Learning Beyond Borders

A Raisin in the Sun at Mounds Theatre

   The second show of Starting Gate Productions’ “Wonder Season” is coming to the Mounds Theatre in November.  Coming off the success of their first show, Godspell, Starting Gate Productions is pleased to present A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.
   On the brink of the civil rights movement, this compelling drama electrified both Black and White, and illuminated the experience of being a Negro in America.
   This production is directed by Dawn Renee Jones and features the talents of Christiana Clark, Angela Dalton, Shawn Hamilton, Stephen Menya, Dale Pfeilsticker, Artie Thompson, Adam Western, and Marcus Woodard.

Performances:

Three weeks only!
November 4 - 19, 2005
Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Industry Night Monday, November 14. Pay What You Can Performance

Tickets:
$18 general
$16 students and seniors

   For tickets call 651-645-3503 or visit www.startinggate.org
   All performances are at the Mounds Theatre at 1029 Hudson Road.

Holiday Boutique and Bake Sale

Photo by Dennis Thompson The Next Exit Band at the Swede Hollow Park National Night Out event.

Adult Athletics

Christmas is Coming

  A Christmas Story is returning to the Mounds Theatre this December.  It’s everyone’s favorite story of Ralphie and his quest to get a Red Ryder Air Rifle. All the delightful moments you fell in love with in the film version are brought to life, as well as a number of other surprises. 
   This holiday classic was first produced live on stage at the Mounds Theatre in December 2004 and was a great success. This year’s production will be even bigger and better. Create or continue a holiday tradition at the Mounds Theatre.  A Christmas Story is appropriate for all ages and there is discount pricing for children.

Performances:
Friday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 4 at 2:00 p.m.
Friday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Friday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 18 at 2:00 p.m.
   Ticket prices are  $15 Adults; $10 Student/Senior; and $5 Children (12 and under).  Group discounts are available.
   Don’t delay! Contact the Mounds Theatre to order your tickets. Visit www.moundstheatre.org or call 651-772-2253.
   The Mounds Theatre is located at 1029 Hudson Road.  

Metropolitan State University Events

Community Recreation Centers

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Dayton’s Bluff Entrepreneur Class

by Gabriel Garbow
    For years, the Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Community Council has hosted a Micro Entrepreneur Training Program.  The program is designed to help prospective business people in the neighborhood start up a new business or improve their existing business.  The process begins with an application, then applicants are interviewed and finally twelve are offered spaces in the program.  The course - eight classes and at least two one-on-one consultations – is offered twice per year.  Classes meet for two hours every Wednesday night for eight weeks.  Each week, instructor Dale White commands the attention of an eager audience, dry-erase markers in hand and jokes at the ready.
    At the fourth meeting, the class conssts of 11 serious entrepreneurs.  They include daycare providers, accountants, and auto body mechanic, a couple of hopeful bakers, a visual artist, and a massage therapist, among others.
    After the class is over, participants linger to chat … make that ‘network’ with each other.  Many ask questions about next week’s homework, some get clarification on topics covered in class, many are tired, but all are excited about the prospects of owning or improving their own business.  As Mr. White likes to remind his students, “The only difference between employment and self-employment is the self.”  The participants in the Micro-entrepreneur Program are investing in their important asset: themselves.  After the initial classes are over, these individuals hope to be better prepared to succeed in business.  They will have formulated individual Business Plans, and have access to the resources of the Neighborhood Development Center.  So if you need car repair, fresh bakery items, or even cheesecake, look for these local entrepreneurs right around the corner.

Halloween Safety For Kids

Church Directory

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

First Lutheran Church ELCA
463 Maria  
651-776-7210
Sun 9:00 am – Worship service
Sun 10:15 am - Education for all ages
Fellowship following Worship

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’s Catholic Church
977 E. 5th St.  
651-771-3690  
Mon-Fri 8:00 am – Mass
Sat 8:00 am & 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 11:00 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

A Short History of Dayton's Bluff

By Steve Trimble

The 1913 Re-Opening of Carver's Cave

Author’s note:  I’m going to take a one-issue break from the chapter approach to the neighborhood’s history. This will be a more in-depth look at a single event from the early 1900’s era. As you probably know, the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary was recently dedicated and there has been a good bit of press on the riverfront under Dayton’s Bluff.
   
   This isn’t first time there has been renewed attention paid to the area. In 1913, after many years of neglect, people from this community launched an effort to find and re-open the legendary landmark called Carver’s Cave. In the paragraphs below is the story, at least the part that current research has revealed.
   
