learning base is built for and with children. One of the mistakes many of us make is to confuse schooling with learning. When we make this mistake we forget what most of us really do know: Children do crucial learning from the time they are born. They do not wait to “go to school” to begin learning. For almost every child, Mom and Dad are the first and most important teachers. Even when children are in full day school programs, they continue to learn in every other part of their lives – at home, in the community, with their friends and relatives. This means that all of us need to think deeply about what we want children to learn and how each of us can support that learning when we are with children of any age.
   One of the ways we think about children’s learning is a very old one sometimes known as the “blank slate” or “empty vessel” model. In this model we imagine kids to be clean black boards on which an older, wiser adult writes what the child needs to know, or an empty container into which the grownup pours from his or her full pitcher of knowledge until the child has enough information. This is not actually a very useful model.
   A different, more accurate and more useful model sees children as active constructors of their own knowledge. This model acknowledges that kids must have support from and work in collaboration with their parents and others to build the best base for their continuing growth in all kinds of knowledge.
   In this viewpoint the child brings many qualities to the work of being really ready for school. One of these qualities is a marvelous human brain, which is hardwired from birth to expect some kinds of experiences and to depend on other kinds of experiences to develop well. This brain also has periods when some experiences are critical and what appear to be periods of special sensitivity to other kinds of learning. The child brings a whole self with social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions. The child brings a talent for making meaning from the events in his life. The child brings insatiable curiosity and a mind like a sponge and practices what looks like the scientific method of doing things again and again and again to figure out what is going on. Every child also brings her own unique temperament, learning styles, and different amounts and combinations of the characteristics that Howard Gardner has labeled “intelligences.”
   Although the child plays an active role in his own learning, he depends upon his parents’ contributions to help him become ready for school. Among the qualities parents bring to the collaboration with the child in her pursuit of knowledge are love and an appreciation for this specific child. The parent has interest in and supports the child in the things he does to learn. The parent brings as much patience and empathy as he or she can to interactions with the child. The parent isn’t too quick to show the child the “right” way to solve a problem but trusts the child to self-correct over time. Hopefully the parent brings enough knowledge about what children are like at different ages and stages and insight into the individual child. The parent brings all the knowledge he or she has acquired from life experience.
   Lastly, but of great importance, the parent contributes language – the names of things and of actions and ideas. To be ready to learn to read and write, children need to have large vocabularies and to have had many conversations with the people in their lives. They need both to hear many different words and to hear the same words used many, many times. Virtually every parent has enough language to help his or her child be ready to learn to read and write, but in order to be a helpful collaborator, the parent needs to see the importance of sharing language knowledge with the child and to do so in ways that are more often than not pleasurable and affirming to the child. A parent who mostly communicates in restrictive commands (“No!” “Don’t!” “Stop it!”) is likely to use too few words and to discourage the child from taking pleasure in learning language. (By the way, parents who are not fluent English speakers can help their children develop the base for becoming readers and writers of English by speaking to them well in their native language. You do not need to speak English to collaborate with your child to build school readiness – you do need to talk!)
   When I asked parents in the Dayton’s Bluff Early childhood Family Education Program to think about the times when parents and kids can collaborate to build true kindergarten readiness, they told me “ALL THE TIME!” – while you are eating, in the car, doing chores together, playing, reading storybooks, doing all the things parents and children do together. They are right!

   There has been an increase of graffiti in many parts of Saint Paul, including Dayton’s Bluff in recent weeks. Community members need to help stop graffiti. The way to help stop it is to report it when you see it.
   If the graffiti is on your property call the police at 651-291-1111 and ask that a report be written.
    Also report graffiti that you see on other people’s property and public property by calling 651-266-8989 or email DSIcomplaints@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
   Remember graffiti is a crime. The police department takes this crime very seriously and is very aggressive in identifying and arresting graffiti vandals for their crimes. Often young people are the perpetrators.
    Many parents have no idea that their children are involved in these crimes nor are they aware of the indicators of graffiti vandal activity. Parents should:
· Check children’s 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 or 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.
   Graffiti is not an art; it’s a crime. Neighborhood residents get very upset about seeing graffiti in the neighborhood. For more information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075.

By Wally Waranka, President, Dayton’s Bluff Community Council
   I am sure that those of you who have followed my writings in the paper see that I am a big believer in our neighborhood.
   For reasons stated in previous articles, I continue to be proud of Dayton’s Bluff and will continue my work to let others know what a great place this is to live in.
   There are many things I see happening every day around us; some feel negative, yet many are very positive.
   This forum is a wonderful way for me to express my thoughts and feelings about the community. But, I want to hear from you. What do you think about the neighborhood we call home, where we work, or choose to do business?
   What I would like to do this year, as President of the Community Council, is to invite you to write me about what it is that brought you here or what keeps you staying.
   Positive or negative, anonymous or signed, I don’t mind at all.
   I will share your responses with the readers of the forum later this year.
   Drop me a line either by e-mail or by letter. My email address is: wallysue1@earthlink.net or feel free to write me, Walter Waranka, c/o the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, 798 East 7th Street, St. Paul, MN 55106.
   Hopefully, I will hear from many of you and I look forward to sharing something with everyone who reads the Forum.
   If you haven’t gotten it yet, the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood is a great place to live, work, and do business.

