| Dayton's
Bluff District
Forum December
2009
Volume 22, No. 10 IN THIS ISSUE
1. Our parks can be enjoyed in any season 2. Business association to launch 3. Community Council updates Strategic Plan 4. Garden Club members visit Dayton's Bluff 5. Community Meeting 6. Next Dayton’s Bluff business class April 2010 7. Meet the police 8. Take a Hike 9. Block club meetings 10. Public Meeting about Hmong Village 11. Annual Home Tour wants your home! 12. New “Friends of Mounds Park” group for park planning and preservation 13. “A Christmas Story” returns to the Mounds Theatre in December 14. Free parent’s day out 15. More online Dayton’s Bluff history from the St. Paul Daily Globe 16. Bethlehem Lutheran Cookie Walk 17. Recreation Leader Mary Moore 18. Free Guide to East Side Parks and Trails! 19. Dayton’s Bluff Annual Meeting and Election 20. Give locally made candy for Christmas 21. Rallying Cry to Minnesota 22. Metropolitan State University art gallery serves the community 23. National League of Cities honors East Side Circulator 24. Vento Interpretive Center Cleanup Plan Meeting Set for December 8 25. Youth Program Fun Raiser on December 9 26. Set of 12 Dayton's Bluff postcards available 27. Church Directory 28. Miscellaneous Stuff 29. December Ads Past issues of the Dayton's Bluff District Forum |
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Our
parks can be enjoyed in any season
Business association to launch Dayton’s Bluff has an estimated population of 18,000 people, as well as over 240 businesses located in the community. In spite of the headlines focused on the departure of 3M, many businesses remain and thrive here, from large organizations to small businesses that individuals run out of their homes. The community also continues to draw new businesses every year. Even so, Dayton’s Bluff does not have an active local business association that can help support, strengthen and advocate for businesses in Dayton’s Bluff, as well as promote the community as a good place to live, shop, play, or do business. In partnership with the District Council, several local business owners are organizing a networking and discussion event to consider whether Dayton’s Bluff needs an active and thriving business association. Every interested business owner or operator, as well as every resident who wants a thriving local business community is invited to this open meeting: Dayton’s
Bluff Business Meeting
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The Great Hall (Main building facing Downtown) Metropolitan State University A free continental breakfast will be provided and discussion will focus on the potential value of a local business association, and how businesses in other parts of St. Paul have organized their local business support and promotion efforts. If there is enough support at the meeting, people are available to help get a local business association started. Please RSVP to ed@daytonsbluff.org or 651-772-2075. Your support is needed! Community Council updates Strategic Plan The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council has updated its Strategic Plan (see below) to focus its work on objectives related to two broad goals over the next five years. The first goal has seven objectives, and the second has six: Goal 1: To create a positive perception of Dayton’s Bluff as a desirable place to live, work, play, raise children, and do business. Goal 2: To build, protect, and enhance the community’s tangible and intangible assets in ways that maintain their long-term value and potential, including strengthening residential and commercial property values. Please go to www.daytonsbluff.org for a copy of the Plan. Also shown on the website is the Dayton’s Bluff District Plan, also recently updated by the Council, which is now being reviewed by the city planning commission for inclusion in the comprehensive plan for Saint Paul. The strategic plan focuses on key objectives the Council will work toward as it continues its decades long work as the elected community council for Dayton’s Bluff. It is expected the plan will help guide the Council’s work for the period 2010-2015. The Council also refocused its mission statement to more clearly reflect its role as a community resource for organizing and sustaining collaborative action by the community to improve the quality of life in Dayton’s Bluff. One of the key elements of the plan is to increase and strengthen the availability of financial and infrastructure resources to help enhance Dayton’s Bluff. People who want to help the Council do that should send a letter or email (ed@daytonsbluff.org) indicating their support and encouragement for the plan; and look at ways they can get involved with advancing Dayton’s Bluff. Contact Karin@daytonsbluff.org (or 651-772-2075) for information on how you can get involved with a council committee, task force, or block club and help make things happen. Your involvement and/or letters of support, give the Council the support and engagement needed to be successful as your community council. Your engagement and support strengthens the likelihood that we will be successful with advancing Dayton’s Bluff as a community Saint Paul looks up to. Updated Dayton's Bluff Community Council Strategic Plan 2010 -2015 Mission To act as a valuable community resource for organizing and sustaining collaborative action by neighbors, government, institutions, churches, and local businesses to improve the quality of life in Dayton’s Bluff. Goal 1: To create a positive perception of Dayton’s Bluff as a desirable place to live, work, play, raise children, and do business. Objectives: A. Increase and maintain the number and diversity of residents and businesses actively involved in the community, including its network of block clubs, email