   The idea of finding and reopening Carver’s Cave surfaced sometime in late 1912. A December issue of the Pioneer Press reported that a group called the Mounds Park Improvement Association had appointed a committee “to investigate the matter and devise ways and means for the exploration of this historic hole”
    The search was intended to lead up “to building a stairway down the bluff to the entrance and then build walks inside and light the interior with electric lights so that the cave may be opened to the public and become a means of amusement and instruction.”                         
    John Colwell, the president of the association was the prime mover in the effort. The Dayton’s Bluff Commercial Club would be cooperating in the adventure. The St. Paul Dispatch reported that they would be consulting with the Minnesota Historical Society in “making Carver’s Cave attractive to sightseers.”
   While the papers did not make any reports at the time, it appears that people started actively looking for Carver’s Cave in January. They did find something. Colwell jumped the gun a bit and said he thought he had found what they had been looking for.
   Mr. Wuerner, age 79, was doubtful that this was the location of Carver’s Cave. Along with a group named Mannerchor Club, he had explored the area in May, 1857.    He even sent in a photograph which, if properly dated, is the oldest one ever taken of the area.
   His and other doubts soon led even the Mounds Park Improvement Association to admit that most people believed that the uncovered cavern was actually Dayton’s Cave. They hoped that some of the city’s old timers could help in the hunt.  One of the local Boy Scout troops was said to be helping in the search.
    Because of the newspaper articles—and probably word of mouth—people began sending letters on Carver’s Cave to local papers throughout late January and February, 1913. Some thought that railroad construction had cut away the bluff and destroyed the historic landmark.

"Some of the Indians who visited Carver's Cave with 'Lazy Boy'."  From the November 19, 1913 edition of the Pioneer Press.

