Saint Paul’s newest park, the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, is a unique urban natural area along the Mississippi River.  A former rail yard, the land has been transformed through years of hard work by Saint Paul’s East Side and Lowertown communities and a wide range of public and private partners.  The park will be open to the public for this first time this spring on May 21st, and will provide visitors with a unique opportunity to enjoy the natural world in the heart of the city. 
   Park features include:
* Towering limestone and sandstone bluffs.
* Stunning views of the Mississippi River and downtown Saint Paul skyline.
* Incredible bird watching.
* Beautiful spring-fed water features that include three wetlands and a meandering stream with a footbridge over a two-foot waterfall.
* Walking paths for hiking and exploring
* A bicycle trail loop through the sanctuary and soon-to-be installed link around the park that will connect the East Side to the nature sanctuary and the Lowertown/Downtown district.
* Fascinating remnants of the land’s rail history.
* Caves that include Wakan Tipi/Carver’s Cave, an area of great Native American significance and a landmark for early European explorers.
   On May 21, the nonprofit Lower Phalen Creek Project will host a community celebration to recognize the many partners that have made the park possible — and introduce local families to this exciting new recreational and natural resource.  A formal program and ceremonial tree planting will take place from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. 
   For the next three hours, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., we are planning an array of events that will get people excited about using this new park.  The National Park Service’s John Anfinson will be leading history and ecology walking tours of the site, and the Audubon Society will have birding experts on hand to provide tips for seeing eagles, migrating songbirds and other species that are already using the area as critical urban habitat. “Freddy the Flat Head Cat Fish,” the National Park Service’s mascot, will greet families and provide information on places to visit along the Mississippi River.  The area’s value as a place for bicycling will also be highlighted.  We expect up to 300 people at this festive event.
   For more information on the event, contact Karin DuPaul at 651/772-2075, or check out the Lower Phalen Creek Project website at: http://www.phalencreek.org.

Historic Mounds Theatre Starts Second Season

Have Yout Had Your Face Painted Lately?

By J. Wittenberg
   If not, perhaps you should consider hiring from the talent pool within our own rich resource that is Dayton’s Bluff. It just so happens I can recommend someone. It was a cold day in March when I talked to Gloria Broderson, who claims to have a passion for the painting of faces.
   It seems she has been making faces into works of art for ten glorious years, working at such diverse locations as The Pine Tree Apple Orchard, St. Paul Saints’ games, and Professional Face Painters Inc. She claims the face is her canvas, and is for children of all ages. Most recently, she has had the egregious honor of working for Clown Town, U.S.A, and doing motocross events in Rochester. What other recommendations would an artist need? Presently, Gloria is freelance, and is ready, willing and able to make your countenance any color or design under the rainbow.
   Ms. Broderson tells me she is available for spring and summer company picnics, children’s and adult parties in Dayton’s Bluff and indeed, all of St. Paul. “My face painting is a great addition to neighborhood and business festivals, events and openings. I offer a wide range of colorful, popular designs at reasonable, hourly rates,” Gloria said. Now what more could anyone ask for? For information and booking, you may call this artist at (651) 773-5346. Her business is called ‘Eye on the Sparrow.’
   When asked how we can strengthen the arts in our burgeoning, diverse community, she spoke with zeal about restoring the lost after-school programs that have been cut by our governor and legislative body. “After-school programs used to keep the kids off the streets between 4 and 8 p.m., the high crime time. These programs gave them something creative to do; they were something the kids could take pride in, and take home. When these programs were cut, it put children at risk. They should be restored. There are generous churches that have offered their space in the past, like St. Bernards, to keep the kids creating and out of trouble. This is where community is really community!”
   I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Eclectic Dance at Kinetic Kitchen

Assassins at the Mounds Theatre

Expanded Hours

  The Dayton’s Bluff Branch Library at 645 East 7th Street has expanded its hours to Monday through Thursday - 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday - 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday - 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mayor Kelly announced the additional hours on April 14, 2005 at the Library.

Need Recycling Bins?