groups, collaborations, and other organizations in Dayton’s Bluff. B. Build a creative, engaged, and effective Community Council that is the recognized focal point of community participation, collaboration, and community improvement related to housing, economic development, crime prevention, education, and the social and physical environment of Dayton’s Bluff. C. Build and maintain varied and effective communication methods to inform residents and businesses about local issues and to promote positive highlights of Dayton’s Bluff to the broader community. D. Collaborate with neighbors and local police on efforts to reduce crime in the community over the period 2010-2015, as compared to the number and severity for the previous 5-year period. E. Actively work to reduce the number of vacant and abandoned houses, increase the percentage of owner occupied housing, and encourage the physical improvement of existing housing emphasizing ecologically friendly improvements and historic preservation. F. Sustain and strengthen the Council’s arts and culture committee as the focal point for action to develop and promote a variety of artistic and cultural events reflecting the multi-cultural character of Dayton’s Bluff. G. Develop a suitable facility to house Council offices, programs, partnership activities, meeting spaces, and a community “reception” area, in partnership with other organizations. Goal 2 To build, protect, and enhance the community’s tangible and intangible assets in ways that maintain their long-term value and potential, including strengthening residential and commercial property values. Objectives: A. Promote and effectively administer the Council’s Comprehensive District Plan for Dayton’s Bluff as a guide for protecting and further developing the physical and social infrastructure of the Dayton’s Bluff community (Update the plan every 5-8 years). B. Encourage, strengthen, and develop collaboration among residents, businesses, community organizations, government agencies, and other institutions focused on improving and strengthening the Dayton’s Bluff Community. C. Develop, support, and sustain ongoing efforts to promote and enhance the historic character of Dayton’s Bluff. D. Develop and sustain a Dayton’s Bluff business association to attract and support local businesses, as well as to support and promote the community’s economic development. E. Sustain and strengthen the Council’s Green Space committee as the focal point for action to protect and enhance the community’s natural assets (such as parks, open space, and boulevards), and encourage the use of plants, shrubs, and trees for beautification. F. Advocate for resources to support local schools and education, housing (including affordable housing), health and healthy behavior, youth services, senior services, and community-university partnerships to enhance the community. Garden Club members visit Dayton's Bluff
By Karin DuPaul On October 9th I spent the afternoon with members of the Saint Paul Garden Club visiting Swede Hollow Park and the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. We started the afternoon at the Swede Hollow Café and looking at the Community Design Center’s beautiful gardens outside of the cafe. As we walked down Bates Avenue into Swede Hollow Park, we shared a little history and enjoyed the fall beauty of the hollow. The walk continued along the Bruce Vento Regional Trail through the East 7th Street Improvement Arches, past the rain gardens near East 7th and Payne, under I-94 and on to the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. We received an update on the work in the Sanctuary from Sarah Clark and walked to the far end near Wakan Tipi (Carver’s cave) where garden club members had helped with a planting earlier in the year. From there the Garden Club members went by car to visit more of the Community Design Center’s wonderful gardens. The garden club’s help and support in Dayton’s Bluff is very much appreciated. Community Meeting The next Community Meeting is Thursday, December 3rd 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 most months. The purpose of the meeting 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, and/or new ideas for improvement in Dayton’s Bluff If you can get me the addresses of problems ahead of time I can get them to the police and code enforcement. Then they can bring information about the problems to the meeting. 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. Next Dayton’s Bluff business class April 2010 The next Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Microentrepreneur Class is starting in April 2010. This program helps start-up and young businesses on the East Side. All East Side entrepreneurs are welcome. Class training lasts 8 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, plus 8 hours of one on one time with the instructor. Those who successfully complete the course and locate their businesses in target neighborhoods are eligible for ongoing business support services. Some examples of businesses started by people who have previously 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 small registration fee based on a sliding fee scale. The next session will start in April 2010 and class size is limited. Please call Karin at 651-772-2075 or email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org for an application Meet the police The
Eastern District Police host their monthly meetings for community
members at 722 Payne on the corner of Payne and Minnehaha Avenues. One
is on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. and the other on
the third Friday of each month at 9:30 a.m. In December the meetings are on the 16th
and 18th. Dayton’s Bluff Take a Hike occurs on the first
Saturday of most months. The next hike is on Saturday, December 5th.