  Other people thought it was just covered up with sand and debris and offered their own personal reminiscences of the area. Judge Bazille, for instance, remembered it as a being a fairly small cave.
   James E. Dore, a local real estate man, told a paper “Sure I think there’s a real Carver’s cave still in existence somewhere under Dayton’s Bluff and I’m going to find it.” He told a story of going into the cave on a raft with candles for illumination in 1868.
   Like others, Dore had carved his initials in the wall as a youngster and now hoped to find them again. Referring to another article, he laughingly said “the reason why Judge Bazille says the cave was only 400 feet long is because that is as far as he went with us. He was afraid to go further.”
   News of the effort traveled throughout the state. In mid-February, for instance, the New Ulm Journal printed a letter from a Theo Crone. He had seen Carver’s Cave as a teenager and used to swim and fish in it. The last time he saw it was in 1887 when it sported a wooden door. The cave was then kept under lock and key to protect the railroad section men’s tools that were stored there.
   There were even letters from other parts of the country. George G. Hollister of Prescott, Wisconsin wrote that he had been in St. Paul attending school in 1873 and 1874 and often visited the cave in the late afternoons and on weekends. Rev. N. P. Kerr of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, who had been an early area boatman send a missive telling how he had  explored the cavern  with candles as illumination.
   Charles W. Eddy a member of the Mounds Park Improvement Association was quoted saying “about fifty old settlers have gone down to the railroad yards, feeling confident that they would be able to point out the cave entrance in a few minutes time, but not one of them was able to say positively where it was located.”
     Some time in February, Colwell was approached by county surveyor J. H. Armstrong who offered to help find the cave. Armstrong had earlier done survey work for the Burlington road when they cut down some 22 feet into the bluff for their right of way in 1885. He had kept his old notes and guaranteed he could properly locate Carver’s Cave.
  Colwell had arranged for a work force to start digging “as soon as Mr. Armstrong has pointed out the spot.” Planning ahead and being what would prove to be overly optimistic, they said that “when the cave mouth has been opened, a watch man will be stationed to keep vandals out.’
    The St. Paul Daily News said that Armstrong was going to get a crew of chainmen and rod men together as soon as the weather permitted. Because of the changes in the landscape, he was going to begin surveying a mile or two below and work northward. Sometime in mid-February, Armstrong, with sextant and surveyor tools, started running the lines up the river.  
   He eventually led the workers to a spot between the rails and told them to dig. They soon found an old stone survey marker. Armstrong then ran his lines from this stone to the bluff, blazed two trees a pointed to where the cave should be.
   Colwell, affectionately called the “cave man” by the Enterprise, a weekly East Side newspaper, was reported to be cutting through the sand. In mid-February, an iron spike was going to be driven into the bluff, apparently to see if there was a hollow space within the bluff.  This action, the local paper said, that would “probably solve the problem that has baffled investigators since the first of the year.”  
     When the spike was driven, water started to pour out. This added to the presumption that the location of Carver’s cave had been found. Even so, much work remained to be done. Fallen rocks, sand and debris covered the entrance. In late February, 1913, the St. Paul Enterprise reported that while “much interest has been awakened,” progress was slow. Timbers might be needed to keep land slides from blocking entrance. 
    While information from this point on is hard to find, the need for money probably stopped the effort from then through the summer. In late July it was reported that Colwell had named a committee to solicit four hundred dollars to buy materials and hire a work crew.
   Colwell kept trying to find financial support and did what he could with limited resources. Although there were still some skeptics, Colwell told a Pioneer Press reporter in late August that “there can be no question that the one opening uncovered is the mouth of the cave.” However, he needed was another $300 to keep the work going.
   Digging finally began again on October 27th and hopes were high. Perhaps because of the renewed activity, a Virginia, Minnesota poet named Henry Baker arrived. He was said to be “surprised and disagreeably so, to discover that the neighborhood was being used as a dumping ground by the city of St. Paul.” He even penned a ten stanza poem that was published in the St. Paul Dispatch.
   Colwell and his crew started work on October 27 “after suspending digging during the summer.” Tuesday they ran an iron rod into a sand bank. It gave way and the rod came out dripping water. On November 5th, the cavern came into view. The event made the front page of the Pioneer Press with a headline that proclaimed, “Mouth of Carver’s cave is reached by workmen.”
   The next step was to remove eight feet of sand from the front of the cave. Six men and three teams of horses started working. When the debris was gone, the water would be drained and, as the Pioneer Press put it, “a permanent passageway for it will be made, after which the sand in the cave in the cave will be removed.  And then its yo-ho for the torchlight brigade and a taste of the real thrills.”
    The paper reviewed the events of the past few months. It said that County surveyor Armstrong had been “the Columbus” of the journey. It was he. Who had marked two trees “and pointed out where the cave should be. The cave is where he said it was.”