Annual Home Tour

Home Preservation Event

Swede Hollow Book Chat

   On Friday, May 20, 2005 at 7:00 pm in the Swede Hollow Café, Brian Malloy will read from his novel The Year of Ice. This book is an artfully written portrait of a young man coming to terms with the world. “Darkly brilliant, treacherously funny, and absolutely convincing. This is a debut to heed, a writer to cherish. Malloy’s poignant, quietly effective debut… shows plenty of talent…the author also displays a razor-sharp comic touch.”
   This is the second book reading arranged by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council’s Arts and Culture Committee

Take A Hike

Deadline Extended for Poster Contest

   The deadline for entries is May 15, 2005. In recognition of National Night Out, Saint Paul's Eastside District Councils will be sponsoring the annual poster contest for all ages! Our purpose is to inspire and promote crime prevention and a spirit of community that lasts the whole year.
   Poster Contest Theme: SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS! What does neighborhood safety mean to you? Draw a picture of what a safe neighborhood looks like to you at home, school, or at neighborhood parks.
   Who can enter? EVERYONE! Be creative and design your poster using paints, crayons, colored pencils or magic markers. Posters need to be either 8" x 11" or 11" x 17". The poster contest features four entry categories: Pre-K - 3rd grade, 4th - 6th grade, 7th - 12 grade and adults.
   Every entry will receive a prize and special selected prizes will be awarded in each category after judging. Prizes will be awarded for posters in each category.
   All entries MUST INCLUDE name, age or category entry, gender, school/grade, full home address and phone number.  Prizes will not be awarded to entries without this information.  Entries will not be returned and will become the property of contest sponsors and may be used for publicity purposes
   Bring or send the posters to: Dayton's Bluff District 4 Community Council
798 East 7th Street, Saint Paul 55106 For more information call Karin at 651-772-2075. 

Oliver Dayton's Bluff: A Brief History

By Steve Trimble

   I recently attended the funeral of Gareth Hiebert, a long-time newspaper columnist who chronicled life in the city and surrounding area for three decades. He died of pneumonia at the age of 83. Under the pen name "Oliver Towne" he explored a variety of interesting and unusual people and places, including Daytot's Bluff.
   "Gary" as friends called him, grew up in New Ulm, where he got  his start in journalism as a high school sports editor He attended the University of Minnesota, where he was a campus correspondent for the Dispatch, a paper he joined full-time before joining the military in 1942. After a stint with the Army Stars and Stripes magazine, he settled in St. Paul, raising a family and serving as assistant city editor.
   Hiebert was also a colleague of mine at Metropolitan State University where he offered a class in Twin Cities history. I sometimes team taught the course with Gary. So I have decided to do something a little different this month. Instead of writing another chapter in the continuing saga of Dayton's Bluff (I'll get back to it in June), I'm going to share portions of some of Hiebert's descriptions of our neighborhood.
   Some of his work has recently been reprinted by a local publisher and the original books he wrote are available at the libra,ry. I happen to have an extra copy or two of the oritinals and am willing to send them out to any two readers who send in their own memories of Gary Hiebert or any  of the places included in this article.
   For those who are new to the neighborhood, Van Buren School was replaced by Dayton's Bluff Elementary.  In his 1958 book, St Paul is My Beat, Gary Hiebert described the following event that took place in its immediate vicinity.

"258 Bates: July 4th Noble Riot
   It is not generally known, I suppose that the last battle of the Revolutionary War was fought in St. Paul 67 years ago in front of a house at 258 Bates, on the East Side....
   They called it the Noble riot and it occurred on July 4, 1892.
   Percival Noble, an Englishman, lived at 258 then and determined to assert his rights in a free country by flying the British flag on a pole in front of the home.
   John DeCourcy of 717 Conway... ran across the Van Buren schoolyard to protest. DeCourcy pulled down the British flag, folded it and handed it to Noble with a diplomatic protest in the name of the fathers of the American revolution.
   But Noble only waited until Mr. DeCourcy had returned to his home, then he ran up the Union Jack again and cut the halyards.
   Mr. DeCourcy returned, shinned up the pole, pulled down the flag and started to slide back to the ground. But Noble was waiting with a horse whip and laid onbDeCourcy heavily.
   Whereupon John Morris, headwaiter at the formal dining room of the Rvan hotel, was attracted to the scene from his house at 705 Conway. An adroit bouncer, Mr. Morris stepped on Noble's toes and punched him in the nose.
   Mr. DeCourcy now reinforced by the reserves, grabbed Noble's whip and counterattacked, driving him into the house.
   The neighbors, aroused by the commotion, moved in as shock troops, tearing off parts of the porch..
   It was in this atmosphere of disagreement that Paddy Hines, 721 Conway, made a plea for law and order, pled for peace and then called the cops.
   A squad of St. Paul's finest arrived on from Margaret Street Station and dispersed the rebels and loyalists alike.
   Patriotic groups demanded that Noble be prosecuted for his defamation of the Fourth of July sentiment...
   But Noble, in full retreat, packed and took his family to Winnipeg.
   Thus was the last outpost of the British empire wiped out in the United States..."