We
meet at 10:30
a.m. in Indian Mounds Park at Earl St. and Mounds Blvd. Block
club meetings
Learn about the Hmong Village
at 1001 Johnson Parkway. Date: Monday, December 7 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: 1001 Johnson Parkway For more info call Karin at 651-772-2075 Annual Home Tour wants your home! The 2010 Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour/Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour is looking for Dayton’s Bluff homeowners and home improvement professionals who would like to put their homes on the Tour. Nominations/applications are due Thursday, January 21, 2010, and early submissions are encouraged. The Tour, in its 23rd year, will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25, 2010. You can nominate your home or talk to your neighbors about having their home on the tour. Dayton’s Bluff has had a neighborhood tour home in conjunction with the MSP Home Tour for the last 13 years. The annual Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour attracts people from all over the Metro area each year and some of them have decided to make Dayton’s Bluff their home. Big houses, little houses, historic, old, and new houses are needed for the tour. In Dayton’s Bluff we generally have 2 homes that are featured in the MSP Home Tour brochure and 4 to 6 other houses that are part of the Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour. Past participating homeowners have said they “liked the incentive” to get their home improvement projects done in time for the tour, though it is not necessary to have remodeled the whole house. “It was nice to get all the compliments from strangers to reinforce what I’d heard from friends and family,” said one homeowner. “Contractors often help staff the homes, and homeowners ask their families and friends to contribute a few hours,” said Margo Ashmore, Tour coordinator. “A good support network hosting the home makes it fun. Talk it up at fall and winter gatherings. Community leaders also should start now, identifying individuals or clusters of well-kept and remodeled homes to ask to participate.” Contractors and other vendors may nominate homes they have worked on, and are encouraged to call for more information. Green, energy efficient, and historically sensitive remodels and expansions get special notice. Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) and the City of St. Paul Planning and Economic Development department manage the tour as a celebration of city living that encourages homeowners to improve existing homes. Many organizations and businesses help sponsor the tour. For more information, contact Saint Paul’s MSP tour coordinator Natalie Fedie, 651-266-6549, natalie.fedie@ci.stpaul.mn.us or Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Home Tour coordinator Karin DuPaul, 651-772-2075, Karin@DaytonsBluff.org. The application can be downloaded from www.MSPHomeTour.com under “nominate.” New “Friends of Mounds Park” group for park planning and preservation The recently formed group “Friends of Mounds Park” (FOMP) held its first annual meeting on September 13, 2009. More than 20 people were in attendance to review and approve the bylaws and pledge their commitment as charter members of the organization.The mission of FOMP is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of Indian Mounds Park and Mounds Park. (Mounds Park is the park area bounded by McLean, Mound Street, Burns and Earl.) The group advocates collaboration of citizens, businesses, government and other stakeholders in ensuring that one of St. Paul’s most historic and beautiful community assets is protected. FOMP is a volunteer-based, citizen participation group endorsed and recognized by the District Four Community Council, which serves as the FOMP fiscal agent. Membership in FOMP is open to anyone. The annual “cost” of membership is either a financial contribution ($30 for individual, $40 for households, $10 for senior citizens and $100 for businesses) or a volunteer commitment of 15 hours of volunteer activity. At the annual meeting the group also elected officers of the group. Officers elected were: · Julie Gugin, Chair · Stephanie Harr, Vice Chair · Ned Brooks, events and communication committee chair, · Kara Younkin and Jane Russo, co-chairs of the volunteer committee. One of the first activities of the group will be to participate in the creation of a master plan for the park in cooperation with St. Paul Parks and Recreation that is expected to commence in April 2010. For more information or to become a member, visit the website (coming soon) at www.friendsofmoundspark.org or contact Stephanie Harr at 651-774-2883 or stephanieharr1@hotmail.com “A Christmas Story” returns to the Mounds Theatre in December The classic film “A Christmas Story” is brought to life on stage for the sixth year at the Mounds Theatre. Humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940’s follows 9-year old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself, with the same and always consistent response: “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid.” All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family’s temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; the boys’ experiment with a wet tongue on a cold flagpole; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin; Ralphie’s father winning a “Major Award” - a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg in a net stocking ; Ralphie’s fantasy scenarios; the visit to Santa; the infamous tire-chaniging episode and more. “A Christmas Story” has become a theatrical holiday perennial for hundreds of Mounds Theatre goers. When: Friday and Saturday evenings December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19 at 7:00 p.m. Matinees on Sundays December 6, 13, 20 – 2:00 p.m. Tickets: To order tickets in advance please call the Mounds Theatre box office at 651-772-2253 or you can order your tickets online at www.moundstheatre.org. Gift ticket packages are available for those “hard to please” folks on your Christmas list. Purchase your tickets early, as they sell out very quickly. The Mounds Theatre is located in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood just east of downtown Saint Paul at 1029 Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN 55106. St. John Lutheran Church at 765 Margaret is offering a free parent’s day out on Sunday, December 6 from noon until 5 p.m. Children dropped off between