   Credit for the initiation of the quest was given to Colwell, who described his plans “to string lights within the cave, build steps down the bluff from Short Street, build a roadway from Commercial street and, if possible, continue it around the Burlington yards to the fish hatchery and beyond to connect with the Johnson Parkway.”
   Once the cave was opened further, initial exploration began. A few days after the initial opening, the Pioneer Press reported that the project foreman Frank Koalaska, had  “penetrated 125 feet in the first cavern to the opening that leads to the second chamber” on a raft of logs and railroad ties. They were working slowly for fear that rapid draining could flood the Burlington railroad yards.
   A few days later, Koalaska was involved in what could have been a tragic accident. He and his teen age son were together on the raft, making various measurements. “Owing to the danger of explosive gasses,” the Pioneer Press reported, “they were unable to light a torch and progress through the darkness was slow.”
     Suddenly, a “quick lurch of the raft” caused the son to lose his balance and fall into the water. Since he was a good swimmer, the father thought at first it was a joke when he didn’t answer a call, but “the lad had hit his head against the wall of the cavern and  lost consciousness.”
    It was so dark that when Koalaksa realized the danger, he couldn’t see where the boy was, but “he plunged into the water.”   The first effort was fruitless, but the distraught father was finally able find and pull his son up by his hair just as he was sinking. Outside the cave, he recovered without any ill effects.
    As large amounts of water continued to be drained and its level in the cave had dropped to four feet, blind crayfish were found. According to the Pioneer Press, they were “slightly smaller than ordinary crayfish and move helplessly in the light” and there seemed to be no indication of eyes on the creatures.   “They may have come from the first chamber, or lowering the level of the water may have brought them from some further cavern.”
   In mid-November, Colwell and two others arranged a meeting with St. Paul Mayor Herbert Keller try to get the city to take charge-and to finance-the uncovering and exploration of Carver’s Cave. The park board did soon take over the work and was “paying the expense of the men and teams engaged in removing earth from the front of the bluff so the ditch can be lowered.”
   A major public event was slated for November 16, 1913. A crowd estimated at 2,000 had gathered yesterday to watch as a prominent group prepared to go exploring. Around 3:30 a light skiff with seven people on it entered the cave.  The group included probate judge Edmund W. Bazille, one of the “old gang.” Along with him were Armstrong, two members of the Junior Pioneer Association, Koalaska, a photographer, and a Pioneer Press reporter.
   They went with “a powerful electric searchlight… attached to the bow of the skiff,” and every nook and cranny of the cavern was illuminated.” They continued on and suddenly some one said, “Look, there’s old Charlie Keller’s initials. See that C. E. K. 1888…”
   “And there’s old Matt Larson’s right below it. And mine, too. Why, the whole gang’s here,” shouted Judge Bazille. According to the paper “hundreds of names and initials were scrawled over the walls about a hundred feet from the entrance” with dates ranging from twenty to forty years ago that “straggled from the top to the bottom.”
    The group of old time settlers who “years ago made the cave a trysting place.” declared this to be the “only and original” Carver’s Cave. The paper agreed that “the last doubt as to the existence of the cavern had been removed.”
The “raftees” talked to the crowd about what they saw inside and the gathering broke up.
     In late November, there was a surprise visit from a group of Native Americans. However, they were not the Dakota, who had been long-time residents in the cave’s vicinity, but a group of Blackfoot Indians Louis Hill was taking from their home in Montana to the Land Show in Chicago. 
   An article written many years later described the event: “Dressed in full chieftan’s regalia and glowing with war paint the band arrived at the mouth of the cave,” where they “made good medicine” offering a “devout prayer to the Great Spirit to accompany them on the expedition and insure their safe return. “
  Then “after holding a dance in which they circled round beating tom toms and uttering deafening whoops they entertained” and “they entered the old council chambers of their forefathers and studied the carvings on the moss-covered walls.”
   The Native American group made another appearance in the newspapers. They were later asked to look over a group of relics allegedly discovered in the cave by Frank Koalaska. In an unlikely scenario, one of the Blackfeet looked at the markings on them and was able to tell a story about them.
   According to Lazy Boy, the relics had been the property of an Ojibway who, along with his Sac wife, had been secreted in Carver’s Cave to avoid capture by the Dakota. He warned Koalaska that  “Ill luck” was likely follow him because he “had profaned the hiding place of the treasure of a great war chief.”
   People continued to visit the newly uncovered attraction. Unfortunately, the tradition of carving in the walls of the cave soon reasserted itself. On November 22, 1913, the Pioneer Press reported that  “the first entrance of the cave is a mass of names and initials of the present generation. Scratching out the signs which have been there for centuries, they have scrawled such monograms as ‘J. H. S. 1913.’”
   A special policeman had been stationed at the entrance to protect the remaining signs and “an iron gate will be placed to keep out intruders.” “This is greatly to be deplored and some action should be taken by the city to prevent any further destruction.” An investigation was going to be launched and there might be arrests.