   Back in 1959, when the next article was penned, the railroads were still major employers and many of the workers lived in this vicinity.  This now vanished landmark was the kind of unique remnant that Gary Hiebert loved.  If you go to the edge of the bluff behind the Mounds Pak pavilion, you can see where it once tood. Any readers ever eat there?

"A Railroad Beanerie
   In the rapidly ebbing era of the old time railroad beanerie hotel, there remains between Chicago and San Francisco only one worth a reputation. And that is the Burlington Hotel, set on a shelf at the foot of Earl Street, just to the left of the Warner road overpass...
   It has breached the space of time between the old and the new in communication, for instance. You see at once a new French-styletele phone and also an old-type wall phone, one of the few remaining in use hereabouts.  That is for special calls - incoming only, from the 'call boy' in the yards who suinmons his minions at all hours to come down and start the wheels of a fast or slow freight rolling south or west. Upstairs in the 12 box-shaped rooms holding 21 beds you will find odd-looking ropes, looped near the windows. These are fire escape ropes, swinging exits to the ground below...
   The hours of dawn and 7 p m. are the noisiest and busiest... when the railroaders swarm into the place. They climb the long stairs from the sea of' red and green switch-lamps below, while wiping shaving soap off hastity trimmed faces, shuffle bleary-eyed into the glare and grope for steaming coffee cups.
   'Ham and cake!' That is railroad fare at the Burlington at 7 a.m., something to stick to a man's ribs while he rides the cab of a diesel or swings from the icy, iron rungs of a boxcar at the end of a string of freight cars.  Historically, the Burlington has enjoyed a tenure of more than 50 years on the- East Side ledge....
   The Burlington enjoys one more distinction that few other hotels in America can claim. If you stand on the lawn in front, it is possible to see every form of transportation known to man- the planes at Holman field, trains, boats in the river, cars, busses, trucks, people walking, bicycles and motorcycles.
   And every room comes with a view."
  -- from Gary Hiebert, Once Upon A Towne.

   Although the street is now paved, the segment of Point Douglas Road described below in a 1958 article is still there.  The dead end mentioned is across from today's Obb's Bar. One thing Hiebert did not mention is that Point Douglas is itself a remnant of the old Territorial Road which snaked across Dayton's Bluff in the 1850's.

"Bricks and Opera
    I drove down a winding stretch of old brick paving on the East Side of the city the other day. And there would be those who scoff at the idea that a row of bricks could spawn even the haze of a memory.
    But there is more than one along Old Point Douglas Road, as it runs like a meandering stream from Hudson Road near Earl, to a dead end at Burns and Clarence.
   It was St. Paul's most imposing entry from the southeast for nearly 40 years -  leading into Hastings Road that skirted the bluff .
   The romance of that old piece of paving began from the day the first bricks were laid.
   Point Douglas Road was built 50 years ago. Those were the days of the horse and wagon. And the workers were mostly Italians.
    Each day at 5 a.m. the wagons would go down to Earl and Hastings and pick up the laborers and thenstartt rumbling to the day's bricklaying site.
    'And those Italians would begin to sing operatic arias,' i was told by a woman who remembered. 'It was the most beautiful music I ever heard. I used to lie in bed and listen to it and it sent chills up and down my spine....'
    And the three saloons over at Earl and Hastings were 'halfway' houses for farmers who came in from Hastings to sell their produce down in the city.
   All that happened along the old piece of brick paving-no longer an artery of commerce, but running-seemingly without rhyme or reason-through a half, mile of East Side residential area filled with bright new homes.
   There is only one mark of its former glory-at the Burns and Clarence intersection.  An ancient highway sign with arrows, and one which reads- 'Hastings  19 mi.'"

   Written in 1958, this Hiebert column looked at the history of one of the oldest residences in St. Paul. It is still standing, though greatly remodeled, on Mound Street just off Mounds Boulevard and is now the Mound Park Rest Home. To get a sense of its architecture, it is best viewed from Bates Street below. The article below is a shortened version:

"Captain's Roost on Mounds Park
   It was on one of those April-like December afternoons before Christtnas that Ary Schaefer and  I went back to review the strange but fascinating history of his old home, a statuesque fortress that has commanded a stirring panorama of the city and valley for more than a century... .it stands, a sentinel of grandeur up there near the peak of the  ridge leading into Mounds Park.
   A Commodore Davidson built the place in 1856. Like a lot of other steamboat captians and nautical  persons who built  houses along the Mississippi, he put this place at what he considereto be the best possible vantage for looking at the river. In addition, tje Commoctore erected on the roof a glassed-in pilot house...
   1872, the house, having fallen into tarnished times, became part of a newspaper raffle and Dr. J. H. Murphy, well-known St. Paul physiciati, got it for as five dollar bill.
   The Scheffer reign began in 1886 and lasted until about the turn of thecentijry. It was during this period that the yard boasted a fountain and artificial lake and a long, winding gravel driveway.
   'It was a wonderful placed in which to grow-up,' says Ary, referring to his own childhood and that of his four sisters, one of them the late Mrs. William Hamm, Sr. of the brewing company.
    But the panic of the late 1890's took the house out of Ary's life and it took an erratic course until the early 1940's then Mrs. Evans moved in and restored to its present status....
   And I think this is one of the reasons the house holds so much fascination for me. I have written about many an old building and landmark, but usually in a minor key, observing the demise or fall.
   Not so with the old dowager up there on the ridge. She wears her pride as jauntily as any niew home of style finished in the city within the last month.
   --Gareth Hiebert, St. Paul is My Beat.

Plant Sale/Exchange

   The Third Annual Greening Dayton’s Bluff Plant Sale and Exchange will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2005 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the corner of East 7th Street and Bates in the gardens outside the Swede Hollow Café. Plants for sale will include perennials and annuals.
   If you have plants in your garden that you have too many of or do not like any more, dig them up and bring them to the plant exchange and take home something you would rather have in our garden. For more information call Karin at 651-772-2075.

Neighborhood Sale

May Events at the Community Rec Center

Summer Classes at the Mounds Theatre

   The compost site nearest to Dayton’s Bluff is at Sims and Frank. You can bring leaves, grass clippings and other soft-bodied plant materials. Brush and tree waste EXCEPT roots can also be brought to the Frank and Sims site. They also have compost and wood chips from time to time.

   Hours of operation are:

Monday, March 28th through Wednesday, November 30, 2005  (weather permitting)
Saturdays:  9 a.m.  - 5 p.m. 

Sundays:  11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday:  11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: CLOSED

CLOSED:  Memorial Day, May 30th; Independence Day, July 4th; and Labor Day, September 5th.
   While you are at the compost site stop and say thank you to the attendant at the site. He has been working at the Sims and Frank site answering questions and helping people for the last 10 years.

More Variety in the Cities

   The Twin Cities premier variety show is once again bringing its family-friendly live matinee performance to the Mounds Theatre on Saturday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m.  This month’s performers are magician Don Campbell, jugglers In Capable Hands and physical artists Kirsten & Renee.
   Don Campbell is a retired orthopedic surgeon who presents the cutting edge of classical magic with unusual twists and turns.  Psychic overtones and a layer of comedy create an enjoyable magical experience.
   In Capable Hands is a zany, classy, sophisticated, clever, inventive and extremely diverse mixture of juggling and musical theater.  Coming from the varied backgrounds of circus and musical theater, the comedy duo of Steve Russell and Kobi Shaw is a two-person vaudeville extravaganza.
   Kirsten & Renee present an unusual and highly entertaining combination of mime, dance and comedy. Kirsten attended the Marcel Marceau School in Paris and furthered her studies with Karl Margolis in Minneapolis.  Renee also studied with Karl Margolis and has a B.A. in theater from Jacksonville State University.
   Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children - with special family pricing for more than one child.  Check www.wildetheater.com for details.
      The Mounds Theatre is located at 1029 Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN 55106. For more information call the box office at 651-772-2253 or visit www.moundstheatre.org.

Volunteer Opportunity: Social Services Assistant

Smoke-Free Bar and Restaurant Watch

   Now that the Smoking Ban is in effect and the bars that have exemptions are known, the search for smoke free establishments is on. One place located at the edge of Dayton’s Bluff is Savoy on East 7th and Layfette Road. Governor’s Bar and Restaurant at Arcade and Case is also smoke free. Now non-smokers have places that they can go and not be overwhelmed by smoke.  In the past many non-smokers did not go to smoke filled bars. Non-smokers are a new market that smoke free bars can tap into.
   Anyone know of other non-exempt (smoke free) bars and restaurants?