noon and 1 p.m. will receive a free lunch. Other activities include gym games, kickball, and crafts. Please RSVP by Tuesday, November 24. Let us know whether they will need lunch. Call 651.776.0761 to RSVP. Please drop children off at the parking lot door in the back of St. John Lutheran Church. Use the alley drive to access the parking lot. More online Dayton’s Bluff history from the St. Paul Daily Globe Last month I showed you some of the neighborhood’s history that was found by searching the Library of Congress digital newspaper index—specifically the old St. Paul Daily Globe. This time I am continuing with some of the items that I found. After scanning through a small fraction of the general Dayton’s Bluff listings, I decided to see what would come up if I put in some of the names of local people I knew were living at the time covered by the index—the 1880’s through the early 1920’s. The initial one I tried was Hamm. One of the first pages that came up concerned Louisa Hamm, wife of brewery founder Theodore Hamm. Sadly, it was a notice of her death on the second of February in 1896. At the time, newspapers often went into great detail covering personal stories. According to it, her sudden death was “wholly unexpected” by her family. Here’s a bit of what the article said: “Arising at her usual time yesterday morning, Mrs. Hamm before long complained of not feeling well. Though neither she nor her family anticipated anything more serious than the indisposition to which she has been subject within the past year. Louisa Hamm Gradually becoming worse, however, shortly before 10 o’clock, Mrs. Hamm asked that a physician be called, and retired to her room, accompanied by her youngest daughter Miss Emma Hamm.” A doctor was summoned, but “upon his arrival a few moments later, found Mrs. Hamm had passed beyond aid, having breathed her last shortly after retiring to her room.” As was usually the case at the time, the funeral services were to take place at the family residence on Cable Street (today’s Greenbrier) at nine in the morning. Later services would also be conducted at the nearby Church of the Sacred Heart.
Another story that I knew a bit about also concerned a death, but this one was quite a lot more morbid and was given a great deal of space in the issue of the Globe. It concerned the Yandes family, who were early residents of our community. I had once been told by a fellow history researcher that a strange suicide was involved in their story, and it turned out it was true. Two items showed up when I put their name in the keyword search area. Here’s what I found. On November 5, 1885 the Globe had the following headlines: “A Dayton’s Bluff Suicide. Cyrus Yandes, Oppressed by Sudden Responsibility, Kills Himself.” Twenty-six year old Cyrus had just lost his father, J. W. Yandes, who the day before had been “buried in the yard, a short distance from the residence.” According to the paper, “Miss Minnie Yandes found the dead body of her brother stretched across the grave of her father. An empty shotgun lying near showed the means of death.” The story went on to give background on the situation. It seems that the young Yandes had been in poor health for some time and “his father’s sudden death, it is supposed, brought on a partial derangement.” Those at the scene reported that “Yandes committed the deed by placing the muzzle of the gun under his chin and fired one of the barrels by pressing the trigger with his foot.” The coroner showed up and decided that no inquest was necessary. A family member told the Globe that Cyrus had been burdened with managing his late father’s estate and did not want to do the job. The article concluded by saying that a short service had been held at the residence at which only close friends of the family were in attendance. As if this was not enough, there was another short notice in the same issue. It quoted a person-identified only as a Dayton’s Bluff citizen- who said, “I always thought Cyrus Yandes was peculiar. I have noticed that he acted singularly, and believe he must have been insane when he ended his own life in that tragic matter.” The unnamed informant offered an example to prove the point. He was once with Cyrus at Bald Eagle Lake and a storm was coming up. He suggested that they stay at the local hotel, as it was almost dark. However, Yandes supposedly said “his horse couldn’t sleep any in the barn there and so he drove to St. Paul through the rain. The grief at the death of his father probably completely shattered the mind of the poor fellow,” he concluded. Of course, not all of the Dayton’s Bluff items I found were of the doom and gloom sort. The case of Samuel Mayall is a good example. After putting his name into the search engine, a nice article from January 1, 1888 came up and gave a short description of the successful neighborhood resident. According to the paper, “he has the reputation of having more dwelling houses and business blocks to rent than any other man in St. Paul.” He had arrived in the city many years earlier and “being a far seeking and shrewd man” he was at once “fully impressed” with its importance. Still, the real estate business seemingly had not been easy for Mayall. The paper said it had been “an exceedingly unpleasant” experience and “for years he has been fighting his way through lawsuits, struggling with mortgages, paying interest, taxes and assessments, being defeated and swindled by cheating dishonest tenants, and generally fleeced whenever any knave could get a hook in on him.” As you can tell, newspapers of that era did not mince their words. However, he did prevail and became wealthy. In the mid-1870’s, Mayall “went out Seventh Street and on one of the highest points on Dayton’s Bluff erected a large and expensive brick residence. At that time the bluff was a wilderness.” The house used to sit on the site of today’s Cerenity Care Center at Seventh and Bates. The Globe concluded by saying that Mayall’s “observation had told him that the bluff was destined to become of very great importance and value, and that sooner or later large money would be made on real estate in that location.” A final name I put in was Ferdinand Willius, a German-American banker who lived with his family in an elegant home located just northwest of today’s New Main building on the Metropolitan State University campus. The family later moved to Summit Avenue and their house became the first building of St. John’s German-American Hospital.