"Teams of horses were used in 1913 to scoop rocks and debris from the mouth of the cave."  From 'Ramsey County History' 1967, Vol. 4, No 2.

   “Many of the Indian hieroglyphics traced on the sides of the cavern many centuries ago have been obliterated by men and boys who have visited the cave the past few days.” The paper said that interpreters from the Indian reservations are to be sent for and it is thought that many things of interest and value will be learned.” It is unclear whether this proposal was ever carried out.
    While the newspaper coverage almost disappeared, some exploration was continuing. In mid-December, a fourth chamber was found by Frank Koalaska. He was with Armstrong, who now was in charge of the effort. An item in the Minneapolis Journal described it as a narrow long chamber that appeared to be fifty feet high the roots of trees were seen in the ceiling and walls.
     But things took a definite negative turn near the end of the year. Colwell and Armstrong, former collaborators were now in warring camps, fighting over the control of the riverfront turf. Supposedly because of the fear of more vandalism, Colwell had put up a fence and secured it with a lock.
    He did give a key to Armstrong, who later used it to unlock the barrier and then put on his own lock. He decided not to send his rival a copy. Colwell said Armstrong had no right to put on a new lock. “I put the gate at the entrance and I put the lock on too, and paid for all of it… Our committee… will adopt measures to guard the entrance to the cave and may have to remove Mr. Armstrong’s lock.”
  In another newspaper article, Armstrong suggested that Colwell should stay away for his own good. There were now blasting caps inside and it would be “extremely perilous for any one unfamiliar with the location to “Monkey around.’” He added that  this was not a threat, but a general warning.
   The surveyor asserted that he was in charge. “Just as soon as the Council appropriates funds from the contingent fund for the purpose of further investigating the cavern,” he commented, “I will proceed with the work.”
   The community activist countered, saying, “if they don’t want to give the money to anybody but Mr. Armstrong to complete the work, they can keep it.  We can secure sufficient funds… We will look after the future development of the cave ourselves.”
    On December 28, 1913, The Pioneer Press ran a lengthy article under the headline “War Still Waged Over Carver’s Cave.” It quoted Colwell that “On Monday, I shall serve papers on J. H. Armstrong, forbidding him to trespass on Carver’s Cave…. I have the only permit to work on the land, from the Burlington road, which owns the site of the cave…. From now on Mr. Armstrong will have nothing to do with the work.”
   Armstrong replied: “Mr. Colwell never had anything to do with the cave. I discovered it through former markings after Mr. Colwell had failed…I shall disregard entirely any notice from Mr. Colwell. He is not the agent for the Burlington road,” and “doesn’t know a thing… about the work of restoring the cave.”
   The arguments spilled over into 1914. The Enterprise used its pages to attack Armstrong. Colwell had placed the initial gate at the cave entrance “to prevent unthinking individuals from desecrating the ancient carvings upon the walls” This was his right, the paper contended, since he had the permit to dig on the Burlington road property. 
   However, “Mr. Armstrong has replaced this lock with one of his own and has barred out the man who used his own funds and withstood the jibes and contumely of the people in finding again the lost cavern.” The paper concluded: “If Mr. Armstrong knew the feeling he has created against himself he would likely be glad to discover another hole on the ground and crawl in and draw the thing after him.”
    A week later, the Enterprise printed Armstrong’s lengthy response to a Colwell letter. “Your letter of December 30 received,” it began “In the field of fiction I would call it a masterpiece. The English is poor but the plot is fine, the villain appearing frequently and in about the right place…”
   “When I located the cave, and after eight months delay uncovered it, I did it on the presumption that it was of great historical interest…I had no idea that you owned the cave,” Armstrong said sarcastically. “I supposed that any man who owned property would be able to locate it within a radius of a half mile…
   “Now my dear Colwell drop this fool talk, just pass the cave as if you did not own it. Wait until we get it cleaned up and made presentable and turned over to the city, and then file on it. This is my last letter to you on the subject… Your next letter will go into the waste basket unopened,” Armstrong concluded bitterly
    The Enterprise then launched into an attack on Armstrong who they claimed was acting as “some sort of self-constituted despot.” They mention Armstrong’s letter and said that “the animus displayed by Armstrong in the matter of Carver’s cave…leads us to condemn the man as unfair and simple to the degree of boyishness.”
   He has been “butting into the affairs of other men and seeking to take, by… force if need be, possession of Carver’s cave and what little credit, if any there may be, in discovering again and seeking to add the old cave to the city’s points of interest…”
     The Enterprise article also included information on the possible future of Carver’s Cave. “Plans are being made to exploit it as a beauty spot and a lure to tourists” and  “a large electric sign is to be placed high on the face of the cliff above the cave.”
    The intersection of Short and Cherry Street, which was directly above the cave, will soon “be condemned, converted into a park and cement steps will be built down the face of the cliff to the mouth of the cave,” the paper said. Carver’s Cave would become part of the city park system.
  By the end of January, 1914, Carver’s Cave and the dispute swirling around it almost disappeared from the newspapers. There were no further reports on additional exploration. But the city apparently took control of the site.
   There was a short news item saying they had taken the cave site into the park system. The Enterprise noted that the Dayton’s Bluff Commercial Club was cooperating with the St. Paul park board in setting aside “for parking purposes, property at the head of the bluff overlooking Carver’s Cave.” 
    After that, the public seems to have lost interest and mentions of the cave were sporadic at best. There were some visitors, including transients and neighborhood children throughout the Twenties and Thirties; however, that’s another story.

Building a Close-Knit Community

by Jamie L. Smith

   When I purchased my home in Dayton’s Bluff three years ago, some friends and family members expressed surprise and fear at my choice of location.  They saw the area as one riddled with crime, a disproportionate share of rental housing and lacking in cool places to go out to eat, shop or grab a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning. What I saw a neighborhood in transition.  I saw a place where people were starting to spend money fixing up their homes, violent crime was actually decreasing and cool little coffee shops were hiding off the main streets.
   When Sergeant Vick was killed two blocks from my house, the pressure from my family to sell out and move increased. But I’ve stayed. This is my neighborhood and it’s filled with good people and I feel that I have a responsibility to it.