Brewing Beautiful Granite and Marble

Obi Sium Aims for Endorsement

Spring is Here: Walk, Walk, Walk

   One of the best forms of exercise is walking.  Let’s start walking about the neighborhood. Here are the benefits of daily physical activity:
*Reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation throughout the body.
*Keeps weight under control.
*Improves blood cholesterol levels.
*Prevents and reduces high blood pressure.
*Prevents bone loss.
*Boosts energy level.
*Helps manage stress.
*Releases tension.
*Improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well.
*Improves self-image.
*Counters anxiety and depression and increases enthusiasm and optimism.
*Increases muscle strength, giving greater capacity for other physical activities.
*Provides a way to share an activity with family and friends.
*Establishes good heart-healthy habits in children and counters the conditions (obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, poor lifestyle habits, etc.) that lead to heart attack and stroke later in life.
*In older people, it helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging and maintains quality of life and independence longer.
Information provided by the American Heart Association.
   A new program to encourage residents to walk be will be starting in Dayton’s Bluff soon. Watch for more information in the next issue of the Forum.

Volunteer Opportunities at Marian Center

   We are seeking caring individuals of all ages and groups to spend some time with our Elders. Whether you have an hour or two, or several hours of time you can donate per month, we’d love to hear from you.
   Here’s what we currently have to offer:

Beauty Shop escorts

Chiropractic Clinic Receptionist

Visiting or reading to our elders

Dining Room assistants

Chapel Services ushers

Recreation programs assistants for individual or group activities

Musical Entertainers (singers, persons who play the piano or organ, or any musical instrument)

Grocery Shopping Helper

And so much more!

   Are you a High School student? You can get credit for volunteering! Many schools require a number of hours in “Community Service”. By volunteering at our facility you will get extra credit, gain experience in Senior Care, contribute to the community and have fun ... all at the same time.
   Volunteering is very rewarding to every one of all ages and opens opportunities you never dreamed of.
   If you are interested in joining our wonderful team of volunteers, please contact Robert Johnstone, Volunteer Services Coordinator at (651) 793-2116.

Budget Shift Costs to Local Hospitals

By State Rep. Sheldon Johnson, District 67B
   As lawmakers, we are tasked with crafting a state budget.  While this is never a small job, the $1.16 billion budget deficit certainly adds an additional challenge. 
   Tough economic times require tough decision-making. However, I disagree with the notion that eliminating affordable health insurance options is either a fiscally or a morally responsible thing for the state to do. That is why I have joined with my colleagues in support of a plan that would cover more, not fewer, Minnesotans.
   Since 2001, 77,000 Minnesotans have lost their health care coverage. If the Governor's budget plan were to pass as proposed, it is estimated that another 26,000 Minnesotans would find themselves in the same predicament.
   While the human cost to these cuts is evident, it also provides great expense to taxpayers. 
   The state may initially save money by changing eligibility requirements for state subsidized health care, but taxpayers are inequitably burdened later on. 
   The fact of the matter is people without healthcare coverage don't stop getting sick. Instead, they wait until they are in need of expensive emergency care and find themselves in our hospitals and clinics unable to pay.  Hospitals in our state lost almost $330 million in 2004 due to bills that patients were unable to pay or were written off by providers as charity care. These "uncompensated care" costs have increased by 28 percent in recent years. County hospitals and clinics turn to the state's taxpayers to fill that budget void. In addition, those of us who are insured pay some of the price in ever increasing healthcare premiums and co-pays. Inevitably, it is you and I that absorb the cost of their care. 
   The best way to avoid the expensive uncompensated care costs is to improve access to affordable health insurance. One of the ways to do this is to provide options for small business to offer affordable healthcare to their employees. Currently, 84 percent of Minnesota's uninsured are either employed or are dependents of an employed person.  
   I am proud to support the "Main Street Care" initiative that would open up access to two existing health care programs in the state. The first would enable small employers and families to save on the cost of health insurance by buying into MinnesotaCare and paying discounted premiums. By expanding, not dismantling this innovative program, we allow the state to negotiate to reduce the cost of healthcare by leveraging our purchasing power. This is what other large insurers are able to do, why shouldn't the state? 
   The second would give individuals the option to buy the same health benefits currently available to state legislators. Employers would save five percent on the cost of coverage, and workers would have a choice of providers from three health plan networks instead of just one. While the MinnesotaCare option may be more affordable, the legislative health plan offers more choices to workers. 
   Expanding existing programs to allow additional access to healthcare options for small employers, the self-employed, family farmers and individuals, doesn't cost the state a thing. But it does provide choices for businesses that struggle to provide their workers, who they value, with affordable healthcare for their families.
   Like I said, tough economic times require us to make the tough decisions.  But it also makes us set priorities. I remain committed to improving access to healthcare and providing for our public education. 

WARNING: Unreliable Narrator Ahead

Senate Passes $886 Million Package

WaterFest 2005 -- A Free Family Festival