The first article that came up under his name in a December 1886 issue of the Globe was not a biographical piece about Willius, but was an interesting surprise. It was a legal notice of the Articles of Incorporation of what was being called “The East Side Syndicate.” According to Article 1, the purpose of the organization would be to “buy, own, improve, sell and deal in lands, tenements… real, mixed and personal estate and property” and to construct “dwelling houses and other buildings.” In additional to being in real estate development, it appears that the group also intended to “to loan money and borrow the same and buy, sell and deal in all kinds of securities.” They were planning to operate primarily in St. Paul. Ferdinand Willius was part of the original board. The names of some of the other people who were forming the corporation were also quite revealing. As might be expected most of them were Dayton’s Bluff or nearby East Side residents. Many of the members were of German heritage, including merchant Gustave Heineman, publisher Adolph Munch, businessman Gustave Willius, grocer Ferdinand Knauft, and financier Albert Scheffer. Other investors included wholesale grocer Patrick H. Kelly, photographer Edward O. Zimmerman, Daniel D. Merrill a St. Paul bookseller, James Middleton of East Seventh Street, and Archelaus Pugh who had a splendid home on today’s Mounds Boulevard. I had never heard of this particular group before, but such syndicates, as they were called, were somewhat common during the 1880’s and 1890’s, when the city was undergoing a major building boom. The announcement said that there would be annual meetings on the third Tuesday of every November, so it may be possible to find out how successful they became. You, too, can look up information in The Saint Paul Daily Globe. First put the keywords Library of Congress into a Goggle search and then press on the “digital collections.” Next press “historic newspapers.” Then hit “view newspaper pages.” You will now see a “select newspapers” line. Click there and scroll down to The Saint Paul Daily Globe. You’re now ready to search and, as I said previously, the best approach seems to be putting your search into the “with the exact phrase” space. I hope some of you readers give it a try. And remember, please share your finds with this newspaper.
Bethlehem Lutheran Cookie Walk Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 655
Forest St., will have a Cookie Walk on Saturday,
December 12, at 10:00 a.m. Come and pick out cookies and
fill a bucket for $12.00. Any questions, please contact the
church at 651.776.4737 Mary Moore has been a Recreation Leader with the City of Saint Paul for more than 11 years, for the last several years at the Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center. Recreation Leaders are typically assigned to work in recreation centers to assist with building supervision and lead activities. Mary, however, is anything but typical. During her career, she has taken on several extra assignments that required many additional hours of her time. For example, Mary has acted as the East Side Circulator Bus Coordinator for the past two summers. In this role she supervises and mentors teens who staff the buses, conducts outreach with community organizations to promote the bus as a free service to connect youth with neighborhood learning opportunities, and manages day-to-day logistics of the buses. Mary also revitalized the Dayton’s Bluff Teen Club. She helps to organize neighborhood teens in doing volunteer projects, such as raking leaves for seniors, and helping with the park’s Halloween party. The teens also built a boulevard garden on Bates and worked in the Skidmore Park Community Gardens. When not at the Recreation Center, Mary works as a special education teacher at Humboldt Secondary School on the West Side. Along with her husband Collin, and co-worker Steve Randall, Mary co-founded the Youth in Transition program at Dayton’s Bluff. She and her colleagues regularly mentor and work with young people who want to leave the street life behind and stay out of gangs. She is intentional about working with youth in a caring, compassionate and consistent manner, encouraging positive social skill development, success in school and contributing in their community. While Mary is highly regarded by her peers, what is perhaps even more important to her is that the young people trust her. Mary is committed to working in her community, encouraging the development of young people, involving young people and adults in meaningful activities they can enjoy together, and in reestablishing the Dayton’s Bluff Recreation Center as a neighborhood gathering place at which all residents feel welcome, invited and accepted. As an East Side resident and mother of three, Mary deeply understands that the future of our city is dependant on building healthy, educated, successful young people and she is doing more than her share to help make that happen. She is truly an example of a public servant who is invested in the public she serves. As her work with youth evolves at Dayton’s Bluff she will no doubt become a mentor for her colleagues. Mary has also applied some of her time to helping homeowners to maintain the area and she is always willing to help with other needs. Her work with the Boulevard Gardens on Bates Avenue and the kids as Skidmore Park Gardens proves she truly has a green thumb. Thank you, Mary Free Guide to East Side Parks and Trails! Our neighborhood is home to some of the best parks and off road trails in the city. A new guide makes it easy to find local trails, and showcases Swede Hollow Park, the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and other city parks in our area. Pick up your free trail map at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council office 798 East 7th Street, or find it online at www.phalencreek.org. Dayton’s Bluff Annual Meeting and Election