Photos by Verna Pitts Photography

   I feel that my decision to purchase a home in this neighborhood came with an important responsibility to help make this neighborhood a good place to live.  Since moving in, I’ve made it a point to get to know who my neighbors are.  In addition to introducing myself and extending a handshake in welcome when someone new moves in, I joined the Margaret Recreation Center Block Club and volunteer there teaching knitting one night a week.
   It’s a funny story how the knitting class came to be. At one of our monthly MRC Block Club meetings in fall of 2004, Kate Ross, the director of the center, lamented the fact that there was not a lot of programming at the Center for the many young girls who spent their after school hours there several nights a week.  She described for us how, due to city budget issues, she was unable to provide enough paid staff and materials to offer classes geared toward the girls. Because many of the kids who spend time at the Center come from low income families, Kate often does not charge them fees to participate in programming. The kids from the area simply do not come from households where there is much left over when the family bills are paid. 
   When Kate told us that the girls would just hang out on the basketball court and watch the boys play, my friend (and fellow Block Club member) Carey Nadeau and I knew we had to do something.  Since we recently got swept up in the knitting craze taking the entire nation by storm, we volunteered to teach a beginning knitting class for the girls (Chicks with Sticks) at the recreation center one night a week.  We figured it was a win-win situation: we would be contributing to the neighborhood’s well-being, Kate would have two extra sets of adult eyes at the recreation center and the girls would make some new friends and learn the craft of knitting. 
   Carey and I solicited donations from our own little knitting circles and tried to figure out how we, just a couple of beginning knitters ourselves, would teach precocious girls how to maneuver the needles and yarn into a scarf.  Our knitting friends surprised us with their generosity when we told them what we were doing.  We collected boxes and boxes of yarn in every different color imaginable.  We built up a small arsenal of knitting needles. And we got some space at the recreation center set aside for us. 
   Once those other details were in place, Carey and I sat down and plotted out our eight weeks worth of lesson plans.  We would begin with introductions.  We would all wear nametags I made that said, “Cool Chicks Introduce Themselves” and we’d all share why we wanted to learn how to knit.  From there, we’d all make a set of chopstick needles to practice with and then we’d get to the knitty-gritty of teaching the girls how to cast on stitches and go from there.
   From the very first night, Carey and I learned that we had to be flexible.  Right off the bat, we had to ditch our catchy little Chicks with Sticks name. A little boy came and said that wanted to learn how to knit.  Carey and I just couldn’t say no to the seven year old boy with big brown eyes. Even though we had originally envisioned this class as a place where girls could focus on female bonding, we didn’t want to exclude anyone who wanted to learn and be a part of the group. 
   Since the kids were at different skill levels and we don’t have the same exact kids every single week, we weren’t able to stick to our neatly typed lesson plans.  At first, Carey and I were a little frustrated by that.  We wanted to stay organized and see the kids finish their projects by the end of the eight weeks.  We slowly realized that what really mattered is that we go at a pace that works for the kids and that they get the attention from us that they need. By the time the eight week class finished, we had a couple kids who were about half finished with their scarves and several more who couldn’t wait for the next class.
   Now that winter is around the corner and Carey and I are in the mood to knit again, it’s time to begin knitting class once more.  In order to fulfill the goal of providing more programming geared towards girls, the knitting class this fall will be limited to girls only. If there are enough boys who show an interest, we will consider adding another night at some point.  Girl’s Knit Night In will be on Monday evenings from 6:30pm until 8:30pm at the Margaret Recreation Center beginning November 7, 2005 through January 30, 2005.
   If you are interested in learning more about the knitting class at the Recreation Center or are interested in teaching a class of your own on a subject of interest to you, please call Kate Ross at 651-298-5719 or email her at kate.ross@ci.stpaul.mn.us  for information.

If you are interested in joining the Margaret Center Block Club, please call Carey Nadeau at 651-206-9114 or email her at can725@earthlink.net or call Kamy Eide at 651-774-1059.  We’d love to see you at the next meeting on November 2, 2005 at 6:30 p.m. at the Margaret Recreation Center.

If you have any comments or stories about knitting you’d like to share, please feel free to email me at stpaulgirl76@yahoo.com.   

Pet Store Opens on Earl Street

Dan "Fish Man" Monson and his little buddy, a Mali Uromastyx want everyone to come and visit them for their Grand Opening Sale on November 11,12 and 13.

Zone

“Where are you, Dayton’s Bluff?”

   Just show up at the Dayton's Bluff District Forum's next meeting at 6:00 p.m. and tell us what we could be doing  better.   The next meeting will be Monday, Nov. 28 at the District Council office: 798 East 7th Street, Saint Paul..