Bethlehem Lutheran Churh Joins Together with Hmong Community
By erin sobaski
   Bethlehem Church, at 655 Forest St., has been a traditional German Lutheran Church since 1887. But in the late 1990s a Hmong Ministry was established to support the growing Hmong community in the Twin Cities. Through the years they have integrated the American and Hmong cultures. So now instead of the focus being on various family clans, Bethlehem is shifting the focus to the “we’re all Christians” clan, according to Pastor Robert Krueger, who has served at the church for more than 26 years.
   The church has an English service at 9 a.m. and a Hmong service at 11:15 a.m. In between services there is an integrated Sunday school and youth Bible study group. The classes have been successful according to church member Mani Heu. “The biggest challenges are parent involvement and lack of Hmong Sunday school teachers,” she says. “There are a lot of opportunities there.”
   Also, every fifth Sunday and on special holidays (e.g., Easter, Christmas) there is one combined service, where the gospel is read in Hmong and the sermon given in English. In fact, the choir is phonetically learning Hmong and German. At last year’s Christmas Eve moonlight service, verses of songs were alternately sung in English, Hmong and German.
   Taking it one step further, Associate Pastor Nathan Raddatz recently started Hmong language classes at the University of Minnesota. The majority of students in the class are younger Hmong who are trying to stay in touch with their culture. Because there has not been a Hmong pastor at Bethlehem for more than three years, they believe Raddatz learning the language is a great step forward in communicating the church’s spiritual and physical (food, shelter, etc.) offerings.
   Another progression is “Sisters in Christ,” a women’s club headed by Heu. Traditional Hmong religious women’s clubs are called “Nam Tsev,” which translates to “mom of the house.” This denotes that women must be married to join. Knowing this would exclude many women, Heu challenged the group to be more inclusive, which has resulted in the vision behind Sisters in Christ.
   There are currently 25 members whose focus is to reach out to the community to strengthen faith and fellowship. One of the recent activities of the group was an outing to Feed My Starving Children, an organization that relies on volunteers to hand-pack nutritious meals that are then distributed to starving children around the world.
   According to Krueger, Bethlehem’s Hmong membership—estimated at 100—lives mostly in the suburbs. Typically Hmong churches are in the city, so obviously suburbanites are welcome. But Krueger, Raddatz and Heu would all like to see increased involvement from the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. As Heu noted, “We have found a nice, welcoming home here at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.” For more information, please call the church at 651-776-4737.

Amazing Grace Assembly of God
1237 Earl St.
651-778-1768
Sun 9:30 am - Sunday school all ages
Sun 10:30 am - morning Worship
Sun 6:00 pm - evening Worship

Hmong Asbury United Methodist
815 Frank St.
651-771-0077

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
655 Forest St.
651-776-4737
Sun 9:00 am - Morning Service
Sun 10:15-11:15 am - Sunday School & Bible Hour
Sun 11:15 - Hmong Service

Faith Temple - Templo De Fe
1510 Payne Ave
651-778-0096
Sun 10:30 am - Spanish Bilingual Service
Sun 6:00 pm – Spanish Bilingual Service
Wednesday family night

Mounds Park United Methodist
1049 Euclid St.
651-774-8736
9:15 am - Sunday School, 4-year-old through Adult
10:30 am - Worship

Our Savior’s Lutheran ‘LCMS’
674 Johnson Pkwy
651-774-2396
Sun only - 8am Worship, 9:20 education hour
Sun 10:45am - Worship

Sacred Heart Catholic Church
840 E. 6th St.
651-776-2741
Sat 4:00 pm – Mass
Sun 9:00 am – Mass
Mon, Wed, Fri 8:00 am – Weekday Service

St. John of Saint Paul Catholic Church
977 E. 5th St.
651-771-3690
Mon-Sat. 8:00 am – Mass
Sat 4:15 pm - Mass
Sun 9:00 am, 11:00 am - Mass

St. John’s Church of God in Christ
1154 E. 7th St.
651-771-7639
Sun 9:30 am - Sunday School
Sun 10:45 am - Worship
Wed 7:00 pm - Bible Study

St. John Ev. Lutheran
765 Margaret St.
651-771-6406
Sun 9:30 am - Worship
Thurs 6:30 pm - Worship