Give locally made candy for Christmas By Katherine Nave My great-grandfather ran a general store and made candy for the store but then discovered that he preferred making the candy. The whole family would pitch in to make candy in November, sometimes making as much as 150 pounds of candy in a single day! My grandpa took over when they moved to Cambridge MN in the 50’s. It’s then that they were shipping out to stores across the state and as far as Milwaukee. In ’85, he scaled back to only about 300 pounds a year to give/sell to family and friends and we’ve been pretty much maintaining that since with a rotating set of friends. As my grandpa got older, my dad, uncle and I took over the process and I learned all the tricks of a perfect batch. I went to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu to learn the skills of kitchen management so I might expand the family business again some day. When my grandpa died 6 years ago, none of the other family members were prepared to take over candy duties so I moved it to my house. I replaced some equipment like the rusted out stove but I still did not have an FDA approved kitchen and so could not make it commercially. Through a friend, I got the contact info for the owner of PJ Murphy’s bakery who also has a candy stove and was willing to work out a deal for me to rent space. So now we take the big step to start us out into the big world! I’m learning as fast as I can since this happened, faster than I expected. I wanted to go commercial sometime and we have a great product so I guess that time is now! I have all of my great-grandfather’s candy cookbooks (and all his notes) but the crowning glory is our perfected Peanut Brittle. The recipe is darker than the standard brittle giving it a much richer taste and it is about 3 times as thick but crumbles apart when you bite into it. Even my dentist orders some! It is all made by hand in the original copper kettles. We’ll be making the first batches on November 20th. Please check out our web site at www.HardyCandyCompany.com. Rallying Cry to Minnesota By Mark Bradley Previously I have written articles on Minnesota’s place in history through technology, the 3M East 7th Street site, and how that site should be developed. The state is financially and physically in trouble and needs an image makeover as fast as possible. At a time when ecology is so important, destroying a facility as dynamic and important to the past as well as to the future of Minnesota’s residents is shameful. To continue without evaluating all sides of the issue is short sighted. Minnesota is in a dire situation. The state has found it impossible to attract industry or locate the financing to develop new industries. In the past the state has created many businesses with little recognition from those outside of Minnesota. Financial investors were the exclusion that funded this states growth. That changed when younger brokers with little knowledge of Minnesota’s record in technological industries looked to other stars. The Internet was the new star to spend investor cash on with the hope of quick growth. The policy of Internet investment for growth has also led to devastating crashes in the financial industry as these vehicles failed. Minnesota has to start communicating with the world that it was and still is a technological powerhouse that deserves their investment revenues. That is demonstrated through its storied history of success. The 3M site is very important in this ideological makeover of the state. This is especially true because, of it’s falling in stature to the uneducated, educates that empirically distain all that doesn’t meet their limited understanding. The new executives at 3M abandoned the name Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing for 3M. This was done to create a hip new and undetectable identity that denies where the company’s roots were. The board has the right to change their image any way they want, but Minnesota does not have to go quietly into the dark. It should celebrate its history of success. With the company’s abandonment of the original 3M factory, the state should take this as a time to carefully evaluate how to proceed in remaking the image of the state along with this old factory. We can tear down old buildings to build new, but to what purpose if the new building is constructed on hope and little else. It will stay as vacant as Oakdale Mall waiting for the crush of the wrecking ball. The issue is larger than one neighborhood, city, or even region. It can expand knowledge of the state, permitting it to claim its identity on a national or even an international level. History supplies value and prestige that is earned over time. Buildings like Big Ben, our National or State Capitols, the Cathedral and Empire State Building have gained prestige and value with age. I would grant the East 7th Street site a similar grace of importance earned with its increasing age. The buildings have a rough sawn beauty that is a part of the time they were constructed in. History has also bestowed on the 7th Street site and its buildings a dowager Queen’s grace that is worth celebrating. The history extends past the portals of 3M and touches the roots of Minnesota’s past. It reaches into the beginnings of medical devices, computers, the Internet and many related industries. If you have had a chance to read my previous articles, the buildings on the 3M site would be turned into a Museum of Electronics and associated industries. This would centralize orphan industries into a single location (such as movie, recording, advertising, and educational) to help them to grow and expand. Since this site was an industrial park no changes would be needed to reclassify the property for its new purpose. If this project stimulates the industries that the museum was coordinating with, it would revitalize the East Side of St. Paul, and attract even more related industries. Metropolitan State University art gallery serves the community Few art venues at Minnesota colleges and universities are as dedicated to serving the community as Metropolitan State’s Third Floor Gallery. Since the gallery opened five-and-one-half years ago on the third floor of the university’s library on East Seventh Street, it has regularly invited members of the community, particularly on the East Side, to attend exhibitions, performances, workshops and other activities. It has also shown artwork from a variety of community artists, including school children. “I’ve worked in art administration for almost 20 years, and I haven’t seen an educational gallery that is as connected to the community,” said Erica Rasmussen, gallery director and a Metropolitan State studio arts professor. Rasmussen is especially pleased the 450-sq. ft. gallery has established relationships with area schools, specifically the Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School and Farnsworth Aerospace 5-8 at Cleveland middle school. For example, one show exhibited artwork for and by Dayton’s Bluff children. “We strive to reach out to neighborhood children and offer them art experiences, including hands-on activities,” said Rasmussen. “We want the children to feel welcome at the university. Ultimately, we hope they will put in their sights attending a college or university.” Metro State has long demonstrated a commitment to serving the community and the underserved. Of the 30-some shows the gallery has exhibited, Rasmussen is especially proud that about one-third have featured artists from diverse ethnic backgrounds. “It’s been very rewarding to be involved with a venue that celebrates and serves communities of color,” she said. A typical exhibition lasts four to six weeks. About 2,500 people annually attend gallery shows. Among the most well-attended was a show featuring the works of about 20 Minnesota mosaic artists and an exhibit by Minnesota photographer Dick Bancroft documenting the history of the American Indian Movement. Many attendees are students. Rasmussen said it’s important they have regular access to established exhibiting artists and other role models. Some attendees are members of the community who migrate from the first floor, where a public library is located, to the third-floor gallery after hearing or reading about an exhibit. Next spring, the gallery is scheduled to be renamed the Gordon Parks Gallery at Metropolitan State University. Rasmussen is excited about that prospect in part because it will mean mounting a major exhibition of Parks’ multidis-ciplinary work. The exhibition will feature Parks’ photography, poetry, music and films. With more funding available next year, the gallery will mount new exhibitions and offer more workshops and programs, including lectures and musical performances. “I’m very excited we’re going to rename the gallery after Gordon Parks to honor his legacy and to continue to expose people to the important work he contributed to America’s social landscape,” said Rasmussen. “We also hope to expand our reach and attract even more members of the community to the gallery.” National League of Cities honors East Side Circulator
A new report by the National League of Cities (NLC), The State of City Leadership for Children and Families in 2009, recognizes Saint Paul for its cutting-edge out-of-school time initiatives, including the Circulator bus system which transports children and youth to local programs in city recreation centers, libraries and other community centers. Dayton’s Bluff and Payne Phalen are each home to a Circulator bus, which operate as a free resource to connect youth with summer learning opportunities in their neighborhoods. Since their launch in 2007, youth have taken over 11,000 rides on the Circulators to East Side summer programs, as well as destinations such as parks, the YMCA, and Lake Phalen. The City has leveraged grant resources from public and private partners, including the McKnight Foundation, the McNeely Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Education to fund operation of the buses. Many community partners work together through the East Side Learning Collaborative to assist with planning and outreach. A partnership with the City’s Youth Job Corps program provides valuable summer employment and leadership opportunities for East Side teens who staff the buses as Circulator Youth Workers. The State of City Leadership report highlights the Circulator as one of the nation’s four most innovative city models for improving after school opportunities for children and youth. In addition to providing safe and reliable transportation to local programs for several thousand young people, the Circulator system serves as the focal point for coordination among community-based networks of out-of-school time program providers and residents. Surveys of local youth-serving organizations show that the Circulators have significantly reduced transportation barriers to participation in out-of-school time programs. Clifford M. Johnson, Executive Director of NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute), which published the report, said, “NLC applauds municipal leaders in Saint Paul for breaking new ground and inspiring other cities across the country to take their efforts to the next level.” To read the full report, visit www.nlc.org/iyef. For more information on the East Side Circulator buses, visit www.stpaul.gov/parks and search “Circulator.” Vento Interpretive Center Cleanup Plan Meeting Set for December 8 In July 2008, the City of Saint Paul Division of Parks and Recreation acquired 1.85 acres of land adjacent to the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary for future use as an interpretive center. As a first step in redeveloping the area the City is cleaning up contaminated soils on the site through funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A draft cleanup plan has been developed and is available online at www.phalencreek.org and at the Dayton’s Bluff library for public review and comment. Comments will be taken until December 31, 2009. A public meeting on the cleanup plan will be held on Tuesday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m.at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council office – 798 East Seventh Street, St. Paul. At this meeting citizens will hear about and be able to review the draft cleanup plan and provide comments. The meeting will also include an update and discussion of visions for the future of this area. For more information, contact Bruce Engelbrekt by email at Bruce.Engelbrekt@ci.stpaul.mn.us, or call him at 651-266-8854. Youth Program Fun Raiser on December 9 Order take-out or dine-in from Davanni’s at White Bear Ave and I94 on Wednesday December 9, 2009 (between 5-8pm), at their regular prices, and 20% of your bill will be donated to the Dayton’s Bluff Booster Club for youth programs. Call Gina at 651-793-3885, or email her gina.stokes@ci.st.paul.mn.us for more information and to get your free donation voucher; including info on how you can organize a fun pizza or hoagie party that evening and generate a large donation for Dayton’s Bluff youth as well. Co-sponsored by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, 651-772-2075, www.daytonsbluff.org. Set of
12 Dayton's Bluff postcards
available
Church Directory Amazing Grace Assembly of God 463 Maria St. Paul, MN 55106 651-776-7210 1 block North of Metropolitan State Sun 8:00 am - Free Community Breakfast Sun 9:30 am – Worship service Sun 10:45 am - Education for all ages Handicapped accessible ALL ARE WELCOME!
Mounds Park United
Methodist Miscellaneous Stuff Advertise in the Forum The Dayton’s Bluff District Forum is now mailed monthly to Dayton’s Bluff businesses and households FREE !! Your 5” x 4” display ad gets to over 7500 addresses for only 2 cents per address. Your ad is also placed in the online edition of the Forum at no extra cost. Other size ads are also available Include the Dayton’s Bluff District Forum in your advertising plans. Contact Karin@daytonsbluff.org Or call 651-772-2075 The Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Wants Your News, Photos and Articles About Organizations, People, Events, Opinions, Businesses, Neighborhood Issues Contact Karin for more info at 651-772-2075 Dayton's Bluff Recycling Pick Up Every Tuesday. Have your recycling on the curb by 7:00 a.m. If you need recycling bins call 651-772-2075. It’s the law! The curfew law, that is! City of St. Paul Curfew for Juveniles Age 15 or younger: Home by 10 p.m. Age 16 – 17: Home by 12 a.m. Midnight Saint Paul Police Department Juvenile Unit An EXTRA connection to Dayton's Bluff In addition to the District Forum, we now have a new e-newsletter, the EXTRA. The goal of the EXTRA is to keep you informed of happenings in Dayton’s Bluff between issues of the monthly newspaper. It’s free and easy to sign up. Just go here. You can unsubscribe at anytime. If you have previously subscribed but haven’t received your issues, be sure to check your “spam” settings and allow our address to come through to your inbox. Sign up today for your EXTRA connection to the Bluffs! Get rid of a junk car and help the Dayton's Bluff Community Council Budget Towing of Minnesota, Minnesota’s largest towing company, is owned by Roy Carlson, an active Dayton’s Bluff Community Council board member. Budget Towing will remove any junk car or truck—located anywhere in Saint Paul—and dispose of it at no charge to the vehicle owner or the property owner where it is located. The vehicle owner will receive paperwork for a tax donation, and Roy will also make a small donation to the Community Council for each car he tows. Just call Karin at 651-772-2075 to find out how you can get a junk car out of the way—and help clean up Dayton’s Bluff. |
Ads found in the December 2009 Dayton's Bluff District Forum
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| Past issues of the Dayton's Bluff District Forum |